Part 7: All in!

This is part 7 of my blog series. If you haven’t read the previous parts in the series, it is best to start with part one, Daddy’s dying.

A vegan diet, or even a very healthy non-vegan diet, with minimal processed foods and no added sugar, still has a lot of carbohydrates and for me, this turned out to be really bad. Remember, I had 2/3rd of my pancreas surgically removed and that meant 2/3rd less islet cells to generate insulin. Since 2017, I had high sugar levels. My AC1 (3-month measure of average blood glucose) was showing pre-diabetic levels near 7 where normal was about 5.5. But I figured, hey, pre-diabetic isn’t diabetic. I should be fine. But then I realized that these high sugar levels could have a bad long-term impact on my body. I sort of knew this. Hadn’t I stopped eating sugary foods? But I did not want to start taking insulin or some other medication for life, so I tried to only eat good carbs. That did not work. By early 2021, I had already begun developing a cataract in my left eye, which is a common occurrence for diabetics. Whoa, maybe it was time to get serious about this situation. In addition to the general threat high-sugar levels in your blood can have on your body, there was the fact that cancer loves sugar. Remember the PET scan I had when I first got cancer? You drink a sugary concoction and the parts of your body that light up is cancer. Because cancer loves sugar.

But I really did not want to go on insulin or any other medication. That is when Michele suggested a keto diet. She gave me Dr. Boz’s books “Any way you can: Doctor Bosworth shares her mom’s cancer journey. A beginner’s guide to ketones for life” and “Keto Continuum: Consistently keto for life”. The books explained the many benefits of a keto diet. The diet included 60% of your diet be fat and eating less than 20 carbs a day. The OPPOSITE of the vegan diet. But what the heck?

One thing is for sure. It definitely worked to keep my blood glucose levels in check. Four months into it I had labs done for an annual physical and my doctor asked what medications I was on because my A1C was not 5.5. Completely normal! I told him about the keto diet, and he seemed surprised. The trend continued for my next labs, which I do every 6 months, maintaining a normal A1C.

But there were some surprises.

My triglycerides went from 172 (normal < 150) to 96, and my HDL (“good cholesterol) went from 54 (normal > 60) to 85. From eating fat! Unfortunately, my LDL (“bad cholesterol) went from 111 (normal < 100) to 215. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

I noticed positive effects of the keto diet. My mind was sharp and clear. Better than it had been in years! I have a pretty brain-intense job designing and developing software, where much of my day is spent thinking, so this was awesome. I also found I had more energy throughout the day.

A lot of people go on the keto diet to lose weight, but that’s not my goal. I am pretty skinny weighing in at only 135lbs so my concern was that I would lose weight on this diet. But I did not, because I made sure to eat enough fat during the day to maintain. I can see why people can lose weight though because eating bacon, cheese, eggs, beef, etc. really fills you up. I wouldn’t eat as much as I do if I wasn’t concerned about losing weight. Apparently, if you eat a smaller amount than me, your body will begin taking fat from your fat cells instead.

On this diet, I try to keep to less than 20 carbs a day. You may not know how hard that is. Just one slice of a nutritious whole grain bread has 22 carbs. 27 carbs in 8oz of orange juice. 39 grams in a can of coke. 45 grams in a Chick-fil-a chicken biscuit. 39 grams in a McDonald’s quarter pounder. 20 grams in a cup of Cheerios.

You get the idea. No bread. No potatoes. No rice. No pizza. No ice cream. No cereal.

On the other hand, I get to eat a lot of bacon and eggs and hamburgers without buns loaded with cheese and bacon, and hot dogs and steak. The fattier the better! Bring it on! To add more fat faster, I have chai tea latte with a half cup of frothed heavy cream and a tablespoon of butter. Yum!

But, you may ask, the body needs glucose for fuel for energy, right?

Yes, some. And I get all my body needs from a serving of berries, a serving of vegetables, or it can manufacture glucose from protein if needed. But my body does not run on glucose for fuel. Instead, my body runs on ketones, made by my liver when your insulin levels are low and there is not enough glucose around. I won’t get into the details but think of the difference between throwing pine needles on a fire vs a log. Glucose, like pine needles, burns bright and hot…and quickly, while ketones, like logs, burn more efficiently. Ketones are the better fuel source and healthier for your cells. Huh. Who knew?

Could a keto diet help defeat or slow down my cancer? Hard to say. I have read there is evidence that it can and that some cancer centers now recommend a keto diet in combination with cancer treatments. I do know my cancer loves sugar, as the PET scanned indicated, so maybe it will help keep the cancer at bay. The fact is, I have not had an MRI since October 2019, mostly because of my travel and the pandemic, but I am scheduled for one in December 2022. By that time, I will have been in ketosis nearly 2 years.

But, you may ask, what about your high LDL cholesterol?

