My Christian faith has played a huge part in helping me navigate the challenges of living with Multiple Myeloma for the past 13 years, and I want to share some of what I have learned about the importance of diet, exercise, and supplements in managing my cancer.

And for those who are open to it, I share how Jesus Christ has been faithful and used cancer to cause me to grow. (see diary in tabs ” My Story 2012″ & following). 

This site is intended for fellow cancer patients (and advocates) working with their oncologist. I am not a doctor, and each person and cancer is different. It is very important for everyone to have regular blood tests and follow their own doctors’ orders. But diet enhances cancer treatments, and I offer recipes, specific exercises, and things to avoid — with notes on what has (or has not) worked for me. 

A brief history of my cancer journey starts with a routine blood test in April 2012 that revealed a dramatic loss in kidney function.  By the end of May, tests had led to a definitive diagnosis of stage 3 Multiple Myeloma and stage 4 Light Chain Deposition Disease, which had damaged my kidneys. I had a course of chemotherapy from my diagnosis until I went to Denver for a bone marrow transplant in Nov 2012 (Thalidimide, Dexamethasone, & Velcade for several months and then in Denver I had Melphalan to kill all my bone marrow as part of the bone marrow transplant).  I tell you this so you know that I followed my doctors orders.

Unfortunately, my cancer returned within a few months after my bone marrow transplant, and I relied exclusively on chemo (10 -15 mg Revlamid every other day) until I asked my oncologist in March 2014 if cutting out sugar would help slow my cancer. My oncologist said, “Yes, but it is not just the sugar you eat. You need to keep your blood sugar low and steady.”  Normalizing my blood glucose has been a key to managing my cancer since my oncologist told me that in March 2014.

He suggested I find a good diabetic diet, and after reading both “Diabetes Diet” and “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars” (1997; rev. 2011), I decided I would follow Dr. Bernstein’s diet to normalize my blood glucose.  He said a person could normalize their blood glucose by avoiding carbs and testing their blood glucose about 5 times per day by pricking their finger to get feedback to make sure they were keeping glucose low. (summary of what to eat under tab “diet, the foundation” & “#2 Quick Start”) 

I then read Thomas Siegfried’s book, “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease “ (2012), which gave evidence that a ketogenic diet (similar to what was described in “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution”) can be effective against cancer. Thus, I continued to prick my finger and test my blood glucose 5 times per day. Later I cut back to just pricking my finger once a day and wrote my daily ketone and glucose reading on my calendar every night. (Ketones are acids in the blood that indicate your body is burning fats instead of glucose, which denies cancer cells their preferred source of energy). By seeing how different foods and supplements affected my lab readings (I had blood tests every 8 weeks for the first 10 years after my bone marrow transplant), I could adjust my supplements and was encouraged to continue my diet.

I followed that discipline for many years and was able to stabilize my blood glucose and as I kept my blood glucose low and stable, my cancer stabilized and my kidney function improved dramatically.

But I after many years I got sloppy and quit pricking my finger – and my blood glucose rose without my careful monitoring.

After my oncologist retired in early 2023, his replacement scheduled my blood tests for every 6 months. I felt nervous about the lack of feedback and went in to get a blood test at a local clinic after 3 months.  It showed my hemoglobin A1c (blood glucose reading) was 5.4!  I was surprised and concerned.  This indicated my blood glucose for previous 3 months averaged 108 – MUCH higher than I want. I want a blood glucose low and steady between 70-90.  Dr Bernstein said that the ideal blood glucose is 84.

You can look online for chart of A1c & corresponding blood glucose

       A1c                                                             glucose for 3 months

• 5                                                                  97
• 5.1                                                               100
• 5.2                                                              103
• 5.3                                                              105
• 5.4                                                              108

Continuous Glucose Monitor

In 2023, I acquired a Continuous Glucose Monitor that has made this process of keeping blood glucose low and steady more efficient and effective (this wearable device automatically estimates your blood sugar levels throughout the day and night, providing data in real time; for more detail, see below).

My continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a great help to monitoring my blood glucose. It requires a prescription (my prescription was from my General Practitioner), and my insurance does not cover it.  It would cost $470 every month, but Good Rx (which is free at my Walmart Pharmacy) brings my price down to $180 per month.  If you cannot afford that, the glucose monitors which require pricking your finger work!  I did that for about 11 years.  Your insurance might pay for a CGM.

I got my first Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) in May 2023 — a Dexcom 6 — and took an online course, “Ketone Continuum” on bozmd.com. But this model required me to look at the monitor every time I ate something, and I have been much happier with the Dexcom 7.

My continuous glucose monitor (CGM) — Dexcom 7 — connects to my iPhone, with a 24-hour chart on the app. (a real “game changer” for me)

Every evening, I take about 10 minutes to look on iPhone Dex 7 chart . You can set it for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours.  I set it for 24 hours and put my finger on the black line of the graph. It then tells the exact blood glucose reading at a particular time.  I record my hourly blood glucose readings in a small daily planner, circle any result over 100, and make a note of what I ate that caused my blood glucose to spike at that time.

