ZC vs The Big C

So, I got some news this week that nobody on earth wants to hear:

"Your cancer is back".

It's been a couple months since my last entry (I know....bad bad blogger) so I'll bring this up to date now.

Two years ago I was found to have a rare and rather aggressive form of colorectal cancer.  But after a couple of biopsies, they seemed to have gotten it all and one year ago this month, I was declared NED at the James Cancer Hospital at OSU.  

Uh....errrr....well.....perhaps they missed something.  Or not.  Who really knows?  I'm not wasting energy on that now.  

So, anyhoo, here I am again.  This time I had symptoms and wasted no time getting my hiney (literally, lol) to the doctor for testing.   It's a tumor, a small but messy one.  I'll be headed in for more testing (to determine staging and lymph node involvement etc) and then picking an oncologist.  

I'm upset, sure, but surprisingly at peace.  I had a "dry run" two years ago, and I've learned so much about this particular cancer.  It's true:  knowledge is empowerment.  

Since this is a diet blog first and foremost, I'm going to mention that for about 5 weeks now I've been eating as few carbs as possible.  This WOE is called VLC or ZC for Very Low Carb and Zero Carb.  

You might ask why?

I was amazed to find a few months ago, the discovery by Dr. Otto Warburg that cancer feeds on sugar.

If you are a total brainiac, here's a link for you

If you prefer a shorter, easier to read and understand synopsis, try this one.

Considering my Metabolic Syndrome and concurrent hyperinsulinemia (insulin resistance) and knowing that my body already has a blood sugar malfunction, it only makes sense that continuing to consume as few carbs as possible makes the most sense for me now.  ALL carbs convert to glucose and then triglycerides.   The last thing I need is to give this cancer what it really wants:  glucose!  

What my daily diet looks like now:

B:  usually 2 eggs and bacon.  Sometimes leftover roast beef or steak.

L:  More steak usually.  Yes, I eat the fat. 

D:  Roast beef, steak or turkey.  Chicken in any form has totally lost it's luster for me lately.

I have discovered pemmican, too.  I like it a lot!  

Before you say "Egad, woman!!  Don't you know red meat causes cancer??" please do some research.  Make it unbiased research, please.  Read Gary Taubes "Good Calories Bad Calories", Dr. Barry Groves "Trick and Treat" and some of the information on these blogs before you declare I've lost my mind:

http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm 

http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2006/05/how-about-zero-carb-carniverous-diet.html

http://drbass.com/stefansson1.html

In addition, I started 2 weeks ago on a course of Essiac, and take two glasses daily of KyoGreen Harvest Blend drink.  I also drink 2 ounces daily of a special Acai drink, and have added turmeric to the many other supplements I take daily.  Just covering all bases if I can.

Will I do this exclusively forever?  Not likely.  In fact who knows what I'll feel like eating while on chemo!!  But for now, this is the path I've chosen.  I hope it helps.

Hooray for Doctors like William Davis!

And a thanks is in order to Nancy LC on Active Low Carber forum for reminding me what an excellent blog he has.

So I'm starting this week by posting my last labs:
Total Cholesterol = 377
HDL = 53
LDL = 281
Trig = 214
Ratio: 7.11

This is really a wake-up call for me. My cholesterol labs have been horrid for years, so this isn't a huge shock or anything. I was on Lipitor for years. They switched me to Vytorin for a while when I complained that I hurt all over and besides my numbers still weren't good. Finally I did the research for myself and found out about the statin scam being perpetrated on our country by the pharmaceutical industry and it's largely cooperative handmaidens, our family doctors.

My regular physician is just horrified that I continue to flaunt death in the face by not taking at least Crestor, which in her opinion "may save my life".

Oh, and while I'm at it, let me mention that none of my doctors in 25 years or so has ever optimized my thyroid. But I digress.....

The reason these last numbers are a wake-up call is because:

1) I really did think that low carbing would cure my cholesterol issues
2) I now know that high triglycerides are more a risk marker for heart disease than high LDL.
3) I also know that hypothyroidism leads to poor blood lipids. A connection, that, I'm very sorry to say none of my doctors ever pointed out or seemed to acknowledge.

And with all this in mind, it's more proof that my Metabolic Syndrome is not under control yet.

So I'm pulling out all the stops.

Starting this week, I'm taking 5600 mg of Carlson fish oil daily. 500 mg Slo-Niacin (and upping that to 1000 mg daily starting today hoping the flushing doesn't drive me nuts). 8000 mg of Vitamin D3 and all this is in addition to the supplements I have already been taking.

I'm having my hormone doctor manage my thyroid from now on. SHE GETS IT!!! I had a very nice visit with her the other day and she acknowledged that there is certainly a correlation between my non-optimized thyroid labs and my poor blood lipids. She wrote me a prescription for 60mg of Armour to be taken twice a day. THANK YOU, Dr. Glaser.

I'm hoping that all of this will also lead to some victories in my weight loss battle, too.