Getting Proactive & Into the Fight
Getting to a final diagnosis on my multiple myeloma took some time, and it’s time that weighed heavily on me. I had plenty to think about, and after a short while, it was, “”What am I going to do about this?
I’ve always been one to be proactive and accountable. I’d rather be doing than being done upon, and I sought an opportunity to take back a bit of control, as I was beginning to feel a bit helpless.
The journey to diagnosis felt like jumping through a lot of hoops. Many different doctor appointments, many different needles drawing blood, appointments for scans and biopsies. Cancer was dictating my days, my weeks, and that was beginning to take its toll on me mentally.
I wasn’t in charge; I wasn’t the boss. Cancer was moving into the corner office, becoming the boss.
That wasn’t going to cut it.
Waiting for a final diagnosis, I decided my first steps to taking back some control, to being proactively accountable for my response to what ailed me, was my diet and the nutrients I would put into my body. From years ago, I remembered a radio interview I had heard with Patrick Quillin, author of Beating Cancer with Nutrition, so I searched for the book and added it to my cart. And, before checkout, our good friends at Amazon suggested I take a look at The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, written by Rebecca Katz, which I also put into my cart and purchased.
My diet was already pretty good and fairly well balanced. Red meat wasn’t often included in our meals, and, in fact, a great many of our meals were vegetarian, thanks to the preferences of our son, Raymond. I may have over-indulged in candy from time to time, a side effect of Lori’s always having M&Ms and the like about the house, but it was never too problematic because the bike kept the weight off.
What needed to change, of course, was my alcohol consumption. In speaking with my doctor during the run through to diagnosis, when she asked about alcohol, I estimated between 7-10 drinks a week. Lori, by nature, is quick to defend her loved ones, and she piped in how I have a glass of wine with dinner or after dinner most every night, and the doctor kind of nodded.
But, not so fast. Yes, sure, a glass of wine a night equals seven drinks a week. But, then there’s band practice, which often included a drink or two, and meeting up with buddies for a beer or two, and social occasions where there would be, you guessed it, a drink or two. Then, there’s the occasional bender, a music festival or an afternoon at a football game, and, well, it wouldn’t take a Newtonian brain for mathematics to calculate an average number of weekly drinks for me to be, let’s be a bit charitable and say, “a touch above seven to 10” a week.
Yeah, my doctor kind of thought cutting that back would be a good idea.
Cancer has a lot of similarities with other cells, and one is they love, crave, in fact, sugar. It’s quick and easy fuel. The sugar buzz a child gets on Halloween is just the cumulation of a whole bunch of cells being jacked up on sugar. Unfortunately for me, alcohol has a lot of sugar in it. Never mind the alcohol and the heavy burden it places on the liver, our bodies’ blood filter.
The concept of fighting cancer with nutrition is perhaps best compared to gardening. A gardener wants to prepare her soil to nourish, accommodate and promote the growth and health of the plants she wants to grow (healthy cells for the cancer fighter) while, at the same time, making her soil inhospitable to the weeds (cancer cells) she wants to kill off and prevent from coming back.
Simply, it was time for me to clean up my diet and get to tending to my garden. First up, alcohol. Some types of alcohol are better, nutritionally, than others, but make no mistake about it, no alcohol is a “good” nutrient for your body. But, it’s not like I’m giving up drinking completely – I like it too much. But, seven to 10 drinks, or, rather, a touch above seven to 10 drinks, a week became one or two drinks a week. Now, it’s down to one drink a month and about to get to zero come stem cell transplant time. And, those handful of M&Ms twice a day were wiped out almost completely.
Sugar is not my friend. Not anymore.
A proof point can be found in my whisky consumption. Since my diagnosis, I’ve had one glass of whisky, on my birthday, a far cry from two or three glasses a week.
A far, far cry. [That glass of whisky looks good, doesn’t it?]
But, good nutrition isn’t just cutting down on alcohol and sugar, although it’s a good start. I also bumped up the amount of fruits and vegetables, added fish, whole grains and legumes as regular components of my weekly diet, and continued with lean proteins like chicken breast. Also, I began shopping organic for the first time ever.
I had always avoided organic food because of the cost premium. Now, however, organic was becoming a priority. The concept is pretty simple: if your body is already struggling with abnormal cells, why would you want to put additional chemicals in there, some of them cancer-causing and cancer-promoting carcinogens? Same with cooking methods, like smoking fatty meats.
The two books have been great, particularly The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. First off, the recipes produce some tasty vittles, and that’s important. What I really like about the book though, and the reason I promote it every chance I get, is the various ways it is organized to assist the cancer patient and his or her caregiver(s). The book has a section dealing with symptoms and recommendations. If you’re feeling nauseous or fatigued or suffering from side effects like diarrhea or constipation, try these certain recipes. There’s a section on treatments, and recipe suggestions for the days preceding and following treatments, as well as recommendations for the day(s) of treatment. There’s even a quick guide for improving the taste of food if a patient is suffering from side effects of treatment that is affecting taste, like everything tasting metallic
I’m far from an expert in cancer-fighting nutrition, but a seemingly great place to start is a Mediterranean diet, with meals built around plant-based foods – vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains – and moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs. Lots of fish, but not so much red meat.
Changing my diet gave me a sense of being proactive, of taking steps to take back control from cancer and to show cancer who’s boss around here. It was a boost to my morale. Sure, I spend a lot of time preparing food, eating, and cleaning up, as I eat smaller “micro” meals and snacks almost all day long, but that’s okay, because at least I’m in the fight.
Cannellini Bean Dip with Kalamata Olives
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 1 15-ounce can, drained, rinsed, and mixed with a spritz of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Slice fresh, organic vegetables and use as a dip, or use it as a spread on bread. You’ll dig it.
