CMF Question
Comments
-
p.s. Rita, sorry, I missed your question on tamoxifen, there. Yes, it was that, no side effects, I was pre menopausal (still am dammit) but I have heard that arimidex has 75% cancer fighting vs. tamoxifen's 50%. I'll be joining you in taking it when they yank the ovaries/uterus out.
Apparently there is a chemo window after treatment wherein you are protected for while also?
Anyone heard of that one?
xoxo
annie
0 -
Annie....so glad the side effects are leaving! As for the chemo window between treatments, I have also read that somewhere. I think it was on one of these threads. As for the lung issue, I would be petrified, too. Why wouldn't you be scared? It's that D*** unknown again. The same unknown that follows us around day and night. No matter how many times people try to reassure you by saying, "It's nothing. They're just using precaution" you're still bound to be fearful. In the back of your head you're still holding the thought that it might BE something. You've been through so much after doing the chemo routine twice now and it seems too soon to even having to think about anything more.
In spite of everything, I sincerely think that if they really thought you had lung cancer or some other debilitating lung problem, they would have had you back in immediately and would be doing every test imaginable. I'm not a doctor and don't pretend to be one. However, you certainly need to have it checked out and you will be able to do that when you're ready. In the meantime, try to enjoy a little of the summer weather. Try to keep your doubts in the back of your mind and give them a good backward shove if they start to resurface again. I'll be praying that everything goes well for you! You're due for some good luck!
Rita
0 -
Rita, you have the best way with your words to help all of us while we face our mental challenges ... thanks gal ...
at work, gotta go, Carol
0 -
New to this thread...but have learned so much from all of you since I started CMF on 6/16, for eight cycles, I have had two tx. I have just started to shed hair. Can you share with me your experience on how long does the shedding/thinning went on for?
0 -
Julie, hoping you are doing o.k. after your first chemo. The fear of the "unknown" will be much less now. Take good care!
Hi Jill, the bone scan itself is really not bad at all. I had a bone scan and it was the easiest test that I have had so far. I think I had a small injection of some nuclear dye (real tiny needle you can hardly feel) and then you just lie down and the machine scans over you (not as claustraphobic as the mri at all). Just don't go through airport security within, I think 2 days, or you will set off the machines
You should get the results pretty quickly. Did you have some bone pain? If not, they are just doing a baseline. I had some pain in my ribs for a while and the scan showed no problems. I think mine was maybe some effect of radiation perhaps. Praying for good quick results. Annie, my prayers are with you too that everything will turn out well with your cat scan. OMG, you so did not need to have this right after you finished chemo. But again, they are probably being overly cautious...a double edged sword eh? You want them to be this way, but the anxiety all these tests seem to bring---yuck!
Good for you giving yourself a little break before you call to set this up---smart! In the mean time, I hope you are feeling much better and will have a good weekend!How is it going Harley?
Rita, sorry you are having problems with your foot. I'm with Annie, hopefully it is just a foot ouchy! Prayers and (((hugs))) Hope you had a really fun weekend with your son in Chicago!
I didn't realize you lived so far away from the city center. I will email you about this soon. Maybe I could take a train and meet you part way? It would be really nice to meet you in person Rita!
No, I have still not got any word on my mri. I can check my testing results on this special internet site my hospital has (I was part of a study) and usually get the test results before I see the dr. My last mri I got the results in a week. Oh well, hopefully no news is good news. (my dr. appt is the end of next week--my fault for booking it too late---so, I wait) Urrgg! Lots of us here in a similar boat. So I say, Let's give that "monster in the closet" a kick in the butt by all of us having a terrific weekend!
Love to you all,
Ginny
0 -
opps, missed several posts somehow.
Annie, you are still pre-men after cmf? Wow. I lost my period about half way through chemo and has never returned. Because I am er-pr- I wouldn't mind still having some of that estrogen (good for some important things---hmmf) Rita said it so well (re: the cat scan)---it is darn scary. Also, if they were really concerned, they would have had you come in sooner. Hang in there!
Hi mmcquire, glad this thread has been a source of help for you. All the best to you as you go through the rest of your treatments. Re: hair thinning: hard to remember exactly, and everyone is different, I think I shed still a bit until about a month after chemo ended. You will probably notice your hair quite a bit thinner towards the end though. I kept mine long through out and at the end decided to get a short cut. I didn't blow dry and used lots of conditioner (chemo dries out your hair). Many people will probably not even notice the change (you and your hair dresser will). Great thing is my underarm hair has never grown back much since chemo (love that!) The shedding can kind of drive you crazy, and make you feel like you will lose it all, but most cmf ladies do not.
(((hugs)))Ginny
0 -
Hi all...
