Reiki

I am convinced that Reiki (a Japanese form of energy treatment that has many `schools`) works for me.  Or at last the Reiki that I have been trained in and that I receive through a local United Church Healing Centre; the minister is a Reiki master and does training and the trainees volunteer to offer services on donation to the church.  There are two notable post Reiki experiences that I have had.  First, I did a Reiki treatment before my last chemo and found albeit I was incredibly tired, that I did not have the excruciating joint pain that I have had on the past two treatments of this drug.  I just had another treatment yesterday and my extreme fatigue (sleeping 20 hours each day on Monday and Tuesday) which started to slowly shift seems to be lifted completely today.  I`ll see if my energy level maintains itself this weekend. If so, this has been the best I have recovered on this drug.  I could say that perhaps my body has become accustom to Taxotere, but really that is the only possible explanation other than the Reiki. As far as I understand, typically the fatigue increases with each chemotherapy treatment and the side effects may shift here and there, but they don`t really change.

I understand that one's openness to the Reiki Treatment makes a difference.  The more open you are to "receive" the more likely you are to experience its healing. I know I was very relaxed during the treatments and was able to still my wandering mind. At very least one has an hour to relax and be with oneself while receiving treatments.

Chemotherapy post script

In the "Real World of Chemotherapy' I had some questions for my oncologist to answer. I stated that if I get a resonable responce I would state it here... and I think I did.

As I understand, Taxotere/Docetaxel that I have been for three rounds works by stopping cell division and provided cells with a death message. This is by the Taxotere interfering with the growth of spindles, thus providing the message there is no more growth to be done and the cell must naturally die.

This does not account for the large amount of swelling that my body goes through and my concerns for inflammation.  My oncolgist explained the swelling and inflamation is more related to the steroid that they put me on the manage the side effects of Taxotere.  When the steriod wears off, my body creates more inflammation to compensate for the change. Fortunately the Taxotere continues giving its die messages for a week, and the inflammation is cleared up by then.  Interesting to learn about. And, I think my oncolgist enjoys having my interest in the process.  Upon parting, he heartly shakes my hand and grins about looking forward to seeing me the next time - now in 12 weeks. I may have to come up with more questions for him.

I think his attitude is good as he has interest in the process of cancer and what the drugs do.  He could be the type oncologist who just listens to side effects, prescribes medication to manage the side effects and send the patient on his/her way.  I would find the second scenario completely frustrating and likely feel that it was taking from my empowerment as a patient to understand what is happening with my body. I've been blessed with doctors who are a good match for me.

Hurray

Just a quick post that I finished my past heavy duty chemotherapy treatment. Now I just need to go through the week of bad side effects for the last time. Still more to go through with medical tests, radiation and ongoing booster drugs, but this part of the journey has definitely been the most gruelling. Tired today, so off to bed.  I have blog ideas but they will have to wait until I am feeling more energetic and better.

Recipes

Today I'm sharing recipes, as requested by my cousin Kim.  They are all recipes that my three year old little guy has enjoyed. Although keep in mind he is generally an adventurous eater. And, they all meet my guidelines for diet. I have the measurements for two, but all the recipes can easily be doubled.

Spiced Israeli Couscous with Prunes and Ginger, adapted from Alive magazine’s recipe.

½ cup Israeli couscous (this is the larger pearl couscous – somewhat hard to find, I found mine at my local butcher who carries lots of organics.)

1 cup vegetable stock

2 carrots, grated

1 tsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp ground ginger (or freshly grated)

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp honey

1 cup of pitted prunes, cut into bit sized pieces.

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped cilantro to garnish

In a small pot, cook grated carrot with butter and enough water to just cover the carrot. After carrot is soft, puree and set aside.

In a saucepan, first light toast couscous in a dry pan. Set aside. Then, sauté onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil until onion is soft. Stir in cardamom, cumin and turmeric, salt and pepper. Then add couscous and stock. Continue to stir until stock is absorbed and couscous is tender.  Stir in honey and prunes. Add carrot puree. When serving, top with cilantro. Makes 2-3 servings.

