Latest messages for CancerCompass discussion http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,52836,0.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ @bigfatking - My father takes Fucoidan as a supplement and it has helped him maintain his energy, appetite, and sleep. It has made his journey with cancer much more manageable. Contact me if you need more info... hvuong Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Nov 10, 2010 5:46 PM bigfatking wrote: My last day of treatment at U.M for throat cancer was sort of like being released from prison. They handed me my duffle bag said "go home". Now what? What do I eat, what supplements do I take, if any? What about exercise? Well it's been two years and even though I work for a supplement manufacturer, I wonder about the diet and supplement intake of other cancer survivors like myself. At this point, 5gr. of Vita C, a couple thousand mg's of Omega 3 and some CoQ10 is about it.@bigfatking - My father takes Fucoidan as a supplement and it has helped him maintain his energy, appetite, and sleep.  It has made his journey with cancer much more manageable.  Contact me if you need more info... hvuong Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Jan 06, 2012 3:24 PM lardog04 wrote: Wildog One last question, do you still use the Aloe today for your throat for gargling and do you think there is any benifits? Do you still have dry mouth or are your salivary glands restored and to what degree do you think compared to a normal person pre treatment. Lardog lardog, First off I no longer live on Kauai. After over 40 years my brother got in touch and needed my help with a couple of homes we own and businesses we have together. Then the next day my employers told me they were moving to tha mainland and selling their property that I took care of. The property is 2 acres on the beach in Haena and Pierce Brosnan is the next door neighbor. Jobs are hard to find over there and I didn't want to waste my savings on rent. I am in Az now and living rent free and the cost of living here is a big change from Kauai. Kauai has also changed to much and to many of the wrong kind of people have moved there in the last 10 years and they have messed it up. Yes I still use the Aloe Vera but it helps other parts of your body also and it sure won't hurt you to use it.I only use it 1 time a day now and that is enough. I only have a little dry mouth and even my ENT is stoked that I never lost any of my taste buds and only minor loss in my salivary glands,plus he told me he had a couple of patients that also used it so I am obviously not a pioneer in the use. Like I said before the main thing is to use a quality brand and not a cheap one like George's . Good Luck,wildog wildog Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Wildog One last question, do you still use the Aloe today for your throat for gargling and do you think there is any benifits? Do you still have dry mouth or are your salivary glands restored and to what degree do you think compared to a normal person pre treatment. Lardog lardog04 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Wildog   Might not be a bad idea ad I refered another woman yesterday to this thread as her husband stopped his chemo and radiation treatments. I think most people only key in for the exact article they are interested in due to time constraints. As always thanks and good luck. I and the wife were going to go to Kauai before I got sick and have talked about re scheduling the trip. I will let you know and hopefully we can meet. Regards Lardog lardog04 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Jan 05, 2012 3:58 AM lardog04 wrote: Wildog I too respect the name as it was given to me when I was in my teens for my go for broke do not give up attitude. Thanks again for the responses and hopefully others will read about your use of Aloe for gargling.  Do you still use it now and do you think it might help me? WHere would I find the internal use in a health food store?  I live in North Texas area. Even tonight I referred another wife to this string to get info. Thanks again Lardog        I have tried to use it as my user name on most site and I couldn't believe that there are more than a few wildogs out there. I got mine my first year of living on Kauai from a long time friend. I was judging a surf contest on Kauai ( I am a certified ASP judge) and some body yelled out " Hey Wildog" and some guy known as just "wil" turned his head like he thought they were yelling at him and the person looked at him and told him there is only one real Wildog and it is me. I still use the Aloe Vera for my throat and the brand I use is namd Quantum and costs about $22 at a health store but there are a couple more to quality brands, just don't buy the cheap flavored kind. The Quantum brand does not taste bad and actually tastes pretty good. I hope more people use it. The reason I decided to use it is it is used for burns and that is what Radiation does to you. About 3 days before I was finished with treatments I couldn't swallow any more but I kept swishing it since your saliva glands are not in the throat but all around the inside of your mouth so you don't have to swallow it. I swallowed it because they were radiating from the bottom of my nose to level with my shoulders. Maybe I should start a new thread here about it so more people would see it. Aloha,Wildog wildog Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Wildog I too respect the name as it was given to me when I was in my teens for my go for broke do not give up attitude. Thanks again for the responses and hopefully others will read about your use of Aloe for gargling.  Do you still use it now and do you think it might help me? WHere would I find the internal use in a health food store?  I live in North Texas area. Even tonight I referred another wife to this string to get info. Thanks again Lardog   lardog04 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Jan 03, 2012 5:24 AM lardog04 wrote: On Jan 03, 2012 12:13 AM wildog wrote: On Nov 11, 2010 4:46 PM lardog04 wrote: Sorry to hear about you father's throat cancer.For me I was diagnosed with Stage IV tonsil cancer with lymph node involvement last December 2009. I had six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation with an additional three more weeks of chemo 24 hours a day for five days a week. Biotene rinse does help and so does the brushing of teeth and tongue.  Biotene tooth paste is okay bt I like Kroger sensitive enamel guard.  