MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

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  • Sandeeonherown
    Sandeeonherown Member Posts: 1,946
    edited September 2011

    I went to a lecture at the cancer care clinic tonight and grapefruit was a definitive NONO for ER+ cancers...no ifs and or buts according to this speaker. It essentially messes with our estrogen levels and can 'confuse' cancer cells into attacking the good ones...also not good for heart disease.So elimar, it is just not a good idea. Was also told melatonin is in the same category as soya and flax...ie. err on the side of caution and don't use it as there are studies out saying it causes breast cancer

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  • tinkertude
    tinkertude Member Posts: 2,047
    edited September 2011

    Sandee.. you mean Melatonin is not good? I have been taking it..

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  • zumbagirl
    zumbagirl Member Posts: 308
    edited September 2011

    elimar,

    You crack me up with the cheeto picture :O) They are tastey. I have a current addiction to sea foam candy. It is whipped honey dipped in chocolate. I have craved mexican food, the cheesier the better since chemo started back on June 7th.

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  • Foxlairfrm
    Foxlairfrm Member Posts: 214
    edited September 2011

    All my docs have pretty much said no grapefruit and stay away from a lot of soy. Definitely do not take any herbs to relieve hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. They simulate human estrogen too closely and although at the time, no studies were done, they felt like with er+ BC it could make it grow.

    Foxy

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  • Paula66
    Paula66 Member Posts: 1,728
    edited September 2011

    Foxy my Onc told me the same about the herbs and hot flashes.  This was something she stressed not taking.  If I had any questions to call her. My sister was triple negative so she doesnt get why I cant take certain supplements to ease the hotflashes.  Oh how I long for the days I didnt have to worry about what I ate or took. 

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited September 2011

    I was told the same thing about grapefruit juice, it interacts with MANY medications. Maybe GFJ should have a warning label. . . 

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited September 2011

    Triple negs aren't suposed to take anything resembling hormones, or so I've been told.  But then I have read that there is such a difference between plant hormone and human hormone that it shouldn't mattter.  I will err on the side of not taking any chances.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited September 2011

    Meece, I wonder why that would be? I can't take any hormone foodstuff as I am ER+. If you're ER- I would think it wouldn't make a difference! Chemo doesn't work for me, but it would work for you. Hormonals would work for me, but not for you. I thought that was the line in the sand, but maybe I'm wrong.

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  • jo1955
    jo1955 Member Posts: 8,543
    edited September 2011

    Thank goodness I don't like grapefruit so don't have to be concerned about that.  As for the Melatonin , I had not heard it is a no-no.  My MO did tell me to not overdo it on the soy.  I can have the soy that is in most foods - stay away from products like soy milk, etc and supplements with soy.

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  • prayrv
    prayrv Member Posts: 941
    edited September 2011

    My understanding about grapefruit and grapefruit juice is in regards to medication is that GF uses the same pathways to be absorbed by the body as some medications do.  This is especially important for ER+ ladies when they are taking tamoxifen.  So that is why those ladies who are ER+ are advised to not eat GF or drink GF juice.

    Trish

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited September 2011

    Hopefully OJ is okay I drink it everyday just not with my meds.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited September 2011

    OJ has an awful lot of carbs Mum!!! Have you checked the side of the box???

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited September 2011

    Oh lord thats true but I can only drink so much of that boring water.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited September 2011

    Get Perrier. Not a cheap alternative. Get the good stuff. It comes as lemon or lime, too, but I hate the taste.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited September 2011

    When you travel I'm sure it's fresh squeezed orange juice from the places you seem to go. You'd be okay there. But from the grocery store, OJ and all the other juices are basically sugar and water.

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited September 2011
    I love it it is always in my fridge.But lately I have been craving the OJ so I guess I will try and eat an orange instead.Innocent
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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited September 2011

    You know, you COULD make your own fresh squeezed.....hey, I'm just sayin'.

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited September 2011

    This is just a fine can o' worms we have opened here...

    So, not only can grapefruit juice interact with some medicines, but some of you have been told to avoid it as there is some harm with ER+ B/C?  (Have to look into that further.)

    I know I have read conflicting info. on the melatonin...something about women with B/C having low levels of melatonin (kind of like the Vit D thing); also something about women who took Tamox. and had little response being given melatonin to boost the effectiveness.  I do know that if you take Ambien, melatonin is a no-no.

    Haven't seen anything definitive about the soy products.  I think the jury is still out.  I have to apply the common sense reasoning on this one.  Asian women consume far more soy, yet get less B/C than Western women.  When they do get B/C, they do not eliminate soy from their diets and are not recurring at greater rates than in the West.  Personally, while I wouldn't switch over to an all-tofu diet, I have not been avoiding smaller amounts of soy.  Here's what BC.org has to say:

    http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/soy.jsp

    (The BC.org links never seem to work, so cut and paste.)

    All I can say is, before adopting any new lifestyle, make sure to really investigate these claims yourself.  Check many sources, especially abstracts for actual research studies and articles in medical journals.

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited September 2011

    Will put a citrus juicer on myshopping list.Smile

    Spent last week teaching my 84 year old father how to use his new ipad.I have created a monster.I now get average 5 emails a day from him.Quite amusing.

