Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
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Hi, Sylvia
It's nice of you to say thanks to me, but you are the one who needs to be thanked! You are a helpful friend who is always here to inform, and encourage us and I really appreciate it. It has been wonderful to find this place, where I come to share and learn, and feel I am among friends. Thank you!
My Christmas marathon is winding down, I think today will be a relax and recharge day, I hope.
We here in middle America are now getting the flooding rains, we have already received many inches and are forecast to receive many more before it all is gone to the east on Tuesday morning. Depending on where you are in most of our country, you are getting rain, snow or ice today; some have been getting tornados with loss of life.
Talk to you all soon,
Love and best wishes sent across the pond,
Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your post. I shall reply later on today.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your kind words and I am glad to know that I have been able to help you. It is nice that you feel this is a good place to come, to share and to learn and that you are among friends.
We do get to know one another here as we are just a small group now and we do have very meaningful interactions on the thread. What puzzles me is, that with all the women being diagnosed with breast cancer, we have not had many new people joining us over the past few months. What do you think is happening?
What are you doing for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? Here in the UK I am wondering what will happen with the New Year's Eve celebrations in the big cities here, as the weather is absolutely awful. There are dreadful floods in some of the northern counties, such as Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Some people have lost everything and some have been flooded out three times in a month. Thing have been bad in Northern Ireland and Scotland as well. We have had non-stop rain and very high winds throughout December. Today we have storm Frank howling its way through and the wind is absolutely dreadful. It is definitely a day for staying indoors.
It looks as though you are getting the same kind of weather and I have been watching the news about tornadoes. It seems as though nature is very angry.
Thank you for your information about the latest email from The Truth About Cancer. I was very interested in the title "The Link Between Stress and Cancer" and also the title "How Fat Can Reverse Its Deadly Effects". I do not need any convincing of this link because it has always seemed to me to be common sense that stress will affect your body in a negative way. I think that stress is the root cause of probably most chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. The villain is cortisol, the stress hormone. It makes sense that stress will suppress your immune system. I had not heard of the word catecholamines mentioned in the article and that stress increases the production of these, and that this hormone also damages the immune system. I can actually feel the difference in my body when I am under stress. The most obvious change is that of breathing. I was very focussed on the title "The Damaging Effects of Chronic Stress" and the list of negative impacts to the body, such as the increase in the risk of diabetes.
I do hope anyone viewing the thread will pick up on the link you provided and have a look at all the information there, especially the part entitled "The Role of Stress in Breast Cancer" and the other entitled "Stress Reduction and Healing Essential Fatty Acids: Your two-step approach to cancer prevention".
I have just finished reading a book about how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes and stay off medication. The book is entitled "The 8-week blood sugar diet – Lose weight fast and reprogramme your body" by Dr Michael Mosley with a foreword by Professor Roy Taylor.
I bought this book, not because I need to lose weight, nor because I have type 2 diabetes, but because I have friends and relatives who do have type 2 diabetes and I have watched their progression from medication such as metformin, to insulin, to problems with feet and eyes, and their reluctance to change their diet. This book shows them how to get their blood sugar down naturally and to reverse their diabetes through a low carbohydrate diet.
Because metformin has been much in the news as a breast cancer treatment or preventive, I was interested to find out what the book said about this drug. I read that "metformin has been around for so long and used on so many people that you would imagine it must be really effective. Yet, a recent paper that looked at the results of thirteen randomised controlled trials involving more than 13,000 patients, could find little compelling evidence that taking the drug reduces heart attacks, leg amputations or improves life expectancy".
A common side effect of metformin is nausea and apparently insulin promotes hunger, which makes patients fatter. This is not what you want!
I am sure this book would be of interest to most of you, as it is full of information about general health topics and not just your average diet book. It is no surprise that the diet recommended is the Mediterranean style diet and is what we all know on here as the rainbow diet. It is a low-carb eating plan, m-plan for short. It is a diet rich in olive oil, fish, nuts, fruit and vegetables, as well as yoghurt and eggs. It is low in starchy processed foods, such as white rice, white bread, pasta and potatoes.
The latest news seems to be that the high carbohydrate, low fat diet that has been preached for years, is now enemy number one and that the Atkins diet was not as bad as it was painted.
I would love to hear what you think about all this.
Finally, in the Independent newspaper on Monday, I was interested in the article on page 30, under section 2, Life, entitled "Just What the Doctor Ordered" and the heading underneath "Instead of medicine, your GP may be recommending a dose of the outdoors in 2016. 'Green prescriptions' are already common in other countries – and research suggests they can be more effective than drugs. Kate Hilpern reports". Have a read of this article if you can. The link is:
That is all for now, Mary.
A very happy, healthy New Year to you.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
I am posting to wish you a very happy, healthy New Year.
Thinking of you, Mary, Hanieh, adagio, linali (Lindsay), Amanda, Michael, Tom, peterandliz, sam52, and all those who have posted over the past year. A big Thank You for making the effort, because without posters the thread would fold.
