Every since I was diagnosed last summer I often wonder how this happened to me. I didn't think I was living an unhealthy lifestyle but apparently after getting educated on the topic of breast cancer it became obvious that I wasn't living a healthy lifestyle either. I know that I won't be able to do everything that everyone recommends but making a effort to change some things has to help right? My boss at work told me something when I first got diagnosed that has really stuck with me. He told me that whatever I believe in will help me beat my cancer. So I decided to work on 3 areas in my life to change and believe that these changes will fight my cancer.
- Diet. I needed to start focusing on healthy eating and the kinds of foods that many doctors recommend as cancer fighting or foods that prevent cancer. A really good book that I bought on the subject is "Foods That Fight Cancer". It talks about the science behind food chemistry and how some foods protect the body against some cancers and how some can actually help in the slowing or prevention of tumor growth. Some of the foods we have been concentrating on is eating more fish, kale, berries and just more fruits and vegetables in general. I also have been trying to reduce my sugar intake per day as well as reducing the amount of red meat I eat. I love steak so I don't think I can give it up totally but we have for sure cut down our red meat. One good habit I've been not bad at is cleaning and cutting up my vegetables in advance so that it is easier to throw a salad together now. Another thing I've started doing is taking a Vitamin D supplement. I've read a few places now too about how Vitamin D helps prevent breast cancer.
- Exercise. The second area I decided I needed to be better at was exercise. I've read a few articles now about studies being run in the States where woman with breast cancer were followed for 5 years and the women who exercised 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week had less instances of recurrence. One study suggested it reduces your recurrence by one quarter to one half. John and I used to belong to a gym but we found once Samantha was born it was very difficult for us to find the time to get to the gym to workout and/or play squash like we used to. So once I was diagnosed we quit the gym and now have started building a work out area in our basement. It works out much better now since I wasn't going to feel comfortable going to the gym while I was in chemo and now we don't spend the time driving back and forth to the gym . The unfortunate part is that we don't get to play squash much anymore but hopefully once my arm is in better shape again we will be able to start again. Exercising consistently absolutely makes a difference in the way I feel and my energy levels.
- Stress. The third thing was reducing my stress levels. I needed to recognize when I was stressed and figure out how to relax. The past year before I was diagnosed was very stressful for both John and I with us not knowing what was going to happen with Nortel and whether we would have jobs. Now that we are now both working for the companies that bought our business units from Nortel, it's been so much better not having to constantly worry about that. I also on the recommendation of a friend went to talk to someone about how I was feeling about my cancer and how to deal with my fears of dying. There were many things I learned from those sessions and I'm very happy that my new friend Jamie recommended I talk to Jim. He taught me how to focus on my core values and beliefs and how to recognize when I'm unhappy and how not to stay in that place. Jim is a big part of my recovery and I'm very grateful to him.
As time goes on I'll do more and more but I think I'm off to a good start.
Radiation is finally over now. I finished on the Friday just before the May long weekend. My skin is peeling now and it's starting to feel just like a regular sun burn. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just need to get through my Herceptin treatments and my reconstruction surgery now.
