Radiation recovery
Comments
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Josie and Runfree thanks for the support.
Josie I am sorry your tummy isn't good today either
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Thanks for the happy thought, RunFree; I did indeed drive on icy, icky roads this morting, but after the first half hour or so, all was clear. I blasted out of my office an hour ago, hoping to get home before the mess of slush in my yard froze (freezing scheduled for 5:00, according to the weather channel) into a skating rink, with me unable to get into the house. As it happens, my plow guy had sanded, so I need not have been concerned. I'm hoping you had smooth (that's dry smooth, not icy smooth) roads.
Kate, sure hoping you got a good suggestion for that rotten pain--overdoing tylenol in all its forms is not liver friendly.
Bunkie, here's seriously hoping your electricity stays on, and you stay out of mouse heaven. As for electricity, I do have a generator, but my plow guy has the barn door totally blocked, so, if the grid goes out, I can just sort of longingly look in its direction.
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Brookside, I am chuckling--because it's hypothetical--at the image of you gazing longingly toward your generator!
I'm supposed to see my RO in the morning, so the roads had better be clear. It's not going to be precipitating, but the glop that fell today is frozen solid, and the ice melting products all fail below about 10F. It's supposed to be in the single digits in the morning when I'm driving nearly an hour to see her. Come on, roads, clear up.... I am hoping to follow this appointment with some retail therapy. Wish you could come with me, Kate!
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Hi. I'm Jan in Utah where we've been suffering from freezing cold and inversion related polluted air for 2 weeks. I have had the flu for those two weeks and about ready to pull my hair out. (Won't do it cause I know how bad I look bald ha ha)
Hope your stomach is better soon. I just got my acid reflux pain under control with a double dose of generic Zantac. Such a relief to not have the stomach pain. Hope it's something similar for you as well.
On another note, I saw your post on immunotherapy and I have been looking for a clinical trial online pretty much all day. I am three years out and might qualify for the one your doc mentioned.
Would you mind sharing the name of that trial with me? I would greatly appreciate it.
Wishing you the best of health in the New Year.
Thanks
Jan
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Hi Jan from Utah (one of my favorite places) - it has been quite a winter almost everywhere in the US.
I hope you find what you are looking for regarding the clinical trials. Is there a reason you need more treatment?Bunkie, I knew things were miserable in MI but did not realize how much snow there is. It sounds like you are riding it out - just glad your power is on.
We couldn't get out of here on Friday after 11" of drifting snow, but we did go to Cohasset MA early Saturday morning when the temps were zero here. It's amazing to go from a warm house to a warm car and not realize how bad it is. I travel with extra coats, blankets,and food and water.It warmed to almost 60. Then rain today as we returned to Long Island. No freeze until after 9 PM so I went to work for about 4 hours after our 5 hour drive. It feels SO good to be home now. Temps will fall almost 50 degrees in some areas here.
Runfree, I also have to be out in the morning - 9 AM appointment and another at 12:30 pm. I hope the roads are not icy. It seems to be pretty dry out there but that black ice is invisible.
My little grandaughter (in my avatar) turned 3 and when we got there she was sick...we took her to candlepin bowling and that wiped her out...she is slowly improving but refuses any and all meds. I had planned to take the 2 girls to Build A Bear for the birthday girl but she was too sick. So Charlotte and I went to the mall in Braintree and "built" 2 My Little Ponies and decked them out with colorful capes and shoes and bows....(of course each needed 4 shoes)...I had so much fun. We got cinnamon pop corn and went to the Lego store and Justice...then it was time to go home. Today she told her mom she did not want me to leave....but I said I would take her to her school bus and she was happy. I miss them lots. Very stressful at their home with all the changes...they just bought a house a mile or so from their rental so another move is coming. Son in law still not permanently employed after 6 months. He is working temporarily in DD's company and that is nearly disastrous. I am concerned about all this stress on the family.
DS in Chicago said today was "hell on earth" as he worked from home. Dangerous cold.
Gigi, happy to hear from you after your sweet dad has been laid to rest. I note that you are not complaining about the cold....I guess it's all relative.Brookside,be careful on the roads. Josie, hope your snow and cold is ending.