Thank you to the Moderators who keep an eye on all of this and pick up on newbies feeling lost.
Fond thoughts to all of you, and in the words of Bruce Forsyth, not so much Keep Dancing (though that is good exercise) as Keep Posting!
Sylvia
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To all
From Sylvia
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Hi Sylvia, Mary, Amanda, adagio and all
I just would like to stop here and say hello to all. Happy new year to all. I wish all of you a year full of happiness. May health and wealth be with you all the year and the years to come.
From all the books I have read, I have learnt that the only way to lead a better life is to have the feeling as if everything is going to its best. Our feelings and thoughts are the two most important factors domineering our lives and deciding the future events. I wish you the best feelings and thoughts at the beginning of the new year.
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Hello Hanieh,
Thank you for your very kind words to all of us on the thread. They are very much appreciated.
The picture of the rose is stunning and absolutely perfect.
I very much appreciate your philosophical words about the way to lead a better life by having the feeling that everything will be for the best. In this world of strife and turbulence it is not easy to be optimistic, but somehow we have to try to be. There is a very popular song entitled "Always look on the bright side of life", which is expressing having the same optimistic attitude to life. It is true that our feelings and thoughts are the most important factors that dominate our lives, and they really represent our mental attitude to life and I think mental attitude affects us physically as well as psychologically.
Let us all try to begin the New Year on a positive note.
Wishing you all the very best and thanking you for your great contribution to the thread this year.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi all
I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!
Michael
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Hello Michael.
I am just popping in to say that I hope you have had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
I do hope 2016 will be a good one for you and above all a healthy and hassle free year.
The never-ending rain has got on my nerves lately and I am longing for a few dry sunny days.
What have you been doing to get through the awful weather in December? I do hope you have not been affected by the flooding in Northern Ireland.
Sincere best wishes for the New Year.
Sylvia
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Evening everyone
Just popped on to wish everyone a happy new year. Thank you all for helping get me through last year, especially Sylvia for your kindness and knowledge. Hoping this year will bring us all good health and happiness.
I managed to get a copy of the rainbow diet and have just started to read it . Im finding it very interesting so far .
Wishing you all a great weekend
Amanda
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Hello Amanda,
Thank you for popping in to send New Year greetings to all of us and thank you for your kind words to me. It makes me happy to know that we have all helped you get through the past year.
I was glad to know that you had got a copy of the Rainbow Diet book and I am sure we shall all welcome any comments you have about it. Everyone now seems to be writing and talking about the great importance of having a great mixture of highly coloured fruits and vegetables and especially the importance of green vegetables. I think this is a good book to have as a reference book.
I have recently read the latest book by Dr Michael Mosley, entitled "The 8-week blood sugar diet – how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes (and stay off medication)". I think it is essential reading for non-diabetics as well, because we all need to keep a watch on our blood sugar levels and keep them within a normal range. This book emphasises the Mediterranean diet, which is the same as the rainbow diet. I do not think anyone has any excuse now for not including fruit and vegetables in their everyday nutrition and giving them the most importance.
Another book that is a good reference book for those who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer and starting treatment, is "Understanding Breast Cancer" by Professor Mike Dixon in association with the British Medical Association (BMA), published by Family Doctor Books. It is easy to read with a summary at the end of each chapter. It will take you through all the stages in the treatment of breast cancer from diagnosis right through to the end of your journey.
Wishing you all the best, Amanda. Have you made any New Year's resolutions and have you any plans for 2016?
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Heading off to sunny Hawaii - ready again for time to renew and refresh, and soak in the warmth of the sun and feel the waves cooling the body! The worst part is the airplane ride, but once I am there, it will be magical. So thankful that my health allows me to travel.
Wishing everyone a healthier 2016. Will be in touch again in about 10 days time. I will have my computer with me, so will be able to keep up with the reading of posts.
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Hello Sylvia, TNBC Sisters and New Friends!
Checking in with my annual post - today is my 4 year healthy victory!
Many prayers that 2016 keeps everyone on the path of good health and prayers that this year brings more advances into treatment, discovery, prevention, and market-ready drug approvals.
Love all of you! Kisses and Hugs!
Debra
PS - A bit envious about the trip to Hawaii! LOL And Sylvia, congrats on 10 years, I hope you had a raging celebration!
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Hello adagio,
It was nice to hear from you and to know all is well. I do hope you have a good time in Hawaii. I know we shall all be envious on the thread. Here in the UK we are having nothing but endless rain and cloud.
I am glad to know you will be able to keep in touch while you are away. Have a good holiday and soak up that sunshine.
Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Debra,
Thank you for your post. It has really made my day to hear from you. I have been wondering how you are.
Congratulations on your four years and thank you for popping in to let us know.
Do you still view the thread? I hope you do and that you will pop in when you feel you want to.
