Feeling Like a Human Being Again

Today's blog is from Susan who writes about her experience of conventional treatment for breast cancer and how taking a new approach helped to make her feel more human again. 

I was originally diagnosed with a Grade 2 mixed ductal and lobular carcinoma of the left breast, both oestrogen and HER2 positive. I have a long history of breast cancer in my family, so I wasn’t that surprised to finally succumb to the same thing, particularly having had several years of acrimonious separation from my daughter’s father.

At first, being rather depressed at the time, I didn’t care if I lived or died, but after a few days, I pulled myself together and made a conscious decision that I wanted to live. I have always said that I would never do chemotherapy, but in 2010 when I was diagnosed, I didn’t know where to turn for information about alternative therapies and indeed, I never imagined so much research into alternatives existed. I was quite ‘matter of fact’ about the whole thing but realised much later that I had just gone into survival mode and got on with what I thought had to be done at the time.

I certainly had some very low days, some suicidal days and some total panic days – mostly I felt a failure as a mother, as at the time it was almost impossible for me to meet all my daughter’s needs – she was only 6 when I was diagnosed and still reeling from the family break-down. One day she told me she liked her father’s new girlfriend better than me and that one thing shattered me more than anything, but of course what she meant was that it was more fun being with the healthy new girlfriend rather than the very sick mummy who she had to leave alone every third weekend and much of the time in between.

After that, I started to look for all the information I could and a friend told me about a few good websites on natural and alternative cures and treatments, so I started reading everything I could find and was amazed by it, and so began.

As I didn’t know what else to do and presumed that time was very much of the essence, I initially agreed to go down the mainstream route.  I  had four months of chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy, in which a large part of my left breast was removed.  Shortly after this I started radiotherapy for four weeks. I also had Herceptin, an antibody drug, for 6 months, as I was participating in a trial.  Others were on it for 12 months.

The side-effects of the treatment were pretty horrendous, although not quite as awful as I had expected. My hair fell out within a fortnight and I was very sick from the FEC chemotherapy drugs. I turned down extra drugs that I was offered to help with the nausea because I wanted to minimise the overall poisoning of my system and each drug came with its  own complications.

 Midway through the treatment, the chemotherapy drug was changed to docetaxol, which caused me to lose all the hair on my body, my eyebrows and my eyelashes, but on the upside, much less sickness, which was a result as far as I was concerned.

Things got much harder as time went on, as the effect of these drugs is cumulative, and I got weaker and weaker - I could hardly function, which made me feel very miserable and desperate. I was also in a huge amount of pain, as I had very severe peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet, so the slightest touch was agony.  My fingers split to the bone on almost every finger, which made doing anything at all almost impossible.

It took about three years before I started to feel like an ‘almost normal’ person again – just in time to be diagnosed with a new primary cancer and secondaries in my liver and the base of my spine. So, we began again with chemo and Herceptin and now Pertuzumab as well – another antibody drug, which works much the same way as Herceptin but costs the NHS a mere three thousand pounds every three weeks. However, I had so many unpleasant side effects from this drug that I stopped it just before Christmas.


A New Approach

I decided that a new approach was needed. I first cleaned up my environment, such as disposing of all plastic containers, as these leach chemicals which are oestrogen mimics. I then changed my diet, using organic food as much as possible eating a lot of green veg each day.

I now take a number of supplements as well - astragalus, Siberian ginseng, quercetin, indole 3 carbinol, high dose vitamin D3, green tea extract, curcumins with piperine, cordyceps muchrooms, resveratrol, high dose of vitamin C, vitamin K2, selenium, magnesium, natural vitamin E – must be natural, vitamin B complex and also PectaSol-C (modified citrus pectin). More recently I started taking a wonderful probiotic, which is finally making all the difference to 2 years of diarrhoea. It is in a liquid form and called Symprove.

I also do yoga when I can and walk and get as much fresh air and exercise as I can manage – little and often is better and loads now and then. In general I live my life with as much optimism as I can, which is quite a lot now that I have all these wonderful herbs and therapies at my disposal.

So far my experience is that I am defying the odds of a person who has had chemo twice and has secondary lesions and two primaries. I have been in stable remission for the last year and a half and so far there is not one sign of any cancer anywhere in my body.  I am healing slowly but still better than I could have hoped after the ravages of mainstream treatment. I feel confident that if I stick to the protocol, I will continue to beat the odds.

I spoke to a lovely lady called Patricia Peat who runs Cancer Options and she told me about Yes to Life and how they could help me.  Paying for the many supplements herbal treatments was a struggle and so Yes to Life was a God send for me. I can’t recall now exactly but I know I spoke on the phone to several very kind and patient people at Yes to Life.