First morning after. Got through the night- but not an easy one. I'm feeling pretty off this morning.
As I have such a reaction to steroids, I was not given any this time- but when I asked about the Aloxi, I was surprised to be told they did not have any. So was given Kytril and Emend. I asked if this was a bit overkill and was told- yes, possibly, but since I was not having the Decadron, it was to be cautious (I also did not want the Ativan- can't stand how I feel on it). I was okay for about two hours at home and then started to feel pretty awful. I have been having some problems for the last two weeks with a terribly sore and tight neck. I thought it was the stress of everything I'm going through and the anticipation of chemo. About 9pm last night, the pain was excrutiating and my husband tried to massage the knots out for an hour or so. I was terribly anxious. Drinking all the water they advised and just could not, um, get anything to come out.
About 4 am, I finally was able to go to the bathroom and have been there about every half hour now. Neck only slighty better. Wondering if the anxiety came from the Kytri/Emend and now find myself afraid to take any more. Just had some toast and banana...so far, not too much nausea. Neck thing has me terribly worried--- of course, the way my mind goes these days, I'm worrying about mets to the bones...
Going to acupuncture this am and hoping I can get some relief there. Feeling like my legs weigh 100 lbs- so tired. Not a good start to this, I'm afraid.
-julieb
0 -
Hi Julie, sorry this has been a rough start for you. I understand as I experienced a very similar reaction. I did not use steroids till towards the end. (I must say they really did help a lot) I took kytril and compazine faithfully. It is not overkill at all, especially when you do not know how you will react to the chemo. Not everyone has an easy time. My advice, keep on a schedule with the anti-nausea drugs (don't miss a dose) it is far better to be safe than sorry. It is much harder to control the nausea after the effect than before. Been there done all of that! Keep drinking that water (if the flavour starts to bug you, just add some low acid juice to it, or some flavour crystals) You may already know this, but the anti-nausea drugs can constipate you, so taking stool softners (am/pm) may be helpful. I took them a day before chemo and through it till I was on the "chemo holiday" part (a few days after and time between your next one). You could call your pharmacist regarding reactions to the drugs and see if anxiety is one of them. It would make sense that your were very stressed doing your first chemo and feeling that in your neck. Let your oncologist know about any symptoms that are troublesome---that is there job to try and help you deal with side effects so that they are as minimal as possible. Fatique definetly happens. I felt quite out of it for about 4 days after and just rested when my body said "I am pooped, stop pushing me so much!". Listen to your body. Everyone is so different. If you put expectations on yourself that you are supposed to work and do all the things you did before (luckily some people can do this---not all!) you may just get yourself down and panicky. Rest if you need to, if you are able to. Let people help you, let them know you need help. You should start to feel much better after a couple of days. So hang in there, you can do this!
(((hugs)))
Ginny
0 -
Julie, just wanted to stop by and give you a cyber HUG! Hoping that you will feel better soon and get a handle on this quickly. Of course, only 2 more, right??
If you are interested, the Illinois Gals are going to do dinner next Wednesday- if you would like to come, I'd be more then happy to give you a ride!
0 -
Good Am ladies, I am a slug and just woke up! But am feeling better today, and I hope all of you are too, esp. Julie with #1 behind her!!!
Rita, thank you so much, I think my anxiety just gets out of control. I have held everything in such firm check thru all this I have put alot of emotions on autopilot and been like Scarlett O'Hara when she says "I'll think about that tomorrow".....well, it's tomorrow, and I am a mess!
I think you are quite right about the lung thing....if it is, it is, and I need to get it fixed. If it's not, fantastic. Meanwhile I shall take this week and Not Even Think About It. (ha ha) but I will try.
Is your foot any better? I am sending good thoughts.
Hey Harley, how did the tats work out this time? Are they staying there?
Carol, how are you hon?
Ginny, what a sweetie you are. Yes, I am still pre men. I have not had a visit from Auntie since Feb. and I am 52, so am hoping that this is it! My onc okayed removal of the ovaries/hysterectomy, and I am hoping there is no rush with this, as I want to get my girl finished up first and done with. Also the thought of more surgery really makes me tired. But I will do what is best to be done. I hope getting the plumbing pulled out doesn't result in the Dorian Grey type effect and I get pruney immediately! Hope you are OK? You don't say how you are doing, just help us all here..........
Mmcquire: I know I am still shedding, and I have plenty of hair, if I part it at the top, you can see a tiny bit of thinning, but I have dog hair, it's wild and thick. Frankly, better to lose some of this! you shouldn't notice it much. You can always get a cool short 'do, Harley and Carol did and they looked so hot in theirs, I got mine cut too! But not being as young as they are, did not have quite the same effect
Julie, I had alot of those effects, esp. the neck thing and the not being able to pee after. I too despise the ativan, just made me feel bizarre. I found that it did settle down alot after treatment number two into a kind of pattern. The first time was certainly the worst then alot better after that. I do think the worry and anxiety over how it will go does affect the outcome. Hugs to you!
