The week from hell…but it could have been worse…a lot worse…

This post will explain why I haven’t posted a word on the blog for many days, why I have “disappeared” from Facebook and why I haven’t answered any blog reader queries since Sunday, April 27, which is when Stefano and I returned to Cape Cod from New York City.

By the way, we had a total BLAST in New York…an incredible amazing fabulous fun interesting time…and let me add that a very big part of our marvelous NYC experience was the time we spent with my blog reader John, his wife and their two super-adorable pugs…thankyouthankyouthankyou, you two (I will be sending you a package soon!)!!!!!

But I’m not going to talk about New York right now…I will write a separate post about it at some point…

No, today’s topic is the week from hell (mentioned in this post’s title) = the week after we got back from New York…

Where do I start? Well, my father taught me it’s always good to start at the beginning, so that’s what I’m going to do.

Let’s see. As I mentioned, Stefano and I got back to my parents’ house on Sunday, April 27, in the late afternoon. Everything was fine.

Then, on Monday night, my father mentioned he’d had a bit of weakness in his legs while he was going up the stairs to go to bed. We thought nothing of it. He’s very tall and has had a few “balance” problems for years. We just thought he was tired. After all, he’s 86 and a half years old…

The following day (April 29), right after lunch, I heard a strange banging noise coming from the half bathroom on the ground floor. I knew my father was inside, so I asked if he was okay. He answered that he had somehow slipped to the floor and couldn’t get up. I tried to open the door, but he was leaning against it. Now, this is a very small bathroom and, as I mentioned, my Dad is a big guy, so I called Stefano and finally, after getting my Dad to move slightly away from the door, the two of us managed to get inside. My Dad was exhausted and sweaty from the effort of sliding away from the bathroom door. And, since he couldn’t stand on his own, we essentially picked him up and took him into the dining room.

Mom called an ambulance, even though Dad tried to reassure us that he was fine and didn’t want to go to the hospital, and in fact he looked fine and was speaking normally. But we knew that what had happened in the bathroom wasn’t normal and wanted to have him checked out.

After getting to Cape Cod Hospital, Dad had a bunch of tests done, including a CT scan. We were told that nothing out of the ordinary had showed up but that he was being admitted to the hospital on “observation” status for the night.

The following morning (this would have been Wednesday), Dad had an MRI that showed he’d had a mild stroke (more than a TIA, but not a massive stroke). We were not informed about the stroke, however, until late afternoon, when Dad’s hospital doctor finally came to speak with us.

We were stunned. Absolutely stunned.

And this brings me to WHY I’ve given so many details about what happened. Until now, I had been under the impression that strokes are always accompanied by slurred speech and drooling and paralysis. Well, that is not the case. There are different types of strokes, and different levels of severity.

Dad’s stroke was caused by a blood vessel popping and bleeding in the right side of his brain, which controls the left side of his body..I believe this is called a hemorrhagic stroke. As far as I can tell, and from what we’ve been told, his main post-stroke symptom is a bit of weakness on the left side of his body (weakness, not paralysis, thank goodness), so he should be able to recuperate 100%…or thereabouts.

After a four-day hospital stay, Dad was transferred to a rehabilitation center, where he will remain for about two weeks. He’s doing amazingly well, I think. And I have to say that I’m really impressed with the level of care he’s been receiving, both at the hospital and now at the rehab center.

Well, I was supposed to go back home to Italy with Stefano on Saturday, May 3. But I couldn’t leave, of course. I’ll be staying here until my father comes home…and until I’m sure that my parents will be okay by themselves.

Needless to say, from now on we will be paying plenty of attention to any signs of weakness in our limbs…all possible signs of a stroke…

And that is the main reason why I’ve written this post…this information could possibly be of use to others, too.

