Krista

tiny one
tiny one Member Posts: 465 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Krista how ya doing? Hope you're feeling ok.

Comments

  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945

    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista

    Oh Krista,
    Been worried

    Oh Krista,

    Been worried about you!

    Not exactly good news you are telling us, *sigh*

    What can any of us do for you? I just feel as though you are being ignored by your doctors, and that really ticks me off. Is there another clinic, another city, someone for another opinion. I know you have the colonoscopy in Sept. At least it sounds like you have all your medical records together- and I would be a bit upset that there are issues in there that nobody has bothered to tell you about. Was the possible met to the lung based in any evidence or just a comment?

    Do you know, does the ACS have a gobetween person- thinking of someone, like a nurse helpline, that can take all your info and be an advocate for you? I know there is a cancer center at the local hospital in my city- staffed by volunteers, maybe ACS? not sure about that- but they might have someone there? Just kinda thinking outloud here, I am sure you have probably been there and done some of that. It is just when I was in the middle of it and trying to get a handle on everything, it really helped to have someone else hash it through with me. I am sure by now you feel like you have been backed into a corner, but really, not getting your call responded to last week, that just isn't ok.

    So speak to us, what are you thinking? How can we help you?

    P.
  • grammadebbie
    grammadebbie Member Posts: 464

    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista

    Dear Krista,
    I am so

    Dear Krista,

    I am so frustrated. I have typed 2 really long replies in the last hour and somehow deleted both of them as I was previewing them. I want to encourage you but am so frustrated with myself. I need to take a break and try to get my thoughts together.

    You are very precious and encouraging and I appreciate you. I'm sure everyone here does. I will respond to your post later.

    Your in my prayers

    Debbie (gramma
  • Fight for my love
    Fight for my love Member Posts: 1,522 Member

    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista

    Hi Krista,I was thinking of
    Hi Krista,I was thinking of you too.You are your own advocate which is great.If I were you,I wouldn't trust those doctors too.You know,in this board,many many people got the 2nd,3rd or 4th opinions,that's why they are finally NED.Anyway Good luck to you with changing doctors and I hope you will have a very good medical team who is going to take good care of you.Take care.
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member

    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista

    You guys...
    are soooo sweet! I should have come to you earlier with this; you guys always cheer me up, and make me feel like it's NOT all in my head!

    There is a patient advocate at the cancer center here, but she's already helped me to get my insurance back, and it's not that i feel like a pain always asking her for help, but i really don't think she can help me with this. This is all about the doctors, and trying to get them to do their jobs when they look at people like me as uneducated peons who shouldn't be telling them how to do their jobs! I truly believe that things do not happen without a reason. Even if we can't readily see the reason...everything that's led up to this point has turned out okay, or better than okay. This is just one of those things. When i was first diagnosed, i didn't want to do any conventional treatments. I argued with my Mother and onc until i was blue in the face, and finally gave in because of my family. Afterwards, i always said it was worth it because the radiation (being that it has damaged me so badly), seemed to have killed the cancer.

    Now, if there is going to be a second go-round, i'm doing it myself. They gave it their best shot (as far as i know), and now i'm going to do it on my terms through diet.

    Patty, there has been no definitive, "you have metastases" stated to me. My CT scan back in September of 08 read; Apparent slow growing tiny metastases in lower left lung. This was from the radiologist. My surgeon uses the word "suspected" metastases, and my onc says there is no metastases. I'm more inclined to believe the radiologist simply because it's her job to read and interpret the films. She probably has a pretty good idea what a metastases looks like, and may understand it's odd behavior.

    Since then, the films of the nodule have it getting bigger, than a little smaller, and this last one has it bigger again. I guess they're waiting for it to get big enough to biopsy. That could take years, and by then, more nodules could spring up. I'm not going to wait around for that possibility. After my next dilation, and hopefully colonoscopy, i'm going to start gradually incorporating the new diet into my life, and see if i can't make that tiny nodule completely disappear!

    Hugs,
    Krista
  • ittapp
    ittapp Member Posts: 383 Member

    You guys...
    are soooo sweet! I should have come to you earlier with this; you guys always cheer me up, and make me feel like it's NOT all in my head!

