natural girls
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hi my new bc mates thank you for a warm welcom im from Sydney and live on the coast by the beach with the bush escarpment for our back yard very nice and yes were in summer now nice and warm good for the no hair look haha thanks for the CO Q10 info i will def be looking into that
JOANNE
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Althea-Thanks for the laugh. I really needed it. You have no idea how upsetting yesterday was. Not only did I have to sit in pink hell, they gave me the wrong salad at the place across the street. It had bacon and pasta in it! Who puts pasta in a salad? And since it was pouring rain, I did not want to go back and get the roasted veggie and side salad I had ordered. Plus, I sat with my dear little French girls and had to listen to them complain about how sad it is that so many Americans are so poor and we are so rich we should take care of the rest of the world. I just wanted to scream!!!!!!
Boy if those kids were not with me I would have pulled a towanda! Of course, without them I would have never even been in the place to begin with. Just the thought of popping all those balloons, jumping on a table and ripping down the cutesy little dingle dangles and then ripping down all those plastic ribbons off the escalator does bring me some solace. Oh to have the courage to "accidently" spill some catsup and mustard on those pink sweatshirts as I scream "This one's for you Fla Lady!!!!" I just want to friggin cry! But I am definitely headed to the MCD headquarters when I get a day off this week!
Want to join me? We can all bear our "breasts" and maybe make millions with a new DVD:
"Survivors Gone Wild!"
Let's show all these idiots just how beautiful breast cancer really is!
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I got estriol cream off the internet before I was able to locate a doc that treated with bioidentical hormones that was willing to accept me as a patient due to my cancer diagnosis. I now get estriol from a compounding pharmacy.
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Hey Fairy,
I guess I was under the impression that estriol was at the end of the steriod hormone cascade and was not converted to any form of estradiol or estrone. I would really be interested to know if that was wrong. I imagine that's a really good reason to keep taking DIM faithfully if estriol can be converted to 16 hydroxyestrone...
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I remember having a discussion with my hormone doc about how one hormone can turn into another. I think the key is that any hormone should not be excessive. Too much can convert to fill the void of another or something like that. This is why we need our convention. Such great questions. wouldn't it be great to have a doctor who can explain it all to us?
Same thing with the when to take supplements question. There is so much conflicting info. I do know we need to take the iodine with vit c, selenium, and mag for better absorbtion. That is why I buy my iodoral from my compounding pharm, because he puts is all together. He also makes a progestereone BHRT with a little estriol added for balance. He uses pure aloe cream as a carrier so it does not have any additives.
I also read not to take more than 500 mg of vit C at one time as we do not absorb more than that at once.
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Viv - you are a live wire. I am so sorry that whole experience was such a disaster. Pulling a mental Towanda is probably better than the real thing in this case! But, I do understand how upsetting the whole thing was for you. Setting foot in McDonald's alone is enough to send me off the deep end!
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Regarding Brevail.....This is the first I have heard of it and of course will want to know more.
Is flax seed a phytoestrogen also? I thought I remembered that taking the place on the cells to keep the bad estrogen from getting on there is the reason flax seed use is promoted and that flax also works like Tamox. Please correct me if I am wrong about this...I could be just having a brain cramp!!! I am really trying to get all this straight and would like to know if I should take Brevail or something else. I had planned to do the Budwig protocol or at least the flax seed part of it until I read conflicting reports about the advisability of flax. So, I didn't do it.
Wishing all of you the very best. I was just checking in quickly before getting ready for a Halloween party.
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Brevail has Flax seed and Vit e. I just sent an email asking what type of Vit E.
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vivre - The mickey d's experience does sound like one of my nightmares. When you said you said "This one's for you FlaLady!!! I cried, not laughing cry, sad cry. It still amazes me that we can get so close to each other here without ever hearing each other voices. And it makes me want to say how much I appreciate ALL of you!!!!!!! I'm willing to bare the girls for the "Survivors Gone Wild"
deni - I read about Tomosynthesis in Health mag. It just can't come soon enough. It says it can spot tumors in very dense breasts!!!!!!!
What are the thoughts on Brevail??? Any?????
Fairy - Have you had your preview of the new nips????? Maybe you have already said and I missed it.
Welcome all you gals from the land down under!!!! I chose not to do rads. My first surgeon said I should have the breast removed if I didn't do rads. He was an ass (for many reasons). I found a women surgeon and she said I didn't need rads because I had very clear margins. It is all a big crap shoot. Listen to all the advice then do what your heart tells you!!!! All the decisions are just so freakin hard!!! I think all for us here have made peace with our decisions. I know I have
.Patty
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Patty! Haven't taken a peek as yet, because I had some skin removed from the right foob also, I am trying really hard to keep the bandages in place until Monday, its been very difficult however! The bandages are starting to itch, and I need a flippin shower, aaaaahhh!!
