natural girls
Comments
-
Patty, you made me smile, i feel like i qualify sometime for that poor house too....water is such a luxury....good water is hard to come by.
0 -
Springtime,
I went to my local vitamin shoppe and asked to pick up a free copy of the Natural Guide for practitioners.... I forget the exact name but will check when i get home from vacation. It was a guide most health practitioners list in who offer anything out of the mainstream. I found 2 naturopaths who were trained a little differently and they have approached my case a little diff. but all good. So now I have to go back to both until I can decide which one to hang with. I am chuckling at this whole process because I feel like an "orphan" patient these days because I belong to no PCP, no oncologist and I may now fire my endocrinologist if I decide I will be better off on Naturethroid. The problem is I have to at least get a Primary doc. in case I need big stuff because Virginia refuses to license Naturopath doctors!!! so sad that those powers that be are still so far behind the present or maybe they are just politically bought off here and would go to a Naturopath if they were in our shoes!!!! hate to be cynical but tough to avoid
Danette
0 -
Hello nature girls. I've been a lurker here on occasion but this is my first post. I keep up with the "July chemo starters" thread since my first treatment was July 21st. I am vegetarian (not vegan) and I've been having a hard time finding enough good protein sources since I gave up soy completely and I'm cutting way back on diary. I did purchase whey protein though because it's such a pure form of protein and hopefully it lacks the hormone problems that regular milk might have. So, I just wanted to say hi and that I've enjoyed reading posts from other food concious women with breast cancer.
0 -
Hi,
I wonder if anyone else is having the experience that I am having. Since I was dx, I have had two separate cases of severe allergic reactions. The first was to the prep solution they used on me during surgery for lumpectomy. After that surgery, I broke out in really itchy, bumpy hives in the areas where they had spread the solution. The other reaction is happening now. I broke out in hives, swollen lips, swollen palms, etc. this week. I cannot figure out why. I haven't added anything new to my diet or supplements. We thought maybe it developed from some weeding I did in the yard. The hives got so bad, my husband rushed me to the emergency room where they gave me prednisone and benadryl. They sent me away with a prescription for prednisone. I didn't fill it because I thought the worst was over. I was wrong! The next evening, everything swelIed again and I ended up back in the emergency room. Needless to say, we filled the prescription and I am now taking prednisone for the next several days! I am just wondering if anyone else has gotten strange allergic reactions since dx. I never really had this happen before. I am wondering if there is some kind of connection??? Thanks!
0 -
I bet it was something in the garden. I use to work on a farm-Ag research facility. I was in the garbanzo beans admiring how beautiful the plants were. I was touching them because the looked so soft, like ferns. The next day my hands were raw, as if I poured acid on them. I was noticing this and my boss said to me "you weren't out in the garbanzo beans were you"? I told him I was. Apparently they excrete an acid LOL I healed up ok
Do you know what stining nettle is? Maybe you came into contact with that or poison oak or poison ivy. They have stuff at the pharmacy you can buy over the counter for it.0 -
Deni, the first reaction you had sounds like an allergy to the betadine which is usually used as prep for surgery. This is related to iodine, and goes usually goes along with allergies to shellfish because they also contain iodine.
The second reaction sounds like something totally different unless you happened to have eaten shellfish that same day? Sometimes these allergies can develop even if you never had the allergy before, not necessarily will they happen the first time you are exposed.
0 -
Thanks guys. I tend to think it was something in the garden that triggered an attack. Rguiff, it was actually clora-prep they used for prep, not betadine - and it turned out that I was allergic to that solution. It just seems odd that I am suddenly so sensitive and having these severe reactions when I never really had anything like them before. I just wonder if there might not be a connection between the cancer and the allergic reactions? Just a thought.
0 -
deni ~ I'm going to venture a guess that the connection may be a depressed immune system. In the past, before bc, you probably could hande minor assaults or moderate sensitivity to certain substances because your immune response was totally available. But now, depending on where you are in your tx, your immune system has no doubt been very taxed, so you may find it harder to fight off offenders because you have little or no resistance left. Deanna
0 -
Deanna, I agree with you on your suggestion to Deni that this is a reaction due to compromised immune system. Before cancer dx and tx, I was mostly very healthy. Afterward, in short order, I had mollescum (a sort of skin fungus) and SHINGLES, due to stress, but not any stress worse than I had ever experienced before. There were other things I've blocked out of my memory, but for sure, my immune system was not strong, and that was shocking to have those problems. Maybe my immune system was compromised and it caused the cancer...hard to say. So having an allergic reaction is not surprising, but you do have to take these things seriously, as a sign that your body needs lots of t.l.c (tender loving care). I believe eating whole clean foods, with the the recommendations of a naturopath helps. Rest, sleep, avoid stress, avoid toxins, and personally, I think avoid any supplements unless you are 100% sure they are right for you...
