Trying to find a common cause. Please help!

sunny8

I was recently diagnosed with IDC. No family history no genetic link. I'm sure most people newly diagnosed like me are trying to search for W^{hat particular food did we eat or thing we did or substance we got exposed to that triggered the cancer. I've been searching the internet for articles but there really isn't much. Surprising since so much money has been poured into breast cancer awareness.}

^{I've been racking my mind trying to find out what common denominators we have. Also, if certain foods or things cause different types of breast cancer. So, for the items that you list that you think might have contributed to your cancer, can you also list your type? For example:}

^{I love chocolate and sweets. I was eating quite a bit of milk chocolate EVERY DAY. I am also lactose intolerant but I continued to eat dairy with my Lactaid pill. I'm wondering if this caused me to have cancer as research has linked lactose to cancer. Also, since I am allergic to lactose, I am wondering by forcing my body to eat the dairy my body reacted by inflammation which ultimately caused the cancer?}

^{Or was it just the sugar?}

^{Or was it that I was taking multivitamins PLUS taking IRON pills plus taking a packet of Emergen C Daily?}

^{Did this cause or just make my tumor grow faster?}

^{I had a 2.6 tumor that basically grew overnight.}

So tell me what routine did you do or what food did you eat regularly when you were diagnosed?

And what type of diagnosis? Mine: ER+ 90% PR+90% her2- Ki67 25% Grade 3

I think this forum has provided me much more information than any outside research has given me so far.

exbrnxgrl

Sunny8,

I wish there was answer to what causes breast cancer. If there was, we probably we would be doing a good job of preventing it. You do have one thing in common with most of us. You are a woman! Sad to say, this is the thing we have in common. Family history is a very minor factor as only a small percentage of bc cases have the genes, BRCA 1&2, that we know. If you read enough of our histories, you'll see we are varied in lifestyles, diet, weight, careers or about anything else you can think of as can be. Please don't blame chocolate, dairy or anything else and don't fixate on this for too long. Put your time and energy in to your treatment and being happy.

sunny8

You are right not to fixate on things but for me at this point, I would like to find a common denominator other than being a woman so at least I can delete it from my routine so I do not get a recurrence or at least lessen my chance of recurrence.

Moderators

Hi Sunny8-

First off, welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're sorry for the circumstances that bring you here, but we're glad you've found our community. Like exbrnxgrl said, there's just no one way to pin down what causes breast cancer, every woman and every case is different. Even two women with the same diagnosis can have vastly varied backgrounds and even symptoms. What's important now is focusing your energy on treatment, and doing whatever you can to get healthy! Have you decided on your course of treatment, or surgery? We suggest working closely with your medical team to come up with a plan that you're comfortable with, and then putting your energies into that. The how isn't as important as the now. Please keep posting, this community is full of support and advice that we think you will really benefit from. We're thinking of you!

The Mods

wrenn

You will die of a stroke or heart attack before cancer will take you if you continue to look for the cause. You didn't cause your cancer. Shit happens.

Try to relax and as exbrnxgrl says put your energy into your treatment. It is scary not having control and it would be nice to think that if we caused it we can cure it by reversing a certain behaviour. You will be ok.

susan_02143

Sheer bad luck. No reason to blame yourself.... as you review these boards you will find that skinny, fat, vegan, vegetarian, omnivores, fast food consuming, raw, alcohol consuming, abstainers, christians, muslims, hindu, agnostic, jewish [etc etc etc] people from all over the world have all been diagnosed with breast cancer. Your greatest risks were being female and having breasts.

Sorry you have joined us. I hope you find a group on this site that gives you the comfort you deserve.

*susan*

Radical2Squared

Sunny,

There is a thread on here somewhere started years ago where women gave theories as to why they got breast cancer. A few are serious those most are ridiculously hysterical to the point where you find yourself laughing out loud. Everything from swallowing gum as a child to eating the paper that was attached to dot candy to using to much aquanet in the 80's.

Though "why me?" Is a question we all ask....the answer reminds me of my mom when I was a kid..... "because I said so."

Not everyone would agree with me, but I feel I'm learning a lot about myself through this journey. I'm not a particularly spiritual person, but I have to wonder if maybe I needed to learn to change a few things in my life and see how strong I really am.

Hortense

Sunny8 - I wonder if it might be something in all the plastics that our foods and personal care products come packaged in, or something in some of the products we use on ourselves - cremes, lotions, make up, shampoos, etc. I have done everything right as far as I know as far as eating well and taking care of myself, and no one in my family has gotten cancer, yet I did.

