My first week post chemo has continued to be much more bearable than the previous times, thanks to my kinesiologist....... however, I wasn't feeling so great on Tuesday - my body temperature was fluctuating constantly and I was having hot flushes all throughout the night, so I went to see my kineso on Tuesday evening to see if there was anything he could do for me. He was actually all booked up so I saw his dad instead (he assured me that he'd learnt everything from his dad) who has an excellent reputation across Australia.
He did a muscle test first up and confirmed that everything is terrible, so that was a relief as that is how I was feeling!!! He then started testing some food substances and began with wheat (which we had tested before but we thought it was ok) and sure enough, it reacted badly........ in fact I could feel the pain in key places after I put it on my tongue and funnily enough I had deteriorated that afternoon and guess what I had for lunch? pasta!!!
He then tested rye, gluten and oats and all of these reacted badly also! So I am now officially a nightmare to prepare any food for....... it makes me dairy, soy, wheat and gluten intolerant!!! So my life as a passionate foodie is officially over! I am pretty well much confined to fruit, vege and meat.....(but I'm sure that between us, we will come up with a few recipes for treats!!!)
I was really upset at first, however I do realise that I am one of the very few people who has a very sensitive internal system so if it means that I live a long, healthy and cancer free life, then it's a no brainer really.....
I'm not sure if I have reported on this yet but there are over 60 pesticide substances that have already been banned in the UK that we are still using in Australia so we are way behind the rest of the world in this area. This means that we need to preferably buy organic or wash everything before we eat it very thoroughly. It is quite scary that my oncologist has said that the cancer has been growing inside me for at least two years... and this coincides with the time (or is just after) we moved back from the UK about two and a half years ago..... I think they are all signs that we need to be extra careful about what we put in our bodies and I have been SO encouraged by the number of our friends who have changed their eating habits and started looking into the best way to buy fresh food...
The kineso also put me on high doses of folic acid tablets, which have immediately kicked in and made me feel so much better..... so I am very confident that we have the right doses of supplements post chemo now and hopefully this will continue to help me tremendously for the last four sessions.
We tested all of my beauty products last week, so I thought it may be helpful to document which products tested ok and which ones didn't.
Good Products:
Clinique liquid foundation
Crystal Deodorant (however, the body shop's fragrant free roll on deodorant tested ok too even though it has aluminium in it)
Aesop - Rind concentrate body balm
Aesop - Rejuvenate Aromatique body balm
Aesop - Geranium Leaf body balm
The Body Shop - Aloe body lotion
Kiehl's - Creme de Corps
Lancome - Renergie Morpholift
Sanctuary - Pro-Collagen Night Concentrate
Bad Products
Benefit - Bathina (body lotion)
Sanctuary - rich rejuvenating moisturiser
All Lanolin based moisturisers/body lotions we tested
Bloom Organics - nourishing hand cream
It was interesting that many of the organic/natural products actually tested negatively.... remembering that everyone is different so you should get them tested on your own body.....but it has been very helpful to me.
So we are not even at the one week post chemo mark and I am feeling better and stronger every day.... I have been very good and rested all week and it is paying dividends for me now.... this is the best I've felt within a week post chemo.... so let the positive and wellness vibes continue!!
xx
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Half Way Milestone!
It's Saturday morning, day one post chemo four and here I am for the second time feeling pretty ok...... much to my relief and overwhelming joy.
Yesterday marked a really significant achievement for me as I can now say that I'm half way. YAH! I was super excited to reach this point, so I can only imagine what it will be like for me to get to Xmas when I will only have ONE to go! I will be beside myself with excitement.
We had a really good week this week and I was feeling strong; I even did 6kms at the gym on Wednesday..... and felt pretty good afterwards. Matty and I dressed up for the big milestone occasion yesterday; I wore jeans, my wig AND a hat (it's a far cry from my beautiful Alannah Hill wardrobe which has been lying dormant for the past few months but far dressier than the cargos, jumper and hat I usually cobble together) and my goal was not to cry during chemo for the first time....(trust me, that is a big goal!). Everyone in the chemo area is far older than me and we always look completely out of place when we sit there so it is rather a depressing environment.
I spent the morning creating one of my new product lines (pics below) and was totally in the creative zone. I then realised the time so raced to get my blood test before leaving for the hospital. We arrived a little late and while I had that nauseous feeling in my stomach as soon as we entered the car park, I was far more relaxed about it this time round than ever before, so I was confident I could do it without crying (and it's not just a few tears normally; it's a good 20min sob while poor Matty has to calm me down!!!). That was until the nurse put the needle into my wrist for the first time and failed..... then tried another vein in the back of my hand and failed at that too.... then I asked her if someone else could do it; seeing that she was getting stressed which was making me feel anxious! The second attempt REALLY hurt me so I didn't want her coming near me again.... thankfully she found the lovely man who usually does it for me and he got it right first go.... (thank you Ralph!) so I got through that without any tears and I was proud of myself.
I was very excited to see the first drug go into my body (it's a red liquid which instantly makes me feel terrible) for the last time....... we had a mini celebration at the end of that; there were high fives all round! Then I sat and the second drug was injected, which takes about one hour.... but boy it was a great feeling to say good riddance to these two drugs! The next four treatments will involve only one drug and it's apparently a lot easier than these ones..... a very exciting thought.