Yellow Coconut Curry with Baked Tofu (my recipe)

Baked tofu:

½ block of firm tofu cut in 1 cm cubes

Marinade for at least 2 hours in:

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp of minced ginger

1 tsp honey

1/8 cup soya sauce or tamari sauce

1 tsp olive oil or sesame oil

After, baked on a cookie sheet at 350’F for ½ hour, turning tofu pieces about ½ way through

Curry:

1 tbsp canola or olive oil

1 small onion sliced

1 tbsp yellow curry

1 tsp turmeric

Ground pepper to taste

½ tsp cardamom

½ can lite coconut milk

1 small zucchini, cut in diagonal slices

1 carrot, peeled cut in diagonal slices

1 small head of broccoli, cut in to florets

In a wok or large saucepan, heat oil and sauté onions on med-high heat. Once the onions are soft, add spices: turmeric, curry, pepper and cardamom. After about a minute of heating spices add coconut milk to pan, stir until well combined and add vegetables.

Once cooked add baked tofu, serve on rice or try quinoa. Recently I cooked quinoa just like rice in the rice cooker. It worked out well.

Bengali Beef (adapted from the Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer)

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ lb. of lean ground beef

1 large onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp flour (or tapioca starch)

¾ cup beef or vegetable stock

1/8 cup vinegar

¼ cup raisins

1/8 cup pine nuts

¼ pistachios, shelled (although I’ve been using cashews)

½ cup plain yogurt or plain kefir

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Cook the onions and garlic until browned, try a medium low heat.  Add curry and turmeric. Cook for another minute.  Push onions and garlic to the edge of the pan and add beef.  Cook on medium to medium high heat until beef is cooked through.  Sprinkle flour on beef and onion mixture. Add salt, pepper, cardamom, broth, vinegar and raisins. Mix well, cover, and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. After add the pine nuts and pistachios. Serve on basmati rice, top each with about 4 Tbsp of yogurt.

As I typed out these recipes I realized there are a number of substitutions that I use to help reduce the amount of processed foods (including white flour). I use a variety of substitutions on a regular basis.  Here are a few of the top of my head.

• white flour: use spelt or kamut flour. I have also been experimenting with brown rice flour and quinoa flour, whihc are heavier and need to be mixed with other flours. If the flour is being used as a thickening agent then try tapioca flour
• white rice: use quinoa or at least parboiled or basmati which have a lower glycaemic index. If I recall from a relative who has diabetes, one cup of white rice is something like eating 9 packets of sugar.
• any oil can be substituted for olive oil or canola.  I'm also experimenting with coconut oil which has a higher burn point and some sources are indicating it has health benefits unlike what was previously thought
• if reducing salt intake us Bragg's or tamari sauce in place of soya sauce
• use yogurt in place of sour cream to reduce fat
• sugar: try agave syrup or I'll use a combination of honey and agave
• there are more health benefits to eating/keeping tree nuts raw and seed (or pod nuts) to be cooked. This influences how I make muesli.

These are just a sample of some of the changes I make when cooking.  Of course I am trying to keep all meet and meat by-products organic as well as the fruits and vegetables that are known to have a higher pesticide load.

The Real World of Chemotherapy

My mom said a couple of days ago “the cure seems worse than the disease” – well not entirely true, but certainly chemotherapy is taking its wear and tear. I have just wrapped up chemo number 5 (of 6) and the side effects are seemingly worse/cumulative. Yesterday was the first day that I felt more myself in pretty much a week. Having spent so much time with the side effects I have been wondering about chemotherapy quite a bit.  I have also noticed things that are not listed side effects, but perhaps something to note based on my anecdotal experience.

