Please skip this if you're sick of the cancer topic. But some of you
might care to know.

I looked up a couple of reputable books on breast cancer after my
diagnosis, one written by a top doctor at UCLA, one more "popular" and
written by a survivor.

On the topic of what to eat, they generally said eat a wide variety of
foods. But both of them made statements that went approximately like
this "since eating large amounts of animal fats may increase your risk
for cancer, you should eat a low fat diet and avoid red meat." I find
this a large jump in logic. Why can't you eat red meat in small
quantities? And olive oil is good for breast cancer.

On the topic of wine, a similar statement was made "Since drinking 6-9
glasses of wine per week is a risk factor for breast cancer, you should
only drink a glass of wine at Thanksgiving or New Year's holidays."

the wine - If 6-9 glasses a week is risky, where is the data that
two glasses a year is the only safe choice?

I asked my surgeon, the head of the breast center at UC San Francisco,
one of the top centers in the country. She said that 3 to 5 glasses of
wine a week would put me below the area of risk. She also said that you
eat what's good for you, lots of vegetables and fruit, a wide variety
of foods, and enjoy your life.

Since I don't normally drink 5 glasses of wine average per month, I am
going to continue as I was pre-cancer. No wine when I've been using
pain or anti-nausea meds (or when I'm nauseated, duh). Have a glass or
two with a meal when the mood strikes, which is usually less than once
a week, sometimes more like once a month. And as the surgeon said, if I
drink three glasses during the course of a long and delicious meal, I
know to lay off for the rest of the week.

Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
under)

Leila

"Leila" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Please skip this if you're sick of the cancer topic. But some of you
> might care to know.
>
><snipping interesting comments...>
>
> Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
> and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
> under)
>
> Leila
>===============

Congratulations on finding a wonderful doctor! That is one of the biggest
battles in itself.

We'll keep you in our prayers during your recovery and when the April walk
for cancer happens, I'll be thinking of you during those 18 hours, too!

Cyndi

In article .com>,
"Leila" > wrote:

> Please skip this if you're sick of the cancer topic. But some of you
> might care to know.
>
> I looked up a couple of reputable books on breast cancer after my
> diagnosis, one written by a top doctor at UCLA, one more "popular" and
> written by a survivor.
>
> On the topic of what to eat, they generally said eat a wide variety of
> foods. But both of them made statements that went approximately like
> this "since eating large amounts of animal fats may increase your risk
> for cancer, you should eat a low fat diet and avoid red meat." I find
> this a large jump in logic. Why can't you eat red meat in small
> quantities? And olive oil is good for breast cancer.
>
> On the topic of wine, a similar statement was made "Since drinking 6-9
> glasses of wine per week is a risk factor for breast cancer, you should
> only drink a glass of wine at Thanksgiving or New Year's holidays."
>
> the wine - If 6-9 glasses a week is risky, where is the data that
> two glasses a year is the only safe choice?
>
> I asked my surgeon, the head of the breast center at UC San Francisco,
> one of the top centers in the country. She said that 3 to 5 glasses of
> wine a week would put me below the area of risk. She also said that you
> eat what's good for you, lots of vegetables and fruit, a wide variety
> of foods, and enjoy your life.
>
> Since I don't normally drink 5 glasses of wine average per month, I am
> going to continue as I was pre-cancer. No wine when I've been using
> pain or anti-nausea meds (or when I'm nauseated, duh). Have a glass or
> two with a meal when the mood strikes, which is usually less than once
> a week, sometimes more like once a month. And as the surgeon said, if I
> drink three glasses during the course of a long and delicious meal, I
> know to lay off for the rest of the week.
>
> Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
> and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
> under)
>
Hi Leila!

You may have seen the article in the newspaper of late suggesting that
the oleic acid in olive oil may turn off one of the genes responsible
for some (30%) breast cancers. The problem with all of these diet
recommendations, to this scientist's mind, is that many people don't pay
attention to nutritional or lifestyle issues until AFTER the diagnosis.
The development of any cancer can take years.

I'll take issue with hahabogus's assessment of your surgeon. I've met
surgeons who have the personality and bedside manner of cardboard
studded with broken glass. She also sounds as if she has some
reasonable suggestions for eating, which is what you've been doing all
along.

Hope all continues to go well!

