(TW: stuff about factory farming, known carcinogens, and “food fear”, and THE LONGEST POST EVER)

I was responding to u/okreddituwin, but I ended up writing a frigging book, so I decided to just roll the dice and make it its own post.

Apologies for the length and if the subject matter is upsetting!

So…Ive been watching “You Are What You Eat” on Netflix, and while I fully recognize the overall vegan agenda and funding despite it being a Stanford University based study, and I already knew much of what is covered…the next time I go to the store I’m going to have an even harder time than I already did. Some truths are (or should be) undeniable.

I did the “how did I help bring this cancer to fruition” thing after diagnosis, and I also mostly stopped caring at some point. It just doesn’t matter. At least 1 in 8 women are getting breast cancer. Our civilization has filled our lives with toxins as a byproduct of hurried convenience, and there’s very little I can do to change how that has already irreparably affected my dna. Very little I can do for my 21 year old son too- but I can’t help but TRY, even if it’s largely futile. The key thing is to be able to PUT IT ALL DOWN when you see that the stress of this is or is going to cause more damage than help, because we also happen to have inadvertently created a society that literally runs on algorithms. Algorithms that discovered that fear = increased spending. Humanity and morality are no longer a major part of the equation in how we are fed information, even about our own health, our own dietary needs, and their sources.

As I am just some random code on the internet, and could be an agenda-bot for all anyone knows, I’ll emphasize the obvious here- take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am not a doctor or professional anything. I try to get my info from or confirmed with more recent NCBI pubmed studies and papers with no conflict of interest stated, Mayo/Stanford/Johns Hopkins/MD Anderson, and I suggest other people do too.

But in case anyone is interested in one person with breast cancer’s personal ridiculous rabbit-holing-research conclusions, here are a few things that I now try to be mindful of when it comes to diet, nutrition and the future health of myself, my kid, and everyone.

1. Viruses and bacterial infections directly and indirectly cause cancer. Repeated infections increase risk of chronic inflammatory states. Autoimmune diseases and diabetes increase risk of cancer. Foods that cause a chronic inflammatory state will increase risk of cancer indirectly. Overprocessed things. Too many fried things. Saturated fats. Alcohol. Sugary things. Things raised/grown with antibiotic resistant pathogens and heavy metal contaminants that build up over time and damage dna. Smoked foods and processed meats.

With smoked foods for instance- more than one barbecued drumstick and you’re over the daily “safe” limit for known carcinogens. 1 serving of smoked salmon and you’re 10x over the limit. I used to eat a ton of smoked salmon. 😑

2. Produce: Look up the “dirty dozen” and try to avoid the produce that tops the list. I basically only eat organic wild/cultivated blueberries. Wild has less sugar.

Frozen produce is flash frozen, which means it was as fresh as possible when frozen, and usually is more nutrient dense than “fresh” produce, which is usually picked very unripe and travels for many days in unknown exposed conditions before it gets to the store.

Just because something says “organic” that doesn’t automatically mean safer than nonorganic. Science has come up with plenty of ways to organically kill pests that will still cause dna damage. Overall organic seems to be safer. Growing staples at home hydroponically in filtered water sounds best to me, but who the hell can do that. Not my disabled broke ass living on SSI.

So I avoid non-organic produce grown underground (yams, carrots, ginger etc), and try to get organics when I can from the “Clean 15”.

3. Unless I can personally visit the place my meat comes from, I assume that it has E Coli (only meat is allowed to go to a store with 1 in 5 packages infected with E Coli without recalls), has lived its entire life covered in feces, viruses, wounds, and probably a steady diet of antibiotics and corn or soy or whatever is cheapest and absolutely polluted with pesticides and heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium. What they eat doesn’t have to meet our produce safety standards. Even if the meat were somehow totally risk free (obvious torture aside 😔), the amount of tainted feces and urine created daily at these places is astonishing, and it is literally sucked up from lakes in hoses and sprayed over fields to disperse it (into soil and groundwater) and that will absolutely affect us and our children.

I eat meat. Mostly chicken and salmon that I try to get from organic co-op groceries, but even then…ugh. Now 1/2 of my proteins are from nuts and legume sources.

