A DCIS Journey Worth Taking
I am currently on my DCIS journey. In fact I have been on it for the past eight years. Hello! If you are new to my website, Welcome!
When I first started posting on A Tasty Adventure back in 2014 I was excited to share all that I could about delicious food and recipes. I grew up on Long Island with a family that loves homemade meals, great restaurants, and fantastic food finds. We talked about food at every opportunity. My husband, our children, and I moved to Maine in 2003. This beautiful state has definitely provided me with great inspiration.
DCIS – The News That Changed My Life Forever
Fast forward to 2016 when I received a DCIS diagnosis and everything changed. DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) is know as stage 0 breast cancer. This pre-cancer is not cancer but could possibly lead to metastatic breast cancer if not taken seriously. Determined to beat this monster I followed my doctor’s orders by having two lumpectomies.
My DCIS Journey Includes Clear Margins
Some things to note about a DCIS journey:
- You feel like you have lost complete control
- Fear becomes a driver of emotions and decisions
- Information becomes overwhelming and sometimes confusing
- All that you want to do is rewind the clock and get your health back
- Life comes into focus like never before
My second lumpectomy resulted in clear margins. There were no pre-cancerous cells on the margins of the tissue that was surgically removed. It was suggested that I have hormone and radiation therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence. After doing a lot of research and soul searching I decided to turn both of these down for the following reasons:
- Hormone therapy such as tamoxifen can cause secondary cancers.
- Radiation would damage my lung.
- There could be possible damage to my heart from the radiation therapy.
These outcomes did not sound promising to me. I wanted to heal my body not do more damage to it!
In 2019 I was diagnosed with another area of DCIS in the same breast. Something had to change!
Diet and Lifestyle Changes – The Keys to My DCIS Journey
The body has the innate ability to heal. That is if you give it the ability to do so. We are bombarded every day with toxins. These toxins can come from our:
- Diet
- Lifestyle
- External Environment
- Internal Environment
- Relationships
There are so many factors that affect our health and it is important that we deal with all of them. This is of critical importance when you are faced with disease such as cancer. “You are not sick because you have cancer, you have cancer because you are sick.” Something is off and needs to be addressed immediately.
I am on a mission to change my body for the better. Since 2023 I have been intermittent fasting and eating healthier, anti-cancer foods. Clean, filtered water (not plastic) is the only water that I drink. I have been using an infrared sauna, sleeping better, and am currently enhancing my microbiome with fermented foods.
Great News! I’m Healing with DCIS!
My DCIS clump is shrinking!!! This is a crazy revelation especially since the doctor who was performing ultrasounds on me every six months kept telling me in her words “I think it’s getting bigger.” She insisted that I get a mastectomy never discussing the exact measurements with me even though I asked. It’s a good thing that I got a hold of my records!
What’s Next For My DCIS Journey?
After finishing a Five-Day Water Fast I have decided to keep up with the intermittent fasting and healthy diet. I attribute part of my healing to this regimen. Of course I will continue the use of my SunLighten Infrared Sauna. This has been a lifesaver for me especially in the cold winter months.
This is the ultimate oasis! It is the best investment in my health ever! If you want information on the sauna I would be happy to share. Just reach out to me.
Heading to Boston on the 20th for a DCIS Consult
I will be meeting with a doctor at Dana Farber this coming week. Not to worry! Its time for me to be vigilant and keep an eye on things. I want to be as educated as I can on this. There is also a curiosity in me as to why they would want to remove something that is clearly shrinking.
I am determined to keep my breast and there will definitely be…
…no more smashing of the melons!!!
A topic for another post.
Fear is the Absence of Knowledge
Why are we so willing to give up our power to fear? I have never understood this. As soon as we hear the word cancer our automatic response is one of fear. When that word comes out of a doctor’s mouth we are filled with a feeling of complete and utter helplessness. I don’t know about you but I hate feeling helpless!
What DCIS Has Taught Me – Take Back Your Power
You are in control of your body and your health. There is nothing wrong with doing research and finding out what exactly it is that you are dealing with. Information is your best weapon for this battle. The doctors do not have the time to keep up with all of it when they are constantly treating people. Just be wary, research should come from reputable sources and peer-reviewed papers.
If there is just one thing that I ask from all of you it is prayers for healing. I am looking forward to sharing all that I learn with you.
Yours Truly,
Cathy