0 -
Deanna, I would agree with you about my immune system being compromised. But it is not compromised due to treatments. I have only had surgery, no other treatments to date. I have been eating VERY clean, as Katalin suggests. I do take a lot of supplements and will discuss with my naturopath at an appointment tomorrow whether he thinks I should continue or not. I suppose overall my immune system is comprised, afterall, I did get cancer! I have been working so hard to build it back up. I suppose it takes a while. Staying away from stress is difficult, but trying!
0 -
Deni-Are you by chance taking milk thistle? It made me itch like crazy. The itch stopped after a few days of not taking it. I try not to do much herbal since then (except curcumin) since this. Itching is a classic allergic reaction.
My husband use to get this itching in his throat when he ate certain foods, that I had cooked, so I know it was not food poisoning. I finally figured out it was the MSG in certain seasoning mixes. Now I use all my cooking herbs, straight. No more mixes.
0 -
Deni ~ I think it takes far longer than we realize to rebuild our immune systems once they go awry. Not only have you had bc and are recovering from a surgery (which takes at least a month for every hour of anesthesia), but the emotional stress of being dx'd -- especially if we've always been health conscious -- and then all the decisions we have to make when we realize modern medicine doesn't have all the answers!
And remember, stress doesn't always have to be bad. Good things can also be stressful -- a move, a wedding, a job promotion. Even happy things can tax our immune systems.
I had the same problem you did with the surgical prep for my first surgery -- a horrible, raised red rash -- and my BS said she'd used the hypoallergenic prep because I'd warned her that I'm allergic to 90% of topical stuff. Now that I think about it, I wonder if my immune system had been dysfunctional all those years because post-tx I have tried a new moisturizer, hair color, hair conditioner and mascara -- all without my usual problem. I also had IBS problems that have virtually disappeared since my 2nd surgery and did not flare up even during chemo, although I have also virtually eliminated fat (a suspected contributor) from my diet. Hmmm... definitely something to think about... Deanna
0 -
Viv - I am taking Milk Thistle. I started it a few weeks ago though, and no problem until now. That is good to know that it may cause allergic reactions. I am going to talk to my dr. tomorrow about laying off any supplements that he doesn't think are absolutely necessary. It is all so exhausting isn't it! Just when we think we have things under control, something else happens!
Deanna - yeah, it makes you wonder if there is a connection with the cancer and our immune systems being insufficient to fight off things like allergic reactions. I did a little research and there does seem to be a little bit out there about allergic reactions and cancer having some connection. Not sure, I have to look into that more. I have eliminated bad fat from my diet, as with a lot of other eliminations, and haven't had a problem for the last 5 months since I changed my diet until now. Our bodies are so complicated and wonderful. Always keeping us on our toes!
0 -
Deni-the itching did not start right away with the milk thistle. It was weeks later, but since I add things one at a time, so I can see what effect they have, I thought it might be the culprit, and it was. It still took me a week or so after I stopped taking it, but the itching finally subsided, and I no longer have any problems. I now yue a supplement by metagenics called Advaclear. It is a natural liver detox and after doing a slow liver cleanse with it, which I think is the only way to detox, I now take it for maintenance. It is especially good to use it when doing the iodine detox because it helps to get the toxins out and they do not back up and cause problems. If you were not around here early in this thread, we had a long discussion on moisturizers. I only use coconut oil, mixed with a little grapeseed oil on my skin to make it a little more liquid. It not only keeps the skin smooth, I think it is a natural sunscreen, because I have not had any sun burn at all, even though I have been doing a lot of biking in the sun.
0 -
Spring--I am with Meg on the eggs--I don't worry about them unless you eat a lot of them everyday. I buy organic ones and think they are a good source of protein. I cook them with lot of veggies (spinach, onions, mushrooms, chopped up zucchini)--either in a scramble or I make a veggie "hash" and do eggs over easy on them. Sounds weird but so yummy. I really prefer food in their original form and think we should stay away from altered ones...
Meg-I have some quinoa but haven't made it much--am going to try what you described--sounds great!
0 -
Yum! What time is dinner?
0 -
Meg send the leftovers to me, sounds delish!