Do not buy the mint as that also causes throat inflamation early on. Was brushing seven to ten times a day to get ride of pasty taste etc.  I had the PEG tube as I was completely unable to swallow anything. My wife fed me Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC 600 calorie cans she purchased from a medical supplier. Was 190 before treatment but lost fourty pounds. After about two months I was able to get down top ramen soup. For me the warmth felt good and anything that was room temperature or less was extremely hard to swallow. Top ramen soup became my treat for the next four to six weeks. Fianally was able to get other real soft type bland soups down.  I use to love spicy foods but so far after six months after radiation anything the least spicy set my throat on fire. I was unable to even eat yellow mustard very sparingly until a few weeks ago. I have an extremely hard time eating dry foods and especially hamburgers or biscuits.  Taste buds are mostly lost and or have changed dramatically. Really down't like the taste of certian foods like steak, chocolate etc. Chicken taste best to me or closest to what it originally tasted like.  I am not able to eat chciken breast as it is too dry and now the easiest piece is the thigh nto swallow.  I am constantly asking if food taste okay to other people. This is where it is paramount to be understanding as I get a hard time from wife whenever I ask if the food is okay. I guess she takes if personal. I have asked my doctors etc about taste and sensitivity of throat the burning from spicy foods but have received no real solid answers.  Would like to know what other people experience also.  After reading the post many people have different reactions to food and taste. I really dopn't look forward to eating because it is so hard to swallow, food doesn't have any real taste and the fact that I constantly have to drink while eating to help swallowing. I can only drink sodas if they are room temperature but that is slowly changing and found it best to pour the soda in a glass to get ride of a lot of the carbonation. After six months,  very little of the salivary glands have come back and very little of the taste buds. I would also like to hear other people experience here also. It is kind of a trial and error to see what is the easiest food to swallow and Yes other people's history helps everyone to get ideas. Again best of luck and post again.          Aloha lardog, The thing that saved my saliva glands and taste buds was I gargled and swallowed drinkable Aloe Vera during and after my radiation treatments and they didn't do Chemo on me. Your teeth must have been in great shape because mine had to many fillings and they pulled them out because the radiation and what ever it does to your teeth. The surgeon told me she tried to talk me out of letting them pull them but I told her that I was so out there on drugs that I don't even remember het telling me that otherwise I would have kept my teeth and hoped for the best. Tell me, do you have to shave your whole face and neck because I don't have to shave below my jaw since nothing grows there anymore and the same for the back of my neck where a barber would have to trim the area. Aloha,wildogWildog Thanks for the followup notice, questions and answers. As far as gargling with Aloe wish I would have tried it I was only told about putting Aloe on my neck exterior during the radiation which did help the burning and redness. Other current radiation patients should take notice and should try using Aloe for internal and external use. My teeth are or were in great shape. I never had any cavities or any dental problems before and I just went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned about two weeks ago and he said I bet you wish the rest of your body was in as in great of shape as your teeth. As far as shaving, I had a moustache and the radiation doctor asked me if I ever grew a beard.  I told him I usually have a beard most of the winter time except for this year.  He said you might have a few very small bald spots below your jaw line where the radiation will be concentrated. My personal situations was that I had a very thick beard with no bald spots.  Now about 20 months after radiation basically there is a line from the bottom of my ears to my mouth intersection,  all the facial hair below that lines is mostly gone and everything above that line still grows pretty thick. I have maybe 100 hairs.  I have to shave every day as I had more hair when I was thirteen, and I would be embarassed if I didn't shave now. As far as my hair line I have always had the rear of my hair tapered cut by my wife but now she has to cut my hair long with almost no taper in the rear so it hides the bald spots from the radiation about three inches above my collar line. She has said a very small amount of hair is growing today but not nearly enough to hide the bald area. Again thanks for the update and I would be interested to hear or discuss anything more you have to offer.  I have been going to a hospital support group that a friend told me about and I wish I would have known this earlier but I was told by this therapist nurse of 21 years expierence that your should try to drink water with lemon or lime as especially lemon stimulates the the saliva glands to help them regenerate. I still have trouble eating hamburger and most breads without some sort of dressing, butter etc to halp them slide down.  I still wake up usually two times a night with extreme dry mouth having to rinse with biotene or another rinse called  Oasis to get more than an hour of sleep that water allows me. Taste buds are better after almost 20 months and for the last four months I have been able to eat spicy foods with little or no burning sensation. Other than that I am glad to be alive and waiting for my next scan in the end of February.  My last scan the doctor found two suspecious spots on my upper right lung and said he wanted to wait four months to retest.      