Just been reading the Penny Brohn Cancer Care website - has anyone been there or have any experience of it?
Hi Lesley…I’ve thought about the PB Centre and have sent away for info but never been. A very good friend of mine (we met here and it turned out she lived a 2 minute walk away) went when she was first diagnosed, a 2 day course, I think it would have been in 2003, she felt it really helped her. She’d had her diagnosis and then her father passed away, this all happening at once. She then went again on a follow up course and didn’t enjoy it much at all…but that was because there was a rather insensitive person on the course with her! I think if I lived closer I would probably go on a day course but from where I live it’s quite a journey to Bristol.
Belinda…x
Thanks Belinda - for me it’s only an hour’s drive so easy for a day course - I was actually looking at the two-day residential course as well. I can see that having an insensitive person around you would completely negate the whole purpose of being there but perhaps she was just very unlucky. It’s something to think about though, at the moment I’m open to anything which could be helpful.
Lesley x
I wouldn’t go to Bristol (the Penny Brohn Centre) cause I’d probably be one of those insensitive people but I know people who have been and got a lot out of it. The centre has a particular philosophy based on the idea that the person with cancer can have some control over thier illness. They advocate a vegan diet (and I understand the food there is delicious as vegan food can be). All the staff there are reputable and caring.
It’s not my cup of tea because I’m a questioning thinking kind of person who is more likely to laugh during visualisation of fast flowing streams or disappearing tumours but if you go for that sort of thing then the Centre has a great reputation.
best wishes
Jane
Thanks Jane - I’m not entirely sure that vegan diets and visualisation are going to be my thing either but I’m open to most things!! It may be that I’ll try a day’s course first to see how it goes before launching straight in to a residential visit.
Lesley x
Hi Jane and Lesley…the ‘insensitive’ one practically lept from her chair when my friend disclosed she had secondaries…as though it was catching. Not what you need. My friend died in 2006 and tried healing, chinese herbs, all sorts of other stuff as well as her conventional chemo, herceptin etc. She also paid for consultations (phone calls) from a well known offshoot of the Bristol. I (think) it all really helped her at the time…although I think our pub lunches did too. The saddest thing for me was when I was given a lot of her supplements after she died. I threw them away but couldn’t believe how much some of them had cost! (they were from a local health shop not the Bristol) I agree the PB centre seems to be a marvellous place if you feel it’s for you…I don’t think it’s for me…but perhaps I’ll change my mind though…in the future. I do think I’d give a one day course a go if I lived close by. And yes the food is supposed to be great! Penny Brohn lived with her bone mets for 20 years.
Yes, just been reading up on her, she lived for years with her bone mets - and died in 1999 so a long while before the advent of a lot of the newer drugs which are around now. I think I might try a one-day nutritional course - it’s only £20 including lunch! - and see what I think from there …
Lesley x
The sister of my sister-in-law (if you can follow that) went there on several courses all the way from Staffordshire. She has lymph gland cancer not BC. They gave her a VERY strict diet to follow which she did for a number of years without varying from it and had surgery to remove various lumps. But last year she had to have chemo for the first time because of spread, so whether it delayed that for her or not I just don’t know.
Thanks redders, I don’t suppose anyone would be able to tell whether the special diet delayed any spread or not - but did she feel generally well on the diet? I’m pretty useless at sticking to any kind of diet but if I thought it would improve my general health as far as bc is concerned I’d go for anything.
Hi Lesley!
Yes she did feel well on the diet and put her husband on it as well because she didn’t want to cook two different lots of food. It seemed to contain a lot of fish and virtually nothing with sugar in it - so she lost a lot of weight as well!
Hi Lesley,
I went to the Penny Brohn centre at the end of last year for a Taster Day. This was a free one day course to introduce you to what they do at the centre.
The centre is such a lovely relaxing place, and the staff fantastic. I am going back for the meditation course and possibly a reflexology appointment. IThe diet they recommend isn’t strictly vegan, I had lunch there and it was delicious.
Hi redders!
Sounds good, especially if it’s not totally veggie, I don’t think I could give up fish - meat wouldn’t be so much of a problem. I’m definitely going to look into it and will let you all know how I get on if I decide to do a day’s course, there’s one next month so I might just take the plunge and book it!
Lesley x
My dad went to the Bristol Centre many, many years ago (he died of pancreatic cancer in 1985). Back then they were advocating the vegan diet as well and he, a meat and two veg man for his entire life, took it up. He started sprouting seeds, eating mung beans and all that stuff.
The transformation in him was amazing. He knew he was dying (pancreatic cancer was then, and I think still is, one of the most lethal cancers). But he had amazing energy - dug his allotment every day, went on holiday to Greece, Italy and Spain and worked right through his illness. He felt really well and only took to his bed a couple of days before he actually died. I am sure the diet was a major factor. He didn’t really subscribe to the touchy feely stuff, but he enjoyed it nonetheless and I think it helped him to feel more accepting of some bad things that had happened to him in his life.
