Mastectomy and Beyond

Four months after my mastectomy in May 2016, it was time again for my well-woman exam. During the consultation with my doctor, she asked me what treatment plan I had decided on as a follow-up.

I told her I hadn't decided, that I was continuing with what I had been doing. She expressed respect for my healing choices but asked me to meet with an oncologist to ensure I had all bases covered. Since I was curious about what kind of post-op treatment plan an oncologist would prescribe, I agreed. So, a week later, I met with the oncologist she recommended. I left the appointment with a prescription for Tamoxifen and an $800.00 bill.

What was my trigger?

“I had a leaky gut. Since "all disease begins in the gut", it was the link I had been searching for.”

When I researched the side effects of Tamoxifen and how long I would be on it, I grew weary. The long list of possible side effects wasn't something I was willing to risk. So instead, I started down the research path again to find out if there was an alternative to Tamoxifen. Not only did I find the alternative information I was looking for, but I encountered a lightbulb moment.

The question I had asked, "what was my trigger?" was answered. I had a leaky gut. Since "all disease begins in the gut" (Hippocrates), it was the link I had been searching for. What is leaky gut? A condition in which the gut lining becomes abnormally permeable, meaning undigested food and toxins spill from your intestines into your bloodstream. I copied the following from Dr. Axe's website.

Signs of a Leaky Gut (1)

• Gastric ulcers

• Infectious diarrhea

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis)

• Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

• Celiac disease

• Esophageal and colorectal cancer

• Allergies

• Respiratory infections

• Acute inflammation conditions (sepsis, SIRS, multiple organ failure)

• Chronic inflammatory conditions (such as arthritis)

• Thyroid disorders

• Obesity-related metabolic diseases (fatty liver, Type II diabetes, heart disease)

• Autoimmune disease (lupus, multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s, and more) (2)

• Parkinson’s disease (3)

• Chronic fatigue syndrome (4)

• The propensity towards weight gain or obesity (5)

Listen to your body. It's smarter than you!

“A leaky gut is a symptom of gut dysbiosis”

After my initial cancer diagnosis, the first thought that came to mind was my hypothyroidism diagnosis three years earlier. I wondered if there was a connection. When I began researching hypothyroidism, I learned hypothyroidism offsets hormonal issues created by digestive problems. (6) Everything pointed to a severe problem within my digestive tract. To learn what causes a leaky gut, click here.

The oddity is I didn't experience any glaring symptoms one would expect with a digestive issue, like cramping, bloating, or frequent bowel movements. However, I did suffer from constipation, which is hugely significant on its own. It's called IBS-C - Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation. I also suffered bouts of depression that would come and go, but when I look back over my health history, the symptoms I was experiencing seemed subtle, and when issues arose, I dealt with them. Or so I thought. Click here if you would like to read how I arrived at a self-diagnosis of leaky gut.

The Poop Test

Since I self-diagnosed my leaky gut, I decided to get professional guidance and did a fecal test, and the results revealed I had gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis is an imbalance in gut flora caused by too few beneficial bacteria and an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, yeast, and parasites. The more clinical term is "Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth" (SIBO), and this term refers to the gut flora that crawled back into the small intestine from the colon, where it belongs. I learned that a leaky gut is a symptom of gut dysbiosis, and gut dysbiosis is linked to breast cancer! (7)

Gut dysbiosis expresses itself in a plethora of ways. I expressed it as a leaky gut that led to malabsorption that ultimately led to breast cancer. Someone else may express gut dysbiosis as IBS, ulcerative colitis, lupus, prostate cancer, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis/eczema, etc. (8). However, a gut dysbiosis diagnosis only confirmed my initial thought: breast cancer resulted because something was out of alignment. My cells mutated because of the toxic overload. Since discovering my microbiome was out of alignment, I set out to heal it. Click here to read what I did to restore my gut health.

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experience. Therefore, nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice, and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

Cite References:

1) Bischoff, Stephan C, Giovanni, Barbara, Buurman, Wim, Ockhuizen, Theo, Schulzke, Jorg-Dieter, Serino, Matteo, Tilg, Herbert, Watson, Alastair, and Wells, Jerry M. Intestinal permeability – a new target for disease prevention and therapy. BMC Gastroenterol 2014; 14: 189, Published online 2014 Nov 18. doi: 10.1186/s12876-014-0189-7, Accessed June, 2021

2) Fasano, A., Shea-Donohue, T. Mechanisms of Disease: the role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2, 416–422 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep0259

3) Kelly LP, Carvey PM, Keshavarzian A, Shannon KM, Shaikh M, Bakay RA, Kordower JH. Progression of intestinal permeability changes and alpha-synuclein expression in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2014 Jul;29(8):999-1009. doi: 10.1002/mds.25736. Epub 2013 Nov 4. PMID: 24898698; PMCID: PMC4050039.

4) Maes, Michael & Leunis, Jean-Claude. (2008). Normalization of leaky gut in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is accompanied by a clinical improvement: Effects of age, duration of illness, and the translocation of LPS from gram-negative bacteria. Neuroendocrinology letters. 29. 902-10.

5) Tatiana F.S. Teixeira, Maria Carmen Collado, Célia L.L.F. Ferreira, Josefina Bressan, Maria do Carmo G. Peluzio, Potential mechanisms for the emerging link between obesity and increased intestinal permeability, Nutrition Research, Volume 32, Issue 9,2012, ISSN 0271-5317, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2012.07.003.

6) Petersen, Vikki Dr., Hormone Imbalance and Root Cause Medicine, Root Cause Medical Clinic, Accessed June 2021 https://www.rootcausemedicalclinics.com/blog/hormone-imbalance-and-root-cause-medicine/

7) Caiyun Xuan, Jaime M. Shamonki, Alice Chung, Maggie L. DiNome, Maureen Chung, Peter A. Sieling, Delphine J. Lee, Microbial Dysbiosis is Associated with Human Breast Cancer. Published: January 8, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0083744. Accessed June 2021

8) Juliana Durack, Susan V. Lynch, The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy, J Exp Med. 2019 Jan 7; 216(1): 20–40. doi: 10.1084/jem.20180448, PMCID: PMC6314516, Accessed June 2021