Cancer Support

Cancer Support Page

This page is dedicated to all cancer survivors! Being a cancer survivor myself, I felt it only made sense to create this page in order to help all my other fellow cancer survivors. Granted most of this advice is well put together for women and I promise to get more accurate information for men also facing cancer.

We all need to stick together and to help each other fight this difficult fight! Please do make yourself comfortable and absorb all the knowledge that you can. Think of this page and and other pages on this site as free tools to help with your fight whether it be for yourself or a loved one. These days all of our lives are affected by cancer! More than 700,000 lives are lost each year to cancer. I would like to focus on saving as many lives as possible.

As with any types of treatments, ALWAYS, consult with your doctor and/or Oncologist before trying anything you see or read here. Ask for his/her opinion on these studies.

Here are just a few tools to help you get a start on winning this battle:

Tips for Cancer Patients

Cancer Research

Dealing with hairloss

Nausea

Sensitivities to the mouth

Neuropathy

Simple little tricks (constipation, taking care of yourself)

New Treatments

Managing Pain

Inspiration to Keep Fighting!

Intimacy after a diagnosis (Sex and Cancer)

Please do check out our other other healing pages that you might want to check out such as the Healing Power of Music and we have just begun work on our Pets Page to include information on the Healing Power of Pets.

When first getting diagnosed it can come as a shocker, but it's really important that you take care of your well being. Cancer support groups can help answer many unanswered questions you may have and it might even help you to talk with others and even go through the whole ordeal with other facing your circumstances.

BIOTENE Mouthwash

List Price: $9.00

Price: $6.93

You Save: $2.07 (23%)

Shipping: 5.95 per shipment from VitaminLife

Does Not Contain: Saccharin, Alcohol. Serving Size: 1 tablespoon

Orders sent to Washington State will automatically be charged sales tax. Other U.S. and international destinations are NOT charged sales tax.

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Sonicare Elite 9500 Custom Care Power Toothbrush

List Price: $139.99

Price: $119.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details You Save: $20.00 (14%)

Number-one recommended brand by dental professionals

One tapered ergonomic handle with a deluxe recharge gauge

Two contoured brush heads: compact and standard size

Max to gentle speed setting

Programmable Quadpacer: 30-second interval timer encourages thorough brushing.

My teeth are in good shape for being on chemo and when my counts are really low, I can't go to a dentist and this brush doesn't cause my gums to bleed like regular toothbrushes. This is a very important benefit when it comes to infections.

This brush does make a world of difference and you deserve it, makes a great Valentine's gift, Aniversary Gift, or what ever gift! Do get it, don't pay for shipping or tax!

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Sonicare Elite (E-Series) Replacement Brush Head, Standard (2-Pack)

List Price: $29.99

Price: $22.74 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details: You Save: $7.25 (24%)

Subscribe & Save: Subscribe and get it for $19.33 (save 15%) See details

2 E-Series replacement brush heads

Compatible only with Sonicare Elite & Essence Series handles

Tapered, extra-soft contoured bristles

Slim angled neck reaches hard-to-clean areas

For optimum cleaning performance, electric toothbrush heads should be replaced every six months. This set of two replacement brush heads fits Elite series Sonicare handles. Each head features a slim, angled neck and tapered brush with contour-fit, extra-soft bristles for gentle yet deep cleaning.

Replacement brushheads for all SONICARE Elite model oral care products / 2 brushheads per package

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Glide-Crest Dental Floss 5/43.7 yd, 5 Pack

by Crest

List Price: $29.95

Price: $12.95

You Save: $17.00 (57%)

$6.90 for shipping

I bought these Glide-Crest Dental Floss recently and I love how flossing can actually make your teeth feel really clean. It's vitally important to clean between your teeth, especially if you are going through chemotherapy. The minty flavored floss really does the trick and you don't have to worry about the string getting stuck or caught in your teeth. It glides right through and the mint takes care of the smell that could occur between teeth! I hate when that happens and I am sold on this floss. Now I have enough for both me and my husband to each have our own, one for our downstairs bathroom, and one for each of us to bring to work. Imagine that, you don't have to buy more gasoline to drive to the store, it comes to your house! I'm not sure which states are subject to sales tax, but I do plan to call and find out. 800.775.5713

It's difficult to be diagnosed with cancer and hopefully this page will help you whether you are the person going through it or the caretaker. Hopefully these tips will help make it much easier for you.

