NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, it's been almost six months since my cancer operation. So far as I know, my PSA ( Protstate Specific Antigen ) level is still less than one, so I may not need either radiation or chemotherepy. However, I'm getting myself prepared to weather that particular storm just in case.

1. I now steam veggies in a bamboo steamer. I put asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, a few mushrooms, etc., in the steamer, put it over a boiling pot of water, then periodicallly stick a fork in the carrots to see if it's all cooked ( the carrots are the last to cook all the way through ). I lightly sprinkle them with salt and "Lemon-Pepper" and I have to admit that they taste pretty durned good! :)

2. I'm going to join the local YMCA and start using the eliptical trainer as a substitute for running, since running can put a lot of strain on your joints. I'm also going to work out with the weights and the machines to build up my general physical condition. I intend to be one buff old dude! :D

3. I no longer eat pasta ( although I allow myself one pizza a month ... heh! ), or bread, or virtually anything with sugar in it ( and definitely NO sweetened soft drinks! ).

4. I have a good mental attitude already, but I'm spending more time with my grandchildren, laughing more, and doing what I can to exercise my mind ( reading, writing, etc. ). I've even started romancing that pretty woman I'm married to again! :D

5. I NO LONGER SMOKE! Yayyyy me! :D

So, what do you think? Anything I'm missing? What else can I do to prepare myself to be in the best condition possible? A lil help here? :)

No pasta?! You sir are a brave man. I wish you luck.

sounds like you're doing pretty damn good as it is my man. here's hoping all this prep won't be necessary :)

i think you're about 250% healthier than i am at least :p

Good for you.

Pasta is OK, if it's the kind that's high in fibre. The darker, the better, basically.

Ah. From the title, I thought you were preparing for a possible terrorist attack.

Ah. From the title, I thought you were preparing for a possible terrorist attack.
Same thing! :D

Pasta is OK, if it's the kind that's high in fibre. The darker, the better, basically.
High fiber pasta doesn't taste too good to me. Ick.

sounds like you're doing pretty damn good as it is my man. here's hoping all this prep won't be necessary :)

i think you're about 250% healthier than i am at least :p
Heh! I don't know about all that, but if I were you and had a girlfriend like yours, I would want to be in the best possible condition for ... whatever. Ya kno whut ah mean? :p

No pasta?! You sir are a brave man. I wish you luck.
Yeah. I know. But you just have to get use to it, ya know? Sigh.

have you given any thought to your spiritual well being? a good attitude is great, but chemo is stressful, you might want to examine ways you can effectively deal with that stress (meditation, prayer, you know whatever you are comfortable with)


Oh, and the no pasta thing is great, if however you really really crave some, the girls and I eat Tinkyada, (http://www.tinkyada.com/) it's brown rice pasta, it's very good and good for you as well.

im thinking that you should call your cancer doc and ask him for a recommendation of a dietician that specializes in nutrition for cancer patients. the general recommendations of what is good for healthy people probably isnt the same as what s/he would recommend for someone undergoing serious chemo/radiation treatments.

So, what do you think? Anything I'm missing? What else can I do to prepare myself to be in the best condition possible? A lil help here? :)

Omega 3's. Most of us don't get enough anymore. So if you don't eat oily fish 2-3 time a week, take a supplement. Fish oil capsules are the standard supplement. However, if you are worried about mercury or other heavy metals in fish, flax seed oil is a good plant source. I take high lignan, cold pressed flax oil.

If you don't already, use olive oil. It's quite healthy and tossed lightly with steamed vegetables is very tasty. There is also some evidence that olive oil has anti cancer properites. Extra virgin is typically best. Brand or price makes very little difference.

And should it come to chemo or radiation, just remember that it isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. Radiation therapy is much more focused and localized than it was when I had it in '83. And there are a slew of meds now to help with the side effects of chemo that weren't around only a couple of years ago.