With fish…I’m going to have a harder time with this one. Farmed fish is a nightmare of disease, and the farms that are in the ocean (so they can say “Pacific ocean caught”) are killing a huge percent of the wild fish because 1 million fish crammed into a big net make a vortex of diseased feces/urine/tissue that just expands into the surrounding waters unchecked. Also, we have apparently depleted almost 90% of the oceans fish. Too many of us, eating too much animal. Period. It results in short cuts and horrors that have grown exponentially in a few decades and those shortcuts can and do cause cancer and disease in humans.

4. Any food or supplement that has a concentrate/extract/powder of a single “natural” food, has inherent risks that many people do not realize. Tofu is ground up and processed soy beans. That’s still fairly normal, and very well studied. However- veggie dogs/burgers/lunch meat have “soy isolate”, as do a bajillion other foods you wouldn’t suspect. Any “isolate” of a legume or grain is going to be extremely processed and concentrated, which means all the pesticides and heavy metals that might have been at acceptably safe levels in its original serving size form have ALSO now been concentrated.

This especially is something I consider with vitamins, supplements, protein powders, spices, and vegetarian/vegan foods. I try to remember to check labels for 3rd party testing for heavy metals and pesticides on these items. Many products don’t have that, some you can look up those stats online.

Yeah. Fun stuff! It’s “how the 🤬 can I possibly help prevent this thing coming back for as long as possible” that takes over now. This is what I’ve come up with when it comes to nutrition. It’s like…a frigging job all by itself. And that’s not even touching on the probably even more important/relevant to us parts of exercise, mental health, and the effects from cancer treatments and preventatives.

I’d love to hear what other people are doing or NOT doing, especially folks who are 5+ years out and have/have-not had any form of cancer or serious health issues arise likely related to the original breast cancer or cancer treatment. It’s all anecdotal and one person’s experience is just that- but I think it still helps to hear it.

(If anyone actually reads all this insanity! 🫠)

I love watching historical dramas and since my diagnosis they take on a whole new meaning for me. I realize now while watching these shows that if I had lived in any time other than the present, my current condition would ensure I would not live past 40. I am so incredibly grateful for all the research and advances in modern medicine that will ensure that I will live to be a ripe old lady. I tell all my doctors that they need to fix this because I am not yet 40 but I intend to live to be 140. So throw it all at me, I'm ready. Gimme the good stuff.

I'm still waiting for my surgery (DMX + reconstruction, scheduled to take place 5.5 weeks from now) and after that begins all the hormone treatments of Tamoxifen and Zoladex. In the meantime when I get really scared and start crying, I keep telling myself I have it so much better now than almost any woman who ever lived in the whole of human history. I don't understand why this happened to me, but I trust my doctors and I trust that the system will help me.

I'm making a list of items needed post-mastectomy. I was told to get a few sets of "really soft pjs with no buttons." Can anybody recommend specific pjs on Amazon, Shein, etc.? Not a lot of $ to spend. Ty.

I'm sorry if I'm being too blunt here. I have not been diagnosed yet, but it is very likely I have cancer because it runs in my family.

Does anyone know of someone who opted for no treatment, and instead went the palliative care route? Mostly what I'm asking is, what is the decline like? Were they any better off than people who got treatment and still died?

I don't know if it matters any, but I've had my share of medical issues and have already experienced being miserably sick, all the time, for a long time. I don't wish to repeat it.

Somebody talk me down. I do not want to be on this for 5-10 years. How bad are your side effects? It seems like such an awful drug, I can’t stop crying. I didn’t cry over chemo or surgery or radiation, just this. I feel like I’m never ever gonna be normal again and done with treatments and I’m just so fucking angry. A decade??? Seriously? This has to be a joke 😔 I don’t want anymore of all this crap, I just want it to be over and it feels like it’s never ever going to happen. It feels like a prison sentence that I got for a wrongful conviction. This is the first time I’ve felt like “why me” just due to the length of time. When I first started treatment I knew I could get through anything for a year. But 5 years? 10?? Ugh 😔😔

Just sharing my stream of thoughts while really hungover and would love to hear other peoples experiences with alcohol since being diagnosed. Basically I binge drink, I won’t drink alcohol for ages but then when I do I can’t stop but what’s 10x worse now is my hangover anxiety, I think being hungover reminds me too much of how I felt during chemo and I spiral a bit. Part of me is thinking should I fully stop drinking, how have people found that? I’m 26 and in the UK where most social activities seem to revolve around alcohol. So yeah what’s everyone’s opinions and relationship with alcohol since having breast cancer?