Always pay attention…

In a New York state of mind…

Well, yes, I’ve been incredibly busy…busy visiting with my parents, busy playing with Muffet (their lovely cat), busy running errands with my mother, busy planting flowers in my parents’ garden and…well…busybusybusy. In a good way, of course!!! And when I haven’t been busy with that sort of stuff, I’ve had to work, too, which means that, at least for now, my plans of reading and posting about the studies I brought with me haven’t quite worked out. Oh well!

Speaking of busy, Stefano arrived last Friday (from Italy), and tomorrow we’re driving down to New York City for a short holiday (until Saturday). We’ll be staying with a generous, lovely, kind blog reader and his wife in Manhattan. This is how that happened: when I posted my appeal for help in finding a decent but not too expensive hotel or B&B in New York City (here on the blog), a few blog readers generously offered their homes to us. I really didn’t expect that…and I was quite overwhelmed, I admit. I turned down the offers as gracefully as I could…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy meeting blog readers (in fact, the readers I’ve met in real life are now friends of ours, which is absolutely lovely), but Stefano and I are two very independent people who don’t want to be a nuisance to anyone…especially to folks we haven’t met!

But when John wrote and said he’d be delighted if we would stay with him, it was different. I feel that I know John personally, since we’ve been corresponding for quite some time now. He has an interesting “smoldering” background, but I can’t say more than that until (if!) he gives me permission to do so. Suffice it to say that I can’t wait to meet him. 🙂 And I am also looking forward to meeting Liza who also offered her NYC home to us…and possibly a few other blog readers, depending on their schedules this week. Should be FUN!!!

The idea of going back to New York after so many years has brought up a lot of different emotions. I am referring mainly, of course, to 9/11, which had a huge impact on me even though I didn’t know anyone who died in the attack. I was in Italy when it happened…in fact, I was at home alone when a friend phoned to tell me to turn on the T.V., just in time to watch the second plane crash into the South tower. I will never forget…

Okay, time for a change of subject!!! A few days ago a close friend (whom I met through the blog, by the way!) sent me the link to a very interesting BBC article: Sir Anthony Epstein was interviewed recently about the Epstein Barr virus connection to various forms of cancer: http://goo.gl/zMm65r

As you know (if you have been following my blog for a few years), I am very interested in the possible viral connection to myeloma. The main reason (for my interest) is that while I was in grad school I myself became very ill due to an Epstein Barr viral attack…and this occurred, coincidentally (or possibly not!), just a few years before my MGUS was discovered…

Anyway, this article describes HOW the two researchers (Epstein and Barr) discovered the blasted virus that was named after them…A verrrrry good read even if you don’t find viruses particularly interesting…so do have a look…

Okay, Stefano and I have a zillion things to do today (rent a car, etc.), so I’d better get going and do at least some of them…Have a great week, everyone! 🙂

On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.A…

IMG_9101I’m here. At my parent’ house on Cape Cod. It’s great to be back… 🙂

As soon as I set foot in my parents’ house–after first hugging Mom and Dad, of course–I asked: “so, where’s Muffet? (Muffet is my parents’ new cat…I wrote a post about her last month.)

IMG_9145She was asleep on my parents’ bed, but after about 5 minutes she came downstairs, sniffed me and let me pet her. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she jumped right into my lap–the lap of a complete stranger (to her, I mean)–and settled down.

Muffet is the purrfect lap cat…such a sweet cat…very playful, very gentle. Adorable. When she wants to play, she leads me into the living room where most of her toys are. Smart kitty!

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These are the first photos that have been taken of Muffet after my parents adopted her. Isn’t she (also!) a beauty?

Anyway, clearly, all is well here on Cape Cod…!!!

Getting ready…

How did this happen??? Wasn’t it Xmas just the other day??? 😉 I still can’t believe that it’s April, and that I’m taking off for the U.S.A…again. Yep, I’m leaving tomorrow to go visit my parents and their new kitty, Muffet. The last few months have gone by in a flash, I must say…

Speaking of which, I would like to apologize to those whose emails have remained unanswered. I’ve done my best, but I just haven’t had the time to reply to some of you…

Anyway, while I’m in the U.S. I’ll have access to my Mom’s computer, so I will be online every day (working, mostly…yeah, the paying job/s 😉 ), except for the few days we plan to be in New York City,  and will try to write at least a couple of posts. I’m taking a couple of scientific studies with me, hoping I’ll find the time to read, and post about, them. Interesting stuff!

Okaaaaay, I’d better get back to my packing…Take care, everyone…I’ll write a post once I get settled. Ciao! 🙂

 

Tulip mania

IMG_9060I simply adore tulips. Last fall, with the help of a friend, I planted a whole bunch in my back garden…different colors, different types, smaller ones, bigger ones…

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And now we can finally admire the fruits of our labors…

Some of my tulips have been blooming for the past week or so, and more are getting ready to…burst.

IMG_9087They’re so lovely, in my opinion, and they give me a sense of happiness when I walk among them or even just look out at them, standing as still as elegant little sentinels wearing colorful hats…IMG_9075

Anyway, here are a few photos I took yesterday, a glorious sunny day here in Firenze!IMG_9085

 

 

 

Happiness can be found in small things…

Right place, right time

It’s really true. It’s all a matter of luck, of being in the right place at the right time.

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Male and female kingfisher, Parco della Piana, Sesto Fiorentino, March 29 2014.

It happened to Stefano and me yesterday. We went bird watching at our usual place, the Parco della Piana in Sesto Fiorentino, just outside of Florence.

We decided to check out the “kingfisher” hut before going to count the black-winged stilts. As it so happened, there was only one other photographer in the hut. Boy, this guy had the biggest lens and most elaborate set-up (camera, tripod, etc.) I’ve ever seen.

We sat down on either side of him and, at his suggestion, pointed our lenses toward the other end of the lake, about a million miles away (!), where you could barely make out a red dot = the female kingfisher’s belly. Then we just waited.

After 15 or 20 minutes, we heard a series of peeps overhead–the male kingfisher returning from his successful hunt. The female got very excited and began preening herself. After a few seconds, the male landed close to her and, after showing off his prey, turning his beak this way and that way, gently fed her the shrimp he’d caught. Awwww…so romantic!!!

We’d seen and photographed the male kingfisher before (I have posted a few photos of him here, in fact), but never the female. And we’d certainly never seen them TOGETHER, so this was an amazing treat. Now, I know this isn’t the best photo in the world (though I tried my best with the camera I have…a good camera, mind you, with a great zoom…but nothing like our new friend’s equipment…), but hey, you try taking a photo of two small red dots in the distance… 😉

Okay, I must go now and get ready…I’m getting picked up soon by a friend, and we’re off for the rest of the day, a fun fun fun day with other friends, too. Have a great Sunday, everyone! Ciaoooooo!

Afterthought: here’s what a HUGE lens can do, and yes, this was taken by the guy sitting next to us yesterday…same place, same kingfishers…but check out the difference! Wow: http://goo.gl/DKgM9n 

“Why I’ve ditched statins for good.”

This post was inspired by a fascinating article I read this morning (many thanks to Libby for the link!) written by a vascular surgeon and published in The Telegraph just a few days ago: http://goo.gl/Es1XXS Please have a look…It’s a very good read.

Personal story: my Dad has always had high cholesterol and took statins for a while, many many many years ago, on the advice of his doctor. Dad’s follow-up blood test results did show a decrease in his “bad” (= LDL) cholesterol, but his “good” (HDL) cholesterol had decreased, too. This meant that his actual risk of developing heart disease went up, not down. And so, with his doctor’s approval, he stopped taking statins immediately. So far, so good…knock on wood!

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I have inherited this familial high cholesterol loveliness, but I have never taken statins. And then, some time after I began taking curcumin (= more than eight years ago, yippeeee!), I noticed a decrease in my cholesterol AND an even more significant decrease in my triglycerides. My cholesterol is currently much lower than it was in the pre-curcumin period, and that, coupled with my decreased triglycerides, has taken my heart disease risk down to zilch, practically–one of the many beneficial side effects of curcumin. Incidentally, the same has happened to my Dad–once he began taking curcumin, his cholesterol went down. And it has stayed down.