I am noticing that I have not yet received a mosquito bite yet this summer. True I haven’t been outside as much, but I do love outdoors and have been eating with family dinner outdoors, and I am usual one of the first to get bites.

My acupuncturist says I smell like a hospital, even when I haven’t been in the hospital for two weeks.

I have noticed the bristles on my toothbrush turning to be a pale yellowish brown colour.

My white clothing, after being washed, has patches of pale yellow-green, mostly close to the port area where I receive my chemo injections and where I may sweat.

As my chemotherapy drugs changed to Taxotere and Herceptin on round four, I am now surrounding my fingers and toes with ice for an hour during infusion to help ward off the potential nerve damage from this drug and to prevent my nails from failing out. Come to think of it, I think that is worse than losing my hair as I tend to type on the computer a lot and like to play piano. (Most of these side effects are from Taxotere or FEC taken earlier; Herceptin, technically a bio-drug, can cause heart problems and can augment the severity of chemotherapy drugs).

I am wondering how exactly this drug works. I have been experiencing serious swelling in my joints and noticeably of my tongue and glands.  I know from my naturopath that the tongue is a way of establishing body health and can reflect inflammation.  It follows from the amount of joint/muscle pain I have as a side effect that perhaps I am all inflamed, arthritis is a disease of inflammation as is cancer.  I understand from my reading that a bodily environment of inflammation promotes cancer growth. So I am wondering how does this drug work if it creates inflammation beyond anything I could imagine.  I’m asking my oncologist next meeting to see if he has more explanation as to how Taxotere works, beyond the standard: chemotherapy drugs attack fast growing cells. If I get a suitable reply I’ll share it on my blog.

I don’t want to get into a long litany of complaints or listing side effects that are typically shared on any medical site/handout from the oncologist, but I do have my questions about these drugs.  What seems apparently clear is the strength of the drugs. It is very clear to me that I want to detox as soon as I safely can (without taxing my body too much or interfering with the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs).  I already plan to ask my oncologist about guidelines and plan to set a prompt appointment with my naturopath. When I get to detoxing, I’ll share what I learn from that too.

hair!

So I hair growing in. I started to think this about a week ago, but definitely now I can tell there is a fine fuzzy sort of hair that is growing in the bald patchs.  I'm very curious what it will grow in as. I can tell there are patches that never fell out and these are short bristly dark patches, then the new hair is soft, fuzzy and has a blonde or grey colour.  Obviously the second chemo drug started on round 4 did not make more of my hair fall out (that was a possiblity). I'm excited to have my hair grow in and have some sort of pixie cut.  Thought I'd share... BTW, an entry on chemotherapy is coming soon.

What I'm doing for health and diet

I have noticed in the past months a number of people whom I know have heard about what I am doing for my health have asked for the dietary information either for themselves or for friends/loved ones who are also dealing with cancer in their lives.  At times I have thought rather than just referring to my practices on this blog, I should post the document that I have created.  So here it is, following this introduction, with few additional recipes and further explanation as to sources of information and reasoning behind certain dietary choices.

This is a working document and likely to change as I learn new information.  Also, I’ll mention that I try to keep to this regime, but I have made exceptions, like for my son’s birthday and other special moments.  Additionally, when I was losing 2 kg between each chemotherapy treatment I began reworking how I eat to reflect the different needs my body had, in regards to maintaining weight and adhering to cravings for red meat that I felt strongly after my initial chemotherapy treatments.

So, what am I doing for health:

On Organics:

I tend to eat only organic meats and animal by-products (i.e. eggs, butter, milk etc.) If I can, I try and get free range meat/animals fed with grass and/or flax meal. One of my preferred books is Anticancer A New Way of LIfe by David Servan-Schreiber,  http://www.anticancerbook.com/. There is an argument made to attend to the intake of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids. I understand that Omega 6 fatty acids increase inflammation within the body and Omega 3’s reduce inflammation in the body. Cancer grows in an environment where the body is inflamed.  Animals fed with Omega 6 rich products pass this to us, just as in Omega 3’s however our food sources are rich in Omega 6 (feed from corn, soy and other products) and typically deficient in Omega 3’s.  I understand this balance in the body needs to be about equal intake to be optimized.  Animal products feed with flax and/or feed naturally in pastures are providing Omega 3 fatty acids to our diet (beyond fish products and other sources easily found on an internet search).

