Knit-a-Boob

This comes slightly too late for anyone to get involved this year but I still want to tell you guys about a relatively new breast cancer awareness event, in partnership with breastcancer.org, called Knit-a-Boob. Yesterday, Friday April 13, supporters gathered at Oak Knit Studio in Brooklyn, to knit "wearable prosthetic breasts for patients and survivors of breast cancer, who have lost their breasts to the disease." As I understand it, this was the second annual occurrence of this event. To learn more...

Knit-a-Boob Facebook Page

Oak Knit Studio Facebook Page 

Heads up

Just a heads up that I am working on separating my two blogs into two different accounts so that I can keep my nutrition writing separate from my cancer writing. If you notice any technical difficulties, have no fear, they will likely be corrected shortly. Love you all!

Evidence for avoiding soy after all? (In my case, anyway)

The results of a recent animal study suggest that "western women who started soy intake as adults, should stop if diagnosed with breast cancer" as Genistein (an estrogen-like compound in soy)  intake "in adult life which continues during tamoxifen treatment appears to make the tumors resistant to tamoxifen; However, if animals were fed genistein during childhood, and intake continues before and after tumors develop, the tumors are highly sensitive to the tamoxifen."  


In my case, I started eating soy as an adult, developed an estrogen-sensitive cancer and am now on Tamoxifen. So, it looks like, if I want to play it safe, I should consider avoiding soy. What will I dip my sushi in?


To read the full article, go here:

Medical News Today - Link Between Breast Cancer Resistance And Timing Of Soy Consumption

No surgery after all

So after changing my mind multiple times and having the surgical coordinator at my doctor's office take me off the operating schedule only to then ask her to put me back on, we finally decided once and for all that we would not proceed with the surgery to remove the thick tissue from my right breast. My pre-surgical mammogram came out all clear and our plastic surgeon agreed that the thickening is most likely scar tissue and will just return if we cut it out. Neither D nor I ever felt 100% comfortable doing the surgery so we have decided to skip it and just continue to follow my schedule of regular mammograms, MRIs, sonograms and doctor visits. I am much more comfortable with this plan. 


Meanwhile, I have a follow-up scheduled with my oncologist for next week. I recently spoke to her on the phone and told her about the ovarian cyst I had removed and how I was recently told that I have another, this time smaller (3 cm) cyst that we are keeping an eye on. I asked her if it is possible that the Tamoxifen is causing these cysts that I never before had a problem with. She said it is certainly not impossible as the drug is messing with my hormones. But how many more of these cysts I can look forward to? No one knows.