0 -
To all my sisters, This is not the news that I wanted to tell you after seeing my new naturalist. I was not there for 5 minutes, and the first thing out of her mouth is, I should take the Ferama, and she would help me deal with the side effects, and when she told me that I said, well you are a 2 time breast cancer surviour, what did you do? my face just dropped when she said she went on Ferama, for the last 5 years. I feel so low right now, and no where to turn, no onco, no naturalist,no nothing. She also said that I should stick with a raw diet, no bread, no surgar,no nothing, but I could have chicken, and fish, and I should take 10,000 of vit.D and I must never,never cheat on this diet. I will not live like this, and I have no where to turn, but too all of you, so please now girls, what are my options???
0 -
small world, what did she say about Dairy? Each of us has to do what feels right to us. What we can live with.
So you all eat organic eggs, and not egg beaters. I have organic eggs, but was worried about the fat and cholesterol.
0 -
The number one thing on her list was, no dairy,but rice milk was ok.No ever starches,bread,potatoes,no pasta,no rice grains.no carrots, because of the sugar. you can eat, good vegs,and only range beef or chicken. that is pretty much it.
0 -
Smallworld, is it possible you may want to get a second opinion? Just as there are very conservative alopathic doctors, there are also extreme alternative doctors. I think it's important to explore all your alternatives, in a reasonable way, and feel happy and comfortable with the advise given, once you've had a chance to research and accept whatever advise a given doctor or health practitioner advises.
0 -
smallworld ~ Sometimes experience is a wonderful thing, and sometimes it really colors our perspective, and in the case of this new naturalist, it sounds like that's what's happened. Being dx'd 2x with bc has caused her to lose faith in a holistic approach, which is certainly understandable, especially if she put her faith in a natural course the first time and it didn't work for her. Her admonition to never, never cheat on a restrictive diet also sounds like she has an overwhelming fear of recurrence, thus the need to exert total control where she can. And who knows why she had a recurrence? Maybe she didn't get aggressive enough tx the first time, and Femara wouldn't have prevented her recurrence anyway.
Please try not to feel low. You had a very disappointing experience today, but it doesn't mean you can't still find a natural doctor you like and trust. It's just going to take a little more effort. Don't let today's experience throw you. Deanna
0 -
Thank you girls so much for the advice, and dlb823 what you said about her to lose faith in the holistic approach, made all the sense in the world, and being afrid of a recurrence, could possibly be why she feels the way she did. Other red flag with her was she thought that the grade was the stage, and I explain to her, no the grade is how fast it grows, the stage is the stage that the cancer is at, humn,and Katalin, getting a 2nd opionon, I never thought about, my you girls are so on top of it, thanks so much for all your input.and by the way springtime, she said no dairy, but organic eggs, are ok. Go figure.
0 -
Smallworld, you must absolutely not lose hope! You should really get a second opinion. When I found an "integrative" oncologist, I thought he would be the answer I was looking for. I was wrong! Although he felt that diet is a huge factor in preventing recurrence, the first thing he told me to do was to go on chemo. This is with Stage 1, no lymph involvement. My naturopath made more sense to me. He stresses the importance of diet along with other treatments. Have you considered trying IV vitamin C drips and laetrile? Laetrile is controversial, but there are many who believe that cancer can be cured with it's use (as part of an overall program). It is administered through IV and tablets. It is derived from apricot pits. There was a big controversy in the 1970s with a trial they did at SLoan Kettering in NYC. The dr. that tested the laetrile (very well known, well respected dr) found it to be useful. Sloan tried to cover it up because they thought that his testing would prove the opposite, that it didn't work. They had huge ties to BigPharma and lots of $$ involved. It is a little contradictory that your naturopath would tell you to stay away from grains and then tell you to drink rice milk! Diet is a very important factor in all of this. You really do need to cut out a lot to give it your best shot. It is not easy, but necessary. Please, please, please get a second opinion. In fact, don't stop getting opinions until you find a dr who makes sense to you. It is your life. You have to take charge and feel good about the path you take.
Vivre-interesting about the milk thistle. I have been off it now for several days, but the hives don't seem to be dying down just yet. I have stopped all supplements, except for laetrile (which I have been taking since May with no problem). The past 2 nights my hands have gotten so swollen and painful that I can hardly bend my joints. I am guessing this is from the prednisone, not the reaction itself since as soon as I started the drug, the joint pain started. I'll let you know what my dr thinks about the milk thistle and Advaclear as an alternative. You think we sound alike, it would be funny if we had the same allergy too!
