Well bombshell of the week is that my husband has bowel cancer. We havent had the full results back in but its looking like Dukes 3, maybe 4.

We have young children (the youngest is not yet 3) and I dont work so its really overwhelming just at the moment.

So being practical, what can I do to give him the best chance of surviving it?

Anyone here survive it and or get more years out of it?? We have been lo-carbing but I dont know if this is good or not as it is high in meat and fat and low in grains.

I'm sorry, Kia. *hugs*

I would avoid sugars as cancer seems to thrive on it. Cancerous cells usually lose their ability to metabolize ketones so they require glucose to fuel themselves. If it were me, I'd go as close to zero carb as I could.

But I don't think there's any proof out there that a super low carb diet is going to help it's just my reasoning through it with what I've read like on DCA and ketogenic diets for brain cancer.

Oh yes, I'd also be making triple-super-sure he has a good blood level of D3. Like at least 60 (US units).

Oh yes, another thing is to avoid wheat (gluten really) because it is associated with higher rates of colon cancer in susceptible people (celiacs). It might be closing the barn door after the horse has escaped though. Still, it might help.

I'm so sorry to hear. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I don't really have any tips for you. But just wanted to let you know that others will be thinking of you.

I agree with Nancy LC. I would, also, like to suggest that you read The Hidden Story of Cancer by Brian Peskins......it is very easy reading with scientific backing. I hate that you and your family are having to endure this. I pray the Lord places his healing hands upon your husband and gives all of you the strength to handle whatever lies ahead..

I can't be of help dietary wise, but know that you and your husband are in my thoughts.

My mother had colon cancer 27 years ago and had a colostomy. She survived for 18 years afterward, passing due to heart related issues. She had no recurrances of cancer. The colonstomy was annoying, to say the least, but it was manageable.

I hope the prognosis is as good for your spouse. Prayers that it may be so!

I'm so sorry to hear about your circumstances. I can't say enough about taking a lot of vitamin D3.

There are a lot of cites to be found on PubMed for vitamin d3's role in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.

In July of 2002 I had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer. I have had NO treatments for it by any one. I have self treated and managed it with the help of my family doctor (an internist) who is OK with my making a appointment for a PSA test when I want one. [The "standard of care" is a PSA test every three months, for ever, after you have positive prostate cancer.]

I started following PP/PPLP in February of 2002. About the same time I learned of a fellow where I worked that had PC and had become a spokesperson trying to get other men to have their PSA checked. I called him when I got my report. He told me several supplements to start taking and said to research on the web, which I did. By December of 2002, my PSA had dropped back to 2.5 from 5.6 the year before and 5.2 after the biopsy report.

So I am now six years out and my PSA is still down. It jumps around as it would if you were testing more often, as I am. But every time it is up it will then go down, if not the next test then the one following. So I have finally decided that I have it in remission, if not completely knocked out.

I have done a lot of thinking about why this has happened, as well as a lot of study in that first year. Two things seem to be the reason for how things turned out. First is the reduction on my carbohydrates consumption to less than 20% of what I had been eating. That this then weakened the cancer is consistent with the Warburg effect - Wikipedia Link. Then the supplements, chosen for some indication of anti-cancer properties, finished killing the cancer. My approach was, "When you are fighting an enemy that wants to kill you, you don't just use one of the weapons at your disposal. You use EVERYTHING you have, including the kitchen sink and office safe, if you can lift them to throw."

In the prostate cancer support group I attend, one of the things we emphatically tell the "new guys" is, "you MUST be your own advocate!" For the best outcome, you need to be fully involved in the decisions about YOUR treatment. DO NOT let yourself become "just another" piece of "meat" for the surgeon to work on. I hope that you have access to some sort of support group of people that also have or had cancer. Find them and use them for the support they have to offer. I am just a little too far away AND I did not have bowel cancer. I can comment on cancer in general but you also need to learn from others specifically about your cancer.

I hope you have BOTH and oncologist (cancer specialist) as well as the surgeon that diagnosed you. Often one is unaware of the recent advances in the field of the other. I would "test" (interview) them to see how open they are to various treatments that could be called alternative or experimental. Find out what tests/markers for the progression of the cancer they can use to see how the treatment is doing. I don't know for bowel cancer but for prostate cancer there is chance that the cancer has metastasized. That is why once diagnosed you needed to be checked every three months until you die - of something else we hope. I hope you have good doctors that are willing to work WITH you. But if they are not, time to get another.

