To hell and back...
Comments
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007OO7 said:Music to my ears!
You sound empowered, Amen!
I broke out laughing when I read about cherries, only in alcohol.... hilarious you are.
When I was diagnosis I was beyond shocked because of how vigilant I've been most of my life with avoiding carcinogens and eating right. But of course there is exposure hence this happening to both me and my father. The important take away is, had I not have been so vigilant my cancer would have been so much worse. I have been told this by more than one professional... The lymphoma specialist I see in Boston is big into intuitive nutrition.
The most simplistic way to think about it is a raw, plant base diet. If allowed. I know there are things that should be avoided (had I of known) when I was neutropenic ie broccoli and other things but I didn't know and fortunetly didn't hurt me.
Smoothies and juices are equally good for you and both offer a perfect way for you to kick cancer in the a_ _! Because they are plant base and raw. Because you like fruit you can simply add strawberries, banana, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries (great anticarcinogen too) to spinach and a good piece of turmeric, beets and blend it up. I also add acaiberry smoothie mix to it along with coconut water for the liquid (natures electrolyte). With everything mixed together you can't tastes the veggies and add a nasty kick to cancer.
More in a minute, kiddos in the house :-)
007,
My first response to you. I have been reading your thoughful posts here since you began.
The largest study in history regarding the etiology (cause) of cancer was published last year, a joint effort by Cambridge University in England, and Johns Hopkins in the US. It compiled all of the data from eighty (80) prior studies on the subject. Astonishingly, it summarizes that these results are facts "oncologists have known for over 20 years."
Its conclusion ? Most cancers (over 70%) are caused by random genetic mutations. That is, they have no (zero) genetic or dietary cause. A few cancers are partially linked to behavior, such as smoking and lung cancer, but many heavy smokers never get lung cancer, and many non-smokers die of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/02/health/cancer-random-mutation/
I love the title of your thread: "To hell and back." Been there three times myself (clinically dead in auto crash [1986], Stage III Hodgkin's [2009], Stage II prostate cancer [2014] ).
Going to hell is not the problem, if you always come back. Dante would agree. As we submariners say, "There is not problem, if the number of surfaces equal the number of dives." To me, a fixation on diet is a Freudian defense mechanism, a belief that we can "do something" to control a misfortune that is not controllable, not anyone's "fault."
I bought all of Jim Fixx's running books back in the 1970's. He was the "healthy heart guru," and everone worshipped him. His books were all titled Healthy Heart this or that. Then, at a young age, he died of a heart attack, while running. The blatant irony could not have been more in-your-face.
All of his books claimed to prevent what he died of at 52 years old !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx
You eat spinich, and I will eat fried chicken, and the effect on lymphoma, or lymphoma relapse, will be nothing.....
max
.
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Yes007
007,
My first response to you. I have been reading your thoughful posts here since you began.
The largest study in history regarding the etiology (cause) of cancer was published last year, a joint effort by Cambridge University in England, and Johns Hopkins in the US. It compiled all of the data from eighty (80) prior studies on the subject. Astonishingly, it summarizes that these results are facts "oncologists have known for over 20 years."
Its conclusion ? Most cancers (over 70%) are caused by random genetic mutations. That is, they have no (zero) genetic or dietary cause. A few cancers are partially linked to behavior, such as smoking and lung cancer, but many heavy smokers never get lung cancer, and many non-smokers die of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/02/health/cancer-random-mutation/
I love the title of your thread: "To hell and back." Been there three times myself (clinically dead in auto crash [1986], Stage III Hodgkin's [2009], Stage II prostate cancer [2014] ).
Going to hell is not the problem, if you always come back. Dante would agree. As we submariners say, "There is not problem, if the number of surfaces equal the number of dives." To me, a fixation on diet is a Freudian defense mechanism, a belief that we can "do something" to control a misfortune that is not controllable, not anyone's "fault."
I bought all of Jim Fixx's running books back in the 1970's. He was the "healthy heart guru," and everone worshipped him. His books were all titled Healthy Heart this or that. Then, at a young age, he died of a heart attack, while running. The blatant irony could not have been more in-your-face.
All of his books claimed to prevent what he died of at 52 years old !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx
You eat spinich, and I will eat fried chicken, and the effect on lymphoma, or lymphoma relapse, will be nothing.....
max
.
I mostly agree with you Max except that vegetables and fruits may actually be worse for you than the chicken. So-called organic vegetables are "self certified" and a dishonest person can easily get rich by selling ordinary vegetables as organic. This is doubly true since 2/3 of our vegetables and fruits are imported from around the world with zero inspections or production controls. Snake oil can be found not only on the internet and TV but also in the vegetable isle. the only thing that can reliably help is eating less. It works. Don't eat a lot of anything and ignore the pseudoscience scammers. An occasional smoothie or juice drink tastes great but should not be a replacement for other forms of nourishment. And unless you are eating dioxin the effects on lymphoma will be minimal if any.
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all of the aboveunknown said:Yes
I mostly agree with you Max except that vegetables and fruits may actually be worse for you than the chicken. So-called organic vegetables are "self certified" and a dishonest person can easily get rich by selling ordinary vegetables as organic. This is doubly true since 2/3 of our vegetables and fruits are imported from around the world with zero inspections or production controls. Snake oil can be found not only on the internet and TV but also in the vegetable isle. the only thing that can reliably help is eating less. It works. Don't eat a lot of anything and ignore the pseudoscience scammers. An occasional smoothie or juice drink tastes great but should not be a replacement for other forms of nourishment. And unless you are eating dioxin the effects on lymphoma will be minimal if any.
I told myself I was stayng off the boards for the weekend. Well, I got bored.