It was strange reaching ten years last June 20th. I have now adjusted to the freedom from hospital visits but still have anxiety from time to time about what could be going on in my body. On January 20th I can add another seven months. I am still very strict with my diet and keep on the look out for any new information. I have just read a most interesting book entitled "Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You - how to bear physician arrogance, corporate greed and a broken system". It is by Dr Erica Schwartz, MD. There is an interesting part in there about the connection between the contraceptive pill and breast cancer. There is also a suggested patient's manifesto. I think you would find it interesting.
I am glad to know all is well with you, keep up the good work and a happy, healthy New Year.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia and all,,
The holidays are over and I am glad to get back to the more normal routine. I get tired of not knowing what day of the week it is! I spent time with lots of family and friends over Christmas, 3 days in a row of visiting and eating and laughing and even crying. The fourth day was Sunday and I woke up not feeling well. Sure enough, I had caught a cold. All the hugging and kissing are good for the psyche and also good for spreading germs, I guess! So the last week and a half has been spent in coughing fits, runny nose etc. I think it is on it's way out, but slow to go.
I spent the New Year's Eve with a sister-in-law, we drove to the city and went to a casino. I thought I was feeling better before I went, but going into the crowded casino was like going into a burning building. Lots of people and it seemed like all of them smoked cigarettes. We had a good meal but were back in our rooms by 10:00 P.M. Didn't even see the New Year ring in. Returned home the next day and by the day after that I felt worse than before, I blame it on all the cigarette smoke I inhaled. I can't believe I used to be a smoker myself. I quit 20 years ago and now it bothers me. One or two people outdoors is okay, but a whole building full is a bit much. Other than all that, we had a good time.
At the same time as all that, we were also here having day after day of heavy rain. Many many roads were closed because of high water, and later found to be heavily damaged when the water receded. I heard 18 people lost their lives in our state, most of them by driving into water they thought was passable, and being washed away. Now we are entering a more winter-like pattern, it is going to get much colder.
I also think the Mediterranean-type diet is good, it seems to me I feel the best when I stick to something like it. I eat a large, fresh salad with olive oil every day, and also try to have a mix of fruits and vegetables. It's sometimes difficult to find, this time of year, all the organically grown things a person wants, but I do my best. I eat a lot of fish, trying for the best I can get in our small corner of the American Midwest. Not exactly a mecca for fresh ocean fish. Recently a friend gave me several large Alaska salmon from her husband's fishing trip, that's a real treat. I eat oatmeal with flax, and a lot of sweet potatoes, and some eggs. I sometimes give in to the urge to buy a loaf of fresh white bakery bread, I have a real soft spot for it. Also for any type of noodle. But I have noticed it seems to clog up my system somewhat, and make me feel stuffed. For that reason, I don't indulge in that much. I do eat a small beefsteak occasionally, and some chicken. Also venison, there is a lot of deer-hunting done around here. My husband was a hunter, he also liked squirrel-hunting, and squirrel is good to eat. He never liked ocean fish, but only the fish caught around here in the rivers and ponds. Which is also very good.
I noticed that Debra has posted, we shall have to ask her if she is still taking the metformin. Hi, Debra!! I have not researched it but take your word for what you have discovered. Seems that diabetes Type 2 is one of the diseases that one could hopefully stave off if possible. But I did read somewhere else that it is not caused by diet but can be exacerbated by bad diet. I do know a few people who really do control it with a strict diet, but it is hard to be always on top of that. Around here in this community and indeed the whole county we are mostly of German ancestry; most of us brought up with diets heavy in starch from breads, noodles and cakes and pies. But we also had fresh meats, and fish and game, and fresh vegetables from the garden, fruit from the orchard and milk straight from the cow. Not pasteurized or homogenized. Cancer was very rare in those days; however, diabetes may have been more prevalent but I didn't hear about much of it. 3 of my grandparents lived well into their 80's, they were all very hard-working and I don't ever recall them cutting the fat off their meat or turning down a piece of pie! Seems to me our lives of relative ease of going to the store and buying prepackaged, precooked food from who-knows-where and filled with who-knows-what is causing the death of many of us.
I am getting long-winded, and still haven't wished everyone a Happy New Year! Amanda, Adagio, Hanieh, Michael, Debra, Sylvia and all.....I wish all of you a very happy, healthy New Year. I hope all of you (including me) heading for sunnier climes have a wonderful time. And that the winter is bearable and not too hard on us. And that we feel strong and able to make plans without feeling a shadow hanging overhead.
Talk soon,
Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your post. I think there are a lot of people out there who are glad the Christmas period is over. It is supposed to be a religious celebration for believers, but has become one big excuse for crass consumerism. This is what the yearly cycle seems to be about. We have nothing but sales, pushing people to spend on credit and get into debt. We have now adopted Black Friday and then we have pre-Christmas sales, Christmas sales, post Christmas sales and then the January sales. How can people possible need all this stuff? There is so much rubbish on sale that it is beyond belief. Here in Exmouth we have shops selling all kinds of rubbish, but basic items are hard to find. There seems to be mass manufacturing, coming mainly from China, but it is not manufacturing based on needs, but on frivolous wants. The shops are not really that busy because a lot of people are now ordering on-line, so you have parcel posts and supermarket vans cluttering up the roads.
