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Beyond Breast Cancer - new Mayo Clinic book

Posted by Laurie, Volunteer Mentor @roch, Oct 9, 2023

I just received my copy of a new book by Mayo Clinic "Beyond Breast Cancer" - A Mayo Clinic Guide to Healing & Wellness. I have not read, but Table of Contents looks like will be very helpful in dealing with all those "What now?" questions.

I was diagnosed 5 years ago, Had surgery, chemo, radiation, and rechecks since then. Next week have my 5 year post treatment recheck. It always brings up so many emotions and new questions. Definitely going to read book prior to appt.

Laurie

From about this book:
"Beyond Breast Cancer: A Mayo Clinic Guide to Healing and Wellness is a supportive, practical guide to life after diagnosis and initial treatment for breast cancer. In this short, accessible book, Mayo Clinic breast cancer specialists Tufia C. Haddad, M.D., and Kathryn J. Ruddy, M.D., and colleagues offer their insights on how to navigate this new phase of the journey, including monitoring for signs of recurrence; optimizing diet, sleep and exercise habits; coping with lingering treatment effects; improving sexual health; managing money and insurance issues; and much more.

Use this book to help you through those months after treatment is over and when treatment is ongoing. Return to it as needed. Life after a diagnosis of breast cancer is rarely the same as it was before. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be richer, more meaningful and perhaps even healthier. It’s about more than just surviving. It’s about living the life you were meant to live.

Softcover • 5 x 8 Inches • 224 Pages • Mayo Clinic Press • 2023 • ISBN 798887700267

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

gemjaynes | @gemjaynes | Oct 23, 2023
In reply to @leculdesac "I hope they've included up to date diet advice. There's strong, growing literature (animal studies, case..." + (show)
@leculdesac

I hope they've included up to date diet advice. There's strong, growing literature (animal studies, case studies, and inference) from very respected researchers/clinicians in support of carefully managed intermittent fasting and keto diet to starve cancer of glucose/fructose. But it's important to do the keto carefully so as not to feed cancer w/ too much protein either. Unfortunately, a lot of oncologists (and even nutritionists in cancer centers, as I've found out) aren't familiar w/ literature.

I strongly believe every patient shoulddecide for herself (and himself) w/ their drs' input as to their treatment w/o absolutes pushed by docs or online, but it disappoints me to keep seeing certain diets pushed (mediterranean--lots of high glycemic pasta--or low fat) as if there's clear science behind them w/r/t cancer. Seyfried's paradigm-changing work on metabolism as the central common pathway for cancer (much more than genetics) shows great promise, particularly in combination w/ standard of care. The case studies they've demonstrated w/ glioblastoma in particular are astonishing. There's all this focus in the mainstream these days on how cancer feeds off of estrogen to the point wherein some women endure terrible, disabling side effects, but none on how cancer feeds off of glucose/fructose (and glutamine, though that's more difficult to get at).

I mean, who knew until recently that we evolved to process fructose as part of an upcoming winter hibernation strategy, such that it spikes insulin when in high concentrations, appetite, and fat storage. Makes sense, really, and the researchers working on this make the point that whole fruits have great nutritional and fiber value, but that we weren't meant to drink the juice of 20 apples or more at one sitting, however organic. We all know to avoid high fructose corn syrup, but glasses of OJ? I feel awful for giving juice to my kids, thinking it completely safe--it'll be seen in the future like I gave them cigarettes or something. 🙂

Something as simple as continuing on the same diet but keeping it to 6-10 hrs a day to give the liver a break was shown in a 2016 study w/ breast cancer to reduce recurrence in a dose-dependent matter. That's an adjuvant therapy that's free and has health benefits apart from cancer.

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No need to feel guilty. I started baking my own whole wheat bread when I was 15 (1975) because it was not then available in grocery stores. I have tried my best to eat right, I don't smoke, I don't drink, I have no genetic or lifestyle risk factors, and I still got breast cancer. We've been bombarded with dubious food propaganda our entire lives. The USDA food pyramid, unless it has been changed since last I looked, is all wrong. "Convenience foods" are flavored with chemicals to taste like things they are not. There's a book on that subject called, "The Dorito Effect." Supermarkets are a mine field. Meats are loaded with hormones and antibiotics. Vegetables are altered for a longer shelf life but stripped of flavor while pesticides are added. You have to pay attention to avoid hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup. And what exactly is "processed cheese food?" Mid-20th century cookbooks put out by the food industry are full of hilariously bad recipes. Apple juice is the least of our worries. Your conscience should be clear.

REPLY
rhongirl | @rhongirl | Oct 24, 2023

One of the things I have struggled with post-cancer, is really getting on a healthier diet . . not because I don't think it's good for me, nor that I don't see the benefits of it, but rather, because my condition on the "inside" is tired. I call it my "oomph" meter when I speak to my grandchildren. It can take a lot of self-will and determination to make life changes (in any area), and sometimes, I just feel so tired emotionally. My breast cancer diagnosis was in December 2019, with an endometrial cancer diagnosis June 2021. While I had chemo and surgeries for the first diagnosis, only surgery was necessary for the second. But then, there were some extra surgeries after that.

Each of us has our own stories, our own journey. Mine is not so unique in the overall scheme of things, but it is a journey that still continues to weigh on my emotional tank, depleting it more easily yet. Emotional health goes hand-in-hand with being able to do our best taking care of ourselves - and though I've been practicing ways to fill up that tank, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I'm just. plain. tired.

One would not know I feel this way by looking at my "outside" life. . . I returned to work, took on some big projects, am active with my family. I look normal from every vantage point (many forget I even had breast cancer), but I am not what I used to be. In some ways, that is good (for we learn so many good things about ourselves and others through this journey 🙂 ). In some ways, however, it isn't as helpful. I do feel guilt for not having changed my lifestyle after breast cancer to an ultra-health-queen, but my oomph-meter is waning a bit, and it is one step at a time to build it back with margins to spare.

I'm looking forward to reading this book.

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