My goal for the juice and smoothies is to boost my system to help rebuild my blood counts and general health. I have just had my last CHOP and counts are low. Right now I would rather try natural foods to rebuild than my supplements. I could never be a true vegetarian since there are meats I do love and would miss eating. Right now I am not eating much meat because of the taste buds being AWOL. Main diet is whey protein drinks, nutrition drinks, V8 and now adding smoothies. This last is something my taste buds never had so I won't know if they taste "different". I also have found food with strong spices (Mexican & Indian) seem to "keep" their flavor. Unfortunately my husband does not like these kinds of foods so I don't have them very often.
I remember the Jim Fixx days. He did a lot to promote a healthy lifestyle. At least until he died and the way he died. Then his name became almost a joke. "Live healthy, eat healthy, die anyway".
It seems like a long time ago I read an article that said everyone carries cancer cells in their body. It's just that they are dormant. The key is what activates them. If that is true then there is no way to keep cancer out of our bodies. Can we control when they activate? I doubt it. Can we do anything to help our bodies be strong enough to help fight the cancer if it does activate? That I think we can do. But we are all different. What works for one person will not always work for another.
As far as what foods are good or bad, yes. Read about what we spray on our crops to make them disease resistant and grow better, Yuck! Of course some of these plants are fed to farm animals that provide meat for us. Is that any better than eating the plants? Oh, let us not forget how we feed meat by-products to our animals that don't eat meat. In some cases the by-products are the same species making our vegetarian animals into cannibals. Ok, I get very cynical when it comes to our food system. Soylent Green is one of my favorite movies to indicate where we could be heading if we keep this up. Gets to the point where it seems the only safe thing is water. Howver tests are showing that many drugs & supplements we take end up in our drinking water. They try to filter them out but don't get them all. One guy claims that chemo drugs are the worse. Think about the drugs put in our bodies to fight the cancers. We don't use all of it and the extra is flushed out in our body waste. That goes into the sanitary system and eventually can end up in our drinking water. So what can activate dormant cancer cells. Why not "used" chemo drugs?
Sorry. I can get into also sorts of doom and gloom theories. Been reading Sci-fi for a very long time and there are lots of "end of USA/earth/solar system" stories. It isn't hard to turn some of those stories into "what if' scenarios in my head. Ok, so now that I kind of killed any happy moods you may have had let me say this. I was raised that nothing we do can affect how long we live. All we can control is how we live our lives and we should endevor to do the best we can.
This being Memorial Day weekend let me end with this.
Thanks to all who gave their lives in service to our country. And prayers to their familes who miss them and will always remember them.
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Fried Chicken007
007,
My first response to you. I have been reading your thoughful posts here since you began.
The largest study in history regarding the etiology (cause) of cancer was published last year, a joint effort by Cambridge University in England, and Johns Hopkins in the US. It compiled all of the data from eighty (80) prior studies on the subject. Astonishingly, it summarizes that these results are facts "oncologists have known for over 20 years."
Its conclusion ? Most cancers (over 70%) are caused by random genetic mutations. That is, they have no (zero) genetic or dietary cause. A few cancers are partially linked to behavior, such as smoking and lung cancer, but many heavy smokers never get lung cancer, and many non-smokers die of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/02/health/cancer-random-mutation/
I love the title of your thread: "To hell and back." Been there three times myself (clinically dead in auto crash [1986], Stage III Hodgkin's [2009], Stage II prostate cancer [2014] ).
Going to hell is not the problem, if you always come back. Dante would agree. As we submariners say, "There is not problem, if the number of surfaces equal the number of dives." To me, a fixation on diet is a Freudian defense mechanism, a belief that we can "do something" to control a misfortune that is not controllable, not anyone's "fault."
I bought all of Jim Fixx's running books back in the 1970's. He was the "healthy heart guru," and everone worshipped him. His books were all titled Healthy Heart this or that. Then, at a young age, he died of a heart attack, while running. The blatant irony could not have been more in-your-face.
All of his books claimed to prevent what he died of at 52 years old !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx
You eat spinich, and I will eat fried chicken, and the effect on lymphoma, or lymphoma relapse, will be nothing.....
max
.
Thank you for your response. I mean not to misconstrue you or anyone. This dialogue began not on my soap box but rather through observation.
I only noted my experience.
I agree with much of what you said but science is constantly changing, new data collected giving fruition to yet another study supporting a new or old theory everyday and still not explaining every case seneario.
One of my closest friends, is a researcher, owner of a pharmasutical company which developes new age cancer drugs is one of my biggest advocates. She insistes I'm on the right path, explains how many drugs are plant derived. Recently she too had a scare and her response to sitting in an oncologists office herself started a neighborhood organic cooperative garden. We did the best we could with organic soil, seeds and plants.
My very dear friends are both oncologists, Johns Hopkins alumni and have a MD-PHD. When I was rather angry and skeptical at just about everything, one of them told me that it was her belief that I could be much worse and "NOT" to change my eatting habits. This is coming from a woman who travels with me, lives with me for a month at a time and witnessed much of my experiences I previously noted in other posts. She has one of the highest survival rates in the country for pediatric brain tumors. She's developing a new hospital and implementing new and exciting care for children in my city. Nutrition is a new part of her program. Her husband is my oncologist and after my last scan he told me, whatever I'm doing keep doing it. I don't have an answer as to why I or anyone else has this horrid disease nor do I know if it will come back. No doubt genetic rogue genes plays a role.
Considering my father was diagnosised with Mantle Cell lymphoma three weeks after my diagnosis....I admit I'm terrified.
My intent was nothing more to share my experience and how it helped me.
I'm not a fan of soaking my produce in vinegar water, scrubbing then rinsing them again or cleaning a multi unit juice extractor everyday but I do it because it helped me get out of bed, off the couch and breath easier. I have a bit of a problem in this area. Only by accident did I realize that I felt better when I juiced.
