aracooper

My first day of chemo went well !! You were so right- I felt nothing!! Well except the Benadryl they gave me first. I was a bit loopy for a little while but that was okay!! They had some trouble with my take home pump so I got out of there a bit later than they wanted but I'm good with it. The steroids gave me a little trouble. I'm an early to bed, early to rise person and sleeping didn't come easy so I will have to rest today before I go in to have my bag changed. My doctor prescribed the anti-nausea meds and they started me on them right away. And yes they told me to take the one 3 times a day during chemo week even if I didn't feel any nausea. So I am. So far no nausea!! I will be feeling out my limits today but not pushing it. Thank you so much for your tips!!! I will be going to Facebook next and looking you up! My husband does a bit of traveling in your state. If he comes close to you at all I would like to come meet you and give you a big hug!

Thank you ! I told my husband I wouldn't go alone anymore to anything concerning my cancer. He agreed. I have a whole bunch of family and friends you have come along beside me for this journey and I intend to use them. I am so glad I found What's Next! It is comforting to talk to people who have been through this already. I am grateful for your story!

BTW, I just noticed you're in Michigan. I just got back from Michigan. My daughter and her family moved to Brighton back in November. She loves it back there. I can't believe how gorgeous it is there. Have a great day.

Hi aracooper, I have follicular lymphoma for ten years, live in Durham, NC, home of the Duke Blue Devils. My computer skills are limited, so if I don't respond, it means I missed something.

In my case I look at cancer as a chronic condition. Harsh treatments of radiation and/or chemo cause changes to your body that often require a new self-management that may be around for the rest of your life.

The challenge is to learn how to function at your best regardless of the difficulties treatment presents. The goal is to achieve the things you want to do and to get pleasure from life. The challenge is to deal with the shortcomings of your new normal.

If you choose to be a positive self-manager and undertake all the best actions that health care professionals have to offer, and to be proactive in your day-to-day management, you will live a healthier life.

My useful source for information in doing this is from proven practices for self-management based on an ongoing series of studies conducted at Stanford University of Medicine entitled “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions” from Bull Publishing Company, fourth edition.

For those of us with short or long term side effects from cancer these practices may provide tools to alleviate some distress of your cancer journey.

I have had a new normal four times. In each there were initial side effects that resolve themselves in the first six months after completing treatments. Some latent side effects weakened slowly during the first and second years. For the remaining side effects I have had to make life style adjustments to deal with them. I have attained four remissions and am thankful to have survived all the treatments.

We are all unique in our cancer journey as are our resulting side effects. It is a matter of evaluating your options over time and actively applying what works for you to obtain your best new normal.

Good luck on your journey

Dear Ara, I too had stage 4 non Hodgkins lymphoma. I am not just a cancer survivor, I am a thrivor. If you truly have reached your breaking point and are at your wits end, are willing to try absolutely anything here is what you must do:

Mentally you must change, accept your situation and be comfortable with who you are at this moment, there are many things you can't do but there are just as many things you Can still do. The past does not define who you are, let it go. You define who you are right now in this present moment.

Diet: there are no ifs, ands or buts.. you must change your diet to a VEGAN lifestyle, no meat, no dairy, no cheese, no animal fats, no packaged foods. Mostly or completely raw organic fruits and vegetables with plenty of berries. Food is medicine.

Physically: you must start doing yoga. It will take a while to find the right class and the right teachers so shop around. Talk to places, tell them your story, see if they respond and think they can help you. I personally would look for " restorative " type classes.

If you do these things and put your heart into it which I know you can do and completely believe in you since you are a survivor: In one week you will notice your energy going up and your pain going down, In one month you will be able to do things you couldn't do before and in one year the sky is the limit.

I went to a General Surgeon MYSELF to get the nodes on my neck and groin Biopsied.....and almost had a heart attack with the results....Marginal Zone and only 1% get this BUT according to what I can find researching it is slow growing BUT can revert to Aggressive at any time.....UGH.....I had a Pet Scan and it was obviously in my left groin area and neck but the scan showed the abdomen, SPLEEN (UGH) and under my arms and I still can't feel them....So it was stage 4 below and above the clavical but it appeared to still be in the Lymph System. I told the Doc I didn't want a referral to an Oncologist and HE Recommended Raw Foods. I went home an spent a month day and night on the Internet.

This is my Protocol NOW and I also take curcumin, Green Tea Extract, Reishi Mushroom Extract and A Multiple Mushroom extract, IP6, 20 mg. Melatonin, fish oils, resveratrol and others. I was Veggie JUICING for 8 Months and Now Powdered Green Drink......This is what I eat everyday below....


Start out with apple cider vinegar / stevia......5,000 mg if vitamin C Powder and a small bit of glutamine powder.

Then I have a cup of black coffee and a bunch of walnuts.

Then I have about an our later a large scoop of Garden Of Life Super Food Powdered Green drink.....large Tablespoon of whey protein powder and a t spoon of psyllium powder.

half our later a nice slice of Manna Bread ( Nuts and Raisin Kind ) and a LOT of pumpkin seeds and 2 small packs of raisins.

about 2 hours later I have lunch.....Bunch of Pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, a banana, Black raspberries and small pack of raisins all mixed up with a lot of stevia to make it sweet and sunflower seeds mixed in a large bowl along with raw cashews. At about 3 pm I have another cup of black coffee and 10 small whole grain onion crackers.

T 5:00 pm I have about 20 garbanzo beans and a bunch of small carrots and a dill pickle.....at 6 pm I eat different organic bean/veggie/tomato soups.....health food store or supermarket. I can't afford everything organic so I do the best I can....with the soup I have more of those crackers, tomatoes, colored sweet peppers, cucumbers....I add onion and canned peas to the soup. I also eat sour XXX.....At 8:30 I eat another banana with raw cashews and delicious sweet pecans.....On Saturday Night I go out with my wife to the Restaurant and have salmon and a sweet potato and broccoli and large salad or salad bar if they have......that's it......Hope it helps...I also take about 6 anti cancer supplements and others and PRAY a Lot.....

Hello and welcome, we are happy to have you with us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma-nhl

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

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Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter