Homepage – Forum › Forums › Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer › Anyone tried homeopathic temedies?
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Tana.
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September 30, 2023 at 7:40 pm #45919
Kim
ParticipantI had a TURBT on July 12, 2023 for NMIBC, high grade. Start BCG next week. I went to a herbalist who gave me UNDA 7 drops and Candida remedy. Also, Vit D drops, cranberry pills, and recommended Celtic salt water. I found the salt water horrible and bloating. I don’t know if these things will help but I want to do everything I can to stop cancer from coming back. Any help?
I’m 60, female, very active, healthy eater, no red meat, no processed meats, non smoker, non drinker.October 1, 2023 at 9:26 am #45921DavidSheard
ParticipantIt can be a big shock when you get the diagnosis. Been there. On the bright side it is non invasive and that is very good news. Also BCG treatments normally work very well. You are also younger and have a healthy lifestyle. You have good reason to be optimistic. Hang in there.
October 1, 2023 at 3:23 pm #45922Nightingale
KeymasterHi Kim,
I believe you’ve got a pretty good chance of beating it. I was diagnosed 13 years ago with non-invasive low grade and after 7 years of regular tests, I came out cancer free. Keep doing what you’re doing from the health side. I’m confident you can beat it.
BTW, I’ve not tried homeopathic meds, but I drank a lot of green tea and ate berries like blue berries and strawberries.
My best,
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
Nightingale.
October 1, 2023 at 6:13 pm #45924marysue
ParticipantHi Kim:
My diagnosis was the same as yours. I was first diagnosed in 2008, then had a small recurrence in 2010 and unfortunately a second recurrence in September 2022. Why I had a recurrence after 12 years is anyone’s guess. My urologist couldn’t give me a definitive answer. It took a while to get my head around the fact that I was dealing with it yet again.
I take some vitamins, a probiotic, cranberry pills, and drink a greens powder that contains cruciferous veggies and chorella and spirulina. There is some unsubstantiated research that does state that increasing the amount of cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower etc. helps fight cancer recurrence. Like Nightingale I drink green and herbal teas and have increased my consumption of fruits and veggies. I had stopped the greens powder for quite a while. Whether that had any effect on the 2022 recurrence I have no idea.
As far as I know there is no specific diet, supplement or herbs that can guarantee that the cancer won’t return but doing the extra will not hurt. The main thing I try to do are the things that will give my body the most strength to fight cancer or reduce the potential of any other disease. That is the usual – eat a healthy diet, try to exercise and maintain a healthy weight, get lots of rest, don’t smoke or do recreational drugs, limit the amount of alcohol. Despite the recurrences, I’m convinced that I’ve done myself a real favour by doing the things that I do and that is why I’ve gotten as far as I have.
The main things that I have found that help my body and I believe give it extra strength are making sure that I’m not constipated, don’t have a yeast infection or UTI. So that is why I drink a lot of filtered water, herbal and green teas. Cranberry pills and the probiotic have definitely helped prevent the yeast infections and UTIs.
I have done several rounds of BCG. Immunotherapy worked well for me the first two go rounds. The second time I did 15 treatments (2010-12) and that was what got me the 12 clear years. This time around in 2022 I had more issues with bladder inflammation because it was a different brand of BCG and I’ve had to temporarily stop BCG for a bit. But that is me. Still, I’ve been cancer free for a year now and I’m taking that as a win. I’m an outlier when it comes to a lot of drugs and drug treatments. As mentioned by DavidSheard BCG treatments work fairly well for the majority of people.
A word of caution – check with your medical provider about taking any herbs while doing BCG. Some things can interact with BCG. Vitamins, probiotics are generally okay.
I struggled for a long time with trying to figure out why I got bladder cancer. The main risk is smoking. I’ve never been a smoker but was exposed to a lot of second hand smoke growing up and in the early years of my working life. I was also exposed to a lot of toxic chemicals which I didn’t know about at the time. So any of this could have or not have caused my issue. It takes a while to get your head around the shock of a cancer diagnosis especially when you have lived a relatively healthy lifestyle.
The one thing I learned about BCG that gave me hope and courage was that it is something that stimulates the immune system to help prevent recurrence. That was what kept me going as I was doing treatments. That and the vitamins and dietary improvements along with y0ga and meditation to calm my mind. I called these things my weapons. It is all that we can do. Hang in and don’t hesitate to ask questions. We are here for you. Best of luck with the BCG. (((HUGS)))
October 1, 2023 at 8:27 pm #45928Kim
ParticipantThank you everyone for your replies. It helps to hear positive stories. Mary sue, you are the first person I’ve connected with that also had high grade bc, so your story is especially up lifting. The high grade diagnosis has me very worried. Like you, I wonder why I got bladder cancer. I’ve never smoked in my life and I’m a bit of an exercise and health nut. My only explanation is genetics. My mom died of colon and liver cancer at 50. I’ve always tried to avoid things that cause colon cancer, but never even considered I’d get bladder cancer. Thank you so much for the info about the greens drink etc. I eat lots of veges but not too many cruciferous veges as they give me gas. (I’ve always had a bit of IBS, so have to watch what I eat anyways). Maybe a greens drink would be the way to go.