I do hope you are feeling better.
I was interested to read that in your State in America people can smoke inside buildings. In this country a law was passed about ten years ago making it illegal to smoke in any public buildings or communal areas of residential apartments. Before that smoking and non-smoking areas in pubs and restaurants existed, but now you cannot smoke inside buildings. What has happened is that all the smokers now smoke outside and very often huddle in the entrances to buildings, which is a nuisance. All the eateries now have seats and tables outside with ash trays on the tables and all the smokers are out there no matter what the weather. In the precincts here we non-smokers have to walk through clouds of smoke and we cannot sit outside without putting up with the smokers. There are cigarette butts everywhere.
Here in Exmouth it has been raining all through December with strong winds, but mild temperatures. So far January seems to be going the same way. There have been lots of floods in the northern parts of the country.
You seem to be on a very healthy diet and eating in much the same way as I am. I think eating a balanced diet is one of the essential things we can do to try to prevent all the chronic illnesses that threaten us. However, I am surprised at the number of people who seem to prefer to swallow pills rather than make an effort with their everyday nutrition. There seems to be enough information around now for people with diabetes to reverse their disease and get off pills, but the ones that I have spoken to prefer to stay with their metformin and insulin, rather than keep to a diet that will keep their blood sugar level normal. They will not accept that what you eat has anything to do with illness, a lot of doctors seem to think the same as well.
This past week alcohol has been in the news, following new research. The upshot of this is that alcohol is very bad for your health, that it increases your risk of cancer, but people say they do not want to be told what to drink. They call this the nanny state interfering in their freedom to eat and drink what they like. When they are ill as a result of their drinking, they then think this nanny state should look after them! I think this is unacceptable. Here in the UK the emergency departments of hospitals are being overwhelmed by drunks who expect treatment. I say leave them out on the streets.
I am not sure whether Debra will post in as I got the feeling that she was now just posting on the anniversary of her diagnosis. It is a pity because she used to post a lot of useful information. It would be interesting to hear from her about metformin.
In the book I recently read entitled Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You the doctor writing thought that the birth control pill was contributing to breast cancer in younger women. Her theory was that younger women on the birth control pill for many years were having their oestrogen removed and were in fact being turned into menopausal women way before their time, and thus had their bodies turned into the bodies of menopausal women who are at high risk of breast cancer when they are middle-aged. It makes sense to me.
Have you now departed to Mexico? I do hope you have a good time.
I have to think what to do about this thread, as we begin another year. We are just a small group of you, me, Hanieh, adagio, Amanda and Michael. We are all survivors, but we are not getting any new posts. Without them, I cannot see how this thread can survive. It has done well over more than five years whereas a lot of threads come and quickly vanish. Calling all TNs is still very active, albeit mainly Americans, but we do not have that kind of following. We have views but not posts.
Wishing you well.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi, Sylvia and all,
Goodbye to the holidays, hello to the next one; the stores are already filling up with candy and geegaws for Valentine's Day! After that will be Easter and so on. Looks like the big winners are, monetarily speaking, the sugar distributors. Lots and lots of sugary sweets. Which we are finding out is a big culprit in the cause of much of our modern disease. I received the latest Chris Woollam's email, which stresses this again. His emails are always so full of information.
Our state has city-by-city ordinance on whether smoking is allowed inside businesses. I think it's safe to say that most of the larger cities have passed a smoke-free ordinance. The exceptions are casinos. The restaurants in casinos are smoke-free, but once one enters the gaming area it is smoky. If you get to small town and country bars and restaurants I would say it's probably a mixed bag whether or not you will be allowed to light up. Most people are so used to being sent outside to smoke that they do it on their own however, or they just don't smoke until they are in their cars driving away.
I hadn't seen the latest articles on alcohol and illness and cancer. I would suppose that is excessive alcohol use? We have all heard so much about how good a glass of red wine is for us.
The theory about the birth control pills does make sense. All these drugs we take have side effects as they change the natural systems of the body. So many of these effects may not show up till later or much later. Chemotherapy is a good example of that too. Also makes me wonder about the drug I took for the liver disease. It is a very new drug, only out for a couple of years. Who knows, nobody apparently.
I am not quite off on my trip yet, still am not feeling top-notch. Sinus problems, a little coughing left of this stubborn malady. I did see my family doctor, he said he has seen a lot of this and it is sticking around for people.
As to this thread, I would certainly hate to see it go. I can understand how you feel since there seems to be no new additions to the group lately. I think Calling on TNs may be appealing because it seems to be more quick notes, quick questions and a lot of younger women who are probably busy and blogging, messaging, texting on lots of different places. I would hope you will stick with it a while, if you decide against it please message me personally so we can stay in touch. That would mean a lot to me.
