Breast cancer and diet - any good resources out there?

[mcnoodle]

My mum has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has just had a lumpectomy and has been told that it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes but is very aggressive. She will have to have radiotherapy then chemo.

I live 250 miles away and am feeling all useless and frustrated. I know that diet is an important element of both prevention and treatment, but having had a cursory glance on the www I am confused! Can anyone recommend a good site with robust info. Also any other information about complimentary therapies would be good.

TIA

Anyone?

Sorry, I don't have any info on diet resources. Just wanted to say sorry about your mum. My mum was diagnosed almost 2 years ago and after chemo and radiotherepy is now cancer free (fingers crossed it stays that way).

Tbh, towards the end of the chemo I'm not sure she could have stuck to a specific diet due to tiredness etc. When she was feeling good she just tended to pig out on what she felt like. (possibilty your family has stronger will power than ours!)

I lived a bit of a way away and tried to send her flowers/fancy waitrose food deliveries to try and keep her spirits up. She said that those little things did make a difference just by showing that someone was thinking about her.

Its really good news that the cancer hasn't spread to her lymph nodes and its important to remember that treatment is improving all the time, especially the drugs given after chemo and radiotherepy. Good luck to you

Hi there,

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and bone secondaries last year. Having been through two lots of chemo I can only give the following advice.

Tell your Mum to eat as healthily as possible during the chemo, taking into account the inevitable nausea and tiredness. But I wouldn't advise getting caught up in any of the current faddy diets such as "dairy free", etc. My OH is a biochemist. Having read up on this stuff he's of the opinion it possibly does more harm than good.

This book www.amazon.co.uk/Breast-Cancer-Prevention-Recovery-Diet/dp/0140283951. It's not a diet as such but more a set of eating guidelines which can help you plan your own diet at each stage of treatment.

I'd echo the comment about it being positive that it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes. Lymph node spread was a factor in my development of secondary cancer.

MM

MM

Thanks both.

MM very sad to hear that. I hope you are ok (in the circs). I will take a look at the book you recommend.

I guess it's not so much a 'diet' that I'm interested in. Mum is really fit and healthy and eats a good diet with plenty of fruit/veg, so I don't think that needs to change. I suppose I wanted to know if there are any supplements or 'extra' things she could do to boost her immune system. She is in the waiting period post-op/pre-radio atm, so now would be a good time to give her system a boost before treatement. Have read about things like flaxseed oil/blu-green algae etc, but am inclined towards cynicism.

I wish I lived closer so that I could fuss over her and bake things (to soothe me as much as for her benefit tbh). I just popped down for the weekend and she mentioned a couple of books she'd like so have done a secret amazon order. Just want to make it easier somehow.

My mum had breast cancer some years ago and found this book extremely useful. She did and still does follow a dairy free organic diet and I think to some extent looking at her food intake gave her something positive to focus on rather than thinking about her treatment.

Many breast cancer units also have people coming in to do complementary therapies etc, and they will also know of local support groups etc. My mum found it really helpful to meet other women going through the treatment at the same time her as really supportive.

I read the Jane Plant book too and stuck to it as much as possible for about six months when I was first diagnosed, bearing in mind that I was pretty nauseaus after chemo and did eat what I felt like then. I now (2.5 years later) eat less meat and dairy than I did pre-diagnosis and I also take Vit C (1000mg), Co Enzyme Q10 and Selenium every day. I also try to exercise at least three times a week and I see that as just an extension of my treatment. I'm trying to stay as healthy as I can to give my body the best chance. You can't go wrong if you keep that in mind.

lalaa - can you tell me a bit about the rationale for taking your supplements. Vit C is obvious but I don't know much about the others.

It feels like there is so much advice and information out there - it's hard to weed out the effective from the faddy.

My mum also takes a selenium supplement amongst others - it supports the immune system which is vital when undergoing treatment.

Hello again
Yes, it's a massive learning curve at the beginning - getting your head around all the things the doctors are telling you, understanding what they mean when they use medical terminology, understanding the disease and what's worrying and what isn't. And then you start looking at the stuff the doctors don't talk about - all the alternative options. I read 10 breast cancer books in 7 days when I was diagnosed - big incentive!

So, I can't remember off the top of my head why I take them, so I looked up both on wikipedia. On selenium, there are several studies which have shown a link between selenium deficiency and cancer. These are linked to in the article on selenium here.

I will keep searching on the CoQ10 and come back to you.....

Co Q10 - found it.

Body uses it to protect cells from damage which can lead to cancer.

Article here

Also, on complementary therapies, accupuncture is said to be good for the effects of chemo. I had it weekly throughout. I didn't feel great, but then who knows what I would have felt like if I hadn't gone.

There a place in Bristol, which might be helpful for you. I quite wanted to go but was a bit scared about what I might find there (the other patients!) and I have no idea what it costs. There are probably some good resources on their site here

where is your mum?

I have bought this for a couple of people who have faced a cancer diagnosis or scare. I have it too and it seems good.

this is Cancer Research website Lots of good info. Breast Cancer care is a v. good source of info too. My bc nurse suggested I try Vit B complex & Evening Primrose. I also have colitis. I think vit B may help that too.

Thanks all. Been rushing around for last 2 hours.

lalaa, my mum is in Cornwall. They have a really good centre in Truro, so I know she is getting excellent care - I'm very grateful. Thanks very much for taking the time to look things up for me. You're right, the amount of information out there is overwhelming. I wanted to try and bypass some of the trawling using the power of MN!

Mum isn't very IT literate so wading through the internet not easy for her. I will look through the wiki entries and follow up articles.

Buda - what did you buy!?

Will look at the Bristol centre info.

I feel better about it if I'm DOING something.

Am really grateful for all the info.

Oops - forgot to do the link!!!

This: www.amazon.co.uk/Bernadette-Bohans-Choice-Programme-Bernadettes/dp/0007225512/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF 8&s=gateway&qid=1201712046&sr=8-1