I went with him on one of his visits and did the visualisation thing in lovely leather psychaitrist’s chairs with the sun pouring through the window. I am afraid I fell asleep and started snoring, which was very bad form. But it was a good experience, I think, and have thought about doing a visit myself.
Deirdre
A few years ago there was a lot of publicity about an ayurvedic drug that had cured a couple of people with secondaries. As I had just been diagnosed with secs I tried to ring the clinic there was a few months waiting list because of the public response to the press coverage. I was desperate and in that place that we all find ourselves when just being told our life is going to be cut short by bc. If I wanted to pay £50 I could jump the queue and speak to a practitioner. Not very happy at this response I said I would call back they sent me some literature re carctol and on the back was several names of different Dr’s I started at the top and worked my way down 3 were on answer phone so I left messages then I got through to a Dr Chudasama he was very sympathetic and we made an appointment for the following Monday I said I lived in St ives and he said that was not far from him so I arrange 9am. It was the wrong St ives and about a 5 hour drive here! Poor Ian had a very long drive that day but we met the Dr and he GAVE me the prescription for carctol they cast £70 a tub you send a check to a company in Bristol who import the drug you have to follow a very strict ayurvedic diet vegan but I enjoyed it for over 2 years I gave up when I had to go on taxol as I could not stand the smell of veggies. If you think it may help you don’t rule it out, just don’t pay extra on top of prescription charges that I think is a bl…dy cheek. Dr Chudasama didn’t charge cancer patients as he lost his dad to cancer. He was a very honourable man and we still send him a christmas card I also still have 3 tubs of carctol but at the moment I am well into meat!
Love Debsxxx
Hi Lesley
I was diagnosed in Feb 2005 and went to Bristol in the April for the 2 day residential course. There were about 10 of us, 1 with t cell cancer, 1 friend and one husband the rest had breast cancer but non had secondries except me and at that ime just 1 rib. I really found benefit. the food is gorgeous ( I love my meat) and if we all had someone to cook it for us I’m sure we could all manage it. The group were really supportive of each other and I still keep in touch with 3 of them. The realaxation is lovely and I found it gave me chance to get things sorted in my head and abit of space on my own. I did alter my diet and for 2 years and didnt eat red meat or dairy products and did take the recommended supplements (which are expensive) until i was diagnosed in Oct 2008 with extensive secondries.
I think anything that makes you feel better is worth a try… I felt more positive and focused and was pleased I had gone. Hope this helps a little/
Maddison
Thank you Deirdre, Debs and Maddison - it all sounds very positive and I think I’ll definitely try one of the one-day courses. Deirdre, the way your dad was sounds brilliant, I don’t have that much energy now and I’ve only just been diagnosed!! And Maddison, it sounds as if it really benefited you for quite some time which is great.
I do wonder how giving up dairy products can help those of us with bone mets though as I would have thought calcium was important, but maybe that will all become clear.
Lesley xx
Hi all…I was told to eat dairy products, drink milk when I was first diagnosed with bone mets. I buy organic dairy but my understanding was dairy products in the UK are unlike dairy products in the US which have growth hormones added to them…still continue to buy organic though…(off tangent a bit but was listening to Radio 4 yesterday and it was mentioned the EU ban US beef 'cos of the added hormones.) I was also told exercise such as walking and swimming are good as they strengthen our bones, especially walking which helps make bones less soft and spongy …all the advice (and the spongy word!) came from my hospital.
xx
I’ve had wonderful lunches at the Bristol Cancer Centre at their old location, (havn’t yet visited the new site of the PB centre) and I can say they were wonderful (I am a meat eater too), I even bought the cookery book, but soon realised to cook a meal from their receipe would take me at least half a day. I also had an ‘assessment’ session with a wonderful woman, who recomended I join one of their groups. At the time it was too far for me to travel in the evening. I can say all the contact I have had there has been very positive, and not as I feared of the ‘crochet your own chemo’ type. Jane I think you’d be surprised, perhaps you should give it a go?
hi everyone
i have just read all your messages and hope you can see and read this (as i am struggling to find out if this is the right way to add messages)
i am thinking of going the the Bristol centre
just started my chemo and planning to go in a few months
i am trying anything to help my body cope with this and be the miracle that gets rid of it !!!
Yes, I can see the sense of buying organic dairy produce - and I did think that calcium would be very important for us bone mets people.
Celeste, that was one thing that was putting me off the cookery side of things, I don’t really have the time or inclination to spend hours in the kitchen but will still go and see what it’s all about, I think.