I was recently contacted by someone from the Mesothelioma Center. I guess they saw my blog and figured I might be interested helping spread the word about Mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. Well yes! I will help spread the word...anything that may help someone fight cancer. I had rectal cancer, not lung, but to me, cancer is cancer...they all suck! So without further adieu here is some valuable information that might help someone cope with this terrible diagnosis.

How the Mesothelioma Center Helps People with Mesothelioma

The Mesothelioma Center is like one-stop shopping for someone looking for information about the disease of mesothelioma and asbestos exposure.

It's all here.

A diagnosis of mesothelioma – a rare but aggressive cancer – can be overwhelming for a patient, a family and friends, without somewhere to turn for help.

Now we're here to provide it, ready to answer questions, alleviate concerns, offer support and do everything possible to make a difficult journey seem a little-less complex.

There are a wide range of resources at the Mesothelioma Center. There are medical people to talk with, websites to browse, information packets to read, even videos to watch.  And everything is free.

Knowledge will empower you in dealing with this disease.

One of the center's most important services is helping someone in the all-important selection of doctors and explaining various treatment options. There are experienced counselors to specifically help veterans with benefits and claims, patient advocates who can provide much-needed emotional support. You can call the toll free number, or just fill out a form on the website.

The Mesothelioma Center can take out the guesswork that comes with all the questions surrounding a diagnosis. Although the diagnosis once came with a terribly poor prognosis, recent advances in therapies and new drugs have allowed patients to survive for years. The website has stories about many who are surviving with, and still enjoying life, after a mesothelioma diagnosis.

There are clinical trials throughout the country that have helped patients and furthered much-needed research.  A center counselor can explain what trial might be the best for an individual patient.

There also is support for caregivers, providing advice on how to deal with the disease. There are alternative treatment options, health and nutrition aids, often things that an oncologists might not mention.

"This is not just our job, but it's something we're very passionate about," said Kaylen Jackson, medical outreach director at the Mesothelioma Center. "I think we owe the patients a lot more than just what they can find out in an internet search.  We owe them a personal, in-depth understanding of what's out there. We owe them the best possible care they can get."

Mesothelioma is diagnosed in an estimated 3,000 Americans each year. It primarily affects the thin membrane surrounding the lungs, heart or abdomen. It is caused almost exclusively by an exposure to microscopic asbestos fibers, which can be ingested or inhaled and wait up to 50 years before causing obvious symptoms.

Finding reliable, easy-to-understand information about a rare cancer is tough sometimes, which is why the Mesothelioma Center is a valuable resource. Most family physicians don't understand it, because they rarely see it. Often, they don't even know who to recommend. The early symptoms – the dry hacking cough or shortness of breath – often mimic those of less serious illnesses.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos related disease or you are looking for information about asbestos exposure please visit the Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. We provide free informational books, packets and a knowledgeable Patient Advocate team that can help you find the resources and answers you need.

....and don't forget to eat your fruits & veggies!

xo  Inge

I have been looking for a good alternative to cream cheese for my bagels so I checked out the fake cream cheeses on the market and frankly didn't care for any of them because of their texture. They taste fake. I always liked hummus though and since there are so many to choose from these days I chose to schmear some garlic flavored hummus on my toasted sesame seed bagel for lunch today. Then later on I wondered if hummus is alkaline or acid. I am all about keeping my body as alkaline as possible because disease can't flourish in an alkaline environment. Well guess what? It's alkaline! Looks like I'll be adding bagels with hummus to my regular diet. Oh, you can dip raw veggies in it too. Yum!

don't forget to eat your fruits & veggies! xo Inge

Found a good article about cancer fighting foods

http://naturalsociety.com/cancer-fighting-foods-4-anti-cancer-edibles/

eat your fruits & veggies!    xo  Inge

I have been quite busy lately and since I am away from home longer, I bring my own food. I get up 15 minutes earlier so I chop all the veggies I will be eating and adding to my green smoothies for the day. Today I tried out the new vegan c...ole slaw recipe I found on the web. It's super easy; just use prepackaged cole slaw; mix in Veganese Mayo and organic raisins. I ususally pack a peanut butter sandwich as well and of course a delicious smoothie. Oh, and an organic apple.

 

eat your fruits & veggies!    xo  Inge

I made one of my fabulous antioxidant green smoothies today. I added juiced carrots and celery to fresh organic spinach, organic frozen blackberries & raspberries, a banana, spring water and a splash of vanilla soy milk. I bought the frozen berries at Costco. They just got them in and they were $8.50 each for a 3 lb. bag. That's an excellent price because Sprouts is selling their organic fruit for $3.99 a 12 oz. bag. Forget about Whole Foods; I was in there the other day and their prices are outrageous; they seem to cater to the very wealthy these days. I won't go back there anytime soon.

Do you know that raw carrots contain beta-carotene, a strong antioxidant that can prevent cancer?  If you can buy the carrots with the greens attached; they are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. The raw celery juice is packed with lots of nutritious goodies as well, like vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, potassium, iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and essential amino acids.  Don't throw away those  celery leaves they are high in vitamin A.

Add these greens to the spinach, which is high in iron and you have one delicious, super anti-oxidant drink!

Have a great day and don't forget to eat your fruits & veggies!
xo  Inge

Sometimes my legs and feet drive me up a wall! They are not painful (thank goodness) They just feel like I put my big toe in a live wall socket. I was snooping around the web to see if other people had these type of issues caused from chemotherapy and I found a site on the American Cancer Society page. My chemo 5fu and Myocitin is not on the list but my symptoms are similar.
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002908-pdf.pdf

eat your fruits & veggies!
xo   Inge

Someone posted the other day that they have been feeling tired lately so they got a B12 shot. The comments she received all revolved around the wonders of vitamins. I am the only one who mentioned that although B12 is probably good, rest is most important. When we get tired our body is telling us it needs to rest. We live in a society that somehow thinks we need to stay busy all the time and when we feel sick or tired we should just take a pill or shug down an "energy" drink. If you want to get sick, I mean really sick, keep ignoring your body's signals. People are walking around tired because they do not get enough sleep. They eat on the run. They multi-task. Americans seem to prefer taking a "magic' pill to stay healthy intead of changing their lifestyle.

I have been doing research about this and studies show that lack of proper rest increases the body's stress level. Increased stress level leads to disease and increased weight. Here is a link that explains in detail what I am getting at.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsSleep/

and eat your fruit & veggies!    xo   Inge

I read that people name their ostomies...I really never thought about doing that before. Its just my ostomy but then I heard some guy talking about whales and their blow holes and I thought "that's it!" I shall call it my blow hole and anyone who has spent any length of time around me will completely understand why!


eat your fruits & veggies!     xo  Inge