natural girls
Comments
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Agreed, prayers for Meg.
You all may be beyond this, but I am watching this today, and it is good. Wanted to share in case you are interested. Author of Anti-Cancer, A New Way of Life, giving talk at MD Anderson in Tx. T
http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?xml=integrativeMed/config/Anticancer_cfg
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Thanks for the nutrition tips. Does Whole Foods carry goat milk? Since I just finished radiation, I have to wait until next week to start my anti-inflammatory supplements and foods that have natural anti-inflammatory properties. I defintely try to stay away from sugars, but I feel the fiber and nutritional benefits of whole fruits and berries outweighs the sugar they contain.
Also, don't beat yourself up about indulging once in awhile. You still want to enjoy the little pleasures, too. How does the anti-cancer diet come down on a few ounces of red wine a few times per week. I sure miss my Merlot!
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Springtime: Thanks so much for that link!! I have his book (as well as a few others) and make an effort to follow an anti-cancer lifestyle. However, I have not been as committed as I should be. Hopefully, this will give me the "push" I need.0
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It was my first run post surgery and the boobs hung on! Thanks for the voices of reason - you guys are rockstars. Tonight is wild salmon with dill, side of brown rice, and an arugala salad. Desert is fruit as usual. Heres an interesting article my friend gave to me. If your an orthrexic, raise your hand! http://drbenkim.com/articles-orthorexia.html
..you can pick up goat milk at most grocery stores - I know shoprite carries it. The organic kind is at whole foods.
meg has an incredible attitude. please send some prayers her way, she would definitely appreciate them.
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Prayers and healing light for you, Meg.
Beth
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Salmon? Mah favoreet! Set a plate for me.
I've missed Meg's news. Can someone direct me to what's going on?
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PS73 -
I loved that article - I was laughing out loud as I could definitely see a lot of myself when I was a very strict raw foodist for two years. Thanks!
Beth
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Thanks, everyone, for all your thoughts on "had" vs "have" cancer. I don't like that "I have breast cancer" is what automatically/habitually comes out of my mouth. Today, when I was chatting with the woman who runs the local vitamin shop about soy, I managed to say, "I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago," which worked for me, because that statement doesn't use any possessive verbs (so I'm not claiming the cancer as "mine"), nor does it say anything about the cancer being present or a thing of the past.
I don't think I'm comfortable yet saying "I had breast cancer," because I am still undergoing treatment. Next week is my post-surgery follow-up, then comes the Live Blood Cell Analysis (if I choose to go through with that) and the CRT-2000/thermogram, and 6 weeks of radiation, and possibly Tamoxifen (if I agree to try it). It may well be true that there is no more cancer in my body right now (other than the nothing-to-worry-about cancer cells that all of our bodies have and are dissolve instead of multiply, as Dr. David talks about), but the thing is... I am already annoyed with the people who assume that once surgery's over, it's ALL over. I celebrated the hell out of my clear margins news, but some people misinterpreted the meaning of "clear margins" and thought everything was over and my life was back to normal. THREE DAYS after my final reexcision surgery, the president of a board of directors I'm on emailed me to say, "I hope your cancer's in remission forever! Would you like to write this grant proposal that's due in a week?" and that really irritated me!! I'm on "medical leave" from the board right now and had told him I'd return when I was done with treatments, and I don't think he understood that clear margins are awesome but they're not the end of the road. "I had breast cancer" makes it sound like it was something I dealt with ages ago, when really, I just completed the surgical phase of treatment less than 2 weeks ago. I'm going to try and use "I was diagnosed with BC in November" as my way of explaining it to people... and just take it from there.
I'm doing well with the anti-cancer diet, which surprised me, because in the past, it's been REALLY hard for me to give up sugar, dairy, etc., every time that I've tried. But I'm feeling more motivated now than ever. I gave up refined sugar about a month ago, and don't even crave it anymore. I'm hooked on "Coconut Bliss," which is an amazingly delicious soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, low-glycemic frozen dessert sweetened only with agave nectar!! (The catch? Very high in saturated fat, due to the coconut milk!) It comes in awesome flavors - chocolate PB, hazelnut fudge, mint, etc. Sometimes I melt a bowl of Coconut Bliss with a bunch of frozen raspberries to make it even more "anticancer."