I decided to take a big dose of Grape Seed tablets before I went in yesterday and when I saw Ben (kineso) straight afterwards, he said I was much better this time than after the last chemo session...... I felt ok too as normally I get really sick very quickly... so I was hopeful! He dosed me up and I had loads of pills last night and I am feeling remarkably ok today, so I'm soooooo happy! It was definitely a good plan to take them before chemo.
My blood test results were excellent yesterday much to my delight. My white blood cells were higher than what they were before chemo 2 (4.5), so I was thrilled (also because I don't need to have the self injection this time round). My red blood cell count went down by 2-3 which is nothing, so I was also really pleased about that. It confirmed that all of my dietary changes and supplements are making a massive difference.
One of the really strange things that happened yesterday was that I have had a sore eye for the past few days. I think I was getting a bit of a sty on it, however, it was amazing that about 30mins into chemo I noticed that it had really eased and by last night it was gone! That's how powerful chemo is; it kills anything and everything inside your body!
I have such relief and hope today and I'm now past the worst of this experience...... while I've had to make massive dietary changes and really dedicate myself to getting well, it is so worth it after reaching this milestone. Not a day goes by where I don't think myself SOOOO lucky that I found Ben, my kineso, as I have no doubt that he has made a massive difference to my health and at the same time, he has been so kind and generous with his time as he has wanted me to feel better each and every day.... so for that, I am forever grateful. Like all of my specialist doctors, he is truly amazing! I am still so touched by these people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Everyone I've come into contact with (including my GP who originally diagnosed me who still calls me every few weeks) has been so kind hearted, caring and brilliant at what they do.... I'm sure it has made this journey so much easier for me....
I can also reflect at this point on all of the love and kindness from all of you; my friends, family and supporters....... there hasn't been a day where I don't get at least a few emails, texts, phone calls and I cannot tell you just how much this has boosted me each and every day.... I have never felt so loved and cherished in my life and it is so amazing to have so many beautifully kind and caring people in my life..... I haven't always had the chance to call everyone back but I really appreciate every single message; they always bring a massive smile to my face! THANK YOU and I love you all!!!
Now for the fun stuff..... Joey and I are still going strong with our creative brand and the labels are due to arrive from the US any time soon..... she has taught me a new product line this week and here are some pics of completed ones....... hope you enjoy!
Here is to the homeward stretch....I can do this!
xxx
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Yesterday marked a really significant achievement for me as I can now say that I'm half way. YAH! I was super excited to reach this point, so I can only imagine what it will be like for me to get to Xmas when I will only have ONE to go! I will be beside myself with excitement.
We had a really good week this week and I was feeling strong; I even did 6kms at the gym on Wednesday..... and felt pretty good afterwards. Matty and I dressed up for the big milestone occasion yesterday; I wore jeans, my wig AND a hat (it's a far cry from my beautiful Alannah Hill wardrobe which has been lying dormant for the past few months but far dressier than the cargos, jumper and hat I usually cobble together) and my goal was not to cry during chemo for the first time....(trust me, that is a big goal!). Everyone in the chemo area is far older than me and we always look completely out of place when we sit there so it is rather a depressing environment.
I spent the morning creating one of my new product lines (pics below) and was totally in the creative zone. I then realised the time so raced to get my blood test before leaving for the hospital. We arrived a little late and while I had that nauseous feeling in my stomach as soon as we entered the car park, I was far more relaxed about it this time round than ever before, so I was confident I could do it without crying (and it's not just a few tears normally; it's a good 20min sob while poor Matty has to calm me down!!!). That was until the nurse put the needle into my wrist for the first time and failed..... then tried another vein in the back of my hand and failed at that too.... then I asked her if someone else could do it; seeing that she was getting stressed which was making me feel anxious! The second attempt REALLY hurt me so I didn't want her coming near me again.... thankfully she found the lovely man who usually does it for me and he got it right first go.... (thank you Ralph!) so I got through that without any tears and I was proud of myself.
I was very excited to see the first drug go into my body (it's a red liquid which instantly makes me feel terrible) for the last time....... we had a mini celebration at the end of that; there were high fives all round! Then I sat and the second drug was injected, which takes about one hour.... but boy it was a great feeling to say good riddance to these two drugs! The next four treatments will involve only one drug and it's apparently a lot easier than these ones..... a very exciting thought.
I decided to take a big dose of Grape Seed tablets before I went in yesterday and when I saw Ben (kineso) straight afterwards, he said I was much better this time than after the last chemo session...... I felt ok too as normally I get really sick very quickly... so I was hopeful! He dosed me up and I had loads of pills last night and I am feeling remarkably ok today, so I'm soooooo happy! It was definitely a good plan to take them before chemo.
My blood test results were excellent yesterday much to my delight. My white blood cells were higher than what they were before chemo 2 (4.5), so I was thrilled (also because I don't need to have the self injection this time round). My red blood cell count went down by 2-3 which is nothing, so I was also really pleased about that. It confirmed that all of my dietary changes and supplements are making a massive difference.
One of the really strange things that happened yesterday was that I have had a sore eye for the past few days. I think I was getting a bit of a sty on it, however, it was amazing that about 30mins into chemo I noticed that it had really eased and by last night it was gone! That's how powerful chemo is; it kills anything and everything inside your body!