How old were you when diagnosed? Do you or did you drink coffee? I drank about 3 cups a day but have now switched to 1-2 cups of decaf and/or chicory coffee. I put unsweetened nut milk and stevia in my coffee. I wonder about the stevia, but it’s only a small bit and supposed to be okay. ??
Any advice is welcome.
Thanks again, Kim.October 1, 2023 at 9:05 pm #45929marysue
ParticipantHi Kim:
I was 50 when I was diagnosed. I’m 65 now so I’ve quite the lengthy journey with bladder cancer. My father died from prostate cancer so whether there is a connection there in my case, I don’t know. However, I would think that a person’s cancer risk is higher if you have family members that have had cancer.
I don’t drink coffee because it doesn’t agree with me. It upsets my stomach. Why I don’t know. I can drink caffeinated tea no problem but don’t drink much of it right now because I still have bladder inflammation from my earlier BCG treatments. FYI – caffeine and BCG don’t mix. Caffeine will irritate your bladder while doing BCG treatments. When I do drink orange pekoe tea like Red Rose (which I love – I guess it is my British heritage) I drink it fairly weak with a bit of 2% milk and a teaspoon of honey. Green tea I drink plain or with a small amount of honey. Peppermint and chamomile teas are bladder friendly. I drink those plain.
Stevia is derived from the stevia plant. The thing to check out with stevia products is to make sure that they are pure stevia. Some products are blended with xylentol (sp?) or some other artificial sweetener which is not good for us. Some folks in some circles believe that sugar feeds cancer. I have no information to confirm that but what I do remember each time bladder cancer was present I had an intense craving for sweet sugary stuff so there’s that.
Your diagnosis like mine as mentioned was the same. The good news is that it is very early stage and treatable. BCG has a good track record against high grade bladder cancer. The not so good news is that we have to be mindful of the fact that because it is high grade it has a bit higher risk for progression. That being said, regular cystoscopy checkups help reduce the risk of that happening. Last fall, I got the shock of my life when I saw the tumour. The previous two times I had blood in my urine but this time I didn’t have any obvious symptoms. My doctor told me that the tumour hadn’t been there very long so that gave me the hope that it would improve the odds of success of getting rid of the cancer.
Anyhow, these are my thoughts at the moment. Hope this helps. (((HUGS)))
October 3, 2023 at 9:54 am #45958Kim
ParticipantThank you for the information. You’ve been so helpful.
I do make sure the stevia is only stevia.
The thing that worries me is that I have been having cravings for sweets lately I’ve tried to satisfy it by making healthier cookies, sweetened with dates, and containing gluten free, organic oats, etc. I thought it was stress, and it’s made me gain a few pounds, which I don’t like. I hope the cancer isn’t back, or not all gone. The urologist did say I could get a second TURBT to make sure, but he didn’t think I needed to. He recommended BCG and then another scope at the end of Oct, so I chose that. I really didn’t want to have another surgery right away.
I hope you are okay too. It would be so nice to be able to meet you and have all to you. I don’t suppose you live anywhere near me, though. I’m in Mission, BC.
Hugs to you too, Kim.October 11, 2023 at 4:15 pm #46059marysue
ParticipantHi Kim:
Sorry for the delayed reply. I’m sorry but I don’t live near you. I’m in Calgary, Alberta. If you want to connect with other women, I strongly recommend attending our online women’s support group. We meet via zoom on the first Wednesday of the month at 7PM Central Time which is 6PM Mountain Time and 5PM Pacific Time.
You can reach out to my cofacilitator Angela Pelletier who handles all the zoom stuff. Her email is angelap@bladdercancercanada.org. She will send you the link for the next meeting which will be on Wednesday November 1st. We are a lively group and conversation is great and it is also great to get tips and tricks from other women.
January 1, 2024 at 1:06 pm #46920Tana
ParticipantHi Kim- sorry to hear you got the NIMBC hi grade. I had that , too, ta level so it’s the lowest of the hi grades.
I am a vitamin, supplement, herb , homeopathy , Bach remedies and Bio energy healing junkie.
I saw a naturopath from the start of my diagnosis in August 2019. Took all the potions she gave me . Expensive but I was scared and figured I’ll do it all. Vit D is supposed to be good- I took C, magnesium, msm, turmeric curcumin, zinc, B 12, milk thistle and the stuff from the naturopath.
I got a lot of bio energy healings also I feel helped especially with the side effects of infections and pee urgency.