Aloha Lardog, First off let me congratulate you for having dog in your name since where I come from it's an honor to have it. When I told my Radiation doctor I was going to use the drinkable Aloe Vera he told me I was the first patient he had to use it and wanted to know how it worked. Well even the techs were interested and from what I understane they and the docotr advise all patients under going radiation to that area to use the aloe vera. I have a little dryness of my mouth but not that bad and it has actually a little worse now than for the first year and a half after the radiation treatment but I can say I don't have to drink much water for dryness unless I have been talking for a while or have my mouth open for a period of time. I am a little more sensative to spicy foods but not enough to stop me from eating them. I just had to many fillings and that is probably the worse thing about the whole situation because having no teeth and the dentures not working is a nightmare when it comes to eating but there is nothing they can do about it. At first I had very little beard to shave but after about 6 months my beard was normal from the chin up and since I have a ponytail I just trim around my ears and that's a haircut for me. I have told people about the drinkable aloe vera already on this website and I hope that more people try it and do it about 5 times a day and before and right after your treatments. As for the exterior burns I used the real plant since I had a bunch of it growing at my house and it worked real good. Aloha,Wildog wildog Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Jan 03, 2012 12:13 AM wildog wrote: On Nov 11, 2010 4:46 PM lardog04 wrote: Sorry to hear about you father's throat cancer.For me I was diagnosed with Stage IV tonsil cancer with lymph node involvement last December 2009. I had six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation with an additional three more weeks of chemo 24 hours a day for five days a week. Biotene rinse does help and so does the brushing of teeth and tongue.  Biotene tooth paste is okay bt I like Kroger sensitive enamel guard.  Do not buy the mint as that also causes throat inflamation early on. Was brushing seven to ten times a day to get ride of pasty taste etc.  I had the PEG tube as I was completely unable to swallow anything. My wife fed me Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC 600 calorie cans she purchased from a medical supplier. Was 190 before treatment but lost fourty pounds. After about two months I was able to get down top ramen soup. For me the warmth felt good and anything that was room temperature or less was extremely hard to swallow. Top ramen soup became my treat for the next four to six weeks. Fianally was able to get other real soft type bland soups down.  I use to love spicy foods but so far after six months after radiation anything the least spicy set my throat on fire. I was unable to even eat yellow mustard very sparingly until a few weeks ago. I have an extremely hard time eating dry foods and especially hamburgers or biscuits.  Taste buds are mostly lost and or have changed dramatically. Really down't like the taste of certian foods like steak, chocolate etc. Chicken taste best to me or closest to what it originally tasted like.  I am not able to eat chciken breast as it is too dry and now the easiest piece is the thigh nto swallow.  I am constantly asking if food taste okay to other people. This is where it is paramount to be understanding as I get a hard time from wife whenever I ask if the food is okay. I guess she takes if personal. I have asked my doctors etc about taste and sensitivity of throat the burning from spicy foods but have received no real solid answers.  Would like to know what other people experience also.  After reading the post many people have different reactions to food and taste. I really dopn't look forward to eating because it is so hard to swallow, food doesn't have any real taste and the fact that I constantly have to drink while eating to help swallowing. I can only drink sodas if they are room temperature but that is slowly changing and found it best to pour the soda in a glass to get ride of a lot of the carbonation. After six months,  very little of the salivary glands have come back and very little of the taste buds. I would also like to hear other people experience here also. It is kind of a trial and error to see what is the easiest food to swallow and Yes other people's history helps everyone to get ideas. Again best of luck and post again.          Aloha lardog, The thing that saved my saliva glands and taste buds was I gargled and swallowed drinkable Aloe Vera during and after my radiation treatments and they didn't do Chemo on me. Your teeth must have been in great shape because mine had to many fillings and they pulled them out because the radiation and what ever it does to your teeth. The surgeon told me she tried to talk me out of letting them pull them but I told her that I was so out there on drugs that I don't even remember het telling me that otherwise I would have kept my teeth and hoped for the best. Tell me, do you have to shave your whole face and neck because I don't have to shave below my jaw since nothing grows there anymore and the same for the back of my neck where a barber would have to trim the area. Aloha,wildogWildog Thanks for the followup notice, questions and answers. As far as gargling with Aloe wish I would have tried it I was only told about putting Aloe on my neck exterior during the radiation which did help the burning and redness. Other current radiation patients should take notice and should try using Aloe for internal and external use. My teeth are or were in great shape. I never had any cavities or any dental problems before and I just went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned about two weeks ago and he said I bet you wish the rest of your body was in as in great of shape as your teeth. As far as shaving, I had a moustache and the radiation doctor asked me if I ever grew a beard.  I told him I usually have a beard most of the winter time except for this year.  He said you might have a few very small bald spots below your jaw line where the radiation will be concentrated. My personal situations was that I had a very thick beard with no bald spots.  Now about 20 months after radiation basically there is a line from the bottom of my ears to my mouth intersection,  all the facial hair below that lines is mostly gone and everything above that line still grows pretty thick. I have maybe 100 hairs.  I have to shave every day as I had more hair when I was thirteen, and I would be embarassed if I didn't shave now. As far as my hair line I have always had the rear of my hair tapered cut by my wife but now she has to cut my hair long with almost no taper in the rear so it hides the bald spots from the radiation about three inches above my collar line. She has said a very small amount of hair is growing today but not nearly enough to hide the bald area. Again thanks for the update and I would be interested to hear or discuss anything more you have to offer.  