Food for thought (& some vitamins)

PhillieG said:

Thanks Norm
Thanks for the post, I'll have to check it out.
I have found it VERY difficult at times having lived with stage IV colon cancer since Feb 2004 and a member of this forum since May 2005, reading countless times where people on here have done what's been prescribed by their oncologists as far as surgery and chemo goes and then they go back to business as usual as far as their diet and lifestyle goes. I know because that's basically what I did. Then, many may have a period of time where they're declared NED only to have "it" reappear anywhere from a few months to a few years later. I certainly can't speak for everyone but I was not given much information or guidance regarding nutrition and diet after my surgeries or during my countless chemos. I'm pretty sure that if I talked it up a lot with them that they'd try to offer help or point me to the nutritionist on staff who would hopefully guide me toward a better diet. I know your post mentioned vitamins and supplements and how they can help in the fight against cancer but one can also get those same things from eating food that contains them.

I did juice for a while and "watched what I ate" for a little while here and there and felt GREAT while doing it but I have yet to seriously change my diet. Now here I am, close to 8 years after my dx still growing small nodes in my lungs, having an RFA every year for the past 4 years, and doing chemo every 2 weeks until further notice. My quality of life is decent but I can't seem to shake this cancer. I have to ask myself why, what's missing? Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my oncologist and the plan of action that we've taken. I truely believe that without her expertise and guidance I would not be here today. But I also have to look at how nutrition can play a role in this (like it does in everything) and possibly give my body the extra boost it needs to get cancer OUT of my body and keep it out.

The topic of how diet and nutrition has helped people has at times become a toxic topic for some, but I believe (and always have) that cancer is very complex and there is no one way to beat it that works for everyone. Sadly, that seems to be a tough concept for some to consider. My plan for this year is to continue with the chemo (Erbitux and Irinotecan every two weeks) and get my CT scans as usual but reintroduce juicing, cutting out much of the sugar and processed foods, and just overall read the labels and keep the crap out and see how I fare over this year. If/when I get to my goal of being cancer-free I will be happy to say that it took everything there was available to beat this cancer.

While I don't expect everyone to agree with my assessment of my situation, I do hope that people can take a look back at what they've observed and/or experienced over their time on this site and help themselves toward staying healthy.
-phil