I am 30 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically invasive ductal carcinoma. Before my diagnosis, I didn't even know what that meant. Now I have been forced into a reality where I not only know what it means but my doctors appointments and daily thoughts are filled with other previously unfamiliar words like neoadjuvant therapy, metastases, HER2 and triple negative.

I started this blog in hopes that some of the information I share may be helpful to other young women in a similar situation. Rather than posting my day to day experiences, feelings and progress, I plan to share some of the things I have learned along the way. Being dealt this hand in life at 30 years old brings with it some unique issues and questions. Will I ever have kids? How will this affect my relationships with my husband and friends? What is my long term prognosis?

Through this site you may find that my way of dealing with things is a bit different. I want to be educated about my disease and take an active role in my treatment and recovery. I want to understand every part of my pathology report, what it means, and feel confident that my doctors are recommending the best course of action. At each stage in my journey, I have experienced challenges with finding answers to my questions and ensuring that the medical professionals treating me really understand who I am and why my way of dealing with this disease may be unlike other women. My hope is that people will be able to relate to my experiences, learn from them and find some comfort that they are not alone.

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Take Your Vitamins!

After surgery, I started seeing a Naturopath and am so glad I found one with the FABNO designation (Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology). It was important to me that they had this designation because it requires an additional board certification examination in oncology. My Naturopath is familiar with the chemo drugs that I received and has experience treating cancer patients. He recommended high dose Vitamin C IVs prior to surgery to promote wound healing and in high doses, Vitamin C can kill cancer cells. I am skeptical about the second claim but figured there is no downside so it was worth a try. If it does kill cancer cells, great, and if not at least it can help me recover from surgery quicker. If anyone is interested, here are some articles regarding high dose Vitamin C:

http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/vitamin-c-pdq

http://www.oasisofhope.com/cancer-treatments-therapies/vitamin-c/


The Naturopath also suggested some other supplements to take before and after surgery, one of them being Vitamin D. There are many articles showing that the majority of women with breast cancer are deficient in Vitamin D. This is something that my family doctor, Oncologist and Naturopath all agree on (and is probably the only thing they agree on). At the beginning of chemo my family doctor suggested taking 1,000 IU a day even though my levels had never been tested. After 3 months, I requested a blood test which showed that my levels were still below the normal range so my Naturopath has me taking 5,000 IU a day until they increase. I am not saying everyone needs to take this much but I do think it is important to have your Vitamin D level tested! If I wouldn't have questioned it, I would still be taking 1,000 IU a day thinking that was enough, never knowing that I was still deficient.

Seeing a Naturopath is not an option that is available to everyone as it is expensive and not usually covered by drug plans. I am of the mindset that if you can afford it, it is money well spent. The supplements I am taking combined with the lifestyle changes I made have me feeling better than I did before cancer.
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