Have to go for now,
Talk soon, love, Mary
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Hi Sylvia, Mary and all
These days were pretty busy as I had my daughter's birthday party a bit earlier since her birthday is on my work day. She invited 15 of her friends with their mothers that made 30 guests for me to welcome. The party was great and all enjoyed it.
Yet I wish the thought of cancer would leave me some time. I just try to be as positive and as active as I can to manage anxieties.
Lots of love
Hanieh
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Evening Sylvia and all
I think we are all happy to have a bit of normality back after Christmas and new year celebrations. I saw lots of Valentine things in the shops this week Mary and thought the same as you ... It will be Easter eggs in a couple of weeks !
I have been having a little read of the rainbow diet book. A section mentioned cleansing of the liver and using the edible version of Epsom salts. After a recent ultrasound scan I was told there was some changes/damage of the liver which were expected after treatment. I just wondered if anyone had tried the liver cleanse? Also if anyone is taking probiotics?
I went to a meeting last night which has been set up by a friend of mine to support ladies going through cancer treatment and after treatment. There are about 15 members so far . I was surprised to find that four of us are tn. What also surprised me was a young girl of only 21 going through treatment she is HER+. She visited her gp 3 times before he sent her for investigation by which time the tumour
Was very big and the cancer spread to many nodes. So sad for such a young person having to go through it all she should be out having fun with her friends.
I too try to keep busy Hanieh so my mind doesn't start to dwell on the cancer. I hope your daughter enjoys her birthday sending her lots of love.
Wishing everyone a lovely evening
amanda xxx0 -
Hello Mary,
I agree with you and Amanda about how the shops have now waved goodbye to Christmas spending and are already filling up with Valentine and Easter goods. Of course, it is all sugar, the very thing that is so bad for us all.
Like you, I have just been reading the latest email from Chris Woollams and once again they are full of interesting information. He is definitely a man in advance of his time, but I am glad to say that the powers that be are very slowly catching up with the things that he has been telling us for years. I have just read his latest email dated January 10th and have been going through the main titles. I then go through the underlined subtitles and I have yet to read them in more detail. I was so glad to know that he is branching into general health as I think most of the chronic diseases are somehow connected and come mainly through poor diet, lack of exercise, toxic environment and stress.
I am not surprised that Chris has over four million visitors a year to his health websites. I do like what he said "I want to empower people to make better personal health choices, not just on cancer, so I will continue to tell you the things, research shows, you can do to help yourself be the healthiest you can be".
It would be good if we could post about what we read in these emails. What do you think about the eight main headings in this latest email?
I was interested to know how smoking is regulated in your state (remind me which state you are in). I think the day cannot be far off when there are even stricter regulations about smoking in public places. I feel very sorry for children and non-smokers living in homes with smokers. I cannot see how this will get regulated. Here in the UK they have introduced a law about not smoking in cars when children are in them. It is a start, but not good enough as smoke hangs around for ages and stays on people's clothes.
What we now have here and expanding quickly is e-cigarettes. It is already known they have health problems, so why introduce them?
Anybody that smokes today has no excuse. It is lethal to your health and to others.
There has been a lot of information in the past few weeks about alcohol. The latest information is that there is no safe limit and that even the slightest drink increases the risk of cancer, not to mention other illnesses. There is a real problem here of drinking to excess, being drunk in the streets and clogging up the system in A&E in the hospitals. People need to know that alcohol is an addictive drug and that having 'fun' is not rolling around drunk in the streets or anywhere else.
I am convinced of the connection between breast cancer and being on the contraceptive pill.
I do hope you will be feeling better soon and ready to go off on your holiday to get a bit of sun and warmth.
I do hope this thread will continue as a lot of effort has gone into it during the past five years and four months. I would recommend all newcomers to the thread to make the effort to read it gradually from the beginning, as there is a lot of information on it and some top quality posts from a lot of different women around the world. I do wonder what has happened to them all and just hope they are out there living normal lives.
I would expect Calling all TNs to be a bigger thread because it is within an American charity and American women are more likely to know of it and post within it. I do admire the sisterhood that is within it. The US of course has a much bigger population so you would expect more posts. It does concern me that so many young American women seem to be getting diagnosed.
Somewhere recently I read that about 40% of Americans believe that the cure for cancer is being withheld from them. What do you think of that, Mary?
I shall try to keep the thread going as I am proud of it and proud of women like you who post regularly and from whom we can learn so much.
Last night I happened to turn on the radio and discovered a programme on Radio 4 entitled Inside Health. Again, they were discussing the importance of being physically active to prevent breast cancer and also of keeping active during breast cancer treatment. I am going to try to listen to the programme again so I shall post more later.
Sending you very fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Hanieh,
It was nice to hear from you. I was interested to know that you had a birthday party for your daughter. I am sure you made it all very nice for her and her friends with their mothers. That is a lot of people to cater for and must have been a lot of hard work.