I think I posted some stuff on Brevail, I am not sure about it yet, I have to find more info, I am going to ask the naturopath about it on the next visit. I read some great stuff today about Macca, then got to the bottom of the research and it said not for BC gals.........arg!!! I will ask the naturopath about that too!!
Robyn, I will try to find the paper I read on estriol and the conversion to 16-hydroxy, I know estriol is the safest estrogen, but when I read about it turning to 16 hydroxy I got a little worried, I have to find it and re-read it just to make sure I read it correctly and under what circustances this might happen. Anyone here considered going back to school just to understand all this friggin stuff!!! ????
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Fairy - I would love to go back to school!!!! My retention level is nil these days!!!!!
Patty
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me too! My degree is in English lit, I have no science skills whatsoever!! To me this is like learning a foreign language! LOL!! Oh well!!
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My degree is in English Lit as well....fat lot of good that gets me trying to understand all this stuff!
On a side note, just as a FYI I had been on the Atkins Diet for about 8 years...well I didn't follow it to a "T" but I did eat the protein and fat they recommended. Stupid me, in trying desperately to keep my weight down which has been a never ending struggle for me (because of being hypothyroid) it probably is a factor in my getting BC. What an @ss I've been.......... I am so happy to have found this thread, I've been doing EVERYTHING wrong and can now finally get my self back on track. Thanks so much ladies for your endless supply of good sense. Many thanks to Fairy, Vivre, Spring and all the others for your tireless efforts in educating those of us who are new to all this
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What a warm welcome. Thankyou kindly...x
Hello Pill: I read on several sites that after a lumpectomy you must have radiotherapy well before 4 months, and my onc confirmed it for me. He said you definitely miss the boat after 4 months, and it has little or no effect, and my bc nurse said one should really have radiotherapy before 12 weeks. She was upset to hear I was going on 10 weeks with no appointment, so she made a few calls and booked me in for next week. I have a couple of days to chicken out if I wish to. I mean l'm doing/taking so much already to prevent any reoccurrence, isn't it enough? Anyway, it's the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, and I'm kicking my heels up until then.
Hey Sakura: I'm also a Melbourne girl.
G'day Vivre : I do all of my own research, and l have learned so much about the wonderful reduction of breast cancer via iodine intake, both here and many other sites. I first learned about it on Breastcancerchoises.org, had further discussions with my Naturopath, who highly recommended I take iodine drops. If l may ask you...do you regret having rads because you were already taking arimidex, or because of your bc stage/grade being a less aggressive form?
Victoria0 -
Hello Sisters,
Vivre:That's terrible about what Mc'D's did
. It does feel like Octotber is "celebration" month for BC, very sad. That's an interesting article about RADS. I am leaning more toward not doing the RADS. I have about 3 weeks to decide.
Welcome Aussie sisters
Talk with ya'll soon.
Jenny.
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vivre - I thought we all could wear one of these lovely scarfs on the walk in Chicago. It would keep us warm and get the ATTENTION we want:
By the way I am not one of these ladies, lol !!!!!
Patty
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vivre, I thought we could all wear one of these scarfs for the walk in Chicago. It would keep us warm and get the attention we so deserve!!!!!!
By the way I am not one of these wonderful ladies!!!!!!
Patty
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Seaotter - The new avatar is hilarious! I need those. My foobs are currently pointing in 2 different directions (one to my armpit, one to my right ear - NICE!).
Laura
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Patty-That is so hillarious! I really needed a laugh too. My only question is, where do we get those scarves? I never had boobs that size, even before I met the surgeon. Like Laura, what I have left are going in different directions. Can you imagine a couple of hundred of us walking down the street with those? We would sure get attention!
Victoria-I regretted doing rads because I do not think it was helpful and I was such a wreck about the whole idea of radiation. I would go every day, and ask the nurses(who were kind and patient with me) "are you sure this is not hurting me more than helping?" I had the same problem with the Arimidex. I only took it for a few days. I was just too freaked out by the whole idea of blocking my estrogen and I was scared to death of the side effects. That is when I decided there had to be a better way, and I started reading everything I could on natural health. I tossed the pills and did not look back. I think the iodine and hormone balance, along with all my lifestyle changes will protect me more than any pill. And I now know how protective the iodine is. I think it would have taken care of any stray cells better than rads. I can tell it has changed my breast tissue, gotten rid of the lumps, scars and rad damage. I think this stuff is a miracle and I hope that Dr. Brownstein will eventually have enough women with the bchoices study to someday make it a standard protocol for all of us. I think the man deserves a nobel prize. (the kind that is earned on what you accomplish, not on what you say, LOL).