Use the internet to learn as much as you can. Word of caution, put the most faith in sites that have .edu .org .gov as the ending of the URL, avoid the .com's as too many are just trying to make money. It will be confusing at first but starting at pubmed.gov will give you access to most of the leading journal abstracts (summary of the paper) and allows you to search for specific topics, authors, etc. Here is a web page I suggest you read. You should also read the other things there on cancer.

If I were at the beginning of of my "journey", as we say in the support group, I would do the following. Get tested for my blood serum copper and zinc as well as my vitamin D levels. Here is a paper that has in it a section on the role of copper in cancer growth. Since I could not get the drug used in the paper, I just took zinc since it "competes with copper for uptake" in the gut, but I also monitored my copper levels to be sure they did not get too low since that can have very bad results. And here is a page I wrote "back then" with a bunch of links about copper and sugar (carbs).

I was twenty (and my sister was sixteen) when my Father died from prostate cancer. I am now 70 and still cannot keep my eyes dry when I talk about it. I pray that your children are MUCH older when your husband finally dies, as we all will.

Good luck and best wishes,
Larry

Here is something I had bookmarked that is on this board. You should print this report that was linked there and ask the oncologist about it. Could be a good test to see how receptive he/she is to your being a "partner" in the fight against the cancer.

I want to emphasis how important it is to follow what NancyLC said. Studies in Germany have shown that zero carb works for cancer especially in conjunction with chemo or radiation. Zero carb really weakens the cancer cells while normal cells remain strong.

I would bring his Vitamin D level up to 80. Good luck. You can win this battle.

I couldn't agree more with Larry that being your own advocate. I have been my mom's advocate at times even when she didn't want me to with infections in her blood and heart and 2 stokes at 61. I am also the person that makes all decisions for my father in case he is not able to and he is married. You have to study, study, study, and nothing is for sure but you two will make the right decisions for your family. I am so sorry this happened to your family. With young children you are going to be tired and ask friends for help taking care of them so you can study. Larry was correct about getting info online the right way. My family all gets colon cancer. So I got a colonoscopy at 39. Early but got insurance to cover that one. Now they say come back when I am 50, no thanks. i will pay for it myself regularly. You just have to be your own advocate and you have to learn like you are back in school. I like to remember that doctors are "practicing" medicine. So you can too. You husband will be in my thoughts through this hard time. It will be hard for you to be strong but you have it in you. i wish you good luck.

Lisa

Thank you all for your kindness - I am desperately sad. I cant imagine a future without him - and I look at my baby and think she may not even remember the incredible dad that he is. There has been no indication of anything wrong just a low iron test.

So when it became more likely I thought, well worst comes to the worst, we can beat it. 35+% of people survive it.

And then you go see the doctor and everybody is being so nice and you just know before you get in the room that its going to be bad. They tell you, its there, its significant and it has been there some time and whilst they dont say they think it has spread they tell you about various other sites in the stomach etc that they have also biopsied.

You get home and he's sitting on the couch with the kids just looking at them. You say - How do you feel and he's say, I'm fine - I'm just worried about you.

I have spent the day arriving an hour early for everything and walking in and out the kitchen without remembering what I am doing. Your comments have helped me to get some focus and given me a place to start.

I can give into my anxiety and fall apart or I can let that anxiety fuel my efforts to find a way forward.

Firstly I am going to pray that God grants us something other than Stage 4. We will have some short term financial issues as we dont have employment insurance but we do have good medical cover so thats the most important thing.

I am going to get the books mentioned and check out all the sites I can find and all those mentioned by Larry and others here. We have very little support here but I will track down a specific bowel cancer support group whether it is here or abroad. Then I am going to find out what treatments are available in each of the 3 countries my husband is a citizen of so that we will have options. And then when we meet with the surgeon on Wednesday I am going to find out whether we get an oncologist. We are going to make an informed decision. Starting with - he likes to do bowel surgery laparoscopically but is it a good idea. Also like chemo yes or no and which chemo and which treatment plan.

