Flaxseed Proves Itself

[Tom]

Dear Steph,

I appreciate your kind comments, as I do all of you who have mentioned my Mother's care. But I must insist that you all understand one thing. My decision to stay at home and care for my Mother was totally selfish on my part. It is selfish because I do it mostly because I can't bear the thought of being without her one minute sooner than is necessary. Granted, I might be
a bit in denial about the inevitability of death for us all, as her surgeon was so quick to point out after the realization of his/her failure to properly stage Mom, not to mention the pathology report showing her cancer to be HER2+. The surgeon's exact words to me were, "It would be nice if we could all live forever". Some of my friends even kid me about being the modern day Norman Bates. But I am not one to except the inevitable without a fight.

My Mother was and is now, though perhaps in a different way, the most loving and thoughtful human being I have ever met. I know my view of her is jaded, but if any of you knew her for five minutes, you would agree. She was the town's librarian for almost thirty years. We still have grown people, men and women, come up to us and thank her for helping them with their homework over the years. She still says "Oh boy, thanks a lot", when I put her dinner in front of her. She was nothing short of a saint in my opinion, and is probably the only woman that never hurt me (sorry ladies), other than happening to get sick with the Beast. My decision to stay with her and help her to the end of her days was a no-brainer. I also promised my Dad on his death bed that I wouldn't let her go into a nursing home. A woman I was engaged to, asked me casually one day, "Where are we going to put your Mother?" At first the question didn't even register, but then I caught on and an argument ensued. Then came the ultimatum, "Either she goes or I do". I will simply say that Mom is, as I type this post, soundly snoring away in her comfy bed. Enough about that. But I did want to thank all of your for your kind words anyway, though I don't really deserve them.

Fighting the Beast is not new around this house. My Dad fought his cancer from right after I was born, till the day he left us from a colorectal malignancy that recurred after 17 years. All of his 9 siblings succumbed to the Beast. I can honestly say that I HATE cancer with a passion that is hard to describe. I hate what it does to it's victims, and I hate what it does to those that love them. In my opinion, it is evil incarnate, and should be studied and researched no matter the cost, until it is wiped out in our lifetime.

Anyway, I am greatful to Joe and Christine, and all of those who post here. This website has become my sanctuary. I come here to read whether I
am in the depths of despair over Mom's disease, or simply excited about a new piece of information that I have managed to stumble across on the web. I think I went through withdrawal while this website was down for remodeling. There were days when I thought I just couldn't go on, mostly when we were driving to radiation therapy every morning, for the second round after Mom's second surgery. We would come home and I would get her in her recliner,put a bucket of food in front of her, and race upstairs to see what was new on the message board. You have all been an emotional lifeline to me, and I will be forever greatful.

And StephN, I was jealous when you mentioned that you played the violin. One day I was so distraught over our situation, that I sat down to order a violin over the Internet, determined that I was going to teach myself to play...lol. After a moment of insanity, I came to my senses and realized that I no more had time to learn the violin, than I did to study molecular biology, though I have been shopping around Amazon.com to see if there are any primers on the subject. It would be far easier to struggle through many of these research abstracts if I didn't have to stop and look up words like "phosphorylation" and "heterodimer". Some days it's hard to transition from woodworking to the mysteries of the cell cycle.

And to Sue, the mention of those brownies brings back memories of Mom when I was a child, just starting my career as a baked goods tester...lol. Mom was a great cook, as was her Mother. I am going to look for her old recipe book. I'm sure there was a brownie formula in there somewhere. The Hershey's Cocoa that would no doubt be used, contains lots of good polyphenols, and walnuts and flaxseed would round out the necessary excuse for wolfing down the occasional 2 or 3, purely for therapeutic purposes of course. I'll put it on my list of things to do. Well, it's after 2 AM here, so I'm off to dream of chocolate eclairs and Taxotere. Good Night All.

