I stand up to use the word cure(d)....

[horizon]

Woo Hoo!!! Even by the 90's standards I can say I am officially cured!!!

So I'm bumping this up - because someone pointed it out to me, reminding me the grief I used to take by some people on this forum. And that by their standards, I can say I'm cured!!! And I coulda said it by their standards - 6 years ago!!!

I'm jumping up and down for JOY!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Heck yes you should bump it. Good for on multiple fronts. So happy you can say that now!

[cptmac]

Thank you so much for the compliment about writing . I always thought I might write a book one day. But first I had to survive.

But, I like just posting it to a dedicated audience, for free.

As to your other questions.

To get cured - I followed doctors orders, and what worked for me may not work for you.

1st, I signed up for a Stage II clinical trial and was the second person to sign up for this trial. I had my colon resected and then 30 days later I had my liver surgery and had a medtronic hepatic arterial pump inserted.

I chose to use Irinotecan as systemic chemo every two weeks. Then every other two weeks I had FUDR inserted into my pump that put chemo directly to my liver. The other two weeks they put in heparin.

Self Care - I never at a lot of red meat or fat, so I had to increase both of those. While I was in the hospital after my liver surgery, I was put in the heart ward because of my heart murmur. Those poor people in the heart ward.

Here I am every morning getting eggs, bacon and sausage, a burger for lunch and a steak for supper. It was hard for me but I did it and eat more red meat now. Then, when they took my blood - I wasn't eating enough fat - they were going to inject me with fat but the nurses said NO - just give her some butter and dessert (both of which I never used to eat much of). The staff bought me a cake but my appetite wasn't there yet so my cake sat for a day or two. What encouraged me to eat it was, I could hear heart patients pass by my room saying, wow I must really miss meat and cake because I can smell it.

While I was there I begged for a salad - one of my favorite things to eat. They finally gave me a salad the size of a fist if I promised to eat more fat. I actually thought about switching my meal for one of their salads with chicken - but I thought my meal is what put them here in the first place.

But I can tell when I eat red meat, I feel I have a lot more energy. I try to eat it twice a week but sometimes forget. I try and remember to put butter on my bread, but I forget. But I do like garlic toast, so I try and eat more of that.

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but I have always eaten salads because I think they are delicious. Plus, my mother was Japanese so I never had a lot of meat or dessert.

The top doctor - I think it was mainly if you don't go to a top doctor as a Stage IV, a regular doctor may not know of some of the newest treatments out there. When I did my trial, some people asked their doctors about it, and their doctors said it was dangerous and didn't work. But I also believe that they were looking at studies where they used the pump only. Because in current studies, for those individuals who use the pump and systemic chemo at 10 years out have a 67% survival rate. Plus, a lot of places did not want to operate on my liver AND the first doctors scans weren't as clear as the ones I had in MN and they dx'd me with rectal cancer - which requires a whole different treatment. So I learned going to a top place makes all the difference.

Plus, I thought it was great that that super doctor who she called must have known the place they were in wasn't very good. I have learned to love the doctors who really want to help the sickest of the sick patients and they don't want the regular doctors to touch them, because then it's hard for them to treat them while also fixing what someone else did.

So both of you for bumping this up. I'm truly not on here much anymore - but I do come back periodically. And today, I'm sooo glad I did.

[Siti]

But I can tell when I eat red meat, I feel I have a lot more energy. I try to eat it twice a week but sometimes forget. I try and remember to put butter on my bread, but I forget. But I do like garlic toast, so I try and eat more of that.

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but I have always eaten salads because I think they are delicious. Plus, my mother was Japanese so I never had a lot of meat or dessert.

My husband too — he’s pretty much vegetarian since he was a kid and only eat meat occasionally. Maybe a filet steak once every 2-3 weeks. He also exercises on most days and got cancer anyway.

I read the book “How to starve cancer” and I became so obsessed. I even did an experiment on myself, I implanted a continuous glucose tracker on my arm (usually used for people with diabetes), to ensure that I don’t cook for my husband foods that would give a glucose spike. But guess what? I realise that everyone metabolises food differently and there is absolutely no way anyone can theoretically control that. My glucose levels change even though I eat the same breakfast every morning (oats, berries and plant milk). My friend who did the experiment with me even got a glucose spike eating an apple!

