My Christian faith has played a huge part in helping me navigate the challenges of living with Multiple Myeloma for the past 12 years, and I want to share some of what I have learned about the importance of diet, exercise, supplements, and prayer in managing my cancer.

This site is intended for fellow cancer patients (and advocates) working with their oncologist. I am not a doctor, and each person and situation is different. It is very important for everyone to have regular blood tests and follow their own doctors’ orders. But diet, exercise, supplements, and prayer enhance most 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 over the summer to prepare me for a bone marrow transplant in November 2012 (detailed in the “My Story” tab on this blog).

 

Unfortunately, my cancer returned within a few months after my bone marrow transplant, and I relied exclusively on chemo 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.”

 

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 realized a person could manage their diabetes by avoiding carbs and sweets to control their blood glucose. Because cancer gets its fuel primarily from glucose, I decided to have the same attitude toward managing cancer.

 

I then read Thomas Siegfried’s book, “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease “ (2012), which gave evidence that a ketogenic diet (described in “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution”) is effective against cancer. Thus, I began to prick my finger and test my blood glucose and ketones every 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 years), I could adjust my diet and supplements.

 

I followed that discipline for many years and was able to stabilize my cancer and dramatically improve my kidney function. In 2023, I acquired a Continuous Glucose Monitor that has made this process 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).

 

Here is general summary of my current diet:

 

• 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 every 3 -6 months, including tests for my cancer markers. This is essential feedback to see what works and what does not. 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 55% 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 what I weighed in high school.

 

As a Christian, my ultimate hope lies in heaven, and I find great wisdom, comfort, guidance, and hope in maintaining an active personal prayer life and focused Bible study as well as regular  worship in a local church. In my most difficult moments, turning to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has been a crucial lifeline. At the same time, I have a wonderful husband, family, church, friends — and many reasons to enjoy this life to the fullest. Below are sections that explain specific details of what I have learned.

Cancer Markers

While cancer markers are different for different people, 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, and mine numbers had been slowly creeping up:

• In December 2019, my kappa/lambda ratio was 2.07.
• In January 2020, it was up to 2.23.
• In March 2020, it was up to 2.25. I started taking Pancreas or Wobenzyme (see more information on the “Supplements” page of this blog), and my ratio came down and stabilized for several years at just above normal.
• In August 2023, my ratio was 1.6. Great! But I ran out of Wobenzyme and did not order more, thinking my focus on a keto diet was sufficient.
• 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 Wobenzyme. So I ordered more, started taking them in early December, and am hopeful my cancer markers in early 2025 respond to this adjustment.

After my oncologist retired in early 2023, his replacement scheduled my blood tests for every 6 months. I wanted feedback on my Multiple Myeloma and I had developed Wet Macular Degeneration and needed injections in my eye.  So, I had a blood test at a local clinic (it was not able to check my Kappa/Lambda ratio – only an oncologist has connections to send blood work to Mayo Clinic, but I could check other blood markers.) It showed my hemaglobin A1c (blood glucose reading) was 5.4. This is approaching a range considered pre-diabetic, and I was anxious to keep my blood sugar low and steady. So in April 2023, I got my first Continuous Glucose Monitor.

Continuous Glucose Monitor

• 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 check the monitor every time I ate something, and in 2024 I got the Dexcom 7.  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.
• Every evening, I take about 10 minutes to record my hourly blood glucose readings from the Dexcom 7 chart in my daily planner, circle any result over 100, and make a note of what I ate that caused my blood glucose to spike. 
• I cut back on or cut out anything that pushes my blood glucose over 100.
• 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.