I eat the following non meat products organic (because they carry a high pesticide load). I will eat non-organic if they are locally hydroponically grown or if I’ve talked to the seller at the farmer’s market to understand their use of pesticides):

Strawberries      potatoes              celery    raspberries         cherries                                cucumber            bell peppers

Spinach                                peaches, apricots             pears                     apples                   beans                    grapes 

Lettuce                                 blueberries         kale

The following are low in pesticide residue and do not need to be purchased organic:

Avocados            corn       onions                  sweet potatoes                                cauliflower          brussel sprouts

Bananas               plums    green onions     watermelon, or any melon in general     broccoli                                mangos               

Asparagus           sweet peas                         pineapple            citrus fruits                        kiwi

I also assume swiss chard, mustard greens, chinese greens like bok choi and cabbage are good bets to purchase non-organic too; however, I recently found kale on a high pesticide load list, so one has to continually check what information is available.  I’ve been looking on-line for this information  (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/) and through the free magazines through the health food store. I personally like the content of Alive magazine ( www.alive.com)

Anticancer Diet:

I understand the more diversity of foods, especially fruits and vegetables, the more beneficial. Traditional Mediterranean and Asian methods of cooking are more conducive to an anti-cancer diet. I understand the following have anti-cancer properties and I try to incorporate them in what I eat everyday:

Green tea (preferably sencha)  Red rooibos tea

Flaxseed (must be ground, not cooked, also a good source of Omega 3’s)

Seaweed (also known to be good to helping excreting radiation out of the body)

Turmeric (must be cooked with black pepper for anti cancer results)

Ginger, chili pepper, mint, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram, cumin, coriander, parsley, fennel, anise, chervil, watercress, garlic, scallions

prunes

Probiotics (yogurt)

Tomatoes (must be cooked,. considered to be helpful to prevent prostate cancer)

Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, red currents, Saskatoon berries

Crucifers; cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, broccoli

I am not eating processed foods, nor white sugar or flour (this is influenced by a low glycaemic diet) *throughout my husband’s ordeal with cancer his medical professionals constantly mentioned to limit sugar intake.  This may be because of his cancer being treated like Pancreatic cancer and part of his pancreas was removed. The pancreas is where insulin is produced and glucose is regulated. Additionally, when I went for genetic counselling, some of the initial questioning indicated breast, prostate, pancreatic and thyroid cancers were interlinked somehow. I have reasoned that all are linked to the endocrine system (regulating hormones) in the body and the link to sugars should not be taken lightly, despite current literature provided at the hospital clearly states sugar is not a concern for diet.

I use maple syrup, agave syrup, honey or apple sauce as sweeteners

I bake with spelt, brown rice flour or quinoa flour (usually a mix of flours as brown rice and quinoa are heavier).  Kamut is also a good grain to use.

I will eat pasta if made with semolina wheat, but tend to purchase kamut or brown rice pasta. Rice is better to be brown, wild, basmati or parboiled (which actually has the lowest gylcaemic index of the rices).

I try to eat whole grains (ie bread product made from whole grain or sprouted grains, or use quinoa or kasha in place of rice)

I generally replace potatoes with sweet potatoes.  I have recently made a mash out of cauliflower and celeriac that my son liked.