I have been going to a hospital support group that a friend told me about and I wish I would have known this earlier but I was told by this therapist nurse of 21 years expierence that your should try to drink water with lemon or lime as especially lemon stimulates the the saliva glands to help them regenerate. I still have trouble eating hamburger and most breads without some sort of dressing, butter etc to halp them slide down.  I still wake up usually two times a night with extreme dry mouth having to rinse with biotene or another rinse called  Oasis to get more than an hour of sleep that water allows me. Taste buds are better after almost 20 months and for the last four months I have been able to eat spicy foods with little or no burning sensation. Other than that I am glad to be alive and waiting for my next scan in the end of February.  My last scan the doctor found two suspecious spots on my upper right lung and said he wanted to wait four months to retest.  lardog04 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On Nov 11, 2010 4:46 PM lardog04 wrote: Sorry to hear about you father's throat cancer.For me I was diagnosed with Stage IV tonsil cancer with lymph node involvement last December 2009. I had six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation with an additional three more weeks of chemo 24 hours a day for five days a week. Biotene rinse does help and so does the brushing of teeth and tongue.  Biotene tooth paste is okay bt I like Kroger sensitive enamel guard.  Do not buy the mint as that also causes throat inflamation early on. Was brushing seven to ten times a day to get ride of pasty taste etc.  I had the PEG tube as I was completely unable to swallow anything. My wife fed me Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC 600 calorie cans she purchased from a medical supplier. Was 190 before treatment but lost fourty pounds. After about two months I was able to get down top ramen soup. For me the warmth felt good and anything that was room temperature or less was extremely hard to swallow. Top ramen soup became my treat for the next four to six weeks. Fianally was able to get other real soft type bland soups down.  I use to love spicy foods but so far after six months after radiation anything the least spicy set my throat on fire. I was unable to even eat yellow mustard very sparingly until a few weeks ago. I have an extremely hard time eating dry foods and especially hamburgers or biscuits.  Taste buds are mostly lost and or have changed dramatically. Really down't like the taste of certian foods like steak, chocolate etc. Chicken taste best to me or closest to what it originally tasted like.  I am not able to eat chciken breast as it is too dry and now the easiest piece is the thigh nto swallow.  I am constantly asking if food taste okay to other people. This is where it is paramount to be understanding as I get a hard time from wife whenever I ask if the food is okay. I guess she takes if personal. I have asked my doctors etc about taste and sensitivity of throat the burning from spicy foods but have received no real solid answers.  Would like to know what other people experience also.  After reading the post many people have different reactions to food and taste. I really dopn't look forward to eating because it is so hard to swallow, food doesn't have any real taste and the fact that I constantly have to drink while eating to help swallowing. I can only drink sodas if they are room temperature but that is slowly changing and found it best to pour the soda in a glass to get ride of a lot of the carbonation. After six months,  very little of the salivary glands have come back and very little of the taste buds. I would also like to hear other people experience here also. It is kind of a trial and error to see what is the easiest food to swallow and Yes other people's history helps everyone to get ideas. Again best of luck and post again.          Aloha lardog, The thing that saved my saliva glands and taste buds was I gargled and swallowed drinkable Aloe Vera during and after my radiation treatments and they didn't do Chemo on me. Your teeth must have been in great shape because mine had to many fillings and they pulled them out because the radiation and what ever it does to your teeth. The surgeon told me she tried to talk me out of letting them pull them but I told her that I was so out there on drugs that I don't even remember het telling me that otherwise I would have kept my teeth and hoped for the best. Tell me, do you have to shave your whole face and neck because I don't have to shave below my jaw since nothing grows there anymore and the same for the back of my neck where a barber would have to trim the area. Aloha,wildog wildog Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT      Aloha George, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the tonsils in Jan. 09. After 3 weeks in the Hospital they did the same thing to me,came into my room and told me to pack my things because I was being discharged. They didn't tell me anything and I was on a feeding tube also and they gave me some liquid food to use. I hated the stuff because it made my body smell like the suppliment smelled but that was all I could use since I am also a diabetic and the other suppliments other than Glucerna have way to much sugar in them.They put me in an apartment next to the Hospital for 3 days and 3 nights because I lived on Kauai and the hospital was on Oahu and They had to have me see the radiation doctor and then see my surgeon again before send me back to Kauai for 2 weeks to heal before coming back for my radiation treatments that would take over 6 weeks. One good thing is I am a fast healer and the surgeon took our the tube in my throat for breathing ( forget what they call that tube) and I was so glad to get rid of that thing.They kept the feeding tube in me  for way to long and it didn't come out till Sept. They really messed me up due to over radiating my throat and even with dentures I can't swallow chewed foods and have to blend most of my food. I am going to talk with a lawyer about a malpractice suit because of the over radiation and how it has messed up my quality of life and the fact that they never said a thing except that I would be able to eat once I got the dentures which turned out to be wrong. Read something