The Big C

[Ankerson]

I want to thank you all for the encouragement and again I can assure you all that it's not going to be without an intense fight. There have been people that have won this war and I plan on being one of them. I'm finding a lot of very valuable information from the late Dr. Lorraine Day who defeated her breast cancer with a super strict diet. It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

I have a cousin who I discovered that his wife used cruciferous vegetables which are high in beta carotene content to battle the progression of the disease and she seems to have gotten over her battle. But again I'm all ears. The reason I launched this thread is hopefully that we can all put our heads and learn something. I'm willing to take the time to investigate anything that might pay off in the long haul.

Again I thank you all for your encouragement.

If you want to win this consult an oncologist and see what your options are for treatments.

I hope you understand the clock is ticking.

[JD Spydo]

I want to thank you all for the encouragement and again I can assure you all that it's not going to be without an intense fight. There have been people that have won this war and I plan on being one of them. I'm finding a lot of very valuable information from the late Dr. Lorraine Day who defeated her breast cancer with a super strict diet. It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

I have a cousin who I discovered that his wife used cruciferous vegetables which are high in beta carotene content to battle the progression of the disease and she seems to have gotten over her battle. But again I'm all ears. The reason I launched this thread is hopefully that we can all put our heads and learn something. I'm willing to take the time to investigate anything that might pay off in the long haul.

Again I thank you all for your encouragement.

If you want to win this consult an oncologist and see what your options are for treatments.

I hope you understand the clock is ticking.

Yes Ankerson I do indeed realize that time is of the essence. And believe me I've got goals each and every day. I don't get to see an oncologist for another 9 days. They claim they caught it in the early stages but I'll soon find out if that is true or not. At this point I'm just trying my best not to do anything counter-productive.

My biggest concern at this time is to regain my appetite. That happened so fast that it's blowing my mind. It's really frustrating that you can't try to eat anything without upchucking it.

[Ankerson]

I want to thank you all for the encouragement and again I can assure you all that it's not going to be without an intense fight. There have been people that have won this war and I plan on being one of them. I'm finding a lot of very valuable information from the late Dr. Lorraine Day who defeated her breast cancer with a super strict diet. It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

I have a cousin who I discovered that his wife used cruciferous vegetables which are high in beta carotene content to battle the progression of the disease and she seems to have gotten over her battle. But again I'm all ears. The reason I launched this thread is hopefully that we can all put our heads and learn something. I'm willing to take the time to investigate anything that might pay off in the long haul.

Again I thank you all for your encouragement.

If you want to win this consult an oncologist and see what your options are for treatments.

I hope you understand the clock is ticking.

Yes Ankerson I do indeed realize that time is of the essence. And believe me I've got goals each and every day. I don't get to see an oncologist for another 9 days. They claim they caught it in the early stages but I'll soon find out if that is true or not. At this point I'm just trying my best not to do anything counter-productive.

My biggest concern at this time is to regain my appetite. That happened so fast that it's blowing my mind. It's really frustrating that you can't try to eat anything without upchucking it.

Well once you see them listen to what they say believe me.

If it's early stage they can kill it and you will win.

Radiation and Chemo, known treatments that have the best chance of actually working.

Have you tried Nexium for your stomach?

It may just help you, one pill a day.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Praying for you! I am so thankful to you for your great advice and friendship on here

[Halfneck]

Stage 4 Melanoma here, and how I got my screen name. Get ready for a whirlwind of Dr's visits, labs, imaging studies, treatments, and surgeries. Followed up with a rinse & repeat of the same till hopefully you are found cancer free. Then it just becomes a routine of 6 month follow up visits with your Doc and labs & CT scans. I went from 1 surgery to 19 in no time. Did a year of immunotherapy instead of chemo (15% survivability increase vs 13% for chemo), and 14 days straight of gamma radiation. Did undergoing those treatments help me survive - possibly. 2 other people on base diagnosed with melanoma at the same time as I didn't survive - 1 was dead in 6 months, the other in 2 years. One went through even more treatments than me but still died. You can't just ignore it & hope it gets better, but you have to decide what treatments you are willing to do to survive. You also need to be aware of the consequences of those treatments, so ask questions. Surgery & radiation cost me the use of my Left (Dominant) arm & hand. I lost my military career and the dream I had of getting my Nursing degree - but I'm still above ground. It will also seem like there is no rhyme or reason on who responds well to a treatment & who doesn't.

Being physically healthy helps. I was an active-duty soldier when I was diagnosed & my Docs credited my physical health in getting through it. A positive frame of mind also goes a long way. I'm not saying to be perma-happy, you'll have dark spells, but don't wallow in self-pity. I quickly got over my pity party walking into the Vanderbilt Cancer Center in fatigues when 4 bald-headed kids ran up to me asking "What's it like to shoot machine-guns? What's it like to fly in a helicopter?" Also 1 year into my treatment I was working a mass casualty event on base & body bagging a soldier that 1 hour prior was better off than me. Put my brain into the right mind set that no one is guaranteed a long, happy life. So, if all I have is "X" amount of time I'm not going to spend it being upset/mad/sad, I'm going to live my life as best as I can in that timeframe.

Best of luck in your upcoming fight.

[cabfrank]

[ChrisinHove]

Sorry, but I just saw this.

JD, you’re a good man and a fighter. My very best wishes for beating this.

[akapennypincher]

Fight hard, never give up, good luck with fight.

[vivi]

JD, I'm the last person qualified to give medical advice, but I'd like to wish you the best. I'll pray for your health.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Keep fighting and being the great man you are. I have learned so much from you on here.