In some ways I'm similar to Fixx, lived a clean and healthy life only to get cancer but thankfully I'm not him. Truth be told, I only thought I lead a healthy lifestyle. I didn't wash my produce the way I do now and didn't consume as much raw foods.
I'm sorry for your visits to Hell, stay out of there would you!
So you eat fried chicken, I eat spinach... May we dive no more and swim peacefully at the surface.
OO7
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Corruptunknown said:Yes
I mostly agree with you Max except that vegetables and fruits may actually be worse for you than the chicken. So-called organic vegetables are "self certified" and a dishonest person can easily get rich by selling ordinary vegetables as organic. This is doubly true since 2/3 of our vegetables and fruits are imported from around the world with zero inspections or production controls. Snake oil can be found not only on the internet and TV but also in the vegetable isle. the only thing that can reliably help is eating less. It works. Don't eat a lot of anything and ignore the pseudoscience scammers. An occasional smoothie or juice drink tastes great but should not be a replacement for other forms of nourishment. And unless you are eating dioxin the effects on lymphoma will be minimal if any.
I'm not sure why I feel like I need to defend myself. You're right to a degree. Greed exists but not all organic food is a product of deceit. Of course one needs to do there homework, I buy organic and wash my produce more than most probably do. I buy local from trusted farms but still I'm a skeptic but can tell you true organic food not only tastes better, it is better.
I just put in a small organic garden. All the soil, seeds and plants were used. I know it's a feeble attempt against acid rain, polluted air and water but I'm doing it.
Poultry better? Hum, I don't think so.
I'm not here to convince anyone. I do believe the food industry is corrupt and do my best to protect myself and my family.
Nothing is perfect, I am more optimist than skeptic and simply do the best that I can.
I never said anywhere to drink a smooties in place of other nourishment. Last week I hired a nutritionist, in the course of our four hour meeting, she consumed two juices that she premade that morning and brought with her.
Somewhere focus was lost and my words were misconstrued. I just observed I felt better and do.
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Diet and HealthOO7 said:Fried Chicken
Thank you for your response. I mean not to misconstrue you or anyone. This dialogue began not on my soap box but rather through observation.
I only noted my experience.
I agree with much of what you said but science is constantly changing, new data collected giving fruition to yet another study supporting a new or old theory everyday and still not explaining every case seneario.
One of my closest friends, is a researcher, owner of a pharmasutical company which developes new age cancer drugs is one of my biggest advocates. She insistes I'm on the right path, explains how many drugs are plant derived. Recently she too had a scare and her response to sitting in an oncologists office herself started a neighborhood organic cooperative garden. We did the best we could with organic soil, seeds and plants.
My very dear friends are both oncologists, Johns Hopkins alumni and have a MD-PHD. When I was rather angry and skeptical at just about everything, one of them told me that it was her belief that I could be much worse and "NOT" to change my eatting habits. This is coming from a woman who travels with me, lives with me for a month at a time and witnessed much of my experiences I previously noted in other posts. She has one of the highest survival rates in the country for pediatric brain tumors. She's developing a new hospital and implementing new and exciting care for children in my city. Nutrition is a new part of her program. Her husband is my oncologist and after my last scan he told me, whatever I'm doing keep doing it. I don't have an answer as to why I or anyone else has this horrid disease nor do I know if it will come back. No doubt genetic rogue genes plays a role.
Considering my father was diagnosised with Mantle Cell lymphoma three weeks after my diagnosis....I admit I'm terrified.
My intent was nothing more to share my experience and how it helped me.
I'm not a fan of soaking my produce in vinegar water, scrubbing then rinsing them again or cleaning a multi unit juice extractor everyday but I do it because it helped me get out of bed, off the couch and breath easier. I have a bit of a problem in this area. Only by accident did I realize that I felt better when I juiced.
In some ways I'm similar to Fixx, lived a clean and healthy life only to get cancer but thankfully I'm not him. Truth be told, I only thought I lead a healthy lifestyle. I didn't wash my produce the way I do now and didn't consume as much raw foods.
I'm sorry for your visits to Hell, stay out of there would you!
So you eat fried chicken, I eat spinach... May we dive no more and swim peacefully at the surface.
OO7
007, I have enjoyed this back and forth conversation between you and lindary. I feel that I know both of you better because of it. A couple of times, I wanted to join in but refrained.
Like you, I have always believed in a healthy diet and lifestyle. My diet has always been based on plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits (organic when possible), whole grains, healthy fats and oils, nuts, seeds, legumes and tofu. I rarely eat meat and when I do it is a small portion, with most of my meal being vegetables and grains. I like tuna and salmon. My guilty pleasure is cheese.
My diet provides steady energy and plenty of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber. I use high quality vitamins and supplements, as needed. I take no prescription medications.
And yes, I got cancer anyway. And my diet does not guarantee I won't have it again. However, I am otherwise in great health. My weight is good, my blood pressure is good, my glucose and cholesterol are good; in the past few months I've had a mammogram, colonoscopy, CT scan, and complete blood work, all with excellent results. I don't have digestive or sleep problems. I am happy and optimistic and at peace spiritually and emotionally. And I believe my diet and lifestyle have everything to do with it.
Hugs,
Rocquie
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food" --Hippocrates
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Natural vs Non-Naturalunknown said:Yes
I mostly agree with you Max except that vegetables and fruits may actually be worse for you than the chicken. So-called organic vegetables are "self certified" and a dishonest person can easily get rich by selling ordinary vegetables as organic. This is doubly true since 2/3 of our vegetables and fruits are imported from around the world with zero inspections or production controls. Snake oil can be found not only on the internet and TV but also in the vegetable isle. the only thing that can reliably help is eating less. It works. Don't eat a lot of anything and ignore the pseudoscience scammers. An occasional smoothie or juice drink tastes great but should not be a replacement for other forms of nourishment. And unless you are eating dioxin the effects on lymphoma will be minimal if any.
