WHEN CANCER SPREADS: FIRST STORY
Anna is now aged thirty-eight, and has a lively sixteen-month-old daughter, Esme: it seems incredible that her first symptoms of breast cancer appeared when she was only twenty-two years old. Anna, a nurse, noticed a white discharge from one nipple and went to her doctor who sent her for a mammogram. The mammogram came back clear and she went away content that she was in the clear. But over the next few years she repeatedly went back to the doctor – she saw a total of five GP s – with a number of classic breast cancer symptoms: orange-peel skin, inverted nipple and a ‘fixed’ breast. She was repeatedly told that the original mammogram was clear and that she did not need to be referred to a specialist; even a follow-up mammogram was deemed unnecessary. It was also implied that because of her nursing background with all the cancer patients she had tended, Anna was developing slight hypochondria. Finally, she refused to leave the doctor’s surgery until she was referred on. Seven years after the first symptom, breast cancer was diagnosed. Anna had a mastectomy, followed by a very successful reconstruction with a silicone implant. Anna’s backlash of anger when she went through the whole experience meant that she began over-eating and, inevitably, put on weight. She has calmed down now and her family’s eating habits are pretty good – mostly vegetarian or fish-based meals, lots of fruit and vegetables and organic food dominate the dining table. When Anna’s daughter was born nobody could advise her on the likely problems associated with breast-feeding from one breast, and no literature was available. Finally, she consulted books on breast-feeding twins, had no problems, and continued feeding from her natural breast until her daughter was over one year old. It is astonishing that she was given quite worrying information along the way by well-meaning but misinformed people. It was suggested that there was a chance of passing on cancer in breast milk (you can’t) and that another pregnancy would be likely to increase the risk of recurrence of her breast cancer (the opposite is true). One thing that Anna has learnt through all this is to listen to her own instincts and ignore advice which she believes to be fundamentally wrong. I came into contact with her when she wanted information to resolve a health problem her daughter was experiencing. A paediatrician had said it was definitely not linked to diet – but it was. A nine-month problem was resolved in a few days by a simple adjustment to her daughter’s diet. Anna now listens to her inner wisdom.*39\240\2*