Well, need to go get dressed, have a good day all. JanClare, nice to e meet you! I do love that quote from Christopher Reeve, made me think of his book "still me". So true, both of those.
love to all
annie
0 -
Thanks for the advice on the hair thinning. I am afraid to brush it for fear it will all fall out...I guess I just have to remember "it is only hair and it will grow back." Thanks for the tip on the dry hair, I was wondering why my pony tail was sticking out straight, my hair is so dry. I will be getting it cut short this week.
I have had severe nausea (vomiting the first tx) and a severe headache, I have asked about slowing the drip down (as I have learned on this thread) and they keep telling me that it will not make a difference. Sounds like to me that it has helped alot of you on this thread. My next tx is 7/27, I am going to insist on slowing it down this time.
Best-Mary
0 -
JulieB..I bet some of your neck problem is caused by the anxiety. Let me know if the acupuncture works and gives you any relief. I have been thinking about trying it for my foot. Hang in there! It will get better.
Mary...I firmly believe that the rate of the drip makes a big difference in at least the headache side-effect. I think that if they slow it down, you will have little or no headaches. Also, it's so strange how everybody's body reacts differently. I couldn't do the Kytril at all. Hang in there. You will figure out what works for you.
Carol...how's the skin doing? Still just a bit pink?
Annie...are the side effects all gone and are you ready to move right on? Sure hope so!
Hi Harley...hope you're back to your old self today. It's a lovely sunny day in Illinois! I cherish each and every one of them.
Jill, I wish you lived closer. I'd come and raid your garden. The produce in the stores is ugly right now. In a few weeks we should be able to get some good stuff at Farmer's Market.
Ginny, I picked up a map of the subway system when were in Chicago this weekend so I'll be able to figure out the best way to get to you when you come in September. Of course it was a big joke because everyone thinks I'll lose the map by then. (Now I wonder why they would think that????)
Well, I need to get something accomplished around here. I'll check back later.
Rita
0 -
Hi Ladies,
Had a busy weekend, golfed, yardwork, and a long 16 mile training walk yesterday ... whew, thank god its back to work so I can get some rest!!!
So whats been new ...
Mary, say the question on your hair, I definitely thought the first month that I was going to lose all my hair, it didn't happen. Each month it would shed, typically about a week after my infusion it would start and then mellow out by the time my next txt started. So it ended up shedding in two week intervals. Happy to report, my hair which started out thin, is still thin, but I'm still sporting it so all is good.
I had good luck with Zofran for nausea, in fact I took it daily when on my oral cytoxan and never had any nausea. Food for thought if the other drugs aren't working.
Jill, I had a bone scan done before my chemo started ... I'm assuming for a baseline as well. The procedure itself was no biggie as I think somebody already stated.
Annie, hoping your starting feel like your ol'/young self again. Hey I like your avatar ... its always nice to see a face while reading the words.
So you're a good sounding board on the ooph/hyst. The question came up on another post, so is it still prudent to yank the ovaries if you are in deed menopausal? I guess I was thinking that if I was pre-meno it would make sense. My onc has ordered a battery of blood test, and so far all my results show that I'm in deed in menopause, or maybe its just chemopause, no period as well since my 3 month of CMF. I'll be questioning my onc here in a couple weeks but thought I'd throw out my question to you all.
Ginny and Rita, I love it that it sounds like you'll be able to meet each other, as Jill and I did. I'm pretty hyped myself to be meeting a couple gals I chat with on another post while in CA next month. One will be out from the east coast and the other lives in CA.
Jill, the door is open for a visit ... its finally summer in the Pac NW, so you won't freeze! Hey that open door goes out to you all.
Julie, its just not fair, a tweeked neck and a pottier that doesn't want to work right. I'm so hoping that by today your feeling better and the se's of txt #1 are all but gone.
Harley, thinking of ya gal, I'm thinking a phone call will be order here soon.
Gotta go, still at work, Carol
0 -
Hi there girls, hope everyone is feeling well today.
I'm back in the land of the living, took a bit longer to pop out of it this time, guess that is sort of the end finale or something. I suspect it's the weaning off of the steroids. Also alot more tired.
Rita, that acupuncture sounds interesting for your foot....people swear by it, what the heck, I'd try it! I am going to go get a free Reiki treatment myself next week, it seems to be just the thing to bring me back to myself after all this.