GKH and everyone,
The following article at least indirecly ties in with the discussion of "healthy lifestyles" here. I find it fascinating in that it is yet another major university study that turns long-term, conventional wisdom on its head. Yesterday's miracle health solution always becomes, year's later, tomorrow's death sentence. When I got prostate cancer last year, I read a lot about saw palmetto supplements -- a multi-billion dollar "prostate health" scam. Every major study ever done shows it to be no better than placebo (but neither is it harmful).
My mother-in-law has always refused to get a cell phone, or even use a cordless phone, because they "cause cancer." Of course, they absolutely do not, but now we see that they are apparantly remarkably good for the brain. I recall when a lot of people would not use a newfangled invention called the "mircowave oven." As a sub sailor and nuclear weapons technician for many years, I was trained a good bit in radiation health and monitoring. Several people have asked me if I thought "being on a sub gave me lymphoma." I tell them "no," because engineering studies establish that a day on a sumbarine gives a person less whole-body radiation than a day at the beach. George Carlin used to do a regular skit, in which he pretended he was a news reporter. One piece had him say the following:
"This just in in medical news: Scientists have discovered that saliva causes stomach cancer, but only when swallowed in small amounts, over many years."
Read and enyoy, and call and tell your friends !
.
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Hello!Rocquie said:Diet and Health
007, I have enjoyed this back and forth conversation between you and lindary. I feel that I know both of you better because of it. A couple of times, I wanted to join in but refrained.
Like you, I have always believed in a healthy diet and lifestyle. My diet has always been based on plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits (organic when possible), whole grains, healthy fats and oils, nuts, seeds, legumes and tofu. I rarely eat meat and when I do it is a small portion, with most of my meal being vegetables and grains. I like tuna and salmon. My guilty pleasure is cheese.
My diet provides steady energy and plenty of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber. I use high quality vitamins and supplements, as needed. I take no prescription medications.
And yes, I got cancer anyway. And my diet does not guarantee I won't have it again. However, I am otherwise in great health. My weight is good, my blood pressure is good, my glucose and cholesterol are good; in the past few months I've had a mammogram, colonoscopy, CT scan, and complete blood work, all with excellent results. I don't have digestive or sleep problems. I am happy and optimistic and at peace spiritually and emotionally. And I believe my diet and lifestyle have everything to do with it.
Hugs,
Rocquie
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food" --Hippocrates
I fell of the radar!
Sorry for the late response, I was busy with my children, the holiday and travel. I arrived home late last night from Dana Farber in Boston. Like you, I got an amazing bill of health, so relieved!!!!! I just wanted to climb the top of a mountain and scream, "cancer Free"! Of course, I'm not completely but pretty darn close. Downside of this bloody disease.
How odd it is because of my predicament, I can't yell to my world. It felt so strange, I wanted to tell my parents and couldn't. My grandmother, brothers, cousins, many of my friends etc.... Nope. A tad anticlimactic but I did it. In the cab ride and on the plane, I decompressed quietly, thankfully with a calm resolve. There are a few people I can do my Happy Dance with so all is well.
It's been a long and challenging road, one I hope none of us have to face again. Perhaps it's not what challenges us but rather what we do with our challenges.
I'm not certain I did things right but I don't feel I had much choice. I took a bit of flack for making this diagnosis a secret but I feel in my heart I did the right thing. One can only hope.
I'm glad you're well, I hope and pray we all stay that way!!!!
OO7
Hugs right back at you!
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Not loadingNatural vs Non-Natural
GKH and everyone,
The following article at least indirecly ties in with the discussion of "healthy lifestyles" here. I find it fascinating in that it is yet another major university study that turns long-term, conventional wisdom on its head. Yesterday's miracle health solution always becomes, year's later, tomorrow's death sentence. When I got prostate cancer last year, I read a lot about saw palmetto supplements -- a multi-billion dollar "prostate health" scam. Every major study ever done shows it to be no better than placebo (but neither is it harmful).
My mother-in-law has always refused to get a cell phone, or even use a cordless phone, because they "cause cancer." Of course, they absolutely do not, but now we see that they are apparantly remarkably good for the brain. I recall when a lot of people would not use a newfangled invention called the "mircowave oven." As a sub sailor and nuclear weapons technician for many years, I was trained a good bit in radiation health and monitoring. Several people have asked me if I thought "being on a sub gave me lymphoma." I tell them "no," because engineering studies establish that a day on a sumbarine gives a person less whole-body radiation than a day at the beach. George Carlin used to do a regular skit, in which he pretended he was a news reporter. One piece had him say the following:
"This just in in medical news: Scientists have discovered that saliva causes stomach cancer, but only when swallowed in small amounts, over many years."
Read and enyoy, and call and tell your friends !
.
Will have to read your link later, not loading at the moment.
I had to laugh, my friend sleeps with the phone under her pillow. She's the kind of doctor who gives her cell number to all her patients and their parents. She is 100% accessible.
All I can say is we have to listen to our bodies, if something makes you feel better......do it. I'm not into trends and a bit of a skeptic but I do and will continue to live a healthy lifestyle. I don't clean my house with chemicals or spray my lawn, I eat well and simply do what works for me.
My husband is a trial lawyer, there are always studies supporting both sides to the argument. Recently I have had the opportunity to be in the company of some of the greatest doctors in the world. One of the Doctors I spent some time with, his credentials took an extraordinary amount of time to get through it was absolutely incredible. Young and humble he is, everyone was in absolute amazement and that was before he addressed the case.
