Stage 4 glioblastoma

My mother has  Stage 4 glioblastoma  ,she collasped in june she then had some of the tumour removed and had radiotherapy and chemo, but her legs became swollen so chem was stopped at the end of the 4th week,

she is very well in herself and you would not know there was anything wrong apart from the loss of hair. it's very hard to except and she keeps asking if the treatment has cured her which is heart breaking as i just dont know what to keep saying. we are to go back the end of this month for results from treatment which i am scared to hear.she is my rock my world my everything .

there has been mention that a diet can help , does anybody have any information on this please?

I am so sorry about your mother.  It's not usually an easy road for anyone.  You asked about diet specifically so I will give you my (my husband's) experience with diet.

My husband was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in May of 2003.  He was 39 at the time.  He was given 3-6 months with treatment.  Long story short, we ended up at Duke, he had brain surgery, eventually chemo, radiation, etc... 

We were doing our own research like crazy shortly after he was diagnosed because we decided just because we were told it was a death sentence didn't mean it was.

Anyway, we researched diet & some supplementation out of the gate.  By fall we had given up everything whiter (sugar, potatoes, flour...)  We were only eating free range beef & chicken & Alaskan Salmon- and not a lot of that.  Thanksgiving of 2003 marked the last time my daughter & I ate meat.  I think my husband ate it a few times between then and February 23.  He gave up all meat & became a mostly raw vegan on the day after his 40th birthday.

We have been completely raw vegans for years at a time.  We are currently mostly raw vegans.  We eat little or no processed foods and we are mostly organic.

Doctors told my husband was cancer free in December of 2003.  He has never had a reoccurrence. He opted out of another year of chemo (Duke's protocal back then) and other than anti seizure drugs, has not been on anything in since 2004. (Although he did take decadron for swelling do to previous brain radiation years ago when recommended)

People can believe what they want about diet, but it has been our experience that a clean and mostly raw vegan diet can change your life.  We also juice, mainly green juices, sometimes carrot (We did carrot a lot in the beginning-but now I believe it might be to high in natural sugar-although my husband obviously didn't have issues).

I tend not to get on here a lot because it is frustrating to me that people just "drink the cool-aid" without questioning it or the fact that cancer is so common now and never was decades ago.  Stands to reason one of the main differences is our food and how it has been changed over the decades.  People used to whisper the "C" word.  I will be 50 in May and when I was growing up I knew one a handful of people who had cancer and they were all older.  My grandmother had died of ovarian cancer.  Now... think about it.  I doubt there is anyone who doesn't know someone with cancer.  It's everywhere, it's common and now our children get it.

For starters, watch "Forks Over Knives" and maybe "Food Matters." They are good eye openers.  We need to be our own advocates.  We don't need  to assume what every doctor says is fact.  If we had listened to the many medical opinions we got back in the beginning of our journey my husband would likely be dead.  Instead he's alive and healthy.  My husband's only issues are side effects from previous brain radiation.

Hope that helps.  Healthy blessings.

Lauren

Im sorry to hear about your mom.  GBM is a nasty beast,  I was dx june last year.  I did surgery 85% removed, radiation and chemo.  By Janruary it was ba to full size and I am now on Avastin.  My last 4 scans look great. 

GBM scatters cancer cells through the brain.  That is why recurrance is so high.  Basically we are waiting for the cells to take off and go wild. 

medium survival with conventional treatment is 13.6 months, with out it is 3 months.    Nutrition is very important.  But eating raw food and juicing everything wil not cure your mom of GBM. 

hi lauren  thank you for the reply   I will look into what you have said and hopefully get my mom eating better.

I think like you  and if you dont try you never know .

many thanks elaine

December 17, 2012

Hiorangeblossom

I agree with Lauren

This is the first time I have shared my cancer fight on the internet.

This is my story:

In April 2010, at the age of 53, I was diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiform grade IV, I was told they could remove 60% of it and I would have a 1-3 year life expectancy.

I was sent home to wait for surgery.

 At this time I began eating lots of raw foods prior to surgery. I do not know why I made this change at this time – I just demanded raw foods. I also stopped drinking milk so that I did not have it lining my stomach and reducing the effectiveness my medication. Without milk I was able to maintain my body weight even though I ate 25% less food during treatment.

My surgery was to be on the afternoon of May 12, 2010.

I was woken early in the morning and told my surgery would take longer because my tumor had not re grown like normal.

A few days after surgery I was told that the surgeons were able to remove 98% of my tumour.

I arrived home 4 days after surgery.

I travelled to and from Hamilton for Radiation, 5 days per week for 6 weeks, thanks to my wife Jo who drove 100 km (65 miles) every day (500 km per week).

When I started my first major dose of Chemo pills, I had severe head pain. Chemo pills are extremely alkaline. Two weeks later, I consumed about 30ml of wheatgrass juice. This also gave me head pain, but the pain was gone in about 30 minutes. Wheatgrass juice is also extremely alkaline – anti cancer.

I eventually completed my cancer treatment and all medication was stopped in may 2011.

I no longer take any medication what so ever.

I began exercising around March 2011.

In September 2011, my car drivers Licence was returned and I am permitted to drive on public roads without restrictions.

In August 2012 I was able fly to Australia and give my daughter away at her wedding.

I became a 100% raw vegan on 12 August 2012. My strength has improved greatly since I changed to vegan diet. i.e. I can now do 85 sit ups compared to 50 before I started my raw vegan diet.

I do believe that an alkaline diet (free of sugar) can stop the growth of cancer.

I have read many books about cancer healing including books by David Servan – Schreiber, and found much good information on the internet.

I own copies of “Forks Over Knives” and “Food Matters.” I also have “The Gerson Miracle”.

I also have many books about the benefits of juicing to fight cancer.

I go to monthly group meetings at the Cancer Society in Hamilton, New Zealand, where I am allowed to pass on the documents and videos.

I am still active.

I am not working, but have 2 ½ acres of land to help keep me healthy and active.

I have a large organic vegetable garden and an orchard.

Many thanks

and

Best Regards

Garry

New Zealand

Recently I started researching the ketogenic diet.  There are actually GBM clinical trials taking place to determine its effectiveness.  My husband has GBM IV and he has also omitted sugar and white flour from his diet.  He is 10 months into GBM, and he is not exhibiting any deficits.  I also read the e-mails on those who are vegans and who only eat organic.  We started eating organic and free range chicken, salmon, etc.  I think it is helping!  There is also a great cookbook called the Cancer Fighting Kitchen.  The recipes are excellent!  Take care and don't give up!!!

Hello,

What chemo did your husband? Did he took temodar, avastin or others? Is he taking now some chemo?

My mother was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme with Oligodendro on April 2011. All tumor was surgically debulked on May 2011. A recurrence was detected in december 2012. The tumor has 28/23/27/mm. and the doctor said that is too small for a surgery and the best solution is to start an oncology treatment.

If changing your eating habits give you comfort in feeling that it helps battle cancer then by all means go for it.  However, there is no statistical data showing that any diet, vegan, ketonic, or low sugar does anything to prevent, battle, or cure brain cancer.  My wife was close to being a vegan and had been for about 8 years before she was diagnosed with GBM.  Since her brain surgery she gave up her vegan ways and is now 21 months post surgery with no recurrence.  People will attribute whatever they "believe" has helped their cancer go into remission based upon faith alone.  In some cases people believe diet is keeping them or their loved ones alive.  In my wife's case, we believe a good neuro-surgeon, radiation, temodar, and eating a balanced diet has contributed to her success so far.

What an amazing story of hope.

What an amazing story of hope.