Breast cancer-free anniversaries

Posted by callalloo @callalloo, Oct 3, 2022

There are many Mayo Connect members who continue to survive breast cancer and have remained remission free for years. I thought a thread celebrating those deserves its own topic as reading about them encourages all of us.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group.

@chrisoula

I forgot to tell you the most important! She told that when I wanted chocolate I could make a hot (organic) cocoa with stevia and perhaps half a banana (like a smoothie) for the fibers and sip it slowly! In the summer I make it large with almond milk, banana and coffe. It was really good and the craving for chocolate would disappear. Magic! Or I could make a pudding/cream (with corn starch) with stevia and skimmed milk or almond milk, which was excellent also! I think mostly it's the habit of sweet things when you feel stressed that we have to fight. The best advice she ever told me was that when I was in crisis go out for a 10-15' walk or more so my mind would forget the craving! 😍

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All good suggestions. Thanks for sharing some of what you learned.

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@anjalima

Well, I had my first annual mammo and ultrasound on October 28th… on one natural breast. All was normal! As exciting as that sounds, last October I had a “normal”mammo and ultrasound on two natural breasts. However, I persisted, with a symptom, until an MRI early January 2022, that revealed two sizable tumors. SO, I have decided to celebrate anniversaries on MRI days … every six months. I will start annual MRI in February this year and push a month each year until I am equally divided 6 mos. between each screening.

That said… I’m being heavily scrutinized and I was happy for a “ normal” mammo.

If you have dense breasts I recommend MRI screening in addition to mammo. It saved my life! 🌸

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I say happy anniversary however on whichever date you pick to acknowledge :-).

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Happy anniversaries everyone!

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@jeaniebean

Happy to hear this. I opted out of AIs as I had terrible side effects reactions, and now follow a whole food plant based no oil diet. I have never felt better in my 69 years of life. I have lost 65 pounds and I get out for a hike every other day! Never felt better.... and I still cannot bend my finger after the AIs. That was 2 years ago. But I mange anyway.

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@jeaniebean would you mind sharing why not choosing oil and salt?

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@polianad22

@jeaniebean would you mind sharing why not choosing oil and salt?

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oil never breaks down and stays in your body. The fat you eat is the fat you wear. It is the only thing that clogs arteries and causes inflammation. You can eat nuts, and the body can process that. I thought I would miss it, but not at all. I use veggy broth for stir fry and any frying. Adds more flavor. It is hard at start as there is oil in EVERYTHING! Palm oil is the worst. Salt also adds to inflammation, and blood pressure, however, after 6 months my blood pressure has leveled to normal, used to be very high, and I can now add salt to my meals if I want. If you read the Starch Solution, it explains it in detail.

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@jeaniebean

oil never breaks down and stays in your body. The fat you eat is the fat you wear. It is the only thing that clogs arteries and causes inflammation. You can eat nuts, and the body can process that. I thought I would miss it, but not at all. I use veggy broth for stir fry and any frying. Adds more flavor. It is hard at start as there is oil in EVERYTHING! Palm oil is the worst. Salt also adds to inflammation, and blood pressure, however, after 6 months my blood pressure has leveled to normal, used to be very high, and I can now add salt to my meals if I want. If you read the Starch Solution, it explains it in detail.

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@jeaniebean fascinating! I have two friends who do the same thing. Plant based, no oil. I cannot give up oil yet. It feels that we need healthy fat from oil. Did you try flaxseed oil?

Did you do surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy?

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@polianad22

@jeaniebean fascinating! I have two friends who do the same thing. Plant based, no oil. I cannot give up oil yet. It feels that we need healthy fat from oil. Did you try flaxseed oil?

Did you do surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy?

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No oil is good oil when it is processed and all oil is processed. Eat the nuts, it is pure. I did surgery on both breasts and radiation, 18 rounds. Did hormone therapy and my world turned upside down. Swollen, depressed, could not walk, hands like baseball mitts. I was allergic to the fillers in the pills, so my onco told me there was nothing to do but pray. Got off the drugs and all the natural treatments and used whole food. Never felt better in my whole life. Going to drop another 35 pounds and live each day to the fullest. Processed food is poison to the body. Best change I ever made. Miss the cheese once in a while so plant based cheese is a treat, maybe once a month. And it doesnt spoil. I get lots of iron from mt Dandyblend coffee, which is dandelion root and chicory. yum, get protein from nuts, pumpkin seeds. The drugs did me in. I still cant bend my fingers, but every other part works! Go for my third year mammo in 3 weeks.

