Hello Alwayslearning. Before I tell you how I am, I want to tell you how much I appreciate your empathy and compassion and the time you spend looking out for everyone.
I think I did write to say at my Jan 6 appt with oncologist I learned my scan was clear, but now get to deal with plaque once I go to see my GP and I'm already dealing with meds for poorer bones...however, as I talk to all my aging friends we are all dealing with decay of one sort or another lol.
I am improving every day. I just came back upstairs from doing a little workout in the basement (weights and rebounder). I was going to walk around the lake today but it's very goofy weather. It's at zero, but it was raining this morning..so I didn't want to chance the path.
I've also played badminton a couple of times now and pickleball once. I started writing down what I was doing, but then had several days off..so will start again. Interesting with cardio - last year in spring, I was doing bellydance and I remember getting out of breath when doing 4 turns in a row not knowing the cancer was back...but pickleball (with seniors) wasn't as much of an effort. But now doing pickleball, I really felt it quite quickly. You usually play a game and then sit out a game, but it's for two hours..so I had to take a break a few times....But I know it will keep improving...or I will just have to realize that each blessed year, I am a year older �� I'll be 68 in March.
This may make me sound fairly active, but I am a very good couch potato during the rest of the day. I look forward to spring, as my energy reawakens with the earth. I have been sleeping better lately, and today I woke at 7 ready to get up so that's a great sign. And after I finished typing this book, I am going back downstairs for a little infrared sauna in my dome.
Yesterday I had a massage and the day before a facial. I went to the beauty school this time as it is much cheaper ($60 vs $150) than the facial I had a month ago. I wanted to compare. they use the same brand of products so I did have similar stuff slathered on my face, but you couldn't compare the ambience or technique...lol the girl at the school had plastic gloves on and the hands at the spa felt like butterflies fluttering.
Last weekend I went up to Saskatoon and saw a functional doctor. I am quite interested to follow through on that and see what comes. I have an OV cancer survivor friend who has been seeing him.
I see my GP this week and will get the requisition for blood work for yearly physical (although I think its a few years since I had one with him) and then will do blood work for the functional doctor as well.
He will be looking at different things than my regular checkup - so altogether it will be much more comprehensive. For example, he looks at things which indicate inflammation in the body, and fasting Insulin levels (vs fasting glucose), amongst other things. We talked about the likelihood that I will be going back on statins again. He suggested that sinuvostatin would be a good one to suggest to my doctor, which I totally agreed with as I have already researched them to find which one was the least hard on the gastrointestinal system - and Sinuvostatin was listed; but additionally research is indicating it may have anti ovarian cancer properties as well...so this makes me feel better about taking it.
Last time I was on a statin I was on Rosuvostatin...but I was also on a Parp inhibitor at the same time (Naraparib)...all these medications constipated me; however -- I had been able to manage okay with the Parp after a few months - but once I added in Rosu...I had stomach pains and couldn't get away from taking a laxative...so after taking it for a period of time, when I talked to my doc,and he saw my cholesterol was way down, he said okay take 6 months off and see....welllllll, never did get back to remeasuring it.....and then cancer came back.
The functional dr. talked a bit about the same things I have seen numerous times when researching online - how cancer sometimes gets a foothold in first place because of insulin resistance etc., so diet is important - so he advocates for the Mediterranean/keto diet - but I don't think he's as extreme as I've sometimes heard - how much carbs you eliminate depends on how bad your insulin resistance is.
He didn't prescribe any supplements until he sees my results.
the great thing about a functional dr. is they are MD.s so don't have to pay for them like a naturopath.
okay off to sauna now.