I sometimes have a hard time with the "hidden" sugars in foods I wouldn't think of as having sugar, such as ketchup, salsa, bread, ravioli, etc. When I'm grocery shopping, I will look at jars and buy the salsa that doesn't have sugar, but it's hard going out to eat - the other day I ordered a spinach/onion/mushroom omelet (SOOOO anti-cancer!
), but then "ruined" it by putting ketchup all over it, not realizing till later that it was probably Heinz, which has HFCS.Despite being obsessed with dairy products my whole life (yogurt, cheese, ice cream, lattes, etc!), I've switched to probably 80% goat dairy instead now... I'll put cream in my coffee when I'm out, because usually coffee shops only have a soy milk alternative and I can't have soy, either, but at home, I now eat goat cheese, goat milk, goat yogurt, etc and it's working well for me. I'm also sprinkling turmeric and black pepper on anything savory, or flax seeds, and I eat vegetables and entire sheets of nori for BREAKFAST even!
I think the main reason I've been so motivated to stick to the anticancer diet is I plan on refusing chemo even if the oncologist recommends it (waiting on Oncotype score), and I want to make sure I'm making changes in my diet and life that are big enough to "make up for" the lack of chemo, even though I know it doesn't REALLY work that way. I just intuitively feel that if I'm not doing chemo, I have to make big BIG positive changes in my life and diet, not merely eat a little more broccoli here and there, you know?
My strategy for not feeling deprived is to not make a list of the foods I can't eat, but to make a list of the wonderful foods that I love and are so good for me, and I put that up on the wall. I picked my favorite foods on the anticancer food list and eat a lot of them - like avocadoes and asparagus, which used to be "splurges" for me at the grocery store because they're rather pricey. Now they are staples in my diet, and I don't worry about the prices, because I figure I'm saving money by not buying all the junk I used to, so it evens out!
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I still stick to the 80% rule. I figure if I eat healthy 80% of the time, I am still 70% better off than I was before bc. I won't be a martyr. I still love my chocolate. But I will probably never have a taste for a diet coke or McD again. Health is all about finding a good balance. We need a variety of foods, including some meat. Heck the cave women were probably carnivores. Of course, they had the life expectancy of a gnat because they had those pesky Tyranosauri who liked to eat humans!
PS-enjoyed that article from Dr. Kim. I have read through his website now and then. He has some great recipes too. Love the one for healthy fudge!
I think it is good to have a very pure diet while still going through treatments, but it is okay to enjoy some of the foods we use to love on occasion. Helena, when you feel you are back to normal, go ahead and have a glass of Merlot once in a while. Just make sure it is not cheap wine. If you are going to imbibe, you might as well make it a prime vintage!
I just reread Anti-cancer. I find that reading great books keeps me motivated. Dr. S-S has written one of the best books out there, for sure. No one knows what it is like to have cancer, except those of us who have. That is why you need to learn to just ignore ignorance Raili. I remember my cousin telling me I needed to get over it, even when I was still going through rads. She said her friend thought rads was no big deal. Well, for me, It was scary as hell and I hated every minute of it. I still get palpatations driving past the hospital so I take the long way to Trader Joe's so I do not have to pass it.
Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do. Like continue to pray for Meg. Sending you cyber hugs dear Ivory.
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What a beautiful note, Meg....you inspire me! God bless you!
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Meg, thank you for your very moving post. You are so right. This disease can be both a blessing and a curse. It does bring people together in a way that we would never know before. It does make us really reflect on our lives and make them more meaningful. It forces us to take control of our fears, and work hard to find balance. I just know that you will be able to tackle this again, and come out okay. You are so much more knowlegeable now. Remember Dr. S-S, in AntiCancer, had a recurrance, and still has a small tumor in his brain, but he is alive almost 20 years after his dx, when they told him there was little hope. He is also helping so many more people by teaching from his experience, than he ever did with his medical practice before cancer. Keep the faith. We are all here for you.
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Meg:
Like you, I feel knowledge is power and allows you to make the best, most informed decisions about the course of treatment that is right for you. I wish you only the best; your perspective and acceptance is something we can all learn from.
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Dear Meg,
It's so good to hear from you.
Please do not think of this so-called "new primary" as new.
It had to have been there 5-10 years and they just missed it last Feb when you were first diagnosed. Maybe the doctors already told you that. Please don't be discouraged over something that was missed.
Keep doing what you are doing. The Natural Girl Team is here for you on your journey.
xxxooo
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Meg YOU Rock! What an attitude.