I have such relief and hope today and I'm now past the worst of this experience...... while I've had to make massive dietary changes and really dedicate myself to getting well, it is so worth it after reaching this milestone. Not a day goes by where I don't think myself SOOOO lucky that I found Ben, my kineso, as I have no doubt that he has made a massive difference to my health and at the same time, he has been so kind and generous with his time as he has wanted me to feel better each and every day.... so for that, I am forever grateful. Like all of my specialist doctors, he is truly amazing! I am still so touched by these people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Everyone I've come into contact with (including my GP who originally diagnosed me who still calls me every few weeks) has been so kind hearted, caring and brilliant at what they do.... I'm sure it has made this journey so much easier for me....
I can also reflect at this point on all of the love and kindness from all of you; my friends, family and supporters....... there hasn't been a day where I don't get at least a few emails, texts, phone calls and I cannot tell you just how much this has boosted me each and every day.... I have never felt so loved and cherished in my life and it is so amazing to have so many beautifully kind and caring people in my life..... I haven't always had the chance to call everyone back but I really appreciate every single message; they always bring a massive smile to my face! THANK YOU and I love you all!!!
Now for the fun stuff..... Joey and I are still going strong with our creative brand and the labels are due to arrive from the US any time soon..... she has taught me a new product line this week and here are some pics of completed ones....... hope you enjoy!
Here is to the homeward stretch....I can do this!
xxx
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This was my very first tea cosie - in Xmas colours!
Head Scarf
Monday, October 11, 2010
My Naughty Little Confession
It's been a good week for me overall, with great progress being made with my kineso. I saw him on Friday and we tested a few more things.....one of which was hommus. This was a great replacement for butter on some corn bread and avocado, however, after my big sis watched Sex In the City 2 (who said SITC was not educational!!), she learnt that it contains estrogen. As my cancer was hormone/estrogen positive, this means I have had too much estrogen in my body. Sure enough, we tested it and my body went crazy with it!
Basically, it contains a natural substance called phytoestrogen, which is found in many foods, including fruit/vege/nuts etc (here is a list: http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php). Soy products contain the highest volumes of phytoestrogen and they are normally recommended to women to eat lots of these products to actually prevent cancer. My body however, cannot tolerate soy nor hommus (or anything with high volumes of phytoestrogen in). I am now hoping that it's only the foods with really high content levels of phytoestrogen that I cannot tolerate..... nevertheless, it felt like I'm making great progress as I was eating hommus after chemo 3, so I am hoping if I avoid any of these foods for the week, that I will feel even better next time round (yes Friday marks the half way milestone!).
My kineso mentioned that my body is super sensitive to foods and that I'm going to have to be very careful for the rest of my life.... he also mentioned that most people can eat all of these foods without any problems; these are simply the cards I've been dealt this time round...... but after a week of eating fresh food only last week, I felt great by the end of the week. While I am fully trusting what he says, I do find it difficult to rationalise as I have never felt sick or different after eating any foods and I would have said that we had a very balanced diet before all of this...so I do find that a bit strange.... but I have also seen and felt how my body now reacts to foods and it is hyper sensitive so I must listen to it!
Which brings me onto my little confession. I'm writing this entry mostly so that I can come back to it later and remember it so that I am not naughty again!
Context: so remember we are talking about a big chocolate lover here..... I used to enjoy nothing more than to indulge in a couple of pieces of beautiful dark chocolate after dinner not every night, but many nights!!! And I've been deprived of chocolate for nearly two months now.....
So I got a devine hamper brought over to me from some lovely work colleagues (it was spectacular). It was full of so much fresh fruit, tea, nuts, home made cookies and yes, home made chocolates!!! hmmmmmm They looked simply delicious and after a week of eating nothing but fruit and vegetables (you can tell where this is heading can't you?!), boy, I felt like a treat on Saturday ( don't we all deserve a treat on the wk end??!!). SO..... I thought I had better try one.... then two..... then three..... and then I stopped.... they went down a treat and I ate nothing else for the day apart from fruit and vege. Never did I dream that the impact would be noticable......(I mean they were tiny little chocolates!!)
I woke on Sunday morning feeling terrible!!! My body was struggling through the morning and I can only put it down to the chocolates..... so I learnt my lesson not to be such a little pig! I couldn't believe how bad my body felt..... so I made myself go to the gym for a walk/jog and did feel better after that and lots of water and supplements! While it was a bit of a painful lesson to learn, I now know just how sensitive my body is so I mustn't do it again.....
Apart from that, I have been feeling the best I've felt this time round. I have done lots of my creative work; I have even started knitting some funky tea cosies this week (gees, I even sound like a Nanna now!) and I have made some of my beautiful silk scarves, which I have to say I am quite proud of as they actually look nice!
We have also done some baking and found some good recipes for treats e.g. banana muffins and soy/dairy free melting moments which are delicious.
So I only have a few days to go before I'm back at the hospital and obviously dreading it. This treatment however, is the last of the worst drugs (so I'm told) so next time I will have a new drug, which is apparently a lot easier. It also marks the half way mark of chemo; yiipppeee!
I have been excited this week as we did our english family xmas draw and I noticed yesterday that the xmas shop is alive and happening in Myer.... so bring on Xmas 2010.... as it means I only have one chemo session to go....and that will be a time for celebration!