Reposting this hoping to reach more opinions.

What was your treatment plan if suspicious spots on scans turned out to be serious? Like a CT for liver lesions.

If you were scheduled for surgery, lumpectomy/mastectomy, what did they decide? Forgo surgery? Have surgery?

I(30) did two rounds of chemo from August to January and had a bilateral mastectomy on 2/5 and am currently doing immunotherapy. I know my body is slowly recovering and I need to give myself grace but my joints seem to be worse now than they were during chemo. My knees and ankles, in particular, feel so stiff/strained and like they're on the verge of injury when I try to do any explosive activity like run or play sports.

When I told my doctor about it they kind of just shrugged it off as a side effect of recovery. I'm wondering if there is anything I should be asking for or if anybody found relief in alternative supplements/medicines/practices. Thanks in advance!

Original plan was for a DIEP reconstruction next year after Kadcyla is completed, but my expander on one side decided it doesn't like the home I'm giving it... so Tuesday, the expanders are coming out and I'm getting saline implants.

But.. because this has been so fast, and the primary focus has been on the fluid that's been building up in the left foob, none of the "aesthetics" have really been discussed. I briefly referenced liking a size between what the behaving foob was and the offending foob enlarged to. My PS in passing asked about bringing them in a bit, and I was like absolutely, lets make them look good at least.. but that's it.

With planned expander to implant reconstruction, how much planning and designing went into your new set? Did you bring pictures to your appointments of parts you would like to have done? I know there's a chance I may not even leave with 2 implants, depending on how things look inside the of the offender, they may remove the expander and I'm left with a skin flap until everything heals on the inside (exactly what everyone wants to hear...). But I get both of my implants like we are hoping will happen, I kinda wanna make sure I'm leaving with something I'm happy with, cause these square ass Sponge Bob foobs ain't it.

Love to all here. I finished active treatment recently and am about to begin 10 years of endocrine therapy (Lupron, Verzenio, Tamoxifen ramp up to Anastrozole). I have the opportunity to go to Italy for work and have my partner meet me for a long weekend. I really want to enjoy the wineries in Tuscany. It has been a dream. But the guidelines are pretty anti alcohol. How do you guys navigate stuff like this post treatment? Is it just enjoy everything you can sans alcohol? Or is there a middle ground where we can get a bit drunk 2X a year or something? Also, how is travel on endocrine therapy? Will I need to slow down bc I’ll be pooping everywhere or having joint pain bad enough to not walk? TIA.

I posted before, days ago, but my last day of rads is tomorrow, day 16, all 16 driven solo. I don’t want to ring the bell tomorrow bcuz it feels like I’m jinxing it and it’s just sad solo.

So much crying today. Physically, I feel like I’m being cooked from the inside out, my breast feels swollen and hurts, and I have a double eye infection. I survived. So everyone thinks I’m FInE.

I also feel feral, raw(no, not going to hurt self or anyone), just emotionally feral. I don’t know how to reintegrate back into normal society talking about how coffee prices in the area rose from 3.75 to 4 or my friends internet dates or my bad managers, as I’ll be off short term disability in a week.

No one in my real life gets it; I had to be strong for them and watch them cry, but not once on the JOUney has anyone seen me cry, just 15 going on 16 times behind my big black sunglasses.

So in the same vein about diet causing cancer...what about emotion? What?

There are a few research papers out there that study the impact of a major traumatic emotional respomse as a precursor to a breast cancer diagnosis. My neighbor, who's a therapist notices this trend in her clients, within a year or so.

Then me - the pandemic quarantine in March 2020. Breast cancer diagnosis in March 2021. What the hell?

Yup, science vs. anecdotal observation. Another guilt trip. But you can't stop world events and personal trauma.