[zhyla]

It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

Sorry, this is absolute nonsense. Stop reading this kind of stuff. It's easy to say, but there's no evidence and it's contrary to common sense as far as how the body works.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

Sorry, this is absolute nonsense. Stop reading this kind of stuff. It's easy to say, but there's no evidence and it's contrary to common sense as far as how the body works.

I have wondered about this. Thank you both for mentioning it. Friends of mine have told me, with tremendous conviction, that many cancer doctors agree, that foods like pork and sugary food feed cancer cells and worsen it. But a doctor I asked said that is unscientific, and as you point out, not how the body and cells work.

A man who I spoke with that believes big pharma is hiding a cure told me hospitals feed patients carbohydrate rich foods to increase numbers of patients.

[Ankerson]

It seems that there are foods that literally feed the disease. And avoiding those foods I do believe is a key to getting a handle on taking control.

Sorry, this is absolute nonsense. Stop reading this kind of stuff. It's easy to say, but there's no evidence and it's contrary to common sense as far as how the body works.

I have wondered about this. Thank you both for mentioning it. Friends of mine have told me, with tremendous conviction, that many cancer doctors agree, that foods like pork and sugary food feed cancer cells and worsen it. But a doctor I asked said that is unscientific, and as you point out, not how the body and cells work.

A man who I spoke with that believes big pharma is hiding a cure told me hospitals feed patients carbohydrate rich foods to increase numbers of patients.

It's a bunch of garbage.

Eating chicken or your veggies instead of beef is not going to cure cancer, diet any all will make zero difference once you already have it.

There are known PROVEN things that kill cancer.

Not the going to this very special island with bamboo shoots under your fingernails for 6 months types of treatments.

People love to talk about fairy tales, I suppose they believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy too.

[Scandi Grind]

So sorry to here this, JD. I don't know much about cancer, but my mom had a tumor shrink to the point of being undangerous through dietary changes. The docters had said she would absolutely have to have surgery. After it shrank they could only tell us it was impossible what had happened, but they no longer recommended surgery. Diet may or may not solve your particular problem but it can be very important in helping your body function the way that it is supposed to, which will increase your chances no matter what path forward you take. I've been doing a bit of research into Chinese medical science and virtually all treatments involve dietary changes to optimize for the patients condition. Much of what goes right or wrong in the body does seem to have to do with what we eat, so I think it is deffinitely something to keep looking into. As for the rest, good luck in your search for the best treatment, I think Halfneck has given a good overview of the landscape.

Another thing I can suggest is simple meditation. What I mean by that is to find time preferably every day to simply stand, sit, or even lay down as you may prefer and just try to relax and not think too hard about anything. Feel the ground, smell the air, hear the birds, be aware, but instead of reacting to any of it, just let each thing pass through you. Just be a spectator. Thoughts will come, probably lots of anxieties too, just let them pass through you as well. Let that moment merely be good. Practicing this has helped me deal with a sickness I have had for over 6 years that basically matches the symtoms of lime disease. I imagine it may help your mental health as well.

And lastly, if you are a praying man, then pray, although if you are, you probably are already doing that. I for my part am more than happy to offer prayers for your improved health.

None of us has any guarantees whether we have cancer or not, so don't forget to keep living while your still with us even if it gets rough. Keep on, keeping on.

[Brock O Lee]

I'm very sorry to hear about this JD!

[JSumm]

Just saw this. Really sorry you are having to deal with this Joe. Especially, since you have been a caretaker for so many years now. I know you are a fighter and are very tenacious. Put that together with the doctor's treatment and that is a great recipe.

[Drubieg]

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis JD.

Sounds like you are trying to take a well rounded approach to treatment. I see you trying to do what you can with your diet, while still being willing to see an oncologist as very reasonable. It's easy to see the loudest and most opinionated voices here take a reductionistic approach that usually comes from the mindset that everything needs to be scientifically verified in order to be true or useful. But no one actually lives that way... We all make choices based on what we value. Science tells us information about things, and we choose what to do with that information based on what we value.

Im of the opinion that radiation and chemo can work. But I also think that addressing diet, stress, exposure to environmental toxins, and stored emotional trauma can be tremendously helpful. One way of treating cancer is to "seek and destroy" the bad cells from the outside in, but doesn't address why the healthy cells got that way in the first place. And another is to try and support the healthy cells from the inside out so that they can be and do what they were designed to do in the body. Understanding the reasons why cancer occurs in the first place is still somewhat of a mystery (but not totally) to science. So why not try and see what helps by using the testimony of anecdotes. In my opinion there is a place for both forms of treatment.

[wrdwrght]

We’re gonna have to disagree on what is the best treatment for your diagnosis. Why? Because I want you to survive.

My brother, eight years my junior, was a wellness guru on Maui. So dedicated was he to concoctions on which he’d built his reputation, that he chose not to have surgery, or radiation, or chemo when he was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. He was dead within the year.

I suggest my brother imagined his concoctions to be efficacious, but he never tested them against truly life-threatening illness, and thus he kept himself terribly misinformed.

Don’t be misinformed. You’ve lost 30 lbs. in two months for a most worrisome reason. Get straight at the cause with the biggest wallop. I want to say I’m glad you made it through this upsetting time.

[zhyla]

Friends of mine have told me

You have the worst informed friends and acquaintances I’ve ever heard of.

[Ankerson]

Friends of mine have told me

You have the worst informed friends and acquaintances I’ve ever heard of.

No, just more conspiracy theories that a lot of people buy into blindly.