Vaccine

https://time.com/3611635/breast-cancer-vaccine-safety-trial/

Awesomw - Baldly Beautiful Makeup for Chemo Girls introduction video

Zoladex

Inspirational Message

CHECK YOUR BOOBS | BREAST CANCER STORY

Love this new look on Jessica Rowe

Eric Abetz Breast Cancer and Abortion LInked

An Australian Senator Says Breast Cancer and Abortions are linked

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-08/ama-criticises-eric-abetz-for-linking-abortions-to-breast-cancer/5656832


Embarrassing and ridiculous comments. #ericabetz


Sad comments for anyone touched by breast cancer

PALB2 Gene Mutation - High Risk of Breast Cancer

Women carrying the PALB2 gene mutation are at high risk of developing breast cancer.Women carrying the gene have an average 35% chance of developing breast cancer by aged 70. Studies have shown women with a strong family history and who also have the PALB2 gene mutation are even at a higher risk. Having the gene mutation does not mean you will definitely develop breast cancer but with rates of 35% and 58% on average hopefully people will be checked regularly, at least.

Now we just need to hope that Countries like Australia, stand up and take notice, and test women for this gene mutation as well as BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Follow me on twitter #mebreastcancer

My Breast Cancer Journey. : New Online Store

My Breast Cancer Journey. : New Online Store: Please check out our new online store. We currently have silicone medical alert bracelets. Free Post Worldwide. http://www.breastcancerandm...
#lymphoma, #breastcancerawareness, #breastcancer, #medicalalert, #silicone

Taylor Swift Sings For 6-Year-Old Cancer Patient

How Will Post-Mastectomy Clothing Line Steel Flower Impact Breast Cancer...

New Online Store

Please check out our new online store. We currently have silicone medical alert bracelets. Free Post Worldwide.
http://www.breastcancerandme.info/#!blogger-feed/cki2

Have you had The oncotype dx test?

This test is not subsidised in Australia and can cost upto $4000.

Dance Moms New Day Dance for Breast Cancer Awareness

'The Scar Project' Captures Stories of Young Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast Cancer Awareness Tree Charm Bracelet, One C Breast Cancer Awareness Tree Autism Club Awareness Store

Breast Cancer Awareness Tree Charm Bracelet, One C Breast Cancer Awareness Tree Autism Club Awareness Store

Click the links above to read info. regarding chemo, my story, diagnosis, family history, etc. or go to breastcancerandme.info for my latest blog

1 in 8

Doc Neeson

Sad news today that Doc Neeson, frontman for The Angels, one of my favourite bands as a teenager, has passed away from a brain tumour . R.I.P Doc Neeson.

I touch Myself

An InLinkz Link-up

Delicious Desserts- Pavlova - My favourite.

Every now and then everybody should treat themselves to something DELICIOUS ♥♥
YUM!! source: pinterest

STRONG

You never know how STRONG you are until being strong is the ONLY choice you have ♥ !

An InLinkz Link-up

Eating Well During Chemo

Eat to beat the pain of chemo

BEATING cancer is never easy but understanding the right way to eat can help you recover and give you energy and strength to fight on. This isn't a matter of fad diets or cramming yourself with special foods but of good, sound nutrition.

 


