Freaking out!

hopeful0621

I felt a big lump in my left breast on memorial day. I have multiple lumps in both my breast and left axilla. I have had 2 biopsies and my last biopsy on Monday.
Got the first biopsy result Wednesday and it is IDC. Now waiting for the 2nd biopsy result and its freaking me out. All I know so far is that I have cancer, and it is agonizing not knowing anything else!

is there anything I should not be eating or drinking? Can I still drink coffee? What changes should I do with my diet?

Ntlw12

I am right there with you. Had my biopsy July 12, results the next day. I finally meet with a BC surgeon on Monday to start making a plan I guess…. This waiting has been so hard. So many emotions. Some days I’m fine. Others I feel paralyzed. Cancer sucks.

AliceBastable

Nothing in your diet is going to change a thing at this point. And there are many members here who adhered to extremely healthy eating regimens for years beforehand and still got cancer. Eat what makes you feel good (within reason) as you undergo the stress of appointments and testing. And schedule some fun things, I found it really helped. Even just a picnic with family or a few friends, or a scenic drive, watching silly movies, whatever you enjoy. It helps pass the time and gives you nice memories so you won't look back on this year and just see medical crap. 🙂

NCYogi

I was dx in June so I’m just a month ahead of you. Yes, it’s a terrifying time, but you will feel much better when you have all of the information & a treatment plan. Take 1 day at a time. (Easy for me to say, but imagining the worst now will only cause unnecessary stress.) Imagine good things & cross each bridge as you get to it. Hang in there!! x

barbojoy

@hopeful0621 I am just beginning this journey as well and know the stress of waiting for sure.

The only thing my doc has said to avoid 100% is any kind of nicotine and tobacco. Both can dramatically impact surgical outcomes. I also wear a mask in public places to avoid getting any kind of communicable sickness as I face surgery and chemo.

Diet and exercise are always important and will help, no doubt. For me, mental wellness has been the primary focus and trying to keep my head on straight.

I wish you peace and hope for speedy answers so that you can make decisions that will lead to healing

wondering44

Hi hopeful0621,

I received the dx two days before my birthday this month. The waiting to get the dx is excruciating. The waiting to get the "plan" started is torturous. My perception of what matters has changed tremendously. That has helped me get through these days. I find it easier to think of what I am fortunate to have in front of me or next to me rather than what I am missing. It keeps the smiles on my face. I could not be in a better place in my life to take on this battle put in front of me. You will find a mountain of support in family and friends around you.

FYI, on that diet. Check on your ER PR +/- receptors. Your doctor/cancer nutritionist can guide you on your diet based on the pathology of the hormone receptors. I received a lot of great information and a diet change from my cancer nutritionist.

Best of luck to you on your journey ahead.

Esther01

Hopeful, you are standing where I was six months ago, with the same type of cancer (IDC) which had already spread to my nodes. The initial shock combined with the long wait for tests and a plan was truly the hardest part of this journey for me.

I think you are one wise woman. There is evidence that our dietary choices can make a big difference. While waiting, I focused on correcting my diet, increasing my water uptake, adding exercise (moving and deep breathing oxygenate your tissues which cancer cells hate), reducing the high stress (give yourself a huge pass for now because you've had a big shock) and getting to sleep earlier. The tests and waiting was the hardest. Once my oncologists had a plan in place, I felt almost euphoric with relief.

As Wondering mentioned, there are different food choices that may be helpful for different types of bc based on our ER/PR status which they will find out for you. Coffee is fine! There are foods to be avoided though regardless of the type we have. I will message you. You can start right away caring for your cellular health, and please believe me, that combined with a positive attitude will truly help you through this!

Blessings,

Esther

K-Gobby

To hopeful0621 and all. A number of you posted on my wall so I came over to hopefuls post to say a little bit more. I found a doctor in my PPO that i saw by her picture was likely 25 years younger than me. If like my dentists daughter who took over his practice, they have come from schooling years with the latest advances in their backpacks, the dentist has been great, so this doctor feels the same.

Because of all of you posting, and my friend javajana and her experience, I was reading for my first visit with the oncology surgeon. She had my biopsy, U/S and mammography results in hand. She was there to examine me again and give her proposed treatment based on her findings. The only part i did not know for sure and the words most shocking were that my tumor looks to be 5c and with that size a lumpectomy is not possible for me for safety. A mastectomy's is likely the only choice. What? The primary doctor who i went to see that got the biopsy said it was 2-3c and a lumpectomy was likely. I am not freaking out, I plan to bring my concerns to all of you for your experiences of truth and hope.

Yesterdays MRI will likely give my DR. more knowledge on the size of the growth and and any nodes or other areas of suspicion. A friend of mine says stop drinking coffee!! For today, 2 cups in the am still, until i get more information from my doctor and sources you provided as to changes i really need to make.

The truth will set us free. I for one have not had so many people touch my breasts in years. To think my small breasts could become no breasts was not something i ever thought of. I used to think if I got implants that would be for hims and not for me. Oh my, at 60 years, choices. Once i know more as i said, I will find the thread or create one, talking about life after mastectomy. With implants and without.

