Do you ever wonder......how did i get cancer?

Shayne

Sometimes this thought crosses my mind.  My naturopath told me my dcis probably started inside my body 25-30 years ago.  I find myself searching back to that time, wondering what it was i ate, was exposed to.....what was it?

Maybe its fruitless to go there....but i wonder if im the only one who thinks about it.   

exbrnxgrl

You are far from the only one who has ever thought about this! Right now too little is known about what causes bc to come up with a cause and effect relationship. I personally believe that many factors come together to create a "perfect storm". Whatever you're thinking, don't blame yourself. Caryn

Shayne

i dont think i blame myself.  But sometimes i wonder if it can be caused by unresolved or suppressed feelings.  30 years ago i had a very hard event in my life....that maybe I didnt process completely.  Might be too esoteric for some of you, but its what my gut tells me

isee

Hi Shayne,

No, you're definitely not the only one. Pretty normal to try to find the cause of something...especially of something bad. I have the BRCA2 Mutation....but, even so, I know something triggered my cancer...or I would have had it sooner. I got it at 52. I personally think that stress was the trigger for me. No doubt in my mind at all. I had a very stressful event and less then one year later, I had cancer.

GrandmaV

Sure, I think about it.  But whatever it was, was probably out of my control.  Pollution, insecticide, hormones in meat, hormones in dairy, household cleaning agents, city water or maybe bottled water, stress, genes, deodorants, make-up and lotions with parabens, late menopause,  etc.  I say it was out of my control because even the things I can change, I didn't know I should.  So now I try to be smarter about the choices I can make and try to incorporate healthy living and exercise, to hopefully counteract so much harmful stuff that goes into my body without my consent.

Fearlessfoot

shayne:  I have really loved reading Anti-Cancer a New Way of Life by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber.  He goes into both the scientific and alternative explanations for what can cause cancer cells to grow.  We all have cancer cells in our bodies, but not everyone's cells grow into what can be found to be a "cancer tumor!" 

You are not alone.  I think about it and wonder frequently.  Also my mother died of pancreatic cancer 2 years ago.  And my grandfather from stomach cancer back in 1966.  Why? Why? Why?  How can I best protect my nine-year-old son without keeping him in a glass bubble? (not in a plastic bubble -- too many petrochemical concerns!)

Shayne

lol at the plastic bubble reference

 Ive got the book - and found the video for ANTI CANCER at the library - v informative!  Was sorry to hear Dr David passed away 

pupmom

I think we all agonize over this. I was dx'd at age 62, and from what I've read the greatest risk of getting cancer is becoming older. So, there's that. Also, I went through the most stressful 5 years of my life right before my dx. Ironically, most of that stress had resolved when I was dx'd. Even though there's no proof I do believe that stress affects our health.

marieann1020

Hi Isee,

I agree with you, I had a very stressfull issue one year ago, and exactly one year later, I  too got Cancer.

Ann

etherize

I'm curious about the emotional/energetic component to this disease.  I also had a very stressful event that occurred exactly a year before I was dx'd with bc.  And very stressful events that occurred 25-30 years prior.  So I don't think it's too esoteric to look for connections there.  

I do think there's more to it than the purely physical, but it will probably be many years before that avenue is seriously studied.

purple32

I too would point to stress if pressed.

Having said that , I have also read an article ( link posted in one  of the forums) claiming that women who give birth to large babies have twice the risk ( Mine was over 10 lbs) .  That made me take pause. I have also seen SOOOO many women on this forum say they have had thyroid issues , and I do as well.  Makes you wonder.

In any case, I have /had no control over those things.

As for "the rest", I believe it is a crap shoot OR  the Drs just dont know.

I do not blame myself . 

maize

Just my opinion:  that maybe stress has a lot to do with getting cancer.  Maybe grief and stress.  Maybe grief and stress lower our immunity or mess up our hormones?  Some doctor said that most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer had some traumatic or stressful event or more than one event like that approximately two years before diagnosis.  I wish I could remember the doctor's name who said that.   Maybe other people don't get cancer, but get something else if they are under a lot of stress?

etherize

We know stress plays a role in heart disease; seems to me there's no reason why it wouldn't play a role in bc, too.  And grief is certainly a kind of stress.

Shayne

Ive read that about stress too.   Tho my naturopath told me that my cancer probably started 20-25 years ago - which was an incredibly stressful time for me.  

camillegal

Well I have to say all of u make very interesting points--but stress is inevitable in all oir lives at one time or another I'm not saying u'r wrong but not everyone gets caner from going thru stressful situations. IMHO it just happens to anyone at any age now---cancer has no rules or favorites it's just there. I don't really think about it, cuz it's been done and I just go on. As long as my Drs. are on board I let them think about it hahaha

bedo

I sympathize with all, but, no, I never wonder, just like I never wonder, why did my Dad die when I was 5? Why did I go through what I did as a teen?  Why have I blessed with other things?  Why was I not born in a third world country? I have no genetic reason for having BC  Nope! Never wonder. Life is what it is.

wildrumara

For most of my adult life (I'm 43) I've said that I would probably get cancer!    My mom's side of the family is full of the disease, but most everyone was older, including my mother with breast cancer (74).  The genetic counselor does feel there is a familial component to my cancer, but sometimes I think mine might have presented itself sooner than the others in my family due to more exposure to hormones, toxins, etc...in the last 40 years.   Who knows?   Such a bummer....... I NEVER thought I would be diagnosed at 42....figured it would be 62!

Anonymous

I wonder thay every single day since I was diagnosed less than a month ago on 7-30. I am 23 years old, have NO family history of ANY cancers on either side or my family and do not have the BRCA gene mutation. I was lucky I caught my cancer so early (especially for someone my age). But then say, why now? What made this thing express itself now? But thinking too much like that only induces feelings of anxiety about my diet and my lifestyle (like what did I do to contribute to this mess).

Wilsie2

I vote for stress too.  My first occurance was 15 years ago, my husband of 34 years left me (along with lighteneing stricking the house, the pipes freezing and my car totaled, all within 6 months.)  Now, I have recurrance six months after my soul mate died of pancreatic cancer.  Normally I am a happy, optimistic person, and not that I have adjusted to the new situation, am making the best of it.