How do you "fight"?

[Beckie]

What do you include in your "fight" against your cancer? I was diagnosed last June (age 56) as stage 4, with mets to the lungs, liver, and bones. Everything shrunk within the first 3 months and has stayed the same since then. My Ca 27-29 went from 261 to 37 and then down to 24. My last Taxotere treatment was Dec. 6 and I am continuing on Herceptin and Aredia. I have an upbeat attitude (but am not buying any convertibles!) and am drinking Xango (mangosteen juice). It has been suggested I try juicing (carrot juice - the Hallelujah Diet) while I'm off chemo, to stay off it as long as possible. My 27-29 went up to 30.7 last week (still normal, I know, but the first time it has gone up since I started) so I'm considering trying it. What do you think? I know everyone knows someone who cured their cancer by all kinds of crazy things, but this doesn't seem too outrageous. How much do you do to fight? I have very much enjoyed this site since I found it last month. Thanks!

[jhandley]

I "fight" using Q10 (150-200 mg/day)
fish oil (5-10 capsules/day) also good for depression
flax oil (20 ml/day)
flax muffin (25 g flax/day)
herceptin 3 weekly

plus reishi extract, olive leaf extract, Mg. K. Vit B complex.

and dark chocolate!

Jackie
(18 months NED)
Stage iv survivor

[mamacze]

Hi Beckie and welcome!

My fight?
vegan diet
juicing raw green veggies (16 oz per day)
Flax and salmon
blueberries every day
good spiritual direction
joined a prayer group
received the vaccine at from the tumor vaccine group in Seatte
Of course, herceptin
gratitude
lovin up my kids, hubby, family and friends
this web site

Love Kim from CT

[Joy]

with the blues, I really do try to use a lot of humor to fight. I am blessed with hilarious people in my life and I love funny movies and books. I also always try to plan things to look forward to in order to 'string myself along'. It can be little or big stuff. I have friends that I just relish spending one on one time with and we plan dinners together and I always look forward and enjoy. I love music and look forward to concerts, etc. A trip here and there is also very helpful if means allow. I tell myself that I have to be well cause i'm doing this 'thing' soon. And despite all my recent kvetching I really feel quite well and look healthy and 5 years ago they gave me maybe 3 months to live. My photo that you see is from April 2005 (in Mexico with my best friend)-3 YEARS AFTER that prognosis.

Be creative and fight on, my friend!

[R.B.]

Your might like to read and ponder the Greek Diet thread and the omega three and six material posted etc as an adjunct to treatment. (click on search and enter say omega three etc.)

Fats were around in the earliest amoeba. Omega three and six sit at the top of a huge complex and seriously influential series of pathways that inter links with much of what happens in the body in one way or other.

Your cell walls are made of fats. Your brain is more than 60% fats.....

You might like to read The China Study - T Colin Campbell - it is thought provoking. It is a well written and thought provoking book. Whether the animal protein intake he raises is also linked to fat metabolism issues I am uncertain.

This is a thought provoking link.

http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23104&highlight=thought+provoking

Sugar, alcohol, mineral deficiencies, a high fat intake, and some drugs stop the body making long chain omega threes from the mother fat. Herceptin as one of its legs works in that area - does it stop long chain fats being made I don't know.

All of which are good reasons for considering fish oil (or a vegetarian equivalent if that is an issue) (A trial showed take up in women dropped off at about 2 grams of DHA a day)

There are no absolute answers as the research simply has not been done but for me there are a lot of pointers to the benefit of moderate to low fat consumption and most important balancing the omega threes and sixes, a wide diet base, lots of green and coloured things etc.. and if nothing else it should improve coronary health (which has been accepted in medical circles).

Please ensure you discuss dietary changes with your Doctor.

[R.B.]

Depression and DHA.

Here are some links to research on depression and DHA. It does not matter if you cannot understand the detail of some of these, one can see there may be a breeze blowing and think about its direction.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=search&term=DHA+DEPRESSION

Women have a higher need of DHA and make more of it than men. If the body is functioning perfectly and it gets the raw materials it will convert about 10% of the mother omega three to long chain omega threes DHA EPA etc.

Men convert much less.

Low DHA has been linked to PND etc.

Obviously these things are synergistic and will have much more effect if based in a wide ranging non refined diet.

[R.B.]

coQ10 is a substance that has been suggested to be of benefit to BC sufferers by some.

I have seen one reference to a very limited trial which suggested significant regression was achieved.

Again more trials are needed.