[RhondaH]

Tom,


You are so awesome. As far as the "Norman Bates" jokes, their just thoughtless people. I know EXACTLY what you are going through. I am a 40 yo single mother of a 4 yo son. My 73 yo mother lives with me (she and my father divorced 13 years ago (after 35 years of marriage...my father was a VERY difficult man). 7/04 my father (who lives 100 miles away from me) was dx w/ a terminal heart condition and was told he would continue to have heart attacks and strokes until the end. Being an only child (my father had 2 children from a previous marriage, but they had no contact w/ him...their mothers choice), working full time and caring for my 4yo, I would take care of him when he had an incident and or was in therapy and would go down every other weekend to clean, get groceries, pay bills etc (my job is AWESOME) and my mother took a lot on in our house to pick up the slack which eventually took its tole on her. 1/05 as I was on my way to a therapist (I was having panic attacks worrying about my father and how he was doing...while many well meaning people offered to help me with him after his last stroke in October, all of this eventually fell apart) I found out that he had had a heart attack and was found in front of the couch (alive). When I got down to the ER, he was VERY out of it (fish on the wall, thought he was places he wasn't etc) and I had no choice, but to put him in a nursing home (the DOCTORS wouldn't let me take him anywhere else). The following Monday I had the mammogram that started my journey (I was supposed to have it in October, but this was the week my dad had another stroke and I was out of town). I still think God had a hand in the fact that the docs wouldn't let me take Dad home and the timing of my dx. Luckily the nurses at the nursing home were GREAT when I called to check on him every day (it was impossible to talk to him on the phone as he didn't understand) and let me know changes that occured. I visited him every other weekend until I began chemo and was then advised that due to my WBC I shouldn't go there. My father passed away the day before my 3rd chemo (the nurse called a couple of days before and I took my chances that my WBC were better and I went to see him before he passed away). Just prior to my radiation ending my mother became sick and had surgery for a hernia and puss pocket on it (she is still battling a bacterial infection and is down to 83 lbs). My family means every thing to me and I would do whatever it takes to take care of them an abide by their wishes. As for your experiences with other women, I can understand as I have had the same with other men...their losses. I only hope my Tony is as compassionate to me as you are to your mom. God bless you and your mom.

[StephN]

Dear Tom -
This board means so much to many people - some for a short time and some who stick around much longer to offer what they can. I am constantly learning something from others, so feel I can't stay away long even if I AM NED.

During my "hibernation periods" when I had some serious healing to do, I found that certain music was very calming, transporting, and uplifting. I have a CD player that hold 61 CDs. I have music in there in sections organized by types so I can go to a section and just let it play for hours.

Sometimes it is Vivaldi or Celtic spiritual music or jazz. I stay away from nerve-jangling music and find some refuge. I no longer am any good at playing the violin and last time I got it out found that my bow had lost most of the hairs and I probably need a new one or rehairing. Have not got around to doing anything about that! (It was my grandfather's violin so I have not parted with it even though it is worth some money now. Hoping one of my little neices who take piano will decide to try the violin - I gave them my 3/4 size one recently.)

[al from Canada]

Dear Tom,

Thank you again for sharing your research. The article refers to HER2+ and ER- patients in the study. The question now is, what does that suggest to ER+ patients. In past readings I recall that the lignans in ground flax seed are phyto-estrogens and may have estrogenic activity. It is for that reseason that my wife takes flax seed oil, which is free of the lignans therefore has no estrogenic activity.

As well, a word of caution to potential linseed oil substitutes, only "RAW LINSEED OIL" may be used as a supplement, "BOILED LINSEED OIL" is highly toxic as it contains fast-drying solvents for furniture finishing. Raw linseed oil is usually found in the refridgerator in your favorite health food store.

Want to send the sale person for a loop? Ask them why they keep their raw linseed oil refridgeorated and stock the flax seed oil on the shelf?? I don't know why they do that either......

Just a note to Tom....your dedication to your mother is both admirable and commendable. Your postings should be posted in the lounges and staff rooms of every retirement home in the country as ELDER-NEGLECT is becoming as serious an issue as child abuse; albiet more hidden.

