Hello :(

AlexD

Hello to everybody!I was looking on the internet for info and saw this forum!It really gave me hope to see many people fighting and achieving results.
It's that right now I feel like the whole "struggle thing" is a lost cause and an excuse.
Well, my dad got his CT scan two days ago and his liver mets have grown more. On April he had RFA and placed a catheter to deliver chemotherapy directly to the liver. He is also on Avastin plus many other drugs.It s almost a year , since his liver resection, that he is on chemo, but I think he doesn t respond to drugs.Things don t seem to work out the way we want.
I placed my hopes on Avastin, which he started on May, but this doesn t work either. It seems to be working fine for everybody except him and it s just despair..Anyway, I wanted to ask, if anybody has suggestions on nutrition. I read somewhere on the Net (http://www.apjohncancerinstitute.org/dietician_nutritionist.htm) some nutrition guidelines, but don t really know if they are reliable or not. Any suggestions are welcome..
Thanks and you, people, keep on fighting! Maybe it s all an inner thing!

lfondots63

Hi Alex,

A lot of people will chime in on this but let me be the first to send virtual HUGS to you and dad. I think one of the books that is good is "Beating Cancer with Nutrition" by Patrick Quinlan. Somebody said we should get a bonus for how much we promote this book. I have read it and changed my diet because of it. Others will give you hints on Juicing. I'm sure 2bhealed and scouty will post too. Both have done alternative treatments and both are NED. Supplements are good too. Unfortunately most doctors are not trained in nutrition. See if you have a naturapathic (sp?) doctor in your area. They are trained in nutrition and supplements. Good Luck and again HUGS!!!

Lisa

AlexD

lfondots63 said:

Hi Alex,

A lot of people will chime in on this but let me be the first to send virtual HUGS to you and dad. I think one of the books that is good is "Beating Cancer with Nutrition" by Patrick Quinlan. Somebody said we should get a bonus for how much we promote this book. I have read it and changed my diet because of it. Others will give you hints on Juicing. I'm sure 2bhealed and scouty will post too. Both have done alternative treatments and both are NED. Supplements are good too. Unfortunately most doctors are not trained in nutrition. See if you have a naturapathic (sp?) doctor in your area. They are trained in nutrition and supplements. Good Luck and again HUGS!!!

Lisa

Thanks Lisa, I ll try to find the book and persuade dad on that. Another question, this one relates to Erbitux. Is this drug only effective for specific cancers? I mean not location related but some other factor that can be assessed by the biopsy?
We also tried acupuncture, but the acupuncturist said that he could help only by "calming" down cancer cells. Don t think it worked.
Anyway, thanx again!

fedester

hi alex.
sorry to hear about your dad. we have several members who have fought cancer with nutrition and have done well. they will be replying to your post with a lot of info. are you the only caretaker for your dad?
remember to take care of yourself also.
be well
all the best
never,never give up
bruce

KathiM

Hey, Alex...my thoughts are with both you and dad.

I was the traditional treatment...worked...BUT I have changed my eating habits since...fresh fruits and vegies...the colorful ones! Very little red meat, lots of fish...not too much fried stuff...(sometimes I GOTTA sin a LITTLE..sigh)

