To Irene

[Jerri]

Irene,

Thank you so much for your support. It means alot to me. I will be down for several weeks but I will let you know how things go.

Jerri

[Jerri]

Irene,

I am so glad to hear from you. I am sorry about your stuborn liver. I will keep you in my prayers. I am happy you are feeling good-that really helps. Keep in touch.

Jerri

[Jerri]

Irene,

I was so glad to hear from you. You have been on my mind a lot lately. I am pleased that you are feeling well, every "good day" is a blessing.

For 11 months prior to my ablation I was on Taxol/Herceptin-Herceptin weekly, Taxol every three weeks. So, I was already bald when I started Taxotere. My husband seems to think it started growing back during Taxotere, I'm not sure. I really understand what you are saying when on the one hand the hair loss is no big deal but on the other hand it is a huge deal. It is another one of those emotional roller coasters we are on. I imagine that if you get weekly Taxotere your chances of keeping your hair will be better.

How did they determine the tumor had returned? My liver has significant scaring. Did you have a PET scan?

Hang in there,

Jerri

[Jerri]

Irene,

I am always so happy to hear from you. I think of you often and say a prayer for you and John and the rest of your family. I am sorry to hear you are having a hard time of it. I know that the pleural effusions can happen post-op, so we will keep a positive thought that it will resolve on it's own in the next 2 weeks.

My emotions are up and down, but I am going to keep fighting. All I really want is to be the best wife and mother God intended me to be. Keep in touch and always remember I will keep you in my prayers.

Jerri

[al from Canada]

Hi Irene and Jerri,
I hoes you are not getting hammered too bad from the hurricane. I guess wild weather can make life exciting.
Irene, I am sorry to hear about your complication but I am sure you will flatten this little speed-bump on the road to recovery.
Jerri, when I read your post I almost got the feeling of resignation on your part. It sucks that the chemo combination didn't work!! I would listen to the options; get on the phone for second opinions, follow your instinct, (if the red flag goes up, slam on the brakes!!) As well, and there are many still new chemo drugs to try, Iressa is one no one has mentioned. I strongly feel that no one has a better interest in your life than you! I also believe that beating Cancer is a result of lining-up your ducks from many sources.
My suggestion would be to start lining-up more ducks, ie; take charge! There are many natural tumor fighting compounds which we should not ingnore. I am not talking snake-oil but historically proven results.
1. Co-Q10: this has been used as a heart medicine for years however, small but significant studies have shown that when taken in daily doses of 360 mg. + ,anti-tumoral activity results.
2. Curcumin is extract from tumeric which is currently under testing for its anti-tumor effects. Take 2 grams / day
3. Celebrex is a COX 2 inhibitor which under certain situations, will inhibit tumour growth.
4. reservatol: grape seed extract has proven anti-tumourl activity.
5. Melatonin resets the biological clock, helps sleep and strengthen the immune system and may have anti-tumoural effects.
6. Selenium has anto-tumoural effects.
7. DIM, which is extract from broccoli, has anti- estogenic activity and reputed anti-tumoural activity.
8. Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful.

This next one is getting close to snake-oil however the antecdotal evidence is impreesive: POLY MVA; MVA stands for Minerals, Vitamins and Amino acids. It also contains paladium, which changes the ionic charge of the cancer cell making it more suseptable to chemo.

I would never abandon traditional chemo-therapy for an alternative cure however, consider a combination of both. All of these mentioned are naturally occuring chemicals and nutrients from foods we eat (or should eat) every day, which are not contra-indicated to chemo.
My wife was on her death-bed 4 months ago with liver mets and we are convinced that one or two or more of these supplements helped her turn the corner.
Lastly, a postive, kick-butt attitude is paramount.
Thinking about you and stay strong,
Al and Linda

[jeff]

I really enjoyed reading the post from Al and Linda on supplements--it validated a lot of what I've found out on my own on behalf of my partner Rachel. I'd even add a few things to the mix (IP6, for instance, has some decent research behind it, as does milk thistle).

My only concern is to not that it has been theorized that resveratrol (which if I understand right comes mostly from grape skin, not grape seed; grape seed extract is a whole different supplement) might have some phytoestrogenic properties, which means that women with er+ disease might want to be cautious about using it...

For anyone interested, Memorial Sloan Kettering has an amazing, surprisingly impartial site, about use of herbs, supplements, etc. You can look things up by supplement name and find out what research has been done, what counterindications there are, etc. It's at: http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm

All the best,
Jeff