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Welcome to Cancerselfcare.com I hope that you find something that is useful to you here.
I am also relying on you to help it grow and become even more useful by sharing some of your experiences, inspirations and letting me have any hints and tips to add. I hope that you might also want to use the discussion forum.
Who are we? My name is Francesca Hannah and I decided to set this site up after I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in July 2004. How I am now April 2009 - Although my CA 125 only rose slowly it did not actually stop and so reluctantly after nearly 6 months on the Gerson diet I decided to take the doctor’s advice to have more chemotherapy. This was a very hard decision for me but the thought of the cancer spreading if I did not take this approach outweighed my concern about the side effects of chemotherapy in the end. I have had 3 session now of Carboplatin and my CA 125 has dropped dramatically from 1165 to 46 after just 2 sessions. In fact unbeknown to me it had already fallen from 1165 to 1100 when I had my first session so maybe the diet was actually turning it anyway - now we will never know. I may just have 4 or 5 chemo sessions before returning to the Gerson diet I am not sure yet. The chemo does make me feel pretty wretched for at least 5 days after wards and my white cells have been badly affected this time so I have had to have injections to boost them up before having this last session of chemo. I am still managing to go riding and even running twice a week on the good weeks so I’m still pretty fit really. My aim is to finish chemo and do the full Gerson diet for at least 6 months and then a less rigorous version after that in the hope that my body will be strong enough to stop any cancer recurrence. I am also taking part in the Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study which is a groundbreaking research study and needs lots of participants so please consider being part of it. Women with ovarian cancer and health professionals involved in Secondary care are invited to take part in a unique UK study by the charity, Target Ovarian Cancer Sign up for the study today by emailing Frances Reid, the Director of Public Affairs at Target Ovarian Cancer at info@targetovarian.org.uk or by phoning 020 7923 5470. Alternatively, those interested can visit www.targetovarian.org.uk/pathfinder . Women with ovarian cancer and health professionals can register online. Deadline for completed surveys is May 31 2009 for this part of the study. November 2008 - Good news on the CT scan and blood test results - one tumour has actually shrunk a bit and the other one has grown a smaller amount - they are both still around 2cm round. My CA 125 has gone up a bit but not as much as last time so i am optimistic that the Gerson diet is having an effect on the cancer. Also I feel really well and healthy on it although I do get tired if I do too much and am having to really accept limits in a way I have refused to in the past - not always easy! The other thing I’ve been doing lately with a friend called Judy who has had breast cancer is The Healing Journey. It is a programme used in Canada for cancer patients and it is designed to help people approach their cancer holistically focusing on body, mind and spirit. The great thing is that the workbook is free to download and has weekly sections with information on different topics, exercises and questions for discussion. Ideally you would attend weekly group meetings to do it with professional facilitators but as yet that is not available in the UK although it is being set up in London. The websites are on useful contacts list. If you want to know more see The Healing Journey Programme. October 2008 - I am still feeling well and without symptoms but my CA125 has continued to rise and at last count about a month ago it was 723. A fairly recent CT scan showed that I had 2 small tumours about 2cm each. I have done a lot to maintain my health using diet and nutrition, exercise, reiki, acupuncture and mistletoe treatment. However four weeks ago I decided to step up my “wellness campaign” by embarking on the daunting project of the Gerson diet. This is something I have been considering for a year and has in fact influenced my diet and making of a few organic juices daily. It is a real lifestyle change and entails at least 10 fresh organic juices, 3 coffee enemas and a strict vegan diet with little protein or strong flavours and no salt. I have found it hard but it is getting easier as I get used to the routine and although I have been more tired generally I have felt quite healthy and very cleansed! Luckily I have also managed to speak to a woman who was very ill with recurring ovarian cancer and began the diet 12 years ago and amazingly is now well with a CA125 of 10! Very inspiring. I am going to do it till I get my next blood test and scan results mid november and take it from there. If there is no change then I wil probably opt for more chemo and continue the diet afterwards. If you are interested in finding out more there is a Gerson Support group (see useful contacts) in this country and a clinic in Mexico. I will keep you posted about my progress and all positive thoughts gratefully accepted. April 2008 - I have had a year of good health. When I updated this in April 2007 I had had 8 sessions of radiotherapy which ended that february. Unfortunately my CA125 began to rise again fairly soon after my last entry in april 2007 and has been rising ever since and is currently around 430. A scan in october 2007 showed that I had a small nodule near my colon but as I have been so fit and well my consultant and I have decided to just monitor the situation for now. My last blood test result in april was very encouraging as although it had gone up it was much less that they expected it to have risen. This means that it is slow growing and I like to believe that all I have been doing with vitamins, nutrition, fresh juices, reiki, acupuncture, mistletoe, etc is beginning to take effect. Anyway I am due to have a CT scan in June and then we will be in a better position to know whether to start treatment again with chemo. I am still enjoying