Afraid Im Gonna Get Cancer

[jasonD2]

My moms dear friend (who is 45 & has always been healthy) is going thru her second bout with cancer. First was an intestinal lymphoma and now colon cancer.

I am so concerned for my future and still dont know if im taking all the necessary precautions. I cut out gluten & dairy completely as well as other foods i am allergic to. at the beginning i noticed some improvement with my BMs and the constipation wasnt so bad, but eventually it regressed..probably because i developed new sensitivities. I get frequent GI spasms and non-bulky stools so something i eat is causing this

The challenge now is that there are so few foods I can eat, but I refuse to live on a bland diet (which is probably best for me). As it stands i pretty much just eat chicken, salmon, white/brown rice, quinoa, vegetables, sweet potatoes, rice pasta and potatoes. I eat a lot of corn products as well...i used to avoid corn and tested negative on the allergy panel, but im sure im allergic to it now cause i started eating more of it after i eliminated gluten, but who knows

I have a major sweet tooth and used to love chocolate but cant do it anymore cause it backs me up. So to satisfy my cravings i usually have fruit. sorbet, non dairy/gluten-free ice creams, gluten-free pancakes/waffles and gluten-free cereal...I feel like i shouldnt be eating any of these but I do cause its all i have and it makes me feel better emotionally.

Anyway, if i am still eating things i'm technically allergic to, then that's creating inflammation and its my understanding that chronic long term inflammation can lead to various diseases such as cancer.

Does anyone have any input on this? How do you folks with multiple sensitivities cope? i just dont know what to do anymore - i am so sick of eating the same stuff over and over again & preparing it all the same way

[Mother of Jibril]

Hi Jason,

I really think you're doing the best you can! You've made SO much progress

Something to think about... I checked out a basic textbook on immunology (to help figure out a problem I'm having) and I ran across an interesting idea about autoimmune disorders... their original purpose may have been to serve as a defense against cancer! I know people with disorders like Sjogren's Syndrome and untreated celiac disease have an increased risk of lymphoma, but just thinking about my own extended family... tons of autoimmune disorders and very little cancer. What is your family history like?

I'm really sorry to hear about your mom's friend. It's natural to reflect on your own circumstances when someone close to you is suffering.

[jasonD2]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Family history is as follows:

Dads Side: Dad died of throat cancer cause he was a heavy smoker & drinker; his father had heart disease

Moms Side: Great grandmother had colon cancer (maybe celiac related); grandmother died of an undiagnosed stomach condition (maybe celiac related); mother has IBS and diverticulosis ; grandfather had heart disease (diet related); cousin has IBS

Thats all I really know and not sure how I fit into the big picture but as u said im doing the best i can

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Family history is as follows:

Dads Side: Dad died of throat cancer cause he was a heavy smoker & drinker; his father had heart disease

Moms Side: Great grandmother had colon cancer (maybe celiac related); grandmother died of an undiagnosed stomach condition (maybe celiac related); mother has IBS and diverticulosis ; grandfather had heart disease (diet related); cousin has IBS

Thats all I really know and not sure how I fit into the big picture but as u said im doing the best i can

You seem to be doing a good job of taking care of yourself. The longer you are gluten free the lower your chance of developing cancer from something celiac related. You know colon cancer runs in your family so I know you will be getting regular screenings when the time comes for them.

Try not to stress out about it and just continue on the road your on to good health.

[ang1e0251]

I know if I were eating as much grain as you, I would be C'd and have pain too. I feel much better without them. I can eat them in moderation but I am limiting grains and have found a new level of "feel good". I know you really don't like to limit yourself but it does become habit in a short time. Look how well you've adjusted so far. I think you're doing a great job.

You mentioned preparing your food always the same way. Why are you doing that? Variation is the spice of life and there are many recipes and methods for cooking available here and on the web to give you new tastes. Don't torture yourself by getting stuck in a rut. Reach out and ask, we'll help you. We care.

[mysecretcurse]

I agree about the grains. I also eat them in moderation but I have found that I personally (for whatever reason) don't do well with any sort of baked flour or grains like the waffles you mentioned, gluten free or not. I know it sucks. Occasionally I will still allow myself gluten free cakes or something on my birthday or around Christmas, but in general I don't eat any sort of baked flour anymore and the only sort of grains I can eat at all are well cooked brown rice and WHITE quinoa (the red kind sends me into stomach distress).

I also started eating tons of corn when I went gluten free, and I have since found that it's not good for me. I won't die or go into any sort of serious distress if I eat it, but I have found that avoiding it makes a huge difference in the way I feel "overall". You don't realize how hard it is to digest or how much it weighs you down until you give it up for awhile. A little bit probably is okay but up until recently my entire diet was based around corn, all day long Id be snacking on corn chips, most of my meals were some combination of tortillas, meat and beans, etc. I think it was just sort of interfering with my ability to fully heal because of how hard to digest it is.

I'm happy to hear you cut dairy, because like corn, up until recently I ate tons of it. It was definitely making me ill. Nowhere near as severe a reaction as gluten, but it was causing me mild intestinal pain as well as triggering flare ups of my skin problem. It sucks though, dairy was my BIGGEST indulgence and the one thing I felt like I could eat (I'd always tell myself, no matter how hard it got: At least I can still have ice cream! Ahhh noooo it sucks now)

You might want to try doing something similar to what I'm doing. I cut out EVERYTHING processed and make everything from scratch now. Everything. I've been reading a lot about the specific carbohydrate diet, and while Im not following the diet completely since I still am eating those two grains, most of my meals are in line with the diet. I made the chicken soup recipe and it was really good, plus a lot of my meals are just different combinations of chicken, steak, and stir fried veggies.

I also eat eggs as well, but I know eggs cause a lot of people problems so I wouldn't recommend them. I'm lucky in that I digest them very well and they just seem to be the perfect food for me, no allergies there.

So.. long post short, I think based on what you said you already intuitively know what you need to avoid.. Id ditch those rice pastas, pancakes, etc and concentrate on ONLY foods you cook from scratch.

As for worrying about cancer, try not to! We are lucky in the sense that we have learned what food is dangerous and harmful where as many people are out there stuffing Macdonalds into their mouths and probably WILL get cancer, where as we will get healthier and healthier as we stick to our good foods. Celiac is a blessing in that way, I think.

May you (and all of us) be blessed with love and healing light.

<3