Magella on Late Late

Saw it, also saw her the night she shaved her head. She is one brave and amazing lady, our own Angelina Jolie perhaps.

I guess her profile, being married to Daniel, allows her talk on shows etc about her situation. I was delighted to hear her talk about how chemo made her head/brain go "funny". I would have told people this, even my hubby, and they never really believed me!!!

Hi Mel,

Thanks for letting us know about this. I was able to find it on the RTE Player web site. Quite an amazing lady and great hair and energy so soon after her treatment. An inspiration for sure

Awareness of the importance of following up on symptoms quickly is one aspect of breast cancer awareness. I have always known that.

What I would dearly love to see anyone who gets this type of platform to promote is that [color=#8000FF:39v41df4]you can reduce your risk of cancer with a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, weight control, low alchohol consumption and not smoking.[/color:39v41df4]

For me that is the most important awareness message of all.

Good health to all

Kath

Hello Kathleen

While I agree with you (what you say is widely publicised) .. For me it also raises questions, I am (and have always been) the perfect weight, active lifestyle, non smoker & very occasional drinker.. My question is that if this is the holy grail of how not to get cancer then why did I get it while my overweight, drinking, smoking friends did not?

Resolute x

Ah Resolute,

Believe me I have asked myself the same question over and over. Like you, I have many friends who I would have thought much more likely to have health problems than me. They are fine and I am glad they are doing well of course. But I was the one who got cancer. Why me? Why on earth did it happen to me? It made me really angry at one point.

When I asked my doctor about this, he said that maybe my cancer would have appeared 10 or 15 years ago if I had been a heavy drinker or a smoker or been overweight.

All we can do is LOWER the risk, not eliminate it. There is nothing we can do about certain risk factors like age, family history and being a woman. The same is true of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We can only REDUCE the risk with a healthy lifestyle, not eradicate it.

I saw my oncologist during the week and asked her, as I ask all my doctors, how to prevent cancer from coming back. Her answer was:

- keep taking my Tamoxifen
- do at least 2 1/2 hours or moderate exercise a week or 75 minutes of very intense exercise
- do all my scans and mammograms as advised

I wish I had a better answer for you but I don't.

Kath

Still pondering on this one Resolute ...

If it is any help, you at least know that it was not something you did (or didn't do) that caused your cancer.

All the best

Kath

I think it's a bit like if you haven't a healthy good lifestyle it's like standing in the middle of the road and hoping you won't get knocked down and leading a healthy life then you're on the footpath but sometimes cars mount the footpath and may hit you but there's less chance than if you're standing in the middle of the road!!

Thanks Kath
I suppose I also wouldn't like to think that this information ( if you happen to be overweight, smoke & have a drink) would cause you to believe that you are actually responsible for having cancer, when it's a fact that we just don't know what causes cancer...

Wicklow lady
I love your description !!

Hope you are both keeping well, it really is great to get so many different opinions here on the forum & to know that we're all in it together

Resolute x

Hi Resolute and Wicklow Lady,

Brilliant description Wicklow Lady I always appreciate that Wicklow sunshine!

I agree with you entirely, Resolute. We don't know what causes cancer and I certainly didn't intend to suggest that anyone who is overweight, inactive, smokes and drinks is responsible for having cancer. I am sorry if it came across that way.

My point was that before this happened to me I would have watched someone like Majella, my heart would have gone out to her but I would not have known that I could reduce the risk of being in the same position myself some day.

Best wishes to all

Kath

Thanks I'll always try and bring sunshine on here. I always saw it like that though, that by doing things right you reduce the risks but don't eliminate it altogether

Oh Kath
Now I feel bad I didn't for one second think that you were suggesting anything of the sort... I have read so many of your informative posts here and I always appreciate how much trouble you (& you too Wicklow Lady ) go to when you give us links to all those interesting articles.
Keep up the good work both of you!
Resolute x

Hi Resolute,

Please don't feel bad.

I just thought afterwards that I should have been more clear. It was more me thinking my thoughts through to what could be a possible negative interpretation of what I first wrote that made me return here to clarify.

I've really enjoyed your posts too. I have learnt so much from each and everyone on this site

Good luck to all

Kath

I knew this was on but I deliberately didn't watch it, nor did I watch the last one she did (watched the head shave & did donate but nothing else) because I thought it may be too close to the bone. I've been doing very well with my treatment and diagnosis and haven't got too upset over it but I think that would have set me off and I don't want to be set off yet. I'd prefer to do that once treatment has ended and I can look back at what has happened me. I think you're very brave to have been able to watch it while still undergoing treatment!

Hi New!
I know exactly what you mean. I sat down to watch Aine Lawlor's documentary the other day, feeling all businesslike about it.
The next thing I knew, I was a blubbering wreck half way through. Close to the bone indeed! And that's from someone who only had "a little bit of cancer" (I'm quoting someone else on here, but it captures perfectly how I often feel).
I found it incredibly hard to watch the first part of the documentary, and forced myself to watch the second part (it is good telly, and I felt I needed to watch it) and somehow found it easier.
The fact is that the diagnosis and treatment, whichever it is, does not just affect our bodies - it fairly messes around with our heads, too!
Catherine
PS - I didn't watch Majella on either occasion - but that's only because I can't abide the Late Late presenter and his flippant, uninterested treatment of most guests.

HI Catherine,
I agree with you too. I watched the Aine Lawlor programme also,initally saw it b4 diagnosed was totally ambivalent to it, but decided to watch it post diagnosis ,it was like watching it for the first time and i too was a blubbering wreck had to stop it a few times and then continue. This is the part of d cancer business I didn't know about , the "head messing" part.I find I have become much more emotional and this is from someone who never cries!Thankfully I now realise its not just me ,it hits us all in different ways and at different times.

This is only the second post I've made on the forum and it ends up being about the same thing, a book. I felt for all the women in this string, blaming yourself for bc, feeling really low, heads messed up by all we've gone through. What you say rings so true to me. I always turn to books when I need support and of all the things out there, there is one that has made a big difference for me. It's called [i:2guykyrz]The emotional impact of breast cancer, the alternative handbook[/i:2guykyrz]. It's by a psychologist who's also had breast cancer, called Cordelia Galgut. Reading it made a lot of sense and helped me sort out my feelings a bit and not knock myself for what I was feeling. I go back and dip into it when I'm feeling bad and it reminds me that it's okay to feel bad!! If you're at all into reading, I think it's worth a look.
Kazey