the other days about them stopping radiation and using protons instead since they won't damage the area around the cancer spot as much as radiation does. Aloha,Wildog wildog Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Hi Georgenone, I agree with you that one should be cautious about believing the advertising hype to do with supplements. Reading the label to learn what the active ingredient is before buying, what good advice. Instead of spending money for pills, I eat the actual root of the turmeric plant, which is sold in asian grocery stores. For omega 3's, I avoid the pill form and instead sprinkle a spoonful of ground up flax seed on my oatmeal cereal. Also, Japanese tea (Sen-cha) is said to have the highest levels of polyphenols--beneficial antioxidants to aid in fighting cancer. I believe that these natural healthy foods are keeping me going and feeling well. They are all available in grocery stores and cost pennies compared to high cost supplements. Abbala      Abbala Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Hi. you need to stop processed foods, stay away from omega6 polyunsaturated oils, give up sugar in all its forms (except perhaps honey) eat mainly a vegetarian diet , with some fish and organ meats (kidneys liver etc.,) make sure you get sufficient essential minerals like magnesium, iodine, selenium, avoid deep fried foods, Seafoods are good, rich in minerals and vitamins, also nuts and fruit. Due to intensive farming and depleted soils, most products are deficient in vitamins and minerals and loaded with pesticides and hormones stu46 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Thanks again for all those that have posted. As you can see there is not a lot of information about the recovery process. lardog04 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT If you send me your email I'll send you a PDF from the Cancer Fighting Kitchen, a confernece I volunteered at. It has all the foods and latest research and is about 21 pages long, by Jeanne Wallace a nutritionist. Rebecca Katz's book of the same name, Cancer Fighting Kitchen is awesome. Says what properties are in each one of the foods, herbs or spices... Hope this helps fill your duffle bag, and I can relate. healing1 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It's been 2 years since I completed my treatment and my recovery from state 4 squamous cell has been remarkable except for the fact that I still can't eat really spicy food. Good luck with that one!!! bigfatking Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT It's been 2 years since I completed my treatment and my recovery from state 4 squamous cell has been remarkable except for the fact that I still can't eat really spicy food. Good luck with that one!!! bigfatking Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Thanks to all for responding to these postings.   When I left the Doctor I had many questions and very few were answered.  I is really great to hear what other people are experiencing and what precaustions and measures they are taking also. Thanks again, but I would like to know if anybody else has received a burning throat from spicy foods.  If so how long did the sensitivity last? Larry lardog04 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Smitty609, Sorry about your boyfriend having recurrence post Whipple surgery. Just wanted to let you know that CA19-9 often rises after chemo begins.  The reason is due to the necrotic tissue created when the tumor dies as a result of the chemo.  So the rise in the CA19-9 from 6084 to 8162 between 9/8 and 10/9 was probably due to the tumors dying.     It is highly doubtful that the supplements you describe are in any way responsible for the decrease in the CA19-9 result.  By the time the CA19-9 was drawn on 11/5, he had been on chemo since 9/8, long enough for the CA19-9 to begin decreasing after the initial rise. Also, FYI, liver function test results vary by labratory, so listing normal resluts as 17-63 is meaningless, especially when you do not indicate which test was done .  You should advise your friend to stop all alcohol, if he is currently drinking any; Stage 1 cirrhosis is a very serious matter, particularly in conjunction with his history of pc. Wishing you continued decrease in the CA19-9. Joan_l_3 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Wow, your experience was a whole lot worse than mine. I was able to avoid the "tube" and I think that was a good thing in the long run. Thank you so much for the info. It's a little complicated but you've given me some good ideas. Thanks, Byron bigfatking Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Yes, I think that's where I saw him too. Very informative, bigfatking Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT thanks so much, i too have heard great things about Vita D-3 and Tumeric bigfatking Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Yes, I agree. In my job, I work with supplement information, but not benefits. I use product spec sheets, nutrition pannels, certificates of assay etc. None of which indicate whether or not you should take green tea extract, just information on the quality, microbial content etc of the green tea lot in question. I think it best to rely on research on specific efficacy found in Pub Med, Web MD etc. Maybe it's psychological, or my need to be pro-active but I think nutritional supplements have been a big part of my recovery. But you're right, I'll never know for sure. It's funny I'm more skeptical of the food I eat than my CoQ10!!. Anyway, thanks for the input. bigfatking Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Hi George,  Really sorry that you are where you are. I can relate. The whole process is frightening and demoralizing and yet with luck & perseverance most of us can survive and learn to live with a "new normal." I'm over 5 yrs out of stage 4 SCC - tonsil & lymph glands. Peg (stomach tube for one week less that 3 years.) Today eating life is liquid or very thinned puree followed by water. A swallow specialist taught me how to hold my breath & then swallow. Only small sips allowed or the whole magilla falls out of my nose. Also, those pesky twice-a-day radiation sessions left a small section of access to lungs burned open, so aspirating fluid happens on a regular basis, but I can cough it out.  Went to a place in NYC 5 yrs ago. They did not sell products but did sell nutritional info (with referenced research sites) mostly to HIV and/or AIDS patients. I was and fortunately am not either of those. The NYC presented me with a goal to build my immune system without encouraging the growth of cancer cells.  