No More Cancer

I will never get cancer again. Or at least that’s what I planned. Sometime into cancer treatment, I decided I would read up on all I could. I would find out what to do and what to avoid and what to eat and what not to eat. (I was only 5% positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors being the “cause” of cancer therefore, I’m really more triple negative, which means there is no likely explanation as to the cause of breast cancer.) There is plenty of information out there or I guess you could say there is lots of opinions. Some indict sugar as the root cause of all sorts of unhealthiness. Others say eating a higher alkaline diet verses an acidic one can prevent the recurrence of cancer. Juicing with antioxidants galore is touted as a cure-all. Even drinking a tablespoon of vinegar a day is also mentioned as a possible preventative. Not to mention oils and herbs and phytochemicals.

I was thrilled when a friend asked me to go with her to a presentation about diet after cancer. I thought I would find the key to prevention there. I was prepared that if the speaker said studies show that if you never eat “blank” again or do this or that you will never get cancer again, then I would do it. Well, surprise, surprise she didn’t say that. The thing she emphasized was “put more plants on you plate.” And when she was about done, someone asked her that if you put more plants on your plate won’t you be exposing yourself to more pesticides. (The questioner referred to the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen foods ranked at ewg.org as to how much pesticides are found in fruits and vegetables.) The speaker assured her that the benefits far outweigh the risks and recommended eating organic foods as much as possible. But somehow, the question and answer made me feel like you couldn’t win for losing.

In addition, the speaker prefaced her presentation with her own story. She was close to my age, pencil thin, had run four half marathons, was a fitness coach and I think she was an organics vegetarian. Last December, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now someone who had lived her entire career eating healthy, exercising continually without an ounce of fat had gotten cancer. Some doctor in this journey had told me getting cancer is a crap-shoot and I began to believe it was somewhat true. But, I believe in the sovereignty of God and for some reason He allowed cancer in my life for purposes I plan to discuss later.

For now, I’m gonna’ stick with my husband’s advice from early on. I was lamenting on not finding the key to cancer prevention, so why bother? He said whatever changes you make to try and be healthier would never be a bad thing. So, these are the changes I have made:

*I do not drink diet soda or any other artificial sweetener if I can help it.

*I got rid of the vintage dinnerware I had purchased a couple of years ago. I loved the look but I am sure they were full of lead.

*I will no longer drink out of Styrofoam.

*Since I have felt stronger, I’ve tried to walk every day. (I moved inside after a number of what must be oak mite bites.)

*Just started drinking a tablespoon of unfiltered raw apple cider vinegar every day. Why not? It’s an easy one to do and my mom always talked up the benefits of vinegar.

*Became more disciplined about taking fish oil and a number of other vitamins every day. I added turmeric which is possibly a cancer fighting phytochemical.

* I snack on a pinch of flax seeds several times a day. They help with regularity, too. 🙂

*  I have put more plants on my plate and I have tried to eat less sugar. (However, full disclosure-I ate a ton of M and M’s while typing this.)

I began wearing no wig to work on October 1st. Love it.

Radiation had gone well. I feel no adverse effects so far. I have had 13 treatments and have 20 more to go. They have it down to an art at getting you in and out quickly. After lining me up on the table, it only takes about 5 minutes for me to be zapped from 4 different angles.