I had a consultation with Patricia Peat and found it very reassuring.  I am still doing most of the things she recommended two years later and apparently I am doing much better than the average cancer patient, which I feel certain is not a matter of luck but due to the various therapies which are working their magic for me.

Yes to life has helped me many times with a donation towards my supplements, items like the glass kettle I bought to replace my plastic one and with the cost of my consultation with Patricia Peat.  It made all the difference to me - as single mum on incapacity benefit I could not have paid for any of these things without help.  They have made a huge difference to me – my oncologist told me that only about one percent of patients up and down the country doing as well and I am and I know it’s because of the natural meds that I’m taking.

So far I haven’t been well enough to start fundraising but I’m gradually persuading my friends who run for cancer research, to fundraise for Yes to Life instead and hopefully they will do that soon.

I'd like to attend some of the Yes To Life workshops but they've been quite a distance from me and I’ve been very ill for a long time, as it’s taking an age to recover from the second round of chemo and the allergic reactions to the antibody drugs, but I hope to get to some of them soon, as I am slowly starting to feel like a human being again.

The support I’ve received from Yes To Life has meant peace of mind to me, as I have such confidence that the various remedies I am taking are going to be the difference between life (for more than the prescribed 5 – 10 years) or death. I’m just incredibly grateful for your support and wish more cancer patients would trust that they can be well and live a normal life without chemo – if I’d known in 2010 what I know now, I would have gone down a different route with my treatment and improved my chances of longevity even more.

Feeling Like a Human Being Again

Today's blog is from Susan who writes about her experience of conventional treatment for breast cancer and how taking a new approach helped to make her feel more human again. 

I was originally diagnosed with a Grade 2 mixed ductal and lobular carcinoma of the left breast, both oestrogen and HER2 positive. I have a long history of breast cancer in my family, so I wasn’t that surprised to finally succumb to the same thing, particularly having had several years of acrimonious separation from my daughter’s father.

At first, being rather depressed at the time, I didn’t care if I lived or died, but after a few days, I pulled myself together and made a conscious decision that I wanted to live. I have always said that I would never do chemotherapy, but in 2010 when I was diagnosed, I didn’t know where to turn for information about alternative therapies and indeed, I never imagined so much research into alternatives existed. I was quite ‘matter of fact’ about the whole thing but realised much later that I had just gone into survival mode and got on with what I thought had to be done at the time.

Pauline's Long and Far Reaching Breast Cancer Journey

Today's post is from one of our beneficiaries, Pauline, 64, from the Wirral who has kindly shared her experience of finding an alternative path for breast cancer. 

I was diagnosed in 2001 with breast cancer. Of course it came as a huge shock to me but I realised that prior to my diagnosis I had been through a very sad period in my life - separating from the man I loved and being severely depressed.

The only physical symptom was the lump I found whilst crying myself to sleep one night. At the time I refused all orthodox treatment.  It wasn't until 2005 that I underwent any treatment, when I had ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) in Spain - electrical voltages basically cooked the tumour and it came out through the breast.  I lost most of the breast and thought I was clear, so had become less diligent with my routine, but slowly it came back.

Holistically healing from breast cancer

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share her story. Maria, 44, from Canterbury talks about treating breast cancer and her own journey of physical and emotional healing.

I was diagnosed with stage 1 grade 1 breast cancer in September 2010. Overwhelmed at times, and in deep shock, an instinct for self-preservation kicked in as I sought to make sense of the experience. This manifested as an urgent and fervent effort to find out as much as possible about the particularities of my disease, and how I can make positive lifestyle changes.

My change in direction after a cancer recurrance

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share her story. Claire, 47, from Devon took an integrative approach after suffering a recurrence of cancer. 

I was diagnosed with stage 3b inflammatory breast cancer in October 2012. This is a rare form of breast cancer where there is not a lump, but a swelling and redness. I was completely in shock after my diagnosis, as it was also found that the cancer had spread to lymph nodes under my arm. My children were five and seven at the time, and I was so worried and scared that I would not be around to see them grow up.

I had seven rounds of chemotherapy soon after diagnosis, followed by a mastectomy and three weeks of radiotherapy. I then had herceptin every three weeks for two years.

Unfortunately this was not the end of the story. I had a recurrence in my neck two years later in October 2014, which was treated with six months of Kadcyla chemotherapy.

Five Years On: My Reflection

Today's blog post is from our intern, Olivia Tilton talking about her experience of grief having lost her own mother 5 years ago to breast cancer. 

We all knew it was going to happen. 

After all, everyone has to die. 

I just wasn’t prepared for it. In any way, shape or form. 

She had been in a hospice for around two months. She had litres of fluid surrounding her lungs and heart. She was so, so exhausted. It was staring us right in the face. But still, at midday on the 10th of November 2010, my whole world seemed to collapse in around me when my mum died. 