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Leila wrote:
> Please skip this if you're sick of the cancer topic. But some of you
> might care to know.
>
(snip interesting query)
> Leila
Leila, I was very sorry to hear of your diagnosis. But I really like the
sound of your surgeon. Seems to keep on top of things which is, of course,
great. And wouldn't mind being lulled into anesthesia with my surgeon
singing. The last time I had surgery (emergency) I had to tell the staff
*before* the anesthetist started, "Uh, I'm wearing contact lenses, does
anyone care?" DUH.

Best wishes for no recurrences. And it's a good thing you continue to ask
questions and do research.

Jill

Hahabogus wrote:
> "Leila" > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
>
>>Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
>>and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
>>under)
>>
>>Leila
>>
>
>
> That would scare the Hell outa me. Seems unprofessional and too laid
> back. I would prefer her to be concentrating on the operation with her
> whole mind.

You might not want to hear that just about all
surgeons have their CD collections in the OR. They
LOVE to listen to hard rock to classic music.
Some quite LOUD! lol
On the other side of this- I can concentrate
better on a lecture or church sermon if my hands
are occupied (such as with hand sewing or
embroidery). I don't know why but just sitting
there staring at the lecturer allows my mind to
wander whereas concentrating on the sewing allows
me to "hear" better.
Goomba

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Hahabogus wrote:
>> "Leila" > wrote in
>> oups.com:
>>
>>
>>>Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
>>>and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
>>>under)
>>>
>>>Leila
>>>
>>
>>
>> That would scare the Hell outa me. Seems unprofessional and too laid
>> back. I would prefer her to be concentrating on the operation with her
>> whole mind.
>
> You might not want to hear that just about all surgeons have their CD
> collections in the OR. They LOVE to listen to hard rock to classic music.
> Some quite LOUD! lol
> On the other side of this- I can concentrate better on a lecture or church
> sermon if my hands are occupied (such as with hand sewing or embroidery).
> I don't know why but just sitting there staring at the lecturer allows my
> mind to wander whereas concentrating on the sewing allows me to "hear"
> better.
> Goomba
>

When you are really good at something - as you hope your surgeon is - you do
not need your whole mind to do the best job. In fact you will likely do a
worse job if you pay strict and complete attention. "Relaxed attentiveness"
is a phrase often used to describe the best state to perform a difficult
task that you know well.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

surgeon singing - she's standing there while the anesthesiologist
has me sit up so she can stick a needle in my back. The surgeon puts
her hands on my head and rubs my hair and sings while I'm getting this
procedure. Then they put me down on my back again and say bye-bye
Leila. That's all I remember until I woke up again 10 hours later.
Whoever complained about the surgeon singing just didn't get the
picture. She would have been just standing by at that moment, she chose
to do this incredibly warm comforting thing while I was getting stabbed
in the back.

Leila

Trouble is, my diet was pretty close to what is generally recommended,
all of my life. Moderate intake of red meat, lots of fresh produce,
rarely ate fast food, made a lot of meals at home, ate a wide variety
of foods, used lots of olive oil and followed a mostly Mediterranean
diet. Some would say I eat more sugar than is good for me - chocolate
etc. Also alcohol consumption was moderate to abstemious. So no risk
factors in my diet particularly, and haven't needed to change much.

No, my biggest risk factors were having my children late and being a
middle class female in the Bay area.

Leila

"Leila" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> surgeon singing - she's standing there while the anesthesiologist
> has me sit up so she can stick a needle in my back. The surgeon puts
> her hands on my head and rubs my hair and sings while I'm getting this
> procedure. Then they put me down on my back again and say bye-bye
> Leila. That's all I remember until I woke up again 10 hours later.
> Whoever complained about the surgeon singing just didn't get the
> picture. She would have been just standing by at that moment, she chose
> to do this incredibly warm comforting thing while I was getting stabbed
> in the back.
>
> Leila

What do you mean stabbed in the back? Is this just a term for your surgery?

Hahabogus wrote:
> "Leila" > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
>
>>Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
>>and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
>>under)
>>
>>Leila
>>
>
>
> That would scare the Hell outa me. Seems unprofessional and too laid
> back. I would prefer her to be concentrating on the operation with her
> whole mind.
>


Have you ever been near a working O.R.? Many of them have heavy metal
or the surgeon's choice of music blasting at high volume "to relax the
surgeon" or jokes of questionable taste being swapped. Too many TV
medical dramas give the unrealistic picture of a silent, respectful
atmosphere. 'Taint so.

gloria p

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 21:24:11 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

