I am still having trouble grasping the concept that I currently do not have any tumors or other evidence of cancer. Yes, we popped the champaign to celebrate with friends, and I am thrilled to be NED! However, it is hard to grasp, in-part because I still think of myself as a cancer patient and likely always will. I am also on chemo, so in reality I am still very much a cancer patient. That being said I want to come to terms with what my new status means to me. I am reading a book called, "Picking Up the Pieces; Moving Forward After Surviving Cancer by Sherri McGee that I think will be insightful. McGee shares her insight:
Stepping back into everyday life after having faced a life threatening illness is not as simple as it sounds. Many survivors experience a tidal wave of emotions once their treatment is over.
These emotions can be conflicting too. At different times, you may feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, elated, exhausted, weak, relieved, anxious, grateful, and unsure....
....Finishing treatment turns out to be only half the battle.
Your purpose must now switch from attaching the disease to healing from the experience.
I have joined a cancer survivor support group series at Cancer Care Point that I hope will help me sort out some of these conflicting feelings.
In the mean time I continue to learn more about how to improve my health, stay fit, and manage my diet & nutrition to the best of my ability.
Maintenance Chemo Begins
I completed my first cycle of maintenance chemo yesterday. The three week cycle begins on Day 1 with blood work, a visit to the oncologist, followed by a quick infusion of intra-venous Avastin (the targeted chemo that cuts off the blood supply to tumors). In the evening of Day 1 I take my first of doses of Xeloda (pill form of 5FU chemo) and continue taking this twice a day through Day 14. Then I have a chemo break from Day 15-21. Then I start the process all over again. The side effects for these drugs were not too bad. The dose of the Xeloda is a bit lower and spread out over longer time than what I had for full treatment. I had some fatigue after the Avastin infusion that lasted about a day and a half. The Xeloda initially seemingly did nothing to me, until the second week when I began to have progressive fatigue, mouth sensitivity, joint pain, and very dry skin - especially on my hands and feet. I was grateful to have no nausea or intestinal upset at all. Yay! I am looking forward to a week of no chemo and hopefully a return of some energy.
Integrative Medicine Results
If you remember back in early August, I visited an Integrative Medicine physician, lets call her Dr. Julie, who did a very thorough history and exam and drew19 tubes of blood to determine food sensitivities, vitamin/mineral levels, and other blood studies. Earlier this month I met with her to learn the results. I have learned some very important information, as a result I have dramatically changed my diet.
Findings and Dietary Changes:
1) My blood values for Vitamin D and Magnesium were significantly low & require supplementation.
2) I have blood values showing high levels of inflammation in my body.
3) I am pre-diabetic. My A1c value was 5.6, which means that I have had an average blood sugar for the last 3 months of ~123mg/dL; this is too high! Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, so this is now a problem that I can no longer ignore. The best way to bring my blood sugar average down is to lose weight, exercise regularly, and reduce sugar intake in my diet. The doctor said I can no longer eat sugar; no sweets, no fruit and no hidden sugars in sauces, dressings, etc. I now only use stevia to sweeten my nut milk latte (stevia is a natural sweetener that does not raise insulin levels).
3) I am sensitive/allergic to the following foods:
coconut, flax, wheat, buckwheat, oats, gluten, basil, dill, mustard, cayenne, and clams.
Eating foods that I am sensitive to will cause inflammation in my body. Inflammation increases tumor growth if you have cancer = Bad for Me!
So, I am now gluten free and need to avoid all of the foods that I am sensitive to.
My diet already included no processed foods, no grains, and no/limited dairy (as I am lactose intolerant). I basically can eat any vegetables (except the starchy ones) and any healthy protein source - including meats, nuts, seeds, etc. When I asked Dr. Julie if I could eat a gluten free tortilla to make a wrap, she said, "If there is no 'tortilla tree' you can not eat it. It is a processed food." So, yes, it is very restrictive, but I am embracing it. I now make all kinds of nut milk (it is so easy and yummy!), nut butters, sauces, protein bars, and mineral rich bone broths. I have even gotten used to having salads with hard boiled eggs and soups for breakfast when I run out of time to make a veggie scramble. I have never eaten so healthy in my life! Allergies - how could I have known!.... I am allergic to coconut and flax - two things I was eating almost every day in my green smoothy... And oats - I was having steel cut oats several times a week... Cayenne - I sprinkled it in my lemon water every morning for the previous two months... All of these things were adding to the inflammation in my gut and body. Now that I know about these allergies I will avoid them, feel better, and have a more resilient-less sensitive gut. Happy gut = happy me! :-)
As for not eating sweets, fruit, and grains - I really thought I would miss it, but strangely, I do not! I think my body knows what it needs and is sending me signals that I am eating the right foods for me. I feel better and the bonus is that I am being rewarded with a slow steady drop in weight. Yay! Progress!!!
New "Recipes & Resources" Page
You may have noticed that I have added a new page to my blog. Over the months of my cancer journey I have learned a lot of helpful health recipes and resources & I am often asked to share some of them. To get things started I posted the recipe for Delicious Almond (and other nut) Milk and a link for the nut milk bag I use to strain the nut solids from the milk. Nut milk is so delicious, healthy, packed with protein, vitamins & minerals, and super easy to make. I hope you will try it. My favorites are hazelnut & cashew milk! Yummm… If you have any requests for resources or recipes you would like me to post, let me know.
The Jewish New Year
Today was Rosh Hashanah - the first day of the Jewish new year. Rosh Hashanah is a time of hope and well wishes for the coming year. So, I sign off by wishing you all a sweet year filled with love, happiness and health. I would also like to reflect on the past year and thank all of you for your love, support, prayers, well wishes, friendship, and countless helpful hands!
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| Elyse is lovin' UCLA Yell Squad! |
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| Kayla is settling in to UW & TriDelta Sorority Life |
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| Jenna is sporting a new Do & Lovin' SHS Colorguard! |
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| Craig & I celebrated 22 Years of Marriage! |