As much as I’m a strong believer that diet plays an important role, I think there’s a limit to what we can do. I still do believe we need to eat healthy in general, but I think we need to live a little and not obsess over every single thing we eat on top of the already stressful and miserable cancer diagnosis.

[claudine]

As much as I’m a strong believer that diet plays an important role, I think there’s a limit to what we can do. I still do believe we need to eat healthy in general, but I think we need to live a little and not obsess over every single thing we eat on top of the already stressful and miserable cancer diagnosis.

Agreed, Siti. My husband loves to cook (ethnic of all types, Indian, Thai, Tanzanian...) and he’s already going through so much, why take away this small pleasure?

[I_will_fight]

Thank you so much for the compliment about writing . I always thought I might write a book one day. But first I had to survive.

But, I like just posting it to a dedicated audience, for free.

As to your other questions.

But I can tell when I eat red meat, I feel I have a lot more energy. I try to eat it twice a week but sometimes forget. I try and remember to put butter on my bread, but I forget. But I do like garlic toast, so I try and eat more of that.

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but I have always eaten salads because I think they are delicious. Plus, my mother was Japanese so I never had a lot of meat or dessert.

Thanks cptmac,

Hahahah, I was expecting the opposite, you telling us that you gave up on red meat and started taking vitamin supplements and exercising... but it is good to know that meat and fat helped you.

Best regards
JC

[dianetavegia]

My oncologist told me I was cured a couple of years ago. I'm 8 1/2 years out from my liver resection and was discharged from his care. I'll still have my CEA done yearly for a few years. It's been just under 12 years since my original (Stage III for 3 years) dx.

I'll be 70 this December and on Oct. 10th will celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary.

I use 'cured' joyfully!
Diane

[teacher2017]

Say it as loud as you want! Who doesn’t want to hear about hope and some else’s good fortunate? Anyone who bashes is a miserable human being. You’d think being in this situation they’d be better behaved...

Go You!
Lydia

Just as I stand up to cancer.

People tried to bully me into not saying cured in the past. It took a long time before I would say I was cured, because it hurt peoples feelings. So I said NED far longer to respect their feelings, even though my doctors said I was cured. And then I thought, what about my feelings. I want to say I'm cured. I want to celebrate my good fortune. I finally changed my signature to some backlash.

Some people don't like my optimistic posts, some people don't like the messages that seem to give people hope. I do appreciate hearing others opinions. I don't appreciate people who do so with the intent of bullying them off the board or silencing them.

Because of the way I've posted, a fellow clubber called me because her Mom was in the er. The doctors said she was going to die. I told her to call a top cancer doc and ask for another opinion. This top doc, who had no privileges at the er where she was at said take her out of here. She did, her mom is still alive today. Cured, they've said. A word we both like.

It's my choice to say cured, respect that. Ignore it if you don't like it. But I shouldn't have to apologize that I had a good outcome. I shouldn't have to apologize for wanting to celebrate because I had a good outcome.

As far as definitions, definitions change all the time. I take issue that bootylicious is a word, yet trepidatious is not. But I don't rule what goes in the dictionary, I don't rule what the definition is. People hurt my feelings, I hurt their feelings, but for me, it all goes to the intent of what someone is saying. If your intent is to bully me into not using the word cure, that is not right. If your intent is to let me know why you don't appreciate me using the word cure, I'll be respective of that, and try not to use the word around you.

No matter your words, don't bully anyone to not post just because you disagree.

One of the main reasons I rarely come on here anymore is, I got tired of being asked not to post.... and defending myself.

It's hard to believe that something I posted sooo long ago, got locked, because some people don't like it when you use the word cured.

So for those of you who like using the word cured, stand up and do so.... Don't be bullied into not using it. For those of you who don't like using it, then don't race for the cure.... race for NED, race to the end, but don't silence those of us who choose to use the word cure.

For those who choose, stand up, and change your signature to cure.... and I don't mean that in a bullying sort of way...