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@jeaniebean

No oil is good oil when it is processed and all oil is processed. Eat the nuts, it is pure. I did surgery on both breasts and radiation, 18 rounds. Did hormone therapy and my world turned upside down. Swollen, depressed, could not walk, hands like baseball mitts. I was allergic to the fillers in the pills, so my onco told me there was nothing to do but pray. Got off the drugs and all the natural treatments and used whole food. Never felt better in my whole life. Going to drop another 35 pounds and live each day to the fullest. Processed food is poison to the body. Best change I ever made. Miss the cheese once in a while so plant based cheese is a treat, maybe once a month. And it doesnt spoil. I get lots of iron from mt Dandyblend coffee, which is dandelion root and chicory. yum, get protein from nuts, pumpkin seeds. The drugs did me in. I still cant bend my fingers, but every other part works! Go for my third year mammo in 3 weeks.

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I truly admire you and your commitment. Luckily I don't eat any processed foods besides avocado oils and sometimes olive oil. Had my surgery on November 14th and waiting for the Oncotype DX test. No radiation needed. Truly happy for you! I know people who do Gerson therapy which I find very hard when you cook everyday for your family.

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I have been remiss and lazy and hadn't posted for a bit, for which apologies. I hope that everyone is still celebrating each and every anniversary of significance to them personally. An anniversary could be the 42nd day after finishing chemo or any other milestone that felt hard-earned or just plain joyful.

I am due for an 18th checkup - mammogram, ultrasound, blood work including tumor markers, and appointments with oncologist and post surgery physician in April. Since there's not a lot I can do to affect the outcome, I've kind of forgotten about cancer if that makes any sense except for following a much better diet with better quality nutrition in a minimum of processed foods of any kind. That might not affect cancer recurrence but it's making my cardiologist happy. And, as probably predicted but not quite believed by me, a better diet has a huge influence on energy and activity. So that part is something that gives me some comfort in attacking.

I think of so many of the people who post here and am sure that that's not uncommon. The point is that there are so many of us counting on each other's happy futures and hope that people know that. We are all in this alone together as the old slogan goes. Happy anniversary to all!

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@callalloo

I had my first annual post lumpectomy mammogram, ultrasound and physical exam by oncologist and all seems fine. (I do have a small seroma which is self-resolving we think.) I didn't think I was at all worried but the good news was a relief so was likely suppressing some fear?

For those interested, my backstory was a Bad News Biopsy a year ago last week. Followed by the surreal world of surgery, cancer treatment info overload, falling into online cancer research rabbit holes and trying to make wise decisions. [Which I feel, a year later, I did do so consider that my brain was working though those first months are a blur in the rear view mirror of time now.] I had a Stage 1A tumor, ER+, P+, HER2- 9mm tumor (including clean margins of 1+mm) and a clean sentinel node biopsy. I am very grateful that an OncotypeDX test was appropriate and yielded a very low risk of recurrence so ruled out chemo. [I did not have radiation or adjuvant anti-hormone therapy either for personally-specific reasons.]

I hope that others passing cancer milestones along the way check in and share their good news.

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Congratulations! It is so strange to hear all the information women have today when theit tumor is discovered, and to hear the yearly celebrations, and discussions regarding treatment. I was 36 when I discovered a lump in my left breast. I was fortunate, in that I had a husband who insisted I see a doctor right away (and I also had worked for a doctor for a long time). Things were very different then, no x rays, Biopsy was done at the time of surgery. If Biopsy was positive the breast was removed. It was thought I might have a positive lymph node, so a radical breast removal was done. It was found later the node was negative. No chemo (none was given at that time) and radiation was given only if there were positive lymph nodes. I had the second breast removed two years later, due to the constant need for biopsies. (Biopsies were actual surgery no needle biopsies). No follow up medications. In some ways I think we were lucky, one major surgery and then on with life.

Today, I guess I would say I am celebrating my 56th anniversary, free of Breast Cancer. Think how much medicine has progressed. How wonderful it is, that breast cancer can be found so much earlier, treated to much quicker, and with such wonderful success, and the BIG ONE, without the need to remove a large portion of the female body.

God bless you, may you find joy, peace, and happiness all the rest of your life, and may your children always be aware of the Gift of life that was given to there mother.
Gina5009

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