Here's to chemo session four - I am REALLY hoping that all of the progress I've made with my kineso will pay off.....and who knows, I may be even better this time than last!
xx
Basically, it contains a natural substance called phytoestrogen, which is found in many foods, including fruit/vege/nuts etc (here is a list: http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php). Soy products contain the highest volumes of phytoestrogen and they are normally recommended to women to eat lots of these products to actually prevent cancer. My body however, cannot tolerate soy nor hommus (or anything with high volumes of phytoestrogen in). I am now hoping that it's only the foods with really high content levels of phytoestrogen that I cannot tolerate..... nevertheless, it felt like I'm making great progress as I was eating hommus after chemo 3, so I am hoping if I avoid any of these foods for the week, that I will feel even better next time round (yes Friday marks the half way milestone!).
My kineso mentioned that my body is super sensitive to foods and that I'm going to have to be very careful for the rest of my life.... he also mentioned that most people can eat all of these foods without any problems; these are simply the cards I've been dealt this time round...... but after a week of eating fresh food only last week, I felt great by the end of the week. While I am fully trusting what he says, I do find it difficult to rationalise as I have never felt sick or different after eating any foods and I would have said that we had a very balanced diet before all of this...so I do find that a bit strange.... but I have also seen and felt how my body now reacts to foods and it is hyper sensitive so I must listen to it!
Which brings me onto my little confession. I'm writing this entry mostly so that I can come back to it later and remember it so that I am not naughty again!
Context: so remember we are talking about a big chocolate lover here..... I used to enjoy nothing more than to indulge in a couple of pieces of beautiful dark chocolate after dinner not every night, but many nights!!! And I've been deprived of chocolate for nearly two months now.....
So I got a devine hamper brought over to me from some lovely work colleagues (it was spectacular). It was full of so much fresh fruit, tea, nuts, home made cookies and yes, home made chocolates!!! hmmmmmm They looked simply delicious and after a week of eating nothing but fruit and vegetables (you can tell where this is heading can't you?!), boy, I felt like a treat on Saturday ( don't we all deserve a treat on the wk end??!!). SO..... I thought I had better try one.... then two..... then three..... and then I stopped.... they went down a treat and I ate nothing else for the day apart from fruit and vege. Never did I dream that the impact would be noticable......(I mean they were tiny little chocolates!!)
I woke on Sunday morning feeling terrible!!! My body was struggling through the morning and I can only put it down to the chocolates..... so I learnt my lesson not to be such a little pig! I couldn't believe how bad my body felt..... so I made myself go to the gym for a walk/jog and did feel better after that and lots of water and supplements! While it was a bit of a painful lesson to learn, I now know just how sensitive my body is so I mustn't do it again.....
Apart from that, I have been feeling the best I've felt this time round. I have done lots of my creative work; I have even started knitting some funky tea cosies this week (gees, I even sound like a Nanna now!) and I have made some of my beautiful silk scarves, which I have to say I am quite proud of as they actually look nice!
We have also done some baking and found some good recipes for treats e.g. banana muffins and soy/dairy free melting moments which are delicious.
So I only have a few days to go before I'm back at the hospital and obviously dreading it. This treatment however, is the last of the worst drugs (so I'm told) so next time I will have a new drug, which is apparently a lot easier. It also marks the half way mark of chemo; yiipppeee!
I have been excited this week as we did our english family xmas draw and I noticed yesterday that the xmas shop is alive and happening in Myer.... so bring on Xmas 2010.... as it means I only have one chemo session to go....and that will be a time for celebration!
Here's to chemo session four - I am REALLY hoping that all of the progress I've made with my kineso will pay off.....and who knows, I may be even better this time than last!
xx
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Diets and Chemo
Well it has been over a week since I've checked in but that simply means that I've been busy with living life in my good week; yes, lots of knitting, some sewing, lots of reading and of course socialising and having fun! (and watching the Commonwealth Games!)
It has been a great week and although we've been lying low, I have been feeling very well, strong and happy! Matty got me a book this week which is all about how to conquer cancer the natural way. I started reading it and found some interesting insights.
According to the medical professionals, I have been extremely unlucky to be diagnosed with cancer. I remember my oncologist telling me this as I was lying in my hospital bed post surgery and I was wondering whether it was something I have eaten or put into my body that has caused cancer to become active.... According to my kinesiologist, it is something I have put into my body that has caused cancer.... so there are millions of theories relating to it and why it becomes active but I am trying to keep a balanced view while doing everything I can to ensure it doesn't come back in my body......
The essence of this book is based on a Grape Diet. You should detox for 2-3 days by drinking nothing but water and then eat grapes every two hours for 10-30 days! That seems a bit too radical for me during chemo, but I have been doing a detox by eating apples during the day and veges for dinner and I have to say that I have felt SO much better. I am going to start on the grapes today but I certainly won't do it for 10 days. The idea is that you deplete your body back to nothing (it says it's good to be a skeleton basically) so that there is nothing that cancer can feed off and then build it back up with raw fresh food. I like the sound of this but while I'm dealing with chemo, I think I will tailor it to eat fresh foods only. It is amazing the difference I have felt and we have found an organic supplier of fresh food which we are going to use from here on in (http://www.wholesomeorganics.com.au/). I haven't realised just how many preservatives and unnatural ingredients are in all of our food choices until this, so it opens up an array of new opportunities for us to explore new ways of living!
