Hey all!

My Name is Dana. I have been visiting this forum for a bit now, posted a few times. I am recovering from Leukemia (A.L.L philidelpha chromosome positive). I recieved a Stem Cell transplant in march 2005, my donor was my Brother who was a perfect match!!! Anyway, I just wanted to see if anyone out there is recovering from any type of cancer, and looking to start up a support group. I gained about 20lbs during treatment I have lost 10 of that and need an extra push to help lose the rest. I was very active before treatment, but now I am affraid to push myself. So thus need support/advice etc.

Thanks everyone

Hi Dana,
I am living with persistant thyroid cancer. I was diagnosed in 2003, and had a very full year of treatments and surgeries. So far this year my tests show I have a small amount of cancer left, but not enough to agressively treat again, and it seems to be decreasing rather than increasing. I was about 20 lbs overweight when I was diagnosed and have gained another 5 lbs this autumn. (Some of the tests cause me to have to go hypothyroid, and I have used that as an excuse to gain weight). I need a kick in the rear to lose weight. I just joined this site today.
Anne

Hey Anne!
thanks for responding. I need a kick in the butt too! It just seems that ever since I have been given the "go ahead" by the doctors I am just not motivated to exercise, plus the cold weather is here now! I was doing really well during the fall, walking 45 mins everday, but lately I am just not "ready" don't know if that is caused by the drastic change in weather or what! anyway, I know it will benifit me and I really should get my butt in gear but for some reason I am just not!

What did you do to lose your 10 lbs? I am at 148 and need to be 125; I swing back and forth between 144 and 150 but never drop below 144 since the cancer thing. My dh says he thinks I lose interest and motivation and give up. That is why I signed up to this site, thinking maybe I could find a challenge to join or something to keep me going.
My plan so far is to eat lower on the food pyramid and perhaps get disciplined enough to keep a food diary. I have tried an online diet but I cook 3 meals a day from scratch for 4-7 people, and gave up on trying to eat different food from everybody else. Also I am doing the Firm videos 3 days a week and trying to get a walk in at least 2 other days a week.

Hey!

Some of that 10 pounds was water weight, but a good deal of it was not. I just totally cut out processed food and started to eat more fresh food. It really hard to eat differently than the rest of the people you are cooking for but in all honestly, your health is more important. Have you tried the cookbook "loonyspoons"? I love it they have great healthy meals and everything is full of taste!!! I think these ladies have a new book out this year too!!! It may be worth trying if you have picky eaters!
I also did alot of walking...at least 1 hour a day...
don't get down on yourself, you (WE) can do this...for heavens sakes we beat cancer!!!!! LOL we can post here what we eat and stuf if you like?

I am a cancer survivor too. Breast cancer, I lost 22 lbs in one year before diagnosis. Since then I am struggling, I know it is all stress but I can't seem to get where I need to be emotionally to say no to food.

I'm a survivor of cancer of the uterous, hysto in 1997.......afterwards I lost weight......

This is the first of the month, seems like a good time to start a challenge or something... it just seems like Christmas goodies are gonna sabotage me and I don't know if I want to resist 'em

Enna - Good point. On November 1st I had a utro vaginal pro lapse surgery, well my doctor advised me not to diet while recovering (4-6 weeks). I gladly listened to him and here I am at 4 weeks recovery 8 pounds heavier. Monday I will restart my LAWL program and exercise....hope it comes off as fast as it came on. I could just kick myself........

cowgirl500~

I completely understand the emotional aspect. Listen we are here if you need an emotional release. I know for me I don't really talk to my friends about my emtions, because sometimes all I get is, "well you are healthy now, so don't worry" pftttt yea right. Sometimes I don't even know why I am upset, maybe its some sort of Post Traumatic Stress or something. Anyway, I eat too for emotional reasons, but if you want you can post here whenver you get the "erge" to eat emotionally

ANyway not sure if that is what you ment but yea...