Al

Hey Al, you are so right about the linseed oil. I use the boiled for the furniture. You put it on with a rag, and it seeps dep into the grain, popping out the beautiful designs in the wood grain. Then when it's dry, you put the finish of your choice over top of it. The linseed oil helps protect the wood from drying out, thereby keeping the wood from swelling and contracting with changing humidity. It's great stuff.

I do the flaxseed for Mom as a source of oleic acid as is olive oil. I would not allow her to take anything that contained phytoestrogens if she were ER+.
I have begun research some heavy-duty articles on another component of flaxseed oil that just might be troublesome in certain quantities. That is Omega-6 fatty acids. These can, under certain conditions promote the production of arachidonic acid, which can be contraindicated in our quest to shut down these abberant cells. I may switch to just olive oil until I find the answers I need.

The eldercare situation in this country is scary. I have witnessed some things first hand in nursing homes. But home care services can be deadly as well. A friend had his 58 year old wife, with early onset/late stage disease, being baby-sat by a woman he trusted. But his wife was always showing up bruised. It was explained away as she was going through the phase of her disease where she could become combative. But later, I saw her in our local ER, and she was black and blue from head to toe on all angles. The babysitter said she fell down the steps. I asked her if she then walked back upstairs and through herself down them several more times for fun. She got really hinky after that question. I used to be a crime scene investigator, so I called local police to ask them to investigate. It was later determined that the baby-sitter, a grown woman, had been letting some of her male friends come over her apartment to have sex with my friend's wife. Oddly, no arrest was made. The baby-sitter was simply fired. I must say that I might have had a hard time resisting going over to work on the baby-sitter with a propane torch. So all things considered Al, it's just better to have your loved one at home if you can possibly swing it. They are safer there, you get to spend quality time with them in their final years, and you don't have to worry about kicking the asses of any staff members...lol. I enjoy having my Mom with me all the time. We talk now more than we ever did years ago, though the strokes are leaving her less able to get the words out. I am happy to have her as long as God will let me keep her. Well, I'd better get to bed, as we go for more Herceptin in the morning. Good Night Al.

[StephN]

What a terrible story about your friend's "friend" letting her male friends have their way with that poor woman. Got to wonder what the "sitter" got out of it??
Was she on drugs or something?
Hard to believe anyone could be SO callous - including those men. Just hope they did not carry any diseases if they were this careless ... They will get theirs sooner or later, I have NO doubt.

Let us know on the Omega 6 research. This is new to me! I use flaxseed oil capsules and don't take it every day, so wouldn't think I am overdoing that. But I do eat an egg most mornings.

[Lolly]

Tom, I also thank you for the research. Your friend's story gave me chills. Our parents really do need us to look after them and keep them safe, even if they live independently, as they can be taken advantage of in other ways also. My two sisters and I help our mom and dad, who live apart but in the same town. I tell my sisters that they dedicated 20+ years to us, it's now our turn to show our love and appreciation for being on this earth!

<3,
Lolly

Hi there, anyone who gets to the bottom of this post will feel they have just read a novel, and I do get off the beaten track at times, but as you read on, I find out that unknowingly I have discovered that submititng my posts are therapy for me as well, at times I have written long posts and the computer just eats them up, and I think oh well, I feel better anyway, so this message is just like the one in the front of the book or on the back cover. For the origianl topic, I can't stomach the liquid flaxseed oil, I have been taking the capsules for years now, 1000mg 4 a day, as well as the Fish Oil as well now, I did the subject of Flaxseed Oild to death on this board a while back, to the extent the readers thought I was selling the stuff like Amway, I was even asked the question, the whole Omega 3, Cox 2 inhibitor thing, instead of drugs like Celebrex. I used the linseed on my outdoor furniture, and as fast as I was putting it on my dogs were trying to lick it off, they did actually get into a plastic bottle of it, it didn't seem to do them any harm. I had my hair grow back while still on Taxol, I put it down to the flaxseed because my nails were growing fast and strong as well, turns out I have only just found out by accident surfing the net, that I was taking an anticonvulsant for nerve damage and I have been taking it since 1998 while having non stop treatments, some anticonvulsants impair Taxanes and it seems that the Taxol wasn't strong enough, my blood counts were never down and I was doing it weekly for 26 weeks, my next out break was only about 3 weeks after tests and being suposedly NED. I also found out that anticonvulsants impair Cyclosphamides (C), I had AC first up then rads (I have had hundreds since) then CMF, Taxotere, Taxol and now on Xeloda/Cycloblastin, tablet "C" I have dumped the Epelim and on Neurontin instead and hopefully this may knock it out, I have also had Navelbine,Carboplatin some drugs in the last 3 years with Herceptin, Femara and Aromasin. I do believe that a lot of the supplements I have taken and I am still taking have made a difference to my overall health because I have never looked sick or thrown up, just blown up with steroids. I took Essiac Tea for 5 years, I also have a mixed overlapping connective tissue disorder i.e. Lupus, Sjrogens, Sclerederma, Fibromyalgia and a few others for good measure, chronic heart failure 3 valves, hiroshimas thyroid, a collapsed humeral head on left shoulder and now torn right shoulder blade, so if it were not for the flaxseed and other supplements I think my body would have given in a long time ago, I added Hawaiin Spirulina to elevate the bodies PH level, we need to be in the range of 7, cancer cells won't survive in an Alkaline environment, I also bought a bottle of what tastes like pool chlorine to put oxygen in the blood, cancer cells don't like oxygen either, but like the liquid flaxseed I have trouble facing taking it. If I had been a horse or dog I would have been put down long ago, I also have to take an anti-depressant Prothieden 25mg which not only helps with the moods but is prescribed for Fibromyalgia and helps me sleep, also the Cyclosphamide is also used for Lupus and connective tissue disorders, so hopefully at the end of this I will be killing two birds with one stone, my girlfriend's opinion is that the BC and the Mixed connective tissue disorder are so busy fighting each other for poll position the rest of my body's immune system is coming out on top and that is why I am feeling well, a good theory and I like it. So thank you for sharing, and we will keep on looking for the magic bullet, I still have to organise the hypnosis theory to train my brain cells to recognise cancer cells and boot them out of my system, there is so much untapped in the human brain so the lock and key mechanism has to be there somewhere. The power of positive thinking is mind control and self hypnosis so it must count for something in spontaneous remission.......

Hugs Lyn, the one with always something to say, ( tried to lodge the entire post and a message came up that there were too many characters, so part II in next post.