    There is a patient advocate at the cancer center here, but she's already helped me to get my insurance back, and it's not that i feel like a pain always asking her for help, but i really don't think she can help me with this. This is all about the doctors, and trying to get them to do their jobs when they look at people like me as uneducated peons who shouldn't be telling them how to do their jobs! I truly believe that things do not happen without a reason. Even if we can't readily see the reason...everything that's led up to this point has turned out okay, or better than okay. This is just one of those things. When i was first diagnosed, i didn't want to do any conventional treatments. I argued with my Mother and onc until i was blue in the face, and finally gave in because of my family. Afterwards, i always said it was worth it because the radiation (being that it has damaged me so badly), seemed to have killed the cancer.

    Now, if there is going to be a second go-round, i'm doing it myself. They gave it their best shot (as far as i know), and now i'm going to do it on my terms through diet.

    Patty, there has been no definitive, "you have metastases" stated to me. My CT scan back in September of 08 read; Apparent slow growing tiny metastases in lower left lung. This was from the radiologist. My surgeon uses the word "suspected" metastases, and my onc says there is no metastases. I'm more inclined to believe the radiologist simply because it's her job to read and interpret the films. She probably has a pretty good idea what a metastases looks like, and may understand it's odd behavior.

    Since then, the films of the nodule have it getting bigger, than a little smaller, and this last one has it bigger again. I guess they're waiting for it to get big enough to biopsy. That could take years, and by then, more nodules could spring up. I'm not going to wait around for that possibility. After my next dilation, and hopefully colonoscopy, i'm going to start gradually incorporating the new diet into my life, and see if i can't make that tiny nodule completely disappear!

    Hugs,
    Krista

    Hey Krista, what kind of
    Hey Krista, what kind of diet are you thinking of doing? I feel your pain with your Onc. My Onc. did not mention a nodule in my lung either, he just concentrates on the liver and belly. When asked he said oh I thought I told you that. I am feeling like you, I have had only 6 treatments and the belly lumpy bumpy's are gone but still in the liver. He says that the liver is inoperable right now. I am not sure if I can trust him, I am going to get a second opinion soon! I may go the diet route myself if I can get the liver under control. God Bless, Patti
  • angelsbaby
    angelsbaby Member Posts: 1,165 Member
    ittapp said:

    Hey Krista, what kind of
    Hey Krista, what kind of diet are you thinking of doing? I feel your pain with your Onc. My Onc. did not mention a nodule in my lung either, he just concentrates on the liver and belly. When asked he said oh I thought I told you that. I am feeling like you, I have had only 6 treatments and the belly lumpy bumpy's are gone but still in the liver. He says that the liver is inoperable right now. I am not sure if I can trust him, I am going to get a second opinion soon! I may go the diet route myself if I can get the liver under control. God Bless, Patti

    Krista
    You are in my thoughts. I am sorry they never called thats not right.I hope you get some answers soon.

    michelle
  • krystle singer
    krystle singer Member Posts: 108

    Hi Tiny! I haven't been on the board much lately. I'm having a horrible time with the heat and staying cool. I nearly had a heat stroke yesterday; something i've never experienced before. Luckily we were at my cousins whose husband is a doctor and i recovered without going to the hospital.

    The surgical nurse never returned my calls about the recurrence. This is no surprise. I didn't know why i was referred to her in the first place, so maybe she figured the same thing. I'm finding myself faced with a lot of questions since i read in my medical record that two of my doctors believe i have a lung metastases that no one talked to me about. I knew about the nodule, but my oncologist kept telling me he didn't think it was metastases. Why he thinks this while the other doctors don't, is very puzzling to me. I'm very much considering dumping the medical profession and seeking answers and treatments elsewhere. I just don't trust them.

    How is life treating you? Are you doing better, or i should say "going" better? I'm still having bad bathroom issues. The stricture may be closing up again.

    Thanks for checking up on me!

    Many hugs,
    Krista

    Doctors!
    Hi, Krista,
    I'm sorry you are having such a tough time. I sure understand the bowel issues! If only doctors would talk to each other maybe we patients wouldn't be so nervous and scared so much. I also understand the waiting and waiting and not knowing what is going on.