I think because I like so many women are doing great, but I have 2 mentors that are really struggling to survive. I am glad to be alive, but somehow it seems like cancer is always looming around the corner. Just because I am okay now doesn't mean it is over. I want to think it is, but I watch women with a reoccurance just struggle to live. I have a very strong history of three types of cancer: Colon, melonoma and breast cancer. I went the from the youngest without it to the youngest with it. I seem genetically to be following my aunt, which is not fun. I have had polyps and they caught them in time, my brother had them and he is much older than me. So I had a colonscopy as a precaution, so I was told I was lucky I did because if they had waited for age appropriate time I would not have made it. Now this cancer, next year I have another colonscopy to make sure I am okay. I would like to tell you I am fine emotionally but I am not and I know it. And yes who am I gonna tell that to? I am a breast cancer survivor and I am totally emotionally a wreck! That seems stupid, but I have met women on the net that have died after a reoccurance. My two mentors reached out to me and helped me recover, now one of them is fighting to leave the hospital. It seems so cruel for me to be okay and they are just trying to live. I feel guilty for feeling the way I do and for surviving. It is a very complicated emotional rollarcoaster I am on. I really would like to get off. So instead I eat food that I know is awful for me and will make me fat again.

I do think it is post tramatic syndrome, I feel like I fought a battle but somewhere out there is the enemy just lurking and waiting for me to slip up. I know more anyone how my nutrition and weight is so important but I don't seem to be able to activate myself. I feel like I am in a holding pattern. Yesterday I did eat a lot of veggies, but I screwed up half the time.

Okay I feel better, thanks for letting me get it out! It is the oddest feeling to be happy and petrified at the same time!

My hope is since I have typed this out, I have a food plan now I will eat what I know I should! Thanks for listening I was diagnosed on 4/12/05.

WOW! its like you were reading a script from my head!!!! I had cancer twice and I get really pissed off when people say "well you're better so don't worry!" or "don't worry you wont get it again" ( that last one really make me angry). HELLLOOO people its not that easy and can you guarantee that I wont get it agiain (NO!!!). People who have never had it just DO NOT GET IT. They don't understand why I can't just put it out of my mind. I still get flash backs of my time during treatment, a smell or song usually triggers them and sometimes I cry. I still get sad that it happend "again" but there are also times when I feel sooo happy tp be alive. There are days that i feel guilty for doing NOTHING (I should be living life to the fullest right!?). There are days i feel quilty for eating treats (afterall-diet helps keep cancer at bay dosen't it!?) I feel guilty for not exercising...I hate the ROLLERCOASTER-sadness, anger, fear...the list goes on..ughhhhhhhhh!!!!!! let me off please!
It does not make it any better that the treatments that I had have made me "at risk" for others--and people tell me not to worry! gerrrr SO MAD!!!!
I wish people would just say noting at all!

The one thing that I never feel guilty about is being the one to survive. it takes strength and dertermination to beat the F'er. A very good quote helped me come to this "How do you know when your mission on this earth is comlete. If you are alive, it isn't" So we obviously have something to do still...
anyway its really nice to have someone who GETS IT!!!

Oh and I am glad that you are taking all the precausions for the other cances you are "at risk" for..be persistant with the doctors, they DON'T GET IT either...they tend to think its all in the head...my doctor asked me if I thought I was a ticking time bomb whenI asked him to get tested for something...

This is what I needed to hear! I am not crazy~although at times it does seem that way. I know before C I had finally gotten the emotional eating under control. Now I am struggling again like before.

I know I must have a purpose, but it is very hard when you see a brave patient endure 18 mos of treatment and fighting for her life. It gets me very frustrated, because I thought I had a purpose but now I am unsure.

My favorite song right now(this moment) is Live Like You Were Dying, I guess because life is too short, so yes when I waste time I really want to get upset with myself. I have backed away from a lot of volunteering mainly because the best me was taken up by that, and my kids needed the best me.

I am so glad you posted!

Dana- no, I have never seen the book Loonyspoons. I read about it on Amazon after you mentioned it and it looks good. I will try to catch up with it at the library or B&N.
Star- guess I am way out of the loop. I don't know about LA weight loss, either! I saw a book about it at the store last night but didn't take the time to flip through it.
Cowgirl- I know it's wrong to say " I know how you feel" but.... Yesterday I was gone to the City for ultrasound of neck, looking for recurrances. Ran into Dh's cousin, who has been fighting brain tumor for a couple years and was in to the hospital to pick up copies of the MRI that indicates the tumor is growing again. It is hard to stand there and hope your tests are good, when his are bad. He is same age as me and dh, 40, 2 young girls. Then I think "what are a few extra pounds". Except the few pounds are like 25 or 30 and they are keeping me from being my healthiest.

On the good side, I took time for a great walk while there (an hour) and then went to Whole Foods (understand, it is the closest one and is 2 hr 15 min away from my house!) and tasted, shopped, and bought an Absolutely Wonderful salad for lunch. And a fruit tart. Didn't have calories listed on the tart so I pretended it was ok. Yum.