I limit my meat intake to the suggested 11 ounces/week – mostly fish or organic chicken (max 18 limit) I eat minimal red meat and pork and do not eat any cured, smoked or salted products; I also stay away from BBQ’d or burnt food as this creates carcinogens (cancer causing substance)

I often use soya products to replace ground meat or the likes.  However with my passion as a label reader, I’m not sure if I like what is in these products as available in the grocery store.  I’m more satisfied with products from health food stores and there is a good organic tofu retailer in the lower level of the St. Lawrence market.  There’s also a sprouts retailer there – which are great for salads and smoothies. I am also concerned with soya intake for the estrogen levels (a concern for breast cancer patients) and trying to get a clear answer about this.

As a variation to tempeh (a fermented soya product that is easier to digest than tofu) is to use seitan (a mushroom based product)

I am limiting my fat intake tremendously – I think the suggested amount is about 20% of your daily intake which works out to be a couple of tablespoons of fat per day (that includes oils, milk fat, fat from meat, baked goods etc)

Also I only use flax seed, canola and olive oils. I am exploring coconut oil, but there is mixed information on the benefits for it.  Broth (organic chicken or vegetable) is a good substitute for oil in stirfries and when sautéing.

When using nuts, I understand that it is better to eat tree nuts (i.e. walnuts, almonds) raw and ground nuts (i.e. peanuts and soya) roasted a(gain this has to do with the chemical changes in the nuts and the beneficial Omega 3’s as mentioned with animal products)

Some recipes:

For breakfast I have been making homemade muesli from “Food that Fight Cancer” cookbook (publisher’s link: http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771011351 ).  Every morning I combine this with no fat organic yogurt, 1 tbsp flax seed oil (Flora brand), organic ground flax seed (although grinding your own fresh each day is a good idea) with organic berries, almond milk (fortified) if I want the mixture to be less thick. The Foods that Fight Cancer cookbook has a good first section that explains the molecular aspects of why certain foods have cancer fighting properties.

For a quick side, I have been steaming brussel sprouts (a anti-cancer all-star).  In a saucepan I combine turmeric with garlic and some black pepper, one can use canola and/or broth to make a sauce then I add the brussel sprouts. I have also found a great pickled brussel sprout recipe. Brussel sprouts are very high on the food that prevent or limit cancer growth list.

My son loves this Greek Tempeh recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/greek-tempeh-pitas-56655. I drain organic yogurt with chopped garlic and grated cucumber to make a home-made Tzatiki and I often add in my own home grown sprouts (very easy – buy seeds, put jar of water covered with cheesecloth, rinse then soak for a few hours. Drain.  The following days rinse and drain twice a day until grown – typically about 4 days). Sprouts apparently have condensed nutrients and a handful of broccoli sprouts could be like eating a head of broccoli, as per the sprout specialist at the St. Lawrence Market.

Besides the diet, I am trying to walk daily, was attending yoga classes (on hold during chemotherapy now because I have light-headedness as a side effect) and meditating daily.  I am working on positive visualization and being social with my friends and family as I find this helps my mood; although I clearly stated to friends and family I only want positive around me. I think state of mind is integral to the healing process, although it is hard to do, especially when treatment is getting rough.  I have also been exploring Energy therapies, use of acupuncture and other alternative therapies. When I am past the rough parts of treatments, I am hoping to seriously increase my (cardio) activity level. I understand physical activity level does significantly reduce the reoccurrence of breast cancer – I think I read up to 50-60%.

on personal growth and becoming an advocate

I understand for many who meet me in my adult life, they are surprised to discover that I was a very shy child.  I was so shy that I only spoke to others when spoke to first, the exception was with close family and friends who I had known for a long time. In reflection, I often found it odd that I choose a profession where I talk for a living, however I tend to reveal little about myself and my clients are paying me to reveal much about themselves in a very sacred manner. Somehow, leaving my childhood home in my late teens and living independently freed up my voice; albeit daunting.  Today I carry this on further to find myself advocating for myself in my own healthcare. 

