Primal Pit Paste Coupon

Save 15% off on your first Primal Pit Paste order ! 

Use this link to shop at the Primal Pit Paste site & save. 

Enjoy! 

What to feed the patient?

     I think Max Love's momma said it best when prior to her sons diagnosis they were a "Trader Joe" eating family. I think my family was the same way. As a family we've always been particular with what we eat. Lulu didn't know that McDonalds had "happy meals" until she was given her first few doses of steroids. Being 70 miles from home, we were restricted to what was at the Naval Hospital. (Shocking all the junk they offer at the hospital, but that's another topic).

     The first few months of treatment we weren't too strict with what we fed Lulu. During that time it was the least of our worries. I remember Lulu asking for sushi and the nutritionist in the ICU (Balboa Navy Medical Center) almost had a heart attack when she heard this. This was our first lecture of "low bacteria diet". Sushi was a "no-no". In fact the nutritionist told me that when slicing into a cantaloupe first wash the outside with diluted bleach. Yes. Bleach! The thought was to kill off any bacteria so that we wouldn't get Lulu sick.

     As time passed I would ask what I could feed Lulu to help nourish her body. Oncologists, nutritionists, and nurses all said the same thing. Nothing. Nothing would help improve any of the effects from chemo. It didn't make any sense though. I really didn't want to believe it and kept searching for some type of data. I'm a fan of Dr. Gonzalez and his cancer treatment approach. I recommend his youtube interviews instead of blogs about him as he was a very controversial figure. We've also been able to 100% eliminate the need for Miralax with Lulu since adopting the Weston A Price diet. As a family we work hard to maintain a high fat, nutrient dense diet, that we believe is most beneficial for Lulu fighting leukemia. All cancers are different and need different diets in order to starve the cancer and have the chemo work most effectively.

     The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. 

Primal Pit Paste Coupon !

Have you been a crystal deodorant user? Me too... but then the crystal was not doing it's job and the crystal would never shrink ! 

I took a chance on Primal Pit Paste and LOVE IT ! I ordered the Lemon Grass scent and I've been working hard to convert my husband to this stuff. He'll come to the dark side one of these days! 

Order here to save 15% off your first purchase.

Why the big fuss ? Why did I change over to Primal Pit Paste? As a parent of a child with leukemia, I've burnt out on toxins. Toxic medicine, toxins in our food, toxins in our home. Burnt. Out. 

Here's some info on deodorant / antiperspirants. 

"Deodorant prevents unwanted odor. Our body odor is produced by the bacterial breakdown of sweat. Ingredients within deodorants are essentially designed to eliminate or mask the small caused by the bacteria." (2) Antiperspirants blocks your pores so that sweat doesn't break through. Some antiperspirants contain aluminum, so when mixed with sweat create a yellow stain on your clothing.(2)

What does the research say ? 

"McGrath reported within a population of breast cancer patients that those who used more antiperspirant products were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age [9]. The first study is limited by the reliance on self-reported information, by the lack of a nonuser population and by the lack of consideration to historical usage. The second study suggests a dose-response relationship to chemical exposure and sensitivity at a younger age, consistent with patterns of breast cancer development [5], but does not exclude other risk factors or the issue that cosmetic use is simply higher in younger women."

"More studies would be necessary to definitively exclude an association between deodorant use and breast cancer". (3) 

To be on the safe side, I decided to just change by deodorant to something that WORKS and smells GREAT! 

Sources

(1) http://www.breast-cancer-research.com/content/11/S3/S5

(2)http://www.healthynomics.com/2010/06/deodorant-vs-antiperspirant-whats-the-difference/

(3)http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2013/01000/Deodorant_Use_and_Breast_Cancer_Risk.29.aspx

Welcome to the Cancer World - Part 1

So you or someone you know just found out they have cancer. Welcome to the club. If there were a top 10 list of clubs you would like to join, the cancer club would probably not be on that list. So, you got the short end of the stick. Sulk for a bit, then get your brain focused because you (or a loved one) has cancer to beat.

If I knew then what I know now, I would do the following the first week I found out Lulu got diagnosed, along other things I managed to do to keep my sanity.

1) Find a notebook and pen. Takes notes whenever the doctors or nurses are talking to you. Your brain is not functioning properly and therefore about 5% of the words being spoken are retained in your brain. Take notes of daily blood levels so that in the following weeks you can find trends. You can really get to know how your kids body works.

2) Get some fresh air. I think it was after the first week, I couldn't shake the depression. Every story is different. For us we were confined to a hospital room for 30 ish days. Lulu wasn't able to leave because she had zero ability to fight off any infection. My moods quickly changed. I was constantly crying, trying to put on a show for the visitors we had, then just crumbling when it was the three of us alone in the hospital room. Eventually the crying got annoying so I forced myself to go out and jog around the base. (We were initially at Navy Balboa Medical Center)

3) Statistics - Those things are stupid. Stay away from the statistics. For leukemia, it's only 5 year stats anyways. Who really wants to know the odds of surviving 5 years? Focus on more important stuff.

4) Nourish - Your body is going to get beat up from chemo. It's toxic stuff. You need to help your body recover and 99% of the time the oncologist and the hospital staff will not be of assistance. I would recommend Biodynamic Wellness. Covered by insurance? No. Expensive? Yes. Worth every penny? Yes. If you're not in the California area, you can make appointments via skype or phone.