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited September 2011

    Also wanted to post this:  While some threads on BC.org are stricter about providing evidence to claims made in a post, this thread is OPEN to random things you may have heard or read.  Share anything you want to, but I advaise all who read anything here not to take it as 100% fact but use it as a springboard to look into it further.   I apply that to all, perhaps especially to myself.

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited September 2011

    Will look into Tamox. and grapefruit juice, prayrv.

    Sorry to have derailed the o.j. conversation, ladies.

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  • Paula66
    Paula66 Member Posts: 1,728
    edited September 2011

    OMG mumayan this has to be a video you have to watch then.  Go to you tube and watch the one about the oregen couple I nearly wet myself laughing so hard!  Its called grandpa gets a webcam.

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited September 2011

    OMG Paula just watched the video Hilarious!

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  • KittyGirl2011
    KittyGirl2011 Member Posts: 537
    edited September 2011

    Hi All, Thanks Eli for the "intervention" on the OJ and soy products.  I agree it is VERY important to do the research along with the discussion.  I'm lucky that I don't like grapefruit or its juice and don't like soy milk and never have taken any supplements.  So I never did any of the research on it.  As for OJ, I do agree about the carbs and even a whole orange has carbs (11-16 depending on size).  Since I am type 2 diabetic and count my carbs you can get a good list of this on the website for the American Diabetes Assoc.  Diabetes and BC are too often bedfellows so knowing diet strategies before I got BC was very helpful.  High BP, High cholesterol are also factors it seems we all deal with on top of the BC.  I have talked with my GP about these things and their interactions and his sage advice was stick to a good common sense diet and regular exercise.  It seems simplistic but it has helped me to lower all those things.  I'm not an exercise guru or anything, but all I do is walk each day for 20 minutes.  Gradual changes have made for a better me. Okay...I'll get off the soap box now and go take my kitty nap.

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  • Eph3_12
    Eph3_12 Member Posts: 4,781
    edited September 2011

    OK-I havent been on for a couple days & had several pages to catch up!

    I too dislike GFJ so I have not had to worry about whether drinking will be a problem with all my Rxs, but 1 of them (& I'm at work so I don't know which one it is for sure has a label on it that says "DO NOT DRINK GRAPEFRUIT JUICE WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICATION".

    Yaya & Paula-you girls rock!

    OK-(big sigh)-hear it is: My name is Joni & I'm addicted to sex........Oh wait a minute that's not true because I have been in complete & total abstinence since 2003 (I know.....painful)

    No, I was a Diet Pepsi fanatic.  I used to tease the phlebotomists that it wasn't actually blood that was coming out of my veins, but Diet Pepsi.  Flash back to 2nd chemo treatment, July 30, 2009-that afternoon I went to drink my congratulatory DP & it tasted like CRAP!!!! Tried again later that day, same thing....to this day, Diet Pepsi does not taste good.  However, about a year ago I was at a friend's house & she asked if I wanted something to drink-she had Diet Coke, so I took a glass.  I now drink Diet Coke---I am not nearly as addicted to it as I was DP, but I see where it could happen so I really ration my consumption.

    Cigarettes-I smoked a pack a day from the time I was 15 until Jan 2 2009, when I quit cold turkey-for those of you doing the math-that was approximately 40 years (and that entire time I smoked Marlboro Reds-no "light"s for me) 3 months to the day after quitting I got my BC diagnosis.  Man oh man, I remembering wanting a cigarette really bad that day, but I didn't.  At 1st, I always thought about smoking, but I have noticed that I can go quite a long time now without thinking about it.

    Chocolate: AINT GIVING IT UP- NO WAY -NO HOW UNH UNH!     

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  • jo1955
    jo1955 Member Posts: 8,543
    edited September 2011

    I have read that if you are taking Tamoxifen you should not drink OJ with the medication.  Allow at least an hour between taking meds and consumin OJ.  I have to agree with Elimar - what a can of worms that has been opened.  So much conflicting information out there on the web.  Who or what study do you believe?????

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited September 2011

    Holy Cow, Eph!  Forty years!  It was something I did for about four years...in my 20's...old enough to have known better.  Even with just that shorter length of smoking, I had several failed attempts before I went cold turkey.  Well, good for you!!!!!!!!

    Here we are talking about iffy things that might be bad for our B/C, when it is now conclusive that the cigs are carcinogenic, not to mention the whole parade of other freakshow chemicals added to them. (Are there "organic" tobaccoes or cigarettes out there?  I don't even know)  I applaud anyone who has kicked this highly addictive habit.  

    If any of my sistahs are dyed-in-the-wool, militant smokers, I do understand your individual right and personal freedoms are important but I am hoping you quit anyway.  

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  • Eph3_12
    Eph3_12 Member Posts: 4,781
    edited September 2011

    Love the up-top picture E!

    40 yrs! yes, it's why my voice has a "husky" quality....

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  • stjude10
    stjude10 Member Posts: 390
    edited September 2011

    Eph3_12: WOW, I tip my hat to you! I too sport "husky"

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited September 2011

    That picture is obviously time-lapse stars, but I wonder if that is keeping the shutter open the whole night, or how else could you get a complete circle?

    I'm always wondering about something!

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