Transformed by Cancer - Living with CLL

In 2011, after being a three year survivor of prostate cancer, a routine physical and blood test revealed my husband, Tom, age 67, had stage ‘0’ Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Though it is incurable, if you had to be diagnosed with cancer, CLL stage ‘0’ is the best diagnosis to receive. 

In Stage ‘0,’ the Leukemia cells function almost normally and CLL symptoms may not appear for a long time. His oncologist explained that he could live with CLL for many years without ever having any invasive treatment. Luckily, he caught it in time.

After the shock of the diagnosis wore off a little, the hardest issue for us to digest was the complete and total change in his diet………..and I mean CHANGE.  

Because we are both already diabetic, removing sugar from the diet was not an issue, but we were amazed at all the foods he could no long eat. His oncologist, nutritionist and  a very knowledgeable lady that works at our Tampa Vitamin Discount Center where we get all his all-natural and organic medicines helped us find safe alternatives. 

At our vitamin shop, we were also directed to Dr. Peter J. D’Adam’s “4 Blood Types, 4 Diets:  EAT RIGHT 4 YOUR TYPE.”  This book talks about foods you should and should not eat according to your blood type.

Below is list I’ve compiled of common foods and the cancer-friendly, healthy substitutes that work for us:

White flour:

It seems like practically everything is made from white flour.  ALL breads and noodles begin with it. Istarted googling “white flour substitutes” and was lucky enough to find Sami’s Bakery.  They sell several types of gluten-free breads, bagels, chips, cookies, hamburger and hot dog buns and even pizza crust. These are made with flaxseed and/or millet flours, not white flour and are very healthy and very tasty.

Other alternatives to white flour (for baking) include flaxseed flour, millet flour, oat flour, garbanzo flour and ‘Red Mills’ all-purpose flour (this flour contains soy, so I don’t use it).  Some of these flours are heavier than regular white flour; you should mix several together until you find the right blend and also sift together several times.

Pasta:

We discovered brown rice noodles in the gluten-free section of Walmart.   If you cook them between 10-12 minutes, strain and rinse them with cold water, they will turn out perfectly and taste delicious.   

Red meat:

We loved lean hamburgers, meatloaf, steak, roasts, chicken, etc. Now Tom’s diet is limited to whole turkey (or ground turkey, turkey sausage and turkey hot dogs), lamb, and fresh fish at least twice a week, especially salmon.  We avoid chicken because EAT RIGHT 4 YOUR TYPE showed that it was a food to be avoided for his blood type.  I have learned 50 different ways to cook the food he can eat, so meals don’t get boring.  

Sugar:

If you have cancer, eating too much sugar causes your body to produce too much insulin which will encourage cancer cells to grow. For a sugar substitute, we use ‘Kal’ pure Stevia with Iuo han.  It’s all natural, aspartame and saccharine free.

Rice:

We use brown rice.  It has not been processed and still contains vitamins, iron and fiber which help lower triglyceride and bad cholesterol levels.

Dairy:

Tom can’t have cow’s milk or soy milk, so we use Almond Milk, both sweetened and unsweetened.  Tom doesn’t really enjoy the flavor, so I use the sweetened milk to make homemade oatmeal or creamy brown rice hot cereal and it’s perfect.

Since we’ve not yet found a safe cheese substitute, he doesn’t eat any cheese. 

Ice cream was the hardest food for him to give up and what he misses the most. We both lovedthe “no sugar added” ice  cream.  Now his one indulgence is having a fruit pop each night.  I did just buy a YOnanas to make frozen dessert out of frozen fruit, but I haven’t used it yet.  If anyone has tried it, please comment below.

Soy:

We use Bragg Liquid Aminos which is a natural soy sauce alternative. Though margarine that didn’t have a soy or a milk base was difficult to find, we finally found Earth Balance Soy-Free margarine. 

Gluten:

Since Tom has cancer, he cannot eat any foods with gluten as gluten could aid in the creation of cancer cells.

Miscellaneous -  toiletries:

Tom no longer uses ‘store bought’ soap, shampoo or toothpaste.  He uses all-natural or organic body soap, shampoo and fluoride-free toothpaste.

Through this experience, we have learned to read ALL labels very carefully.

We’ve found http://leukemia.emedtv.com  to be an informative resource.

Keep in mind, no two people are alike.  This is strictly our researched collection of what works for us; however what works for us may not work for you.  If you, or someone you know is diagnosed with CLL, ALWAYS follow your oncologists’ instructions.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO ALWAYS HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.  

Having any type of serious illness is very stressful and can cause depression.  We’ve learned that keeping a positive attitude really helps and so does talking about it openly. This is not something you have to go through alone. 

If you want to talk about living with CLL, email LivingWithCLL@aol.com.