5) One day at a time - The first few weeks were a bit crazy and overwhelming. Just take it one day at a time. When you wake up, figure out what's on the agenda for the day and go from there. It's been over a year since Lulu's diagnosis and I've graduated from focusing on the day, to the week, and now I'm at the "month" status. I like knowing what's going on for the month and maximizing each day.

Getting Fit

Lulu lost a lot of muscle when she was initially hospitalized back in March for her 30+ days of treatment. When we returned home she was unable to walk up the stairs or even get up off the floor without assistance.

Balboa Navy Medical Center (Balboa) does not have adequate facilities to treat children with cancer. Our insurance refused to send her to Rady Childrens Hospital even though it was 10 minutes away. Children being treated at Balboa are confined to their rooms on the pediatric ward because of their low immune system. The doctors feared she would catch something from another patient, so even asking to go outside was rarely allowed. Doctors feared she would catch something doing the walk from her room to the elevator doors. I think on two or three occassions we were given a wheelchair, since Lulu wasn't able to walk more than a few steps, so get some fresh air. 

Rady Childrens Hospital has its own cancer floor where everyone has low immune systems, away from children that have anything contagious that could harm them. They even have a playroom that gets sanitized frequently so that Lulu can socialize with other cancer cuties like herself.

When Lulu was at Balboa I asked for a physical therapist because she was wasting away to bones. We were able to have someone come once a week to work with Lulu. It was a great idea, but a disaster. At that time Lulu's hair was falling out in clumps and housekeeping came once a day doing minimal cleaning. The physical therapist was having Lulu stand, with assistance, and toss a bouncy ball back & forth. Picture a dusty floor with hair clumps and a ball bouncing around. Gross, right? She also recommended floor exercises, so we would grab a hospital sheet and spread it out. As soon as a hairball came rolling by like a tumbleweed, that ended that exercise. 

Fast forward to mid April and Lulu was bumped up to high risk (the chemo treatment wasn't getting rid of all the cancer like it should have). Since Balboa can not treat high risk patients we were transferred to Rady Childrens Hospital. In the mix of transferring the first focus was chemo, then vision testing (she had blurred vision from the leukemia & high blood pressure), and finally getting her taken off her seizure meds. (seizure meds were prescribed when she had the seizure after an extremely high blood pressure). Getting her back with a physical therapist took a back seat.

A few months after being at Rady's I asked for a physical therapy referral. That process took some weeks and we were authorized to see the physical therapist at Radys. We're 70+ miles from the hospital so that didn't work. Another referral was put in for a local facility. While all this referral mess was going on I asked my trainer if she would help & she agreed. Insurance snubbed the idea of a personal trainer because "they don't know childrens bodies". This is far from the truth. Erin has been so helpful with building Lulu's strength. She can now walk up the stairs by herself. Lulu also has nerve damage in her legs which causes her to collapse to the ground simply walking around the house. This was a HUGE self esteem crusher for Lulu. HUGE. With Erins training, Lulu's stumbles and falls are rare. Thankfully, she loves working out with Erin. It may be because Erin makes it fun and dresses up in costumes, then lets Lulu keep the costume.

Troy & I are very thankful for all the fundraising done when Lulu was first diagnosed. It has allowed us to provide Lulu with services when she needs them, not when insurance is ready to improve them. For that we are greatful! Thank you!

MiraLAX for Kids

MiraLAX is approved by the FDA for

• over-the-counter use for occasional constipation
• use in adults and children 17 and older
• recommended for short term use up to 7 days.

MiraLAX is also known at Polyethylene Glycol 3350 (PEG 3350)

Lulu and many other kids receiving chemotherapy are prescribed PEG 3350 for constipation. Lulu was prescribed 17 grams in 8 oz. of water and to drink daily. After learning more about PEG 3350, we decided to stop giving it to her. I don't want her to get constipated, but I'm just tired of all these meds and SO IS SHE. I hear it daily.  I discussed with her doctor that we were having success keeping her regular with her diet and as long as she is not having constipation issues, she was fine with us using "as needed". Thankfully, we haven't needed to use it. 

I make sure she is drinking lots of water daily. In the hospital I make sure to order pears. She has the choice of eating pears or drinking medicine. Saying that usually does the trick and she'll eat a few bites for me. She use to enjoy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies from Oh She Glows. They work really well, but tastes buds change frequently and those haven't been requested lately. Lulu loves California Rolls & Shrimp Rolls from Hana Sushi. The seaweed is great for digestion. I just ordered the Sushezi to save a couple bucks & let her make rolls at home. 

Here is more information from the grant opportunity for The Use of Polyethylene Glycol in the Pediatric Population (R01)   It states in the background that Ethylene glycol is a precursor for synthesis and a degradation product of PEG. 

• Ethylene glycol is known to be neurotoxic in children
•  (alters the normal activity of the nervous system)

• Ethylene glycol poisoning causes metabolic acidosis with an increased anion gap. 
• (when too much acid is produced or not enough bicarbonate produced)

If your child is prescribed MiraLAX or Polyethylene Glycol I encourage you to print off the grant information on the link above and discuss with your doctor. 

Lulu Started Interim Maintenance w/HD MTX

Lulu started her treatment Friday. This is Lulu with her child life coach. I called them "twinsies" with their matching outfits. 

Sunshine Kids were at the hospital helping kids make capes. This was a nice distraction because it was a "procedure day" meaning nothing to eat or drink after 9 am. Her procedure was at 12:00. She had a bone marrow check & spinal tap. We'll know the results of the bone marrow in the next few days. 

Lulu's friends came to visit Saturday. They figured out if they raised the foot of the bed they could make a slide.