Thankfully there will always be new studies, some good and others not so good. Hopefully we're moving in the right direction and were intelligent enough to decipher through the junk.
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I'm backOO7 said:Hello!
I fell of the radar!
Sorry for the late response, I was busy with my children, the holiday and travel. I arrived home late last night from Dana Farber in Boston. Like you, I got an amazing bill of health, so relieved!!!!! I just wanted to climb the top of a mountain and scream, "cancer Free"! Of course, I'm not completely but pretty darn close. Downside of this bloody disease.
How odd it is because of my predicament, I can't yell to my world. It felt so strange, I wanted to tell my parents and couldn't. My grandmother, brothers, cousins, many of my friends etc.... Nope. A tad anticlimactic but I did it. In the cab ride and on the plane, I decompressed quietly, thankfully with a calm resolve. There are a few people I can do my Happy Dance with so all is well.
It's been a long and challenging road, one I hope none of us have to face again. Perhaps it's not what challenges us but rather what we do with our challenges.
I'm not certain I did things right but I don't feel I had much choice. I took a bit of flack for making this diagnosis a secret but I feel in my heart I did the right thing. One can only hope.
I'm glad you're well, I hope and pray we all stay that way!!!!
OO7
Hugs right back at you!
Sorry for being aways for almost a week. Hi to those who have joined our exchange. The Prednisone part of my last R-chop hit me hard. I though it would be like the previous cycle and I could get ahead of it by resting the weekend. Normally I would be working from home Mon & Tues but since Mon was a holiday I planned to rest all day Sun & Mon. So Tues was going to be easier. Wrong. Put in 3 hours and then it was nap time. Wed was back into the office. Barely made it to my desk and sat there for 4 hours dealing with email and meetings at my desk but not getting up. I did start moving and walking around a bit after that. Fortunately I did feel better by the end of the day. Understand that it is easy to say I should have stayed home but I have learned from the previous 5 treatments that being in the office seems to energize me. Of course when I got home Wed I was tired so just ate & rested. Thur better but still tired when I got home. Fri felt almost normal until about an hour affter I got home. That is when the "tired" feeling hit again. Today was the first day that felt more normal. Friends of ours had a cookout that ended up inside because of the lousy weather. It was great seeing everyone. What was even better, the talk was not about my cancer. We talked about stuff like we always do.
I am hoping that having the smoothie with spinach is helping to build up my red blood count. I know that will help relieve this tired feeling. Having been anemic since I was a teen I know the feeling when my iron level is low. All I can say is that I have been worse but I was younger then too. So in about 10 days I have my 6th Rituxan treatment so I'll see what the blood test show then. It also means the after chemo test will be scheduled and reviewed. Then word on what is next.
In the meantime I am going to focus on how to make the healthy choices I've been making the last few months a more regular part of my life going forward. Easier said than done because my husband does not believe it's a meal if it doesn't include meat and fish is not meat. I have finally gotten him to accept that protein does come from source other than meat & fish. I am also going to be getting back into the gym at least once a week to start building up the muscles that have turned to jelly with all of the resting I've been doing.
007 - You are Cancer Free! What a great statement to be able to say.
I feel sorry you can't share this with parents & other family members but I do hope your husband & kids will celebrate with you. Have a nice dinner out. Maybe a weekend at a beach or something. I am very happy for you.Talk to everyone later.
Linda
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commentsRocquie said:Diet and Health
007, I have enjoyed this back and forth conversation between you and lindary. I feel that I know both of you better because of it. A couple of times, I wanted to join in but refrained.
Like you, I have always believed in a healthy diet and lifestyle. My diet has always been based on plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits (organic when possible), whole grains, healthy fats and oils, nuts, seeds, legumes and tofu. I rarely eat meat and when I do it is a small portion, with most of my meal being vegetables and grains. I like tuna and salmon. My guilty pleasure is cheese.
My diet provides steady energy and plenty of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber. I use high quality vitamins and supplements, as needed. I take no prescription medications.
And yes, I got cancer anyway. And my diet does not guarantee I won't have it again. However, I am otherwise in great health. My weight is good, my blood pressure is good, my glucose and cholesterol are good; in the past few months I've had a mammogram, colonoscopy, CT scan, and complete blood work, all with excellent results. I don't have digestive or sleep problems. I am happy and optimistic and at peace spiritually and emotionally. And I believe my diet and lifestyle have everything to do with it.
Hugs,
Rocquie
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food" --Hippocrates
I just read your post again and had to smile. I am almost the ocmplete opposite. My diet has always been centered around meat. I am not a big veggie or fruit eater. My idea of exercise is Mon thur Fri walking from my car to my desk. I don't park close to the door so I do get more walking and the building is big so the total walk is long. Yes I am overweight and old enough that losing weight is not an easy task. I have taken vitamins and supplements for several years. I am also on meds for high blood pressure and thyroid. Cancer is truly an equal opportunity disease!
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Thank you!lindary said:I'm back
Sorry for being aways for almost a week. Hi to those who have joined our exchange. The Prednisone part of my last R-chop hit me hard. I though it would be like the previous cycle and I could get ahead of it by resting the weekend. Normally I would be working from home Mon & Tues but since Mon was a holiday I planned to rest all day Sun & Mon. So Tues was going to be easier. Wrong. Put in 3 hours and then it was nap time. Wed was back into the office. Barely made it to my desk and sat there for 4 hours dealing with email and meetings at my desk but not getting up. I did start moving and walking around a bit after that. Fortunately I did feel better by the end of the day. Understand that it is easy to say I should have stayed home but I have learned from the previous 5 treatments that being in the office seems to energize me. Of course when I got home Wed I was tired so just ate & rested. Thur better but still tired when I got home. Fri felt almost normal until about an hour affter I got home. That is when the "tired" feeling hit again. Today was the first day that felt more normal. Friends of ours had a cookout that ended up inside because of the lousy weather. It was great seeing everyone. What was even better, the talk was not about my cancer. We talked about stuff like we always do.
I am hoping that having the smoothie with spinach is helping to build up my red blood count. I know that will help relieve this tired feeling. Having been anemic since I was a teen I know the feeling when my iron level is low. All I can say is that I have been worse but I was younger then too. So in about 10 days I have my 6th Rituxan treatment so I'll see what the blood test show then. It also means the after chemo test will be scheduled and reviewed. Then word on what is next.
In the meantime I am going to focus on how to make the healthy choices I've been making the last few months a more regular part of my life going forward. Easier said than done because my husband does not believe it's a meal if it doesn't include meat and fish is not meat. I have finally gotten him to accept that protein does come from source other than meat & fish. I am also going to be getting back into the gym at least once a week to start building up the muscles that have turned to jelly with all of the resting I've been doing.
007 - You are Cancer Free! What a great statement to be able to say.
I feel sorry you can't share this with parents & other family members but I do hope your husband & kids will celebrate with you. Have a nice dinner out. Maybe a weekend at a beach or something. I am very happy for you.Talk to everyone later.
Linda
Glad you're back! You sound great, hopefully moving forward you'll feel better too and the horrid fatigue will become a thing of the past. I feel very gratful I'm not walking into walls and staring into space like a zombie. I only had one bad day in two weeks. My Boston visit was very good to say the least. I'm not exactly cancer free but pretty darn close (follicular is incurable). I just say and think I am, not only is it easier but t's the way I think. If it decides to crash my party again, I will be ready to obliterate again. It's dead to me, I'm not living with worry or in the land of what if's. Every doctor I recently saw said the same thing, healthy eating, physical fitness (need to work on that one more) and managing stress. That's a big one and rather important. Stress feeds the monster (cancer).
I did have a very, very rare side effect to the rituxin but that too is going down. Side effect is making the phyical fitness a bit harder for me but I have always loved a challenge and LOVE to work out hard so I have a great incentive to overcome the nonsense with my lungs. I love being in the zone, completely exhausted and when I think I can't give another nanosecond...... I blast through like mighty freaking mouse with a reserve of energy I never knew existed. Bam! I really want to get that back. One doctor said I may never get there again. I may not but hearing those words, I'm making it my mission is to prove him wrong. I'm certain it's how I'm wired, I'm all messed up but don't give a da_. I just have to do it.
I had an eighteen year gap of not working out. I don't like, how I feel when I don't. Right now I hate how I feel so I really need to figure this out. Fortunately summer is almost here, that should make it easier.
Last summer someone told me to take it one day at a time. I took it one breath at a time, it was pretty bad back then. Whether we take baby steps or a running leap, as long as it's in the correct direction we'll benefit!
Have a GREAT week!
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Thinking of youOO7 said:Thank you!
Glad you're back! You sound great, hopefully moving forward you'll feel better too and the horrid fatigue will become a thing of the past. I feel very gratful I'm not walking into walls and staring into space like a zombie. I only had one bad day in two weeks. My Boston visit was very good to say the least. I'm not exactly cancer free but pretty darn close (follicular is incurable). I just say and think I am, not only is it easier but t's the way I think. If it decides to crash my party again, I will be ready to obliterate again. It's dead to me, I'm not living with worry or in the land of what if's. Every doctor I recently saw said the same thing, healthy eating, physical fitness (need to work on that one more) and managing stress. That's a big one and rather important. Stress feeds the monster (cancer).
I did have a very, very rare side effect to the rituxin but that too is going down. Side effect is making the phyical fitness a bit harder for me but I have always loved a challenge and LOVE to work out hard so I have a great incentive to overcome the nonsense with my lungs. I love being in the zone, completely exhausted and when I think I can't give another nanosecond...... I blast through like mighty freaking mouse with a reserve of energy I never knew existed. Bam! I really want to get that back. One doctor said I may never get there again. I may not but hearing those words, I'm making it my mission is to prove him wrong. I'm certain it's how I'm wired, I'm all messed up but don't give a da_. I just have to do it.
I had an eighteen year gap of not working out. I don't like, how I feel when I don't. Right now I hate how I feel so I really need to figure this out. Fortunately summer is almost here, that should make it easier.
Last summer someone told me to take it one day at a time. I took it one breath at a time, it was pretty bad back then. Whether we take baby steps or a running leap, as long as it's in the correct direction we'll benefit!
Have a GREAT week!
Dinner dilemas and normalcy.
I haven't had meat in over thirty years, occasionally I eat fish so I could have endless suggestions, ie, soups, salads, pasta, grilled vegetable pizza, sandwiches... If you have any questions ask away.
I woke up at one in the morning and just stayed up. Over tired and feeling off due to my neighborhoods lawncare (horrible). I just sat down in a quite room, put on some beautiful music and let my mind go. My son knew I was tired and asked why I wasn't watching T.V.? I tried to explain but he thought I was strange. It was only for a minute but it felt great. I need to do that more.
I'm no expert on getting back on track but would hope you're being very good to yourself. Listen to your body and go slow. Treat yourself to a quite moment, let your mind decompress and enjoy the peace.
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updatelindary said:comments
I just read your post again and had to smile. I am almost the ocmplete opposite. My diet has always been centered around meat. I am not a big veggie or fruit eater. My idea of exercise is Mon thur Fri walking from my car to my desk. I don't park close to the door so I do get more walking and the building is big so the total walk is long. Yes I am overweight and old enough that losing weight is not an easy task. I have taken vitamins and supplements for several years. I am also on meds for high blood pressure and thyroid. Cancer is truly an equal opportunity disease!