Kate, glad you had a good outing this week end. I hope your doc can help you figure it all out soon. I know you are worried - you just want a shot at surgery and it would be good if you can by pass chemo. I hope your family in Chicago is OK.
I just heard on Nightline what I knew was ironically true - that these extreme temps and storms are actually tied in to global warming - a shift in weather patterns and melting ice, putting cold water into our oceans which affects the lower atmosphere. I hope it's temporary, but I know better.
California gals, enjoy the sunshine.
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hi Joan,
Yep, I'm afraid we're in for big changes, weather wise. Actually, here in Northern California we have several municipal water systems running out of water. Several lakes are at 10% fill! and the rest aren't much better. Several towns are already on rationing. It's been too sunny during the day, and the ground is totally dry. We had red flag warnings for fire danger the other day......and, we're averaging 10 degrees colder at night than normal. We are generally in the high 20s for at least a portion of each night, and it's been going on for weeks. Completely unheard of. I think we will be having water wars next. It's much easier to deal with than what all you out east are facing...but scary in its own way.
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Sew,
In the long run, I think a drought is more serious, especially with fire danger. The cold is hard on people, and expensive for utilities and snow cleanup. So change is hard.But water is the next "oil" and rights are largely held in private hands.
Hope all is well!Joan
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I wanted to thank the poster who mentioned they had a reaction to Aquaphor. I have not used it for two days, just used the 100% Aloe , I feel much better now. The redness and irritation is not getting worse and is showing signs of healing. So this is a heads up for others who may want to try holding off on the Aquaphor. I am not actually allergic to it. It's just too strong for the radiation area. I am now able to get comfortable at night so have had two good nights rest. WHEW!! I can actually say this is the first day, since rads were finished on Christmas Eve, that I feel recovery is a reality!!
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Well, I don't have to worry too much about drought--there is a spring in my cellar which provides my drinking water, and, most of the year, a little stream runs through the 1700's dry stone foundation, through a pipe, and out the other end. Also, there is a brook outside that never runs dry. About the end of July, it might get very low, and I can see that indeed, bad things could happen. Thus far, it's a never-never, but it does make me think. That brook, by the way, is usually about 15 feet wide and babbling 6 -12 inches deep. During Hurricane Irene, the entire 75-foot streambed was filled 15 feet deep with raging water.
I'd much rather deal with freezing temps, ice and snow, than drought and forest fires.
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Brookside, that must have been some scene during Hurricane Irene! It's a wonder your house survived.
Kwing, BIG CONTRATULATIONS on finishing rads! Happy Dance for you!!!! I suppose you could still get a bit of fatigue, but you're past most of it. So glad the aloe is working well. I liked aloe much better than Aquaphor myself. The Aquaphor didn't bother my skin, but it was just gloppy and unpleasant to work with.
Kwing and janiceB, welcome to one of the most supportive threads in the history of the world! We don't always stick to the subject of radiation, but we've all been there. A bunch of us did it last spring. I got phenomenal advice here about rads, and much more.
So speaking of radiation, I went to see my RO today. The roads were fine, once I got on the highway. My RO thinks the muscle tugging pain I've had along my rib cage is from where the radiation beams came together, not from the surgery. Therefore she thinks PT would not actually help, and I just need to wait for it to heal more, keeping it stretched in ordinary ways. She was pleased with the size, shape, and color of my BC breast and the surrounding skin, and she was fascinated to hear about the full saga of my rash.
And then she dismissed me! I was taken aback. I chuckled, "So you're kicking me out???" Then SHE was taken aback. I know it's a GREAT thing that I am done with radiation and don't even need her to follow me, but I felt a bit cut adrift. I guess I have a little crush on her. Maybe this is like the way people get crushes on their psychotherapists? Or maybe it's just another scary step into that bold frontier of Post-Cancer Life. Since she also works at the other cancer center where my MO is, we agreed she'd pop her head in next time I'm there, in June. Then I shopped my troubles away, and now I shall make cookies--you know, just to warm up the kitchen.
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Run Free...YUM... Cookies! Bet Janis has been baking too. You know, actually I'm surprised that a number of you are being followed by your RO this long after rads are finished. Out here it's generally a 3 month look and.....bye bye. Seems here the follow-up is done by the MO.
