First off if i were her i'd get a second opinion and a new dr with a Heart!! In 2008,i had a total knee replacement,3 months later when i went for my final check up with my ortho dr i had found out a few weeks before that i had breast cancer.WTF within 3 mos 2 major surgeries. Anyway when i was at the ortho dr's he said to me,are you ok,you don't seem like your jolly self,at which point i lost it and started crying.When he asked what was wrong i told him of the diagnosis.He said,honey don't worry too much,they've come a long way from where they were 20 years ago,and i'm sure you'll be fine. After his exam and a clean super bill of health from him for my knee,he hugged me and told me he'd keep me in prayer.I thanked him and felt so much better when i left there. A compassionate and caring dr is what your friend needs as well. I also agree with all of what has been said by the op's. For me the first day i found out,i knew before they told me,that i had cancer.I had had many mammos and a few biopsies before,but this one seemed different,like it was taking too long,IMHO,and they were taking too many samples.I started crying while they were still doing the biopsy,and cried all the way home and for over 4 hours after i got home.Poor DH didn't know what to do.He called one of my sisters in N.Y. state and told her and asked her to tell everyone else that needed to know ,other sisters.He told them i didn't want to talk to anyone then ,but would call when i was up to it. Everything progressed sooooo fast that it seemed sureal.DH went out and got me a small tape recorder,that one of my dr's suggested,as they said,you're going to hear so much info in the next few weeks that you'll never be able to retain it.When i went to see the surgeon,my #1 son,DIL,Dh and that recorder went with me.Less than 2 weeks from diagnosis i was in the hospital being prepped for surgery.There were a lot of folks all over the world praying for me,my family and my medical staff.I told the dr's on the way to surgery that they were being prayed for by many people,they thanked me and said they had said their prayers as well.I had a great team from start to finish. Tomorrow i go for blood work,then sometime this week i'm supposed to have a cat scan,(must call about that tomorrow,then after that's done i go see the oncologist. I have been getting check ups every 3 mos,but this one he set for 4 months,so we'll see how it goes,i'm believing all thigs good. I hope your friend gets a 2nd opinion and quicker appointments for whatever she has to do. She may not feel like talking to anyone when she first gets home from the hospital,or from chemo appts if that's the route she has to take.So tell her if she doesn't feel like talking that she can tell you and you won't be offended. These procedures take the winds out of your sails.Best of luck to all of you,will add you all to my prayer list. Take care,God Bless kathi

My Aunt Lil was famous for her elegant cooking. She died of cancer when I was a little girl. Here, in her memory, is one of our favorites of her recipes, very 1950s but still delicious. My mom gave me the recipe card in Aunt Lil's handwriting. She had written "EXCELLENT" at the top, and we agree. Good luck with your cookbook! Susan in Columbus (Ohio) Aunt LilÂs Chicken Cantonese 1 fryer-broiler chicken  disjointed, slightly salted 1/3 cup cornstarch 1 ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons paprika ¼ cup cooking oil 1 #2 can [20 oz.] pineapple chunks (drained - reserve sirup) 1 cup sliced diagonally celery 1 medium-size green pepper (cleaned & white membrane removed) cut into thin strips 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce 3 cups hot cooked rice 1. Coat chicken pieces with a mixture of the cornstarch, salt & paprika. Reserve 1 Tablespoon of the cornstarch mixture. 2. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Turn pieces as necessary. When lightly browned remove & place in roaster. Bake, uncovered, at 325° until almost fork Âtender. [40-45 min.] 3. Add pineapple, celery, and green pepper, slipping them under the chicken. Cover and put back in oven for 15 minutes. 4. Mix together the reserved 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch mixture, ¼ cup reserved pineapple sirup, the brown sugar, and soy sauce. Pour over chicken & cover; continue baking another 20 minutes. 5. *Lightly toss the hot cooked rice with 1/3 cup dark seedless raisins & ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts. Serve with rice on bottom of platter, then chicken. *Raisins and nuts optional