Rocquie, I am glad you've enjoyed reading our exchange on this thread. Please feel free to join in at any time.
To all, This is my first 5 day week going into the office every day in over a month. It seemed that with every 3 week cycle on this 3rd week there was always a test or some medical appointment that was scheduled so I was never in the office 5 days in a row. I am tired. Part of the problem is that the 5 days of being on the Prednisone followed by the 2 -3 days of the crash, I tended to sleep until I got up. Really messed with my sleep cycle. I know if I go to bed too early now I will wake up in the middle of the night, toss & turn for an hour or 2 then go back to sleep. End up sleeping through my alarm. So what I am trying to do is make sure I am getting 8 - 9 hour each night and get up at the same time each morning. Like everything it is going to take time to get back into my old schedule.
The great thing is at work. No comes up and asks me how are the treatments going. Each work day starts with "hi" and ends with "see you toorrow". For me this is a sign of normal. Next week I do have the 6th Rituxan treatment and then I iwll find out when the test will be scheduled to see the results of the chemo. But I try not to think about this part too much.
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Hope all is welllindary said:update
Rocquie, I am glad you've enjoyed reading our exchange on this thread. Please feel free to join in at any time.
To all, This is my first 5 day week going into the office every day in over a month. It seemed that with every 3 week cycle on this 3rd week there was always a test or some medical appointment that was scheduled so I was never in the office 5 days in a row. I am tired. Part of the problem is that the 5 days of being on the Prednisone followed by the 2 -3 days of the crash, I tended to sleep until I got up. Really messed with my sleep cycle. I know if I go to bed too early now I will wake up in the middle of the night, toss & turn for an hour or 2 then go back to sleep. End up sleeping through my alarm. So what I am trying to do is make sure I am getting 8 - 9 hour each night and get up at the same time each morning. Like everything it is going to take time to get back into my old schedule.
The great thing is at work. No comes up and asks me how are the treatments going. Each work day starts with "hi" and ends with "see you toorrow". For me this is a sign of normal. Next week I do have the 6th Rituxan treatment and then I iwll find out when the test will be scheduled to see the results of the chemo. But I try not to think about this part too much.
Just checking in!
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Hi ThereOO7 said:Hope all is well
Just checking in!
I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. I keep saying I have follicuar lymphoma but I actually have that plus DLBCL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma). The dr had suspected as much and had it confirmed when I had the surgery for the perforated bowel. That was at the end of January. The light bulb just went on in my brain last night.
So yesterday I had my 6th Rituxan treatment. So all 6 chop treatments and all 6 Rituxan treatments are done!!!! In 2 weeks I have a CT scan done. Then the following week I see the specialist at Rush hospital to find out what the options are for the next step. I know a lot depends on how successful the R-Chop has been. But "knowing" now that I really have 2 types of lymphoma makes my wonder (worry) even more, what is next. I guess the good news is that I have so much going on the next couple of weeks I am hoping I won't have much time to think about this.
I can't help but wonder if I've had the follicular lymphoma for a time without it causing any real issues. Long enough for it to morph into the DLBCL which may have been the real cause of the tumor and problems I had in December. I'll never know for sure but it gives me something else to wonder about.
So for now I am just going to enjoy that fact that I have no more 3 week cycles of anything.
How have you been?
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Wa HOOOOOOO!lindary said:Hi There
I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. I keep saying I have follicuar lymphoma but I actually have that plus DLBCL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma). The dr had suspected as much and had it confirmed when I had the surgery for the perforated bowel. That was at the end of January. The light bulb just went on in my brain last night.
So yesterday I had my 6th Rituxan treatment. So all 6 chop treatments and all 6 Rituxan treatments are done!!!! In 2 weeks I have a CT scan done. Then the following week I see the specialist at Rush hospital to find out what the options are for the next step. I know a lot depends on how successful the R-Chop has been. But "knowing" now that I really have 2 types of lymphoma makes my wonder (worry) even more, what is next. I guess the good news is that I have so much going on the next couple of weeks I am hoping I won't have much time to think about this.
I can't help but wonder if I've had the follicular lymphoma for a time without it causing any real issues. Long enough for it to morph into the DLBCL which may have been the real cause of the tumor and problems I had in December. I'll never know for sure but it gives me something else to wonder about.
So for now I am just going to enjoy that fact that I have no more 3 week cycles of anything.
How have you been?
Congratulations you're done with the treatment right?
Irregardless to midnight epiphanies, your doctor suspected and treated you for the DLBCL. This is good. Worry is not. I know there is little we can do to prevent it but when it creeps in, for me I tell it to go straight to He_ _!
I was wondering why you had 6 chops in addition to your rituxin. I can't lie getting scanned, no matter how positive you are; I think there is a bit of terror that lies deep within. I knew with every fiber of my existence I was going to be fine but perhaps because I never thought I would have cancer, I had a sliver of doubt within my armour.
No matter what, you'll fight this with great strength and stamina! I pray you have an perfect result, keep me posted.
As for me I'm doing well. Thanks for asking. I don't get as winded as I used to but now a few dizzy spells. I think I'm perfect and invincible then reality kicks in and I know I'm not there yet. I never take it easy. I tell you to be good to yourself because I know the alternative. I need to rest more, I just don't know how?