I'm with you on the slowing the drip down....also diluting it made such a difference for me. They cut it by 50% Mary. You may wish to ask about that also? My onc was the one who had them slow it and dilute it due to the headache. So if he says that works.............(it did)
I hope Carol, you are doing well and plugging along, and Harley that the tatts hung in there.
Mary, I hope you are feeling OK today and Julie, that you are coming out of Phase 1. Is it really only two more? Heck, you can do this! Go girl!
Love to everybody today, I have decided I am just going to keep on bringing my brownies to the chemo room on a weekly basis. They get scarfed up, and it takes so little to make people happy, that is at least one tiny thing I can do to start helping out. I am still petrified about the lung scan, but I will do it, and I am not even going to make that appt. till next week. I'm "think about it tomorrow". This week is for restoration of the old girl. (and whew am I looking old and tired, I should think I deserve to too).
My sister gets married to her sig. other this weekend in NH, it's a yours, mine and ours scenario and should be a great big party. she has been thru so much pain, I hope this will bring her all the happiness she deserves. My self absorbed sis is still just doing her own thing, I am trying to let it roll off me, that and appreciate the people who do care much more and try to not let the people who don't, not matter so much (thank you Ginny). I know I sure could not have gotten thru this without the incredible support and kindness of all of you and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.
Anyway, everyone have a beautiful week. I am beginning to get excited about finishing up my recon of the barbie boob and getting that old plumbing yanked!
Oh! I forgot but my husband got an e mail from his cousin in Switzerland about dairy products being a large cause of cancer written by a UK doctor who had done extensive research. She is a five time cancer survivor and has taken all dairy out of her diet and tho the cancer was in her lymphatic system, it is gone now. This study was based on the fact that the chinese population has virtually no cancer rate, yet when they adopt a western style diet (they eschew all dairy) they develop it. Interesting reading, thought I'd pass it along. If anyone wants to read it, I can copy and paste it here.
Ta ta ladies. Off to stretch my tired old bod.
love
annie
0 -
This is very long and I almost did not read it, but I'm glad I did and feel every woman should read it and pass it on to every woman they know. This came to me from Michele Rosich (Hong Kong). Guys, pass it on to your friends.
Here ya go guys. It is lengthy, but intruiging.
Why women in China do not get breast cancer...because they do not take dairy products...read on..
By Prof. Jane Plant, PhD, CBE ¡ '
Why I believe that giving upmilk is the key to beating breast cancer....' Extracted from Your Life in Your Hands, by Professor Jane Plant.
I had no alternative but to die or to try to find a cure for myself. I am a scientist - surely there was a rational explanation for this cruel illness that affects one in 12 women in the UK ?
I had suffered the loss of one breast, and undergone radiotherapy. I was now receiving painful chemotherapy, and had been seen by some of the country's most eminent specialists. But, deep down, I felt certain I was facing death. I had a loving husband, a beautiful home and two young children to care for. I desperately wanted to live.
Fortunately, this desire drove me to unearth the facts, some of which were known only to a handful of scientists at the time.
Anyone who has come into contact with breast cancer will know that certain risk factors - such as increasing age, early onset of womanhood, late onset of menopause and a family history of breast cancer - are completely out of our control. But there are many risk factors, which we can control easily.
These 'controllable' risk factors readily translate into simple changes that we can all make in our day-to-day lives to help prevent or treat breast cancer. My message is that even advanced breast cancer can be overcome because I have done it.
The first clue to understanding what was promoting my breast cancer came when my husband Peter, who was also a scientist, arrived back from working in China while I was being plugged in for a chemotherapy session.
He had brought with him cards and letters, as well as some amazing herbal suppositories, sent by my friends and science colleagues in China ..
The suppositories were sent to me as a cure for breast cancer. Despite the awfulness of the situation, we both had a good belly laugh, and I remember saying that this was the treatment for breast cancer in China , then it was little wonder that Chinese women avoided getting the disease.
Those words echoed in my mind.. Why didn't Chinese women in China get breast cancer? I had collaborated once with Chinese colleagues on a study of links between soil chemistry and disease, and I remembered some of the statistics.
The disease was virtually non-existent throughout the whole country. Only one in 10,000 women in China will die from it, compared to that terrible figure of one in 12 in Britain and the even grimmer average of one in 10 across most Western countries. It is not just a matter of China being a more rural country, with less urban pollution. In highly urbanized Hong Kong , the rate rises to 34 women in every 10,000 but still puts the West to shame.
The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have similar rates. And remember, both cities were attacked with nuclear weapons, so in addition to the usual pollution-related cancers, one would also expect to find some radiation-related cases, too.
The conclusion we can draw from these statistics strikes you with some force. If a Western woman were to move to industrialized, irradiated Hiroshima , she would slash her risk of contracting breast cancer by half.