After conferring with them immediatly threw out one of the canned pharm. alleged nutritional slop which had mostly sugar followed by chemicals. When I asked the cancer nutritionist about taking 2 types of canned crap with so much sugar she replied that it was "vital to keep the coloric numbers up." Several top cancer hospitals give the no-no to process/refined sugars during treatment because cancer cells supposedly thrive on them. The place where I was treated is highly respected & I'm very grateful to them for being here but their nutritionists felt that there is not enough research to have patients lesson their sugar content, when it can add the needed calories (while we cancer patients are barfing all over town & not getting any REAL food in our bodies. I used a strong blender (started with a regular one and within 2 years got a VitaMix as a gift.) Peeled apples, added sardines, chicken broth, whey isolate protein powder, greek yoghurt and liquids from juicing veggies. After treatment I added Green Vibrance, Perfect food and a liquid multi-vitamin. Occassionally Gator Aid if the electrolytes (salt) count was down. i thinned it out with Pom, prune, grape, Alovera or Acai juice and used the blunt end of wooden grilling sticks to roto-till out any lumps. Utilized pump only occasionally as it caused so much gas. I didn't use every single thing every time but over a period of a week I would have. Also used soda water several times a week because the bubbles helped keep the tube clean. Doctors never gave the blessing for my system, nor did they say NOT to do it. I was told by the NYC folks that I would start feeling stronger within 6 - 8 weeks. I felt much better in 3 and never used any cans of crap again. The Docs did invite me to speak at a very large Head & Neck conference held in Boston a few months into my own regime. 15 Physicians & me. I brought my blender filled with an ugly green/gray stinky liquid and suggested that they start thinking outside the box. They need to get innovative for us and perhaps someday for one of their own. George, I don't know if any of this helped you. I hope so. I am not prescribing for you because I am not a nutritionist or a medical professional. I, like so many of us on Cancer Compass, am just a cancer patient who wanted to live and feel better. So far, both those things are happening. This cancer business is no head cold. We each endure the unendurable. It does seem to get more manageable talking with others who are, or have, shared a similar experience. Hang in George. Warmest regards from New England. bostongirl bostongirl Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT On Nov 11, 2010 4:46 PM lardog04 wrote: Sorry to hear about you father's throat cancer.For me I was diagnosed with Stage IV tonsil cancer with lymph node involvement last December 2009. I had six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation with an additional three more weeks of chemo 24 hours a day for five days a week. Biotene rinse does help and so does the brushing of teeth and tongue.  Biotene tooth paste is okay bt I like Kroger sensitive enamel guard.  Do not buy the mint as that also causes throat inflamation early on. Was brushing seven to ten times a day to get ride of pasty taste etc.  I had the PEG tube as I was completely unable to swallow anything. My wife fed me Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC 600 calorie cans she purchased from a medical supplier. Was 190 before treatment but lost fourty pounds. After about two months I was able to get down top ramen soup. For me the warmth felt good and anything that was room temperature or less was extremely hard to swallow. Top ramen soup became my treat for the next four to six weeks. Fianally was able to get other real soft type bland soups down.  I use to love spicy foods but so far after six months after radiation anything the least spicy set my throat on fire. I was unable to even eat yellow mustard very sparingly until a few weeks ago. I have an extremely hard time eating dry foods and especially hamburgers or biscuits.  Taste buds are mostly lost and or have changed dramatically. Really down't like the taste of certian foods like steak, chocolate etc. Chicken taste best to me or closest to what it originally tasted like.  I am not able to eat chciken breast as it is too dry and now the easiest piece is the thigh nto swallow.  I am constantly asking if food taste okay to other people. This is where it is paramount to be understanding as I get a hard time from wife whenever I ask if the food is okay. I guess she takes if personal. I have asked my doctors etc about taste and sensitivity of throat the burning from spicy foods but have received no real solid answers.  Would like to know what other people experience also.  After reading the post many people have different reactions to food and taste. I really dopn't look forward to eating because it is so hard to swallow, food doesn't have any real taste and the fact that I constantly have to drink while eating to help swallowing. I can only drink sodas if they are room temperature but that is slowly changing and found it best to pour the soda in a glass to get ride of a lot of the carbonation. After six months,  very little of the salivary glands have come back and very little of the taste buds. I would also like to hear other people experience here also. It is kind of a trial and error to see what is the easiest food to swallow and Yes other people's history helps everyone to get ideas. Again best of luck and post again.       