Kwing514....glad you've switched to just the Aloe. My BC breast swore by it. That and calendula cream, but since you're done with rads I doubt you'll be needing that. Remember to keep lubing that breast for the next several months. It will thank you for it. And....Happy New Year to you....you're all done with active treatment. A great feeling for sure, but expect some "weird" days too. This is a lot like PTSD, and you might find you are more emotional, or have slow days, perhaps some depression for no apparent reason, or any number of strange reactions. All of those reactions are probably normal, just keep moving forward. Keep checking in here ..... we're fun and as Run Free said, we've been thru this and if we haven't we're still glad to listen.
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Brookside, I've got a creek running thru my place too, although not under the house.....that's just wet in "normal" years due to the sandy soil. My creek still has a tiny bit of water flowing, but the algae is worse than I've ever seen it, and for once, it's dry under the house this year. First time in 30 years. I'm hopeful that my well is OK since there's still water in the creek. It is spectacular what these creeks can do under heavy rain, or hurricanes in your case, I'd guess. I've been known to wander out in the middle of the night just to watch all that water flowing under my drive. Amazing forces.
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Hi y'all
Kwing514 - Ooo who, congrats on completing Rads! Watch the skin...baby with emu oil & aloe:). Speedy recovery...there is this gap after active treatment ends and we begin to take stock of all our bodies have been through...yes, PTSD. Then we slowly get our groove back...be kind to yourself.
Kate - glad the new RX has the itch under control!
JaniceB- welcome! Where are you on rad countdown? Check with your BC center for clinical trials...good luck.
RunFree - date time movie time:) luv your RO...happy with girl...agree PT helps with the tight pull...scar tissue..mine wants to follow me a bit longer see her in June for MRI. Team (BS,RO,MO) say every 3 to 6 months so my BFF for at least three years or five. Comfort
Josie - hope you are feeling better...Jammie's sound good with chicken soup
no work day?Joan - burr, I can just see you building ponies&bears:) fun times. Did you brave the icy roads to work
Sew - good to hear from you
running creek behave...not the right weather to be hanging out at night watching a river ribs through your yard...stay warm...wait for the harvest moonlight. Bunkie - burrrr, MI gets so coked and the lake affect...polar vortex...when will the house get on the market and you in CA? Stay dry stay warm hang out with friends.
Brookside - a Spring in your basement...a brook outside...no SoCal water wars. You Northern gals are a hardy bunch. I've lived in the mountains...chains on and off and hiked home during early snowfalls and black ice...I'll keep the warm sun shine and beach.
SAB - yippee on the CT scan:) good news!
Flu is better, hoping chest doesn't turn into bronchitis...hubby likes the deep deep voice. 1st MRI good waiting on brain Friday, infusions are done and waiting on those tests...always tests and waiting...hubby's family coming this weekend so front yard courtyard landscape project is facing a serious deadline...5 weeks of PVC pipe and fittings and tools needs to be done! He's a start and get around to it sometime guy...drives me crazy...get her done! Think a movie sounds good...Secret Life of Walter Mitty...:)
(((Hugs)))
Cindy
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Cindy, Good news on the tests so far.....here's to only good results to come. Popcorn, don't forget the popcorn .... lightly buttered and a hint of salt, yum
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Cindy, sending you positive power for your husband! And your landscaping project--my how those things can drag on.
My MO told me to lube the breast essentially forever. Easy enough to do; I just slap some moisturizer on after I put it on my face after the shower. I will keep seeing my MO and BS, who are at two different cancer centers, but I didn't realize I'd be discharged by my RO, whom I see at a third. At my 3-month RO visit in August, we got sidetracked onto the skin crisis, or maybe she would have told me that she'd see me at 6 months and then be done. It would be more of a team approach if I were doing everything at one cancer center.
Kwing, I'll second what Sew said about the delayed emotional reaction of finishing active treatment. A bunch of us have been through it, on different levels at different points. I just saw a whole long thread on BCO called "I want my mojo back!" that was about the same topic: how we finish treatment and then the heroic adrenalin we summon to get through all that seeps away, and we start to feel kind of stagnant, or something. People who start Tamoxifen or an AI right after rads often suspect the Tamoxifen or AI is making them depressed, but low moments don't seem to need any pharmaceutical help to appear. If you want, you can go backwards on this thread and you'll see previous discussions of this. Then again, things may very well go differently for you. I'm still happy dancing for you finishing rads!