I have been painted myself into a corner here. I want to avoid medications to decrease insulin. I do not want to go on statins for high cholesterol. I want to avoid medications period, wherever possible. The keto diet is definitely taking care of my high glucose / insulin issue, but it has raised my LDL. Now what?

And so, I have been doing research about cholesterol and its role in heart disease. It turns out, it may not have a role at all. But you won’t hear that from the pharmaceutical industry and mainstream health system, so that makes me crazy. And maybe I am. But I have done enough reading to make the decision to go ALL IN. I am placing everything on the long odds bet that this high LDL level will not kill me. My primary care physician will not be happy about this.

In case you are interested, here is a a very interesting book with a different theory on what causes heart disease: “The Clot Thickens: The enduring mystery of heart disease” by Malcolm Kendrick.

I have realized that nearly every quality-of-life health issue I have had, came from cancer treatments or treatments of issues due to cancer treatments.

• I had a large hernia after my first cancer surgery
• I had surgery to repair the hernia and got another hernia
• I got a 1” deep abscess in my abdomen from a surgery which took months to heal
• I have had high blood glucose levels due to surgery to remove most of my pancreas because of cancer
• The high blood glucose levels have caused a cataract in my eye and God knows what else
• The muscles in my butt where I received shots every month for years in hopes to slow the cancer, are now unstable
• I suffered through a year of on-and-off fatigue due to chemo treatment
• And let’s not talk about the effects of beaming radiation into my abdomen on my digestive system
• I have to take incredibly expensive enzyme pills with every meal because my pancreas can no longer generate the necessary enzymes
• A more aggressive cancer started up right after removing so many body parts to fight the cancer.

I am done with cancer treatments, so let us see what the MRI says in December. I think it will be good news.

My bets are placed. I am ALL IN. I am trusting my instincts like never before. I am owning my healthcare. I am doing everything I can to help my body heal itself.

I have caught up with my story now and you may feel gipped because you read all of these blogs expecting some amazing news about my cancer, and here I am writing this in July 2022 before an MRI in December that will tell me if my cancer is stable, progressed or cured.

But no matter what happens, I have won.

I was expected to die within 5 years but now, here I am 10 years later feeling great and climbing mountains every weekend!

Michele and I will celebrate our 31st anniversary next month. The most amazing woman I have every known decided to stick with me all these years. What a great adventure!

I have gotten to see all my children grow up. Jackson is 21 and is a junior doing online college while he travels with us. Zach is 25 continues to follow his travel passions and is currently in eastern Europe for a couple of months. At 25 he has already visited 40 countries. Taylor is 28 and is doing great in her career as an Occupational Therapist and has also met someone that just might be the one. Maybe I will get to go to a wedding too!

I have spent the last 3+ years living life in a way one would not expect to ever be able to do as a cancer patient. I no longer have possessions to worry about, nor a house. We live free, moving from place to place, covering nearly all of this amazing country we live in.

We have lived on both oceans, on lakes, in the forest, by rivers, in the mountains, near small cities and in very rural country.

We have traveled thousands of miles with our adult children, bringing us closer together as a family.

We got to follow my son as he hiked the Appalachian Trail from end to end, over 2000 miles, to cheer him on and found out the joys of being a trail angel.

We got to visit friends and family across the country who we may never have seen without this lifestyle.

We have seen the giant redwoods, jaw-dropping mountain-top views, alpine lakes, moose and bears, bison and wild horses, the red mountains of Utah, the ocean cliffs of Maine, the snow-capped mountains of Colorado, the beautiful beaches of Florida, the stunning pacific ocean views of Washington, Oregon and California, massive sand dunes as far as the eye can see, stars as can only be seen in the darkness of the desert and so much more.

See, I even if I died tomorrow, I have won!

Stay tuned for the final results in December.

Until then, here are some pictures from our adventures

Lessons Learned:

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1: Focus on finding out what cancer you have before thinking about cutting it out.

2: Do not let them rush you. Take your time and make good decisions.

3: Trust your instincts. Don’t be afraid to do something different than your doctor suggests.

4: Take time to find a specialist, especially if you have a rare condition.

5: Learn and get support from other patients going through what you are going through.

6: Question if the medications are necessary. Is there some alternative? Consider the cause of the condition and see if there is anything that can be done to address the cause rather than treat the symptoms.

7: Doctors are not God. They do not fully understand how the human body works and often are focused only on their specific area of expertise.

8: Do not rely solely on doctors. Take control of your own healthcare.

9: It is important as a cancer patient to have something in the future to work towards, despite the cancer

10: The body is a self-healing machine. Help it heal.

11: What you eat is important in your healing. Be open to different ways of thinking about what a healthy diet is.

12: Don’t wait. Live life to the fullest while you can!

13: Learn to recognize when stress is impacting your body and learn how to de-stress.

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Coming next in the series: “The results”.

Disclaimer: I am not a physician nor any kind of healthcare worker. Nothing I say should be taken as medical advice. I will simply tell my story for my particular situation and hope you will get something out of it.