Funny story. I love to garden and after cleaning and gardening for two straight days, I wanted to finish a little project. It's a little bit from my house but I wanted to clean out and plant four medium plants. I was over dressed, but by the time I walked down there I wasn't going to walk back and change. In the hot sun, moving earth, digging and throwing weeds over my escarpment, planting my plants I was about to passout. I was out there for a couple of hours when I realized I needed water. Super dizzy I just wanted to collapse but knew there were snakes living in the stonewall where I was working and no way was I going down where the snakes live! Practically run up to the house! I must have been quite a site because my children came out to help and brought a gallon of my crazy water with them. I diffuse cucumber, lemon and lime slices with sprigs of mint overnight to drink the next day.
Stay positive you're doing Amazing!
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Sorry for blank messageslindary said:Hi There
I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. I keep saying I have follicuar lymphoma but I actually have that plus DLBCL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma). The dr had suspected as much and had it confirmed when I had the surgery for the perforated bowel. That was at the end of January. The light bulb just went on in my brain last night.
So yesterday I had my 6th Rituxan treatment. So all 6 chop treatments and all 6 Rituxan treatments are done!!!! In 2 weeks I have a CT scan done. Then the following week I see the specialist at Rush hospital to find out what the options are for the next step. I know a lot depends on how successful the R-Chop has been. But "knowing" now that I really have 2 types of lymphoma makes my wonder (worry) even more, what is next. I guess the good news is that I have so much going on the next couple of weeks I am hoping I won't have much time to think about this.
I can't help but wonder if I've had the follicular lymphoma for a time without it causing any real issues. Long enough for it to morph into the DLBCL which may have been the real cause of the tumor and problems I had in December. I'll never know for sure but it gives me something else to wonder about.
So for now I am just going to enjoy that fact that I have no more 3 week cycles of anything.
How have you been?
CSN does not like emoji's.....
I had to delete them for the message to go through.
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waterOO7 said:Sorry for blank messages
CSN does not like emoji's.....
I had to delete them for the message to go through.
I've been busy enough the last few days that i haven't had a lot of time to think about the CT scan. I do agree that when I do I wonder if the chemo did enough. But then something else comes up and I am off again. I did catch myself limiting hw many tmes I go up & down the stairs in 1 day. Then I had a day I had to upstairs 3 times and each time, when I came down, I realized there was something else I needed from the upstairs. I was defintely winded when I was done but the next day I was able to walk better without getting as winded. All we can do is keep pushing ourselves a little bit more to get our bodies to be stronger.
I've had a few time when I'e gone out on a warm day and forget my water bottle. My co-worker who is a cancer survivor keeps reminding me "water-water-water". I thought she meant just while I was doing chemo but I realize now that it is somethng I need to do for some time afterwards. I've got some 16oz bottles that I find will fit in my purse easily. I carry large a purse. Even so I still have gone out without one and end up getting that light-headed feeling like you had. Now I am one of those people that likes snakes. However I am not sure I would want to be laying on the ground when I know there are a lot of them in the area. Glad you were able to get back to your house and your kids came to the rescue.
We are having a cookout tomorrow. All of our kids will be over, that include the 3 grandkids. I haven't seen them since Mother's Day. Well, my one daughter I see every so often since she works in the same place I do. It's funny in that normally I don't see my kids that often. Plus up until about 2 years ago I saw my son & his family only once a year since they lived several states away. But the last few months having periods of time were I had to be careful about being arond people who might be sick, and with little kids there is always someone sick, I really miss seeing them. Thankfully with text messaging, Facebook and Skype I managed to keep in touch with them but it is so nice to see them face-to-face too.
Have a good weekend and keep a bottle of water handy.
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Best medicine!lindary said:water
I've been busy enough the last few days that i haven't had a lot of time to think about the CT scan. I do agree that when I do I wonder if the chemo did enough. But then something else comes up and I am off again. I did catch myself limiting hw many tmes I go up & down the stairs in 1 day. Then I had a day I had to upstairs 3 times and each time, when I came down, I realized there was something else I needed from the upstairs. I was defintely winded when I was done but the next day I was able to walk better without getting as winded. All we can do is keep pushing ourselves a little bit more to get our bodies to be stronger.
I've had a few time when I'e gone out on a warm day and forget my water bottle. My co-worker who is a cancer survivor keeps reminding me "water-water-water". I thought she meant just while I was doing chemo but I realize now that it is somethng I need to do for some time afterwards. I've got some 16oz bottles that I find will fit in my purse easily. I carry large a purse. Even so I still have gone out without one and end up getting that light-headed feeling like you had. Now I am one of those people that likes snakes. However I am not sure I would want to be laying on the ground when I know there are a lot of them in the area. Glad you were able to get back to your house and your kids came to the rescue.
We are having a cookout tomorrow. All of our kids will be over, that include the 3 grandkids. I haven't seen them since Mother's Day. Well, my one daughter I see every so often since she works in the same place I do. It's funny in that normally I don't see my kids that often. Plus up until about 2 years ago I saw my son & his family only once a year since they lived several states away. But the last few months having periods of time were I had to be careful about being arond people who might be sick, and with little kids there is always someone sick, I really miss seeing them. Thankfully with text messaging, Facebook and Skype I managed to keep in touch with them but it is so nice to see them face-to-face too.
Have a good weekend and keep a bottle of water handy.
Children and grandchildren, sounds like a great weekend; enjoy.
I recall durning more stressful times, wondering, treatment, my father etc... I would surround myself with everything that was funny, cheerful, no world or local news (nothing negative). Girlfriends and laughter and I imagined the treatment working and killing the cancer. I made my poor sister in law uncomfortable because I would constantly make jokes about treatment, the ugly blankets... anything I could. It was hard at times because there's nothing funny about treatment or living with this but perhaps it was how I coped with hiding the monster. Crazy.
Amen to water, no one told me about it. I hate the stuff and joke that I'm allergic to it hence the fact I add all sorts of things to it but it's a game changer for sure. Anything to flush out bad cells.
Enjoy this weekend!
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