I was going to write a big long story on different things that I went through with my cancer, but I ran across an article that sums up a few (5) things that will help you fight your cancer and help cope with it.
Dr. Scott Lind wrote some helpful tips here
I also knew that vitamin B12 was and is very important to your well being and will help you fight some of the side effects of cancer treatments.
Dr. Mercola has this article on B12 that is very informative.
I also drank an energy that was loaded with vitamin B's and NO SUGAR. It helped with my neuropathy. You can not buy this drink in your local store, sorry to say. It is purchased on-line only. Which I like. If you would like ordering information please contact me and I will set you up with a FREE on-line account. (rwp1958@gmail.com)
Another one of the other things that is important to my health is weight. I need not lose any. Many cancer patience suffer from severe malnutrition. In fact this is a leading cause of death in cancer patience.
Chef Jack Shoop has some great ideas to help you keep the weight on. So often for me, I couldn't tell if I was eating the pizza or the box it came in. They both tasted about the same.
Well till next time - ENJOY THE DAY!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
So, What's It Like to Fight Cancer?
I can only tell you my story and what I went through. Each person and each cancer will be somewhat different, but the main processes are about the same.
The day you learn you have cancer is nothing less than devastating at the very least. We all believe that cancer is our death sentence and that there is little of no hope that we will see our next birthday.
In some advanced cases it is sad to say that is true.
At some point no matter what stage of cancer you have or what type of cancer you have, you have to come to terms with the fact you have cancer. There are many great web sites out there that help with every step of cancer. I will list a few that I visit at the bottom of this posting.
You will also have to make the decision on your plan to fight cancer (or not). You will be overwhelmed with information from your doctors, who will probably what to start chemo, radiation, or surgery within a few days.
You’re family and friends will have stories and web sites for you to visit, that if you lived to be a 1,000 you could not read all of the information out there. Remember that these people love you and only want to help.
You can choose to follow the traditional plan to fight cancer which would be surgery, chemo and radiation treatments. You could follow non-traditional that would basically in some form change your diet, or you could do a combination of both. Only you can and should decide this after listing and studying the fact with your doctor, spouse and family. It will be the most important decision of your life.
If you are lucky enough to have a support system as I did in my wife and family you will have the best research team assembled on the planet for fighting cancer. Most of what I know about this disease I have learned from my wife and my mother, who have spent hours doing research and reading.
For me surgery was the first step to this process. As my family doctor stated “you have a billion plus cancer cells in your colon we need to get out.” I agreed that we needed to get the source of the cancer removed.
Within a week I was in surgery. I have had surgeries before so knew that process for getting ready for the surgery, but did not know the aftermath of this. Loosing 2/3rds of you colon is tough to recover from. I lost about 40 pounds during this event. My stomach was not like if used to be for sure. If there was a symptom you could have with your stomach I had it. Still to this day I eat much less than I use to and deal with an upset stomach on most days.
It took 8 full weeks to recover from this surgery, by which time I started to feel better. But as you will learn you get better just in time to get your back side kicked again. More of what will follow in my next posting.
But for now I would like to share happier things and we all need that. If you would like to smile if only for a moment drop me your email address and I will send you a link to a beautiful slide show of our world. You can always reach me at rwp1958@gmail.com
I also watched an interesting movie with my wife the other night; “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. I will not tell you the story of the movie and ruin it for those who have not seen it, but I would recommend you rent it and watch and listen. One statement in particular stuck with me; “ It’s never too late to start again.” Benjamin goes on to say if you reach a point in your life and you are not happy with your results “I hope you have to strength and courage to start again.”
Each day I try to “start again” and see the beauty of this day and this moment. Though there are many, many things I still want to do and learn in my life, I know now to “Enjoy the Day!” I’m making time to learn and do things that I use to say “someday I would like to…”
If you’re saving those crystal glasses, or that special trip, or a phone call to a friend for a special occasion, this is it. Every day is a special occasion.
