treatment and supplements

Hello to all of my friends @ cancercompass. I've posted a few times before and have a father who was dx 11/08 with gbm stage 4. It's going on 8 months and he has not received any treatment besides two sugeries (tumor found in right front temperal lobe). The reason for not having treatment after the first surgery was due to lack of insurance. Now he is working with the VA and we hope his treatment will start soon. The sad thing is he is super claustrophobic, so he is having a difficult time getting fitted for the mask. The last surgery went well and they did place 8 chemo waffers in his brain (hoping that helps).

Anyhow..my question is this: His oncogolgist and radiologist suggests he does take any supplements while undergoing treatment. This is a concern for my father because he is also trying to fight this monster with the budwig diet and other natural forms. Has anyone here used supplements while undergoing treatment..any other vitamins other than a once a day vitamin? Of course any information will be helpful and I really appreciate the feedback.

Take care to everyone out there in our cyber family..my thoughts and consant prayers are always with you and your families...

Angie-daughter of Rory dx 11/08 gbm IV

 

Hi Angie.

Yes, lots of supplements. Fish oil, maitake mushroom, selenium, celapro (which has green tea, lycopene, curcumin, etc), probiotics, zyflamend, Vitamin D...

We checked with Andy's NO and got the OK for all of this, and his regular MD, a Functional Medicine doctor, recommended each.

When and if you need Temodar, I highly recommend the Schering-Plough "Commitment to Care" program. They'll send the pills directly to your house if no public or private insurance plan will cover it. It was a lifesaver.... literally.

Best wishes,
Sarah

mom of Andy, 26, dx GBM/PNET 1/09

 

On 6/30/2009 ange1 wrote:

Hello to all of my friends @ cancercompass. I've posted a few times before and have a father who was dx 11/08 with gbm stage 4. It's going on 8 months and he has not received any treatment besides two sugeries (tumor found in right front temperal lobe). The reason for not having treatment after the first surgery was due to lack of insurance. Now he is working with the VA and we hope his treatment will start soon. The sad thing is he is super claustrophobic, so he is having a difficult time getting fitted for the mask. The last surgery went well and they did place 8 chemo waffers in his brain (hoping that helps).

Anyhow..my question is this: His oncogolgist and radiologist suggests he does take any supplements while undergoing treatment. This is a concern for my father because he is also trying to fight this monster with the budwig diet and other natural forms. Has anyone here used supplements while undergoing treatment..any other vitamins other than a once a day vitamin? Of course any information will be helpful and I really appreciate the feedback.

Take care to everyone out there in our cyber family..my thoughts and consant prayers are always with you and your families...

Angie-daughter of Rory dx 11/08 gbm IV

 

 

Hi Angie:

My sister was just dx with brain cancer 2wks ago.  In her case they cannot operate.  She is taking a nausea pill with chemo (Temodar) at bedtime and radiation treatments the next day.

She is also taking Vitamins ( Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc) (Omega-3) (Niacin)  her doctors told her they were all OK.  We had mentioned to him that we heard sometime "antioxidents" can interfere with "chemo" and should she not take any of these vitamins.  He said that had not been tested on people yet but to be on the safe side not to take them.  If I remember right he mentioned  C D E K?  not sure if these are right but you can look them up.

Good luck to your dad.

Hi: Just thought you might want to contact Jeanne Wallace , who is a nutritionist that specializes in brain tumor patients. She is mentioned on this site many times. Her business is called nutritional solutions and is located in Utah (try googling her) We paid for a consult with her for my Father (DX 12/08 GBM) and ran the blood tests she requested.. That way she was able to determine what deficiencies my Dad had.. She then recommended the supplements he should take by ranking the order of importance and then also supplied us with a diet plan and food to focus on as well as loads of other important treatment, supplement and published scientific research information. My mother brought all the info into the Moffitt Cancer Center and showed the Dr's her recommendation for my Dads supplements and they said they looked fine to take, would cause no complications with his chemo or radiation.. Good luck! I believe the supplements have made a difference for my Father.

Our radiooncologists recommended fish oil and D3.  They were also very clear that he should NOT take vitamin E supplements, as they tend to block the radiation. 

Angie,

My dad was recently diagnosed in February of this year with mixed cells Glioblasoma/astrocytoma grade3 and 4. He has been on numerous vitamins throughout his treatment/surgery for the past 5 months and is doing well. I am a registered nurse and have my own nutrition business, so this is a huge component in fighting cancer in my opinion. My dad had his surgery in February and also was part of a clinical trial at OSU in Columbus, Ohio for a treatment of 5weeks Temodar and 3 weeks highly concentrated stereotactic radiation. This is a condensed version of the standard treatment protocol. The main issues he has been struggling with are: memory loss, no appetite, and fatigue. He has never been sick with his treatment. His blood counts have remained excellent and remain unaffected by the Temodar. His MRI just yesterday shows that any cancer cells remaining are at a stand still. No new growth is noted and what we are seeing on the MRI could just be from the radiation according to his NO. My dad looks great if you look at him. He has lost weight, but does not look bad at all. I would love to share what my dad is doing. My website is www.shaklee.net/advantagehealth. Also another site is www.yourlandofand.com  These are the best supplements that I have ever used for my business and if you go to this site and put in your info., I will contact you and we can discuss more of what my dad is doing and what I feel could help your dad. Everyone is free to go here. This is a terrible disease, but I am determined to fight this and for my dad to not be a statistic. So far, the doctors are pleased with his outcome and we are hoping to improve it even more.

Tricia (daughter of Terry)