Lifestyle, diet, blame & change

Hi, I’m sorry you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I think we all consider if our past lifestyle has contributed to developing cancer but we can’t change the past only the future so I believe there is nothing gained by blaming yourself. 

Try not to blame yourself. Cancer is a result of cells mutating. Mostly this is just something random that happened. The biggest risk factor is having breasts. The lifestyle things you mention may play some role in hormone driven cancers, but TNBC isn’t hormone driven. Of course lifestyle changes might help you handle the treatment better but it’s also important to eat and drink things you enjoy. 

 Hi MsC19754c 

I’m convinced alcohol caused my cancer (I was an alcoholic who stopped drinking a year before I was diagnosed with ER+) but my consultant refused to accept this as didn’t want me to blame myself. I don’t, it was more about trying to understand, but maybe there simply wasn’t a reason, or maybe there were hundreds of reasons… Who knows?! 

What I do know is there is a whole bunch of research evidencing that three things have the most beneficial impact for those who have experienced breast cancer -  not drinking alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight and physical exercise. I stick to those three religiously, but I will also doughnuts whenever I fancy.

Embrace this as an opportunity to make positive changes and choices, but try not to beat yourself up. x 

I’m convinced stress caused my cancer, but who really knows? Firstly it was a 10 year period when I really tried to help daughter through her cancer (and she did get there but still had complex problems) and later I had my first period of breast cancer; and then a ten month time of nursing and caring for my hubs who was already quite badly disabled, but had kidney cancer which killed him. About 14 months later I realised the bc had returned. 

I try not to stress now, especially over silly things. 

Hugs xxx

I am so sorry to read this Moomy you certainly have had a tough time.  I am convinced stress causes these things.  I am convinced that stress caused by my Mom's breast cancer later caused her to get Parkinsons Disease.  There really is no facts about it but I just believe stress causes so many health problems.  Big hugs to you too x

Lee x

This is all very interesting peoples views on what may have caused it. I ask myself this every day.

My first meeting with my oncologist she asked if I drank a lot of alcohol. I think she may have thought that caused it. But what is drinking a lot of alcohol?! In my twenties I went out every weekend drinking but so did all my friends. That tailed off as I got older and people saw me as the person that didn’t drink much. When I had my child at 36 I never really drank again after that and then at 40 cancer hit. All my friends continue to drink a lot and none of them have got cancer. 

I have heard that ER positive cancers can be caused by alcohol but I know a lot of people who drink a lot and they have never got breast cancer so it really is a mystery. 

Hello MsC19754c 

I don't think the blame game is at ALL helpful. I've even had someone almost 'shame me' by something they said.

I was a smoker and ate a lot of processed food.  They didn't mean anything nasty, but when I got up to go for a cigarette, they said "you're still smoking?" as if to say, surely you got cancer because of the smoking.  (I have actually given up now, but not due to having had cancer, but because I wanted to.)  I was ER+ cancer - and yet smoking reduces oestrogen, so I'm not sure that having had ER+ breast cancer correlates to smoking, lol.

I did change to eat healthier foods - I now have fresh vegetables and try and avoid buying items with a long shelf life (I work on the principal if it lasts a long time, it must have lots of additives in it).

I, like others have said, 100% believe that stress caused my cancer.  I had been under an inordinate amount of stress for about 5 years with starting a business, whilst working part time and having very ill parents.  My Dad was totally dependent on hoists following a major stroke and when my Mum died unexpectedly by errors caused by the hospital, I became Dad's health and welfare & financial power of attorney. I had to sell their house in which they'd lived in since 1971 and was an old Georgian property with 5 beds, cellars, loft over the garages and a massive attic and LOTS in it, including Dad's business - a 1 ton lathe, I had to get out from the top floor etc. etc. and then went on to find my brother was stealing everything he could / trying to engineer it that our Dad lived with him so he could get access to the several hundred thousands of £ from the house sale to build a property in his back garden on the pretext of Dad living there and then he'd own the built property when he 'couldn't look after Dad anymore' and Dad would be penniless dependent on state care.(Naturally I wanted the house sale funds to get Dad top quality care).  On a positive note, Dad's solicitor was amazing! it was him who supported me, when I rang to question something that my brother had said that didn't 'ring true' and he suggested what his angle was. I then found out about planning permission etc.  Dad's solicitor gave me hours and hours of free advice to help me protect Dad, so there are wonderful people out there....  I ended up buying an annuity which gave Dad a monthly income to pay for care which was only available for Dad's care, so my brother couldn't get access to a lump sum, but there was so, so much second guessing of what his next 'trick' was going to be to try and get Dad's money - he made loads of attempts. 

But I was non-stop for about 2 years (as well another 5 close family members, including my Dad, dying in the space of 23 months) that literally 3 months after Dad died and finally not running at 100mph, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on my first ever mammogram.

I am now nearly 9 years later and still smoked for many of those years of being cancer free, but it is nice not to have 'bad habits' and to eat healthier. I still drink alcohol and work on the principal of "everything in moderation".  Even if it doesn't make a difference to whether you get cancer or not, it is a good feeling to know that you are being healthier overall.

Don't give up on the nice things in life as you still need to live it, but everything in moderation is the best advice from me.

Kindest wishes,