Meg you remind me: One thing I was reminded of in that Anti-Cancer video, was the power of the mind / body connection - the attitude!, among other things. There is so much that cannot be explained by medical science. I could not believe this, but he even showed evidence of how our minds our behaviors can even change our genetics! What we are doing here is making sure we are not forced into "helplessness" as he says at the end. We are looking for and finding EMPOWERMENT.
That video, for those of you who like the Anti-Cancer book, was like a 1 hour recap of the whole book. I had forgotten some things, and I think I will watch that video once a month to keep me on the straight and narrow....
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our dear Meg, what an inspiration you are!! We love you!! 0
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I have to get all of your opinions on the following, as its been keeping me up at night!!!
So, I had my 4 month following up with my onc on Feb 6th, all bloodwork good blah blah....so his "normal protocol" is to, every year, do an MRI of the chest wall and lymph nodes, thats just what he likes to do. I am petrified beyond belief at the thought of having to do this, I simply don't know what to do!! They have sent the order to the hospital's radiology dept, so I am supposed to call and schedule it. PLUS he wants me to schedule a colonoscopy (sp?) as I turned 50 and I am slightly anemic so he thinks its a good idea. PLUS I have to have another ultra sound of the pelvis to see how the ovarian cyst is doing or not doing hopefully! I can handle that one, but REALLY??? all these procedures??? Please tell me what you all think! (Vivre, I KNOW what you are going to say!
)L
ox
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The colonoscopy is nothing in itself since you will be asleep. The prep is inconvenient but you can drink clear broth and that really helped me get through it. The chicken broth was very soothing on my hungry stomach.
The MRI is easy peasy as long as you wear ear plugs during the test because it is noisy. Be sure that you have your kidney function tested before the MRI because the dye is a bit hard on the kidneys.
That's it. Both tests are straight forward and both may save your life. What's not to like?
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Lorraine, the Colonoscopy is very important. Found early, these types of things are 100% curable, do not skip this one, And there is not tracer dye or anything, just a scope. the prep is not fun, but you will get all cleaned out inside, and that actually felt good to me!! Much lighter!
The MRI, if I was offered, i would do it, but my ONC offers NOTHING. No scans unless you have smyptoms of other cancer! The thing with MRI is that they will inject you with that dye stuff, and I wonder how safe it is. Do your research. For me, I'd probably do it to have the peace of mind that nothing is going on in there. I just lost a friend, and I think if she had some scans, maybe she'd still be here?? I dunno.
Ultra sound is totally safe and painless.. I'd do that one too.
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Hey ladies. I have a friend that is starting chemo. Do you have any suggestions that could possibly help her get through it? Thanks.
Love to all, Patty
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Dear Meg: I am with all these ladies: you are suuuuch an inspiration. Have you been on this web site yet? (www.annieappleseedproject.com). Ann Fonfa, who runs it, is about 17 years out. She has battled 5 recurrence but is now cancer-free. I'm sure she would be happy to talk to you in person....
Lorraine: Yeah, yeah, I know this is not funny. All those procedures....... That's why it took me 4 years to set up an appointment with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia, having fled my previous oncology offices.
No, I don't believe in going through all those procedures, either. So what I did was to compromise: I accepted to go through a CAT Scan and other procedures this 1 time. My next appointment, I am going to write them and set some ground rules before showing up: NO scans, just a physical and blood works. They are open-minded, and I expect them to not be surprised at all when I tell them that's what I want.
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Hi everyone,
I'm new to this group; I just wanted to share an anecdote and was wondering if anyone else has noticed this...
As someone who has been into natural food and natural healing, I haven't spent much time in MD's offices...today I was at my MD's office and she was explaining to me how 'the body doesn't have a very sophisticated immune system' ...how it does all kinds of weird things trying one after another to help us, but often misses the boat. I had never ever, considered that. It's counterintuitive to me. In all of my time going to natural healers, it was emhasized that our bodies know how to heal themselves; all we need to do is get out of the way and support the natural healing mechanisms. Now this MD is very supportive, she is the best supporter and advocate I could ask for. But I was just floored by that statement...I'm not holding it against her, I still love and respect her. I just think it is indicative of the polar opposite perspectives held by the medical establishment and the natural healing communities...The natural healing community's perspective seems so much more respectful of God and the natural world...kind of like the difference between western societies and indigenous societies...
