Houzz Logo Print
nicki_in_niles

I went to my 'follow up' and it was cancer :o(

17 years ago

Hi everybody. I just needed to let this out. I went to the Dr. for a follow up on the biopsy and it is official that I have/had cancer. They think they got it all.. but I will have to do ALOT of continuing (sp?) testing including a cancer specialist. Don't get me wrong... I know so well that I'm VERY lucky that they hopefully got it all... I think it was just the initial shock of hearing that word. I feel so bad for all of you that have this.... I'm sooo sorry. I'm so proud of you all for being so damn strong.... Lord knows that I'm not.. I've decided not to tell my little ones.. as they don't need any extra things to worry about.

Ya know... I just wonder sometimes... why life deals all these blows to you at the same time... I.. for one... am at my limit. Sorry for venting,

Comments (32)

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I am sorry you are having to go through this..I went through 2 scares in the past couple of years myself...But I am glad they got it all...
    I got this info in an email the other day and will share it with you all

    Excellent article on cancer.

    Pass it on.

    AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

    Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

    1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

    2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

    3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

    4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

    5.. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

    6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

    7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

    8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumour size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not
    result in more tumour destruction.

    9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence
    the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

    10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

    11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

    WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

    a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal,Spoonful etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

    b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk, cancer cells are being starved.

    c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

    d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach
    down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to no urish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

    e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.Water-

    12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic build-up.

    13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

    14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

    15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax
    and enjoy life.

    16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I have said a prayer for you and so hope things will be okay for you.

    Sue

  • Related Discussions

    My Craftsman LT1000 just went up in white smoke

    Q

    Comments (6)
    Thanks so much for the quick response. As you can probably tell by now, I'm pretty new to homeownership and especially yard maintenance. I was definitely on a slope at the time. After running out to the store I came back and tried it again (this time with the blade in the '6th slot'). The engine turned over and I was able to finish the lawn. I still get some white smoke which normally follows after mowing over 'thicker and taller grass'. The smoke comes from the front of the mower (it's a square metallic piece with little holes in front). You all must be laughing in your boots at this but I really appreciate the help and guidance..this is a great site!
    ...See More

    My Evil Plan --Follow Up

    Q

    Comments (2)
    Good for you! That is not evil either by the way. That is totally cool. I have a Cecile Brunner that was originally in my great-grandma's yard in Oakland. My mom now has it in Oregon, and I have it in Washington (from my mom's plant.) I know you can just go buy one, but it's nice to have a piece of history from your family! I also have a wild rose bush that I got from the San Juan Islands. I took cuttings from it when I got married there. It's hot pink and is getting ready to bloom now. Sometimes Roses and other plants can be very special. Good luck with your Veilchenblau babies poodlepup!
    ...See More

    Follow up: My Packrat Parents Are Moved!

    Q

    Comments (7)
    Wow, I know about hoarding old appliances. My mom (an 82-year-old widow)has four refrigerators. One in the house, three in the garage. One is totally broken, the other two plugged in and running. The story of the broken one is amusing: she had these three refigerators plugged in in the garage and running. She used them for her "extra" stuff. Sh'ed buy stuff on sale and keep it either in the fridge or freezer compartments. She even bought extra Valentine chocolates. Anyway, one month her electric bill was over $700. Wow! My brother came over, did some scouting around and found one of the garage fridges (with a huge freezer) was running constantly. The thermostat had broken and it just never shut off. He unplugged it and emptied it, found all kinds of old stuff, even an eight- year- old frozen chicken! Yuck! But my mom didn't want him to throw out the darned refrigerator because the town had to be called and she'd have to pay to get the thing hauled away. And so it sits in her garage, just a pile of broken metal. She also had an ugly old hutch in the kitchen. I mean, she bought it for cheap about thirty years ago. It was all ugly and the fake-wood veneer was severly chipped off from various dings and general use. She had my brother put it in the living room,tipped on it's side. Now it's just a plain eyesore. I dread the day she passes away, we'll have to deal with her fourty years of accumulations. But that will be another post/ rant...
    ...See More

    follow up-am I too strict with my daughter

    Q

    Comments (3)
    Great job Mom! Sometimes it feels like there's more peer presure now than when we were kids. I mean for ourselves. We feel pressured to give our kids all the things that other kids have including freedom. Be strong and let your instints guide you and remember when you say no you may be helping out other moms who are having trouble saying no.
    ...See More
  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I am saying many prayers for you. What a shame. We all thinking about you and hope for nothing but good news.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Prayers are being said for you.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki,

    Sorry for your bad news but like you relieved by the good news. I will keep you in my prayers.

    AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
    Unfortunately, that article is false per the link below.

    Sue

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    deb,
    I'm so glad you posted that info. I have been a follower of Natural Medicine for years. Everything in that article is true. Western Medicine only knows how to treat illness with chmicals. Cancer cannot thrive on a body unless it is highly acidic. You can purchase Litmus strips and test your acid/alkaline state in your body daily. A lot of what we eat is a problem. That part we can control. Environment is another major problem and that is out of our control.
    I went to Jury Duty on Monday. It was a trial about a woman with lung cancer. They asked us if we new anyone with cancer. Everyone had at least two people in their family with cancer.
    Niki,
    I'm happy your cancer was caught early. Take care of your body and soul. A good book to buy is called "Crazy, Sexy, Cancer". This woman put inoperable cancer in remission. Mostly through natural means.
    Donna

    Here is a link that might be useful: Litmus paper

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I just want to add to my last post.
    I don't want anyone to think I'm saying to only use Alternative Medicine to treat cancer. I am saying that a combination of Western Medicine, i.e. Chemo, surgery etc., and Natural Medicine, i.e., food, lifestyle, etc, are both helpful.
    I don't want to offend anyone who is battling this terrible disease.
    Donna

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    It's good to know they caught it early, Nicki.

    I think the only false part of what Deb posted was the source. Even if it didn't come from Johns Hopkins, the information is valid.

    Here's another book recommendation. The author, a physician, had cancer and is fighting the possibility of a recurrence with lifestyle practices. He, too, says our immune systems constantly destroy cancer cells throughout our lives.

    Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life, by MD, PhD, David Servan-Schreiber

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    alisande,
    That looks like a great book to read for everyone, whether you have cancer or not.
    Another test to have in general is a CRT-C reactive protein test. If you have too much inflamation in your body it is a leading cause of heart disease as well as cancer. Another cause of all illness is constipation. When your waste sits in your intestines it causes bacteria to build up, that's why eating a lot of meat is bad. Also, our meat is injected with chemicals and growth hormones. The hormones in meat increase your Estrogen levels. It's all very interesting.
    Donna

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I pray that all will go well with your treatment

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, that is such a bummer. Don't apologize for venting--we all have big shoulders here. You'll be in my prayers and take comfort in the fact you have many people thinking about you.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    So sorry Nicki. Some cancers are easy to cure when caught early.. you didn't say which type you had, but I hope it truly is cured.

    Will keep you and your girls in my thoughts and prayers.
    (((((Nicki))))))

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Cancer is so limited...
    It cannot cripple love
    It cannot shatter hope
    It cannot corrode faith
    It cannot destroy peace
    It cannot kill friendship
    It cannot suppress memories
    It cannot silence courage
    It cannot invade the soul
    It cannot steal eternal life
    It cannot conquer the spirit.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I must have missed an earlir post; I didn't know about this. I'm sure it was a shock to hear the results of the biopsy. I think you are right not to tell the girls at this time. Of course they will want to know why you are going back for more tests, etc. Tell them it is just to check on what might be a problem. That is the truth and it will be enough information for now.

    You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you will handle this knowing you are not alone. My DM often told us that we never know what we can handle until the time comes that we have to handle it. That is good advice to remember.

    When you are at the end of your rope . . . tie a knot in it and hold on!!

    {{gwi:1543618}}

    You are in my prayers.

    Sue

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nikki I can only wish the best for you and offer healing thoughts and prayers. I know you will find the inner strength to handle this in the days ahead.

    Chemocurl/Sue- thanks for pointing out that the article is false. As soon as I started to read it I wanted to shout out that fact checking was needed. Johns Hopkins has never said that "chemotherapy is the only way to eliminate cancer. " Some of those blanket statements were really out of line- here's just one - cancer cells cannot survive in an oxygenated environment- if that were only the case then skin cancer wouldn't be so prevalent. Cancer is a complicated disease with may varying factors.


