Update from Yvonne

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans!

When I decided - a year in advance - to retire at the end of October 2017, and Gail and I planned a Cape Town holiday for this past November, we had no idea what would happen in the interim. When we headed for Cape Town at the beginning of November, we still didn’t know whether it was for Holiday or Hospital or both: we soon found that it was for both.

I must immediately add: I am completely fine, and generally very healthy indeed.

Here is a brief summary of my story:

In mid-June, I found a small malignant lump in my left breast, really early, which gave me a window of opportunity to choose alternative treatment with Raoul Goldberg, my Cape Town doctor of the past 25 years, who has recently moved strongly into cancer care. 

I told very few people at first, and simply got on with my life, proving to myself that this was possible: I continued to be very well indeed, especially on the diet that I immediately switched onto, which excludes sugar and several other things (like soya) that would encourage a cancer to grow. (I’m happy to share the diet details with anyone who wants them.)  I lost 7 kg over a couple of months! I also took several recommended supplements and started giving myself Iscador injections every second day. (Iscador is made from mistletoe. It has no side effects.)

At the beginning of September I went to Cape Town for Raoul to give me a series of ten ozone injections, which was quite an experience - it looks like one is getting an injection of thin air, and it made me cough (apparently this happens to everyone). Weird, and quite challenging. 

I also had as many as possible of my amalgam fillings removed and replaced with porcelain ones - Raoul was concerned about the leakage of mercury and other metals into my system. (And yours too, if you still have such fillings!) 

Thanks to some or all of the Iscador, the ozone, my changed diet, the supplements, and the lump being a non-aggressive one, it grew only VERY slightly over the months, and I was able to finish off at SAQA as planned. However, the lump also didn’t shrink, and we decided after one last ultrasound when Gail and I arrived in Cape Town that a mastectomy was called for - not a lumpectomy, which would carry too much risk of a repeat and would also usually be combined with chemo or radiation, neither of which I'm prepared to have.  Instead, I undertook to do my Iscador injections for a further year or two, to take a natural alternative to the drugs that reduce oestrogen, and to stay on my diet.

The treatment had strengthened my immunity in preparation for the surgery, and I had continued to be very healthy throughout. I had also become used to the whole concept of what was happening with me, and had been able to prove that I was still the same ‘me’ that I always was (I hadn’t needed to fall into a "poor me" or an "I'm so ill" mode, as I had found the lump so early that it gave me the opportunity to try out my options). Although I could have waited a bit longer and still been safe, that would simply have delayed the inevitable; doing it now and not in 2018 would mean that I would be able to step into my new way of working (self-employment) with all of this behind me. 

I decided to have a reduction on the other side at the same time, which would make life easier for me afterwards. I also decided not to have a reconstruction. The op (which I dubbed “the big trim-down”) was booked for 24 November, thereby also giving Gail and me the opportunity to enjoy some post-retirement time together in Cape Town.

The surgeons were Dr Ndlhuni for the mastectomy and Dr Barker for the reduction (apparently they are the “go-to” pair in Cape Town for this type of operation!). They are both wonderful people - thorough, patient and humorous. Dr Ndhluni confirmed that it was a non-aggressive cancer, endorsed the slow growth, said that it is extremely unlikely that I have the problematic gene, and appreciated how early I had found the lump.

In preparation for the op, the day before, I had the scan for the "sentinel node", and then went for a Vitamin C drip at Raoul to strengthen my immunity further. 

The op was at the Kingsbury Hospital (or should I say Hotel?), which was very welcoming and gave excellent care from pre-admission to discharge. Both Gail and I were understandably a bit apprehensive on the day, but it went extremely well and I was up and about a few hours later, with far more arm mobility than most people experience. (They pump a lot of local anaesthetic into one, which did help a lot!) I had thought that I would be out-of-it, immobilised and in serious pain for days if not weeks, but none of that materialised. Being a private hospital, there is a physiotherapist on hand, which helps enormously. I also found that “Reach for Recovery” visits all hospitals, including private ones, and provides some helpful resources and literature (even if I don’t agree with all of it - a lot of focus on chemotherapy etc). The time in hospital became a bit of a retreat, with gentle walks, reading and some visitors.

I left hospital on 28 November, feeling very well indeed. I proceeded to acquire a “knitted knocker” (which I highly recommend to anyone who needs such a thing - it’s knitted from soft cotton, with an all-natural stuffing), plus the kits to knit myself two more.  I must admit that I overdid it a bit during the first week out of hospital, due to the joy and relief of feeling so good, until I suddenly felt not-so-well and Raoul gave me some remedies for my gall bladder and a mini-lecture on toning it down.

