An Alternative approach to Stage IV Health and choices

Thanks Marybe....and I'm saving your post, and what treatments you have had, going through all of this....just in case.  I know we are all different, but I really DO think your attitude has a lot to do with who you are! 

I also found this, about an Alkaline diet, or environment....

http://missourifamilies.org/features/healtharticles/health70.htm

I think if we can just get over the initial surgery, and treatments that are offered for "our type" of cancer, and eat healthy, & just take care of ourselves, that's about all we can safely do.

Complimentary "treatments" are also good, if used in conjunction with standard treatments.  

A glass of wine, please.......

Thats-life, great to hear you're still hanging out with the stable boy!!

Marybe, thanks for sharing your thoughts on living with mets. I have always been in awe of your matter-of-fact, no-nonsense attitude. If I may extract some lessons for myself: I think that, your sense of purpose (caring for others), your active lifestyle (more beneficial to health than going to the gym regularly but sitting all the rest of the day), your ability to maintain high vitamin d levels (from yard work, maybe, and genes), and how you support your immune system as needed with Vitamin C every few hours (antioxidants are only effective for so long), are things worth emulating. 

Thats-life-  Such great news!  I know you are relieved to get this information.  I was watching a health program the other day that indicated mushrooms help to lower estrogen in the body.

Chevyboy:  Thanks for the article on alkaline diets...very interesting.  I would like to recommend a book that was given to me by a friend last week, "The China Study".  It is probably the only extensive study ever done on the relationship between food and disease....another take on the subject of what we put into our bodies and the ultimate outcome of that.

The nutrition program I'm following now has so many positive benefits for me, that even if I was not diagnosed with bc, I would still be on it.  I feel better, have more energy, and best of all, have lost weight where I needed to lose it the most and never could...around my middle! 

Another challenge today....trying to get an app't with my PCP to get cleared for my surgery.  You would think that this would be important, but I can't even get a call back from Cleveland Clinic to set something up.  Probably because I didn't go to them for my diagnosis...oh well. 

lulabee:  Thanks so much for the recipes...I'm going to get the rest of the ingredients today for the squash soup!

Attitude is half of it. When people discover you have cancer they ask you how you feel. I feel great! Cancer, a tumor doesn't usually make you sick unless you are weeks from dying. It's the cancer treatment that makes you feel ill at least this is what a stage IV cancer patient said to me. So, Maybe, if you aren't getting treatment this is why you feel so good. With that said, yes, attiutude is a huge reason to why you are doing well as our mental attitude strengthens the immune system. But, be careful in what you take in because all though you can't see your organs, the lack of exercise and junk fuood effects our body in a negative way... the junk stuff isn't good for our over all health. I haven't had the flu in several years...never had a flu shot. I just say I don't get sick, I just get cancer. Even though I can't see it my body is broken. The wise thing is to fix it before it's not fixable.

But Evebarry,  I have pretty much felt good the entire time.....I had pain in Dec 96 and again in 97 in my sternum area before they discovered I had mets there, and I did feel like crap when I was doing Abraxane, but really none of the other treatments made me feel ill....not the AIs and not the chemo....with most of them the only SEs I would have would be constipation and some muscle cramps and on and off neuropathy. Halaven made me tired, but not until three days after.  I am not arguing that chemo can really make you sick, but it didn't me.  I do get a flu shot and have been getting one ever since the year I was working at a hospital and they made all the employees get one.  I also got the shot for whooping cough this year  and a few years ago got the vaccine for shingles.  If there is a shot to prevent anything, I get it since I figure BC is enough to have.  Someone had sent me a copy of a report supposedly put out by John Hopkins....when I read it and all the things you should not eat  or do , I thought oh crap, I am doomed because I would have to change my entire life do follow those guidelines....and that is what I have never wanted cancer to do to me, change my life, and so far it has not.....anyway, the report turned out to be a hoax....my boss checked it out on Snoopes or whatever that website is. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I honestly do not think a change in diet is going to make much difference in my case and also I do not feel that the way I eat has done any damage.  My cholesterol is good, my heart is always fine when we check it out, as I said I have great Vit D levels, my dexascans have showed no signs of osteopenia or porosis.  But is mushrooms are good for you, I am in luck.....I love them and eat lots of them....also love lots of good foods....but every so often I get a craving for a White Castle or some Rally fries and I have them......but months can go by without me raiding the candy dish and I always have a full one.   I do believe I am a stress eater....used to smoke, but now I eat.

