saltermd

RuthAnne,

Thank you very much for the info on that site. I have been checking it out this morning and have found some very useful information there, particularly related to IBC.

I registered, but have not yet gotten the required email to activate the registration. Did it take more than a couple of hours to get that email when you registered?

You're welcome. It did take some time - next day, if I remember correctly. There seem to be problems in that regard. If it takes too long, you might want to see if there's a contact/help email on the site. I'm glad you find it helpful. I do too. :)

Here's the contact email: [email redacted]. Good luck!

All I've been taking is vitamin C, and drinking cranberry juice as I've heard it can be beneficial during chemo treatments. Other than that my doctor and I are a bit wary as to adding to much else to my regimen as I'm already on so many other medications right now.

The man who runs the family-owned nutrition store near me advised B-complex and a daily protein drink with flax oil during radiation. No antioxidants until after treatment. My radiation ends February 29 (yea!) and I will go back to my usual regimen: 10,000 units of A (non fish-based since I'm vegetarian), B complex, 1000 units of C, 1200 units of Cal-Mag-Zinc, 1200 units of D, 1000 units of E, gingko biloba, glucosamine chondroitin, potassium and a multi in case I missed anything. I'm taking Coumadin and need to avoid cranberry or grape juice but that's about it.

SalterMD-
I achieved complete remission from my blood cancer, multiple myeloma in '99. My regimen focuses on those supplements that have been shown to reduce cancer- in other words, I am supplementing to prevent the myeloma from relapsing. I supplement with curcumin, green tea extract, omega 3 fatty acids, milk thistle and resveritrol. All have anti-cancer properties- the studies are linked below.

http://peoplebeatingcancer.org/pbc/search?pbc_sitename=All&keys=curcumin

http://peoplebeatingcancer.org/pbc/search?pbc_sitename=All&keys=green+tea

http://peoplebeatingcancer.org/pbc/search?pbc_sitename=All&keys=fish+oil

http://peoplebeatingcancer.org/pbc/search?pbc_sitename=All&keys=resveritrol

Studies outline these supplements as having both anti-cancer properties as well as acting synergistically with conventional chemo while reducing toxicity-

David Emerson
peoplebeatingcancer.org

I guess overall we are pleased with my wife's oncologist's. We are not pleased with the overall condition of healthcare in general. While the staff at our cancer center are very compassionate, they leave a lot to be desired. Time management is non existent unless it is toward the end of the day, when it is approaching their go home time. We have had her iv delivery rates set wrong costing us another hour hooked up, we have had them fail to restart an iv after pushing meds which we discovered after 50 minutes, we had the dietiticion give us a list of foods to eat to help her maintain weight, energy, etc. without knowing that she was having pelvic radiation and that list of foods are foods to avid while having pelvic radiation. This info was given to my wife while in an exam room on the radiation side of the center. The very first day of chemotherapy we were to meet with the nurse practicioner at 8:30 am. She didn't even arrive until 8:50 and then sat at her desk and ate breakfast before seeing her. If I run my business, like healthcare run their's, I would go broke. Healthcare professionals forget that we are the customers, and if our needs are not meet we will go somewhere else.

My onc is a great doc but my numerous requests to see my x-rays, pet scans, mri's were always glossed over with an answer that all he had were reports and couldn't actually see my bones or the tumors. I didn't understand beause I had cd's of all of my scans, xrays, etc. but I don't know what I'm looking at. I got a second opinion from an orthopedic oncologist who showed me and explained to me what he thinks is going on in my body. That's all I wanted to know. Draw on a napkin or show me the pictures, but please show me. The second opinion also confirmed we are on track with my treatment which is a good feeling.

Thank you for asking! I'm impressed!

I was just interviewed for the Patient's Corner of an oncology journal and this was a question that was presented.

Personally, I loved my oncologist. I shopped around the Philadelphia area (so there are a lot of top-notched oncologists here), and I found an oncologist who was connected to a top hospital, but at a satellite office so I didn't have the stress of going into town.

I felt that when I was with my oncologist, I was his most important patient. He never rushed through appointments. He was also very thorough and routine. I liked the routine. I knew that every time I saw him (every other treatment) we would go over the same exact things and that was very reassuring to me that everything would be discussed. I never had to write myself notes (chemo brain) because I knew every question he would ask.

Being a small satellite office and infusion center, I also liked that he would walk through occasionally to visit us during our treatments. Even if he was on his way to see the oncology nurses, he always spent a minute with each patient...just that one minute made me smile.

The only thing I didn't like and it's going to seem completely ridiculous...

Going through the routine list of things to discuss, he would say, "OK, onto your complaints." I hated that word! I'm not a complainer! I even teased him about that and begged him to use a different word.