Wow you guys are great. This thread has more responses than any I have had on GW. I thank all for your responses, and will keep all the info. It means more to hear personal experiences and what has worked &/or others tips. He is starting on supplements, but as most of us know they get old real quick. He has lost 70 lbs over the last couple of months. I am not going to save him my desire is to support him as long as possible so he hopefully dies at home with dignity rather than go into an institution. Anyway, I have been around so much cancer the last 6 years I thought I would share my thoughts also. Maybe another poor soul will someday be in the same boat & these posts can benefit them. Lindac: your shake idea is great. He has been eating mainly ice cream for the last couple of months, so adding the extra calories would be great. He has refused chemo, but I agree on the acidic stuff. I have helped another friend with meals and cancer, and the tomato stuff always causes indigestion. Fresh tomatoes seem to be less of a problem. Orange juice is a definite no sometimes apple juice helps. The Mexican food sounds good. I tried making cheese taquitoes (sp) yesterday with fresh tortillas from a tortilleria, but they flopped. I think I need to use the rolled ones. ginger_st_thomas: Great site. It will keep me busy for some time. The Individual Cheese Pies, Macaroni and Cheese, & Creamy Potato Salad will be at the top of the list. I cook by feel, & the recipes give me tips on how to add extra calories. He eats peanut butter, so the snack spread might work. woodie2: I really like your overnight breakfast casserole. I was making a meal for two people with cancer last night. Sometimes helping people with cancer gets tiring, & an easy meal helps the helper. The bacon bread is also a nice finger food, & the rice bake looks nice and different. Potpie: I find your post especially interesting, as my friend also has lung cancer. As I am sure you know, it is a particularly bad cancer, & your fil is lucky to be around. I will try the caramel apple idea. You also make an important point. When cooking for cancer, be prepared to have your dishes tossed out or not eaten as these individuals can be picky &/or too sick to eat certain things. The helper should not get upset about this, & not be offended. It is just part of the role of a helper. Daisyduckworth, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. What you describe your friend experiencing lies further down my friends path. He can eat a little now, but he has been warned his eating will be eventually affected. It is or can be part of living with cancer. Sometimes you work yourself to the bone hoping to see that unique recovery only to see death. You are so very right about letting him decide. Success in helping a person with cancer, in my opinion, is being there for that person in whatever manner possible so they write that last chapter. Your cutting up fruit is a very good tip. Sometimes people with cancer will not eat whole fruit, but having something cut up appeals to them. Lisbet, I think the brand you spoke of is down the street from me. I am going to check it out. It would be a break from the supplements if he likes it. I like the idea that he could take it with decreased renal function, as my friend has that problem. I will check this one with his dietitian, however. Potpie, medicinal marijuana is legal in California, although the state and federal government are always arguing as to whether it is legal. I agree, when living with cancer it is time to break the rules. Lindac again. Daisyduckworth makes a very important point. Sometimes the path is as the doctor predicts sometimes you never know the time the outcome etc. Sometimes the suffering is a long path, sometimes people that should completely go into remission suddenly die; sometimes those that are expected to die beat the odds. I have seen people recover, but I personally do not like the word "cured." It can come back, & I do not want to jinx any good fortune, nor add any more to the wounds of those who have lost loved ones to cancer. Having said all that, here is my very bland egg roll recipe: 2 carrots diced ½ head napa cabbage ½ onion 10 or so mushrooms Vegetarian oyster sauce I used a tad of msg on one batch, but its use is up to the user. I sauté all ingredients in order of cooking time & add them to the dish. I then stuff the egg roll, seal it with cornstarch liquid & fry it. It takes about 45 minutes for a small batch. It is not a sophisticated recipe but it worked. Here are some of the other things I have found to be helpful if that person can eat it. Hard boiled eggs. Easy to prepare, grab & eat. Cabbage dishes are another good idea, as well as sauerkraut. Good for digestion. Cooked popcorn can be less upsetting than microwave popcorn. Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli. Fresh fruits and snacks always available. High fiber cereals and a variety of liquids available for constipation. Oatmeal, if tolerated for a bland meal. Supplemental vitamins and digestive enzymes if possible. These people need all the help they can get. Consider decreasing the meat. If they are losing weight, one may need to break the rules & add more meat. Last tip break the rules now & then. Remember stubbornness can be annoying, but sometimes it provides the fight that can result in more time. Please keep adding your comments and tips if you think of more. Baci

There's a side-effect of Brewer's yeast: selenium-overdose, so cut back when you see the below signs of selenium-overdose, like garlic-breadth, below is from Livestrong.com: Hair, Nail, Teeth and Skin Changes Common early symptoms of selenium toxicity and poisoning involve the hair and nail beds of the hands and feet. Excessive selenium causes brittle hair, hair loss, deformed nails, brittle nails, sloughing off of nails, tooth discoloration, tooth decay and mottled or discolored skin. Jess: If you take Solgar probiotic and Brewer's Yeast together, the Brewer's Yeast has Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a relative of Saccharomyces boulardii yeast (Florastor probiotics). Any yeast/fungus will wipe out BOTH beneficial bacteria and bad bacteria. Antibiotic penicillin is made from a yeast, or fungus. I once asked the biggest company in probiotics (Hyperbiotics) why don't they put Saccharomyces boulardii into their 15-bacteria-strains. They say that yeast will contaminate and wipe out the 15 good bacteria-strains. I STOP TAKING BREWER'S YEAST today for that reason, and for the research I did in the thread, "To your Mom", where I learned that Brewer's yeast kills both the bad bacteria like E. Coli, Salmonella, plus the good bacteria. Also I took only 1/2 tablespoon per day, but its high selenium made my fingernail chipped, plus I lost more hair. My hair is very thick, but it's annoying to see hair in the family's dinner. Nothing is wrong with Solgar, never see a bad review for that probiotics, and both I and my kid are taking Solgar-multidophilus for the past 2 weeks, zero gas nor tummy upset, UNTIL I took Brewer's yeast for the past 4 days. Then I got tummy-ache. Lots of people complain of tummy ache with Brewer's yeast on Amazon reviews. Four days of Brewer's yeast is like being on antibiotics again, since it wiped out the good bacteria that helped me to digest milk & cheese. So I have to take L. Acidophilus again just to digest dairy. I see brewer's yeast being useful only few days per week to supply B-vitamins & chromium .. then take a probiotics (good-bacteria like Solgar) at least 10 hours apart from brewer's yeast. That's what I did with antibiotics (which is a yeast/fungus): take it at breakfast & then at 4 pm, and wait for 7 hours before I took probiotics (good bacteria) before bed-time, to help digest my dinner. At the end when antibiotics Doxycycline tortured me with gas & upset tummy, I had to take probiotics (good bacteria) with antibiotics but I spaced them apart, with at least 7 hours gap. Here's from U. of Maryland Medical center: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/brewers-yeast Side effects from brewer's yeast: gas. People who have frequent yeast infections or who are allergic to yeast should avoid brewer's yeast. From WebMD: People who are allergic or sensitive to yeast might experience itching and swelling. Crohn’s disease: Brewer's yeast can make Crohn's disease worse. Don’t use brewer’s yeast if you have Crohn’s disease.