In January of 2022, I felt a small lump near my left breast about 1.5 cm in diameter. I was not quite 40 years old, and it caught me by surprise. I did have a family history of different cancers, but I felt very young still. This is a summary of what things I tried, how they benefited me personally and what lessons I learned.
Emotions, Worries, and Never Giving up Hope - Control What You Can
For a couple of months after I found the lump, one part of me thought it could just be a swollen lymph node that got infected, and it could simply go away in a few weeks.
It didn't go away.
Keeping my worries hidden from my husband and five children was hard. I put on a smile and desperately tried to shove that worry about the lump out of my brain and go on living life to the fullest.
After two months, though, it was still there. I told my husband, but because I didn't know what it was, I didn't want to worry anyone, so I didn't tell anyone else, not even my children. My oldest daughter was planning on moving out soon, and I didn't want her to change her mind just because of me. If I'm being completely honest, I was also terrified to go to a doctor. I was afraid of being told I had cancer. My mother and grandparents had different cancers, so I grew up with this anxiety about it. In addition, I didn't even have a regular PCP at the time. Another reason was my health insurance, I thought, was more like an emergency only plan. I was worried about burdening my family with a lot of debt. This year of 2022 was filled with deep hidden worries and anxieties while I continued my regular, busy schedules with a smile. I was a stay at home mom with five children. We were always very busy. I began to be more grateful for my time with my family.
Although I regret so many things that I did wrong during this year (specifically waiting to go to the doctor), I learned so much and continue to use this knowledge still today.
Trying to Heal Myself and What I Tried
(Before reading this section, hear my words of counsel: Trying to use food, lifestyle and all these methods are amazing and good to do, but you should ALWAYS ALWAYS go to a doctor also. Get the tests done. Face your fears and go to a doctor or you may end up making more surgeries and more treatments down the road that you wouldn't have had to do if you went in early to check it out. Don't wait like I did. Find someone to help you and go with you.)
Here's some info about me. I am a health nut. I love learning about my health and have previously changed my diet before this multiple times. So not telling my children or extended family about the lump this year, and trying all these new things with my diet and exercises was not a strange thing for them to even question. It was normal for me. Each of these things, I did at different times throughout the year. Usually when the change didn't seem to shrink the lump, I would move on and try another thing. Never give up hope right? I'll just list them here for you. I am also including links for you to have for reference. Some of the links go directly to the item I used and some are just ones I found for you to get an idea of what I'm talking about. I'm not in anyway trying to support doing any of these. I am simply recording some of the things I tried during this time to help me remember the lessons I learned from it and to share with others that when something like this comes up in life, grab control of something to give you a hope and an anchor. You really can only control your own actions, so that is what I did. I don't share these things to encourage anyone to try them. Many things didn't do a thing. For me personally, if I don't see results in anyway or any benefit within about a two week time period, I move on to something else to try. That's just me.
Gerson's Hippocrates soup - I actually really love this. Find their website here.
Liquids-only fast - (a day of soup, herbal tea, water, smoothies)
Started walking daily - A great mental boost
Changed my diet to have no refined sugars or refined grains. - This regulated my mood and helped my anxiety to lessen.
Did a 36 hour fast (with liquid)
Started taking Lymphatic Drainage drops
Started weight training - Another great mental boost and destresser.
Studied all I could on how to shrink the lump.
In June, switched to a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet - This diet has been the one that gave me the most energy and made me personally feel my best. This website has many free recipes. https://www.forksoverknives.com/
Started adding comfrey oil, Vitamin E oil, walnut oil, sesame oil and later Burdock oil (all at different times) onto the lump area. I think I even rubbed turmeric right onto my skin. I also tried Sea Moss. Since I was a slim person, I could easily keep track if the lump was shrinking or growing in size from what I was trying.
Got an oxygen meter to keep track of my oxygen levels.
Started wearing 100 percent linen or cotton clothes. I didn't throw out my other clothes. Just used these more often. All things in moderation.
Learned the Silva Method for Meditations. I still really like the "labs" and visualization ones. You can find some free info on this on YouTube.
Started practicing QiGong. Still love it. I also enjoy Tai Chi.
I learned a great deal about the Ayurveda lifestyle and started making changes with that.
Switched to all glass food containers. a.k.a. Tupperware. *Tip- Keeping them in a lower cabinet helped us not drop them as often. Use a child-proof cabinet lock if you have young children.
Lots of praying.
There were other things I tried or read about. Some of which I didn't consider doing. Some things weren't realistic for me to do with my schedule and large family.
Lessons Learned and Progress Made
Trying out all these things, I learned way more about my body and how to take care of it better. I don't regret trying any of it. Even the ones I tried for only 2 weeks, taught me how my body response to it. Everyone is different. Something might work for others that doesn't work for me.
What I do regret is not trying to go around my anxiety to make that first doctor appointment early on.
In January of 2022 the lump measured about 1-1.5 cm when I first found it. By August, it measured about 4 cm in diameter. The beginning of September, it measured at 3.5 cm so I took courage from that. But by December, the lump measured a little more than 5 cm. After all I could do, by the time December came, I knew my efforts alone weren't enough. I had read so many people's stories of healing themselves with food. That wasn't my story.
In my next post, I'll share what happened in 2023 and how I overcame my fear to go to the doctor.
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