Just curious. I was 37 when diagnosed with IDC 2B, I finished chemo on April 1st on May 3rd 2024 my oncologist said my labs show I'm post menopausal. Then today I feel like I'm am pms-ing, mood swings, very light cramps, bloating, craving chocolate, and lower back pain. At about noon I went to the bathroom and was bleeding like a normal period, I put a pad on and then went to the bathroom just now (a little after 1) and no blood????? Has anyone else had this happened? Is it normal?

I recently found out 2 months ago I have cancer and it’s been a lot of waiting to see doctors and start treatment. I’m starting chemo with the red devil May 15 but just started having rib pain right under the affected breast. The doctor told me my type of cancer isn’t the type to spread but I’m freaking out that it’s Mets and was wondering if anyone else has had these symptoms? I’m 42 and have 2 children that are 2&5 and I’m worried I won’t be around long term for them.

Does everyone lose their eyebrows with taxol? What did you do to make it look like you have eyebrows, that weren’t drawn on by a child…because I’m not sure I know how to draw on eyebrows each day. 😂

Had a mammogram on right breast 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer on the left breast last year around this time. Had a single mastectomy on left breast!! Results on right breast no malignancy. No masses no calcifications!!

I am s/p lumpectomy for DCIS stage 0. I had surgery in January and 5 ultra high dose radiation treatments in February. I have had problems with neuropathy, and my left nipple has a mind of its own. At my most recent check up with my Radiation Oncologist, Medical Oncologist and Breast Surgeon I was diagnosed with Lymphedema of the Breast. My surgeon ordered Lymphatic Drain, Massage and Scar Desensitization. Has anyone had this therapy before? I am a little scared. I feel like it will be painful. I do not like having my breast touched because it is tender. I give side hugs now. Do you have any advice on how to prepare? Did you find any relief? I am sure this will be awkward but I know that the Physical Therapist is a professional and a body is just a body. My surgeon thinks that once the swelling is down my neuropathy will improve. That would be such a blessing to me. I am swollen but if you looked at me it is not like my left breast is humongous compared to the other. I have not been able to find a comfortable bra. I hate anything anything close to my skin. I feel stupid that I did not realize that I had lymphadema. Thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to answer my questions. I appreciate anyone who is willing to share.

28 TNBC S1 Here to hopefully help others in the future. I am 3/4 treatments into AC and my only side effect has been hair loss and pain in my fingernails. I have mild bone pain after chemo but it goes away after a couple of days. I have been an everyday smoker of weed since I was 19. I have continued to use weed through my treatment and I think it is saving my life. I have no mouth sores. I can still taste food. I still have my appetite. My side effects have been so minimal it’s hard not to attribute this to the weed. I have also been taking ivermectin and fenbenzadole (222mg) along with lemon juice shots a couple times a week and elderberry syrup a couple times a week. My blood counts have remained stable throughout. I started iver and fenben 1 month before chemo and detoxing myself of all the parasites helped me a ton too. My tumor was 1.9mm x 1.7mm and it shrank to the point it is hard to find after 2 treatments. Heading into dose dense taxol after ac is over. I can do this.

I’m doing TCHP (almost to round 4 of 6). Then 4-8 weeks after chemo, I’ll have my surgery. I have an appointment in a few weeks w/the surgeons doing the mastectomy & reconstruction to hammer out the details. When I’m done w/the traditional chemo, I will keep doing the Herceptin & Perjeta infusions every 3 weeks for a year.

I just thought about where my port is placed (chest on my non-cancer side). Has anyone had a mastectomy on their port side? I’m curious if it’s in the way or how it would feel w/all the compression wrap/bandages after surgery. Or do you think they’d do my cancer side only, then do the other after I’m finished with all the treatments next year?

I’m certain I want both removed. My mom and grandma both had a single mastectomy w/their cancer only to get it on the other side later and have to have another mastectomy. I want both boobs gone for sure. Just haven’t thought about my port until now.

I (F32) recently got diagnosed with breast cancer (Triple Negative).
They told me right away I need to do Chemotherapy. I needed some time to adjust and accept this. Meanwhile I was put on hormone therapy for follicle stimulation since I want to get children at some point in the future and Chemotherapy might make you infertile. I‘ll start with chemo soon, then there‘s the surgery and then recovery.
This is what awaits me. Maybe there’re things that I’m not aware of yet.
Two days ago they did a biopsy again of the breast and also of the lymph node and it still hurts.
I know I’ll be alright but I‘m scared.