My oncologist believes our cancers, and she said there are many types of breast cancer, may have multiple triggers. Maybe something in our genes makes us more susceptible when combined with certain things we are exposed to, like dry cleaning products or the aluminum that is in so many deodorants, causes naturally occurring cancer cells to grow out of control. I have been told not to use any deodorants with aluminum in them any more, as have many other women on this website, so there may be something to it.

I think we all go through the "How did I get it?" stage. After turning over every rock I could find I decided that perhaps the Gods just get bored and throw breast cancer darts at us and I got hit. Makes as much sense as any other theory out there right now.

Get the best medical care you can find, take good care of yourself, and know that a diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence. (((Hugs)))

Radical2Squared

Here's a link to the thread I was talking about. It's long...but I actually find myself reading it to find the lighter side. I even read the posts offload to my family sometimes when we start to get the "why me" feelings!

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/7/topic/6...

Radical2Squared

hortense, a friend of mine was part of a study on cancer susceptibility. As you know, all humans have cancerous cells. Normally, the human body kills them before they can replicate and become a big problem. The theory was that some people just aren't as good at killing those cells. I don't think the study ended up being conclusive...but I'm willing to bet they were on to something!

Ariom

My Surgeon says "Getting older and being a woman" that's about as much as they can confirm. Men eat chocolate, are lactose intolerant, they do all the same kinds of things as we do and some, but very few, by comparison, will get BC.

My Mother had BC, and yet, they tell me that really that isn't a real high percentage reason for my own....go figure!

I don't mean to sound flippant, but I don't believe it will ever be discovered as any one thing, that any of us have done, other than just live and add some really bad luck into the mix, which will seek out the 1 in 8, that we are. I wish we had the same odds for winning the lottery!

I too, read the "What caused it?" thread. As silly as it may seem, it does show how really impossible it is, to find a common cause.

suzygirl

Everything I've read and heard indicates that some things increase risk (no children, excess weight, etc. etc.) and other things decrease risk (early pregnancy, exercise, etc. etc) but usually it is a tiny increase or decrease in risk and most of us have a mix of positive and negative factors. Not one or many things we do or that just happen to us leads to a 100 percent guarantee we will get breast cancer, or prevent it. Even women with highly penetrant BRCA genes may never get breast cancer. The truth is that we are mortal, we are not made to live forever, and as complicated as our bodies are, things will inevitably break down, especially as we life longer. My OncotypeDX score predicts a 5 percent chance of recurrence in 10 years. Coincidentally, at age 67 and with good cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, I also have a 5 percent risk of a major cardiovascular event in the next 10 years. Either one may "get" me, but the odds are they won't. So I carry on taking my anastrozole, eating healthfully, drinking sparingly, exercising diligently, crossing my fingers, but I am under no illusion I or anyone else will ultimately be spared.

Sjacobs146

Sunny8 BC is not a new thing. Women have been getting it for centuries, before plastics, multi-vitamins, birth control pills, deodorant, and even chocolate. The only common denominator is that we all have breasts. Hopefully someday we will find the causes (likely more than one), but we may never know. Now is the time to focus on healing, good luck

BrooksideVT

Sunny, I think we all go through the same process.  "Why me?," is a natural, normal, and pretty much required, part of every loss, every bereavement, every diagnosis.  At first it appears a no-brainer that something we are--or are not--doing or have done has caused this.  As others have indicated, people around the world with different food opportunities, different environmental factors, different cultural practices, and different genetic histories, develop breast cancer, and have developed it for centuries.  Sometimes we hear that it is virtually unknown in third world countries, but these are areas where, sadly, women rarely live long enough to develop breast cancer.  We worry about plastics and food additives and emissions from autos and power plants, yet Hippocrates wrote about breast cancer over 2,000 years ago, when organic living was everyone's cup of tea.

There's lots of conjecture about the role of our immune system in the development of cancer, yet we all know people who seemingly fall prey to every bug that's going around and never develop cancer, and those who never even have a cold, yet here they are.  Some feel stress is the culprit, but probably all of us experience moderate stress much of the time and significant stress on occasion. 