    I have heat "issues" too, and must be kept cool (chilly to most of my friends). Fortunately, Illinois has been rainy and cool much of August and we have central air at home.

    Sending you hugs, prayers and cooling thoughts,
    Sandi
  • mommyof2kds
    mommyof2kds Member Posts: 519

    Doctors!
    Hi, Krista,
    I'm sorry you are having such a tough time. I sure understand the bowel issues! If only doctors would talk to each other maybe we patients wouldn't be so nervous and scared so much. I also understand the waiting and waiting and not knowing what is going on.

    I have heat "issues" too, and must be kept cool (chilly to most of my friends). Fortunately, Illinois has been rainy and cool much of August and we have central air at home.

    Sending you hugs, prayers and cooling thoughts,
    Sandi

    Hoping some answers come
    Hoping some answers come your way soon. Hang in there..
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    ittapp said:

    Hey Krista, what kind of
    Hey Krista, what kind of diet are you thinking of doing? I feel your pain with your Onc. My Onc. did not mention a nodule in my lung either, he just concentrates on the liver and belly. When asked he said oh I thought I told you that. I am feeling like you, I have had only 6 treatments and the belly lumpy bumpy's are gone but still in the liver. He says that the liver is inoperable right now. I am not sure if I can trust him, I am going to get a second opinion soon! I may go the diet route myself if I can get the liver under control. God Bless, Patti

    Diet
    I have been reading almost non-stop on diet and cancer, and i can't tell you how much information out there is being hidden from us! I have a friend who works for an Internationally popular nutrition company here in San Diego which advocates for vegetarian, healthful, raw lifestyles, and he's always giving me books that publishers send to them in hopes that they'll sell them. This last book he gave me is one of the best ones i've ever read. It's written by an M.D./Ph.D who had brain cancer at 55 years old. This boy did his homework, and the studies prove an extremely strong link between cancer and diet. Most of us know there are foods that inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but there are also foods that FEED cancer, and i'm not talking about meat, or burnt toast like we'd think. The simplest things we eat are feeding our cancer, and it's not a secret to the medical community, just to the public. The book is "Anticancer: A New Way of Life", and the author is David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD. If you can get your hands on it, i would get it! I sure hope it's made it to the bookshelves! This is the type of book the pharmeceutical companies (and probably m any other companies) don't want people to read. Especially people with cancer, or any other major money making illness!

    This doctor tells you exactly why cancer has become the epidemic that it is, and it makes too much sense to ignore. He also tells you how to do combinations with foods to get the most cancer fighting properties out of them. I'm going to gradually introduce whole juicing of organic raw vegetables and fruits, as well as superfooding with various algae. Those come in powder supplements that taste horrible, but you get used to them.

    When i start, i'll post recipes and let you know my plan once it's set in stone. I still feel like i need to gather more information. The more i gather, the angrier i get, and the more i'm going to be ready to commit to this. It's going to be a major lifestyle upheaval, but a necessary one.

    There are particular juicing combinations specifically for the liver. I believe you can get your liver under control with a three month juicing. I'll bet Emily would be interested in this subject?! Let's keep in touch on this!

    Hugs!
    Krista
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member

    Hoping some answers come
    Hoping some answers come your way soon. Hang in there..

    Thank you, Michelle, Mommy
    Thank you, Michelle, Mommy and Sandi! I trust i will find answers. I just truly feel i can't find them inside the medical industry. They either don't have them, or care not to share. I figure i have two choices; I can become one of their statistics after they've cut me up, poisoned me, and thrown me curbside to die, or I can take control of my own life, my cancer, and the way i want to live. If i succeed, i'll live a happy cancer-free life free of chemotherapy and it's horrendous effects, and if i don't succeed, and the cancer grows, then i'll have no choice but to put my life in their hands again. We'll just have to see!