When diagnosed I struggled with the "what did I do to cause this" that many of us do. I was generally healthy, chose 'better' household products, 'healthier' groceries. I did drink wine (but no hormones in my cancer). With all that I still got cancer and don't think I realistically could have done much differently.

I've had CPR to chemo, double mastectomy, and a shit ton of radiation. Now I have even more anxiety about food choices and preventing recurrence. I feel terrible guilt when I eat out even in a healthy place. I'm analyzing nutritional info from restaurants. For groceries I worry about 10 different things when choosing (not listing them as I don't want to pass this craziness to anyone). I pretty much stopped drinking wine and the glasses I've had I've sipped over hours from the guilt. Logically I know stressing over it isn't going to prevent recurence. Logically I know the best I can do is Mediterranean type diet and generally choose better ingredients when I can. But I still feel so guilty even if I eat tortilla chips and homemade guac because of vegetable oil for example. I haven't even touched on my anxiety about drinking water, households, toiletries...

I'm a +++ survivor, almost 2 years out from ringing the bell. I feel like the hardest part of this whole "journey" has been the after, particularly with the hormonal treatments. I had to stop taking tamoxifen after 6 months because I experienced so much inflammation. I got to be a little break and then moved on to Arimidex. Bloodwork discovered I wasn't actually fully in menopause after all, which got me 4 mos of Zoladex injections. My body did NOT like those, and luckily it was enough. The last year of menopause vs Arimidex has been increasingly difficult to- weight gain and sore joints. I do yoga regularly but it gets in the way. My doc gave me a month-long break, where I didn't feel a significant improvement (so I thought). Resumed Arimidex two weeks ago and now the inflammation has definitely increased and I realized depression is a factor. I'm only wrapping up year 2 of the 5 recommended for AI. My whole life inflammation was always an issue with allergies, etc. I never was able to stay on birth control either. I'm 53 feeling 73 with the impact of all the hormonal chaos. I don't recall the depression being an issue earlier on. Does it get better? Any advice or wisdom?

My first neo-adjuvant chemo session is tomorrow May 6th at 8:45am EST. I will get docetaxel, carboplatin, herceptin and perjeta. First session will last 7 hours. I am anxious beyond all reason. I am using the Paxman Scalp Cooling machine, which I am scared about. I don’t like to be cold. I have heard I need to ice my hand and feet so I don’t get neuropathy. I bought the kits from Amazon.

1. Do I wear regular socks and gloves between the mitts and booties and the ice inserts?

2. Is it miserable?

3. How do you keep the mitt and bootie inserts cold for the whole day? I have two sets of the frozen inserts and some 10”x13” flat ice packs to place in cooler but I still think it will all get warm fast.

4. I have heard it said I could wear compression socks and gloves (20-30 mm) INSTEAD of the ice mitts. Is this true? Would that be easier?

5. If your scalp is cooling and you have on ice mitts what the heck do you do for 7 hours?

6. Is it possible to use an iPad in this situation to watch things or read. I don’t like tv and I don’t think my center has TV’s.

7. Do I need to take all my meds with me or just take the ones as directed to by instructions?

8. They gave me some giant breast care notebook with side effects of my drugs etc etc - do I need to cart that with me?

9. My port was put in Wednesday, can I take the bandaid off? Does the lidocaine that they suggest you put on before leaving house with some press and stick wrap help?

10. Can I take my Xanax and/or Tramadol and take one there if the anxiety and the brain freeze/icing gets too painful?

I am a petite 68f, triple +, stage 2B, Nottingham grade 3, IDC of right breast with 5 cm mass and one small satellite mass (unless results of Fridays pet scan shows other areas).

Please anyone who has been through this please respond. I am here crying and just about to lose it I am so scared and anxious. I am amazed at the strength of all the women here. God bless you all.

MarsMorn

This effing bone pain is driving me batty. I don’t want to take anymore damn pills. I’ve tried epsom salt baths and walking. Is there any movement related therapy you’ve tried that works?

Does anyone have experience taking an AI and a statin? Given that muscle/joint pain can be a side effect for each, I’m wondering whether taking both makes it more likely to happen and/or worse if it does.

