Hi, Im pretty new to this site so please bear with me if I appear muddled.
Ive got a few questions to ask.
1 How soon after stopping chemo can I start taking supplements such as Milk thistle to help detox my liver after all the toxins of chemo.
2 Has anybody else taken milk thistle and found it helpful.
3 Has anybody taken fish oil supplements to help memory etc and found it helpful.
4Does anybody have any suggestions about what it is best to take to replenish my body following chemo, and is it ok to start during rads
5Would something like arnica help during rads.
PS I eat a healthy diet most of the time,lots of salad veg etc but feel I need something more to enhance my recovery.
Hope some of you out there can give me some advice. Thanks so much Hollyhock
Hiya
I have been taking Co-Enzyme Q10 all through my chemo (I just had 7 of 8 today) and it was ok with Onc. It is supposed to work well with chemo and is an antioxidant that helps with energy and offers some protection for the heart/cholesterol. I did take Milk Thistle at first (again ok with Onc), but somehow seemed to keep forgetting!!! I also take 3000mg of Evening Primrose (again ok with Onc) as the chemo I am on at the moment (CMF) gives you hot flushes and I’ve found this really helps. I know some people get different recommendations, but I’ve always asked my Onc first and if he says it’s ok, then it’s ok with me. What chemo are you having and where are you up to with your treatment? I will be having rads after, so I can’t help you with that one yet.
Good luck.
Love Julie x
P.S. I found the odd glass of wine to be helpful too lol.
Hi Julie, thanks for your advice. Im a bit reluctant to take evening primrose oil as Im oestrogen pos , but will look into Co-Enzyme Q10. I too am having awful hot flushes, so am looking into what I can safely take for them. I had 4 fecs pre op, followed by two Taxotere, which I had to stop because of a reaction. I had a fec yesterday, and only have one more to go.I have to have 5 weeks of rads to breast and clavicle.You seem to be at the same stage as me with treatment, how are you coping with it all.
Ps I find the odd glass of wine or two very theraputic.
Love Wilma x
Evening primrose oil doesnt contain phytoestrogens so you dont have to worry about that.I found they help greatly with hot flushes, i have taken them for 20 years but stopped during chemo because i just couldnt face swallowing them but when i started on tamoxifen started the EPO again and very soon they kicked into action.
Just an aside on milk thistle - the medical establishment here in Portugal obviosuly acknowledges it works to detoxify the liver and to supprot the liver under strain.The human dose of milk thistle It was prescribed for my dog who had liver failure and when I read the leaflet, it said is was normally prescribed for human alcoholics undergoing detox. There is a chemotherapeutic agent it disagrees with but I don’t remember which one, so whatever you do, you ned to tell your oncology/chemo team that you take it or are intending to take it, in case the chemo you are on means it is contra-indicated.
Wishing you well,
Jenny
p.s. Sadly my little dog still died - liver and renal failure after a “lifesaving injection” of cortisone for a lung infection which in fact finished her off… but she was already 17 years old.
Why not ask for a referral to your homeopathic hospital, they’ll advise you? I was prescribed Cardus Mar which is milk thistle to help my liver mets. For hot flushes my Onc suggested vitamin E but it didn’t work for me, eventually the flushes calmed down or perhaps I’ve just got used to them.
Re. Co-enzyme I vaguely remember a post a long while back about the ingredients containing a soya derivative so maybe worth checking if you’re worried about phytoestrogens.
As always check with your Onc. before taking anything as they can sometimes be conterproductive esp. if having chemo. some Onc’s say you shouldn’t try and boost the immune system during chemo as the whole point is to destroy cancer cells so immunity boosting could be working against that.
Love Twinkle xoxo