Understanding the right way to eat can help you recover from chemo

NAUSEA AND VOMITING
There is nothing worse than trying to eat when feeling sick or if you have been bringing up your food. There are many reasons for nausea and vomiting and any problems should be discussed with your doctor.
There is now a potent range of anti–nausea and anti–sickness medication but an effective dietary option is to take extra protein throughout the day.
Research has shown many people experience less nausea by sipping high–protein (whey) drinks with powdered ginger twice a day.
Nausea is worse on an empty stomach so if you can't manage meals try to keep nibbling small amounts of food or sipping drinks containing sugar. I often suggest keeping a couple of dry water biscuits on the bedside table to nibble before getting out of bed.
Food fixes: Avoid foods that are hot, greasy, fried, spicy, fatty or high in sugar.
Sip lemon–flavoured barley water or suck ice–lollies. Snack on cheese, rice pudding, nuts, olives, ginger biscuits, salt and vinegar crisps, toast and Marmite and drink salty broths or soups, ginger beer and cola.
TASTE CHANGES
Losing your sense of taste or experiencing metallic, salty or sour flavours in your mouth is one of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy that is most difficult to manage.
There are no medications available to help restore the taste buds. It is up to you to discover what tastes or flavours you can register. Work out what mixtures of flavours to incorporate into your foods.
If you have completely lost your sense of taste it is important to use lots of colours and different textures and temperatures to help keep food interesting and manageable. Keeping your mouth clean and fresh is a must. Use non–mint flavoured toothpaste.
Low zinc levels can cause taste problems so ask your doctor to have your zinc levels screened. Food fixes: You might prefer strong flavours, such as Asian sauces or Lebanese spices including harissa or preserved lemons.
If meat tastes bitter soak it in wine, soy sauce or fruit juice. Avoid foods with saccharine.

Ease the side effects of cancer treatment with these top tips

CONSTIPATION
This is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The cause is often related to pain–control medications along with the impact of certain drugs. Experiment with building up your fibre intake.
It is important to balance fibre between soluble and insoluble types. The best results come when they are consumed together, for example wholegrain cereal and fruit, wholegrain pitta bread and salad or jacket potato and steamed vegetables.
There are times when the problem cannot be rectified by diet and you will need laxative medications prescribed by your doctor or clinic. If your doctor has suggested you work on your diet to help manage constipation the following should be considered. Food fixes: Choose wholegrain cereals such as Bran Flakes or All–Bran and wholegrain bread, pasta and crackers and brown rice. Increase your intake gradually and only if you can tolerate it.
Eat five to seven servings of fruit and vegetables daily and sip fluids throughout the day. Add two teaspoons of flaxseeds to your diet each day, perhaps left in yogurt overnight or added to muesli.
If you have wind or bloating, limit food such as broccoli, onion, garlic, cabbage, pulses, apples, carbonated drinks and refined wheat products.
LOSS OF APPETITE
Struggling with a poor appetite is a difficult side effect for many having cancer treatment. If you want to build yourself up you have to eat more calories than your body is using. For many this means aiming at 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day.
Typically individuals with no appetite are taking in 800 to 1,400 calories daily. If you have little or no interest in eating it is important to organise a strict diet routine. Nibble or pick your way (every hour or two hours) through lots of regular mini–meals or snacks. Food fixes: Try to eat nourishing snacks such as eggs, smoked salmon, cheese, minced meat, nuts, peanut butter on toast, wholegrain crackers or a bowl of cereal with milk, milkshakes, scones or a piece of cake. Also use high–protein milk rather than regular milk.
Eat puddings and desserts after a break following the main course. If the smell of food affects the appetite, eat cold or tepid dishes.
Keep nutritious snacks including nuts, cereal bars, yogurts, cheese sticks or dried fruit to hand.
Eat in front of the TV or with the radio on. People often tend to eat more when they have a distraction.
Source:express.co.uk

CYP2D6 and Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is prescribed for the treatment of breast cancer. Some breast cancer cells require estrogen to grow which occurs through its binding to the estrogen receptor.
Tamoxifen and its metabolites bind to the estrogen receptor, but do not activate it and prevents further estrogen from binding. Therefore, breast cancer cell growth is blocked.
Tamoxifen can be considered a pro-drug that requires metabolism to elicit its pharmacological activity. Evidence now suggests that endoxifen, a secondary metabolite of tamoxifen, is most responsible for tamoxifen activity. In fact, endoxifen is 100 times more potent as an anti-estrogen than tamoxifen itself.
Cytochrome p450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is the main liver enzyme that metabolises tamoxifen to endoxifen. A number of commonly occurring gene variants have been identified in the CYP2D6 gene that significantly reduces the enzyme activity of CYP2D6.
Approximately 10% of the Australian population have gene variants in their CYP2D6 gene that results in little or no enzyme activity. These individuals are known as poor metabolisers. As such, poor metabolisers may not receive the full medical benefit of tamoxifen therapy since they have little capacity to metabolise tamoxifen to endoxifen.

