Hello Alan and thank you for your post.

Feeling low is something that many people tell us they experience after a cancer diagnosis. After cancer treatment when there is time to think it can be very unsettling, as this sort of thing reminds us that good health is not guaranteed. Of course this is something that we all know, but because these thoughts are uncomfortable we push them to the back of our mind.  Now you cannot do this. Most people find a way of coping with ‘negative thoughts’ but it can take time, what works for one person may not work for another. You friends may have gone through this process themselves and found a way that helps them.

Trying to get back to some normality after cancer treatment is likely to be harder when you still have some uncertainty about your situation. Unfortunately it is only after you have the PET scan that you are likely to have a clearer picture of your situation. Lung nodules are not unusual but it is often hard to determine whether they are benign (non-cancer) or cancer related. It is reassuring the lung nodules seen at the time of your diagnosis had not increased in size on your recent scan.

I am not sure the exact nature of your diet. There is no strong evidence that changing diet or taking specific foods has an impact on cancer after it has been diagnosed.  However, eating healthily and exercising sensibly is likely to have a positive impact on wellbeing in general.  It is also possible that in the future research might show that it does have a positive impact on recovery.

The cancer charity Macmillan has useful information on the link here about healthy eating that you may find helpful. You may find the answer to ‘Can diet reduce the risk of cancer coming back?’ in the Commonly asked questions about diet section on the link here particularly helpful.

I hope that this information is helpful and that things go well for you.

With kind regards,

Mary

Hi Mary

I came back home on the 26th september as I couldnt stay in the Uk as the person looking after my dogs had to leave to come back to the UK.  Saw the surgeon before i left, The scan was ok, but he sent it to a lung specialist who i saw before I left, he recommended a pet scan, and possibly a lobectomy if the 11 cm nodule showed any signd of cancer, plus if it didnt he also recommended a biopsy, which scared me to death..  I had the pet scan here in spain on the wednesday 28th September , saw the doctor after and said what are the surgeons like here in spain, she just looked at me and said surgery  , we have medicines that we use way prior to any surgery and kind of dismiissed me and walked away.

Results at 5 pm the next day at 5pm.  arrived with a freind and as I was so nervous I coudnt drive.. 5.30pm still sat in reception, 6 pm still sat in reception, my friend asked whe and was told the specialist was running late as he was going on holiday on the next day.

6.30 pm called in, shaking from head to toe , the specialist lookked at me sand just said Sit down now i have good news for you, I fell into the chair literally , still shaking, he said that the nodule had come up at 1.4 on the pet scan, apparently thats good, he said if there was a problem it would show up at 2.75 or higher, the other doctor was also there that I had seen the previous day, they both said that the pet scan was good and I was Clear.I had to ask them 3 times that they were sure ... they gave me the report and pet scans all in spanish whch i had to translate on google to send to my kidney surgeon in the uk , he came back and said the results looked promising.... 

I have another scan in the UK In december and another pet scan in 6 months time, I came out of the hopsital and within 10 yards burst into tears, it was just unreal, as I was expecting a lobectomy and medication to dtart more or less immediatly... I thank God every day , and each day sine then it still has not sunk in, We all know that cancer can come back at anytime, but hopefully it wont.

I know that we shouldnt talk about diet or self medication , because every one is different and I was not on any medication since my kidney was surgically removed, but I googled everything for days and days, 

whther my change of diet helped me I dont know and AGAIN i am not recommending this in any way , I think it may have helped me but maybe thats just in my Mind, plus I spent hours praying to god to help not just me but all of my friends that also have serious cancer .

I started to eat a whole bulb of garlic every day, plus that black garlic, drank a mixture of tumeric oregani olive oil black pepper and cider vinegar , disgusting I know. Plus every day i put blue berries strawberries 

grapes pineapple and and apple in the nutribullet and drank that, Juiced a about a kilo of carrots and also Juiced fresh ginger and drank that,  seriously cut down on dairy products , reduced my protien intake of fish and chicken ... ate more puses lentils etc etc, and I eat all of my veg raw .... wheteher this helped or not I dont know , but im continuing with it plus walking 3 miles a day now.

All I can say is there is hope , there is God, and there are massive ammounts of research going on for kidney cancer patients , ... the thing is we must live and enjoy every day , and be positive, I have a scan in december and another pet scan in march, I do my best every day not to think or worry about them, otherwise ill go crazy... 

Again I stress , because I changed my diet this does not mean that any of you should, it coud affect your treatment, But I give you all hope and I hope strength to cope with cancer, One day soon it will be turned  into a chronic disease that we can all live with, and the sooner that day comes then we will all be so gratefull

I wish you all the best

Alan