  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    My husband had two types of cancer, one no treatment, the other light radiation. So it was not life threatening. But I was at a point where I couldn't do anymore even for my own sister. I took care of my husband (Alzheimer's) for 4 years, then 9 months in a care home. My sis wanted me to care for our mom for a month and I just couldn't do it. I had reached my limit.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, if you told us where your cancer was/is, I missed it. Are you refering to breast cancer? It must have been really small if they think they might have gotten it all in a biopsy. Can you tell us more about it?

    Yes, your girls do not need to know this. They will understand a mom being sick, but cancer probably means a death sentence to them, and obviously if yours was small enough to think a biopsy got it, it is not fatal. You don't want to scare them. Please, I must have missed your post about this initially, so tell me some more. I've been there and done that, and I'm just fine.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I posted the info above because I "thought" it might help someone.....if I could delete it, I would! I surely didnt do it to hurt anyone. I will say however that there are many different types of cancer, and the very few ppl who do know the ins & outs of it, arent saying, so I am not sure anyone here knows any more than I do. I was just trying to help. Either way, most of the things mentioned would be good to keep in check, so it isnt all bad
    I am sorry to have upset anyone in this matter, and will refrain from posting in the future

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    deb,
    I don't think your post was hurtful. It might not have come from John Hopkins but it's good advice to follow for optimum health. I agree with everything that was said in your article. People can choose to follow your advice or not. Your intendion was to be helpful.
    Donna

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Deb- please don't take it personally, your intentions were kind. It's second nature to me as a reference librarian to always check the source. And since I've also worked in an oncology setting I've seen this literature before. It's a difficult situation to be in and we all want to be helpful.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Sorry you are going thru this.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Even thought Snopes says this is false, sorry to say many of the things listed are true. Like one poster said, it is a combination of many treatments. Check Web MD, Mayo Clinic, the 7th Day Adventist health notes, John Hopkins, American Cancer. Each site has alot of help notes. The main thing is to go to a good cancer specilist. My DH has a excellent one. She also communicates with the Mayo Clinic and other centers. That is what you want.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I had to have a "cold knife" colposkopy (sp?) where they basically take a lot of tissue from your cervix because they found aggresive "pre-cancerous" cells from my annual pap, but it turns out that was not correct.

    Thank you all so much for the good thoughts and prayers. I appreciate this sooo much.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I wish you the very best! I hate that you had to hear that dreaded Cancer word, but am glad that they got it all. (((Nicki)))

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    (((Nicki))) Will keep you in my prayers.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Nicki, I used for work for 5 OB/GYNs many years ago, and this procedure was not uncommon. Rarely, rarely, were cancer cells ever missed. Please don't fret or worry.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Sorry to hear of this problem, Nicki. I do hope, with you and the others, that things have been dealt with fully and that you will be O.K.

    Sending good thoughts to you and prayers on your behalf.

    Kids are very perceptive about emotional pressures and difficulties, especially the ones that trouble us substantially. I hope that you'll provide them with some of the information, for they'll know that something's rather deeply wrong in your life, so that they don't jump to some conclusions that may not be warranted ... and which may trouble them greatly. I suggest keeping them updated on some of the issues ... even if not giving them the whole load.

    ((((((Nicki))))))

    ole joyful

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    (((Nicki)))

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I'm glad you went for your annual checkup and got this found out and taken care of, Nicki! Be sure to go every year, or more often if your dr. recommends that, OK?

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    The uncoming procedure is simple and it usually finds no sign of cancer. It's a precaution.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Lucinda, you have misunderstood what Nicki is saying. The doctor said that there were "pre-cancerous" cells there and they needed removed. So she had the procedure done and the cells were removed. Once they were removed, the doctor discovered that the cells had already turned into full blown cancer.

    I am so so sorry that you have had to go through this. :( PLEASE make sure that you keep up on your follow up checks. I know its easy to cancel them and wait a bit too long to reschedule, after all, its surely not the funnest thing in the world to do.

    Seeing this post ripped my heart out. Even though things are bad right now, I seriously can't imagine this world without you in it. I really do love you, even if it doesn't seem like I do.

    (((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    i am sorry to hear that but it is very good that you caught it early. i went thru the same thing at age 20-22 every six months having cold knife surgery each time. after 2 yrs it got better and every six months i had mild cells but never again needed surgery. i did paps every six months for 10+ yrs and never had another problem. everything will be o.k. just make sure to follow doc's instructions and get retested as much as they tell you or atleast every six months please...~ liz