Decoding Annie Parker

A new movie Decoding Annie Parker follows the incredible, irreverent and heartwarming story of how the paths of cancer survivor Annie Parker and geneticist Mary-Claire King intersect. With grace and humor the film chronicles how these remarkable women work to make one of the most important genetic discoveries of the 20th century. Starring Helen Hunt , Samantha Morton.

A new movie recently hit select theatres; “Decoding Annie Parker” is based on a true story centering around the lives of Annie Parker, a now three-time breast cancer survivor, and geneticist Mary-Claire King, who believed there was a link between DNA and certain types of breast cancer — and then found that link.
Samantha Morton plays the role of Annie Parker, Helen Hunt plays Dr. Mary-Claire King, and Aaron Paul stars as Annie’s husband, Paul. Other castmates include Rashida Jones and Bradley Whitford.

Read more at http://blog.thebreastcancersite.com/decoding-annie-parker/#q5qBBGVogTEb2ToO.99

A new movie recently hit select theatres; “Decoding Annie Parker” is based on a true story centering around the lives of Annie Parker, a now three-time breast cancer survivor, and geneticist Mary-Claire King, who believed there was a link between DNA and certain types of breast cancer — and then found that link.
Samantha Morton plays the role of Annie Parker, Helen Hunt plays Dr. Mary-Claire King, and Aaron Paul stars as Annie’s husband, Paul. Other castmates include Rashida Jones and Bradley Whitford.

Read more at http://blog.thebreastcancersite.com/decoding-annie-parker/#q5qBBGVogTEb2ToO.99

A new movie recently hit select theatres; “Decoding Annie Parker” is based on a true story centering around the lives of Annie Parker, a now three-time breast cancer survivor, and geneticist Mary-Claire King, who believed there was a link between DNA and certain types of breast cancer — and then found that link.
Samantha Morton plays the role of Annie Parker, Helen Hunt plays Dr. Mary-Claire King, and Aaron Paul stars as Annie’s husband, Paul. Other castmates include Rashida Jones and Bradley Whitford.

Read more at http://blog.thebreastcancersite.com/decoding-annie-parker/#q5qBBGVogTEb2ToO.99

A new movie recently hit select theatres; “Decoding Annie Parker” is based on a true story centering around the lives of Annie Parker, a now three-time breast cancer survivor, and geneticist Mary-Claire King, who believed there was a link between DNA and certain types of breast cancer — and then found that link.
Samantha Morton plays the role of Annie Parker, Helen Hunt plays Dr. Mary-Claire King, and Aaron Paul stars as Annie’s husband, Paul. Other castmates include Rashida Jones and Bradley Whitford.

Read more at http://blog.thebreastcancersite.com/decoding-annie-parker/#q5qBBGVogTEb2ToO.99

Budget makes life harder for those with breast cancer | Breast Cancer Network Australia

Budget makes life harder for those with breast cancer | Breast Cancer Network Australia

Beautiful Vege Soup . Perfect for those undergoing chemo

20 Minute Vegetable Soup This delicious soup serves four people Ingredients 1 cup leek, washed, sliced thin 1 cup carrot, grated or diced 1 cup celery, diced 1 tsp thyme leaves 1 tomato, seeded, chopped 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper, fresh cracked 4 oz parmesan or firm dried aged cheese, grated 1 crusty French-style baguette 1 quart chicken broth Instructions 1. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a moderate simmer. 2. To the simmering chicken broth add the leek, carrot, celery and thyme. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. When vegetables have finished simmering, add the tomato and taste. Adjust seasoning with the salt and pepper. Remove soup from heat. 4. Add the grated cheese and stir well to combine. 5. To serve, ladle some of the soup into a large soup-style plate. Garnish with a large piece of crusty French-style baguette. - See more at: http://www.pinkribboncooking.com/recipe/detail1/20-minute-vegetable-soup#sthash.6rejc8YB.dpuf