I know someone asked somewhere, but I am not sure what page about what kind of iodoral I use. I am lucky to have a compounding pharmacist in my town who has attended seminars with Dr. B and makes his own iodine supplement using lugols formula, and as I said, he adds the cofactors for better absorption. I do not like to order things on the internet.
Here is another thing I just found that I am trying. I ran across this stuff called Omega 3 squeeze at Fruitful Yields. It is a little packet of omega 3 instead of a gel cap, so it is supposed to absorb better. Plus, I am tying to cut down on all those sterates from capsules. The stuff tastes pretty good. It has stevia, which I do not like because I prefer no sweetness but one dose is 2000 iu so it is easy to take. As I said before, I like to vary my supplement brands so if one is better than the other I get that effect.
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vivre - I got my avatar from an e-mail. I tried to post the picture so it would be real big but I could not figure out how to do it. If you want to pm me with your e-mail I will send it to you. These could be made so easily. I'm not crafty person but if someone was it could be done. What a statement we could make, lol
Patty
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I am reading Dr. Lee's book, and I believe Robyn is correct, that Estrone turns into Estriol, but that's the end of the "cascade". Estiol has not been linked to breast cancer, but if I ever mess with it I'll likely use some progesterone as well, it's supposed to have a protective effect.
Sea, what a pic!!!! :O
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Patty-they look like they could be really hard to make, but they sure are a HOOT and worth figuring out. I will pm you. Maybe you can ask the gals in the pic where they got them? Although I would be happy with a C cup, I was never a double D.
Yahoo! It is November! All the pink crap will be coming down, just in time for my 2 year cansersary on the 8th. Now that is something to celebrate-and my DS is 28 today. Where does the time go?
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Viv - that is a celebration for sure! Yahoo! Two years is a huge landmark. And, happy birthday to your DS!
Patty - that picture is priceless! Until you said you weren't one of those ladies, I was trying to pick you out. Whoever thought that up is very clever.
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Hi. One of my sisters on this thread asked about how soon rads should be (if you choose to do them). Rads should start within 6 months of the surgery. So if you have extended chemo, you either need to have simultaneous rads or stop the chemo for a bit while you have rads. This was told to me by two docs who are the heads of radiation oncology at two different major cancer centers in the US.
Victoria, you should find out why they would have to hit your heart while doing rads and then carefully weigh the benefits. It may simply be that the computer worked it out that way and no one thought to question the computer result (that happened with me and when they used their brains instead of just the computer, they were able to totally avoid my heart---I just had to be my usual difficult patient to get a reasonable result). If necessary get a second opinion at another medical center. Just my two cents.
Mandy
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Hello Everyone,
I ordered my some iodine cream today. I thought I would try that first since I am not yet ready to take the plunge with the pill form. I have been on DIM now for 4 months.
I seem to remember someone here talking about vision problems. I cannot figure out why my vision has gotten so crappy the last 2 months. Anyone have vision changes while taking DIM?
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Vivre: thanks for your reply. I understand you all too well - you are an inspiration.
Mandy: I also chewed their ears off, but l did not think to question the computer. Good one...thumbs up.
The how long after lumpectomy do l start rads question, has plagued me of late, because I've waited much longer than friends and acquaintances. Here are some sites l stumbled across, that lead me to question my doc and onc.
http://csn.cancer.org/node/176383
Geez most of these ladies started rads 6 weeks after their lumpectomy. Five ladies l know of all started around six weeks after. I was told six-eight weeks was standard, that's why l panicked, researched and asked. I would hate to have to go ahead with RT if it is going to have a less effect on any stray cells, and damage healthy tissue/organs.
http://executive.govt.nz/MINISTER/king/health_report/index.html
"However, as New Zealand has adopted the standard that post lumpectomy radiation therapy in the absence of adjuvant chemotherapy should be given within 12 weeks of the initial surgery,"
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/data/158/3/DC1/15
When should radiation therapy begin?
" If you are not having chemotherapy (treatment with anticancer drugs): Radiation treatment should begin as soon as possible after your lumpectomy incision heals, usually within 8 weeks after surgery. It is generally believed that radiation therapy" should not be delayed longer than 12 weeks after surgery, although there is no proof to support this."