I know the BCG is what did it though and I did the whole three year protocol (27 treatments).
I am fingers crossed so far clear!
I wish you the very best! Do the BCG.Cheers on your healing journey-
Tana
January 1, 2024 at 1:14 pm #46921Tana
ParticipantHi Kim- just a side note- there’s a free ( are you in BC?) program that you can register for called Inspire Health- for free appointments with counsellors- nutritionists – doctors- exercise people – meditation online classes etc. check it out if you like.
I did a 4 week webinar from them on after cancer- the specialists says there’s a study done on exercise being beneficial – I’ll look it up and post it. Plus what they said about sugar from studies done.
Sorry just woke up-Happy New Years 2024- All the Best
Cheers- Tana
January 1, 2024 at 4:22 pm #46923Tana
ParticipantHi again Kim-
Ok here goes: ( I had to have my walk and cup of Joe first). This is the free help for people with cancer and caregivers: ( in Vancouver, BC)
http://www.inspirehealth.caI see you said you are in Mission – I’m in Burnaby so anytime you are in Burnaby maybe we could hook up for a walk?
Inspire health also has free counselling which I accessed. In the 4 week webinar that was once a week for 4 hours via zoom there were 16 people who were finishing their cancer treatments so there was a good mix of information shared.
The doctor ( Dr. Lori McFarlane ) spoke about stress. I figured mine was from stress – however- research shows not a solid link from immune system to stress to cancer. I question that hugely.
Also not a strong link to cancer cells loving sugar. But my naturopath said reduce the sugar amount as I love sweets and it was more about not raising my blood sugar levels to pre- diabetes.
However, I question research because I feel there’s too many variables and that there’s bias involved to screw results ( my opinion ) but I’ve also studied research studies and have read that not all studies done correctly and that there is bias and lies.
The Brain does need glucose though because I cut out all sugar and learnt that the hard way.
I try to stick to two fruits a day and yams and a couple of dates. I do treat myself though occasionally.
Ok so I read Chris Wark diet and did it for 6 months. I read Radical Remission by Dr. Kelly Turner and did the emotional release and implemented much of the principles.
The Inspire health recommends exercise as a huge benevolent factor for prevention of illness, that research supports that exercise is safe and actually supports a decrease in risk of recurrence as well as stops new cancer from developing. I love that! I was so happy when my own doctor asked how much exercise do I do!!!I had a consult with the exercise therapist there and I was recommended to do 150 minutes per week – start with what you can do- and splitting into two 15 minutes per day counts. To monitor yourself. You should not feel wiped out so then dial back. Start with just 3x week – 30 minutes. Also to include strength workouts at least 2x week. 8-15 reps, 2-3 sets.
Please check with your doctor !!!
I was also told not to do vigorous during treatments as the body is undergoing a lot of repairing to heal and recover! Rest is healing I had to remind myself.
It’s been a year since my last BCG and I’m only now beginning to do vigorous exercises. I am loving my life in every way- I feel the cancer was a wake up call so I hope I’m woke now! I am sooo grateful for my beautiful health.
I do believe having a positive attitude is a big help.
All the best to you Kim.
TanaJanuary 1, 2024 at 6:31 pm #46927Tana
ParticipantHi Kim:
I found my other journal ; the Naturopath gave me :
Rena-tox and Soligago Intrinsic drops to help my bladder function effectively ( to help reduce urgency to pee). I wrote that it helped reduce the urgency a lot. And then started the Bio healing at same time pretty much.
January 1, 2024 at 9:14 pm #46929Kim
ParticipantHi Tanya
I just now saw all of your replies. Thank you for the info. I did sign up with Inspire Health. I waited about three months for an online consult with a dr from there. They cancelled the appt because the dr had a family emergency. They said they call me to reschedule but never did.
Anyways, I did 6 BCG and my last scope was clear. I go again for a scope in February. I’m feeling good, so hope all is clear. I would love to meet up some time. I rarely go to Burnaby but maybe we could meet half way in Maple Ridge. If that would work for you, please text me at 604-832-3323. Thanks. Kim.January 2, 2024 at 10:33 am #46932Tana
ParticipantHi Kim- thanks for your reply. Sorry to hear of your inspire health appointment not happening.
Thanks for the invite to meet – my car is 22 years old so I keep her close to home so I don’t go out that way either. Oh well- it was a thought. This forum is good though. Keep us posted how you do.
Wishing you all the best and an easy journey back to your health.
Hang in there- you got this!
TanaJanuary 2, 2024 at 10:42 am #46933Kim
ParticipantThanks Tana. If I do get a chance to go to Burnaby I’ll contact you.
Can I ask how old you are and if you were ever a smoker? I’m 60 and have never smoked. I also don’t drink alcohol. Nor did I work with chemicals. I’m also in pretty good shape and eat healthy. No idea how I got bladder cancer. -
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