Any more recommendations ???

[Jimswife]

We are starting Jim on all the so called preventatives tommorow , I've got lined up the following supplements
Aspirin 150 mg
Vit d3
Selenium
Tumeric with black pepper ( apparently its useless without pepper )
Flaxseed
Green tea
Ginger
Also got on order milk thistle and pomegranate
Anything else anyone can recommend ?? Also is the aspirin ok taking 150 ? As I've heard some say better to take baby aspirin 75 mg and some say full strength 300 mg so I've gone half way .
The onc nurse said to wait around 4 weeks after chemo to start all this as apparently the chemo carrys on working for a little while after treatment ends , also he's starting going swimming and cycling as from next week .
I know if cancer is going to come back it most likely will whatever you do but we are going to put up a good fight in the hope that we never have to face this again .

[weisssoccermom]

PLEASE talk to your doctor. I realize that chemo is no longer an issue but still...talk to your doctor...GP or onc.
As for aspirin, there was just a study that came out last week talking about the dangers of aspirin far outweighing the risks for patients with heart conditions....bleeding issues, etc. even on low dose but long term aspirin usage. Your doctor is the only one to advise you about this.
WIth respect to vitamin D, again, PLEASE consult your doctor before supplementing with this. Your husband should at the very least have his level tested....if it's fine...then nothing is necessary. In addition, too much vitamin D can cause some very serious kidney problems...something you don't want to happen. I would highly suggest having Jim make an appt with either his GP or onc to have his level tested and, if necessary, a dosage recommended by his doctor. This is one of those supplements that needs to be monitored....too little and not getting the 'protection' you need.....too much and you can run into problems. Most docs will test their patients blood levels on a fairly regular basis and tweak the dosage accordingly.

[SoCalSaz]

I just want to reiterate what others have said about consulting with your doctor(s) about appropriate supplements -- they really, truly can cause other side effects/complications or have interactions with other drugs that can be quite serious. (I have a bleeding condition, for example, and have to be extremely vigilant to avoid anything that causes thinning of the blood, including aspirin and a number of herbs.)

That said, I will pass on two dietary suggestions that my own oncologist gave me after treatment and that she felt could be useful in minimizing recurrence. She encouraged me to minimize eating cured or preserved meats with nitrites/nitrates (such as bacon, salami, hot dogs, etc.), and to avoid foods with blue no. 2 dye in them entirely (found in some candies, sweets, etc.).

[PGLGreg]

That's a lot of stuff on your list. Aspirin is potentially dangerous (and I don't take it). Other recommendations? I take resveratrol, 500mg/day -- the stuff in red wine. I'd rate the chance that it is helpful as quite small, but it's not very expensive. The only bad effect I've seen mentioned is diarrhea, and that with amounts over 1000mg.

Oh, and my gastroentrologist recommended a calcium supplement to me, since it appears to slow polyp formation in the colon. So I take 1200mg of calcium+D3, too.

[disco nap]

Your regimen looks great (although I'm no doctor )

Here's mine, very similar to yours:

Kyolic Garlic Formula 103
Omega 3
Vit D
Multi loaded with b complex
Curcumin*
Milk Thistle*
Probiotic
Low Dose Aspirin
Iron

Lots of green / white tea, and I also take a smoothie with Madre Labs Eureka Berry blend, soy milk, protein powder and frozen fruit regularly.

I also have been taking a lot of calcium lately since my last CT scan showed that my bones have weakened, which the doctors are blaming on the chemo.

*these are only temporary since I happened to have some lying around and I won't continue them once my supply is used up.

DISCLAIMER this is not medical advice, I'm posting what I do.

Don't forget exercise!

[Jimswife]

Mmmmm it's difficult isn't it ...... There's been loads posted about aspirin how some swear by it and have been recommended it by there medical team then other are saying it can cause more harm than good ?? like my husband and his onc were discussing at the last appointment anything and everything theses day they say are good for you and can help prevent this that and the other and then the next minute there saying things can actually cause all these diseases / problems ..... So at the end of the day who knows what to believe , I guess the only thing ever proven in fighting cancer is / was chemotherapy and even that has all the bad / long lasting effects , your damned if you do and your damned if you don't . Catch 22 situation .