Victoria0 -
I must say my diet and health have always been of the utmost importance to me. I never drank, smoked, ate takeaway foods...I am a beachside resident, and have a full and satisfying life. I have a kickass immune system - never took any form of medication whatsoever, no antibiotics, nothing - occasionally caught a very mild cold. I always use natural soaps/soap powders, natural cosmetics, no harmful chemicals or pesticides around my home...etc, so how has this happened to me? Was it the lack of sunlight? Was it something in the meat or dairy products l consumed? All l know is when l was diagnosed l was fit as a fiddle. I didn't fall apart and cry. Kind of scratched my head and thought oh well, l'll treat it naturally as l've done other ailments.
My major obstacles are the doctors, radiotherapists, and oncologists. I have a strong will, and l'm determined to do what is best for me, because these so called specialists don't care about my or my children's well being anywhere near as much as l do. I plan on being here for my children and myself for a very long time, and l will do everything in my power to ensure l reach an optimum level of health.
So far the only problems health wise l've had has been while I've had treatment. My doctor was well informed that l suffer severe motion sickness, and put it in bold writing so that the anaesthetist would take every possible precaution. I reminded her (she was a new be) and she replied that they generally put something in the drip as a precaution. I told her that I wasn't to be treated as "general"...as it really was serious. What do you know, the dufus didn't listen - when l woke out of surgery at 2pm I was vomiting, and l did not stop vomiting till 8am the next morning. Nurses were at a loss. I was told that they had shot me up the butt and through my drip with everything lethal they could get their hands on...to no avail. The pressure of vomiting profusely had got so bad that my wound ruptured during the night. If my anaesthetist had taken it more seriously this wouldn't have happened. My surgeon and nurses were extremely concerned and did everything to comfort me. The anaesthetist was nowhere to be found.
When l went to be measured and have my tattoos done, l also had a does of radiation, on a Friday. By Sunday my left nipple was in excruciating pain, and l had developed a lump under my nipple the size of a golf ball and redness around and under my nipple for about four days. That was about three weeks ago. Yesterday my left nipple developed a large hard lump and redness again, and is extremely sore to the touch. I happen to be one of those peeps that has harmful side effects to almost all drugs. My mom doesn't think l should do rads and my father is indecisive. My recent research on trans-resveratrol, and iodine are more than promising...and l'm really scratching my head about the whole radiation thing. I may give it a go, but if l find any discomfort or an increase in swelling...l will pull out.
I'm off to my favourite health food store. I never thought l'd see the day when l would be so excited going to a health food store than buying a pretty pair of shoes and handbag.
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I wrote that earlier on in the day. After l finished up at the health food store, l went to my doctor because my breast was throbbing. She told me that l had developed an infection, and that it may have been some sort of reaction from the radiation. Goodness, l haven't even begun RT, and my body is already crying out to me. I may have to delay rads this week ‘till l heal. I will find out tomorrow.
Victoria0 -
On Tuesday I am going to a seminar called "The immune system: the mind-body connection" given by Dr Nick Hall of the Institute for Brain Potential.
I will post after I get home
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Merilee-That seminar sounds wonderful. Ask Dr. Hall if he would come and speak to our group in Feb. Lansing is just around the bend from Chicago.
Cleomoon-I am the one who has had dimished vision so I went off of the I3C. Who knows if this is the cause. I also went off of melatonin because I heard this could be the culprit. But I have always had bad vision. It could be the low estrogen levels I now have because of all I am doing to lower them naturally.
Victoria-I can see myself in you. I too thought I was doing everything right and was seldom sick. Then I read somewhere that it is actually common for people who never get "bugs" to end up with cancer, because our immune systems are always in high gear and end up on overload. Even though I thought I was really healthy, I look back and realize how out of whack my hormones were. I had gained wait for no reason and I that my thyroid was probably underactive too, and that was made worse by the rads. My hands and feet were always cold, indicating a lack of progesterone and iodine. Even though I am opitimistic, I also had some very stressful years. And I do not feel it is a coincidence that my cancer was in the exact same spot where I had clogged milk ducts when I was nursing. Add to that, the environmental factors, and I am not surprised at the cancer. But like you, and the rest of our natural gals, I am not taking anything for granted and I am not going to just accept that it is a crap shoot as some will say. I am doing everything I can to make my body stronger and I think I have done that. I feel so much better than I ever have. We all need to follow our own instincts. Our bodies will tell us what to do. All we need to do is listen. No doctor can know what is best for us. They can only tell us what is the standard of care. Only we have the answer for our own bodies needs. You are doing the right thing by reading ahead of time. I wish I was smart enough to do that before I went ahead with rads, but like I said, since I really like my docs, I was just a good little lamb. Now my inner wolf has taken over and I am in charge.
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Vivre... LOL... "I was just a good little lamb. Now my inner wolf has taken over and I am in charge." CLASSIC!
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