Then we are going to starve that cancer of carbs whilst making sure that all the nutrients are optimal. Including doing the blood tests and maybe throw in some baking soda as well if that turns out to be a good idea. He is going to get juiced up organic spinach with a smattering of broccolli 3 times a day if I have my way. And lots of fish and black raspberries if I can find them. And he is not getting more than 6 gms carb/ day. Maybe throw in some probiotics to help repopulate his gut with something helpful. Drown him in organic green tea.

PubMed, Mercola.com and Fitday are all going to be overwhelmed with information requests.

And God willing - we will get through this with a fair bit more than 10 months. I thought today about my brother in laws friend who died last year from prostate cancer. He was given 6 months and though it was a long struggle involving every kind of treatment imaginable, he researched it and threw money at it and held out for 7 years. They were childless and he loved his wife and wouldnt leave her.

So I know it can be done.

And Lisa - absolutely get the colonoscopy done as often as you can afford to. The say that colon cancer is 100% preventable. I wish someone had publicised what a killer this disease is (2nd largest cancer killer in the US) - I knew nothing about it. I didnt know fit, relatively young people with a reasonable diet and no family history could get it. I had always thought if anyone would get it, it would be me - given my size and previously poor eating habits.

The vitamin D council on using Vitamin D to help fight cancer

Bowel cancer is one of the 17 or so sun sensitive cancers that thrive in bodies with low vitamin d status.

Your vitamin d status at the time of diagnosis and treatment affects the outcome

It follows that the sooner you have an adequate higher status the better your prognosis is likely to be.

I should also point out that correcting 25(OH)D status is in addition to eating a low carb diet and conventional treatment.

That's great he is a citizen in 3 other countries. FDA is so different with treatments they allow here. You have taken no time to mourn this news and decided to get up, learn, and listen and make decisions. That is the BEST thing you can do. Diet, I would do now, 2nd opinions, study.. You got it right. We have had people with colon cancer in our family. Most died but that was a long time ago. My dad gets colonoscopies all the time and the last one, they removed a polyp that could have become cancerous if he wasn't on top of it. So I am doing the same thing too. It is treatable before you get it. They just snip out the polyps without you even knowing. Hey it isn't fun but I have watched colon cancer even in the old days were they take lots of stuff out and that is bad. I know people that are older than me, even nurses, that refuse to get it done. Over 50 is when it is usually a diagnostic test and covered with insurance. WHY not get it done???? Yeah, I used to eat horrible and I eat animal fat and stuff. I will never stop getting it done, ever. I also get my cholesterol checked every 3 months, last time was yesterday, after my mom had a stroke last year and my grandma on the other side of the family was the last to die of a stroke a couple years ago. So easy to check and work on it.

People want to sweep it under the rug when it comes to easy testing. Obviously you can't get everything tested but what you can, you do.

The economy is going to hurt us with illness when insurance is lost. My husband was one of the first of the 35,000 people that were let go from Bank of America. Last year at 33 he finally moved from AVP to VP with a 19% increase. It gave me the opportunity to get a second bachelor's degree in nursing. Hopefully he gets something to I can continue on my pass BUT I don't always agree with the AMA. I agree with holistic things as well as it sounds like you do.

You sound smart and determined. This is very scary and sometimes fear can paralyze people to not know what to do and where to start. You are off to a good start but if you feel that way, TALK to someone. I know you are so busy with your kids but you have to work on this first and foremost.

You will do the best job for your husband!!!! I wish you the best luck. I spoke to my husband about it this morning and nothing but the best thoughts for you, your husband, and children. This can be beat. Lots of decisions that you talk and talk about and then study some more. I agree, get some support group just on this. They are going to have the special info you need like even new trials and stuff that LC sites wouldn't know a thing about.

Sincerely,

Lisa

I remember reading awhile back on zerocarbage.com....name has changed now to forum.zeroinginonhealth.com that an older man, can't remember the age (seems like the 50's), ate lots of fat and meat, basically no carbs. He had a colonoscopy done and was told that he had the colon of a 20 year old....very healthy and clean. The doctor was very impressed.

I know you are being given a lot of information. Hope something out of all this brings you the positive outcome you seek.

Here's 5 video's on that book that I recommended by Brian Peskins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0_m...feature=related

If he gets given the standard cancer treatment (chemo, radiation, surgery etc), check out the product "Wobenzym". It has a very good record for, one, improving the effectiveness of standard cancer therapies and, two, bringing the immune system back up to speed after treatment has been completed.

I'll look for a link, OK?

amanda