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dawngirl's avatar
dawngirl
Member
13 years ago

Day 7, Round 1, Chemotherapy

Here's a first. Freaked out by a sneeze. Just happened. First a small one. Then a succession of a few. Eek. Run for a tissue and the thermometer. Again. 36.4. Phew. So far. A few hours ago it was 36.9. Falling not rising. Hope this is a good sign. Come on immune system. You can do this.I fear a crash landing me in an ICU isolation unit. Imagine I'm not alone fearing this. Still ticking over, feeling fine. Doesn't mean I'm not acutely aware my body could decide I need to feel different at any time.

My husband brings me hot tea and yet another glass of the water I drink and drink and drink to flush my system, help it work as well as it can while the chemo onslaught is underway.

Is that a hint of a sore throat I feel. No, no, not allowed.

Full day in the office today. Just another day. Thoughts of must get to couch don't enter my mind once...but by 4.30 I'm thinking...no really...should be home resting...enough already.

Big cancer news of the day. Media worldwide are reporting that James Watson, who shared the Nobel Prize for discovering the double helix nature of DNA, has released a paper hypothethising that antioxidants might cause cancer, and worsen the survival prospects for late stage cancer patients, interfering with chemotherapy and radiation therapy's effectiveness.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggghhhhhh.

Piecing together the reports -- and I stress I am not a scientist, an oncologist, a doctor or in fact anyone remotely qualified to have an opinion based on science on this debate - it is important to note this is not a study, but a call to arms to rethink the stratgey on cancer research by an eminent scientist frustrated at the lack of progress on fighting and curing cancer at the end stage of the disease.

All I can gather from the reading I have done this evening, is that it is a contentious area of research and I have no hope of getting to the bottom of it. If I could, I think the Nobel Prize would be mine this year for the taking ;-),

From what I read, no one is suggesting not eating broccoli, carrots, kale and blueberries. Under question is supercharging our bodies with supplements to lift the levels of antioxidants and the impact that may have on the effectiveness of chemo, radio and targetted therapies. But they do not know.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

For what it's worth. I'll be sticking to my juices, my fruit and vegie filled diet, adopting a it's all a question of balance approach.

A healthy diet is a healthy diet. No one is questioning that. And I intend to give my body every nutrient I can to allow it to fight and heal and keep on keeping on.

Would love to hear what others have thought upon hearing the news of this paper on antioxidants today.

Wishing everyone a gentle night.

x

 

 

2 Replies

  • dawngirl's avatar
    dawngirl
    Member
    13 years ago

    All sensible advice. I am definitely strictly following my doctor's orders, and ran everything I am taking via my oncologist first. It's all really about being sensible -- like you are -- good food, freshly prepared. Makes sense to take inner health to try to protect against thrush and all the good bacteria in our tummies being destroyed along with the bad. And I definitely not playing with Dr Google except under strictly controlled circumstances ;-)

    I will never forget the look of sheer, utter terror of  a woman who visited the oncologist the same time as me....she was presenting with secondaries...having refused all recommended treatment (surgery, chemo, hormone treatment), in favour of high doses of vitamin  C which she believed would fight her breast cancer. Gutting to see, gutting. And it just did not have to be so.

    Congratulations on passing the ten day mark of round two. Another little victory to mark off on your calender of successes and wins.

    Hope the coming weekend is filled with something lovely for you to celerbate round two.

    x

     

  • dawngirl's avatar
    dawngirl
    Member
    13 years ago

    All sensible advice. I am definitely strictly following my doctor's orders, and ran everything I am taking via my oncologist first. It's all really about being sensible -- like you are -- good food, freshly prepared. Makes sense to take inner health to try to protect against thrush and all the good bacteria in our tummies being destroyed along with the bad. And I definitely not playing with Dr Google except under strictly controlled circumstances ;-)

    I will never forget the look of sheer, utter terror of  a woman who visited the oncologist the same time as me....she was presenting with secondaries...having refused all recommended treatment (surgery, chemo, hormone treatment), in favour of high doses of vitamin  C which she believed would fight her breast cancer. Gutting to see, gutting. And it just did not have to be so.

    Congratulations on passing the ten day mark of round two. Another little victory to mark off on your calender of successes and wins.

    Hope the coming weekend is filled with something lovely for you to celerbate round two.

    x