You will find that, as time goes on, you will think less and less about cancer. It is all very recent for you. It is only eighteen months since you were diagnosed, so it is bound to be on your mind quite a bit. If I think back to my own diagnosis in June 2005, and then think eighteen months later, that brings me to Christmas 2006. I can tell you that my breast cancer was still very much on my mind. Although I was diagnosed in June 2006, I delayed my treatment, sort other possible alternatives and then started pre-adjuvant chemotherapy in November 2005. By the end of July 2006 I had finished chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. I then started my three-monthly check ups. In December 2006 Raymond and I went to Essex to visit relatives. I was still wearing my wig and still feeling quite tired and not really myself. It does take time.
You are right to try to be positive and to keep active, as this will help with anxieties. The programme on the radio that I mentioned to Mary stated that physical activity is all important when going through treatment, trying to prevent breast cancer, and trying to keep it at bay after treatment. It does not have to be strenuous activity. Regular daily walks are good enough. All the latest information points to that rainbow diet as key as well.
Do you receive Chris Woollams email from Cancer Active? I do hope you do and that you find it interesting. The main headings in the latest one are as follows.
Give yourself a HUG for Christmas – Heal Ur Gut in three simple steps.
The simple molecule that rips holes in cancer cells – Ripping holes in cancer cells.
Prepare yourself well for cancer surgery – Can surgery spread cancer? Cimetidine or Tagamet.
Bad fats do not cause heart disease and strokes – My health blog.
Worried about your cancer spreading? - Reducing cancer spread and more.
Personal Prescriptions.
Everything you need to know to help you beat cancer.
Four risk factors for diabetes you are not told about
– Antibiotics and diabetes
- In home chemicals increase risk
- Statins double diabetes risk
- Gut bacteria increase risk
Let me know what you think.
You can sign up for his email at http://www.canceractive.com/index.aspx
We have had some dry sunny days this week and I have been doing some tidying up in the grounds here. Raymond was helping me and we were thrilled to see our little red robin friend was back in the grounds. He is so tame that he practically sits on our hands.
The bulbs here are coming up fast as well.
Thinking of you and sending best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Amanda,
It was nice to hear from you. It looks as though we are all glad to have Christmas behind us.
I was glad to know you are reading the Rainbow Diet book. Were you told what exactly was going on with your liver and were you told whether it would clear itself up or what you could do to help? The liver is very good at healing itself. It is strange that you should mention the liver, because this morning I went with Raymond to see our GP about a pain he has had in the elbow of his right arm. Everything was OK with that and it is bursitis. Outside the surgery door there was a big diagram of the liver with lines going from it with various headings and one of them was cleansing the liver. Apparently, grapefruits and avocados are very good natural cleansers, as are herbal teas. Staying away from alcohol is also good for the liver and drinking it very bad. Other natural cleansers on this diagram were walnuts, and fats such as olive oil, hemp oil and flaxseed. Try to have organic wherever possible.
I also remember it said that antacids and antibiotics were very bad for the liver.
Needless to say, I was pleased to see that my GP is now emphasising food and nutrition.
She said she had not seen us for ages! We do try to stay away.
I am hoping that I may be able to get a paper copy of this diagram, as it would be very useful.
I do take probiotics but I do not buy those sugary bottles of fluid in the supermarket. I get them from having plain yoghurt every day. I have soy organic yoghurt, Sojade, with live culture, and also Tesco soy plain yoghurt enriched with calcium and also has live culture. The soy organic yoghurt is not enriched with calcium, so I usually grind up seeds and put this yoghurt on a bed of seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame or flaxseed, because some of these have calcium.
I also buy a jar of Biona sauerkraut, which is a very good probiotic and is fermented cabbage. I put a large spoonful of it on vegetables, salad etc.
you need to read Chris Woollams latest email with particular emphasis on number one, Heal Ur Gut in three simple steps. He says that gut bacteria can be your biggest friends or your worst enemies. He said that recent research shows that they get ill first and that you cannot get better until they do. He further said that chronic illness has a gut component to it. He mentions that he knows some of us will be taking a probiotic pill or eating probiotic foods, but that doing this is not enough. I need to read the rest of this email in the more detailed part to find out what else we should be doing. I shall write more about this later. I think it will be all about killing pathogens.
I was very interested to know that you went to a meeting last night, set up by a friend to support ladies going through cancer treatment and after treatment. I was interested to know that four out of the fifteen members so far were TN. That is about the right ratio. What kind of breast cancer does the twenty-one year-old woman have? I think it is important to know this and get concerned that more and more patients seem only to mention their receptor status. Does she have invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), the most common breast cancer and used to describe breast cancers that are of no particular type. Does she have inflammatory or lobular breast cancer, for example? I do hope she will be alright. I think that being HER2+ means it is very aggressive and she will need Herceptin. Is she triple positive, ER+ PR+ HER2+?
I think doctors have got to get past the idea that cancer is a disease of older people. They may still be in the majority, but younger and younger women are getting diagnosed. Often they have triple negative receptors, but there are always exceptions.
Please keep us informed about what goes on in your group. It is always important to get information from different sources.
