Unfortunately things are going downhill
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Taking a powerful probiotic while on chemo is critical.
>Z<
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Good suggestion about a probiotic, I’ve never heard you should take that if having chemo. Any suggestions on what to get? Neither had I thought about C diff. Being that I was on back to back antibiotics that is a possibility too. I will certainly askMO on Wednesday about that. Thanks for your input
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Hi Kandy - Hope you are feeling better. Back to back antibiotics will do that to you for sure! Probiotics should help.
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I ould love to hear some suggestions for a good probiotic too! I eat a certain yogurt with some but suspect a supplement is more logical? Kandy, Sometime the antibiotics themselves cause the nausea and vomiting. I was on Cipro for a week and it wreaking havoc on me.
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Kandy and artist... Re. probiotics... I do kefir (ideal for downing my Xeloda; Siggi and Grazier brands are my favorites) and raw natural sauerkraut, as well as an occasional yogurt. I've tried several probiotic supplements. Most were worthless. The only one that's ever worked for me to the point I would recommend it is Shaklee's Optiflora. It makes a big difference in my digestive health, but response to supplements may be somewhat individual. Maybe not a one size fits all.
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thanks dlb - that's the problem with probiotic recommendations... it's individual but we experiment until something works. I like making my own bulgarian yogurt out of a potent starter mix that can be re-used multiple times. According to the label there are 400 billion+ bacteria per gram, which is a whole lot of good bacterial. I am in a program that monitors the flora in my gut and I can see the effect in the data. From the yogurt starte box ....
Bulgarian yoghurt is unique, worldwide famous fermented milk product. The yoghurt contains large amounts of live and metabolically active cells L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. Since the antiquity it has been considered a food that sustains the human health and life longevity. Bulgarian yoghurt characteristically contains high number of live beneficial lactic acid bacteria, which counts vary between 400 million to 1 billion per gram of yogurt.
The other consideration is pre-biotics ... making sure you are feeding the flora in your gut things that promote a healthy distribution of strains. That basically means fiber, fiber, fiber. However, you can drive the growth of certain strains with specialized pre-biotics.
And finally there are pro-biotic supplements which I believe are most useful if you are trying to get a particular strain like bifido bacterium, which promotes immune function, established in your gut.
Z
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Dear friends, spoke with my very knowledgeable GP re: probiotics when fighting chemical induced diarrhea like I have never known before. She explained that different probiotics work in different ways for different problems, and she insisted that I take over the counter Align only. This has worked like a charm for me.
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Kandy, praying for pain relief for you. You guys are always in my thoughts and prayers.
Ronnie
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Hi Kandy,
I get bouts of nausea and sever fatigue every month.. Sleeping 17 or so hours and unable to eat. Onc not sure what causes it..very frustrating..
God Bless,
Ronnie
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Thanks dbl, Z, and sueopp for the recommendations. Time to try a few....
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Thanks everyone for the recommendations and the well wishes. I did start Align last night, so I'm hoping it helps. Hang in there ladies, prayers and thoughts are always with you.
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How interesting!
As reported in Science Magazine today:
Your gut bacteria could determine how you respond to cutting-edge cancer drugs
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lulubee I saw that too. Interesting. I have read that probiotics help boost the immune system. Nice to see cancer researchers catching on.
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There is a very strong relationship between gut health and the activity of both drugs and the immune system. Many cancer treatments impair gut health and compromise the immune system and the metabolism, undermining your overall health. This certainly contributes to the fact that we get poor overall survival even when drugs can get rid of tumors.
I work hard on maintaining gut health with probiotics and prebiotics and diet. When I am actually taking a drug that impairs the gut, I assume the bacteria are all screwed up and not doing their job and I take a supplement that is actually the metabolites of the good bacteria in the gut.