'Eat to Outsmart Cancer' by Jenny Phillips

Today’s blog post, from our intern Olivia Tilton, is a review of Jenny Phillips’ Book, ‘Eat to Outsmart Cancer: How to create optimal health for prevention and recovery’.

I have a confession to make. Scratch that... I have two confessions to make. Firstly, I have only recently come across the wonderful nutrition marvel that is Jenny Phillips. Bit late on the band wagon, wasn’t I? The second confession is, I found her by accident. Back in Leicester, before I started my internship at Yes To life, I dragged my Auntie to a nutrition talk one evening and Jenny Phillips was a speaker. Long story short, I am now fully onboard with the oracle that is Jenny. Her book was a great place for me to start to enter into her world of nutrition and fighting cancer.

Jenny’s journey started at 39 when diagnosed with grade 4 breast cancer. At the time, she was working part time in a management training company for which she would often work in the evenings and running training workshops and presentations away from home. Cheese and onion toasties were a firm favourite along with a few glasses of wine come dinner time. 

Navigating Breast Cancer at 24

Today’s post is from one of our younger beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share her story. Josephine, 26, from London suffered awful reactions to nearly all the treatments she underwent but has since found many complementary approaches to support her recovery.

I was diagnosed at 24 years old in the spring of 2014, May to be exact, following an operation to remove what they thought was something called an “Intraductal Papilloma”.

I initially found the lump on Valentine’s Day, or rather my partner did. It was a very small pea-size lump under my nipple. I made a GP appointment soon after and got referred to the breast unit at The Royal Free Hospital. They did a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and told me that I didn't have cancer but they wanted to remove the lump.

They told me I should celebrate! How wrong they were… and how sad it was, because I did celebrate and thought that would be the end of it.

On the surgery day I was then told they needed to “re-check the tissue”. Low and behold, two weeks later I was called in early and told that it was cancer; grade 2, invasive lobular carcinoma, highly oestrogen and progesterone positive.

Finding the Support I Needed - My Breast Cancer Story

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Lorraine, 49, from the South East was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and found much needed support in Yes to Life.

One morning in June 2011 I looked in the mirror and noticed that my breast had an indentation running from under my arm towards the centre. I felt around and found a hard lump, then made an appointment to see my GP. After having a scan and biopsy at the local hospital I was called back to the consultant’s office.

He told me that it was cancer. My world suddenly collapsed, I was devastated and in complete shock. I was told that it was grade 3 and an aggressive cancer that needed to be removed the following week by a small operation. They also wanted to remove some lymph nodes to assess the prognosis.

I can’t tell you the fear and helplessness you feel when you are diagnosed with cancer. I had to try and explain it to my daughters, an 18 year old and a 10 year old. At 45 I considered myself still fairly young and I lived on my own with my 10 year old. My wider family were unsupportive and I felt very alone.

Breast Cancer, Metamorphosis and Me

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Amanda, 43, from East Sussex has found a range of complementary approaches really beneficial and wants to share her experiences with others.

I was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer in March 2014, the day after my birthday.

I was alone when I got the biopsy results. Afterwards I remember walking past my husband and mum and their faces glaring at me, waiting for a response. I calmly got dressed and told them very rationally that I had breast cancer and it was at a fairly late stage.

Looking back at that time now I remember being so numb and shocked. I felt so sorry for my body. I remember looking myself in the eye as I was getting dressed and feeling it so vividly.  I joked around with the staff as my biopsy was taken, they told me I was a ‘tough cookie.’

I told my family I was under no circumstances having chemotherapy or radiotherapy but they thought I should pursue both natural and conventional medicine. I had heard the positive stories of Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton-John from my mum (bless her) but deep inside I had already made my decisions.

I had a lumpectomy in May 2014, then a mastectomy at the beginning of August.

Regaining Control - My Breast Cancer Journey

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who kindly agreed to share her story. Laurence, 53, from South East London underwent extensive treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. Whilst suffering gruelling side effects, she began to explore other options that could support her recovery.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2014. I had noticed a thickening of the skin in my breast, but no lump as such just a change of texture. I had been having yearly mammograms for the past 20 years due to family history but they had always been clear. Both my mum and her sister had breast cancer and their mother, my grandmother, died of colon cancer aged 54.

My GP referred me for tests immediately. At the hospital, I noted that I was being processed completely differently. Previously when I was given a mammogram, I would be sent home and told to wait for a letter. On this day, I had a mammogram, a scan and four biopsies, followed by a meeting with the consultant and breast cancer nurse who invited me to the Macmillan unit the following week to talk about the results. It was obvious there was something wrong.