Are you going to be joining adagio in Hawaii and Mary in Mexico for a sunny break away from the winter doldrums?
Are you watching the Dickensian, or War and Peace by Tolstoy, on the television? Try to watch BBC2 8pm tonight, Trust me I'm a Doctor. It is the second of four parts and is the fourth series. It is always very interesting.
Please keep in touch and if you think we can help anyone, tell them to come and join us.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia
This thread is so lovely and you are such a nice lady that whenever I decide to forget all about cancer I find it difficult to leave this thread as I miss you so much.
Sometimes I think I 'm in the greatest paradox of my life as I want to get as far as possible from cancer in time but actually this can only happen at the expense of the passage of my life and youth. A lot of people around me do not know anything about my illness, but those who know have different reaction. Some feel a great sarrow for my being diagnosed at a young age, and some are happy to see me alive enjoying life. However in the midst of all my laughters and seemingly high spirits, even my dearest can never feel how each minor pain scares me to death. Recently I have had some strange pains in my ankles and legs that made me go and see an orthopaedist. I had an xray which showed nothing but he wanted me to have some blood test done to figure out the possibility of rheumatism or other problems . The blood test was a torture as three nurses could not find a vessel and left my left arm bruised in five parts. In the end I changed lab and there an experienced nurse managed to do it saying it was one of the many side effects of chemotherapy. Tomorrow the results will be ready and I hope these pains are nothing serious.
Lots of love
Hanieh
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Hi Sylvia
I am checking in from the Algarve and enjoying beautiful weather. On the trip here I met an Irish chef called Jamie Raferty. He is known as the Holistic chef and specialises in raw and fermented foods. He claims that the health benefits of foods such as Sauerkraut are fantastic. It sounds interesting, he has a web site and it seems like he has at least one book published. The web is the Holistic chef UK.
I hope everyone is well!
Michael
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Hello all - I am now safely back home in Vancouver after a wonderful time in Maui, Hawaii - the sun was healing and soothing - the oceans warmth and enormous waves were invigorating. The waves were powerful and big - many times they were so strong they took my feet from under me - one has to stay close to the shore. We rented a condo which had a fabulous view over the ocean and terrific sunsets every evening. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner on our lanai (balcony). We were fortunate enough to be able to prepare our own food 80% of the time and only ate out 3 times. As I mentioned before - I find eating is always challenging while travelling.
I just read about the new guidelines for mammograms in USA, and it would appear that having them done less frequently is going to be more the norm. I am coming up for a mammogram in February, and to be honest, I wish I didn't have to have it done. Perhaps I won't! It does concern me the amount of radiation and the squishing of the breast that happens during the exam. I don't think my oncologist would be happy if I did not have the mammogram done - she likes it done just before my appointment with her. I only get it done annually, so thankfully not too often. Sylvia - did you have mammograms after your treatments? Any thoughts?
I do like cancer active and WYDDTY, but sometimes there is just too many things that we have to do to keep healthy, and I for one cannot do all of them. I have chosen a few that I do consistently and religiously e.g. walking every day for about 1 hour, taking vitamin D 4000 units daily, Immune 7 (a blend of seven mushrooms), Vitamin K, Turmeric and Fish Oil all daily, oh yes, and a baby aspirin. My diet is by no means perfect, but I do eat salads every day, virtually no meat, some fish, but mostly vegetarian. I do drink a glass of wine about 3-4 times a week, and of course, I have my one cup of coffee every day. My daughter gave me matcha for Christmas, but I have not tried it yet. Is it just me, or do others find that it is a full time job taking good care of oneself? Sometimes I think that I could spend all day, every day in the kitchen making healthy food, but there are so many other things that I want to do.
Mary - I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing time in Mexico.
Hanieh - glad that you are enjoying life, and your daughter. My children are all grown up and I am feeling so grateful for each and every one of them.
We are all on the same journey, and it is special to share it with others who "get it". My goal each day is to live life to the full - some days are better than others. My hardest part is taking time to be still - because I am a do-er - slowing down is something I need to work on for sure.
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Hello Hanieh,
Thank you for your kind words. I am only too glad to be of help.
I do hope you will stay with us. Remember that you do not have to post about cancer. You can post about anything you like. We are not defined by our cancer,and are individuals in our own right. It is good therapy to talk about what we are doing on a daily basis and very educational for all of us.
Try to remain positive as much as you can and tell yourself that you have had your treatment and got through it all. Live your day to the full and do what makes you feel happy and fulfilled. Death is an unknown factor in our lives and we never know when it is going to end. Cancer does not make any difference to that. You have everything going for you, a happy family life and a career that you enjoy. That is already a lot.
