Dr Mary Belshaw's story

Discovery

In July 2004 I found a lump on the outer edge of my right breast whilst in bed. I had felt pre-menstrual tenderness for several months and had experienced a tendency to lumpiness in the outer edges of both breasts for many years. The latter I self diagnosed as fibroadenosis of the breasts. Suddenly, instead of the diffuse lumpiness, I felt a distinct firm and irregular lump approx 2cm in diameter and on exploring further I found a firm small gland in the right axilla.

My mind immediately went into overdrive and I feared the worst. I cried when I imagined my worst fears which were breast cancer with widespread metastasis and an inevitable premature death. Harry would be left without a mother and my husband Chris would be bereft.

I am a GP and my son was just 6 years old. I lost my own father when I was only 12 years old and an elderly aunt had died in her 70's of breast cancer within 3 weeks of the diagnosis. I had also seen young patients die of the condition in the course of my work.

I saw my GP two days later and had an ultrasound scan, mammogram and biopsy of the lump shortly afterwards. Five days later whilst on holiday the surgeon rang and told me in a very matter of fact way that I had breast cancer. (As though I had been prepared and was expecting this news). I was not prepared! I went into shock and had great difficulty in coping. I was 45yrs old, felt in perfect health, and had just been told I had breast cancer!

Whilst on holiday I told my 6year old son about the cancer and was able to clear up his misunderstanding that this meant I was 'very, very ill'. Harry had also observed a significant change in our behaviour with too much hugging and kissing! I was very relieved when he coped very well with the news and we had in parts a normal holiday.

A few days later I began to feel 'very, very ill' due to pelvic and abdominal pains, loss of appetite and nausea. I was convinced again that I had widespread metastasis and that I would be admitted to heaven speedily via palliative care before even getting home. It later transpired that these symptoms were due to irritable bowel syndrome and stress. Medical knowledge has disadvantages as well as advantages, as I've learnt during the course of my illness!

Treatment

I decided to accept all conventional treatment offered to me for the sake of my family and especially Harry. I was lucky enough to need only a simple lumpectomy and also had all the glands removed from the right axilla. My surgeon offered a mastectomy but I was aware that this would not improve my prognosis and I strongly didn't want disfiguring surgery if it could be avoided. I then had 6 months of intensive chemotherapy (as part of the Tango trial which included a Taxane), 3 weeks radiotherapy and 12 months treatment with Herceptin. Herceptin was given intravenously every 3 weeks and was funded privately because the NHS wasn't funding Herceptin at the time. I experienced no significant side effects with the Herceptin treatment.

Like Jane I had a rollercoaster ride. During the course of my treatment I experienced two very sad, stressful close bereavements. This and the intensive nature of the chemotherapy treatment made the first 12 months of my treatment a very stressful period. I needed a great deal of psychological support to cope with the diagnosis, the harrowing way in which I received my results and prognosis, and also the side effects of the chemotherapy.

I decided to explore all adjuvant complementary therapies that I felt would help reduce the risk of recurrence. In addition to adopting the Jane Plant programme I also started to take various herbs and good quality vitamins, and have regular Reiki treatment and homoeopathy, which I believe helps support my immune system. I have also taken up Yoga and used a relaxation tape to help me cope with stress. A very positive attitude, ignoring the scary statistics and support from positive women in support groups also helped me a great deal. In short, I moved within 3 months with this support from a position of fear and pessimism to feeling in control, hopeful and positive about the future.

My tumour was a stage 2, Grade 3, 2cm sized oestrogen and progesterone negative and Herceptin positive adenocarcinoma which had spread to 4 out of 13 lymph glands. The tumour had not spread beyond the local lymph glands.

My first question after being given the diagnosis was what could I do to help my myself and in particular whether a change in my diet might help reduce my risk of a recurrence. I wasn't surprised when I was told there was no evidence that it would help and the breast care nurses recommended I continue with a 'healthy balanced diet'. However, this made no sense at all to me as I had developed my cancer whilst eating a so called 'healthy balanced diet'.

For many years I had eaten what was generally considered to be a healthy diet, with more than 5 portions of fruit or vegetables, low fat dairy products, and a typical western mix of fresh and convenience pre-prepared foods. I felt in good health and did regular exercise in the form of walking, swimming and gardening.

Eureka

Around 10 days after my surgery I had a Eureka moment when by chance I found Jane Plant's book in a local bookshop. I had been sent lots of information from the breast care nurses about breast cancer and had also read medical textbooks on the subject. I found most of this information made very depressing reading. I decided to browse for some books written for lay people and hoped to find practical and uplifting accounts of coping with breast cancer. Jane Plant's book 'Your Life in Your Hands' stood out. It is both inspiring and impressively well researched and well referenced.

I read it quickly and was gripped by her story. I strongly related to her account of the emotional highs and lows of the illness. But above all I felt exhilarated about the fact that I could do something myself to make a difference to the outcome of my illness.

Reading Jane's book and adopting her programme turned things around for me psychologically very quickly. I felt in control and physically I gained energy, lost around one stone in weight (dropping from a size 14 to a size 12 dress size in around 6 weeks) and felt great. My breasts also lost the lumpiness present since my early 20s and felt soft and were no longer tender. All my previous chronic minor problems have also cleared up including mild asthma, eczema and a tendency to frequent colds. My cholesterol is very good at 3.5 and despite having an abrupt and premature menopause I experienced no menopausal symptoms except for a brief period during chemotherapy. I also found I tolerated the chemotherapy fairly well and was able to take my son to school and do exercise and most days of the cycle and rested only for 1 day after treatment.

Over the course of the next 18months I read lots of well researched books on cancer and diet/ lifestyle. All the books I have read give similar advice about lifestyle changes and especially diet being important to help recover from and prevent a recurrence of breast cancer.

My reading caused me to radically reassess my views about cancer. I now believe that breast and other cancers are caused by a sick metabolism due to the modern western diet. The treatment therefore requires a change in the diet for a cure. I am convinced that adjuvant diet and life style changes will radically reduce the risk of both new cancers and of breast cancer recurrence. The dietary changes need to be for life because breast cancer can recur at any time, even 20 or more years after the initial disease. Being dairy-free is important because the hormones in milk are very powerful even when present in only very small amounts .My experience in patient support groups supports the view that women who adopt the Jane Plant programme do better than those who make no changes in their diet. Sadly, taking only your doctors advice and doing nothing else is not the best course of action. I know from my own training that doctors' knowledge about nutrition is extremely limited and little advanced from GCSE biology level. As a GP I now recommend this diet to all my patients with breast or prostate cancer.

I have more faith in my diet and holistic approach than the conventional treatments, thought the latter are essential to remove the bulk of the tumour. It's now 2 ½ years since my diagnosis and I feel very well. I am confident about the future and do not live in fear of a recurrence.

My oncologist looks more cheerful each time I see him too. I've taken my 'life in my own hands' and prefer the way it is now. I owe a great deal of thanks to Jane Plant for having the courage to write up her experience and researching the evidence for the link with diet and breast cancer. I wholeheartedly recommend Jane Plant's diet which is very safe, and has proven benefits for the prevention of heart and bone disease and is beneficial for general health and wellbeing. You have nothing to lose by adopting it and like me, Jane, and many hundreds of women what you gain could be your life.

... Other success stories

See also some reviews of Jane Plant's books !