Jump to content

Here's What I Did To Fight SCLC


Don

Recommended Posts

This will be long so sit back relax and say I CAN DO THIS:

1. Had a long talk with the lord of course one sided, he choose not to speak. I explained that this cancer thing was alot bigger than I could handle and ask him to handle it. Said Lord, I know if I die that I will wake up and be in heaven and attend a real big family reuinon and I thought that was great. If I wake up here thats OK too. I have my wife, family, friends, my horses, dogs, cats, and maybe I can help someone else so you handle this. My promise to him was I would always talk to someone everyday about the lord, someone everyday about their cancer (not mine), and I would encourage people to quit smoking like me(3 weeks before I was told I had cancer). Well a friend gave me a coin with a cross on one side and the prayer from Mark on the other that said: With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Well I carried this coin in my pocket at all times and when I was scared, nervous, or unsure I would rub that coin between my fingers until I remembered that my faith was stronger than the cancer.Today I buy those coins by the box and pass one out everytime I go somewhere. Especially when I go and visit at oncology ward.

2. I had to realize that I wasnt punished just bad luck. I went to the hospital for radiation and chemo and I would sit in the lobby at Brook Army Medical Center and watch people come in without legs, arms, young kids from Iraq with their faces nose, ears burnt off. And I mean off. They are 19 and 20 and will walk the rest of their life with these marks. Hm can you see my cancer. Nope. So I would make it a habit to sit and talk with them over lunch and let them know that its whats inside that counts and again, the lord will take care of them.

3. Well after my pity thing was over I began to start a new life, a life with cancer living inside of me. Now you have a choice here: Let the cancer control your life or you control the cancers life. By now you know what I did..

4. Now here is the plain facts and its so simple.

I raise horses and cattle and I remembered a old saying of mine. Have you ever seen a fat cow die. NOPE. The skinny ones do all the time. So here I am with a fried throat from radiation and cant eat and the doc's want to put a tube in my belly. Hm, again not a chance that this is going to happen so for 4 1/2 months while I couldnt eat solid food I drank 4-5 ice cream shakes a day, bowls and bowls of ice cream, Nestle's milks of banana's, vanilla, 3-4 cans of boost and I went from 165 to 210 during that 4 months. Also and here is a biggie hint, I ate a half watermelon everyday. Has that old vitamin (Lycopene) that doc's are now figuring out that helps fight cancer. Gave me the water I needed also and is a natural stool softner for me and I love ice cream and watermelon so seemed like a wise idea to me. LOL. Boost has many many vitamins in it so that really helps. Now while I am talking about vitamins I asked my onc, if I take vitamins during chemo can you for sure tell me that the vitamins will not help to heal cancer cells like it does good cells. He said and I quote, no, I cant tell you for sure that it will not help cancer cells to come back. Well, Boost is made to help your system with vitamins so that is all I used. After chemo stopped yes then I went on to a multi-vitamin called Miracle 2000 wich just seem to have a good balance but also had high seleium which is good to fight cancer cells. Got it at GNC. During chemo you do not want to eat thin skin fruit. Like apples, grapes, and such. The dirt and pesticides can lay under the skin so if you have to eat them make sure they are cooked. Eat lots of bananas, cantalope, watermelon and thick skinned fruit. All meat should be well done and please eat more fish than red meat. When your counts are down from chemo you can get any infection there is and then some. After I could eat I had plenty of cottage cheese with green olives. Lots of salads, veggies, carrots, and made up for 53 years of not eating veggies LOL my mom loved it.

5. Drink one gallon of water everyt day. Each time you drink a glass think to yourself I am washing my cancer away. I am washing my cancer away. Positive mind picks up where the oncs leave off. I told myself that Cancer was a temporary inconvience and I believed it.

6. Lots and lots of green tea. Hot with orange blossom honey in it. Very tasty. Would drop a peppermint or spearmint candy in it now and then. At night I couldnt sleep like most of you so I would have a big cup of sleepy time tea then take my sleeping pill. Well after awhile you condition your body to go hmmmm sleepy time tea , lights out. Got off the sleeping pills that way. Condition your mind and body to work for you not the cancer.

They also have a Lipton Green Tea out now. Its a cold drink that has citrus in it and is very tasty. Remember Green Tea, GOOD.

7. Your body heals best when you sleep so sleep away. I would get up in the morning so I could go lay on sofa and take a nap. Buy a big screen TV and rent lots and lots of movies. Take care of yourself, make yourself the number one priority in your life for a change. When you get better you can pick up where you left off or maybe change your life altogether.

8. A pet is always a good caregiver. Will lay with you and give you something in your heart that will comfort you 24/7.

9. Walking. When you can force yourself to walk and help them muscles. My wife and I would walk miles and miles when I could get up. Better to throw up outside than in the house anyway. By the way, after all this I am not on oxygen either and I believe its cause I walked alot even when it hurt.

Well in closing this is not a commercial, ad or a must do. This is what I did cause I wanted too. I might die from a truck, a horse bucking me off, maybe a heart attack but I WILL NOT DIE FROM CANCER.

Take care and God Bless,

Don

Feel free to ask me a question but ask it here where everyone can read it. :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don....

This post is wonderful. It's such an expression of your spirit and your survivorship.