    Thanks so much for all of your support!
    I love you guys!
    Krista
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member

    Thank you, Michelle, Mommy
    Thank you, Michelle, Mommy and Sandi! I trust i will find answers. I just truly feel i can't find them inside the medical industry. They either don't have them, or care not to share. I figure i have two choices; I can become one of their statistics after they've cut me up, poisoned me, and thrown me curbside to die, or I can take control of my own life, my cancer, and the way i want to live. If i succeed, i'll live a happy cancer-free life free of chemotherapy and it's horrendous effects, and if i don't succeed, and the cancer grows, then i'll have no choice but to put my life in their hands again. We'll just have to see!

    Thanks so much for all of your support!
    I love you guys!
    Krista

    I'll keep an eye out for those, Krista. I'm eating a Mediterranean Diet and am enjoying it. I've never been one to eat fast food, fried foods or many processed foods. If it comes in a box or can, it's only used for emergencies in our home. (Think power outage)

    Great Idea for an ongoing thread! I'll be watching.

    Diane
  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member

    I'll keep an eye out for those, Krista. I'm eating a Mediterranean Diet and am enjoying it. I've never been one to eat fast food, fried foods or many processed foods. If it comes in a box or can, it's only used for emergencies in our home. (Think power outage)

    Great Idea for an ongoing thread! I'll be watching.

    Diane

    thanks
    krista for the info.i know i am not eating right you know its hard to change old habits.i just dont know how to start. the book sounds like it would be a lot of help for everyone i will try to look for it or just be on the look out for your recipies.sorry you are having a lot of problems so am i but that is what life has thrown at us and we have to take it one day at a time.Godbless.....johnnybegood
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342

    thanks
    krista for the info.i know i am not eating right you know its hard to change old habits.i just dont know how to start. the book sounds like it would be a lot of help for everyone i will try to look for it or just be on the look out for your recipies.sorry you are having a lot of problems so am i but that is what life has thrown at us and we have to take it one day at a time.Godbless.....johnnybegood

    Same way...
    I k now I don't eat right either, and should change my diet, but don't know the first thing about where to start, and scared I may not like it, is there anything good to eat for cancer besides raw veggie juice??

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    Shayenne said:

    Same way...
    I k now I don't eat right either, and should change my diet, but don't know the first thing about where to start, and scared I may not like it, is there anything good to eat for cancer besides raw veggie juice??

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna

    From what i'm to understand,
    From what i'm to understand, simply cutting sugar and refined foods out of your diet will help starve the cancer. Replace white rice with brown, white bread with multi-grain, use agave nectar for sweetening things...and no more potatoes :( it's going to be very hard saying good-bye to french fries!!! The way i'm going to do it is slowly. Start incorporating one change at a time while i get used to it. I've already started the sugar elimination, and now i'm going to try drinking superfood powder. That stuff is nasty!! It seems the nastier something is, the better it is for your body!

    There's a fine line changing your diet while you're doing chemo. The doctors insisted that i don't do any antioxidants or cleansing my body because it would just counteract the chemo. There are so many other things we can do with our diet to help kill the cancer, but i know it's hard. It took me two years to kick the "meat" addiction. What was harder was that i wasn't a big veggie fan back then. I had to teach myself to like the things i didn't by forcing myself to eat them, and before i knew it, i didn't loathe tofu anymore!

    I'm trying so hard to keep this monumental task from scaring me out of doing it! I've done the raw diet before, and lasted only seven weeks because of all the preparations. There didn't seem to be too much that was easy about it, and i got bored.

    The mediterranean diet is great! Not much meat, and lots of healing spices. Indian food is also very, very healing. If you look at their rate of cancer compared to ours, it's staggering. Their secret is turmeric. My book recommends turmeric mixed with pepper in at least one meal per day to aid chemotherapy. Oh, before i forget...something very important and simple is GREEN TEA! I've always heard it has wonderful healing properties, but Dr. Servan-Schreiber says it has polyphenols that help prevent new blood vessels from feeding the tumor. It also causes cancer cells to commit suicide (i'm not sure how they do that, but it's good to know they do!). Green tea is a powerful antioxidant though, so you may want to ask the doc if it's okay to take it. It also aids in radiotherapy. Six cups of green tea per day is the recommended amount. Steep for ten minutes. Decaffeinated works just as well. I know from personal experience that it helps in pooping too!

    Hugs,
    Krista