Obviously this is absurd. It seemed obvious to me that some lifestyle factor not related to pollution, urbanization or the environment is seriously increasing the Western woman's chance of contracting breast cancer.
I then discovered that whatever causes the huge differences in breast cancer rates between oriental and Western countries, it isn't genetic.
Scientific rese arch showed that when Chinese or Japanese people move to the West, within one or two generations their rates of breast cancer approach those of their host community.
The same thing happens when oriental people adopt a completely Western lifestyle in Hong Kong . In fact, the slang name for breast cancer in China translates as 'Rich Woman's Disease'. This is because, in China , only the better off can afford to eat what is termed ' Hong Kong food'.
The Chinese describe all Western food, including everything from ice cream and chocolate bars to spaghetti and feta cheese, as 'Hong Kong food', because of its availability in the former British colony and its scarcity, in the past, in mainland China ..
So it made perfect sense to me that whatever was causing my breast cancer and the shockingly high incidence in this country generally, it was almost certainly something to do with our better-off, middle-class, Western lifestyle.
There is an important point for men here, too. I have observed in my rese arch that much of the data about prostate cancer leads to similar conclusions.
According to figures from the World Health Organization, the number of men contracting prostate cancer in rural China is negligible, only 0.5 men in every 100,000. In England , Scotland and Wales , however, this figure is 70 times higher. Like breast cancer, it is a middle-class disease that primarily attacks the wealthier and higher socio-economic groups ¨C those that can afford to eat rich foods.
I remember saying to my husband, 'Come on Peter, you have just come back from China .. What is it about the Chinese way of life that is so different?'
Why don't they get breast cancer?'
We decided to utilize our joint scientific backgrounds and approach it logically.
We examined scientific data that pointed us in the general direction of fats in diets. Rese arch ers had discovered in the 1980s that only l4% of calories in the average Chinese diet were from fat, compared to almost 36% in the West.
But the diet I had been living on for years before I contracted breast cancer was very low in fat and high in fibre. Besides, I knew as a scientist that fat intake in adults has not been shown to increase risk for breast cancer in most investigations that have followed large groups of women for up to a dozen years.
Then one day something rather special happened. Peter and I have worked together so closely over the years that I am not sure which one of us first said: 'The Chinese don't eat dairy produce!'
It is hard to explain to a non-scientist the sudden mental and emotional 'buzz' you get when you know you have had an important insight. It's as if you have had a lot of pieces of a jigsaw in your mind, and suddenly, in a few seconds, they all fall into place and the whole picture is clear.
Suddenly I recalled how many Chinese people were physically unable to tolerate milk, how the Chinese people I had worked with had always said that milk was only for babies, and how one of my close friends, who is of Chinese origin, always politely turned down the cheese course at dinner parties.
I knew of no Chinese people who lived a traditional Chinese life who ever used cow or other dairy food to feed their babies. The tradition was to use a wet nurse but never, ever, dairy products.
Culturally, the Chinese find our Western preoccupation with milk and milk products very strange. I remember entertaining a large delegation of Chinese scientists shortly after the ending of the Cultural Revolution in the 1980s.
On advice from the Foreign Office, we had asked the caterer to provide a pudding that contained a lot of ice cream. After inquiring what the pudding consisted of, all of the Chinese, including their interpreter, politely but firmly refused to eat it, and they could not be persuaded to change their minds.
At the time we were all delighted and ate extra portions!
Milk, I discovered, is one of the most common causes of food allergies . Over 70% of the world's population are unable to digest the milk sugar, lactose, which has led nutritionists to believe that this is the normal condition for adults, not some sort of deficiency.
Perhaps nature is trying to tell us that we are eating the wrong food.
Before I had breast cancer for the first time, I had eaten a lot of dairy produce, such as skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and yoghurt. I had used it as my main source of protein. I also ate cheap but lean minced beef, which I now realized was probably often ground-up dairy cow.
In order to cope with the chemotherapy I received for my fifth case of cancer, I had been eating organic yoghurts as a way of helping my digestive tract to recover and repopulate my gut with 'good' bacteria.
Recently, I discovered that way back in 1989 yoghurt had been implicated in ovarian cancer . Dr Daniel Cramer of Harvard University studied hundreds of women with ovarian cancer, and had them record in detail what they normally ate. wish I'd been made aware of his findings when he had first discovered them.
Following Peter's and my insight into the Chinese diet, I decided to give up not just yoghurt but all dairy produce immediately. Cheese, butter, milk and yoghurt and anything else that contained dairy produce - it went down the sink or in the rubbish.
It is surprising how many products, including commercial soups, biscuits and cakes, contain some form of dairy produce. Even many proprietary brands of margarine marketed as soya, sunflower or olive oil spreads can contain dairy produce .