I cut back on or cut out anything that pushes my blood glucose over 100.  Remember my oncologist in March 2014 told me to keep my blood glucose low and steady?  I can do that more accurately with the continuous glucose monitor and as I keep my blood glucose low and steady, my kidneys and other organs continue to heal –  my e GFR was up to 62 in August 2024 (kidneys working at 62%!!!) 

I turn my phone off at night, and when I turn it back on in the morning, the Dexcom 7 has memory of hourly blood glucose readings during the night. This is nearly instant feedback on what to eat.

Here is general summary of my current diet: (more detail in  tab “Diet – the foundation” & “#2 Quick start”)

• I make good, very low carb dinners for my husband and me, adding carbs for him. For example, if I make chicken enchiladas, I save a couple of portions for myself of the filling alone, prepare his with tortillas, and serve both with grated cheese on top and a green vegetable or salad on the side. We have leftovers for lunch the next day.
• I skip breakfast about four days per week and just drink coffee with organic heavy cream and a bit of liquid stevia or monk fruit. I have some raw pecans, walnuts, cheese or other low-carb snack at about 11:00 a.m. (Healthy snacks for me include celery with cream cheese, artichoke hearts, avocadoes, etc.)
• I eat eggs and bacon or sausage with my husband on weekends, at the same time making English Muffins and hash browns for him (you do not want to force your family to follow the keto diet).
• I eat only carbs from vegetables, with 2 oz. of protein (meat or fish) per meal along with fats like olive oil, butter, cream, sour cream, etc. But I must stress that this is a plan I have devised to meet my personal health profile. Each person should find what works for them. For instance, most men and young people should eat more protein than I do.
• To keep my blood sugar low and steady, I get roughly 80% of my calories from fats (avocados, nuts, cream cheese, etc.). On a plane with my daughter and granddaughter I could not find much that I could eat – so I ate a couple of pats of butter – they were amused :-).
• Even the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston now recommends a ketogenic diet, so I think it is worth trying it out and adjusting your diet accordingly .

I now have blood tests with my oncologist every 6 months which tests for my cancer markers (described below). And I now also get a blood test at local clinic between visits to my oncologist.  That cannot test for my cancer markers, but I see my A1c, insulin, Vitamin D, kidney function etc.  This is essential feedback to see how I am managing my blood glucose. Cancer is complicated, and I also take quite a few supplements that I adjust if my bloodwork indicates.

Among the wonderful surprises of following a ketogenic diet:

• According to my oncologist, I have lived significantly longer than any of his Multiple Myeloma patients!
• My transplant coordinator said I could expect to live only 2-5 years after my bone marrow transplant in 2012, and I have lived over 12 years!
• I have also maintained better health than is normal for Myeloma patients — despite taking no chemotherapy medication for nearly the entire 10 years since I started the ketogenic diet!
• My cholesterol is fantastic! Dividing triglycerides by HDL, the ratio should be under 2, and my latest ratio was 81/78 = 1.03. A ketogenic diet dramatically lowers insulin, which could otherwise cause problems with cholesterol. I also use olive oil and coconut oil, which are far healthier than vegetable oils.
• My kidneys have radically improved! In fact, they have healed from about 20% functional to about 62 % functional in August 2024! None of my doctors expected this! Medical journals say it is not possible for kidneys to heal to such a degree.
• My liver, vitamin D, and thyroid numbers have all improved, which is likely a result of having low steady blood glucose, more vegetables, enough fat to support my hormones, and good supplements.
• I weigh roughly what I weighed in high school.

 

Cancer Markers

While cancer markers are different for different people and different cancers, my personal markers are measured as a kappa/lambda ratio, comparing two types of proteins produced by plasma cells in the blood. The normal range is between 0.26 and 1.65.

• 2012 when diagnosed, my kappa/lambda ratio was over 89 and kidneys had 76% “cortical scaring” They were functioning at 20% during the summer with the chemo I was taking.
• 2013 after bone marrow transplant and on 10- 15 mg Revlamid every other day my kappa/lambda ratio ( My cancer marker) was 3.94
• 2014 I began “diabetes diet” and was able to lower Revlamid to 5 mg once a week. (if interested in details of my experience – read diary under individual years.)

• In August 2023, my ratio was 1.6. Great!
• In February 2024, my kappa/lambda ratio had risen to 1.75.
• In August 2024, it was 1.88.
• By November 2024, it was up to 1.95. Looking over my notes (the benefit of taking good notes through the years!), I realized I had stopped taking Pancreas &/or Wobenzyme and I started taking a Multivitamin in the summer. So I quit taking the multivitamin and ordered more Pancreas capsules &, started taking them in early December, and am hopeful my cancer markers in early 2025 respond to this adjustment.

My  cancer markers bounce around and when my cancer markers get worse, it prompts me to cling to the Lord more closely and remember that while I ask Him for healing and good years, my goal is not  just to live a long life, but to live close to Him whether on earth or heaven.  And, I want His Will for my life – He knows how long I will live, I don’t.  

Cancer has changed me –  I am closer to the Lord and try to keep my focus on the eternal.  I have peace knowing that we are all travelers passing through this world.  As Christians, our ultimate hope lies in heaven.

My current Bible study is “For the Love of God – A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word – by DA Carson. It guides you through the Bible in 2 years.

This blog has tabs at the top so you can find what interests you.