Is there a specific cause?  Maybe.  Maybe it's a whole compendium of factors.  Maybe it's a genetic time bomb.  Whatever.  For us, we have it.  We are lucky to live in a age where so many scientifically proven treatments are available to help us.  We are lucky that there is treatment.  Some of us (me, for instance) are lucky to have a cancer that is proven to be slow growing (and possibly completely removed through surgery) and to allow me to live my life, maybe for decades, with just one little pill/day.

ruthbru

As you can see by all the posts, there is not THE ANSWER to your question. Two women could live exactly the same life style (be that a totally good or bad one); one will get cancer & the other one not. Genetics? Luck? Who knows.

So, what to do? First, don't beat yourself up, just concentrate on getting through treatment. Once you are done (not now, because that will just add to the stress), then think about the areas of your life you'd like to tweak; not just for the risk of cancer recurrence, but for overall good health. If you are overweight, you will want to get down to and maintain a healthy weight. If you don't exercise, you will want to start. If you only eat processed junk food, you will want to eat more fruits, veggies, and natural food. If you love chocolate, switch to dark chocolate (which actually has health benefits!!!). If you drink a lot, cut back. If you smoke, stop. Common sense things that, of course, don't guarantee anything but will improve your quality of life no matter what.

Best of luck!

sunny8

Everyone's replies are nice and heartwarming. But we have cancer. The research is all directed toward medicine but nothing is preventative. We are offered several choices in our care which is Surgery, Chemo and Hormone therapy. What about how we should care for ourselves and lessen our chances of recurrence or for the sake of our children and future generations? Breast cancer of course has been around for centuries but perhaps those were the genetic ones. The cases of breast cancer have increased dramatically over the years even with all the research and development. Also, more and more are getting it at increasingly younger ages. My doctors office said they are seeing girls as young as15. Everyone is telling me to focus on healing and not dwell on it. That's exactly what I'm doing. I am trying to find a common link.

If you read this board, you find certain common links. For instance, I noticed that it is common for Her2+ to spread even after NED or treatments. It is just the nature of the cancer. Also, triple negatives are highly susceptible to spread and recur as well. I hear so many stories of people doing everything possible to 'prevent' recurrence by way of CHEMO, Hormone therapy yet they also have recurrence. Perhaps if they did all the treatments and also cut out some outside elements in their diet or environment it would not have recurred? How would we know if we do not conduct our own survey? The drug companies do not want to do this type of research because it is no benefit to them. We have nothing to lose by doing this. So why not try?

Why is everyone so willing to just say, Oh! Focus on the treatment. Of course! I am doing everything possible to rid myself of the cancer but as we all know, it is never truly gone. That is why we need to share information that only we would know. Which is what we eat. How we live. So, what's your favorite food?

wrenn

What I appreciate about BCO is how supportive the women are and how they try to calm our fears. I think many women here were trying to make you feel better. I am sorry you missed that.

WinningSoFar

Dear sunny,

I think what everyone is saying is that we all have wondered what caused our BC, but all of us have concluded there is no answer and we have moved on. I know I have. If there is anything I still wonder about, it's having crop dusters fly over in the summers when I was a kid. But I can't do anything about that now. Nor could I have done anything about it then either. Perhaps you should post in the Alternative thread as those ladies tend to have a different view of things.

sunny8

Yes, I appreciate that but what better way to deal with it then to focus on it in a realistic way? There has got to be a better way. Of course I have done the surgery. Most likely will do the hormone therapy. I read here of entire families getting breast cancer with no genetic mutation. Maybe they are all eating the same thing? Wouldn't you want to know so as not to serve that to your children and have an entire new generation get the same diagnosis? Asians have a 50% less chance of getting breast cancer but when they move to a western country the rates are the same as the western country. That means it is either environmental or diet. Not genetics that prevents Asians from getting breast cancer. This is a study of Japanese so it's a first world country. I would discount the rates of third world countries as they probably do not keep track or diagnose the disease properly.

