Jan, thinking of you

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  • Sara Zipora
    Sara Zipora Member Posts: 231
    #22
    ConnieSW said:

    Good to hear from you, Jan

    I do think of you often and really admire how you are dealing with this.  Just mastering the diet must take so much effort.

    Happy to see you back

    Dear Jan,

    Though, as I wrote when a I sheepishly though happily received the 'all points search' which was put out for me, I have been lurking, and missed your research and well documented 'learnings'. Happy to see though 'stuff' returning and dealing with it isn't 'a walk in the park', you are getting a handle on it.

    As one for whom NED seems not to be in the offing, I am interested in what alternative you are researching, learning and experiencing. Please keep us up to date, your sage comments are missed!

    All the best,

    Sara

  • Ro10
    Ro10 Member Posts: 1,561 Member
    #23
    jazzy1 said:

    RO

    How have you been doing?  For sake of my not keeping up with this site and no time to read thru all the prior messges, let me know how life is for you.  You lounging on the beaches of beautiful, sunny Florida?  I'm so envious and as much as we'd love to go to this state, not good to be in the sun while on doxil...argh!

    How's Rudy, Mary Ann's husband?  Memory serves me correctly, he was to have some surgery or procedure for potential cancer....never quite heard the latest on his situation.

    I simply try to put one foot in front of the other and get on with life...not always easy, but I do it.  

     

    Best to you my dear friend,

    Jan

     

    Jan, thanks for asking about me

    I am doing good.  I go back to the doctor on Jan 14.  I hope to get good results again.  Last  visit I had a 200 drop in my CA -125.  Of course it is still over 500..  Not sure why it dropped without chemo.   I hope the last report was not an error.  We enjoyed the holidays here in Florida.  No beach day today, as it is only 50 degrees and very windy.  I know you would love to have 50 in St. Louis.

    We had a wonderful 25 day trip to Australia and New Zealand.  I finally got through all of our pictures.  It was nice reliving the trip as I went through all the pictures.  Tom takes a camera, too, so we had 3000 pictures between the two of us.  Of course a lot got deleted.

    Rudy 's surgery on his kidney came back with no cancer.  So that was good news.  He also has a new lady friend which I am happy for him.  I messaged him but did not hear back from him, so I hope he is doing well.

    Continue to take it one day at a time and take care of yourself.  Hope you continue to tolerate the Doxil well, and it continues to take care of that cancer.  In peace and caring.

  • Ro10
    Ro10 Member Posts: 1,561 Member
    #24
    Sara Zipora said:

    Happy to see you back

    Dear Jan,

    Though, as I wrote when a I sheepishly though happily received the 'all points search' which was put out for me, I have been lurking, and missed your research and well documented 'learnings'. Happy to see though 'stuff' returning and dealing with it isn't 'a walk in the park', you are getting a handle on it.

    As one for whom NED seems not to be in the offing, I am interested in what alternative you are researching, learning and experiencing. Please keep us up to date, your sage comments are missed!

    All the best,

    Sara

    Sara

    I too am one that has never been NED, but I am still here 5 years after my diagnosis.  I continue to be thankful for every day ( and years) I have.  I try to find joy in every day.  Hope you continue to hang in there.  You remain in My prayers.  In peace and caring.

  • Fayard
    Fayard Member Posts: 438 Member
    #25
    jazzy1 said:

    Hi Everyone

    I'm just passing thru and thought I'd stop and post.  All the treatments are going along as planned, had a change in drugs after the first round, come to find doxil now is a better fit vs. taxol which had in '09 along with carboplatin.  Hair was already falling out from taxol, so by time I started on doxil was too late to save the hair.  Doxil the hair will get "thinner", but not all fall out...argh!!!  Yes it's coming back, so a very nice site when I look in the mirror.

    Did a 2nd PET scan a month ago, just to see how the drugs are working.  Three areas light up and all of them are better or completely gone.  Lymph on neck is 50% smaller,  chest node is completely gone, and abdominal area is .5  cm larger, but less intense.  All in all, oncologist is happy with the progress and at this juncture should have 3 more chemo's and be done by March....YAHOO!!!

    Had my first consult with natruopath and after being on the new eating plan, and supplements for a good 5-6 weeks, the major trifecta (5) blood markers she follows for whole body terrain have all gone in the right direction, plus one is back to normal....another YAHOO!!!  Lots of good positive news to keep the old girl going here.  Down side, this damn doxil has just given me fits with my stomach and just not hungry, so the weight is coming off.  Doing better with naturopath guidance to add more good fats to the diet.  Also, the dry skin and rashes on the body are abundant, but just keep putting on  lots of cream thruout the day.  I do feel like one big grease ball with the creams, but without them, I'd be a dry mess.

    Very happy I've made the change to this new naturopath as it has opened my eyes to the things in our environments and how they affect our health.  With no gluten and definitely no sugars (even watching the high glycemic fruits) and most fruits/veggies being organic, and the poultry/eggs/beef all from grass-fed and pastured (no vegegetarian fed either) animals, I feel better.....no more stomach cramping was dealing with prior to the recurrence.  Quite a lot to this way of eating, so it's a learning curve for me and little by little I'm making the correct changes.  Even have my hubbie and daughter making a few changes to their diets, but not as intense as mine.  Hey, at least they're trying to be healthier.

    Life is good and as we all know, we're never prepared for the words "your cancer is back"....argh!  I've learned to continue to fight but with new eyes with the naturopath as the western treatments in my eyes aren't always the only way to kick this cancer out forever.  

    Hope everyone has a safe and health start to 2014....I know mine will be great....I can feel it in my bones...all good~~~

    Love to all,

    Jan

     

     

     

     

    Hola!

    Dear Jan,

    I am so happy to hear treatment is working well. I want you to know that I think and pray for you every day.

    PS: Before I got marry, I dated someone who had throat cancer, stage 4. He survived. It has been 7 years now. He had the strongest treatment of both, chemo and radiation. His neck and back burned as he had been in a fire. I took care of him during treatment and used Aloe plant for the burn, rush and dryness. I peeled the stalk and blended the inside, storage in a glass jar, and rubbed on his whole body every day as many times as I could. Today, no one can even tell he had radiation treatment.

    Hugs and love, you friend Luisa

  • jazzy1
    jazzy1 Member Posts: 1,379
    #26
    Fayard said:

    Hola!

    Dear Jan,

    I am so happy to hear treatment is working well. I want you to know that I think and pray for you every day.

    PS: Before I got marry, I dated someone who had throat cancer, stage 4. He survived. It has been 7 years now. He had the strongest treatment of both, chemo and radiation. His neck and back burned as he had been in a fire. I took care of him during treatment and used Aloe plant for the burn, rush and dryness. I peeled the stalk and blended the inside, storage in a glass jar, and rubbed on his whole body every day as many times as I could. Today, no one can even tell he had radiation treatment.

    Hugs and love, you friend Luisa

    Ladies

    RYou are all such an inspiratio to me...never giving up on any of the sisters on this site....me included!  I'm such a good rooter for others and when we're down, tend to forget ourselves, but thankfully you beautiful lades have brought lots of smiling faces before me.  

    My new diet is really good, but having been on it for only 2 months does take time to get used to.  I'm a very determined person, so even during the holidays when I slipped, I did get back and continue onward.  I believe so much in what we put in our bodies and our environments affect our health.  So much research out there, but many of it hidden behind the money hungry pharmaceutical co's....very sad!!  One area I'd definitely recommend everyone go in terms of diet -- NO SUGAR!!!!  Now this doesn't just mean table white sugar, but even the agave nectar and artificial sweeteners.  Basically these all increase the glycemic levels in our bodies and cancer thrives on sugar to grow...bingo!  I was sorta doing this before recurrence, but not really true to myself.  Also, follow the EWG.org dirty dozen list of foods which must be ORGANIC due to pesticides.  As well as watch the poultry and meats as they must be from grass fed, non-vegetarian fed animals.  The vegetarian feed given to these animals is GMO corn, soy and wheat.  I'd run whenever I see soy as there's so much unknown about this ingredient and I was heavily on soy supplements for a good 8 yrs prior to diagnosis in '09.  Lastly, don't forget stress...that's huge and we all know we've got it, but more about how we deal with it.  Learn to do yoga, meditation, etc, to calm our bodies as added stress gets the body functions all out of wack.

    Don't want to over-extend my comments on diet and living, but if anyone has more interest in my new changes via the natruopath, plse send me a personal email and happy to converse there.  

    RO, happy you're enjoying FL and feeling well.  You're one of the most determined women I've known and still kicking.  You truly are amazing and my idol....plse never give up and keep up that positive spirit...it's addictive.  Glad Rudy is fine as didn't know if it was cancer, but most likely surgery to rule it out....so very happy for him and a new companion.  We should all be able to enjoy life no matter where we are on the age chain.

    Fayard, nice input about the friend and skin issues.  I've finally found some greasy cream called Bag Balm which has done the trick.  If I keep the skin very moist it's not bad, but when the itchies start, out comes the cream.  

     

    Best to all you sisters...love,

    Jan 

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