Stuff

posted by Mary Lello, Sunday, February 1, 2009, 1:30 PM

A couple of important things to share. One, Jim is now on a high protein, high fat and very low carbohydrate and zero sugar diet. After meeting with Dr. Belanger, the naturopath, on Friday we learned that the brain only fuels with glucose and keytones. Cancer cells fuel from glucose but can't really tolerate or use keytones. The body uses proteins and fats to produce keytones and sugars and carbo's to produce gluten. THUS, drum role please, Jim wants to eat so that his body produces a lot of keytones for the brain but very little glucose in order to starve the cancer cells. YEAH BABY!!

No more lasagna for Jim. No more brownies or sweet breads or dark chocolate. We're still struggling with the diet a wee bit and waiting to get some recipes and lists of foods from Belanger's office (hopefully Monday?) and then we'll start to get a better handle on it all. But for now, meat stews with veggies (but no WHITE potatoes - sweet potatoes are O.K. though - I think) or roasted meats, fish, chicken, eggs, cream, butters ( think Atkins diet here!). As Stacie said, Jim can eat lobster with all the butter he wants!!! Yup. So feel free to bring lobsters over for dinner (heh, heh!). I, on the other hand, CAN NOT!!!

Secondly, we are doing introductions this week while Greg is still here with me. This means, if you are a caretaker plan to show up at your designated time but you will not need to plan on staying for the hours you have agreed on. We will just give you a run down of how to best care for Jim, what you need to do for meds or supplements etc. If you are a driver I think Greg or I will ride with you this week to show you the ropes on that too. The week of 2/7 we will probably launch into full swing with folks doing the schedules.

Stacie left this morning very early. It was an emotional parting. We miss her horribly and I feel that I am now the only real advocate for Jim, which feels like a bit more weight on my shoulders. Never thought my shoulders were so broad and strong but perhaps none of us really knows what we are capable of doing. Still, it was a good time for Stacie to go. She misses her dog and her life and we are feeling that she helped us so much while she was here that we can carry on without her now.

Roseanne, Greg's wife, arrived yesterday from Colorado. It feels good to have a new recruit here. There is a new, more vibrant energy with her arrival - something Greg and I welcome - and Roseanne is just so loving, capable and wonderful that it's just great to have her here. She will be leaving on Sat. 2/7. Greg plans to leave on Tues. 2/10 and my friend, Maureen, from California (originally from Maine) will arrive on Friday 2/6 to take up the spot of being a more consistent care taker while I'm at work or needing to do other things. This will help those of you who are scheduled to be here and you are flying solo on those times. At least with Maureen here you can count on one other person being here with you (either myself or Maureen).

NOW, regarding the naturopath. Amazing. Really fascinating. This man, Jim Belanger, has got the chemistry of cancer and our bodies DOWN. Bob was right, Belanger has devoted his life to helping people fight cancer from the more natural approach. He uses supplements to help radiation and chemo do the best job it can. He uses supplements to neglect cancer cells of the products (vitamins, minerals, free radicals, keytones .... ) it needs and wants and starves the cancer cells with a certain diet depending on where in your body the cancer is. Only malignant brain tumor folks get put on the high keytone diet, for example. As a biology major and health practioner myself I was just fascinated with this whole run down.

And now Jim has to take more pills then imaginable!! Supplements before eating, after eating, before bed, after bed, before radiation and after radiation, before peeing and after peeing ... O.K. I'm kidding on that last one but it is really pretty overwhelming!!! But we're slowly getting the system down and getting ourselves organized around it. Many of these supplements are to be taken only during radiation so it can all change in another 5 weeks or so. But as Jim said to me when I handed him a whole bowl of pills to take "hey, it's better then the alternative".

Yes, my sweet heart, yes.

Thank you all, a thousand times thank you, for all you are doing and all the love and support you are offering us.

Loving you all back,

Mary