Vitacost has various coQ10 supplements at reasonable prices and has some regular dietary tips by doctors. The body is so IMMENSELY (a fact you only start realising once you start reading round medial trials) complicated and foods are hugely complex mini chemical supermarkets - diet has to be the place to start. Supplements may well help (I take some - but you do your reading and take your choice as definitive answers are in short supply), but diet has to be the starting point

http://www.vitacost.com/

Here is a link to NCBI

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed

(if the list does not come up enter - coQ10 breast cancer - as the search term)

and one that came from typing coQ10 into the search engine above.


Again it is important to discuss supplementation if you consider it with your doctor. I cannot give you any advice and can only draw things to your attention for you to read up and consider.

RB

[Heart Sutra]

We try to ignore the media, try to ignore the fads, try to ignore bias, and try to research from reliable sources. This last is not so easy to do as even the "best" sources really have to be checked and double checked, very often a heavily quoted study is actually being misquoted. We've learned to read for ourselves. It takes a little work.
Then we just get back to living.

Mostly, and more importantly for us, we just try to stay focused on the moment at hand. Practice, practice, practice. We are very fortunate in that we've always tried to live that way, though we'll probably never master it.

Thank you for being here

Kevin and Sue

[anne2]

Hello,

I would also suggest curcumin (turmeric) sprinkled into your food or cooked in stews or tablets. Green tea is also excellent. Try to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and low in fat.
Hugs,
Anne

[RhondaH]

welcome, though wish it was under different circumstances. Here is MY "fight" regimen. Take care and BIG huggs.

Rhonda
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=26595&highlight=breast+cancer+diet+rhonda

[Mary Jo]

For the most part I've just decided to get on with business of living. There are no guarantees, no sure fire bets on how to prevent cancer BUT taking care of oneself should be a priority for many reasons. Mainly for good health - feeling good about oneself - keeping weight off and possibly preventing more cancer. I accept the fact that my life and control over it is out of my hands. One day I will die. I accept that. I don't mean to sound morbid. On the contrary. I have a wonderful Savior who leads me along lifes way. He gives me joy and strength as I walk through this life and I know one day I will live forever with Him in Heaven where there will be no more tears, pain sadness etc. Just neverending joy and peace. THAT dear friends is where I put my energies. I stay close to God - walk often and listen to music that draws me closer to Him (contemporary Christian music). I live my life trying to encourage others and bring joy to their lives.

On top of all that, I eat well. Exercise by powerwalking and a bit of jogging 4 - 6 miles per day. Take a few supplements ~ calcium, magnesium, cod liver oil omega 3 supplement and most recently 2 T. of ground flax.

Cancer has taught me much but what it's taught me the most is that life is short. Enjoy each and every moment of it. I try to keep my yesterday's regrets out of my mind as those days are gone - I try not to think ahead to all the what if's because those tomorrow's may never come. I try to focus on today and live and love to the fullest.

Hugs to my her2 friends,http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin/images/icons/icon7.gif

Mary Jo

[Catherine]

How much do you fight? When do you fight? I am a one year survivor and am enjoying life so much, that I do not spend much time fighting. I feel good when I concentrate on being with people I enjoy and do things that are meaningful to me. I have not been doing a lot of research or extra special diet things. I am doing the obvious: low fat, lots of fruits and vegetables. For now I am counting on the Herceptin and a higher power to keep me well. Am I lazy that I have not started a diet regiemen? I enjoy that I am no longer on the couch like last summer. I enjoy that my chest scars are healing and that I can walk for an hour at one time. I want to learn more about this disease, but I don't seem to have the desire to research and read much. I relie on all the "smartey pantses" on this wonderful site to share their wisdom. Maybe I will fight harder if I have a recurrence. I feel like I fought hard last year.

In the meantime, do I need to fight? This may sound like a dumb question. But sometimes I feel guilty that I am not on a research mission. Maybe I am just a poor student and I will pay later. Am I bad for not working harder right now? I love enjoying life at age 58 right now and enjoy the sunshine.

That's my rap, any comments? Catherine

[pattyz]

Catherine,

IMHO, no...you don't have to 'fight'. Fighting is exausting work! Joy is recuperative!!

The only fighting I've done has been for treatments, or against treatments, that can maintain my quality of life as best as possible. Yes, I researched, but that is just ME... having a 'need to know' attitude!

As individuals, we all deal with our disease a bit differently... so 'take what you like and leave the rest' when it comes to 'advice' and opinions :o)

Respectfully yours, listening to the many birds singing while sitting in the sunshine this nearly 58 yr old says:
Enjoy the moment!

patty

Dx'd at age 50 Stage IIIb; 32 months later, mets dx to brain with recurrances for past 4 1/2 yrs...