I therefore became an avid reader of the small print on food labels.
Up to this point, I had been steadfastly measuring the progress of my fifth cancerous lump with callipers and plotting the results. Despite all the encouraging comments and positive feedback from my doctors and nurses, my own precise observations told me the bitter truth.
My first chemotherapy sessions had produced no effect - the lump was still the same size.
Then I eliminated dairy products. Within days, the lump started to shrink.
About two weeks after my second chemotherapy session and one week after giving up dairy produce, the lump in my neck started to itch. Then it began to soften and to reduce in size. The line on the graph, which had shown no change, was now pointing downwards as the tumour got smaller and smaller.
And, very significantly, I noted that instead of declining exponentially (a graceful curve) as cancer is meant to do, the tumour's decrease in size was plotted on a straight line heading off the bottom of the graph, indicating a cure, not suppression (or remission) of the tumour.
One Saturday afternoon after about six weeks of excluding all dairy produce from my diet, I practised an hour of meditation then felt for what was left of the lump. I couldn't find it. Yet I was very experienced at detecting cancerous lumps - I had discovered all five cancers on my own.. I went downstairs and asked my husband to feel my neck. He could not find any trace of the lump either.
On the following Thursday I was due to be seen by my cancer specialist at Charing Cross Hospital in London . He examined me thoroughly, especially my neck where the tumour had been. He was initially bemused and then delighted as he said, 'I cannot find it.'
None of my doctors, it appeared, had expected someone with my type and stage of cancer (which had clearly spread to the lymph system) to survive, let alone be so hale and hearty.
My specialist was as overjoyed as I was. When I first discussed my ideas with him he was understandably skeptical. But I understand that he now uses maps showing cancer portality in China in his lectures, and recommends a non-dairy diet to his cancer patients.
I now believe that the link between dairy produce and breast cancer is similar to the link between smoking and lung cancer. I believe that identifying the link between breast cancer and dairy produce, and then developing a diet specifically targeted at maintaining the health of my breast and hormone system, cured me.
It was difficult for me, as it may be for you, to accept that a substance as 'natural' as milk might have such ominous health implications. But I am a living proof that it works and, starting from tomorrow, I shall reveal the secrets of my revolutionary action plan.
Extracted from Your Life in Your Hands, by Professor Jane Plant
I checked with Snopes.com on Prof. Jane Plant CBE and found the following:
Prof Jane Plant is a highly respected scientist who is an expert on chemicals in the environment, and has been involved in lots of studies on environment and human health. In 2005, she was awarded a life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine for her work on diet and cancer, which she undertook when diagnosed with breast cancer for the 5th time, being given months to live. She switched to a non-dairy diet and reversed her cancer on the basis of her research, which had such an impact on her oncologist that he now routinely advises his patients to do the same.
here is the article FYI0 -
Ladies, I suspect that this was also due to the chemotherapy, but it does appear to have had a significant impact on her health.
What the heck, all knowledge is power.
love ya
a
0 -
This article is very interesting, Annie. I don't drink milk and haven't for years but I do eat alot of fat-free sugar-free pudding and I love ice cream and cheese. Gosh it makes me really think about diet. What should we reallly be eating?????? I don't think that I can ever be a true vegetarian...and then we have to worry about salmonella with the veggies! YIKES!
Who has some ideas for good non-dairy dishes?
Rita
0 -
Rita, I don't have any recipes as I am an abysmal cook, and my preferred diet (oh vain hope) is ice cream and a glass of wine followed by chocolate.
Since that is out now, of course, I will go back to eating cereal, salad and mostly veggies. I do eat alot of yoghurt too, and cheese, so something to consider anyway. I mostly just passed it on, as it seemed well researched. You can make yourself nuts with this stuff, but it did seem interesting to me as an aside. I thought god forbid, what if it turns out it was true in the future and I didn't pass this article on!
But personally, I think everything (except alcohol) in moderation. I usually buy organic veggies when I can, but I don't go crazy. My onc gave me good advice as in "be vigilant, but don't go crazy". Words to live by, right?
(how's the foot?)
love
annie
0 -
Annie, thanks for passing on this article. I skimmed it and will read it more carefully later. I'm with you though, moderation is the key. I think reducing fat in our diets and eating better helps, but within reason. Hey, we still have to enjoy our "treats". You can get all ocd on this and then stress will kill you instead!
I'm glad your giving yourself a bit of a break after getting through your last chemo se. I hope you are having a great week so far. Have a fantastic time at the wedding!Mary, the slower drip does help, as everyone else has concurred here. Also, take your anti-nausea meds (might have to try a few until you find the right combo for you) on schedule, not missing any. I had some difficulties with this and vomitting... But after making some changes, managed a lot better. Make sure your onc knows how you are feeling. Hope this gets better and the rest are much more manageable. You will kind of get into a swing of this and learn what to take and how to eat (graze)... to manage this better and things should improve!