After your first treatment, you mouth may feel a metallic taste in your mouth. To rid yourself of this taste, try ginger tea with lemon and honey. It also helps with the nausea.

Try not to eat your favorite foods during and after a couple of days of your treatment. Doing this will save you the agony of hating the taste of your favorite foods.

Stay away from raw foods (this includes fruits, vegetables and fish) when your white counts are very low.

Nausea

This can be a very controversial topic to cover. I found that Ginger tea does help with nausea in most situations. Sometimes it doesn't work for the worst of treatments. There are also pills that mimic THC found in Cannabis, but I personally have tried several different types of medication which it really didn't work at all for me. The key is to take the medication prior to your treatment. Many patients do benefit from the pills and it works for a majority of them. For me, I would be sick for days and coundn't stomach much of anything; trying to swallow a pill was next to impossible which leads me to the subject of controversy.

Medical cannabis works well for some patients but not all for nausea and in ways that many lawmakers and polititions will never understand unless they themselves have faced these problems head on. I used cannabis and still do at times when I really need it. I am thankful to live in California where it is legal and we the voters decided on that. It helps with appetite and it also drys the mouth which in turn makes you drink more water and that is EXTREMELY important for anyone suffering from treatment. It also helps to manage pain without the side effects of many drugs which can cause constipation. This is just the truth if you are seeking it. I don't encourage you to use it if it is illegal in your state. The Federal Government forbids it's use without any significant reason as to why. I say this because there are too many studies that have been done for their argument that it has no medicinal value. There are plenty of studies which support its use medicinally. One day it will be legal and we just have to hope and pray that we elect officials with more a little more compassion for patients.

A Must Read for Cancer Patients

Knowledge is power with this disease. You should also be proactive in your health. I can't stress this enough. I decided to list some of the things that made Chemotherapy a little easier to tolerate, primarily products & remedies that just helped make it easier for me as I too have been there. There are so many things that you go through with Chemotherapy that no one tells you about, but there also simple solutions to combat many of those difficulties. In this section, I will cover most of the things and make suggestions on things that might work for you.

Sensitivites to the mouth

With all of my sensitivities from the chemo, Biotene is the only mouthwash that is safe for me to use. Other mouthwashes are too harsh and can taste too strong. It's even alcohol free and no stinging after taste! Many chemo drugs leave an aftertaste and this mouchwash cleans that taste right out.

Recommend: Use approximately one tablespoon whenever desired. Swish thoroughly for 30 seconds and spit out. For best results, use with Biotene Dry Mouth Toothpaste, especially before going to bed.

Beating Cancer with Nutrition - This book is a must have for anyone going through, caring for, or concerned for any cancer patient. I can't stress how much this book helped me through my cancer treatments and after treatments. You have to be strong to win this fight and this book can help you get there. Even those who are even concerned about having cancer, should read this book. It is written by Dr. Patrick Quillen an expert in researching Cancer and Nutritian; he and his wife wrote this book together.

Constipation is a common side effect of chemotherapies. I can't stress this enough, make EXTRA sure that you drink plenty of water or liquids. My doctor recommended MiraLAX because it has less side effects and is very mild on your system. I tried it with water and that doesn't taste very good. It tastes similiar to drinking cigarette ashes. What I did was to mix a solution of fruit juice, water, and a scoop of MiraLAX to keep your system going. Most fruit juices are too sweet for my tastes so I like to add some water to the solution and this gets rid of the nasty taste from the Miralax.

Neuropathy

Neuropathy in cancer patients is somewhat common in that affects many of us and can be quite painful and debilitating for many. I had read about neuropathy and even known some patients who had to go through it. I experience it from time to time but not that often. For my hands, I took up learning guitar because it helped with blood flow to the hands and helped my memory some in learning something new and what better than music. Music is very therapeutic for your soul.

Neuropathy in the feet can be debilitating as well. Yoga stretches, and even elements of Tai Chi can help those symtoms. Please check out our Healing with Music page for how I was able to eliminate neuropathy in my hands.

Drinking plenty of water, getting exercise, therapeudic breathing exercises such as mediating, or even doing yoga can help to alleviate much of the neuropathy that you or your loved one may be feeling. Massages can also help. Here are some videos which might make it more clear about these symptoms. They are similiar to what diabetics experience.


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