138. Chemo On Barbecuing and Grilling Meats

Thanks for your comment Sharon!  I thought you might like to have this info.  Taken from a Time magazine on Secrets of Living Longer (see post nr. 127 )   I don't know how accurate the info is, but you might want to check it out.

You might also want to check out: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  and insert "marinating meat before grilling" and "grilling meats and cancer" in the search box.  They have some interesting articles on the topic.

137. Chemo A Possible Scenario nr. 2

Small recap:  FIT tests done in 2019 and 2021  (2 year interval.)  Result of 2019: normal.  Result of 2021: abnormal, with subsequent colon cancer diagnosis.

The surgeon who operated on me in 2021 by removing the colon cancer, stated that the disease had been a long time in the making: several years in fact.  He implied that the cancer had been slow-growing, a somewhat reassuring notion.  What wasn't so reassuring:  I had had a FIT test done in 2019, where no blood in the stool had been detected.  My burning question: Why had the FIT test in 2019 not picked up on any abnormality if the cancer was present and growing at the time already?

My oncologist on the other hand claims that the cancer had started more recently.  So then, let's assume that in the second scenario the cancer took hold after the "normal" FIT test of 2019 was done, between 2019 and 2021.   Referring back to post nr. 133 about the Jackalope and the HPV virus:  It has been suggested (and sometimes established) that some cancers may be caused or triggered by some viruses and/or bacteria.  

At the beginning of 2019 my FIT test came back "normal".  My husband and I went on a trip to Europe at the end of 2019, (so after the normal FIT test.) During that trip Dave and I ate pretty well the same foods most of the time.  Except for our last evening.  Dave ate fish and chips.  The fish came right out of the deepfreeze and went straight into the deep fryer.  Deep-fried fish was too greasy for my liking.  I chose shawarma. You know, that big slab of meat on a rotisserie. This turned out to be a huge mistake because during the night I ended up with a severe case of some kind of food poisoning.  Dave was fine.  He did not get sick.  2 years later I get diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Hmmm Coincidence?

From an article in The Guardian:  "Discovery of Bacteria linked to Prostate Cancer hailed as a Potential Breakthrough".

From I-forget-the-source: 25% to 80% of people with Streptococcus bovis/gallolyticus bacteria have concomitant colorectal tumors.  It has been suggested that the presence of antibodies to Streptococcus bovis/gallolyticus antigens or the antigens themselves in the bloodstream may act as markers for carcinogens in the colon.

From Wikipedia:  Most E-coli strains are harmless but pathogenic varieties cause serious food poisoning which may increase the risk of colorectal cancer by producing the genotoxic metabolite Colibactin which is believed  to cause mutations leading to colorectal cancer and the progression of colorectal cancer.    

Of course, not every case of food poisoning leads to cancer.  That's not what I am saying.  But it may contribute if all the conditions are right for it.  A Perfect Storm so to speak.  This is just my hypothesis.  Do I know for a fact that this is what caused the cancer in me?  Of course not!  There could be all kinds of causes that contributed.  But if there is one message in my story, it would be, like the one you hear all the time: go easy on "the meats"!

Back in a while. I am planning a frivolous up-beat post for next time.  Take care! SanTeh!

Happy Valentine's Day to You All!

136. Chemo Dazed, Confused and Flabbergasted

Dave and I are very confused.  Like mentioned before, I went into the hospital Thursday morning for a procedure where the gastroenterologist ws going to put a stent into a blocked bile duct.  When I came to from the procedure (performed under light anesthesia) and talked with the gastroenterologist afterward, it turned out that no stent was put in place because he did not find any blocked ducts.  No explanation as to why.  Everyone is baffled.  It clearly showed to be blocked on the MRI performed a couple of weeks ago.  In a way this is good news.  But it makes me wonder if perhaps it gets blocked now and again.  Sort of like: now you see it, now you don't.  The gastroenterologist said to contact his office as soon as I start having any symptoms like pain, jaundice and so on...  Beats me!  And by-the-way, the blockage was blamed on damage from the Nanoknife surgery in September of last year.  (see posts nr. 112 and 113)

Back in a day or 2 with a "new" scenario on how I think I may have ended up with colon cancer in the first place.  It's a hypothesis only; I don't know this for sure of course.  Take care!  SanTeh! 😎 

 

135. Chemo Blocked bile duct

You haven't heard from me for a while, but here it is in a nutshell:  I have a blocked bile duct.  An Upper Endoscopic Ultrasound (scope) was performed on me on Thursday.  I was really down and out from the gas they used for the procedure and had horrendous stomach cramps later on.  The gas forced out any food that I had ingested.   (You don't need any pictures for that scenario.)  Next week the gastroenterologist is going to remedy the problem by inserting a stent into the blocked duct.  Hope all will go well and all will be well afterwards. 🙏  Back after that.  Take care!  SanTeh!