Joan, I loved your story about making My Little Ponies with your granddaughter. So precious. That family has had a bunch of change, and it's great for the kids to have these fun times with you. Hope the little birthday girl gets better fast.
Just finished making my carrot cake cookies, using a carrot cake mix.
Pretty decadent. I hate adding a whole stick of butter to anything.
But I made the cookies small and they aren't too horrible, like 80 calories
each. Now I just have to keep from needing to multiply 80 x some high
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Welcome to you Jan.You will find this is a very supportive group and you will learn a lot too.
Kwing, congrats on finishing Rads.Hope the recovery goes good and no fatigue sneaks up on you.
RunFree, did you save me a cookie? No nuts please.
BTW my RO still wants to see me in May.Not sure why some RO' s have different protocols than others.
Joan, sounds like your Granddaughters have a great grandma.Sounds like you had a great time too.Good for you.Hope that little one is feeling better.
Cindy ,Glad to hear hubby s tests are ok so far...Thanks for asking ,yes my tummy is better.Not sure was wrong just felt kind of blah.They called me into work today.Mainly because since the office was closed Monday the other scheduled for Wednsday weren't precerted for tommorow.I have a full schedule.Well I made it in and the roads were terrible.Got most of my patients benefits.My boss wanted to know how much I had gotten done before I left.She more or less was like"you almost done there? They didn't call me in until like 1pm and by the time I got there it was like 1:30 .It took that long to reach all of the insurances.Every insurance company had like a 15 min wait time. Oh well.5:30 I was on my way home in the cold treacherous roads.
Sorry my attitude stinks tonight.I did apply for a job again over the weekend.
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Good luck with the job hunt Josie! I know it's so hard to change jobs but they sound very difficult where you are now.
Joan I just love these stories about what you do with the kids. They are so lucky to have a fun time gram like you!
Sew our well is deep, 350 feet or so and the other day the motor kicked off after pumping only 500 gallons to our tank. That had never happened before and its very scary. It is dry, dry, dry here in the woods. Our creek is only a trickle too.
Welcome new sisters. I have been done with roads over 2 years but can't leave these lovely, supportive ladies. I do recall that I found aquaphor "icky" and used aloe and calendula. Now I use Shikai or another paraben free moisturizer.
Run, my moment of fear came when all my appointments tripped over to annuals. I felt abandoned! Now, with my medical bills well under control I am not missing the visits anymore!
Good thoughts to you and your dh Cindy!
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I hate auto-correct.
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Sab....but what's my excuse when I've hand written the note? No autocorrect! That's sure scary about your well. My well's only 35' deep, but I'm hoping that will save me. I think everyone else around here has deep wells and I really hope they're on a different aquifer. How's the shoulder? Great to hear your scan was good by the way. I had no idea they were looking for bone type problems. Sure am glad it wasn't that!
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SAB, thanks for the luck I need it.
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Brookside, Joan, Jan, Cindy, Runfree, and Josie thanks so much for the support
Brookside Doc prescribed Oxycodone for pain, so now I won't have to overdo Extra Strength Tylenol. I won't overdo Oxycodone either, because it causes constipation.
Jan, do you have a second cancer? My doctor is looking for a clinical trial for me for bladder cancer, and not for breast cancer. My breast cancer was stage 1 grade 1, but my bladder cancer is stage 4. There are numerous clinical trials for immune therapy. It depends on what type of cancer you have. He recently told me that for most of them you have to be 5 years past breast cancer. He is hoping he will find one where they will accept me 3 years past breast cancer, which will be in July. Sorry, but I don't know the names of all of these. He is saying it is too early yet ( 6 months before July) because some of these will close by then, and new ones will open up.
Joan, sorry your cute 3 year old granddaughter was ill. So glad you had fun at Build A Bear, Lego, and Justice. I love those type of stores. Both of my children stayed home from work on Monday, and the schools were closed Monday and Tuesday.