I also had a great tip from a friend yesterday who no longer uses household cleaning products and instead uses vinegar and bicarb of soda; another tip we will adopt! (thanks Gail!!)
There are still so many food choices available out there and I think the soy/dairy omition will simply lead to us being healthier and happier which is great..... AND I was excited to hear about the grape diet... I will try grape juice for breaky, grapes for lunch and champas for dinner!!!! haha (I'm still not feeling like alcohol but I'm sure it won't be long!!)
So I encourage everyone to be more conscious of your food choices..... it is amazing how many cases of cancer we have heard about lately, particularly with people our age (which makes me think there has to be something we are eating or putting into our bodies), so it's really important that we do everything we can to ensure a healthy and long life......
Week two has been great and the creative activities are coming along well..... have finished a few knitting pieces this week and completed my first felting piece.... I now have some beautiful new fabrics to make some scarves with... and we are continuing to make the most of the beautiful weather we have been having by getting outdoors as much as possible!
And finally, you won't believe this but some of my hair is actually growing!!! I have sideburns to rival Matty and some of the fluff on the top of my head is growing.... and I haven't lost any other hair on my body which I have found strange! I just keep thinking that it will be the first and only time in my life that I have more hair on my legs than on my head!!!
Here's to wellness and happy living.... thank you for all of your messages of love and support!
xx
It has been a great week and although we've been lying low, I have been feeling very well, strong and happy! Matty got me a book this week which is all about how to conquer cancer the natural way. I started reading it and found some interesting insights.
According to the medical professionals, I have been extremely unlucky to be diagnosed with cancer. I remember my oncologist telling me this as I was lying in my hospital bed post surgery and I was wondering whether it was something I have eaten or put into my body that has caused cancer to become active.... According to my kinesiologist, it is something I have put into my body that has caused cancer.... so there are millions of theories relating to it and why it becomes active but I am trying to keep a balanced view while doing everything I can to ensure it doesn't come back in my body......
The essence of this book is based on a Grape Diet. You should detox for 2-3 days by drinking nothing but water and then eat grapes every two hours for 10-30 days! That seems a bit too radical for me during chemo, but I have been doing a detox by eating apples during the day and veges for dinner and I have to say that I have felt SO much better. I am going to start on the grapes today but I certainly won't do it for 10 days. The idea is that you deplete your body back to nothing (it says it's good to be a skeleton basically) so that there is nothing that cancer can feed off and then build it back up with raw fresh food. I like the sound of this but while I'm dealing with chemo, I think I will tailor it to eat fresh foods only. It is amazing the difference I have felt and we have found an organic supplier of fresh food which we are going to use from here on in (http://www.wholesomeorganics.com.au/). I haven't realised just how many preservatives and unnatural ingredients are in all of our food choices until this, so it opens up an array of new opportunities for us to explore new ways of living!
I also had a great tip from a friend yesterday who no longer uses household cleaning products and instead uses vinegar and bicarb of soda; another tip we will adopt! (thanks Gail!!)
There are still so many food choices available out there and I think the soy/dairy omition will simply lead to us being healthier and happier which is great..... AND I was excited to hear about the grape diet... I will try grape juice for breaky, grapes for lunch and champas for dinner!!!! haha (I'm still not feeling like alcohol but I'm sure it won't be long!!)
So I encourage everyone to be more conscious of your food choices..... it is amazing how many cases of cancer we have heard about lately, particularly with people our age (which makes me think there has to be something we are eating or putting into our bodies), so it's really important that we do everything we can to ensure a healthy and long life......
Week two has been great and the creative activities are coming along well..... have finished a few knitting pieces this week and completed my first felting piece.... I now have some beautiful new fabrics to make some scarves with... and we are continuing to make the most of the beautiful weather we have been having by getting outdoors as much as possible!
And finally, you won't believe this but some of my hair is actually growing!!! I have sideburns to rival Matty and some of the fluff on the top of my head is growing.... and I haven't lost any other hair on my body which I have found strange! I just keep thinking that it will be the first and only time in my life that I have more hair on my legs than on my head!!!
Here's to wellness and happy living.... thank you for all of your messages of love and support!
xx
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Chemo Three - Kineso Success Continues
Today is day three post chemo three and I continue to feeling SO much better! We had a wonderful day yesterday as I woke up feeling like I was in week two; an amazing feeling for me. We went out for a beautiful stroll along with waterfront in the sunshine and had a great chat and lots of laughs and I cannot describe how wonderful this felt for me. I had to keep pinching myself believing that it was real!!!
We have been on a mission for the past few days, really discovering the foods I will and won't be able to eat. I am absolutely staggered at the amount of food that contains dairy and/or soy. Obviously soy is a big substitute for dairy, however, as I cannot have either ever again, it is fairly challenging to find non dairy and soy products. Here are a few things I was really surprised to find dairy/soy in:
Multigrain bread, muffins, crumpets etc - all contain soy flour
All savoury crackers/biscuits - not that I'll be indulging in cheese any more but rice crackers, vita wheats all contain soy.
Crisps/chips - all contain soy or dairy
Vegetable Stock - yes even this contains soy!
