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Homepage – Forum Forums Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Last BCG, and plant based diet update

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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  • #7599
    scubalady
    Participant

    Craig has completed his last BCG – it’s been just over 3 years now since first diagnosed T1G3. Next Cysto in December. I think his doc will have him on a 6 month schedule for a while before settling in on annual for the rest of time. YIPPEE.
    Also, his PSA remains down. So we know it was high, we know that one biopsy found low grade prostate cancer. It’s down now and the 2nd biopsy didn’t find anything. could just have missed. but… this will be on watch and see too. YIPPEE2

    Re: Plant Based Diet. I had posted earlier that we had done some reading, and i was jsut getting into “the China Study” by Drs Cambell (father and son). Also read Spectrum and another book by Dean Ornish, and (title forgotten) by Dr. Essylsten.
    I recommend that folks read and/or see “forks over Knives”!

    Been mostly living on a plant based low fat diet now since July. Have not completely cut dairy, but limit to occasional non-fat yogurt at breakfast, or frozen low fat yogurt for desert. Have a great recipe for Tofu based Mayo substitute.

    We have both lost weight without cutting back – we are eating as much as we want. Making sure we have Grains and Legumes so we get complete protein, and leafy greens (and a multi vitamin) for iron. Take B12 because that is hard to get without meat.
    Feeling great, and have learned to cook so we don’t miss meat. Not just substitutes but seasoning and combinations that taste fabulous.

    The book ‘the china study’ and ‘forks over knives’ both speak to what we are doing to ourselves with what we eat (the others too, but are focused primarily on heart health). With 3 cancers between us (bladder, prostate, and skin) it makes no sense to eat a diet that encourages cancer. So out with animal proteins and fat. Note: many vegetarian and vegan foods are high fat – need to watch out for that. Yes we occasionally stray. this is about health, not craziness. And of course, i use locally sourced food when i can and organic where i can and it makes sense.
    The cancer society and heart association do us all no favors at all by calling 25% a low fat diet, and doing do because “people won’t go for lower, we don’t want to recommend something they can’t do”. Guess what, going down to 10% can be done – but not if you eat meat, and not if you eat fast food. And it isn’t some diet purgatory. We have been eating very well, and really really really enjoying our food. Letting folks die eating what they think is healthy because you don’t want to trouble their pretty little heads with the facts is criminal.

    The data on cancer is pretty telling.

    Jackie

    #14143
    KIOWA
    Participant

    That’s GREAT! I told you tequila would work (it does come from a plant of course). I think my chili knocked out the prostate cancer too. Thanks for the info on the book. Sounds great. Thanks for sharing.

    Kiowa

    #14144
    marysue
    Participant

    I believe diet has a lot of effect on the body and if we listen to our bodies we will know almost intuitively what we should or shouldn’t eat. Diet will vary for everyone as our bodies are so vastly different. I say Kudos to you and your hubby for figuring out what works.

    #14145
    KIOWA
    Participant

    I agree. Some meat is OK though and I usually eat deer meat which has just about zero fat and zero cholesterol. And the best way to get B12 is via meat. Oral and injectable B12 does not absorb nearly as well as it does from meat and you don;t have to eat a lot of meat to get the B12 you need.

    #14146
    scubalady
    Participant

    oh, and lastly, Craig has dropped his cholesterol meds, blood pressure meds and prilosec …
    woo hoo!

    #14147
    Kit
    Participant

    That is great! Congratulations!

    #14148
    auntybevy
    Participant

    Wonderful news. All the best to Craig.
    Bev

    #14149
    KIOWA
    Participant

    Jackie, what do you actually mean by a “plant based diet” Does that mean your diet’s home base is in Plant? Or does it mean you planted your diet? I’m confused.

    #14150
    scubalady
    Participant

    It means.. if it came from something with feet or a face, we don’t eat it. No meat, Dairy, Fish, Eggs.
    (as noted, dairy is not completely gone from our menu…. but very reduced).
    We are learning a lot about nutrition – how to get sufficient complete protein, B12, iron. We are also focused on eating low fat, although low fat vegetarian is not a given, it takes some attention.
    And every so often, we partake of some animal protein but… not often. maybe monthly?
    so far, so good.
    And, eating out Vegan is easier in Portland OR than in some of the places i travel too.

    Jackie

    #14151
    marysue
    Participant

    Jackie, if your diet works for you and your hubby that is fantastic. As I said I think if we pay attentio to our bodies we will know what is right for us to eat. I am cutting down on meat and am trying to find ways to use more and different veggies in my diet. We have always eaten a lot of stir fries that use only small portions of meat and lots of veggies. It has been one way to get veggies into my kids. I have restarted my veggie garden with plans to expand next year so I at least get 3-4 months of home grown stuff. However the growing season in Calgary is very short. I recently thawed out my first batch of yellow beans from the garden that I froze earlier and even thawed I could taste the difference from the stuff I grew versus the store bought brands. I also stay away as much as possible from processed foods ie KD, Hamburger helper, crackers etc as they contain a lot of preservatives and additives not to mention sodium. I also avoid pop and any other drinks with additives. I try to stick to filtered or spring water, herbal and green tea and cranberry juice. I do indulge in regular tea or a chai latte once in awhile and a home baked goodie.

    #14152
    scubalady
    Participant

    mmmm baked goodies. just finished dinner and getting hungry!
    Another thing is cooking with little or no oil. Turns out you can use stock to ‘sort-of-saute’ or stir fry veggies. Didn’t realize how much oil we used till we tried not to. not entirely fat free, but down a lot.
    Agree on prepared foods, even those that say organic or natural etc can have an amazing amount of fat and sugar. and a lot of things that seem vegetarian have egg protiens and other stuff. gotta read labels.
    Desert tonight (ok not very vegan but…) Low fat vanilla yogurt with peaches. Craig froze some peaches this summer that were very ripe, so had to cook them down a bunch this morning (when we had with pancakes) and dang had some extra so … yum

    #14153
    KIOWA
    Participant

    Jackie, I’m still confused. eggs don;t have feet. I don;t think they have faces either. I think you live on a plantation.

    Kiowa

    #14154
    scubalady
    Participant

    ah now i remember.. don’t eat things with a face or a mother. Eggs have mothers … oh shoot i just invited a discussion of which came first, the chicken or the egg, didn’t i?

    #14155
    Greg
    Participant

    I think it is Andy Andrews who comments that chickens are the only animal we can eat before they are born and after they are killed. That’s good enough for me.
    Gr-egg

    #14156
    KIOWA
    Participant

    No greg. Not true. I have eaten caviar (sucks! YUCK!) and those are fish (Sturgeon I believe) eggs. So what came first, the fish or the egg?

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