Rita, how is your foot? I should be booking a flight soon and will email you details.
Julie, hope you are doing better and your neck is o.k. now.
love,
Ginny
0 -
Carol how is rad going this week?
0 -
Hi Ladies, I just got home from and work and just have a moment before I'm heading to the the golf course to hit 9 holes with the gals.
Looking at my "chest" today, the rad site is getting a little pinker each day. Today the nurse gave me some saline solution to wet on a wash cloth to help with the itch by bringing some more moisture to the area. Will see tonight how it feels, I've been doing pretty good with my Aquaphor and aloe so far but I can definitely see the cumulative effects. So far, no energy loss, which makes me a happy camper!!! Okay, on that note, its off to fairways and greens.
Hoping you all are having some good days as well.
Carol
0 -
Thanks for the advice/feedback on the hair thinning. It has slowed down but it is still shedding. I am now 8 days from my last treatment and the nausea is gone but oh the constipation. I have been taking Senekot. I am pre menopausal, I heard the chemo will put me in to menopause, did any of you experience this and when can I expect this to happen?
You all put a smile on my face with the diet. I have definitly been making myself crazy with this. I wanted to be a vegetarian but that lasted one day, I was starved! Give me some carbs! It is a snowball effect because I buy organic veggies then I bought organic butter then I thought now I need organic cheese....where does it end. I have been doing wheatgrass shots-anyone try one of not so delightful drinks but so good for yo. .it is like eating 2.5 lbs of vegetables and it has B17 which I hear fights cancer cells.
Best-Mary
I would love to have a glass of wine!
0 -
Mary,
Just a quickie to respond to a couple of your questions ...
Chemopause hit me during my during month 3. I was on the 6 month regimen and finished in June. I just had blood drawn to check my levels and I am apparently now in menopause. Which is a good thing being ER/PR+ like yourself.
I too had some major constipation problems, I ended up using Miralax, but that got a little tricky trying to regulate my dosage (if you get my drift)!!!
And I too, REALLY missed my glass of vino during treatment !!! Hang in there gal,
Carol
0 -
So how was your golf game this evening, Carol? I'm up and off early tomorrow for Ladies' Day at the club. I always look forward to Wednesday.
The diet dilemma is really a hard one to figure out. Some say no red meat. Now the no dairy products. I think maybe a little of everything in moderation is probably the best. Annie...you and I really think alike! Ice cream, wine, and chocolate are indeed the perfect combination! LOL
Julie from Chicago....it looks like Jan Clare has taken you under her wing and that you're going to get to meet some of the other Illinois ladies tomorrow. They are an awesome group and I think they'll help you alot. Have fun and be sure to share how it goes!
Hi to everyone else! I'm tired and need to go to bed.
Catch you all tomorrow.
Rita
0 -
So how was your golf game this evening, Carol? I'm up and off early tomorrow for Ladies' Day at the club. I always look forward to Wednesday.
The diet dilemma is really a hard one to figure out. Some say no red meat. Now the no dairy products. I think maybe a little of everything in moderation is probably the best. Annie...you and I really think alike! Ice cream, wine, and chocolate are indeed the perfect combination! LOL
Julie from Chicago....it looks like Jan Clare has taken you under her wing and that you're going to get to meet some of the other Illinois ladies tomorrow. They are an awesome group and I think they'll help you alot. Have fun and be sure to share how it goes!
Hi to everyone else! I'm tired and need to go to bed.
Catch you all tomorrow.
Rita
0 -
Good AM beautiful ladies:
Carol, glad rads is going well....I had no fatigue whatsoever, I just kept on going. The fatigue hit one week after the end of it, then oh boy, whammo. If you can plan ahead, it can help. Some folks never get fatigued at all! Bet you'll be one of them.
For me, my onc told me the blood checkers for menopause are unreliable, as he's had women test as in it, then get a period. He wouldn't even check bec. of this. Grrrrr. I went into chemopause third treatment too. I'm just schedule pulling the plumbing which he is on board with. I hope to be able to get a window so i can have the rest of the summer with my daughter before this has to happen tho.
As to the diet, I think, with all of you, that of course, chocolate and wine are the best diet. But since that's out now, everything in moderation is best. I try to be healthful and organic when it's not over the top expensive, keep red meat to a minimum (hubby's family has bad heart history) and stay away from crap f ood.
Of course this does not work
. I too, miss the wine like crazy, but my onc says no wine, ever, no alcohol, ever. Maybe a glass at a special occasion now and then, too strong a link to bc has been shown. Hmph!
