FLYMPH FORUM

History: My brother in law has Melanoma. This is always terminal at stage 4. However, our family is filled with the kind of realistic optimism that enables us to function at the capacity of a charging mother bear. So I thought I would share this moment with strangers. Some who have no major heath problems and others how are struggling. Peter, my brother in law, has been a guinea pig for UCLA for three years now enduring new procedures from science fiction. From having all his blood drained and replaced after a deep cleaning while being pumped full of stange drugs that made his body feel and look like a pin cushion. All this, and living in isolation for 4 weeks. He's also had experimental drugs heightened with dosages designed to kick an elephants ass. And today his test came back with these results. A little cryptic for all you folks not completely up to date, but still sharable to give hope. Oh by the way, he had tumors in his lungs, liver, stomach and lymph nodes... nothing visible on the skin. He is a true white boy. Albino white hair with water blue eyes, growing up running wild on the beaches of Pensacola, burning, peeling, burning, peeling. So here it is a short note I just received from my sister, who also is a survivor of stage 4 Histolytic lymphoma at age 27... now 63. I hope no one things this inappropriate.

There is always hope.

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Hello Friends and Family:

True no news is good news, but it’s been months since I’ve sent an update and we wanted everyone to know Peter’s still holding steady on E7080 after 8 months. Out of the ten or so patients who began this clinical trial at UCLA only Peter and one other have realized stunning results. Why, none of the oncologists know yet but we’re feeling very, very lucky.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been a staggeringly bumpy road, littered with challenging side effects, a formidable list of which I won’t innumerate. Still, it’s worth it if this protocol continues to keep the M in check. Thanks to Peter’s herculean grit and the razor-sharp analysis of our wonderful friend/across-the-street neighbor/and team member Dr. Andrew, this treatment’s curve balls are far more manageable than before. All critical in this continuing dance of endurance, will and hope.

Love and best to everyone. Thank you for all you are to us.

A wonderful thing to be able to share, Ariel -- especially given the circumstances of our forum friends Mark L. and Mark R. There are precious few of us who are fortunate enough to not have been touched by the horrors of cancer, and it's great to see someone being able to make positive strides against it. I personally have already lost one sister and have another currently battling in her third bout with this scourge, so I can definitely relate.

Gives one hope, does it not? Recently Roswell Park Cancer Treatment Center announced they will be testing a vaccine that uses the body's immune system to fight the recurrence of cancer in the body. The implications of this can be far reaching as such a vaccine could also be used for people with active cancer to help them fight and win their battle. The vaccine or treatment would be specifically designed for the individual based on their DNA. Interesting stuff, but some years down the road.

Mark

That's great news Ariel. Wish him the best!



Vicki

Ariel,
Thanks for telling us this story in process. Yes, every family seems to have been touched by cancer, including mine.

I have told the Marks privately about a movie that has caused me to change my own diet dramatically, specifically to reduce my susceptibility to colon cancer. My mother had two surgeries for it, and I am a strong candidate. Consequently, my wife and I are eating more whole-grain, plant based food, with minimal seafood and dairy products—and occasionally a little chicken.

Please don't think I am trying to proselytize, or preach here. Far from it. This is just me telling about something that I am trying, as preventative medicine, because it makes sense for me—but might not be acceptable to others. I can say that in the thee months that we have been on this experiment, we have both lost weight, and are feeling better in unexpected ways. The documentary is called FORKS OVER KNIVES. Here is its website— http://www.forksoverknives.com/

The film focuses on the work of two conservative, traditional doctors who, independent of each other, became interested in epidemiological data from China and elsewhere linking diet to disease—including cancer and diabetes.

GingerDun,
Everyone can eat a lot more healthy and it should surely will help fight disease. I do also believe that many cancers are cultural and hereditary. It's not only what we eat. Eating in a healthy manner definitely helps.

I was a pretty healthy eater. No salt, fiber filled diet, fruits and vegies, some meat of low fat. Because of my blood pressure, I can not eat prepared foods or fast foods. Too much sodium. My family is susceptible to cancer. My two fraternal uncles both had cancer. My younger brother had bladder cancer. I have always had irritable bowel syndrome. Acid indigestion, reflux was normal, and according to my Dr. the repeated repairing of my digestive track was the cause of mutation=cancer. You never know. One good way to be sure is to get regular check-ups & colonoscopy. Checks for other cancers are important as well.

Mark

Side note: I too have dabbled in the game of diet for heath. karen and I pretended I we were pre-diabetic. This is the game: I told myself that if didn't change my ways I'd be injecting insulin into my stomach if I didn't loss weight. I completely changed my diet using a website called dlife.com and their recipes. in 2.5 months I lost 30 lbs. Now, that game has turned into a life style.
I believe a society with heathy diets can decrease some problems like diabetes and all sorts of digestive cancers. I'm not so convinced it can do stuff with leukemia, lymphoma or skin cancers.
But it's all good news when you take control of your self and things work out.

I went on insulin a couple years ago. My family Dr. sent me to an edrinconlogist ( spell check?)To monitor me. That was a smart move as this type of Dr. is the best one for treating this.the Docter put me on a slow acting all day type insulin(lantus) a pen type with screw on needle cap- small very fine needle,also I have a slightly quicker acting insulin called Humalog to take care of after meal surges. Both are the dial a dose pens. Under the D.O.T 19A regs I can drive Class A through B/passenger school bus,But! only for towns/municiple or school district. To avoid nosey people the Docter prescribed a Prandin tablet for after lunch meds as me sitting in my Jeep in the parking lot injecting myself wouldn't be too cool.
At any rate I feel & am much healthier now. Oh, I almost forgot, as far as where you inject yourself stick yourself anywhere ya want except in a vein or artery or hard muscle. The muscle stings a bit or could break of the fine needle.