APRIL Rads Anyone?

Happy Friday, and weekend holiday, to all of you who've already started Rads.  TGIF will have new meaning now

Carol/Berrypatch, Do you mean the book, Anticancer: A new way of life by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber?  I'm reading that too and it's WONDERFUL!  He is very inspiring and it really provides some great information.  I'm also slow to give up my coffee with milk...  A diet book that I'm using, with intermittent success, is The Fast Track Detox Diet by by Ann Louise Gittleman.  Her diet is very consistent with the recommendations in Dr. Servan-Schreiber's Anti-Cancer book.  

Anyone interested in doing the 11 day fast track detox diet with me??  I could e-mail a daily food log that I typed-up with the required foods .  (I need support, as I keep having to restart it...)

This too shall pass.  May it pass quickly!

Love and Light, 

Cathlene

Happy Friday all.  5 down; 28 to go and all is well. 

Hi ,just checking in as I haven't posted since the first page but have been keeping up daily. I had my appt. on Wed with the rad onc and will start on April 20th. She wanted to start this week but I had already planned a trip with some girl friends and she said we could wait until after. I am so glad as I am still recovering from my last chemo tx which really kicked my butt. I also had my first 3 week dose of herceptin on Monday which didn't help. So to all who have experienced meltdown post-chemo add my name to the list! I can cry at the drop of a hat. I am hoping that the next 2 weeks give me an opportunity to build up some strength so I won't be so tired.



Thanks for all the updates from those of you who have already started. It is so good to hear how you are all coping and to share our experiences. I get the best support and information off these boards and I can tell that this is a great group too.



To all of you who have already started Friday must be the best day of the week besides Sat. and Sunday. Have a great weekend



Maja

Fast Track Detox Diet (the book by Gittleman): http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Track-Detox-Diet-metabolism/dp/0767920465  (can get used online or at the public library like cebula mentions)

Here's my "Cliff Notes" verion.  I promise never to make such a long post in the future. 

The 11-day diet has three parts: 7-day "prequel" - 1-day fast - 3 day "sequel."  The "prequel" and "sequel" parts of the diet are very similar, except she adds one daily serving of probiotics (yogurt or raw sauerkraut) and an added focus on the colon cleansing foods for the 3-day sequel; however, as far as I could tell, these were allowed in the prequel period too if you wanted them. She also makes supplement recommendations, but I'm not into that particularly.

Here's my notes (adapted from her book) on the foods that you need to eat (and avoid) on the first seven days of the diet (prequel) and on the 3 days after the one-day fast (sequel).You'll need her book for more details and the fasting day descriptions and directions.

Detox diet food log:

I.    Liver-loving foods eaten today:

From Group1: At least one serving of the crucifers (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw) cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts.

1.___________________________________________

Others:_______________________________________

From Group 2: Green leafy vegetables and herbs, at least one serving (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw) escarole, dandelion greens, parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, collards, or mustard greens

1.    ___________________________________________

Others:________________________________________

From Group 3: Citrus (1 orange or ½ juice of fresh lemon or lime) orange, lemon, or lime

1.______________________________________________

Others:__________________________________________

From Group 4: Sulfur-rich foods, one serving: Garlic (at least one clove, minced), onions (1/2 cup cooked), eggs (2), daikon radish (1/2 cup sliced, either raw or cooked)

1.______________________________________________

Others:__________________________________________

From Group 5: Liver Healers, at least one serving: Artichoke (1 small or 4 cooked hearts), asparagus (1/2 cup cooked), beets (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw), celery (2 medium stalks), dandelion root tea (1 to 2 cups), whey (1-2 scoops), nutritional yeast flakes (1-2 teaspoons)

1.______________________________________________

Others:__________________________________________

II.    The Colon-Caring Foods Eaten Today

At least two servings: Powdered psyllium husks (1-2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water), milled or ground flaxseeds (1-3 tablespoons), carrot (1 small raw), apple (1 small raw with skin), pear (1 small raw with skin), or berries (1 cup)

1.______________________________________________

2.______________________________________________

Others:__________________________________________

 
III.    The water I drank today: ½ body wt. (lbs) in ounces = _____ounces/day
 
today I drank ____ounces of water.  Also, it's recommended to start day with 1/2 lemon juice in a cup of hot water and to drink, 8 x 8 oz of water with a bit of pure organic unsweetened cranberry juice as part of this hydration component.