The importance of leaving a will

Whether you are fighting cancer or you are young and healthy , everyone should have a will. Even if you only have a handful of belongings, it is important to have it documented to whom in your family should get what. I know of so many families, including my own, where there have been so many arguments and disputes after a persons death because there was no will . There is always, rightly or wrongly, someone in a family who will think that they have the rights to take control of the estate. Death of a loved one can and usually does cause family conflict, by having a will you can avoid that for your loved ones.

Pink Lady BCNA

Wow! Beautiful, wish I could have been there too

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Now also using www.breastcancerandme.info

Zloladex Injections

It makes me laugh that every time I have my Zoladex injection the nurse is just as nervous as I am.. I have my injections done at the hospital cancer centre by the chemo nurses. I've been having them for the last nine months and I still get nervous. How painful it is really depends on the nurse doing it and how quickly she injects it.
Todays nurse told me she couldn't look at my face while she did it because she was too scared lol. After she was done she looked at me and said, you're not crying?She told me that everyone cries when they get it. I guess I'm just getting used to it lol.

My Breast Cancer Journey

www.breastcancerandme.info

A high fat diet increases the risk of the most common form of breast cancer by a fifth, a study has found. Heavy consumption of saturated fat had an even bigger impact, raising the risk of hormone-sensitive breast cancer by 28 per cent. Fatty diets also made it more likely for a woman to develop another type of breast cancer, which is marked by a defective HER2 gene, the large study found. One in eight women will suffer from breast cancer, and most cases are driven by the female hormone oestrogen and sensitive to the hormone progesterone. Scientists have previously established links between an unhealthy lifestyle and an increased chance of developing the disease. Related Articles No link found between saturated fat and heart disease 18 Mar 2014 Junk food may increase risk of breast cancer 03 Dec 2013 But there has been conflicting evidence about the risks of fat specifically, with some research suggesting that the health risks of a fatty diet have been over-stated. However, the new research on more than 10,000 patients found a strong association between fat consumption and breast cancer. The link was even stronger when they examined levels of saturated fat in the diet - the type of fat which comes from butter, lard, cuts of meat and some dairy products. The findings, from the Epic breast cancer study involving more than 300,000 women in 10 European countries, are reported in the Journal Of The National Cancer Institute. The authors, led by Dr Sabina Sieri from the National Tumour Institute in Milan, Italy, wrote: “To conclude, the results of this prospective study on a large heterogeneous population of European women indicate that a high-fat diet increases breast cancer risk and, most conspicuously, that high saturated fat intake increases risk of receptor-positive disease.” Eluned Hughes, Senior Manager for Information at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “This is an important finding because it’s difficult to unpick which elements of a person’s diet impact upon their breast cancer risk. We know that 40 per cent of breast cancers could be prevented by changes to lifestyle such as being regularly active, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol consumption but this study provides us with further insight into the specific role of saturated fat intake and certain types of breast cancer. “Whilst we are learning more and more each day about the environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors that affect breast cancer risk, it is not yet possible to predict who will get breast cancer, and for women who have been diagnosed with the disease, we can’t yet say what caused it.” Source: Telegraph.co.uk health editor - Laura Donnelly

More Blood Tests

Yesterday, I had to have yet another blood test. My G.P wants to check my white cells again. My white cell count has been up and mostly down since I had chemo. Maybe, it has something to do with being neutropenic when I had chemo, I don't know. He also heard a wheezing or some kind of sound in my chest, so he has me going back today.

One Year On............

One year since diagnosis and surgery and I am working hard on adding more information to this blog. Hopefully it can help someone about to start their journey

Comments

Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. If you are newly diagnosed or are worried you might have breast cancer I hope you can find some helpful info. here. If you are fighting or you are a survivor maybe you can relate to my story. If you have a question maybe it can be answered here or someone can answer a question for you.