Captains Log, stardate 51

[Kirsteen]

Ok so this is day 51 and I haven't finished my W30 but since I have good news I thought I'd share progress so far. I have been officially discharged by my oncologist – Yeah!! I'm 61 with a slew of health problems. 6 years ago I was diagnosed with M.E. and have been disabled ever since. I then developed digestive problems of the frequently being rushed into A&E, screaming in pain, shoved on drips and kept in for weeks kind. That went on for 2 years. No sooner was it fixed than, 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with a grade 3 particularly aggressive breast cancer. So I had an op, weeks and weeks of different types of chemo and a year long course of other IV cancer treatment. Added to all this, I have asthma, pernicious anaemia and an Alph1-antitrypsin deficiency. And yet… as my oncologist looked me up and down today her first words were “My, you're really looking wellâ€.

I'd always been interested in food and nutrition which, over the years, meant I'd followed various diets. I'd tried everything from Atkins to a raw food vegan diet but I was never completely satisfied. I came across Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint and was intrigued. After all I'd given up gluten 12 years ago, I'd given up dairy for over a year because of its alleged links to breast cancer and for the same reason had been minimising my sugar intake. This sounded a dawdle ‘til whoa!! I'm being asked to eat red meat??? I'm following anti-cancer protocols. They all stress lots of green juices, lots of green smoothies and N-o R-e-d M-e-a-t. I felt that, to switch to this would require a really big leap of faith. I'd feel I was really taking my life in my hands.

Then I found “It Starts With Food†Well duh!, I know that – the question is which foods. I read the book and – it made sense – all of it and I was being asked to try it for 30 days. I reckoned if I felt it wasn't helping, I could always switch back. So I cleaned out my cupboards, stocked up on grass fed beef and other meats from the farmer's market, ordered the daily emails and with a fair bit of trepidation gave it a go.

I've had a bumpy ride, it hasn't all been plain sailing. I got a dose of enteritis, don't know where from and had a few weeks of stomach upsets. I'm still experimenting to find what suits me best but, overall, the results are really positive. I've lost all my food cravings, am sleeping better, enjoying my food, fitting into clothes I put away as too small and my skin is looking better. I know I've got a long way still to go. I probably started further back than most so I'm quite happy to keep on eating this way for the foreseeable future. But my oncologist who, up ‘til now, has been extremely sympathetic can only look at me and say “You look so wellâ€. Yes, thanks to the Hartwigs, I do. It may have taken many, many years but I've finally found the way of eating that's right for me and I never intend to look back.

[Derval]

I am tearing up here, so happy for you. F you cancer, Kirsteen wins! Hurray for looking & feeling well, many it continue for many more years to come.

[YogaMomNYC]

Fantastic story, thank you for sharing it!

[Kirsteen]

Thank you Derval & Maggie. I am so happy with this way of eating. I intend to stick to paleo from now on and at the moment I'm quite content with W30. Chemo knocks hell out of your body but now I feel I'm really nourishing it. I don't think I'll ever go back to grains, legumes or dairy and since I'm trying to minimise sugar longterm, that doesn't leave an awful lot to want to reintroduce though eventually there are one or two things I'll try.

[Kara Thompson]

What a great post! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I wish you a healthy and happy future.

[Susan W]

Kirsteen this is so fabulous!