exbrnxgrl

---

Sunny,

Your intent is great and, as said, we have all asked this question. Yes, we could conduct our own surveys, but they would just be anecdotal. It would be very difficult for us to isolate cause and effect in anything but the most casual way, since it would be hard to control for many other factors in a casual survey. Once we have been dx'ed with bc, focusing on the tx does become a priority for the vast majority of us. As for prevention, of either an initial bc or recurrence, many, many researchers have looked at it with very few tangible conclusions. That is what is so frustrating and why it feels like a real crapshoot (you will see this phrase crop up regularly). Keep reading through both the conventional and alternative threads and you will see many different theories and approaches to diet and lifestyle. However, there seems to be little commonality when it comes to "success". For instance, I have used only conventional tx, with some supplements and had been NED for 4 years. My bone met is necrotic and I've had no progression. My diet has always been healthy, but not extreme. If I want to eat or drink something, I do and never feel a bit of guilt. I believe in moderation, not compulsion. My younger sister was dx'ed with uterine cancer at age 50. She led a compulsively clean lifestyle since her early 20's. Not only with respect to food, but no antiperspirants, plastics, microwaves etc. She was thin and exercised. She was dead within 4 months of her dx. Just another anecdote, but a good illustration of why anecdotes and casual surveys may not yield the answers we are looking for.

Kicks

There are so many variables so there can be no single/simple answer.  We are each unique and our individual bodies react differently to different 'things'.

As Radical2Square said there are cancer cells in everyones bodies and cause no problems as long as they do not grow expotentially.  (Just as there is E-coli and many other potentially deadly germs in our bodies IF they start growing out of control.)

In my case, I believe it was a combinnation of many 'things' in my life that the effects of finally combined to form as IBC.  I have always been a very active person (still am more active than many 1/2 my age at 68), never over weight or under weight, never smoked anything, have an occasional 'adult beverage' on special occasions.  Drink lots of water.  I have always eatten a very well rounded diet that includes a lot of veggies and fruit (no canned veggies or fruit - only fresh or frozen).   I stay away from 'prepared foods' full of chemicals the vast majority of the time.  I do not take Multi Vit/Min but take ones that I need individually (Vit D3  for SAD, Potassium because during chemo I started having issues with it being very low and still is if I don't take).  I have no family HX of any type of cancer on both sides of my family for at least 4 generations - 1 Grandmother and 3 Great Gradmothers lived into their mid-late 99's..  However, I have lived in places/had jobs most of my life that could have had cumulative effects.  I was a Master Cosmetologist (lots of chemicals there) for more than 10 yrs, I did Screen Printing (in the days before the 'kinder' inks and solvents of today), I did Uphostery (again chemicals involved).  I was a 'Military Brat', was Army myself, married a USN 'airdale' (worked on planes, not boats except while deployed) for his 20 yrs AD, and live very near an AFB now.  So I grew up around aircraft exhaust, and have lived as an adult also around it, along with the jobs I've had - lots of possibilities.

My point of saying all this is do not obsess on what is past and thus cannot be changed - IF there could ever be an exact answer for anything in LIFE.  I did focus on fighting the Monster - rather than focusing on 'Why Me?'  No one has any guarantee for what 'tomorrow' brings anyway.

Is that SOO cute Lop (Holland Lop?) yours?  I had Holland Lops for YEARS but after I lost Funday (solid black), I got Bugs a bit over a yr ago who is a broken black/white Mini Rex.  I had hopes of doing 'Rabbit Agility' with him this past summer but it didn't work out so planning on next yr.

Bippy625

Sunny, there is no answer, except Wrenn's, shit happens. You can literally dedicate your life's work to research analysis on this topic.....and you will not find the answer, because life is a randomn wheel of suck and sometimes it lands on you. We as humans need to feel like their are reasons for bad things, I think it leads to self blame for BC, and how is that helpful?

I think you should check out the alternative forums too, where you can delve deep into this issue with more like minded ladies.

That being said, I do think generally it best to eat healthy, booze in moderation, exercise, etc. and am doing things differently since dx. Will it prevent a recurrence? Maybe. I may be terminal now, and just not know it, as you point out, my her2 status is a killer. Primarily, I am doing it to prime my immune system and because it makes me feel better. A better quality of life while I am alive.

I am comfortable, if that word fits, with the uncertainty of my disease most times. It will be whatever it will be. I got it however I got it. I choose to focus on enjoying life day by day vs. fixating on what I may or may not have done to "give" myself cancer.