>"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
>> Hahabogus wrote:
>>> "Leila" > wrote in
>>> oups.com:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
>>>>and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
>>>>under)
>>>>
>>>>Leila
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> That would scare the Hell outa me. Seems unprofessional and too laid
>>> back. I would prefer her to be concentrating on the operation with her
>>> whole mind.
>>
>> You might not want to hear that just about all surgeons have their CD
>> collections in the OR. They LOVE to listen to hard rock to classic music.
>> Some quite LOUD! lol
>> On the other side of this- I can concentrate better on a lecture or church
>> sermon if my hands are occupied (such as with hand sewing or embroidery).
>> I don't know why but just sitting there staring at the lecturer allows my
>> mind to wander whereas concentrating on the sewing allows me to "hear"
>> better.
>> Goomba
>>
>
>When you are really good at something - as you hope your surgeon is - you do
>not need your whole mind to do the best job. In fact you will likely do a
>worse job if you pay strict and complete attention. "Relaxed attentiveness"
>is a phrase often used to describe the best state to perform a difficult
>task that you know well.

What's more, letting a familiar tune run through your head, or
something like that, is likely to aid concentration in the part of
your mind that needs to be focused on a complex task.

See the title story in Oliver Sacks, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For
a Hat", for a particularly striking example of this.

--
Chris Green

"Leila" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Please skip this if you're sick of the cancer topic. But some of you
> might care to know.
>
> I looked up a couple of reputable books on breast cancer after my
> diagnosis, one written by a top doctor at UCLA, one more "popular" and
> written by a survivor.
>
> On the topic of what to eat, they generally said eat a wide variety of
> foods. But both of them made statements that went approximately like
> this "since eating large amounts of animal fats may increase your risk
> for cancer, you should eat a low fat diet and avoid red meat." I find
> this a large jump in logic. Why can't you eat red meat in small
> quantities? And olive oil is good for breast cancer.
>
> On the topic of wine, a similar statement was made "Since drinking 6-9
> glasses of wine per week is a risk factor for breast cancer, you should
> only drink a glass of wine at Thanksgiving or New Year's holidays."
>
> the wine - If 6-9 glasses a week is risky, where is the data that
> two glasses a year is the only safe choice?
>
> I asked my surgeon, the head of the breast center at UC San Francisco,
> one of the top centers in the country. She said that 3 to 5 glasses of
> wine a week would put me below the area of risk. She also said that you
> eat what's good for you, lots of vegetables and fruit, a wide variety
> of foods, and enjoy your life.
>
> Since I don't normally drink 5 glasses of wine average per month, I am
> going to continue as I was pre-cancer. No wine when I've been using
> pain or anti-nausea meds (or when I'm nauseated, duh). Have a glass or
> two with a meal when the mood strikes, which is usually less than once
> a week, sometimes more like once a month. And as the surgeon said, if I
> drink three glasses during the course of a long and delicious meal, I
> know to lay off for the rest of the week.
>
> Moderation in all things. I like this surgeon. (She dresses great, too,
> and sings Puccini to her patients while the anesthesiologist puts us
> under)
>
> Leila

I've been looking in my computer for a file I saved about a year or so ago
and I certainly wish I could find it, but I can't. Perhaps someone else
might recognize what I am speaking of and post the url.
It is a list of countries along with columns for women, men,
wine/beer/alcohol and each country's medical recommendation in ounces and
drinks per day/week for a healthful amount of like-beverage. From that
large list, there was some variation in recommended drinks per week/per day,
but not a lot. From that composite I was able to make a decision for
myself, not based upon what one doctor in my country would recommend, even
though he/she may be repeating the U.S. guidelines.
If one has a lot of wine glasses of varying size, one of the things I did
for a number of months was to measure in ounces the wine that I was
drinking, thus training my eye to recognize, if I decided to have another
glass of wine, just how much I was drinking. Some wine glass sizes are
deceiving; we should all know that from ordering wine by the glass in
restaurants.

Another thing one can do regarding deciding what to eat is to take a good
look at the breast cancer rates in other countries and see what they are
eating. Just in the news today is olive oil included in the Mediterranean
diet, and as I understand it, tofu is not a bad thing to include in some way
in your diet - but I would not force myself to eat it if I had an aversion
to it.

Cancer is such a scarey thing and when we get it, we wonder if perhaps we
have been eating unwisely and try to change our habits. It is one thing we
can try to change for ourselves that we know about. Luckily, the subject of
food is an interesting one.

Dee

Yeah, the nurse standing by as I quizzed the doc wine etc.
suggested I meet with the staff nutritionist. UC San Francisco Breast
Center has everything. They're swamped, but they are full service. I
didn't follow up on how to get to see the nutritionist, however...
Leila