Cindy, I am glad your flu is better. I am also glad that your hubby's MRI is good, and I am praying his other tests will be good as well
Josie, I so hope you find a job you like. I hate all the pressure you get from this job
I saw Doc yesterday, and as mentioned above he gave me Oxycodone for pain. He does not know if the pain is from Constipation or from the tumor. I think it is associated with constipation. I do have BM's at least every other day, but it seems I can't evacuate all that needs to be evacuated, so my abdomen is bloated. If I eat only 900 calories in a day I feel better, but Doc doesn't want me to diet. I have gone from a terrible high of 146 to 132. I have been dieting since Nov. 1, but cheated on the holidays. Even though he doesn't want me to diet I am going to try and lose 12-17 pounds more. 115 would be perfect for me. Most of my life I was 105, but now that I am older 105 makes my face look too drawn. I have an appointment with my GI specialist on Monday, so I can see what she says about the pain I have been experiencing. I feel better today. Monday I felt so sick I couldn't leave the house
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Hi everyone,
I just finished rads on Friday and wanted to ask you all what kind of modifications you have made or are making to your diet? Awhile back, before starting rads, the nutritionist had recommended trying to eliminate sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, soy and dairy from my diet as much as possible as well as increasing vegetable intake. I was wondering if any of you have been told the same thing and what is working for you? It just seems very overwhelming to me, especially trying to find healthy snack foods or desserts.
Trying to be able to cook for myself and my family instead of just myself.
Thank you for any help you could provide.
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Welcome Hobbles, kwing and Jan in Utah. We are next door neighbors Jan with similar names, although I go by Janis. Our weather has been really cold too and last night we had about 4" of new snow. Our previous snow from November had not melted so this makes it pretty sloppy. Ice packed streets with the long cold snap.
Hobbles dietary changes are difficult, and I am not good at it at all. There are some great ladies on here who can be much more helpful than I can. I know what I should be eating, but still eat bad things. I love to bake and of course I have to eat it. I do try to eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and my DH and I make our own juices. I still eat wheat and gluten and sugar and all those bad things, in moderation of course. Good luck and a BIG congratulations to you and the others who just finished rads. It is a huge milestone and you are done. Hurray!
Sew and Sab, I have lived in drought stricken states all of my life. When I lived in Denver we always had water restrictions. In Cheyenne we were semi rural and had a well. In town they always had strict watering restrictions. Here there are no watering restrictions but we use irrigation water for all outdoor watering. We have the honor (?) of having the largest lot in this subdivision, at half an acre. It is all landscaped, grass and a couple of islands for small trees and flowers. We have a sprinkler system out front, but we are on a large corner lot and only the main front has the sprinkler system. The irrigation water is provided from the spring runoff which fills the reservoirs. You pay a flat fee in early spring which is based on the size of the lot. The water is generally available from April through October, the date varies based on summer rains (none this summer) and of course the runoff. You pay in advance and there is no 'refund' when they have to cut it off early, as they did last fall. There was simply not enough water, a dry summer so they cut if off about a month early. The news is already reporting the reservoirs and predicted to be low again this year, as we are once again experiencing drought conditions even in the mountains. They are also reporting that once again they expect drier than normal conditions this year. It gets blazing hot here in the summer. We had a degree day in June, followed by a long summer with many more + days. I love having grass but it takes a ton of water with such a big lot. Not to mention the yard that has no sprinkler system takes a lot of time to water. DH has made some sprinklers that he connects with PVC pipes and buries, so it just means turning them on by hand. We have this for the sides and the flower and veggie garden out back. We spend a lot of time just trying to keep everything watered. We get awesome veggies though.
Joan, the doll making images will stay with me, how absolutely wonderful that you are creating amazing memories with those little girls. Brought me a huge smile.
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Once again I am having trouble with my posts here. Maybe they are too long? When I try to add another line the computer won't let me. Sorry to end that abruptly and with no personal shout outs. I read all your posts and keep on the troubles and triumphs in your lives. Always know how much I care, and of course wish great days ahead for all of you battling problems. Try to keep smiling and know you are cherished.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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Brookside - I can see you staring at that generator now....wish I had one. There are some whole house ones I checked into that cost about 10,000 and then there are small ones. I was thinking something that could keep on the fridge/freezer and furnace or air conditioner would be good. I am glad to have power too. That mice basement is still in my mind.
