DIM and Diet vs. AI's

Hi Sarah Rae,

I am 43 and was Dx earlier this year. I, too, don't want to throw cold water on your idea and we are all so individualistic in our reactions to things that what may work out for one, may not for another. All that being said, I worked with an MD and a Naturopathic doctor about my high estrogen levels and they both recommended DIM. I was already gluten/dairy free, active, non-smoker, non-drinker for years prior. I've been on DIM for about 3-ish years and was still Dx w/IDC. My naturopathic Doctor told me that DIM is a drop in the bucket compared to Tamoxifen, which she called a "big gun" and told me that now it's time to use the big guns. I'll still use DIM once I start the Tamoxifen. I'm finishing rads this week and my MO wants me to take a couple of weeks off before I start. I'm scared but hopeful it will be beneficial and that I can handle whatever SE may happen. My ND has worked with her patients at helping to manage SE too.

Just want you to know another side while making your decision.

Best to you.

I got pushed in chemopause and subsequently prescribed AIs. I went through all three and all gave me horrendous pain. Also, after three years I got fast advancing osteoarthritis. I started DIM in the 3rd year of AIs but stopped it a couple years ago because I started experiencing severe bloating. I stopped all AIs after three years. Started to try and lose some of the weight I had gained during the treatment (surgery, chemo, AIs) - I had gone from 130 lbs to 191 lbs. Then started low carb high fat diet. Once some of the weight started coming off, started exercising as well. I'm at 138 lbs and counting down right now., I want to get to my pre-BC weight. I've also taken melatonin from the first year post surgery and vitamin D3 5000UI daily managing to keep my vit D levels to between 60 and 66.

Reasoning behind all this (now don't forget I used to be an alternative therapies medical practitioner in my country of origin so maybe I am biased towards a more natural approach, without dismissing traditional therapies altogether):

- DIM - we all know about it.

- Melatonin also was shown in some studies to slow breast cancer tumor growth.

- Vit D3 is also universally recognized to be a direct link to breast cancer risk.

All these supplements I took at the advice of my breast surgeon (former Director of John Hopkins Breast Institute, actual Director of OU Breast Institute in Oklahoma City). Also, once you're menopausal, your ovaries don't produce estrogen anymore, adrenal glands and fat tissue take over estrogen production, so logically, I thought "less fat less estrogen".

I did have a few scares on the road but knock on wood I will be 7 years out on October 19th. Even the scare I have now - a suspicious lesion on my first rib that has been there unchanged for two years and showing up on PET and bone scan - my onc. said that even if it is, my diet and lifestyle are keeping it in check and we won't start biopsies and treatment unless it starts growing - I have an imaging test every 3 months and 1 PET or bone scan yearly.

Did all that I did help with no recurrence? Probably. It definitely didn't hurt losing weight and exercising. I went this way because due to long-term side effects of all the treatments and breast reconstruction I became disabled. I didn't want to spend how much longer I will live in a Hell of pain. I feel better each day, the osteoarthritis stopped advancing and has been stable for 3 years now. I have less neuropathic pain in my fingers and toes. Fibromyalgia flares went from twice a month to one every other month. I definitely can do way more than I was able to 4 years ago. Still need opiates to function, but managed to stay on same dose for 4 years, with no increases.

This is part of my journey (left is me at 180 lbs and right is at 145 lbs, as I said I'm at 138 now):