0 -
Wow, smallword, to be honest she sounds like a looney!! I don't want to be mean, but crikey!! Why would she still promote herself as a naturopath when she obviously doesn't believe in that approach anymore? Definately seek out someone else for a 2nd opinion! I am on a somewhat restrictive diet, but the thought of never cheating.......PLEASE!!!! One has to live, I think the stress of worrying about everything you put in your mouth is more dangerous than what you put in your mouth, just my opinion, one has to be smart about diet but not obsessive!
Love
Lorraine ox
0 -
Hi ladies, I haven't posted here in a while. I've been meaning to welcome deni and smallworld and others who joined several pages ago. Deni, wasn't it you who was told to take tamoxifen and you're not even er/pr positive??? And you were told this at sloan kettering?? Geez louise, the cutting edge people are getting to be just as bad as the bozos I get here at the end of the earth.
smallworld, I echo the sentiment that you keep looking for a doctor. I've done a LOT of reading about food in the last year or so. I tried a superfood product from a site recommended here by a stage iv bc sister. I was so pleased because I finally got rid of the nausea that had plagued me since chemo. It went away and stayed away, but the supplement was expensive and it didn't get rid of my damn fatigue.
Anyway, the information at that site was very educational, but the founder of company is a bit over the top imo when he touts vegan diet as the only way to go. He's what I call a 'foaming at the mouth vegan', kind of like a born-again evangelical preacher. Maybe some people are persuaded by that kind of fervent belief, but it tends to make me want to run for the hills. I can appreciate that people are adamant in their own views that they've adopted, but there's a LOT of very smart people with different views on food.
About the only thing all of them seem to agree on is that processed food is bad bad bad. Even vegans don't agree on everything, as some think raw food is the way to go, while others cook their food, and then there's food combining. Boy howdy, dont you eat a single thing with that watermelon! Nuts and fruits together? Not!
And then there's another thing -- doctors are really not free to say what they think! I'm not sure how it works with naturopaths, but mainstream doctors can get sanctioned if they fail to recommend standard protocols (if my understanding is correct). I know it's disheartening to find a good doctor. I've given up on all of mine. If I ever get another tumor, it'll be me foaming at the mouth. I used to believe in mind over matter. If that had worked, I never would've have had bc. Clearly, something went awry with that plan, yet, it's where I find myself again today.
0 -
deni63,fairy49,Althea, all what you have said makes good sense, It just cost so much for these naturpaths, I would like to get more information on the next doctor that I go to. Does anyone know a good onco, and a nuturalist in Northern California? Please let me know. I hope that I find someone soon, for its been 3 months when I had my mast. and I'm still at square one. Guess I need to move alittle faster. This is my favorite site, and the coolest girls in town. I beleive that I'm so lucky to get all this free advice. Please keep it coming.
0 -
Althea-well said! How is the fatigue factor?
Smallworld, Keep doctor shopping. I went through several, and feel no remorse. If you have a compounding pharm near you, ask them for recommendations. That is how I finally found a doctor who understood the whole hormone and thyroid connections.
Speaking of thyroid, if any of you newbies have not checked out the thyroid connection thread, please do. Here is a great article to get your started:
http://www.illnessisoptional.com/cms/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=134
I will post on it so you can find the thread easily.
For those of us who refuse to take drugs, taking iodine gives us a lot of peace of mind.
Deni, it took me over a week after I stopped the milk thistle for the itching to stop. Get some coconut oil! It will help.
I had my first meal from my garden today! It is about time! I made cukes and cherry tomatoes, and sweet peppers, with herbs, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I also made fresh broccoli with EVO, garlic and lemon juice. I love this stuff. To make the broccoli, steam it a few minutes and then rinse with cold water. Toss with EVO, and add lots of minced garlic (raw), some salt and lots of fresh lemon juice. Chill. YUM!
I did make DH a little couscous to fill him up, but it was all veggies for me! We ate a lot of other stuff this weekend, so it is time to detox!
By the way, I cannot eat broccoli raw. It really gives me cramps. I need to steam it a little. I am not convinced that a raw food diet is all that great.
0 -
I know this has been covered a lot, but for all you newbies, make sure to have your vit D levels checked:
0 -
Vivre, How do you detox? Your right about Vit D. The Naturpath, did tell me today, to have my hormone levels checked, and the Vitimin D also. Your recipe sounds good, and how nice to get food from your own garden, but what is EVO?
0
