It’s been so long since I’ve posted, which is a good thing in terms of my health. My last thyroid ultrasound in mid-January showed that the tumor had grown slightly to an ellipsoid volume of 111.2, up from 104.4 in October. So a slight increase. It’s funny, though, because the radiologist who has mostly ignored any decreases up until now, actually ignored this slight increase and wrote on his report that the tumor had decreased 10% in volume over the year. This was enough to put my doctor at ease and we agreed that the next ultrasound would be in 6 months (July).
I continue on my spiritual path, which has felt particularly difficult this year. I really hope this is because I am making progress:) My health, on the other hand, has been better than it’s been in years. Our family (me, husband and two children 8 and 9 years old) made it through this winter healthier than we ever have. Far healthier. I think I got one minor cold. And now as I enter allergy season it’s been so far so good. Last year at this time I was wiped out many afternoons, something that has been going on since spring of 2010 when I initially discovered the thyroid nodule.
In part I credit the improvement to figuring out some good supplements. Currently I am taking
- fermented cod liver oil (3 capsules/day)
- vitamin D3 (5000 mg/day)
- NOW magnesium citrate (400 mg/day in evening)
- Pure Radiance C powder (1 tsp/day) I take this rather than regular vitamin C because it’s not a corn derivative, and I have or had an allergy to corn. It’s kind of expensive, but I swear it seems to keep my immune system strong.
- Pure (brand name) Adrenal (1 in am, 1 in pm)
- Thorne Selenomethionine (200 mcg in am)
- Lugol’s 5% solution iodine (1 drop 1-3x/week)
- Celtic sea salt (1/2 tsp) on days that I take Lugol’s, also use it liberally on my food
I was also taking Riboflavin and Niacin for much of the winter, but I began to get stomach aches and when I removed it, they went away. I have to say figuring out the supplements has been very tricky for me. I was using David Brownstein’s book Iodine as a guide, but the amounts of things he recommends have been way too much for me. For instance, he recommends that people with cancer take up to 50 mg/day. 1 drop is 6.25 mg, and the most I have been able to take is 4 drops/week.
My main problem with iodine has been that it upsets my sleep. I have trouble falling asleep and/or wake up as early as 3 am unable to fall back asleep. It’s for that reason that I am taking the Pure Adrenal, which supports your adrenals, which are, I guess, what get thrown out of whack by the iodine for some people. I also think it’s important to take the selenium as that balances out the iodine and supports the thyroid.
I feel like with these supplements, my energy is really good, my sex drive is decent, and my periods are fairly regular. When I wasn’t taking them (I didn’t start until January 2013) my periods were getting all screwed up, and my sex drive was nil. And I have to say it has taken me a very long time to figure out what is right for me. Sleep being the main problem when things go off.
There is one more supplement I am starting to take (and wonder if down the line it might be all that I need). That is Pure Synergy Vita-Min-Herb for women. There is also a version for me. I think I should probably be taking a multi-vitamin, too. Like all the others I don’t seem to be able to handle the recommended dose so I am alternating taking it with Lugol’s. My rule of thumb is that I have to have had 2 good nights of sleep before taking anything that contains iodine (in case it disrupts my sleep). And this supplement contains iodine.
One more thing about supplements is that I think the organic or whole food versions of them are much more potent than the synthetic ones. So, for instance, I was taking Dr. Ron’s magnesium pills for a while. These are only 150 mg, but one pill was all I needed. Magnesium seems to help keep my digestion going well. Since switching to NOW magnesium I am taking 400 mg. I think the same is true of that Pure Radiance C powder– it’s way less vitamin C than is recommended by Dr. Brownstein, but (I think) it’s been great at keeping my immune system strong. That’s not to say you have to take organic, but that not all versions work the same so you can’t just go by the milligrams.
I think I’ve given this link before, but this is a .pdf guide to supplementing with iodine based on Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Abraham’s research, which is helpful.
So overall I am feeling very good and don’t really believe that I have cancer anymore. I set an intention every night before I sleep for the tumor to dissolve in the most productive way possible and for perfect health to manifest in every cell of my body. I will see what the ultrasound shows in July, but the tumor/nodule doesn’t seem to be changing much that I can tell. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem as visible as it used to.
I am still avoiding corn. I’m not eating popcorn or corn chips or straight corn, but I’m not concerned about getting small doses of it in other things. I believe what I thought was a very strong reaction (crazy insomnia) to it in the late summer was stress rather than corn. Perhaps this summer when the spring allergens are gone, I’ll give corn a try again.
Letting Go of Thyroid Cancer 