Just wondered if anyone else has ever noticed this or had a similar experience. Maybe I'm naive, but I always thought that it was a given that our bodies are magnificent machines that we inadvertantly mess with, but that once it is given a chance to heal, can heal itself!
Aloha
Ruhia
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meg, I am sooo impressed with how you're handling your recent news. You inspire me with confidence that you'll escort your cancer to the curb and the cancer will think you're doing it a big favor!
fairy, I'm over 50 now also but I'm not even remotely interested in a colonoscopy. I had a freaky side effect from anasthesia which led to my intestines not waking up afterwards and nothing was moving through for days. Needless to say, I think twice and then 20 times before an elective procedure involving anasthesia. What about a virtual colonoscopy? There'd be no anasthesia required for that as I understand it. I've heard criticisms of them based on having to go for a 'real' colonoscopy if a polyp is found, but I seem to recall elsewhere that the vast majority of people have nothing to find, so to me it sounds like a 'real' colonoscopy is a dose of unnecessary anasthesia. For similar reasons, I think I'd feel ok about an ultrasound, but MRI's require a contrast, I'd think long and hard about putting myself through that also. I know you're good at doing homework fairy, and we expect a full report.
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Meg: You are an amazingly wonderful person. Thank you for being such an inspiration. You are in my heart and prayers.
Hugs to you from the east coast.
Mandy
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althea,
The virtual colonoscopy involves radioactive contrasts. Do not avoid colonoscopies because of your bad experience with the anesthesia. There are many types of anesthesia and many possible doses. A good procedure will give you just enough anesthesia to put you into a light sleep. I am sensitive to anesthesia and I emphasize this to my doctors before any procedure. It is vitally important that you drink a lot of water after the procedure and if you have any prep liquid left you can take that as well. It will wake up your sleepy colon.
Springtime,
MRI's will pick up suspicious spots that mammograms and sonograms miss. As long as you have normal kidneys, the contrast will not cause a problem. You should have a kidney test before you have the MRI just to be sure. Again drink plenty of liquids afterwards.
I am a big fan of nutrition as part of the healing process and in the effort to avoid recurrence. However, I will have colonoscopies every 5 years and MRI's when my doctor recommends them. Talk to your doctors about these tests, ask hard questions and then make a decision.
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Meg - good luck with everything. You have an amazing perspective which is incredibly humbling and will help you through this ordeal. Just so sorry that its happening again. Please let us know how you are doing and any big tests you have coming up so we can start a prayer chain at the time of your tests/surgery. Anom had a very logical point too since your tumor is grade 2 and that perhaps it was missed.
So I saw our dear girl Deni yesterday (we live close by to oneanother) and she is doing great. Today is her one year cancerversary. She is not on the boards, I think its a bit too consuming for her. I wanted to just tell you its her anniversary so you can think a few good thoughts about her today.
Patty - look up this thread and print out and copy and paste the pertinent info. There is a ton of info which really helped me. If you friend would like to discuss anything, she can contact me. PM me and I can give you my number for her. More Tips (and a Shopping List) for Getting Through Chemo
..does anybody know about chemosensitivity testing?
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Well, my dear fairy. I am wondering what you think I would say. LOL Actually, I might surprise you. I did have a colonoscopy done, for peace of mind because I had a lot of gastic problems before bc(they have all gone away since changing my diet). It came back clear. In fact I got a gold star for really do a good job on the prep clean out. I used the pills instead of that liquid gunk, which I could never have swallowed without gagging. The prep work was definitely the worst part of it. I makes you feel sooooo crappy. pun intended. As for the MRI, I would never do one routinely. I just do not see the purpose of subjecting our bodies to those dyes. If you do one, do a detox right away to get that junk out. I am convinced that all the tests my doctor kept sending me for, scans , xrays, stress test before my dx contributed to my bc. I kept telling my doctor I had breathed in a lot of chlorine from a cleaning product and my chest pain was related to that, but she just kept ordering more tests when she could not find an answer. Then, after bc, with the pain still there, I went to a chiro, who dx'd condritis, did a couple of treatments and it is gone! Had I had a doctor who actually knew about the dangers of chlorine and maybe checked my iodine levels, and helped me detox, maybe I would have avoided this other misery. Oh, well. Live and learn.
PS-Please tell Deni, we are thinking of her and her husband. I hope she will join us on my new forum because it will be very upbeat, and about helping each other with our experiences. I hope her hubbie will take part too, since it will not focus on breast cancer, but on preventing cancer in general. Tell her we miss her.
