I would like to mention that I absolutely love all of the comments I receive. Sometimes, people have questions, and I forget to answer them in the blog posts. I do not have a way to contact people that leave comments, there's no link to an email address. So sometimes, things fall between the cracks. I received a comment yesterday or the day before (days have a horrible way of blending), and I want to address the comment right now.....
To Jessica C, I am so incredibly sorry about your oligodendroglioma growing back. I don't know if you're headed for radiation now, or what you're planning on doing as your next step but I would love to hear about it if you have the time and energy (jessoldwyn@hotmail.com). Brain tumors suck.
The information that I received about the restricted ketocal/ketone diet was a basic ratio of 4:1:1 fat:protein:carbohydrate. There is a specific computer program that epilepsy nutritionist doctors use. I recommend finding an epilepsy doctor that specializes in the keto cal diet, you can then work the caloric restriction into the computer system. It can factor your height, weight, activity level, etc. According to my doctors it is an all or nothing, highly restrictive system. They have a specialist at the University of Washington (where I receive most of my care). I'm not sure where you live, or what hospitals you have available in your area, but I opted out of the highly restricted diet. I didn't want to waste the time of the specialist. I was using the basic concept of the 4:1:1 and restriction of 35% cut of calories. The whole point is to reduce glucose and all fuel. It's very hard to maintain and it was too hard for me to run which I use as a stress reliever. So, I stopped trying to do the restricted keto.
My main diet at this moment is the removal of simple carbs, and simple sugars. I eat all vegetables (I don't eat root tubers), all fruits (but I keep the quantities of fruit to 2-3 servings a day tops), I eat mostly lean meats like salmon, tuna, shell fish, chicken and such. I do eat red meat, but it's just a day or maybe two a week. The majority of my diet is vegetables. My mom found a brassica tea that contains Sulforaphane Glucosinolate which is a very powerful antioxidant found in recent studies to slow the growth of and reverse the damage from glioma brain tumors. Anyway, it's really late and I'm going to be in trouble for not being in bed at this late hour. I have little spies that make sure I get enough sleep, and I think one of the ways is the time counter on the blog posts.
I'll ask for Danny's medical research stuff, the links and everything and add them to my blog so that all visitors to this blog can have the same information that we've been fortunate to find.
If there's anything I could recommend at the danger of sounding completely arrogant, always talk on speaker phone when using your cell, eat several servings of broccoli, all cabbages, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli sprouts a day (pick one or two a day). Eat as many mushrooms as you can, especially shiitake, and maitake (maitake has been shown to pull the toxins from brain tumors and slow or stop brain tumor growth). Avoid all refined sugar and refined carbs. I'm sure you already know all of that stuff though, so please forgive me if I sound like a bossy idiot. I know first hand how hard it is to fill a day with the brassica family and billions of mushrooms, but hey, anything we do is better than nothing.
I do hope you email - I'm sometimes as bad as a week or two late on responses, but I respond none the less. Stress is a devil, so no worries about an email, I just hope I can help you in any further way possible.
I'll be thinking of you when I lay in bed trying to sleep (it's not creepy, it just helps me unwind....that was supposed to make you laugh) wishing all kinds of fun things for you in your life. Most of all, I can tell you right now, I hope you sleep soundly, and awake refreshed. Tumors are stupid. Let's beat this.