IV.    The protein eaten today: Two servings of Lean Protein.  Eat at least two servings (the size of the palm of your hand) of protein in the form of lean beef, skinless chicken, turkey or fish, or at least 2 tablespoons of a high-quality blue-green algae or spirulina source.

1.______________________________________________

2.______________________________________________


V. Healthy oil: Each day make sure you have 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the form of olive oil (can be used in cooking), flaxseed oil (do not heat), or “The Woman’s Oil (a flaxseed oil-black currant seed oil blend).  AVOID Excess Oil.

Today I’ve incorporated the appropriate amount of health oil (not to little, not too much) into my diet:  ______Yes; _____No.


VI. Today I did___/did not___ avoid all detox detractors: Excess fat; sugar and all its relatives (e.g., even agave and maple syrup); refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice products); soy protein isolates; alcohol/OTC drugs/caffeine (coffee/tea/chocolate)/artificial sweetners; mold (overripe fruits); milk and cheese.

VII.    For mood stabilization, the following, optional foods can be added: Nuts and seeds, one serving (handful raw) or friendly carbohydrates, one serving (1/2 cup chickpeas, lentils, adzuki beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans or ½ cup of oatmeal or 1 small sweet potato).  Note: Addition may impair wt. loss.

1.______________________________________________


VII: Three day sequel adds daily probiotics and an added emphasis on fiber (see colon-cleansing foods).

The probiotics eaten today: raw sauerkraut (1/2 cup); yogurt (1 cup active/live cultures)
 
1.______________________________________________

Others:__________________________________________



 

Just had my consult, will have mapping on Tuesday and start RADS after Passover, probably 4/20. Add me to the list!

Susan13, My eyesight has also gotten worse from chemo! Now that I am on Tom's insurance, I am going to go get my eyes checked.

We went to the Poconos in PA for our honeymoon and had our own willa on top of a mountain complete with jacuzzi and fireplace. We took a bottle of champagne, and lots of candles. Very romantic.

It encourages me that rads seems to be going well for most of you. I do not start until 4/15, simulation on 4/14. I am trying not to think much about it until then.

I love being married! I have someone who loves and cares for me and will be with me through anything that happens.

Bette 

Congratulations bettelou on your marriage!

I didn't realize the recent changes in my vision could be related to chemo, will wait a bit longer before going in to get them checked again.  Thanks for the information.  Interesting point about not losing wt. while doing rads - - I'll ask my RadOnc that question on on Monday too. 

I'm probably strange, but I am 2 1/2 months out of chemo and still have problem with my eyes.  It's not just the breast that they are worried about shrinking and moving, it's the other structures as well.  You'd be surprised the little things that effect the mapping.

About the weight loss, they told me I would have to lose A LOT of weight, like 50 lbs for them them to have to redo the markers & all. In all reality, the likelyhood of me losing a great amount of weight during rads is very little, how much weight can one lose over 7 weeks. I know that through rads I still won't be eating great so I'm not real worried about it, though wouldn't mind losing 10 lbs over the next few weeks

Bette sounds like you had a lovely honeymoon, I'm happy you found a great guy willing to hold on to you through all this.

Yes, Juli... I have heard that from both of my onc and my rads physician...NO DIETING during rads because it will screw up the mapping...

Married life is great! I do get a little lonely while he is working his 3-11 shift. But I knew ahead of time that nurses keep strange hours. We are trying to plan good times together in the mornings when he is home and rested.

I will be playing close attention to your experiences with rads, as I don't start until mid-April.

Have an appointment with medical oncologist tomorrow. She will not be happy that I have not started yet, but that is how things worked out with so many surgical complications since January.

Tom will not be home for six more hours. The evenings go so slowly without him.

Bette 

terrilee - I'fve been short of breath, too, and rad onc said it was too early to be from damage to the lungs.  I don't know what else would cause it because that's been the only change to my breathing recently.