You know, part of what works or doesn't work, I think, is in the BELIEVING that it will work! Of course, some good common sense things to do to take care of ourselves helps a lot. And your message is full of such things.

I never realized what you said about thin skinned fruits...but I can tell you that the one fruit I've eaten even thru chest rad, was cantaloup. I still crave it sometimes! I do eat an apple once in a while but I cut the skin off.

I'm so pleased you are doing well...and I'm going to print out your advice. I'm not saying I can or will follow it all...but so much of it is sensible and easy, that I'll beef up my efforts. :wink:

Love your comment about the fat cow...AND until our recent trip west and a loss of just 4-5 lbs, my weight has stayed stable and I work at keeping it that way!

Thanks again for your great advice! Stay well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pammie,

I tried to stay with all diet ice cream and such but to be honest I have been told by several onc's and some lab tech that the sugar was not a big deal but as with anything dont over do it. Another biggee was my onc didnt wait till my cell count went down he started me on Nuelasta and Procrit right in the beginning. I owe so much to him for stepping out and pushing the limits on me.

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don-

This is really great advice and a wonderful reference for people. I think you should copy it and place it in the "My Story" forum also--or maybe make it a sticky so it stays where people can reference it. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Rochelle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will use this information for my brother Mark who is really down and out..He is giving up and I feel so bad for him..Please tell me where to buy the coins, I would like to also buy a box..I know a lot of people that could use some support..God love you for helping others..

Donna

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Don, Wonderful story! My sister was dxed with sclc july 2004 and it has been a battle. I'll tell you what has never been a battle, though, and that is her counts. She has never needed one shot for her counts. Her onc. said that he never had a patient take the platinum like she did. He is against vitamins and would never ask her what she was doing. She is taking a mushroom complex for her white count, folic acid/b12 and iron for her red counts. She is taking multi vitamins, probiotics and digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are a must for cancer patients. You know what amazes me - doctors will prescirbe ensure or boost because you need the vitamins and then say that they don't prescirbe vitamins because they aren't sure if it will interfere with the chemo. That makes no sense whatsoever. The problem is that doctors are conditioned by the textbooks and universities that they are taught from, which are funded by the pharmaceutical companies. It is such a scam and such a shame. I have never in my life seen an oncologist like my sisters, try harder to save a person's life by killing them. He destroys their immune system and then does nothing to build it back up and then warns them to stay away from vitamins. The first thing my sister's onc. does is check her counts before chemo, therefore, good counts are imperative. We have saved my sister's insurance company thousands and thousands of dollars by keeping her counts elevated naturally, and we can't get even a small portion reimbursed to her, yet, they would not blink an eye at Procrit or Neulesta at approx. $5,000/shot. I think nutrition is an absolute must for any cancer patient. I wish you all the best and may you forever feel the Hand of God upon you.

Lynne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Lynne,

I was reading your post and have a question about digestive enzymes..Why is it necessary for cancer patients to take them? My brother has had so many problems with his stomach, and he was never told to take enzymes..I wonder if that is the problem? he was also told NOT to take vitamins..I also wondered about that. It makes no sense to me..

Thanks,

Donna :?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Don,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. My Uncle is just beginning fighting this battle, and your story reinforces my hope, that YES, he can beat this.

He has the same type of cancer you did, same treatments, manythings so simliar.

I am going to send this to my Aunt, for when he get to the point where he can eat. You have given lots of wonderful advice. Thank God you are doing well now.

I too will buy some coins, what a great idea to remind us in the darkest times that, With God All Things Are Possible!

May God continue to bless you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Thank You Joanie for the nice comments and to everyone else. Jan 7th was my 3 year mark and I had pet scan, mri, bone density and hip mri. I am glad to report that all is clear and am on my way to the 4 yr mark. God bless all of you and keep fighting.

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

My partner has NSCLC and I have to say that your advice regarding food has been some of the best advice I have been able to find. Your philosophy based on fat vs thin animals is so basic but so incredibly sensible. I have been feeding my man with ice cream, energy drinks, milkshakes, chocloate and all sorts of fattening stuff (as well as all the good vegetables etc) and, based on your advice & philosophy, thankfully we have turned weight loss around. And, the advice about watermelon has been an absolute life saver. We now both eat watermelon every morning as our first meal for the day. Thank you so much. Your inspiration has made it all the way to us in Australia and I can't thank you enough. Please be proud of yourself for the difference you have made. Thanks and best wishes to you. Siobhan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all of you and SSGG I want you to remember to have him drink 10 8oz glasses of water a day or more, even the flavored water is ok and with every drink, say to himself "I am washing my cancer away" and then thank God for the lovely day.

God Bless All of You

Don

PS: Just finished my last PET Scan and MRI last week. Clean as can be and no more scans for a year now. Bummer side, next week they replace my right hip then 3 months later the left hip. Seems the decatron steriod ate my ball joints in hips out. HA HA, they didnt think I would make it this long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don,

What a great story--not only informative but helped me get my spirituality in check.

I KNOW that GOD has bee there for me through this and has taken away alot of my discomforts and I have witnessed many miracles along the journey. You are definately a miracle and a gift.

Thanks again!!! You have helped me so much!!

GOD BLESS!!

Jamie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.