I was also diagnosed with the same cancer in Jan. 09 but after the surgery they only did radiation on me for 33 treatments. On top of the cancer I am an insulin dependent diabetic so I can't just eat anything. I am glad to hear they didn't take your teeth which they did do to me but I was 60 years old and had to many fillings and the radiation can cause some really bad things if I had kept my teeth. The big problem for me is the radiation did such a number on my throat that even using dentures and chewing my food I have a really hard time trying to swallow. I have to blend most of the food I eat or eat yogurt and other food like that. It is amazing that I can blend just about any food with some bullon but it is a hassle and would love to be able to just eat regular food. before going for radiation I did some research and some heavy thinking and remembered that Aloe Vera is probably the best thing for burns. I bought a few bottles of drinkable Aloe Vera ( not cheap stuff but the best quality I could find) and swished it and swallowed it 4-5 times a day during rad treatments til my throat got to sore to swallow anything. I would do this just before and after my rad treatment and I never lost my taste buds and my slaiva glands still work but not 100% so I do have a little dry mouth. As for any supplements I just take diabetic vitamins and they seem to work just fine. I do wonder why they didn't use chemo on me but am also glad they didn't. I have talked to 2 people who went through the same cancer and they wouldn't let them take their teeth and now wish they had. One person's teeth are so loose now his wife has to blend his food due to the pain from trying to eat with the loose teeth and he hates dentists and woun't have them pulled. My other friend is now having to deal with the dentist constantly and it looks like they will end up taking all of his teeth in the end. Not having teeth is terrible and I don't really know if I would let them take them if I had to do it again but it water under the bridge now and at least I am cancer free. Aloha wildog Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I hear ya.  When your radiation is done and you are at your weakest, they say goodbye you are on your own.  I had the peg tube and no one showed me how to use it.  I had nasopharyngeal carcinoma stage 4.  It has been just over a year and I am now concidered in remission.  I am having trouble with saliva.  So my eating is moist, soft foods.  I feel its good to have fiber, so I eat oatmeal and add ground flax.  I eat steamed vegetables.   I eat fruit and yogurts for probiotics.  I still drink ensure with revigor in the morning and the ensure for bones at night.  I also take a multi vitamin, omega-3, calcium with D.  I just try to eat right and use supplements to fill in the gaps.  Good luck in your eating.  God bless Paula bootsy Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Sorry to hear about you father's throat cancer.For me I was diagnosed with Stage IV tonsil cancer with lymph node involvement last December 2009. I had six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation with an additional three more weeks of chemo 24 hours a day for five days a week. Biotene rinse does help and so does the brushing of teeth and tongue.  Biotene tooth paste is okay bt I like Kroger sensitive enamel guard.  Do not buy the mint as that also causes throat inflamation early on. Was brushing seven to ten times a day to get ride of pasty taste etc.  I had the PEG tube as I was completely unable to swallow anything. My wife fed me Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC 600 calorie cans she purchased from a medical supplier. Was 190 before treatment but lost fourty pounds. After about two months I was able to get down top ramen soup. For me the warmth felt good and anything that was room temperature or less was extremely hard to swallow. Top ramen soup became my treat for the next four to six weeks. Fianally was able to get other real soft type bland soups down.  I use to love spicy foods but so far after six months after radiation anything the least spicy set my throat on fire. I was unable to even eat yellow mustard very sparingly until a few weeks ago. I have an extremely hard time eating dry foods and especially hamburgers or biscuits.  Taste buds are mostly lost and or have changed dramatically. Really down't like the taste of certian foods like steak, chocolate etc. Chicken taste best to me or closest to what it originally tasted like.  I am not able to eat chciken breast as it is too dry and now the easiest piece is the thigh nto swallow.  I am constantly asking if food taste okay to other people. This is where it is paramount to be understanding as I get a hard time from wife whenever I ask if the food is okay. I guess she takes if personal. I have asked my doctors etc about taste and sensitivity of throat the burning from spicy foods but have received no real solid answers.  Would like to know what other people experience also.  After reading the post many people have different reactions to food and taste. I really dopn't look forward to eating because it is so hard to swallow, food doesn't have any real taste and the fact that I constantly have to drink while eating to help swallowing. I can only drink sodas if they are room temperature but that is slowly changing and found it best to pour the soda in a glass to get ride of a lot of the carbonation. After six months,  very little of the salivary glands have come back and very little of the taste buds. I would also like to hear other people experience here also. It is kind of a trial and error to see what is the easiest food to swallow and Yes other people's history helps everyone to get ideas. Again best of luck and post again.     lardog04 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT A giant plus is that these products have a 30 day 100% money back guarantee.... What would it do to try for 30 day?  That is what we did and you can see Marks progress...and considering stopping chemo - at least for a few weeks till he can get past the nausea. Smitty609 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT I am sorry that you are not able to swallow at this time.  On this site, there is research.  Not just advertisement.  Trust me I have been through all this before.  16yrs ago to be exact.  My mother died of renal cell carcinoma.  Never had a chance to try anything but 2 doses of chemo before she died. That is actually the first time I saw the research on this line of treatment.  I do believe that there are supplements out there that are no better than the food you eat. If you read the full website, you will see that it is not even an advertisement.  It gives you details, explanations and so much more than simple over the counter supplements from the health food stores.  This is a serious research into what causes cancer and how to combat it and defeat it.  I have gone through so many of the ads for so many different get well quick remedies.  As a matter of fact my brother is a chiropractor and nutritionist that works with a very good manufacturor of supplements designed for normal every day people ---NOT BATTLING CANCER.  I pray that you will find hope and soon are able to live a healthy normal life again.  