Lauriesh

I agree with everyone that it is impossible to do any meaningful " research" on your own to determine what caused your cancer.
One risk factor is birth control. You will find women who were on birth control for 20 years who got cancer, but wait, you will have just as many women say that they were never on birth control and got cancer, and then women like me, who were on it for 2 years.
Another is breast feeding. The longer you breast feed, the lower your risk. I know a woman who is stage 4 who has 7 children and breast feed them all. So she had been breast feeding for about 15 years and still got cancer. I breast fed 3 children for about 5 years and I am still stage 4. I have an older sister who is significantly overweight, never had children ( another risk factor) , so obviously never breast fed, has eaten crap her whole life ( McDonald's, doughnuts, chips,etc) and drinks way too much and she doesn't have cancer.
Some people say that stress contributed to their cancer developing. It may have, but then you will find people like me, who had very little stress in their life in the time leading up to my diagnosis.
Low vitamin d has also been linked to breast cancer. But does everyone who has breast cancer have low vitamin d levels? No
It is a waste of time to try to figure out what exactly caused your cancer when cancer researchers who have spent their lives trying to figure it out can't do it.

SpecialK

If you are interested in helping to find out what commonalities breast cancer patients have, and participate in a study focused on prevention, sign up for Dr. Susan Love's Army of Women, linked below:

http://www.armyofwomen.org/

These are the two goals:

"To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all."

"To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women."

 

BrooksideVT

It would be wonderful if we could identify contributing foods, but, then, there are so very many of us who have never, never eaten whole categories of food:  Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, veggies, grains, fruits, sweets, anything cooked, anything packaged, anything that has touched plastic or a microwave.  Total abstainers from each category find themselves right here.  And of course, there is the movement toward foods our ancient ancestors ate.  They had breast cancer too.  I believe I've read that they've found cancer in the fossilized bones of dinosaurs.  Thousands upon thousands have tried to find a cause and/or cure.  Have you been on the website of the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)?  Many, many ongoing research projects, some of them mighty interesting to us.  The Moderators regularly post research results for us on a regular basis.

There is a lot of cancer in my family:  Brain, blood, sinus, lung, pancreas, colon, skin, esophagus, prostate, but only one aunt on my father's side (both my parents came from families of five girls, two boys), well into her 80's had breast cancer, and she died of something entirely different.  I've been a cancerphobe since my teen years, but breast cancer never even touched my radar.  Having now had nearly two years to read, read, read every study I could find, and everything on this website and almost all the posts, my biggest conclusion is to be thankful that, of all the kinds of cancer my two parents, 12 aunts and uncles, and 27 first cousins had, I wound up with a total outlier whose prognosis is way, way better than that of any of my long gone relatives.  And to be thankful that researchers everywhere are working toward both prevention and cure.   

Yes, I continue to search (don't we all!) for answers, and am trying my best to lose weight, get 30 minutes of exercise each day, and slow the digestion of starchy foods by nibbling on protein and/or fat just before I eat them.  I'm committed to my aromatase inhibitors.  As I look back, I compare my really healthy choices with those of what I think of as''normal," and I certainly come out ahead.  Years ago, I remember Helen Gurley Brown mentioning in one of her books that, although most of us try to stay away from foods containing preservatives, one of her friends believed that preservatives might preserve us as well!

sunny8

I know I won't be solving one of the world's great mysteries but it is an adventure in itself. I had no idea about the risks of breast cancer when I was diagnosed. I had a .06 percent chance of getting it from the supposed 'risk calculator' But here I am. I've never smoked, don't drink, eat well.... but that is what I've been doing for the past 20 years. Some say it's what you were exposed to during puberty when your breasts were developing.

My diet during puberty was a completely different story. Junk food, canned food, soft drinks, fast food, alcohol... and all that Halloween candy:) Perhaps it's some people are able to process the defected cells better than others. It's like developing immunity to certain viruses. Maybe sometimes babying it makes it more susceptible? I know my husband is a hypochondriac and is super clean conscious but the moment he is exposed to a crowd, he catches a cold. So many theories.

mdg

Sunny I also wondered the same things and I started doing a lot of reading.  I will never know the answer to the "why me?" or "what did I eat/do?" questions.  I am almost 4 years out from my dx and I wonder a lot less the more time goes on.  The books I found helpful for me to move forward in a way that would allow me to minimize cancer causing foods were:  The Anti Cancer:  A New Way of Life and another book called Foods That Fight Cancer.  Both talk about how some of the differences in the foods the US consumes and how there are inflammatory properties in certain foods.  I have drastically changed my diet since reading the books.  Is it a guarantee BC won't come back?  No....but I feel like I am trying to do what I think is right.  I am all organic and I don't use harmful chemicals.  When I started reading what was in beauty care products, I went to my bathroom and read all the labels....that resulted in a HUGE garbage bag full of almost everything I had.  I have slowly replaced my health and beauty products and make up with things that are more natural.  Some people think I am crazy for adopting such changes, but I look at it this way.....I was healthy before with no family history.  I was a fitness professional for over 20 years and exercised a lot.  My body still grew BC.  Knowing that my body can and does do this, I avoid anything with hormones, hormonal properties, chemicals, etc.....  Clearly my body is sensitive to something.  I also added yoga to my workouts and quit my high stress job to bring more peace into my life.  Yes, my life has done a 180 degree change, but for me life is much better now than before BC. I am in no way telling people to do the extreme things I did.  Each person has to make their own decisions and do what they feel is right for them.  This was what I felt was right for me after my dx. 

sunny8

MDG, and Brookside, Thank you for the links/ suggestions on reading. I will definitely look into them.

Also, MDG I think you are on to something about Inflammatory foods. There is a lot of research on that right now around the world and they are discovering that it is a root cause for many diseases. In looking into my eating habits and researching I've also realized that perhaps we are eating foods that we don't realize we are allergic to and thereby causing the body to have constant inflammation. Maybe that is why all the research is leading to so many different conclusions because people are allergic to different things. Also, now with globalization of foods, we are eating foods that we would not naturally eat for our race and genetic makeup. For instance, as I mentioned I am lactose intolerant. So for me to consume lactose based food i.e. most dairy it will cause my body to react in an inflammatory way and make me sick over time.

However, for someone who is NOT allergic to lactose, consuming dairy will bring them lots of health benefits and be a protective barrier for disease. Thereby the conflicting statistics.

They even researched soy and realized that a certain ingredient that helps prevent cancer is not processed properly by 60% Caucasians. So, even if they consume it for it's health benefits, they get none. But Asians are better at processing this.

Also, with Alcohol most asians are missing the enzyme/ gene to process it and therefore have a 3-4 fold chance of developing cancer by consuming it in small amounts. ( probably because it causes inflammation)But that is not the case for people who have the gene to process alcohol.

Same goes with nuts. Many asian/ Japanese especially are allergic to Walnuts. yet, Walnuts are recommended for their anti-inflammatory omega 3 content. For some, this would be a health food but for people who are allergic. It would be a highly inflammatory food and cause a host of problems.

And when I say allergic, I'm not saying that you have to have a severe allergy that would cause you severe reactions instantly. I think there are many foods that don't cause immediate reaction but we are technically allergic to them or unable to process them properly.

I think if the researchers went this route it might bring more accurate results as to which foods to eat for different people. Kind of like genetic testing for the breast cancer gene. We all have a genetic makeup for the types of foods we can eat and process. I think it's part of evolution for our specific race. But when we eat other ethnic foods by immigrating or traveling, we don't realize we are consuming foods that are not meant for us.

I think it would be a good idea for us to get a food allergy test done so we know which foods we might have hidden allergies to and avoid them because they are guaranteed to cause inflammation.

I know I should probably post this theory in the alternative board but I I couldn't help but theorize it here.

SelenaWolf

You can drive yourself crazy trying to pinpoint the cause of your breast cancer and why so many of us end up dropping the issue is because there is no easy answer. Moreover, trying to find what you (and other women) did "wrong", implies blame. If only we'd known this. If only we did that. If only.

Personally, I don't believe any one thing causes breast cancer; it's a convergence of things that must all occur at exactly the right time and under exactly the right conditions. The common denominator is that we are women and we have breasts. Beyond that, we're dealing with genetics, family history, and the fact that we are complex, multicellular beings.

These things all carry more weight in whether- or not we're going to develop breast cancer than what we eat, think, do or are exposed to. Certainly, a good diet and lots of exercise is the best thing we can do for ourselves to achieve overall good health and reduce our risk of developing all sorts of things, but they will not prevent breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence, any more than they will prevent heart disease if these things have been hardwired into our evolutionary history.

Our bodies are biological machines that will break down and start making mistakes. It's only a matter of time. Unfortunately, it happens to some women earlier than other women. It is what it is.

ShazzaKelly

Really, Shit just happens. I did everything right and no genetic/family history. I still got Breast Cancer 3 times. I'm Stage 4. I'm not going to waste the time I have left wondering about the what ifs. I've got better things to do like get out and enjoy life. Women get Breast Cancer that's our biggest risk and nothing we can do about it.

Mouche

My doctors told me there was nothing I ate, drank or etc etc to cause my cancer, but we still need to eat and be as healthy as possible.