As promised Part II, if you recall I was saying that I always had something to say except for lately, here I go again, while I have been in the dumps and despair of depression, my last biopsy confirmation, going cold turkey on my eostrogen blocker Aromasin, to let the cancer cells grow so the chemo can find them and destroy them, interesting concept, oh well, together with the remnants of my last agressive radiation, the pain of my shoulders, numb feet and finger tips, all this was making the here after look pretty inviting, I even looked up how many potassium tablets I would have to swallow to do the job properly, my luck I would end up on life support and all would have been to no avail, the CSI programs on TV are too informative at times, anyway I think it was in the hundreds, then I just started looking at other things on the net diverted my energy elsewhere, like lobbying our politicians to get rid of the rediculous 5 year trial for drugs after other countries have already trialed them for 10 years and had them FDA approved. With my recent shoulder diagnosis, which I had to just about prove myself, the orthopaedic surgeon kept looking at the shoulder area, I was feeling like a hypochondriac except I have to rely on Ordine, liquid morphine, for pain relief, so when he suggested I have a bit of physio and come back in 6 weeks, I just sat there in disbelief and repeated I am on morphine, hello, I haven't been in this much pain even with the fractured shoulder, so he humoured me and arranged for another X-Ray, to reassure me he said patrnosingly, what a word, then he came back into the room with his tail between his legs and I now need urgent physio, the tear is the same as weight lifters get, I definately don't fit into that category so I think it may have been brought on with the chest radiation, who knows what causes what anymore, a few more falls in between all of this, I get off balanced at times, not surprisingly since one side of my chest was filleted to the rib cage, and 16 glands with no clear margin added in for good measure, all the symptoms we have been treating this past 2 years, hard lump in side of neck enlarging, numbness from the ear down to the shoulder blade, head tilting to right, trouble swallowing like I am choking and being strangled, did have a few near misses choking on tablets, mainly vitamins, breathlessness, were all put down to radiation, heart problems with fibrosis of the lung from radiation, I already had fibrosis on the other lung from early radiation, connective tissue disorder sjrogens saliva glands not working, are all symptoms of dislocated shoulder with serious ligament damage, I found this out when I read the bone scan and it said changes to the superclavacial joint, I was just a bit out in this diagnosis it was the shoulder blade, scapula, even the second independent X-Ray technician couldn't be bothered taking a proper film of the Scapula and argued with me that there was nothing wrong with it, I should have known when I saw a staple on the image, I thought it may have been one from my original radical mastectomy where they removed the chest and pectoral muscle, then I realised it was on the wrong side of the chest and it was a paper staple, anyway I got another referral and X-Ray from a different technician, and guess what, I was right, I just get so sick of having to prove myself when they are getting the big bucks and have to be hand fed, so that did nothing for my depression either, I just felt like throwing my hands up in the air. I could write a book on my experiences but it would have to be a trilogy and I wouldn't be able to write the ending. Without realising it, posting on this forum is actually therapy, and even if my posts are not read I have let it out and it increases my typing spead. I have worked from the legal age while at school and have done so, until struck by this disorder, at the age of 44 in 1998, and only then I gave up because the fellow workers insisted on smoking in the air condiitoning, the geologists who travelled around the world brought back all of the foreign diseases and coughed and spluttered into the air conditioning, the pay or the appreciation wasn't great, they still expected 110% so I said that is it, I have had it, I use to turn up to work, travel 50ks each way, crawl in peak hour traffic, usually have a mechanicl break down on the way home for good measure all the while, having chemo, wearing my Barbie doll wig, heavy prothesis and try and wear a smile as I attended reception as well, no I don't think there is an employer out there that could change my mind about returning to work, not to mention, all of my hospital visits, blood tests, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and radiation, CT scans, Heart Specialist ecocardiograms every 3 months, orthopaedic specialist for 2 shoulders now and of course my lovely GP, her own husband died of an inoperative brain tumour a few years back at a young age, we don't have Cyber Knife here, in Australia, the so called lucky country, and it only hit our virtual TV hospital program last week, I have known about it for quite some time now just from the ladies on this site, but we are a backward country, the problem also is that there are so many different cancers that our oncologists can't possibly be up to date with everything unless we tell them what we know is good for us, and then face the stupid government with a wait and see policy, in the mean time hundreds are dieing because they can't get what works, the drug companies are making a fortune and don't really want a cure or they would have a lot of redundent drugs. Anyway I had better get off my soap box, I thought I was the only one who posted long messages, but it is a breath of fresh air to have someone like yourself with a passion to fight this disease, like my dear old English grandmother use to say, "I bet his mum is in arf proud of him", I can just hear her now. And for good measure, the middle of my house has been diagnosed with termites, the agressive ones I might add, and why not, another challenge, but it hasn't metastised anywhere else so another distraction, one I could do with out, they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I will say my good nights again...Lyn

[Lolly]

Lyn, I have that saying taped on my kitchen cupboard; "What doesn't destroy you makes you stronger" !

<3,
Lolly

Hi Lolly, you actually got to the end of my post, thanks for that, some times I feel like I have disappeared into the woodwork.

Love & Hugs Lyn