As the moderatorys told me at the start after javajana said join this site, we will find kindred spirits walking this journey. Likely those diagnosed at the same time. Thank you all for offering hope to Hopeful0621. I join you.

typhoon

Hopeful0621 - You are going through the most stressful part of this journey right now: the "not knowing" part. Once you have your team in place (surgeon, plastic surgeon if you have a mastectomy/reconstruction, and oncologist), you'll develop a plan, and things will make much more sense. Once you know what you are dealing with, and have a plan, you might want to consider asking your GP or MO for nutritional guidance, or even a recommendation for a nutritionist who is familiar with BC treatment. Until then, though, and as Alice said, you can't change anything by trying to immediately change your diet - in fact, it will probably just add to the stress. As my GP said to me, during this same time frame, "If you like it, and it comforts you, then drink that cup of coffee, eat that piece of cake, have that sandwich, go to the gym, live your normal life as best you can..."

Once I had my plan, I did meet with a nutritionist who is a member of my oncologist's practice. As it turned out, no significant changes (other than the addition of a couple of supplements to manage some of the potential side effects of anastrozole) were needed. I'm still drinking my coffee every morning!!

This will all get easier to handle, I promise.

hopeful0621

@Ntlw12, I totally agree with you, cancer sucks! Keep me updated, and maybe we can do this journey together.

Ntlw12

@hopeful0621 I think having a journey buddy sounds pretty nice right about now. Thank you.

hopeful0621

Thank you all for sharing, you are all a big help! I post updates when I get them. I am trying to stay positive but I admit it is a struggle. I believe it will get better, one day at a time. Sending positive thoughts to the universe for all of us.

voraciousreader

so sorry to see all you newbies….may I suggest you all register at the nccn’s website, if you already haven’t, and familiarize yourself with the breast cancer treatment guidelines. That way, when you meet with your teams, you will have a better understanding about what they are saying and suggesting…

that said, put me in the camp that lives life in the fast lane because I believe getting breast cancer, for most of us, is a crap shoot. My older sister weighs 100 lbs more than me, never exercises and eats and eats and eats….and guess who got the breast cancer.,,,the skinny sister who walks 12,000 plus steps a day….

i remember when I was first diagnosed almost a dozen years ago….my breast cancer surgeon gave me a sheet of paper with do’s and don’ts…well guess what? I was doing all the do’s and none of the don’ts….So I asked the doctor if there was anything else I should be doing….he politely took the paper out of my hand and threw it in the garbage pail….

I wish all of you newbies well…knowledge is power….read those treatment guidelines

SummerAngel

Esther01, if you would post links to peer-reviewed scientific studies about the differences dietary changes can make I would be very interested, as I have never seen conclusive evidence, myself. I've always had a good diet myself, as I'm a huge fan of vegetables and love to cook.

Edited to add that I have seen evidence of increased risk for cancer with alcohol use, but I don't consider that "dietary". I have also seen increased risk for colon cancer from certain types of meat, but that study didn't apply to breast cancer.

Esther01

Good morning SummerAngel,

I will post everything that I find. I am learning that most studies seem to be drug studies funded by big pharma.. I have my diet in order (finally!) and am now focusing on radiation to learn how to protect myself as much as possible before beginning 7 weeks of radiation this week.

At least there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence for the importance of diet. My amazing IMD comes to mind. She has been practicing medicine 40 years and is very specific in her dietary recommendations. She is published and she has followed her patients' progress for decades, including supplements to see which have been most effective for her cancer population. She has a glioblastoma patient alive and well 10 years now after his diagnosis. In all 40 years she says she only had about 10 instances of new cancer develop in her patients. Peer-reviewed, no. Anecdotal, enough for me! Plus, my labs are now coming back healthier than I ever was before cancer. If I can avoid other health issues down the road, I'm game.

Please post what you do find. I am learning much this week from the studies Olma has been posting to the new research boards. In this way we can encourage and help each other.

Blessings to you,

Esther

moth

Re diet, the EPIC breast cancer working group has been studying risk factors for years. https://epic.iarc.fr/research/cancerworkinggroups/...

alcohol, saturated fat, trans fatty acids associated with increased risk

veg esp high in carotenes lowered risk

physical activity & bmi are also explored. They have tons of links to original research and meta analysis

GR4C1E

hopeful0621,

My advice is bring someone with you for the big stuff, like when you get your full diagnosis and treatment options. You're going to have a lot of information coming at you at once and a second set of ears is really helpful. I brought a really close female friend and it made a huge difference. We went out for lunch afterward and slowly reviewed what we both thought we heard! You'd be amazed at how much you miss with adrenaline pumping through your ears! You might need some time to think about what treatment options you want to choose and why, and having someone close during that process to talk to really makes a difference.

exbrnxgrl

Well good on you, Esther. Unfortunately the plural of anecdotal evidence is not data. I certainly support healthy diets and lifestyles but anecdotes are simply that, anecdotes. Now, if someone took a science based, data driven look at those anecdotes and found something to pursue in terms of actual scientific research that would be great.

I am stage IV and have been so without progression for 10 years. I have a fabulously optimistic anecdote to tell about the course of my bc. Would I recommend that others base their lifestyle or treatments on what I've done or not done? Heck no! My story is simply my experience with no known reason for my good luck. On a more positive note, I am part of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (they have access to my tumor samples) so I hope that one day there will be evidence based studies that can pinpoint why myself and others like me experience unusual survival. Again, a healthy diet, exercise, etc. are very helpful for everyone but …