This week I had the opportunity to connect and chat with one of my colleagues became ill with breast cancer around the same time as myself.  She has different issues than myself, however, I started asking her questions about her treatment and she could not name the chemotherapy drugs she had took and had little interest in knowing the details of her treatment.  I found this surprising for a woman who often is outspoken and likes to "rock the boat" a little.  It became clearer to me I am seen as a different kind of patient. I tend to spending first meetings with my doctors asking a barrage of questions related to my treatment and they have kindly responded and typically have spent 1.5 to 2 hours with me upon a first meeting. This has allowed me to have open frank conversations with my medical team which works for me, because I would rather know what exactly I am dealing with and make informed choices.

As an aside, I recognize this is likely influenced by the joint experience of my husband's disease. He was diagnosed with cancer of the ampula vatar, the treatment prescribed was treatment for cancer of the pancreas.  We questioned this difference with several doctors throughout his treatment.  We were simply told this is the treatment.  Eventually, after being released from the last clinical trial that he could participate in, we asked his trial doctor again, what is the difference? Her response was a tentative 'well it is different on a cellular level'.  Well cancer is a cellular disease and each type of cancer is different; what happens to the cells (rapidly reproducing and not dying off like normal cells do) is the commonality.  I wish one of the doctors told us this in the beginning. We did logic it out, but we wanted a professional to confirm what we already knew. Perhaps, we may have explored alternative treatments earlier. We may not have pursued this route, and the outcome may not have changed at all, but we were denied that opportunity by not being clear about how the treatment the doctors were offering was just the best the could offer in their knowledge because the cancer he had was so rare.

Back to what kind of patient I am, I've been peering into my patient file at the hospital, which really has nothing really of interest or anything that I didn't already know. By the way I was not sneaking into filing cabinets, my doctors and nurses leave my file out in the open, so it is free for review. In my file, a social worker I had contact with described me as actively informed and engaged in strong self-advocacy.  I think I need to start revisiting my self-definitions as I'm realizing that young shy child is no more, she has owned her voice and has become out-spoken in a way.  I still am introverted and reserved in many ways but I have learned to be comfortable with my ideas and the validity of my thoughts.

Back to the supports, I've actually found that despite many additional psycho-social support services for breast cancer patients exist (in part because breast cancer has large amounts of funding), I've implemented most of what they offer already in my day to day life practices. Not always consistently, however that is more about my own lack persistence and /or regiment.  What I have benefitted from is many of the services of RETHINK Breast Cancer: http://rethinkbreastcancer.com/, especially their 'Angel Nanny' and Child Life Specialist programs. I am still interested in finding an internet chat space for patients like me, preferably geared to young breast cancer survivors like myself.

Recently, I have found is many people I have personal contact with are curious about what I am doing, especially around diet. I will share this in my next blog entry. I consulted one day with the hospital dietician the nausea side effect was starting to interrupt enjoyment of many foods and I was starting to worry about what could I even manage to eat without alienating my taste buds from all food. As I tend to read literature that is provided to me, there was very little she shared that was new, if anything.  She did confirm what I already knew, but I guess I was hoping there was something  more that can be done.  I think this is the limitation of modern medical services, and somehow I keep thinking there is a "magical solution" for the challenging aspects of treatment. There isn't, I think it goes back to attitude and creating perceptions within my thinking that allows for me to feel I am making positive change for the betterment of my health and my son, who I know has a challenging genetic legacy with strong histories of cancer on both sides of the family.

I am also investigating ways to make my home more toxin-free, slowly using up store bought cleaners already in my cupboards.  As I use them up I am implementing natural products, mostly home-made cleaners, however for serious laundry stains, I think I need to start experimenting with store bought products. Also, I am starting to look into toiletries which apparently have many ingredients that impact hormone regulation and I am starting to explore how I may start phasing out these items from my home too. So far, these changes are informed by information in and There is Lead in my Lipstick (http://www.gilldeacon.ca/projects-lipstick.php) and  The Ecoholic Home (http://www.ecoholic.ca/homebook.html).