I was sorry to read about your painful experiences with trying to get a blood test. I am not surprised it was difficult because your veins have not had that much time to recover from your chemotherapy. We all know the problems of hardening of the veins with chemotherapy. I am glad you managed to get it done successfully with someone else, and be sure to tell us what the results of the blood tests are. I would think you are still suffering from the after effects of your treatment. You must give your body a lot of time to get back to normal, just eat healthily and keep physically active. All the latest research seems to indicate that keeping physically active is more important than anything else. I have listened to and watched a couple of programmes this week and they both say that exercise is very, very important. I was surprised to learn that the expert opinion is that even during chemotherapy we should aim to keep active more than resting.
Keep in touch and tell us about your life in Iran.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Michael,
It was so nice to hear from you and from the Algarve. Thank you for thinking of us. We now have adagio back from her stay in warm, sunny Hawaii and Mary getting ready to soak up the sun and warmth in Mexico. I wonder if anyone else from the group has flown the coop to warmer climes. I am thinking of Tom and Peter, as we have not heard from them in a while.
I was most interested to read that you had met an Irish chef on your trip called Jamie Raferty. I was all the more interested to know he is known as the Holistic chef and specialises in raw and fermented foods.
I was all the more interested as well to know that he believes in the health benefits of foods such as sauerkraut, which I have taken to eating in the past year. I know that we need this kind of food to keep our gut in order. I have just been reading the detailed parts of Chris Woollams' latest email and was interested to read that it is your gut bacteria that get ill first and that you cannot get better until they get better. He stated that the drugs prescribed by doctors and particularly antibiotics make matters worse. I have known for a long time that, if you are on antibiotics you should be taking plain unsweetened yoghurt with live culture, and/or the supplements of probiotics that you can buy. It looks as though you should be on these all the time.
Chris goes on to say that in order to rebuild your health you have to start by rebuilding your gut bacteria – your microbiome. He then proposes what he calls the HUG protocol. There are a lot more details about which I shall try to post later.
How are things going in the Algarve? Are you living the good life?
Keep well and keep in touch.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia
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Hello adagio,
It was good to hear from you and to know that you had a wonderful time in Hawaii. It sounds as though you have come back fit and healthy and in good form to face winter in Vancouver. Luckily, it is not as bad as winters in Ottawa and Montreal.
I was interested in what you said about the new guidelines for mammograms in the USA and was glad to know that the norm is going to be having them done less frequently. I am sure they do a lot of harm with the radiation and all that horrible squeezing. I was not in favour of having them because I had read so much about false positives and false negatives, not to mention faulty machines. I came back to the UK just after my fiftieth birthday and had never had a mammogram. My doctor in Canada said I did not need them. Back in the UK I was surprised, one morning, in 1994, to receive a letter summoning me to a mass breast screening clinic. I had made no such appointment and felt quite put out. I wrote back saying that when I wanted to have such a screening, I would make my own appointment and would not be coming. I did not have any mammograms until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. I then had one and an ultrasound to confirm breast cancer. I had always done my own breast examination and never felt anything until a large lump appeared quite quickly and out of the blue. After my breast cancer treatment the oncologist regularly arranged for me to have mammograms, but I was never happy about this. During my ten years of check ups I had about three or four. It is difficult to say no when you are under the oncologist and breast cancer consultant. Now that I have been discharged from the hospital, I have been told to go every three years to the mass breast cancer screening when it comes to Exmouth, but I have decided that I shall not be going.
I can understand your concern about having one in February. I would think that annually is quite a lot of mammograms to have but that is only my opinion.
There is a lot of information about how these mammograms do not save lives and how they may pick up on lumps that may never cause problems. I remember reading Chris Woollams and Cancer Active over the years and they seem not to be in favour of mammograms.
I have read about thermography instead of mammograms, but when I asked my oncologist about it she dismissed it. I think orthodox medicine just wants you to follow what they tell you. Change is very slow.
I was glad to know that you like Cancer Active and WDDTY. I agree there is a lot of information to absorb in these two, but I think the best approach is to read them and just get a general idea and then try to follow that in your everyday life, doing the best you can. The message from radio and television this week is loud and clear and it is to keep physically active.
Reading through what you do to keep healthy sounds excellent to me. We have to live as normally as we can so we cannot become prisoners to our diet. If we keep to a varied diet based on the rainbow/Mediterranean diet we cannot go far wrong.
I have had Matcha tea in the past and quite enjoyed it. Let me know if you like it. I do not think we have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to have healthy food. The less cooking the better. I had a busy day yesterday but soon prepared a healthy meal, based on wild salmon, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chopped up fresh ginger and some tomatoes sprinkled with oregano and cooked in olive oil, everything topped with some sauerkraut. It is good, too, to eat lots of raw food.
I think you are doing a great job to keep yourself healthy.
Sending you fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Michael,
I just wanted to tell you that I have been reading up about Jaime Rafferty, the holistic chef that you mentioned you had met on your trip. I found his life story so far most interesting.
I was interested to see a picture of a mobile van with the words Green Radish, I looked up some of the food on sale. It sounded like healthy , gourmet fast food. I think the picture was in New York.
That part was just a small part of everything he is involved in.
Today I also discovered a product known as Kombucha. Have you heard of it.
Best wishes,
Sylvia.
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