ER/PR+ hers2- stage 2a with one positive node and premenopausal. From browsing it looks like tamoxifen is the go to. A nurse told me they typically start patients at 20mg. Then they could add in Verzenio as added benefit? Or they could go the lepron shot route plus an AI if the tamoxifen isn’t tolerated well? I know many women need to try different drugs and combo before finding one that works. Would they change doses or drugs if there are problems? I appreciate the comments from other posts to check the manufacturer for the tamoxifen, so thanks for that info! Any other meds I should be prepared for? I did a bone scan last week so I know they’ll be keeping an eye on that. Do you think it’s best to address quality of life concerns upfront or wait to see if those issues occur? Weight gain, Vaginal dryness, libido? The post rads just seems big and scary right now!

I am going through it now, coming to terms with my next step, which is a version of a mastectomy.

Background:

I was diagnosed in January with DCIS on my left side, high grade, comedo necrosis.

An MRI showed lesions on the right that were biopsied benign.

I had a lumpectomy in March to very small negative margins, under the recommended amount.

I had my margin re-excision surgery about a week and a half ago.

This surgery found more DCIS, including one that was 5mm and wasn't detected on scans. My surgeon says my options are a third lumpectomy or a mastectomy.

Thoughts about it all:

I'm leaning into a preventative double mastectomy based on my dense composition. On my mammogram I've also seen calcification specks that look like outliers. And I wonder what's hiding in the right.

In the beginning of this happening I was practical and ready to take things step by step. But two surgeries in, I'm feeling weak and broken.

I never imagined having implants for myself. Never never. But I'm really not ready to lose my boobs. I'm not one of those confident natural people. At the same time, I don't care hugely about the aesthetics, their total appearance. As in, I'm fine being small and I want to be functional ultimately.

My onco surgeon and plastic surgeon have both said I'm not a candidate for DIEP reconstruction. So I am struggling with foreign objects going in my body.

Questions:

How did you decide to go single versus double if there was a "healthy" side? How do you feel now about your decision?

What are implants like?

Does anyone not mind the lack of sensation with a mastectomy? Asking as I am a bit touch averse. I kind of hate having everything on my chest touched anyway. So I'm wondering if I would even mind losing sensation. But I also have a feeling it's probably not like I'm imagining and the numbness might be different.

What has foob maintenance been like? How are you preparing for more surgery in the future? Do you have additional plans to smooth out any defects, etc?

Is there anything you can't do anymore? Do they get in the way? I am very active and I'm worried about limits to my activity.

Have they helped you maintain your sense of femininity?

How do you like the look? Did you need any additional surgery?

How was Direct to Implant v expanders?

Any questions I should ask my surgeons?

How did you manage an out of network provider or getting a referral?

Did you end up needing additional treatment based on your pathology? How did that affect reconstruction?

Anything else worth sharing?

Next steps:

I have an appointment with my surgeon next week to finalize the treatment plan, so any advice ahead of this would help.

I understand if this post gets removed, but I'm not sure where I can post this. I am hand sewing mastectomy recovery pillows. I want to donate them to women who are recovering from a double or single mastectomy. I will ship them anywhere. I don't ask for anything other than just to help women needing them. I thought it'd be easier to donate my pillows, but I'm not sure where to look. Even any advice as to where I can donate them, it'd be so appreciated. Thank you 😊 🙏

Hey all, So the day I've been dreading is almost here. On Monday, May 6th I'm having my double mastectomy with expanders placed for future implants. I'm terrified...and yet I thought I'd be a crying, anxious mess all weekend but so far I've actually been okay. Maybe because I've been so busy today trying to get my house and kids and life in order.

What should I remember to do tomorrow, the day before DMX? Is there anything I should do (food, supplements, etc) to help make the big day go smoother? Things I should/shouldn't eat? What foods, etc might help with recovery?

I have all the things...from buying a recliner to pillows, to wipes and dry shampoo. I really think I have all that kind of stuff. But for the ones who've done this before me, what should I do tomorrow? Besides run away. 😬

Thinking of going back to work as I'll have financial trouble soon. But at least I have a SMX to go in July. Not sure about reconstruction and other things yet.