Today I saw my orthopedic doctor since my artificial knee had been bothering me....he says it is fine and that maybe it's my back causing it....I have been doing a lot of stretching and painting and reaching, plus I did not wear my orthodics for a week and they seem to have a big effect on how my back feels.....so he made me a new back brace....it's like a weight belt and I wear it if I have to stand for long periods of time.  I had two, but gave both of them away this summer to people who were having back aches because I was not at the time.  This has sort of been a blessing since not being able to just stand stationery for periods of time has kept me from shopping....I used to be a marathon shopper....would root through the racks looking for a bargain.  He told me he could order a MRI if I wanted him to and I told him I did so I am going on Monday.  I already know I have spinal mets, but want to see if anything has changed since October.  He is the one who ordered the MRI that showed I had mets to my sacrum many years ago (not the onco!)  and they did a biopsy and I had rads in that area which got rid of the pain.  He's a good guy.....likes my baking so I will take him Xmas cookies when I go back in a few weeks to find out what the results were....although I will know before that since I always go pick up a copy of the report myself.

That's life.....I am happy for you and know you are relieved....I think we all have worries about it heading upward....I don't even like to voice it or write it.   I do have skull mets and when I expressed my concern to my onco he said, it's in your skull, that's a bone so it's just bone mets like you have in other places....Yeh, easy for him to say. 

Lulu, you are sweet.  

I think they came out with a glass of red wine being good for your heart years ago.  I no longer like to drink it though, but I like to cook with it.   I wonder what they think about margaritas...those I like....and Bourbon slush which I am making for the party.  

Kaara,  Keep calling....the squeaky wheel gets the grease. 

Maybe, you seem like a delightful person. You are probably pretty laid back. I'm a little like that as well. I didn't make any serious changes after I first learned I had cancer. I continued eating the way I had for years. One year later I was again dx but that time it was multifocal. Next time ... what?

For me, cancer is a wake up call to take care of myself. I have eaten pretty much whatever I like most of my life. I too have a sweet tooth. After my second dx, I knew something was very wrong with my body. I wanted to know why my body was making cancer cells. I could no longer live in denial. I too hate change. But, for the sake of those whom I love, I've made some healthy changes. I've come to bco to learn from others who too searched for answers. I do treat myself to certain types of goodies on holidays and on special ocassions. I also know that sugars and carbs feed cancer.  When our body is being bonbarded with harsh chemicals, we need to do everything we can to support our immune system...and to make the treatments more effective so that the cancer doesn't spread. Having bone mets and a large tumor in your liver is worrisome. If I had it, I would do everything I could to be there for my family and friends.  

also to mention... although I don't experience a lot of pain or get sick, I've recently been dx as immune exhaustion and adrenal exhaustion. You would think because I don't catch colds or get the flu that I have a strong immune system. But, I've a systemic yeast infection causing lesions in my mouth and etc. My immune system is shot. I'm in the process in building it up... especially before my upcoming mastectomy.

Another thought...for years one can have cancer and it automatically goes into remission. When the environment is opportunistic the cancer again comes to life. Perhaps the many years after first dx it was in remission. I've known a few people this happened to as well. This is what we all hope for isn't it.

Perhaps it's not what we take out of our diet but what we put back that's been missing over our lifetimes.  I posted somewhere, I dont remember which thread but I had been reading the book "A World Without Cancer".  It's the story of laetrile/B17.  In it, the author pointed out that there are several diseases that are brought by a lackof something...namely vitamins/minerals...nutrients.  Diseases such as scurvy (lack of Vit C).  He eluded that maybe cancer is a vitamin B17 deficiency.  I dont know about that.  I have another theory.  However, maybe the key is to get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need.  Lord knows that our standard American diet is severely lacking these crucial elements.  So dairy, meat, etc. in moderation isn't such a bad thing, as long as we are giving our bodies the things it needs.  I know I wasn't.  The things juicing, an antifungal diet, an alkaline diet, etc. have in common is nutrients!  A little wine occasionally or some White Castles every once in a while isn't going to hurt but we need to load up on nutrients!  That's my conclusion. I have to stop berating myself everytime I mess up and make sure I detox the garbage and load up on the nutrients.