I have been tested for a few replacements for:
butter - Nuttalex has tested ok
Chocolate - yes matty has found a dark peppermint choc bar from Mrs Flannerys which has tested ok - PHEW! (can you imagine life without chocolate?)
Bread - corn bread, mountain bread and rye bread are all dairy/soy free
let's just say that we are going to be nightmares to have over for dinner parties and to go out for dinner!!! Matty doesn't eat dairy or nuts, so I think we are going to be the most difficult pair to cook for! We have decided for now that meat and roast vege is a good stand in healthy alternative while we discover a new dairy/soy free diet..... we were thinking stir fries but many of them contain soy sauce which is obviously a big no no! I'm sure it will be a journey of rediscovery and if it means great health for life, that is fine with me!
Oh well, at least I can still drink champagne!!! There won't be too many other real treats but I'm sure I will continue to enjoy nice wine and champas when I'm feeling a bit better!!!
I am still feeling pretty good today; maybe not quite as good as I did yesterday but I'm enjoying my knitting (yes I am officially a Nanna (I know that's what you're thinking!!)) and I began making my first headscarf this morning without my mentor/best mate Joey..... so we'll see how that goes....
We were delighted that we have an order for one of our scarfs from one of my very trendy friends (thanks Nomes!!); so we are very thrilled about that.....so I have lots of easy little projects to keep me amused on these down days.
I will be very happy if I continue to progress this week and I am being very patient and accepting that I will be bound to have more than one sick day after my body is riddled with toxins....I am feeling completely overjoyed with relief and excitement by the hope and thought that I may never feel as sick as I have done in the past so that is the most comforting feeling I could ask for.
Thank you for your messages... finally, if you have any exciting dairy and soy free recipes, please email me! We would LOVE to try them out....
xx
We have been on a mission for the past few days, really discovering the foods I will and won't be able to eat. I am absolutely staggered at the amount of food that contains dairy and/or soy. Obviously soy is a big substitute for dairy, however, as I cannot have either ever again, it is fairly challenging to find non dairy and soy products. Here are a few things I was really surprised to find dairy/soy in:
Multigrain bread, muffins, crumpets etc - all contain soy flour
All savoury crackers/biscuits - not that I'll be indulging in cheese any more but rice crackers, vita wheats all contain soy.
Crisps/chips - all contain soy or dairy
Vegetable Stock - yes even this contains soy!
I have been tested for a few replacements for:
butter - Nuttalex has tested ok
Chocolate - yes matty has found a dark peppermint choc bar from Mrs Flannerys which has tested ok - PHEW! (can you imagine life without chocolate?)
Bread - corn bread, mountain bread and rye bread are all dairy/soy free
let's just say that we are going to be nightmares to have over for dinner parties and to go out for dinner!!! Matty doesn't eat dairy or nuts, so I think we are going to be the most difficult pair to cook for! We have decided for now that meat and roast vege is a good stand in healthy alternative while we discover a new dairy/soy free diet..... we were thinking stir fries but many of them contain soy sauce which is obviously a big no no! I'm sure it will be a journey of rediscovery and if it means great health for life, that is fine with me!
Oh well, at least I can still drink champagne!!! There won't be too many other real treats but I'm sure I will continue to enjoy nice wine and champas when I'm feeling a bit better!!!
I am still feeling pretty good today; maybe not quite as good as I did yesterday but I'm enjoying my knitting (yes I am officially a Nanna (I know that's what you're thinking!!)) and I began making my first headscarf this morning without my mentor/best mate Joey..... so we'll see how that goes....
We were delighted that we have an order for one of our scarfs from one of my very trendy friends (thanks Nomes!!); so we are very thrilled about that.....so I have lots of easy little projects to keep me amused on these down days.
I will be very happy if I continue to progress this week and I am being very patient and accepting that I will be bound to have more than one sick day after my body is riddled with toxins....I am feeling completely overjoyed with relief and excitement by the hope and thought that I may never feel as sick as I have done in the past so that is the most comforting feeling I could ask for.
Thank you for your messages... finally, if you have any exciting dairy and soy free recipes, please email me! We would LOVE to try them out....
xx
Friday, September 24, 2010
Kinesiology + Chemotherapy = RESULTS!!!!
Well it is the FIRST day post chemo and here I am sitting writing my blog; WOW!
I won't lie as yesterday was an extremely traumatic day for me.... I felt anxious and sick to the stomach at the thought of sitting in that hospital chair once more and I was very upset that the day had finally arrived. As soon as we got there and I sat in 'that' chair I just broke down as I couldn't believe I was going to be going through my next near death experience...... it took a while for me to calm down but I did thanks to darling Matty and the treatment began.....
I was really hoping my blood test was going to come back ok but my white blood cells had reduced so much that they were considering whether I can have treatment. Luckily, my oncologiest said to go ahead with it and to give me a self injection which I will do later today so boost my white blood cells...... as soon as it started going through my blood stream, I felt that instant horrible, dire feeling.......by the end of the three hour session, I was feeling pretty terrible but we had an appnt with my kineso straight away so we raced back to see him and got into his room immediately.