Wheatgrass shots! OMG Mary, I'd throw up from those babies! I had one once, that was plenty.
I never had any constipation issues, but once, but most of us do on this regime. Getting old, not for sissies, is it.
Have a good day ladies! Julie and JanClare have fun tomorrow.
love
annie
0 -
p.s. Rita, have fun at ladies' day, I hope the foot is much improved!
0 -
...ooops, Carol, I did not see your earlier post. Apparently chemopause affects my brain as well :O
Yeah, taking the ovaries out can help alot whether you are in menopause or after it. According the my onc, and confirmed by my OB/GYN, those little suckers continue producing trace amounts of estrogen anyway your whole life long. He was going to "crush" mine (how I hate that terminiology) with Lupron, but I didn't like the sound of that. I'd still have them in there, only crushed and moldy. Yeah, I wasn't doing that. And I've been on Lupron, it's one icky drug. As in makes you nuts!
I asked him why not just pull the plumbing then, and he said it was to "spare me another operation, altho it's not a bad one these days." They do it all laparoscopically. Two week recovery. 2 days in hospital. But he did concur that in my scenario, so strongly estrogen+, and a two timer, that these seemingly extreme measures would make some sense. Hey, I think getting bc two times is extreme enough, a little removal of stuff I am not using anyway is pretty minor to my thinking. Hey, we did it for the cat!
Anyway, that is the reason, I hope it helps you in your decision going forward. It would seem to me if your chemopause if permanent, then it might make some sense to discuss it your onc.
love ya, stay well
annie
0 -
Hi Everyone,
Checking in. Had a rough weekend- the day after was the worst. I literally slept the entire day- my husband waking me to drink more. I really think the double dose of (2) Kytril and one Emend (full dosage) was waay too much for me. (I have a bad reaction to steroids and hate Ativan with a passion). I had the same anxious reaction as I did with the steroid- only it did resolve sooner. I reluctantly took one Emend the following day-- noticed it was half dosage and did not have an adverse reaction to that. So -yeah- will have to revise this for next time.
Food tastes like...poop and the taste of everything seems to linger. The dry mouth is pretty bad and I'm hoarse too for some reason. Using the dry mouth wash and toothpaste, but am chewing on a lot of gum just to keep the bad taste at bay. And you are right about the dry eyes. Using the drops.
The neck issue is resolved-- sort of. I found a great new Chiro who has a lot of experience with cancer patients and has cared for her own siblings and parents going through chemo- so she is quite knowledgeable and understanding. She quickly got me in for an MRI-- and I am the owner of a brand new herniated cervical disc. Funny how relative things become-- as long as it's not mets--- I can deal with it. So I will work with her on readjusting etc.
Also doing acupuncture a few times a week to help protect- well, everything. With onc's blessing. It did seem to help when I went through the A/C and it may have more to do with the sense that it's something proactive that I'm doing...
Wondering-- did anyone NOT go through Chemopause? I'm 42...and will just be doing three rounds. But- had the A/C before..... It's probably very individual. I'm triple neg- so not so worried about the hormones in that respect...but not looking forward to menopause. I was on Lupron during the A/C and got a good taste of it. Lots of osteoporosis in my family too- so worries about that.
A few questions
-Any issues with taking lactobacillus to help with stomach?
-Can one get a pedicure during chemo-- or is this not a good idea?
And yes, Rita-- will be meeting JanClare and some of the Illinois women tonight. Very much looking forward to it.
Sorry for the scrawl.....back at work...but wanted to thank everyone for their kindness and let you know I'm...managing.-julie b
0 -
Hi Gals,
Checking in from work, oh how the last hour of the day seems so much longer than the rest.
Rita, golf went well yesterday, shot a 47 with (1) OB. Its amazing to me how I really don't care to much about golfing lately, and I'm shooting the best golf of my life. I have been going more for my friendships and to do something together with my dh. Lately my training walks have been much more of a priority.
My two cents on the diet, moderation is key. I figure I want to live for many more years, but I also want to enjoy living. Boy, no alcohol at all, I've discussed alcohol intake with my surgeon and oncologist and both said that in moderation is fine. I do believe it messes with the estrogen levels as well though.
Annie, thanks for the input on the ovaries, boy I never would have ever thought that I'd be talking so much about female plumbing in my lifetime. What you said makes total sense to me, I'm definitely leaning towards removal as well, I think I'd like to wait until about October (yeah, what a great way to celebrate my one year survivorship)!!!
Julie, hate to be the water nag ... but really try to get down as much as you can. I drank well over 80 ounces a day and was fortunate to have a pretty easy go of it. I still had a dry mouth (although it could not have been from lack of fluids).
Okay, better get ready to go home, a pleasant eve to you all, Carol
0