life immensely and feeling well. I am running in the 10k Manchester Great Run again in May and am pleased to say I’ve raised over £1000 pounds for Macmillan Cancer Care. (all sponsors welcome - just email me) April 2007 - I am pleased to say that my CA125 blood test results of 10th April showed that the treatment of 8 sessions of radiotherapy which ended in february has been successful and it has gone back to 24 from 835 pre-treatment. So as you can imagine I am delighted and mightily relieved as this shows that it has killed the small tumour that has been growing slowly in a lymphnode at the back of my abdomen since July 2006. Previous to that I was officially in remission for 15 months after finishing my chemotherapy just before Christmas 2004 and gradually recovering my energy and fitness over the year. Just after Easter 2005 I returned to work at a much reduced level and have enjoyed that very much. I have passed my final exams as a TSTA (teaching and supervising transactional analyst) and achieved a long time goal of going to Australia. The other lifetime dream that I am delighted to have achieved is having a horse on permanent loan at a local riding school for a year. So although I wish it could have happened some other way I can thank cancer for giving me a big push towards making my important dreams come true a lot sooner than they might have done.” I had hospital check ups every 3 months (a CA 125 blood test and general discussion about my health) for the first year lengthening to a 6 month gap until my CA 125 began to climb and a scan showed a small swelling in my lymph node. So the news was good for 18 months and although I got anxious before each blood test and still went for counselling sometimes, I really did feel much better and generally very hopeful about the future. Obviously having to have more treatment has been very disappointing and distressing for me but I am comforted by the fact that the cancer seemed to be contained in one spot and not growing very fast. I feel that the hard work I have put into recovery and maintaining a healthy life style with the right balance between work, exercise, relaxation, nutrition, rest, etc. has helped me physically and mentally to stay strong and manage this often terrifying illness. Ironically I am fitter than I have been in years and am proud of my new found ability to run. Last year I ran the Cancer Race for Life 5k in Stockport and this May I intend to complete the 10k Manchester run. I hope to raise funds for Beechwood Cancer Care, a local charity that has helped me and many more cancer patients and their families enormously. So if you fancy sponsoring me I will be most grateful. Anyway enough about me - I will keep updating my health news to let you know how I go on and I am interested to hear from you about your health news.
Why set up a website? After my initial shock and terror I started finding out as much as I could about cancer and various medical and complementary treatments including diets, nutrition, exercise, meditation, and basically everything I could to help myself get well again. I read books, asked questions of medical staff and began looking at websites. There are many wonderful sites around with an enormous amount of information and resources available. So that is what inspired me to set up my own website without any statistics or prognoses or hard information about cancer and drug or radiation treatments. There are plenty of sources to get that kind of information (see other sites). Basically this is part of my recovery project and is something that I have put my heart into as well as my mind! I feel passionate about creating a space for sharing experiences, giving and getting support and information to empower us in the fight against cancer on the road towards health.
What will you find here? What you will find here is information about resources, books, CDs and tapes, diet, nutrition, exercise and complementary therapies. I will include tips for minimising after effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and I am relying on your contributions as well as mine.
By emphasising positive attitudes, developing optimism, and maintaining hope we stand a better chance of getting well again and enjoying life in the process. So you will find information and tips for developing a healthy lifestyle that could help to boost your immune system, success stories and inspiration, a list of resources and a bookshop, plus a message board for you to post your own experiences and helpful hints. We are all bound to feel vulnerable at times when we get a cancer diagnosis and it can be a real shock to the system, a trauma that affects us physically and emotionally. This site also includes some thoughts on our feelings and the losses that we have to deal with when we get cancer. There is also a message board that has a section available to ask for support.
Support and Mentoring
Your Contributions Please post your messages, information and anything that you consider supportive, useful, inspirational or a bit of fun in the spirit of hope of full recovery and enjoying life to the full. If you want to talk about your feelings and share vulnerabilities that is fine too.
Feedback We really do welcome your comments and suggestions both positive and any constructive criticism about the content, style or organisation of the website. Please contact me. |
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My partner Mark Durband helps me with the computer know how and website design skills. We live in Stockport, England with my 15 year old son, Jamie. My eldest son Daniel, who is 26 lives nearby. Mark and I both work as psychotherapists and I also teach and supervise counsellors and therapists. Mark also designs and maintains websites (see links to other sites page).
This website is really about what I hope will help in a holistic way to maximise all our chances of a full recovery to complete health. I do not wish to deny any fears about cancer and the possibility of death. There can never be a guarantee that we can cure ourselves of cancer but we can give it our best shot and enjoy our lives as fully as possible in the process. |
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