Good luck. :)


Edited to add some info

Omega 3

http://www.omega-3info.com/lifedeath.htm

"Cancer
Studies in animals suggest that the omega-3s may have a role in the prevention of some forms of cancer such as breast, prostate and bowel (colon) cancer. Recent small studies among humans are also showing similar protective benefits. A thirty-year Swedish study among 6,000 men found that those who ate no omega-3 rich fish like mackerel and herring had a two or three times higher chance of contracting prostate cancer than those who ate moderate or high amounts. In comparisons of populations, fish eaters also appear to be at lower risk for breast, lung and colon cancer."


.

Omega 3's. Most of us don't get enough anymore. So if you don't eat oily fish 2-3 time a week, take a supplement. Fish oil capsules are the standard supplement. However, if you are worried about mercury or other heavy metals in fish, flax seed oil is a good plant source. I take high lignan, cold pressed flax oil.

If you don't already, use olive oil. It's quite healthy and tossed lightly with steamed vegetables is very tasty. There is also some evidence that olive oil has anti cancer properites. Extra virgin is typically best. Brand or price makes very little difference.

And should it come to chemo or radiation, just remember that it isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. Radiation therapy is much more focused and localized than it was when I had it in '83. And there are a slew of meds now to help with the side effects of chemo that weren't around only a couple of years ago.

Good luck. :)

.


Make some pasta with extra virgin olive oil (say, pasta with garlic and various vegetables roasted in extra virgin olive oil) and maybe some fish added. It's super yummie, and given by everyone else's suggestion, will taste good and will meet many of your nutritional requirements.

Congrats on giving up the smoking. Just the though of the stress involved makes me want to have one.

have you given any thought to your spiritual well being? a good attitude is great, but chemo is stressful, you might want to examine ways you can effectively deal with that stress (meditation, prayer, you know whatever you are comfortable with)
I already take care of my spiritual side, dear lady. Thank you for your concern! :fluffle:

I already take care of my spiritual side, dear lady. Thank you for your concern! :fluffle:
I figured you had all that together just how you want it, but if that was not the case and I neglected to say something I would have felt awfully bad. ;)

im thinking that you should call your cancer doc and ask him for a recommendation of a dietician that specializes in nutrition for cancer patients. the general recommendations of what is good for healthy people probably isnt the same as what s/he would recommend for someone undergoing serious chemo/radiation treatments.
My doctor already made a number of recommendations. Since it's not a foregone conclusion that I'm going to have chemo/radiation, I'm just trying to get myself in the best possible condition just in case. Even if I don't ever need chemo/radiation, at the very least I will feel better. :)

Omega 3's. Most of us don't get enough anymore. So if you don't eat oily fish 2-3 time a week, take a supplement. Fish oil capsules are the standard supplement. However, if you are worried about mercury or other heavy metals in fish, flax seed oil is a good plant source. I take high lignan, cold pressed flax oil.

If you don't already, use olive oil. It's quite healthy and tossed lightly with steamed vegetables is very tasty. There is also some evidence that olive oil has anti cancer properites. Extra virgin is typically best. Brand or price makes very little difference.
I already take fish oil capsules every other day, but thanks for reminding me about the extra virgin olive oil. I had forgotten that! :)

Good for you. You might want to check out the Perricone diet...I know it's supposed to be for skin health and all that, but it has great principles if you can afford all the fresh stuff.

I figured you had all that together just how you want it, but if that was not the case and I neglected to say something I would have felt awfully bad. ;)
You're so sweet. You sure that marriage of yours is rock solid? ;) ;)

Good for you. You might want to check out the Perricone diet...I know it's supposed to be for skin health and all that, but it has great principles if you can afford all the fresh stuff.
At this point, I can't NOT afford all the fresh stuff! :)

Congrats on giving up the smoking. Just the though of the stress involved makes me want to have one.
Very, very difficult. Almost the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my life! Although all the physical dependencies are gone, I still have the urge for one now and then. Psychological dependency sucks! ;)

You're so sweet. You sure that marriage of yours is rock solid? ;) ;)
very much so. ;)

and why are people always asking me that? LOL it's like everytime I see someone from highschool or whatever they say "are you still married?" and when I say yeah, the get this sad look on their face.