‘How to be a Cancer Maverick’ by Nina Joy – a Review

This post is a review of Nina Joy's new book 'How to be a Cancer Maverick', a follow up to the highly successful ‘The Adventures of a Cancer Maverick’. Nina has spent the last two years defying predictions on her cancer prognosis by taking control of the management of her health. Since the publication of her first book Nina has taken daily calls on ‘how she is managing to live so successfully with cancer’, in this book she sets out to offer some answers. To purchase a copy please click here

Sometimes you pick up a book, and you know within a few pages that the person who sat down to write it is a truly remarkable individual. This is one of those books, and Nina Joy is one of those people. In August 2012 Nina was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she was labelled ‘incurable’ and offered systematic chemotherapy as her last and only option.

‘In the blink of an eye, your life changes beyond comprehension. Everything you have held dear, and have taken for granted, is blown into smithereens. The future you thought you had – gone. The events and experiences you thought were yet to come – gone. Have you had you last birthday, your last Christmas? And bizarrely, I wondered if I would get to see the next series of Downton Abbey.’

The prognosis didn't sit well with Nina, who instinctively felt that she did have other options and it was just a case of finding them. Now almost three years later, Nina is enjoying good health and living life to the full. Having already shared her personal story in ‘The Adventures of a Cancer Maverick’ this follow up book is her guide to dealing with a cancer diagnosis and coming through it stronger than ever:

‘It has been said that what has happened to me is nothing short of a miracle. It feels like it to me! But the good news is that this miracle didn't just land on me from heaven. It’s one which I have had to figure out and work for, which makes it all the sweeter. More importantly it means that I can share the steps that I have taken, so that you may be able to create your own miracle too.’

As Nina would say, ‘hang on to your hats, let’s go Maverick!’

Inspired Nutrition and Yes to Life take on Brighton

Today’s post is about our recent Cookery Well-being workshop which took place at Brighton Cookery School last Saturday. The morning was hosted by the wonderful Jenny Philips and Jeraldine Curran of Inspired Nutrition who brought a whole load of tasty recipes, years of expertise, a sunny vibe and plenty of jovial flair to the kitchen. If you missed it we are running two more workshops with Jenny and Jeraldine this year, keep up to date with our events calendar for more info.

Think of that person in your life who has cooked for you, gathered fresh ingredients, laboured over chopping boards and stoves with the passion of nurturing you: a mother, grandmother, sibling, friend, partner…then you have some impression of what it felt like to walk into Jenny and Jeraldine’s kitchen. These women are not professional chefs but they are something far more important, cooks who understand the power of food to heal, support and protect.

Although they are both qualified nutritional therapists, it is Jenny and Jeraldine’s personal experiences as much as any qualifications, which make them both such incredible fonts of knowledge.  Jenny recovered from breast cancer ten years ago and Jeraldine has been a close support for family members with cancer so they both understand the topic inside out and were happy to share their stories. The selection of dishes they prepared were designed to support the body through any stage of cancer diagnosis, and it was possible to tailor each to specific requirements…they were also delicious!

Take the Scare out of Losing your Hair

Today's post is by Sabine Brannan and Audrey Ball, two women who make it their business to support women through hair loss. They are joining forces to offer an exclusive workshop with Yes to Life, to help 'Take the Scare out of Losing your Hair'. The workshop is being held on Thursday October 16th at 2.30pm in Islington, London. For more information and to book tickets please click here.

As a woman the idea of losing your hair is incredibly difficult to come to terms with, yet this is the experience of around 8 million women in the UK today. Hair loss is a well-known side effect of chemotherapy, and during this especially tough time it can be even harder to find the self-confidence needed to face the world. You need not feel alone, we are here to share our experience and expertise to help you develop your own style and feel comfortable in your self, however you choose to manage and cope with your hair loss.

Breast Cancer Seminar Review 2014: The Power of Choice with Dr. Contreras

Today's post follows on from our major annual seminar 'Breast Cancer - The Power of Choice' held on Saturday 4th of July 2014. The event was headlined by world renowned integrative oncologist Dr. Francisco Contreras from Oasis of Hope Hospital in Mexico, who alongside other experts aimed to separate myth from fact and share his extensive experience.

The UK has one of the highest incidence rates of breast cancer in the world and unfortunately it is a figure which is only rising. So as we sat to begin Yes to Life’s major annual seminar on the topic, it was not without the sense of standing up to issues which in some way affects us all. Hosted by Yes to Life’s founder Robin Daly, the event took place on Saturday 4^th July at the beautifully historic Glazier’s Hall. Leading oncologists, doctors, nurses and health care professionals gathered with patients and carers to talk about the facts about breast cancer, the myths, the options open for sufferers and most importantly the hope for a healthier future.