Kate - Wow I did not know your kids were at MSU. I did a year there and then got a work study offer at AT&T that caused me to quit and work full time. Yes I was very happy about the Rosebowl win. We have a great coach and our basketball team is coming back too. I was here when we had the dream team with Magic Johnson and a few others back in the day. That was a time to be going to MSU. Lets hope we can do that again and win. I can imagine your kids are as glad as me to see the temp go up to 0. We are supposed to get highs of 30s this week end and rain...that will freeze again. Hopefully not as bad as last time. Sounds like you are feeling better. That Oxy is strong stuff but if it helps you then great.
Cindy - Glad you are some better. Lets hope the tests come out of for your hubby.
Runfree - My Ro dismissed me too after rads but I go back once a year and then done. Last visit I only saw the nurse. My RO was not on my list it seems.
Welcome to the new ladies. I have been done with rads for a year now but have no intention on leaving this group. They are my sisters. Will get some posts in to you later. Just stopping in.
Do not want to miss anyone but when I get too long it dumps my post so I will check back in later.
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hobbesla4, HAPPY DANCE for you too upon finishing rads!!! I hope you are feeling great. What WILL you do with the extra time???!!! Congratulations on passing such an important milestone.
About your nutritionist's advice: I think there is a wide spectrum of opinion. Some people are certain that nutrition is the key to keeping cancer (or cancer recurrence) at bay. They point to sugar especially, as well as refined flours etc., as well as meat, maybe also dairy, and to bad ingredients, additives, pesticides, and other residues. People in this category often recommend the book Anti-Cancer. Many such people have said to me, "You've GOT to keep sugar out of your diet. You know cancer feeds on sugar!" I've also been told not to drink alcohol at all because it produces estrogen in the body. On the other hand, many other people are much more relaxed about all this. I haven't heard anyone recommend LIVING on those bad things, but I've definitely heard advice from the mellow end of the spectrum too.
Unless you are scared enough to make a radical change, I think so much of this comes down to temperament. Your nutritionist might have become a nutritionist in the first place because she was already a purist about food, or maybe she had a cancer loss or scare that pushed her to the "We must do whatever we can" position. This rings a bell with me. I went to a chiropractor a few years ago for TMJ in my jaw. Before
she'd even taken a look at my jaw, she told me my problem was dairy.
About a year later I got a letter from her saying she'd gotten a new certification in nutrition, and getting
people off dairy was her main mission. The anti-dairy crusade came
before the career.So I'm not saying your nutritionist's information is wrong, but the urgency of those changes is open to differing interpretations. My MO believes the sugar thing is way overblown, because the pathways of dietary sugar in various kinds of cells, cancerous and not, is so poorly understood. She's not worried about dietary soy producing estrogen either. She said having a soy milk smoothie every single day might not be so great, but I shouldn't worry about trace amounts of soy in my multivitamin, in other foods, even in soy sauce. Her thinking is that there are three main things everyone should focus on in working to prevent recurrence, because their impact is well demonstrated in the research: 1) get and keep BMI in the normal range 2) exercise 3) don't have more than 3-5 alcoholic drinks a week. Presumably not smoking is important too. Beyond that, she thinks we just don't know enough to be stressing ourselves out about diet. This works well for me because it matches my temperament. I eat carefully to control my weight, and over a number of years, I have gradually adopted pretty close to a Mediterranean diet about 75% of the time. I subscribe to and avidly read both Prevention and Eating Well magazines. But I don't buy organic, and I eat meat, dairy, sugar, and refined flour too. I have one packet of Splenda every day on my cereal, and a glass of diet Coke maybe a couple times a week. I don't think gluten is bad in itself, for anyone who isn't sensitive or allergic. Meanwhile I know a lot of people who have gone paleo for weight and fitness reasons--lots of meat and
nuts, but they can't have a potato. I just don't have the patience for
that, but I don't judge anyone who does. I got about halfway through Anti-Cancer before putting it down, because I
felt as though the research was sloppy just where it was claiming to prove
a direct cause-and-effect impact of diet. But I have very smart friends who swear by it.Of course I don't know what your diet is like. Maybe there are some things you would do well to change. However, if making these changes is more than you can handle right now, I would recommend talking to your MO about it. If you want to improve your diet but can't face a wholesale change, pick a few things to work on, then once those feel normal, work on a few more. Or one. On this thread, SAB especially appears to have a really beautiful healthy diet, and she is an exercise goddess too. I'm sure there are other people you can learn from as well. I favor the advice from another BC friend's doctor. "Cancer is stressful," she said. "Have a glass of wine. Have two."