Gail left for Pretoria on 5 December (she needed to get back to take over from the house-sitters), while I stayed on, taking it more quietly and starting to feel fine again. I managed to connect up with several people, and had the further check-ups and physio that were still needed. Both surgeons continued to be very happy indeed, and will only need to see me again in Feb/March (Barker) and late 2018 (Ndhluni). Six weeks after the op, I will be able to return to circle dancing and full activity.

My trimmed-down self returned to Pretoria on 18 December. It was good to be home with Gail and the dogs, to have enough water (we had both felt Cape Town’s water challenges acutely), to drive again, to visit my ex-colleagues (almost two months after I last saw them), and to fit into clothes that I have not been able to wear for several years. Although this process was unexpected and is sometimes challenging, it has certainly brought many positive consequences and I feel very blessed.

I thank Gail for all her love and support during this entire process, and also my sister-friend Pat for having us to stay for such an extended period, and all the people - family and friends - who have been so wonderfully encouraging. Having so many amazing people in my life is the biggest blessing of all.

With love,

Yvonne

Pretoria

December 2017

I did one of those silly quizzes on Facebook,

and was astonished to receive this!

       

This is a word-cloud summary of my experience:

Before-and-after pics (November 2017 and January 2018):

  

Diet etc:

Here is my diet and supplements list - but please check with your own health practitioner as to what is best for you:

1. No sugar.
2. No nightshade family - tomatoes, potatoes, brinjals, peppers (no chillies, cayenne pepper, paprika).
3. No preservatives.
4. No alcohol.
5. No smoking or chewing tobacco.
6. No soya. (This is for breast cancer because of the oestrogen content - I don't know about other cancers.)
• I have been surprised to find how many products contain soya, including  some bread and  almost all mayonnaise (which usually also contains preservatives).  To substitute for sauces, I have learnt how to make tsatsiki from organic yoghurt with chopped mint and basil (chopped cucumber is optional).
7. No hormones (so only hormone-free meat or chicken).
8. No caffeine (I really miss drinking tea, but there is more caffeine in tea than in coffee).
9. Eat as much as possible of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts.
10. Sweet potato is fine - it's not a nightshade member.
11. Fish is fine - hake, kingklip, etc. Tuna is fine if not in soya oil.
12. Anti-oxidant teas are good: camomile tea or rooibos.  (In hot weather, I keep a supply of plain chilled rooibos in the fridge.)  Also green tea, even though it does contain some caffeine.  (I don't really like it.)
13. Turmeric is fantastic - one can eat it, put it in drinks or buy it as a supplement (Biocurcumin).
14. Sutherlandia is good.
15. High dosage of Vitamin C - liposomal Vitamin C is easier on the stomach.  (Make sure that the lecithin content is an oil other than Soya - sunflower or coconut.)
16. If one is Vitamin D deficient, then taking very strong Vitamin D supplements is good. But this must first be checked with a blood test.
17. Same for iodine (I take 5 drops per day) - one has to test thyroid function (and to keep testing it regularly).

And … keep moving, whether you dance, walk or do other exercise.

Further Updates:

8 January 2018

I have now been home for three weeks, with fond memories of Cape Town but appreciating the heat and the water here, and still taking things quite gently. I suddenly became aware, recently, that I hadn't had any physical pain or discomfort for several days already.

Last week, Gail and I did something that I have wanted to do for months: we adopted two kittens (as some of you have already heard). It's a long story (maybe we'll write a blog!). They are about six weeks old.

1 February 2018

During the past few months, it has been astonishing to find out just how many people (mostly - but not all - women) have been through an experience of their own, to do with breast lumps and breast cancer.  From the time of my operation onwards, I have interacted with seven people in this regard.  It has been interesting to see that four of them have had allopathic treatment only, and have been happy with this; one had allopathic treatment as well as changing her diet, and is doing fine, while another has been having allopathic treatment, has not done well on it, and is looking towards more alternative (to mainstream) treatment - what my GP calls integrative treatment.  The seventh person, who thinks most similarly to me about all these issues, is gearing up to insisting on a mastectomy with no radiation etc, and intends to continue with her remedies and diet.  I send her love and strength for her consultation about this in two weeks' time.

My thanks, again, to everyone who gave me such amazing support during my process - there is no doubt that it has contributed hugely to how well I have been able to come through this.