He could feel how depleted my body was instantly; my liver, neck, ovaries and stomach were shot within one hour of the treatment finishing..... so he began giving me large doses of grape seed and cyto bifidus powder which helped some organs instantly..... then he discovered that I need to take gelatine, so once I had that, he noticed a huge difference...... so he has put me on really large doses of these supplements for the next three days and we will then reduce the volumes...... so we came home and I dosed up, said my prayers and hoped like crazy this was going to work!
I was awake for most of the night but I never felt anywhere near as sick as I have for the past two treatments..... I started feeling excited. I woke at 5.30am and couldn't believe how much better I was feeling compared to day one of the past two treatments....... I still feel quite sick but I am far from feeling like death, so I am the happiest person in the world today..... if this is my new rock bottom then I know that I can get through this......... and I am SOOOO pleased I went to my kineso......for the first time since I started chemo, I truly believe that I can get through the next five sessions and that I will be ok.... a very comforting feeling.
I also realised last night why I may have been so sick after the last treatment..... I was finding dairy/soy products, like a glass of milk and jarlsberg cheese in bread (which contains soy) really comforting and knowing now that my body is not able to process any dairy or soy, I think this may have made my progress worse.
So while I didn't even understand kinesiology just a few months ago (apart from what I learnt from Matty) I am now convinced that it can massively contribute to your overall health and wellbeing......he said to me the other evening that many people are too scared to see him as they know it will result in a massive lifestyle change (which it has for us) but having felt the benefits over the past two weeks, I am a believer.
Now many of you have been asking who my kineso is so here are his details:
Nundah Chiropractic Centre
11 Rode Rd, Nundah
T: 3266 7093
There are three kinesiologists/chiropractors at the clinic and I see Ben Maitland who as you know has been brilliant. His father is also apparently brilliant but there is a bigger waiting time to see him. I would highly recommend either of them.
So as I sit here proudly writing my blog on day one post chemo three, I am hoping things will continue to improve. Thank you for all of your messages of love and support.
I have hope and I am now more determined than ever to beat this.
Three down, five to go!!
xxx
I won't lie as yesterday was an extremely traumatic day for me.... I felt anxious and sick to the stomach at the thought of sitting in that hospital chair once more and I was very upset that the day had finally arrived. As soon as we got there and I sat in 'that' chair I just broke down as I couldn't believe I was going to be going through my next near death experience...... it took a while for me to calm down but I did thanks to darling Matty and the treatment began.....
I was really hoping my blood test was going to come back ok but my white blood cells had reduced so much that they were considering whether I can have treatment. Luckily, my oncologiest said to go ahead with it and to give me a self injection which I will do later today so boost my white blood cells...... as soon as it started going through my blood stream, I felt that instant horrible, dire feeling.......by the end of the three hour session, I was feeling pretty terrible but we had an appnt with my kineso straight away so we raced back to see him and got into his room immediately.
He could feel how depleted my body was instantly; my liver, neck, ovaries and stomach were shot within one hour of the treatment finishing..... so he began giving me large doses of grape seed and cyto bifidus powder which helped some organs instantly..... then he discovered that I need to take gelatine, so once I had that, he noticed a huge difference...... so he has put me on really large doses of these supplements for the next three days and we will then reduce the volumes...... so we came home and I dosed up, said my prayers and hoped like crazy this was going to work!
I was awake for most of the night but I never felt anywhere near as sick as I have for the past two treatments..... I started feeling excited. I woke at 5.30am and couldn't believe how much better I was feeling compared to day one of the past two treatments....... I still feel quite sick but I am far from feeling like death, so I am the happiest person in the world today..... if this is my new rock bottom then I know that I can get through this......... and I am SOOOO pleased I went to my kineso......for the first time since I started chemo, I truly believe that I can get through the next five sessions and that I will be ok.... a very comforting feeling.
I also realised last night why I may have been so sick after the last treatment..... I was finding dairy/soy products, like a glass of milk and jarlsberg cheese in bread (which contains soy) really comforting and knowing now that my body is not able to process any dairy or soy, I think this may have made my progress worse.
So while I didn't even understand kinesiology just a few months ago (apart from what I learnt from Matty) I am now convinced that it can massively contribute to your overall health and wellbeing......he said to me the other evening that many people are too scared to see him as they know it will result in a massive lifestyle change (which it has for us) but having felt the benefits over the past two weeks, I am a believer.
Now many of you have been asking who my kineso is so here are his details:
Nundah Chiropractic Centre
11 Rode Rd, Nundah
T: 3266 7093
There are three kinesiologists/chiropractors at the clinic and I see Ben Maitland who as you know has been brilliant. His father is also apparently brilliant but there is a bigger waiting time to see him. I would highly recommend either of them.
So as I sit here proudly writing my blog on day one post chemo three, I am hoping things will continue to improve. Thank you for all of your messages of love and support.
I have hope and I am now more determined than ever to beat this.
Three down, five to go!!
xxx
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Gearing up for Chemo 3
I do wonder why the days that I'm feeling good pass by so quickly! Where have the past two weeks gone? Matty and I have had so much fun over the past couple of weeks and the supplements from my kineso have helped me SOOOO much!
When I saw my kineso last night, he actually said that my body was the best he's felt it so far, so that is a good sign for my blood test and treatment today. As scared as I feel, I know that I am as strong as I possibly could be and I feel that the supplements may help me to get through this treatment a bit better than the last.