Patty, Dr. Ray Strand has a lot to say about treating his patients with nutrition and supplements during chemo in "What your Doctor Doesn't know about Nutrition". Have you read it?
Welcome Ruhia (or should I say Aloha, you lucky thing, living in paradise). Someday I will walk that beautiful state. Tell you doctor to read AntiCancer by Dr. David SeverinSchreiber. She may change her mind. I do not know how she can say our immune systems are not the most amazing creation. Yes, it is true that sometimes white blood cells start to attack good stuff. People with transplants have to take meds to stop this, but people have been beating illness since the dawn of time without modern drugs or modern doctors. Her comments are downright pessimistic and not the kind of response that gives much hope. I do not understand why doctors say such thing. Why don't they just admit they do not have all the answers. They cannot cure us, so they say why bother? We have the power to cure ourselves more than anyone else. We need to get to the root causes of our own cancers and work as hard as we can to give our bodies and minds the tools to stay healthy. I am not saying that the medical world is useless. They have a very important role in it. But doctors cannot control our lives, only we can. We need to examine every aspect of our lives and make changes to be happier and healthier.
Okay, off my soapbox for today.
I just want to add, when you guys join my new site, you do not have to use your real names. Ning does not do a very good job of explaining this. You can change it if you want too.
Hugs and prayers to you Meg. And to Merilee and Luna and Suzanne and eveyone else still going through this bc $%#@!. I hope you are doing okay.
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Drug Recall - Very Serious ***
Send to friends & family
CONFIRMED BY: SNOPES.COM <http://snopes.com/> Type in the word PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE in the search box
All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled.
STOP TAKING anything
containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic
stroke (bleeding in brain)
among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication
The FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.
The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:
Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim eMaximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extendtabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Relief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough
I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are
voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain
ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children
Orange3D Cold &Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold &Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant
They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on
the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you
a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children,
PLEASE PASS THIS ON.. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!
DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are informed. They
can then pass it along to their families.
To confirm these findings please take time to check the following:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/_ <http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/_>
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Whew, thanks hope! I am glad I don't take that crap!!! Here's something interesting on fish oil
http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/are-fish-oil-pills-contaminated-18426668
Patty
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The juxtapostion of Patty and Havehope's two posts, are such a blatant example of how we are bought and sold by our media. Havehopes post talks about blatant dangers in a variety of drugs and the imformation is being suppressed. I have not seen this report anywhere, and I always check several health websites and news sites. On the other hand, the possible tainting of a supplement is all over the airwaves. As is always the case with health reports, the headlines are much scarier than the actual story. I would love to know who this lawyer is who is suing the makers of fish oil. While I surely hope that my fish oil is pure, I have my doubts about this whole story. I would bet this lawyer represents some big pharma company. They are trying to paint the whole supplement business as a health hazard so that big pharm can get control of this business by putting it under the thumb of the FDA. It is nocoicidence that the current bill being proposed by John McCain, seeks to put more regulations on supplements. Stories like this are leaked in order to get the public on board. As usual, Senator McCain is jumping on a bandwagon with good intentions but not looking past the nose on the end of his face. While it may seem a good idea to have stricter standards in our supplements, once the FDA gets control, we will end up having very limited access to any supplements at all. Codex has already outlawed iodine in Europe, implying it is dangerous because of pressure by drug companies. If they can get rid of a substance like iodine, that they cannot control, but has many health benefits, they can force people to take their expensive drugs instead. It is very very scary. The FDA, just like the AMA, is mostly funded by drug companies. Once they get control of this aspect of our health, we can forget about "natural" solutions. We will be forced into the pocket of big pharm. Yes, I know there is a lot of money in the supplement business too, but at least we have a choice now. When we lose this choice, we pay more. Follow the $$$ on this "fishy" story. I would bet the house it leads right back to Pfizer or AstaZeneca.
Don't be fooled by this fish story. Write to John McCain and tell him to scrap this bill. Just like McCain /Feingold, which was a good idea, but became corrupted by those who learned to work the system, the FDA will also take advantage of us through this bill. Once we lose our freedom, we can never get it back. We must have the freedom to choose our own path with regards to our health.
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Oh vivre sorry to hit a nerve. You are probably so right on!!!! John McCain you will be hearing from me
Patty
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