[minolfa]

interesting reading

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18407592

[Jimswife]

Mmmmm flavonoids . That's berries isn't it ?? Blueberries / acaci etc ??

[Kathryn in MN]

Mmmmm it's difficult isn't it ...... There's been loads posted about aspirin how some swear by it and have been recommended it by there medical team then other are saying it can cause more harm than good ?? like my husband and his onc were discussing at the last appointment anything and everything theses day they say are good for you and can help prevent this that and the other and then the next minute there saying things can actually cause all these diseases / problems ..... So at the end of the day who knows what to believe , I guess the only thing ever proven in fighting cancer is / was chemotherapy and even that has all the bad / long lasting effects , your damned if you do and your damned if you don't . Catch 22 situation .

One of the problems and I know I might sound like I am beating a dead horse (but it seems this horse won't die lately), we are all different! Our dx and our list of other medical issues and our list of drugs we may be on is different. This is why there is no "one size fits all" solution for treatment or prevention, etc. For instance, I could not take aspirin as a preventative because I was on Coumadin. After my 3rd port failed and was removed, I was able to go off Coumadin a month later. Now my oncologist says ok to the aspirin. But while some take a higher dose, I am limited to a baby aspirin each day because I have permanent damage to my GI tract from chemo and radiation, and the risk of stomach trouble is too high for me to take more (I have to take omeprazole daily).

As for vitamin D, I was encouraged to take it in the winters when I wasn't spending as much time in Mexico as I used to - thus getting a lot less sun. My D levels tested normal at dx, but I had always been in the sun a lot year 'round. I do not take D3 + calcium in the spring, summer or fall. Instead I let natural sunlight do its thing.

We are all unique, and the warnings about each thing that might be possible as a help in preventing recurrance, is to talk them over with your medical team - to make sure nothing is contraindicated for you personally.

There are a few things you wouldn't need to talk over, that can reduce risk, like stopping smoking. That isn't going to harm you in any way and can definitely help. The same for moderate exercise, unless you've been told you have a physical reason you can't get out for a brisk walk for 30 minutes 6 times per week.

[wwroam]

Watch out for fasting blood glucose levels.
Over my time here, there has been plenty of discussions on avoiding sugar, feeding cancer etc , but this is only one part of the picture. I'd advise against overconsumption of all carbohydrates.
I had an appointment with my oncologist last Friday. Looked at my CT scan, a quick scrutiny of my bloodwork, examination for swollen lymph nodes , still cruising , but before I was dismissed I told him that since June last year I have been diagnosed T2 diabetic. And with Janumet medication , very well controlled. We then discussed for 10 minutes some of the implications of diabetes and Metformin, most of which I already knew ( thanks to Gaelen's links).
While he was very pleased with my ongoing weight loss, he felt that there is a lot not understood about the connection between the two conditions. Metformin is certainly a big preventer of CC in the first place ( 30-40% reduction), but he thinks that it may be useful in preventing recurrence. Regardless, he thinks that it is important to keep FBS low. Meters and strips are fairly cheap and may help to keep one variable out of the equation.

[pog451]

I always check this:

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/v ... pplements/

before making a judgement on supplements and most of them really do appear to be snake oil (stuff like "turmeric only works with black pepper" - err no, actually, there is little evidence it works at all, pepper or no).

I know my onc thinks aspirin is more trouble than its worth, but I have my next check next week and im certainly going to discuss calcium with him and Im probably going to do somethinga bout turmeric, because I like turmeric . I already eat berries till they come out of my ears. Vit D is definitely too dangerous without medical assistance - Id rather be outside.

[CheeseHead]

A lot of good posts above.

If you're taking turmeric/curcuma and black pepper, you might want to add some olive oil. Apparently it dissolves better in fat than in water. (see e.g. Servan-Schreiber's book "Anti Cancer" which quotes some research into the bio availability of curcumin)

The berries, exercise etc sounds like a good idea!

Good luck,
Cheese

[minolfa]

a simple way to prevent liver mets


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17409434

[minolfa]

more about isoleucine


http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/8364243/19 ... 2011-1.pdf

[minolfa]

another simple way to prevent liver mets
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9137476


myrta

caregiver to husband
2006 dx stage IIIb
capox
CAM treatments (serocytols, somatostatin)