WEB LINKS I VISIT:
http://www.cancercare.org/
http://www.mdanderson.org/
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
http://www.ravediet.com/
I also understand that there is a new book out (http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12284439) "Fighting Cancer With Knowledge & Hope: A Guide for Patients, Families and Health Care Providers" that sounds interesting. I have not read this book yet and as I stated in my earlier posting I’m not recommending any of these books or web sites, they are places I have been and I hope they can help you. I will post more of what I hope will be useful information in the future.
Till then ENJOY THE DAY, no matter how good or bad you feel, this is your day.
The day you learn you have cancer is nothing less than devastating at the very least. We all believe that cancer is our death sentence and that there is little of no hope that we will see our next birthday.
In some advanced cases it is sad to say that is true.
At some point no matter what stage of cancer you have or what type of cancer you have, you have to come to terms with the fact you have cancer. There are many great web sites out there that help with every step of cancer. I will list a few that I visit at the bottom of this posting.
You will also have to make the decision on your plan to fight cancer (or not). You will be overwhelmed with information from your doctors, who will probably what to start chemo, radiation, or surgery within a few days.
You’re family and friends will have stories and web sites for you to visit, that if you lived to be a 1,000 you could not read all of the information out there. Remember that these people love you and only want to help.
You can choose to follow the traditional plan to fight cancer which would be surgery, chemo and radiation treatments. You could follow non-traditional that would basically in some form change your diet, or you could do a combination of both. Only you can and should decide this after listing and studying the fact with your doctor, spouse and family. It will be the most important decision of your life.
If you are lucky enough to have a support system as I did in my wife and family you will have the best research team assembled on the planet for fighting cancer. Most of what I know about this disease I have learned from my wife and my mother, who have spent hours doing research and reading.
For me surgery was the first step to this process. As my family doctor stated “you have a billion plus cancer cells in your colon we need to get out.” I agreed that we needed to get the source of the cancer removed.
Within a week I was in surgery. I have had surgeries before so knew that process for getting ready for the surgery, but did not know the aftermath of this. Loosing 2/3rds of you colon is tough to recover from. I lost about 40 pounds during this event. My stomach was not like if used to be for sure. If there was a symptom you could have with your stomach I had it. Still to this day I eat much less than I use to and deal with an upset stomach on most days.
It took 8 full weeks to recover from this surgery, by which time I started to feel better. But as you will learn you get better just in time to get your back side kicked again. More of what will follow in my next posting.
But for now I would like to share happier things and we all need that. If you would like to smile if only for a moment drop me your email address and I will send you a link to a beautiful slide show of our world. You can always reach me at rwp1958@gmail.com
I also watched an interesting movie with my wife the other night; “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. I will not tell you the story of the movie and ruin it for those who have not seen it, but I would recommend you rent it and watch and listen. One statement in particular stuck with me; “ It’s never too late to start again.” Benjamin goes on to say if you reach a point in your life and you are not happy with your results “I hope you have to strength and courage to start again.”
Each day I try to “start again” and see the beauty of this day and this moment. Though there are many, many things I still want to do and learn in my life, I know now to “Enjoy the Day!” I’m making time to learn and do things that I use to say “someday I would like to…”
If you’re saving those crystal glasses, or that special trip, or a phone call to a friend for a special occasion, this is it. Every day is a special occasion.
WEB LINKS I VISIT:
http://www.cancercare.org/
http://www.mdanderson.org/
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
http://www.ravediet.com/
I also understand that there is a new book out (http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12284439) "Fighting Cancer With Knowledge & Hope: A Guide for Patients, Families and Health Care Providers" that sounds interesting. I have not read this book yet and as I stated in my earlier posting I’m not recommending any of these books or web sites, they are places I have been and I hope they can help you. I will post more of what I hope will be useful information in the future.
Till then ENJOY THE DAY, no matter how good or bad you feel, this is your day.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Strength To Fight Cancer
So many of us go through life at Mach III with our hair on fire and we do not take the time to take care of ourselves or listen to our bodies. I hear some many people (men are the worst) say that I feel fine; I don’t need a check-up.