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Hi, hobbesla. According to my onc, if you are ER+, reducing body fat and dietary fat is priority #1, as body fat generates estrogen. Also of high import is managing circulating insulin, which is what hits the bloodstream when we eat sugary stuff, and maybe when we eat anything at all (I'm just not clear on the mechanics of digestion), and seems to provide a growth factor for cancer cells. I've abandoned my beloved high fat diet, mostly replacing red meat with fish and poultry, and limiting butter and mayo and the like (lost 25 pounds too!). I try to avoid sugar, but thus far, not wheat, although that seems to be my next target. I'm adding fruits and veggies.
During and right after rads, I tried to limit protein. I don't think anyone else in the world thinks like me on this, but I was thinking that protein is necessary for cell repair and growth, and I'd just spent a lot of energy/rads trying to clobber the growth plans of certain cells. I was happy to think of any leftover bad guys as starving away. I spent almost a lifetime boycotting fake sugars, and it does not appear to have benefitted me in regard to this diagnosis, so now, for the first time, I feel perfectly comfortable drinking diet orange selzer. There are as many ideas about how we should/should not eat as there are patients on these boards, and nobody seems to have found the magic combination. I'd recommend starting, as I did, with grilling your MO, as s/he is probably more in touch with what dietary strategies are statistically proven to be advantageous. I'd look at your nutritionist's recommendations as an overlay on you MO's suggestions, then just choose what works for you, keeping in mind that there is no magic/known/standard diet.
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Just read RunFree's post. It so often seems that we think alike, and I wholeheartedly echo her post, in particular:
1. Thirty minutes of exercise per day is statistically proven to be advantageous.
2. Food is good. Feel free to limit food groups in which you think, from a healthy point of view, you might be overindulging, but please keep in mind that there is a difference between statistically proven and generally (and currently) understood or hoped.
3. Make your diet your own. Start slow, make adjustments as you go.
4. Nobody, nutritionist or anyone else, has the answer. Eat healthy, be healthy, listen, learn, make your own decisions. Be happy.
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right on Janis, Run Free and Brookside. I agree with all of you. hobbiesia.....I think you'll develop a plan that works for you regarding nutrition, exercise and reducing stress. I can definitively tell you that eliminating red meat from your diet, for example, will not save you from getting cancer as I have been a vegetarian for 30 years...and yep, here I am. I think the key now, for you, will be to listen to your body. Find out what works for you. Although I never ate much sugar, I did go to a "no sugar added" diet and having done that now when I eat something really sweet I end up feeling totally sluggish. I didn't loose any weight from doing that as I don't eat much sugar, but the sluggishness was sure strange. But was the sugar "bad" for me? Who knows. My MO agrees with run free and brooksides and feels generally moderation in everything is good. I do eat soy products, like tofu, and asked him about that and he said go ahead. Just don't make it the primary staple in my diet. So...listen to your body, your nutritionist and your doctors and work out something that works for you. Glad you've joined us.
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Ok my post just disappeared before I could hit send.
Kate thanks for the kind thoughts about the new job.Glad your feeling better.
Hobbles welcome, I definitely am not an expert in the nutrition dept.But I have heard and did this myself as well increase the protein during and after Rads.It seems to help with the fatigue.Sugar is always a struggle for me but I have learned to reduce it and cut out the soda.I absolutely am anti- artificial sweeteners because for one they irritate my bladder but also the chemicals like in diet coke are thing like you wouldn't normally ingest like formaldehyde.It crosses the blood brain barrier.I think I almost got through to my hubby on the diet coke thing he definitely Has city back.He have it up completely for a while after reading the article to him.
Janis, water reservoirs? How does that work?
Shout outs to everybody I didn't mention.
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