oh, I was wondering did I remember you having an auto-immune disorder also, like crohn's or something? I could be confusing you with someone else.... anyway if so you might check into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, it has been helpful in people with auto immune disorders esp. people who have digestive related ones. My girls are pretty much on it for their celiac, and my husband is starting it soon for his crohn's.

very much so. ;)

and why are people always asking me that? LOL it's like everytime I see someone from highschool or whatever they say "are you still married?" and when I say yeah, the get this sad look on their face.

oh, I was wondering did I remember you having an auto-immune disorder also, like crohn's or something? I could be confusing you with someone else.... anyway if so you might check into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, it has been helpful in people with auto immune disorders esp. people who have digestive related ones. My girls are pretty much on it for their celiac, and my husband is starting it soon for his crohn's.
Nope. You must have me confused with someone else. My immune system is almost disgustingly healthy! :D

The reason people ask you that is because you're just so darned sweet! I have yet to see a picture of you, so I don't know for a fact that your appearance matches your personality, but I suspect that it does. I bet when I first see your picture, I'll have this overwhelming impulse to find you and reach out to take your cheek between thumb and forefinger and say, "Ohhh, you are just sooooo sweeeet!" :D

Well, I'm going to have to pimp grape seed oil for no good reason. Love that stuff.
*pimps grape seed oil*
Congrats to Eut for not smoking and staying healthy! Yay, Eut! Yay!

No pasta?! You sir are a brave man. I wish you luck.
Seconded. Why, I cannot imagine life without Olive Garden or my neighborhood place, Piccasso's.

Well, I'm going to have to pimp grape seed oil for no good reason. Love that stuff.
*pimps grape seed oil*
Congrats to Eut for not smoking and staying healthy! Yay, Eut! Yay!
Ah be werkin' on it! :)

Seconded. Why, I cannot imagine life without Olive Garden or my neighborhood place, Piccasso's.
Well, I have discovered that as I've gotten older, pasta tends to ... shall we say, stay with me for a long, long time! Heh! :D

So, what do you think? Anything I'm missing? What else can I do to prepare myself to be in the best condition possible? A lil help here? :)
Sex. Lots and lots of sex.

AH, you'll live to be 130, Eut.

Only the GOOD die young. :p

AH, you'll live to be 130, Eut.

Only the GOOD die young. :p
Oh that was just unfair. Shame shame, Lunatic.

coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough*Giving up smoking is for sissies..*coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough*

Oh that was just unfair. Shame shame, Lunatic.

Bah! I'm shooting for immortality. :D

Well, it's been almost six months since my cancer operation. So far as I know, my PSA ( Protstate Specific Antigen ) level is still less than one, so I may not need either radiation or chemotherepy. However, I'm getting myself prepared to weather that particular storm just in case.

1. I now steam veggies in a bamboo steamer. I put asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, a few mushrooms, etc., in the steamer, put it over a boiling pot of water, then periodicallly stick a fork in the carrots to see if it's all cooked ( the carrots are the last to cook all the way through ). I lightly sprinkle them with salt and "Lemon-Pepper" and I have to admit that they taste pretty durned good! :)

2. I'm going to join the local YMCA and start using the eliptical trainer as a substitute for running, since running can put a lot of strain on your joints. I'm also going to work out with the weights and the machines to build up my general physical condition. I intend to be one buff old dude! :D

3. I no longer eat pasta ( although I allow myself one pizza a month ... heh! ), or bread, or virtually anything with sugar in it ( and definitely NO sweetened soft drinks! ).

4. I have a good mental attitude already, but I'm spending more time with my grandchildren, laughing more, and doing what I can to exercise my mind ( reading, writing, etc. ). I've even started romancing that pretty woman I'm married to again! :D

5. I NO LONGER SMOKE! Yayyyy me! :D

So, what do you think? Anything I'm missing? What else can I do to prepare myself to be in the best condition possible? A lil help here? :)

Of course I don't know what your doctor would say, but I understand that one glass of wine in the evening is supposed to be a good idea.