You need to have a check-up with your doctor when you feel good. Not when it’s too late and you no longer have the strength to fight cancer.
True story: I know this guy that came home from work one day in September doubled over in pain in his stomach. Finally got sick and said I’m ready to go to the emergency room now! Once there the surgeon on call decided that his appendix was the problem and it needed to come out.
At the end of that surgery the doc said you might think about having a colonoscopy. This guy was only 49 at the time. Most doctors don’t recommend a colonoscopy till at least age 50, unless you have a history of colon problems in your family.
Being a male as he was, he thought that all is well and went on. Well he did not get better and his body was telling him something was not right yet. He did not listen. Then blood started showing up in his stole once in a while then more often.
One a January day (5 months after the appendix surgery) we was working cutting a wind row down to build a barn and did not have the energy to go for more than a half hour at a time without taking a break. Little did he know his hemoglobin was now less than 9 and would eventually get down to 6.1 and it should be above 14.
Long story short he schedules an appointment with his family doctor who put him through a colonoscopy, CT scan and P.E.T. scan. And on February 5th tells him he has colon cancer. If that was bad enough the colon cancer had metastasis to his liver an advanced to Stage IV.
Yep that guy was me. Had I not been afraid or whatever the emotion was to just go and talk to my doctor when I had the strength and was feeling good, things may not have gotten so far out of hand.
So, I ask you please see your doctor for your annual check-up while you do feel good, so you can keep feeling good.
If for no other reason than self preservation, or at least do it for the people that love you. I have sense put my wife and family through 3 major surgeries and 12 chemotherapy treatments in the past 12 months. I have lost 2/3rds of my colon, gallbladder, had complete kidney failure, pneumonia, 10 days total in intensive care, lost over 40 pounds in weight, and over 65% of my liver is now gone. All because I was too thick headed to just go to the doctor and have everything checked out.
So, again please take the time to have a check-up with your doctor while you have the strength to fight and keep feeling good.
Till next time, Enjoy the Day!
You need to have a check-up with your doctor when you feel good. Not when it’s too late and you no longer have the strength to fight cancer.
True story: I know this guy that came home from work one day in September doubled over in pain in his stomach. Finally got sick and said I’m ready to go to the emergency room now! Once there the surgeon on call decided that his appendix was the problem and it needed to come out.
At the end of that surgery the doc said you might think about having a colonoscopy. This guy was only 49 at the time. Most doctors don’t recommend a colonoscopy till at least age 50, unless you have a history of colon problems in your family.
Being a male as he was, he thought that all is well and went on. Well he did not get better and his body was telling him something was not right yet. He did not listen. Then blood started showing up in his stole once in a while then more often.
One a January day (5 months after the appendix surgery) we was working cutting a wind row down to build a barn and did not have the energy to go for more than a half hour at a time without taking a break. Little did he know his hemoglobin was now less than 9 and would eventually get down to 6.1 and it should be above 14.
Long story short he schedules an appointment with his family doctor who put him through a colonoscopy, CT scan and P.E.T. scan. And on February 5th tells him he has colon cancer. If that was bad enough the colon cancer had metastasis to his liver an advanced to Stage IV.
Yep that guy was me. Had I not been afraid or whatever the emotion was to just go and talk to my doctor when I had the strength and was feeling good, things may not have gotten so far out of hand.
So, I ask you please see your doctor for your annual check-up while you do feel good, so you can keep feeling good.
If for no other reason than self preservation, or at least do it for the people that love you. I have sense put my wife and family through 3 major surgeries and 12 chemotherapy treatments in the past 12 months. I have lost 2/3rds of my colon, gallbladder, had complete kidney failure, pneumonia, 10 days total in intensive care, lost over 40 pounds in weight, and over 65% of my liver is now gone. All because I was too thick headed to just go to the doctor and have everything checked out.
So, again please take the time to have a check-up with your doctor while you have the strength to fight and keep feeling good.
Till next time, Enjoy the Day!
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