Hugs, kathi

AlexD

Bruce, Kathy thanks for your answers.
Bruce, I don t know what the word caregiver implies. I think i am only a daughter that cares for her dad and doesn t want him to die. I think the caregiver in our family is mum, she always has the right words to speak to us, dad, brother, me. My dad is young, he is only 54, and has started his fight with the BEAST on Dec '03, with a colon cancer, got it removed and NED for a year and a half. Then last july the CT scan showed a tiny liver spot and every exam,markers etc, were regular. He got liver resection on July 18th, last year. On his CT scan on Nov spots had appeared but the doc didn t tell us a thing (my uncle is a friend of his and they thought there was nothing to do but wait, so they told nothing to keep things in family calm and not stress dad. The same thing on January, but spots grew bigger and more. They still don t say a word about cancer on the liver. In the meanwhile his CEA rises like crazy, reached 775!!! On March decided to go to another doc, has results but other docs criticize him a lot. He had RFA and continued with a more aggressive chemotherapy (same drugs, more quantity). The other day blood exams were better that last time, 4 moths ago. CEA decreased at 414, CA 19-9 rises a bit , and only SGOT and the alcalic phospahtase were risen, but lower than last time. And I thought "God, it s workign". But the CT scan was dissapointing. Those things have grown more and more!
anyway, my uncle (he is a doc too) said that since the liver functions are OK, my dad general condition is fine, maybe there is a hope.
And then , yesterday, a friend of my dad called and said she met a lady whose brother has been living with his liver mets for 8 years.
As far for nutrition, I believe we eat enough veggies, from our little garden, enough fish (but dad does everything to avoid this dish ).
Anyway, sorry for the long post. It s just that you can understand the situation, and I know that your words have somethign of reality. It s not jus t people telling you how sorry they are, but they don t actually get that feeling of impotence, of sadness and happyness for having your beloved one more day with you..
Thanks.
Cheers to you all, and all the best.

Alex

pink05

AlexD said:

Bruce, Kathy thanks for your answers.
Bruce, I don t know what the word caregiver implies. I think i am only a daughter that cares for her dad and doesn t want him to die. I think the caregiver in our family is mum, she always has the right words to speak to us, dad, brother, me. My dad is young, he is only 54, and has started his fight with the BEAST on Dec '03, with a colon cancer, got it removed and NED for a year and a half. Then last july the CT scan showed a tiny liver spot and every exam,markers etc, were regular. He got liver resection on July 18th, last year. On his CT scan on Nov spots had appeared but the doc didn t tell us a thing (my uncle is a friend of his and they thought there was nothing to do but wait, so they told nothing to keep things in family calm and not stress dad. The same thing on January, but spots grew bigger and more. They still don t say a word about cancer on the liver. In the meanwhile his CEA rises like crazy, reached 775!!! On March decided to go to another doc, has results but other docs criticize him a lot. He had RFA and continued with a more aggressive chemotherapy (same drugs, more quantity). The other day blood exams were better that last time, 4 moths ago. CEA decreased at 414, CA 19-9 rises a bit , and only SGOT and the alcalic phospahtase were risen, but lower than last time. And I thought "God, it s workign". But the CT scan was dissapointing. Those things have grown more and more!
anyway, my uncle (he is a doc too) said that since the liver functions are OK, my dad general condition is fine, maybe there is a hope.
And then , yesterday, a friend of my dad called and said she met a lady whose brother has been living with his liver mets for 8 years.
As far for nutrition, I believe we eat enough veggies, from our little garden, enough fish (but dad does everything to avoid this dish ).
Anyway, sorry for the long post. It s just that you can understand the situation, and I know that your words have somethign of reality. It s not jus t people telling you how sorry they are, but they don t actually get that feeling of impotence, of sadness and happyness for having your beloved one more day with you..
Thanks.
Cheers to you all, and all the best.

Alex

Hi Alex,

First of all, it sounds like your dad is an increadibly strong individual.

My dad is also stage IV. He had 2 liver mets, but his last CAT scan from two weeks ago show that they are gone. I really think that prayer has helped my dad. I feel that God has guided us to so many different resources (this website being one of them), so you are definitely in the right place. I got so much great advice from everyone on this site, especially great nutritional advice. I did read some of the book mentioned (Beating Cancer With Nutrition). I would definitely recommend the book. I've been trying to get both of my parents to change their diets and it has sort of worked. I wouldn't say that their diets are 100% on the healthy side, but they have reduced their red meats and have started to eat more chicken and fish. I also believe there are many supplements out there that help.

I don't know if you are a religious person or not, but I think ultimately, prayer really works.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me. I know exactly what you are going through. You and your family are in my prayers.

-Lee-

nanuk

Hi Alex: I have been dealing with the beast for nearly six years, and don't know why I am still here..you can see my various treatments in another post this date-("Mets To Lungs..) I don't believe anyone has the answer, but feel strongly that 80% of disease in this country is diet related. You can't hurt your father with diet/nutritional/supplements, esp. if these changes are all natural. Get a consultation with a good naturopath or dietitian (sp) Bud