Please don't give up nor see the glass half empty... Smitty609 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT On Nov 10, 2010 5:46 PM bigfatking wrote: My last day of treatment at U.M for throat cancer was sort of like being released from prison. They handed me my duffle bag said "go home". Now what? What do I eat, what supplements do I take, if any? What about exercise? Well it's been two years and even though I work for a supplement manufacturer, I wonder about the diet and supplement intake of other cancer survivors like myself. At this point, 5gr. of Vita C, a couple thousand mg's of Omega 3 and some CoQ10 is about it.Yes that's about the way it is. Out the door without a clue as what to do and the doctors are little if any help. Eat what ever you please. The one and only thing I got from the nutritionist is "in your condition why worry about it?" I found her statement to be very irritating at the time but in retrospect it is the only intelligent thing she had to say. Before you jump head long into the world of supplements take a look beyond the ad crap. Any advertisement telling you about the many benefits of a supplement is not designed to give you any information. Advertisements are designed to con you out of your money and nothing else. Look to the research that has been done on the ingredients. You will soon learn that many supplements can be hazardous to your health. I am not suggesting you avoid supplements. I am saying know what you are taking and why. Because someone has been taking something for the past three years, after treatment, and is doing great is no reason to try it. Odds are they would be doing great without it. That’s a lot of what ad crap is. Try to find anyone who suddenly started feeling better because they tried some supplement.  Guess what it don't happen. Omega 3 and fish oil is a prime example. There is no data to support any claim that you can benefit from starting it now. If you wanted such benefit you needed to start taking it regularly about 20 years ago.  99.9% of you will not live long enough to reap any benefit from dietary changes. I cannot eat or swallow. I am suppose to be living on the supplement crap that comes with a feeding tube. The only thing liquid nutrition supplements do for me is cause problems.  If you really want what is in a supplement look to the foods that will give you what you want. There is nothing in a dietary supplement that you cannot get from eating the right foods. If you read the nutritional data of different  foods you can get the same thing and save yourself a lot of wasted money at the same time. Georgenone Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Thank you for the info.  I saw that doctor on a show while Mark was in the hospital.  Great guy!!! Smitty609 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Oops, Meant to say good LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY! Jan radicaltruth Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Hi, My husband has stage 4 gallbladder cancer. Was given 2 weeks to live. We follow the anti cancer diet. The book is by a doctor who has had and continues to have brain cancer. He has written a book called the Anti-Cancer Diet, A New Way of Life. His name is Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, MD, Ph.D and it is a well research book. It has become our food bible. He recommends vitamin D, Probiotics, cooking with tumeric, and lists an incredible variety of foods that prevent the cancer being fed by blood. He also recommends green tea and fresh ginger. Good like on your new life journey. Jan         radicaltruth Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT From all my reading and research you are taking great supplements.  I would add   Vitamin D-3  (5000 IU)  and Tumeric.     Stephen55 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Thank you so much. Sounds like your boyfriend is a real fighter. bigfatking Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Thank you so much. Sounds like your boyfriend is a real fighter. bigfatking Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT On Nov 10, 2010 5:46 PM bigfatking wrote: My last day of treatment at U.M for throat cancer was sort of like being released from prison. They handed me my duffle bag said "go home". Now what? What do I eat, what supplements do I take, if any? What about exercise? Well it's been two years and even though I work for a supplement manufacturer, I wonder about the diet and supplement intake of other cancer survivors like myself. At this point, 5gr. of Vita C, a couple thousand mg's of Omega 3 and some CoQ10 is about it.check this site out.  http://www.cancerfightingstrategies.com/oxygenation.html Mark (my boyfriend)dx'd in April 2010 with pancreatic cancer (Whipple procedure on May 17, 2010) and left hospital "cancer free".   Started chemo and was scheduled for radiation Sept 2010 after pet scan dx'd with stage 4 and no longer candidate for radiation because of mets into peritoneum area.  Causing nausea and vomiting.  He vomites on average once a day. (not to terribly bad) Started chemo on 9/13/10 gemzar 3wks on 1 wk off. CA 19-9 labs taken on 9/8/10 before chemo => 6084  CA 19-9 labs taken after 1st rnd of chemo  on 10/9 => 8162, same day he started supplements. CA 19-9 labs taken on 11/5 less than 1 mo. from starting supplements => 5735 Have seen 30% improvement in CA 19-9 test in less than 1 month & almst 50% improvement in liver function in same amount of time.  He is also taking a supplement to help support his liver (1st stage cirrosis). Liver function test taken on Oct 9 => test result  144 liver function test taken on Nov 5, =>test result   78 Normal range is 17-63 .  Taking Azovin, Quanzor, Liver Balance Plus & Ultra Liver 8.  Also Papaya Pro & Fulvitea when nausea is not an issue (caused by the chemo and cancer met)  These results look pretty promising to me.  Staying as positive as possible!!!!!!       Smitty609 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT My last day of treatment at U.M for throat cancer was sort of like being released from prison. They handed me my duffle bag said "go home". Now what? What do I eat, what supplements do I take, if any? What about exercise? Well it's been two years and even though I work for a supplement manufacturer, I wonder about the diet and supplement intake of other cancer survivors like myself. At this point, 5gr. of Vita C, a couple thousand mg's of Omega 3 and some CoQ10 is about it. bigfatking Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT