Tell me I've got a fighting chance

Hello,

I'm so sorry to hear of the struggles that you are going through...both of you are enduring alot.

My Husband was diagnosed with brain cancer back in January of this year. His prognosis was poor...he had 6 months if he accepted no treatment, 1 year if he took chemo and radiation. My Husband decided to refused both because of the quality of his life after the treatments would be unbearable. Because he has a very aggressive type of brain cancer, he could die from the radiation and the chemo.

I am a firm believer in Natural Medicine because of the miracle it performed in my life and the lives of others that I knew. I began to read a book entitled "Fear Cancer No More" by Mauris L. Emeka. He explains in layman terms the cause and treatment of cancer. All of our health problems stem from the good old American diet. We eat convience foods because we are always in a hurry. We run to the grocery store but don't bother to read food labels. We always grab for the frozen meals, canned foods, etc. But have we actually stopped to read what they contain? The first thing that I started with my Husband (who lived on fast food and artificial sweetner) was a radical all natural organic food diet. After reading this book, I ordered the products that the author recommends. According to the Doctor it is typical for a patient with his type of brain cancer to already have a tumor by this time. The most common symptom that he would experience is headaches (more frequent and intense). After surgery, he continued to have the headaches. But as time passed, they became fewer and fewer. Now he has no headaches at all.

Another website to refer to is www.flaxoflife.com.

The first thing that I would do for your husband is to buy a juicer and all the organic produce that you can find and make him a juice drink. They are satisfying and cleansing. That is where I started with my Husband.

My prayers go out to you and your Husband. I hope that this information will start you on a journey that will help the 2 of you to become healthier.

My Sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39 in 1998. She had single mastectomy and was pronounced cancer free after chemo and radiation. It came back on the other side less than a year later. She remained a cancer survivor till Summer 2003 (Drs. said she would only make it 6 months after the initial recurrence). In the meantime cancer moved around, always keeping one step ahead of the Drs. She participated in several studies at MD Anderson in Houston. I am convinced she would not have done so well without the latest and greatest. She also supported the traditional medicine with natural alternatives. When she had brain tumors, the largest was too close to the brainstem to be treated, but they did very targeted radiation on the others, and her motor functions improved notably after the first treatment, and continued to improve. She had some short term memory problems as well. Those improved less dramatically after the radiation, but they were a bit better. I have been diagnosed with breast cancer (may 2007) and am being successfully treated with chemo. It is a scary prospect, even though I know very well that cancer is no respecter of persons and has a mind of its own. No 2 stories are the same. BUT...Doctors are learning more and more every day and the list of survivors is getting longer and longer. Just look at the number of hits on this website in all the different categories! Look under the "brain cancer" subject get some of their experiences.

Both of you, keep up on fighting, and be assertive about finding people you can trust to help you. ACS can help with support groups, transportation, home health, places to get medical supplies in your home, "Look Good, Feel better" support, and other help. I am in Fort Worth, TX. If you are in FW too, I can help. seof.

to bill wife
Hi My husband was diagnoised with a brain tumour in 2001 and like that we were left on the waiting game eventually over time it grew and they operated in june 2004 and removed 70 to 85% done chemo and rad and is still alive and well to-day even though monitored every 6 months name of condition oligoxxxxx and it causes seizures - my self have just being diagnoised with inflammatory BC and have just begun treatment A/C and T/H and also at this time are also moving house - research on his type of turmor etc. what helped my husband to get thro' was meditating and now i have begun bascially light deep breathing excercise to keep the mind calm if i can be of any more benefit dont hesitate to email Cheers and prayers Joan

dsharlee said:

"can't be cured but it can be treated"
Kathy, although I am currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer (GBM, or glioblastoma multiforme), I can't really imagine what a tough time you're going thru.

When physicians attempt to describe a patient's prognosis (the expected outcome of the condition), it's very difficult and they try very hard to give you their best prediction, which is often based on the results of clinical trials, on clinical literature, and on their own experience with the condition.

When they say it can't be cured but it can be treated, generally that means that a standardized treatment protocol can be reasonably expected to extend life expectancy - from a few months to many months (or years). Of course, patients and families must also consider the "cost" of treatment, and by that I mean what affect the treatment will have on the patient's quality of life.

I'm so sorry for you and your family, but I suggest you speak again with your husband's oncologist and ask more questions, so you may both make a more informed decision about treatment.

It can be cured!
Dsharlee,

I modestly disagree with your statement. I had a GBM in 2007, it came back in 2010, and I recently had surgery. I feel I'm now cancer free and on a right treatment plan, even though most oncologists try to tell me I "have GBM." I feel this is simply a slight ignorance on their part in diagnosing me. You see the definition of a glioblastoma multiforme, is that it is a tumor made of malignant astrocyte cells. GBM is not a disease you are stuck with for life. I also don't agree with doctors when they tell us that you always have microscopic GBM cells that will keep coming back and creating tumors. While we all have mutated cells running around in us our whole lives, our bodies natural apoptosis and immune system usually take care of them if our system is working properly. If you look at Avastin.com, (which is the newest FDA-approved drug, a blood-vessel growth inhibitor, for treating GBMs and other cancers). The stats on it are "incredible" - 42% of patients lived 9 months instead of 6, and somewhere around 40% of patients who lived past 1 year, made it to two or three years-find the exact stats on avastin.com

Anyways, the site says that if you "have GBM", this could be for you. They don't say, "If you have a GBM", and think there is a huge difference here. While this could be a stretch
I honestly feel this is a marketing tactic that drug companies use to sell their stuff. This might also be a stretch for some, but I found in the New England Journal of Medicine (the most widely circulated and oldest medical journal) that members on an FDA approval board for a new drug or medicine, are allowed to receive up to 50 grand from the company soliciting their approval. They can recieve more, but only if the FDA issues a waiver for them to recieve more. This waiver is supposedly approved 50% of the time, according to an article in USA Today.

danielgharper said:

It can be cured!
Dsharlee,

I modestly disagree with your statement. I had a GBM in 2007, it came back in 2010, and I recently had surgery. I feel I'm now cancer free and on a right treatment plan, even though most oncologists try to tell me I "have GBM." I feel this is simply a slight ignorance on their part in diagnosing me. You see the definition of a glioblastoma multiforme, is that it is a tumor made of malignant astrocyte cells. GBM is not a disease you are stuck with for life. I also don't agree with doctors when they tell us that you always have microscopic GBM cells that will keep coming back and creating tumors. While we all have mutated cells running around in us our whole lives, our bodies natural apoptosis and immune system usually take care of them if our system is working properly. If you look at Avastin.com, (which is the newest FDA-approved drug, a blood-vessel growth inhibitor, for treating GBMs and other cancers). The stats on it are "incredible" - 42% of patients lived 9 months instead of 6, and somewhere around 40% of patients who lived past 1 year, made it to two or three years-find the exact stats on avastin.com

Anyways, the site says that if you "have GBM", this could be for you. They don't say, "If you have a GBM", and think there is a huge difference here. While this could be a stretch
I honestly feel this is a marketing tactic that drug companies use to sell their stuff. This might also be a stretch for some, but I found in the New England Journal of Medicine (the most widely circulated and oldest medical journal) that members on an FDA approval board for a new drug or medicine, are allowed to receive up to 50 grand from the company soliciting their approval. They can recieve more, but only if the FDA issues a waiver for them to recieve more. This waiver is supposedly approved 50% of the time, according to an article in USA Today.

Avasin?
Do you think that Avastin would help with quality of life if someone's tumor had already spread and causing them a great deal of function loss? I'm looking for anything that may work!