If anyone wants to get into the weeds on this there is a startup in my town that will test your stool and tell you the exact profile of your gut biome. They are called Viome. It's a program that you sign up for a year and you get unlimited tests and reports ... basically you get send a sample any time you want a report. They will work with you to drive your gut biome one way or another mostly through diet. It's expensive $400 per year and not an FDA approved insurance covered diagnostic despite endless papers and trials that show the relationship between the gut and health. They are just starting and I hope they can get the price down with time. If you are in a financial position to do this kind of thing it's a very interesting way to try to improve outcomes.
I'd like to say this is the future of cancer treatment. It should be but it is too individualized and dependent on a knowledgeable practitioner to succeed in our system. They are doing a lot better outside the US. _begin soapbox_ Here we are looking for one pill that cures or at least a large class of patients. Unfortunately, I don't think that is how cancer will be cured. _end soapbox_
>Z<
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Wow, Z, I just looked over that whole site and I am enthused. This is the good stuff.
However, it says it's $399 per year, not 5K. Am I missing a layer?
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Very exciting research about the gut bacteria and avoiding antibiotics! Thank you. I have started the kefir by Siggi a few days ago- have been eating yogurt for years. There was some research about not eating for 9-12 hours per day (overnight-so no snacking before bed) helping the gut bacteria regenerate also.
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Dear Kandy, I just read through this whole thread. Oh my goodness you have been through the absolute ringer !Please hang in there ! The probiotics are a good idea I think. (My doctor put me on something called symbiosys alflorex, I think it helped a lot) Will you actually be on Ibrance soon? I have been on Ibrance and Faslodex for only four days but have the feeling already that it may actually be working. May much comfort and love surround you. Paula
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Lulubee - I worked with these guys in a research organization before they left to form this company. I've been in the Viome beta program since long before they launched. I honestly hadn't looked at their pricing recently. 18 months ago they were talking about $5K per year, which I told them was insane. Apparently they have decided to price the service at a loss for now. That is a good deal for what they provide, although still a lot of money for a lot of people. I am hesitant to even discuss out of pocket treatments while so many people struggle to make their co-pay for standard treatment.
At the same I think that Viome is driving an important diagnostic tool outside of the FDA process ... a process that I believe is not going to give us a cure for cancer. This disease is too tricky for what the FDA was built to do.
>Z<
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Gut biome health is becoming such an important topic for all of us on Stage IV meds. Is there a separate thread for it?
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(((Kandy))))
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Lifting you up in prayer, Kandy. Sending love and light.
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Lulubee, I just read that article. Yuck, so my gut is helping to kill me quicker. That is great, when do I get a break? I did start on a probiotic, I do think that it is helping, I only have had vomiting one time since. Thank all you ladies for your input. I don’t know what I would do without y’all. Keep the info coming. Lifting everyone in prayer, take time to enjoy the moment
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Kandy - Align sounds like the probiotic for you. Add fiber and healthy yogurt to your diet, if you can keep it down your gut will get back on your side quickly.
>Z<
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Thanks Z, I did get Align cause someone else on here recommended it. I'm hoping it is working cause my stomach feels so much better than it did. I think about you a lot. I hope your treatment created a miracle. Prayers that you have turned things around to be on your side.
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Kandy, I hope the new probiotic works well for you and that the road ahead will be considerably smoother!
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Kandy, hope your enhanced microbiome can work even more magic!
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I started Align 3 years ago when i was on Taxotere and never had any major gut issues from chemo. I still take it. Sometimes I wonder if it is doing anything anymore so I stop. Within a week I'm constipated so I start up again. I guess it really is workin ! I hope it helps you too Kandy.
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I started Align today too! We'll see how it "goes". kandy, how's it going? Is the back pain better? did they approve your med yet?
Deana, Is kefir like a liquid yogurt?
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Artist, thought I'd chime in...kefir is like a liquid yogurt, but I think i5 has more cultures in it.
I take Lifeway plain kefir.
L
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Thanks Lita, I'll look for it along with the rest of my shopping list. How are you doing today? Is the eye sight clearing up at all?
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