We tested a lot of my beauty products last night which was fascinating! It's something that I haven't thought a lot about before, however, every product we put on our skin is absorbed and some of them had some bad reactions. Perfume was one of these, so I am now to spray perfume onto my clothes instead of my skin (a good tip for all women). Thankfully, my Lancome moisturiser tested ok as did my moisturisers from The Sanctuary in London (that Matty's mum has sent me), however, a lanolin moisturiser that my sis sent me from NZ (which I've been rubbing onto my head every morning and night) reacted badly, so I am not to use that again. My natural Body Shop deodorant tested ok and we have yet to test my makeup as we ran out of time....
I was also told that I can never eat dairy or soy again. We tested some rice crackers, wholegrain muffin and some crisps which have soy flour in and they were very bad, so I am not able to process soy or dairy, including goats milk every again! So I'm sure we will have fun experimenting with this new lifestyle.
I am seeing him tonight after chemo so he can set me up for the week and hopefully help my body to rebound after treatment; a very exciting thought!
I have had such a great few days in the lead up to today. Firstly, my exquisite engagement ring was completed and we picked it up..... my goodness, I was thinking it would be beautiful however, when I saw it, I could barely believe it! It is absolutely beautiful and the yellow diamond looks so spectacular.... I feel extremely lucky and we had some champagne to celebrate.... incidently we drank this the night before my kineso appnt where he said I was the best he's ever felt...... so we agreed that champagne is the key to a long and healthy life!!!!
My best friend Joey has been with us for the past couple of days.... her skills amaze me! We made our first Alannah style scarf which looks beautiful, she taught me how to knit (so a winter scarf is underway!!) and we did felting - so I now have this great piece of felt that I'm going to make into a needle holder and a jewellery wrap...... how cool is that! We had an action packed couple of days with loads of laughs.... Matty made us a delicious pie for dinner on Wed night and put a bit J and S on it.... it was so tasty!
We had some good friends over for dinner last night and it was so great to chat and catch up.....it was the perfect way to spend my last night before chemo; having some laughs with good friends..... (thanks Kim, Val and Nomes!)
So I can say that I feel like we have made the most of every waking hour over the past couple of weeks.... no doubt, I will need to disappear into my little cocoon over the next week..... I just really hope that this time round is a little better than last AND I will have my beautiful new sparkly finger to look at which I'm sure will cheer me up.
Over and out for now.... here is to treatment three.... one more after this to go on the two drugs which I have struggled with.... then I change to another drug which is supposed to be easier!
Here are some pics of the past week for you to enjoy...
xx
When I saw my kineso last night, he actually said that my body was the best he's felt it so far, so that is a good sign for my blood test and treatment today. As scared as I feel, I know that I am as strong as I possibly could be and I feel that the supplements may help me to get through this treatment a bit better than the last.
We tested a lot of my beauty products last night which was fascinating! It's something that I haven't thought a lot about before, however, every product we put on our skin is absorbed and some of them had some bad reactions. Perfume was one of these, so I am now to spray perfume onto my clothes instead of my skin (a good tip for all women). Thankfully, my Lancome moisturiser tested ok as did my moisturisers from The Sanctuary in London (that Matty's mum has sent me), however, a lanolin moisturiser that my sis sent me from NZ (which I've been rubbing onto my head every morning and night) reacted badly, so I am not to use that again. My natural Body Shop deodorant tested ok and we have yet to test my makeup as we ran out of time....
I was also told that I can never eat dairy or soy again. We tested some rice crackers, wholegrain muffin and some crisps which have soy flour in and they were very bad, so I am not able to process soy or dairy, including goats milk every again! So I'm sure we will have fun experimenting with this new lifestyle.
I am seeing him tonight after chemo so he can set me up for the week and hopefully help my body to rebound after treatment; a very exciting thought!
I have had such a great few days in the lead up to today. Firstly, my exquisite engagement ring was completed and we picked it up..... my goodness, I was thinking it would be beautiful however, when I saw it, I could barely believe it! It is absolutely beautiful and the yellow diamond looks so spectacular.... I feel extremely lucky and we had some champagne to celebrate.... incidently we drank this the night before my kineso appnt where he said I was the best he's ever felt...... so we agreed that champagne is the key to a long and healthy life!!!!
My best friend Joey has been with us for the past couple of days.... her skills amaze me! We made our first Alannah style scarf which looks beautiful, she taught me how to knit (so a winter scarf is underway!!) and we did felting - so I now have this great piece of felt that I'm going to make into a needle holder and a jewellery wrap...... how cool is that! We had an action packed couple of days with loads of laughs.... Matty made us a delicious pie for dinner on Wed night and put a bit J and S on it.... it was so tasty!
We had some good friends over for dinner last night and it was so great to chat and catch up.....it was the perfect way to spend my last night before chemo; having some laughs with good friends..... (thanks Kim, Val and Nomes!)
So I can say that I feel like we have made the most of every waking hour over the past couple of weeks.... no doubt, I will need to disappear into my little cocoon over the next week..... I just really hope that this time round is a little better than last AND I will have my beautiful new sparkly finger to look at which I'm sure will cheer me up.
Over and out for now.... here is to treatment three.... one more after this to go on the two drugs which I have struggled with.... then I change to another drug which is supposed to be easier!
Here are some pics of the past week for you to enjoy...
xx
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