So WHY aren’t doctors prescribing curcumin instead of statins, which come with a host of side effects (increased risk of developing diabetes, among other, er, pleasant things)…side effects that curcumin definitely doesn’t have, by the way…

Well, I think we can all figure out the answer to that question…! (See also the Telegraph article for more on this.)

And now, under new guidelines, it looks as though a lot more people in the U.S.A. will be “eligible” to take these drugs (I’m sure big pharma is celebrating big time!). Unbelievable. See: http://goo.gl/q7N7Xg

No, of course I’m not saying that nobody at all should be on statins. Perhaps they do help some folks (= the big pharma CEO bank accounts, in particular! 😉 ). I’m just saying that I personally would never ever take them. And I’m very glad my Dad isn’t taking them anymore (and my sister, too, btw).

The Telegraph article gives us a lot of food for thought–the surgeon’s dietary changes (sugar), the fact that statins decrease CRP (= C-reactive protein), which is also a marker for myeloma…but then, curcumin decreases CRP, too…and, again, without all the potentially very nasty side effects…

And here is more food for thought: “In my view, high total blood cholesterol or high LDL levels no more cause heart attacks than paramedics cause car crashes, even though they are present at the scene. Just lowering cholesterol with drugs without sorting out the dietary and lifestyle factors that actually cause heart disease is nonsensical.” Interesting, huh?

The article also discusses the results of a Norwegian cholesterol study that followed 52,000 men and women with no pre-existing heart disease, for a period of ten years: “The results for women were crystal clear. The lower a woman’s total cholesterol, the greater her risk of dying, either of heart disease or anything else, including cancer. This reflects findings in previous studies.” Wow.

Okay, that definitely did it for me. I’m keeping my still high-ish but not-as-high-as-before cholesterol!

Feline hyperthyroidism: our Puzzola.

_MG_0185Last year Stefano and I took our eldest cat, Puzzola, to the vet because she had peed all over my bathrobe, which indicated in no uncertain terms that she had a urinary tract infection (I wrote a post about this episode in February 2013, btw). The vet confirmed the infection and immediately put her on antibiotics. Then, while checking her out, the vet found a small nodule on Puzzola’s thyroid gland. A blood test confirmed what she suspected–Puzzola had hyperthyroidism. At that time, it was a very mild case…

Puzzola was supposed to go back for a checkup (=blood test) after a month or thereabouts, but all this unfortunately happened while my father-in-law was very ill…and, with all that was going on, we just couldn’t deal with stressing out Puzzola, too. So I just gave her the recommended dose of Tapazole, the conventional drug prescribed for hyperthyroid humans, too. IMG_6527

For a while I put her (and the other cats, too) on C3 Complex curcumin powder, which I mixed in with their canned food, but, while some (= the eldest cats) loved it, others (= the youngest) simply refused to eat it after a while…Then, when we left for the States to visit my parents last summer, I couldn’t bring myself to ask our wonderful cat/house sitter to prepare the curcumin mixture for the cats on top of everything else she was doing for us. As a result, the cats went without curcumin for months.

A few weeks ago I noticed that Puzzola was more agitated and anxious than before (and it wasn’t because she had begun drinking wine, as the photo on the right might suggest 😉 ). Her behavior was simply, well, odd. I made an appointment with the vet immediately.

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Well, in a nutshell, her blood test results are simply terrible. TERRIBLE. Her liver numbers are sky high. SCARY high…

And her hyperthyroidism is now listed as “SERIOUS” (“grave” in Italian). The vet assured us, though, that Puzzola is not terminally ill. But we need to intervene. And that is what we are doing. By the way, this, I hope, will explain why I haven’t been blogging recently. All my free time is spent doing heaps of research on hyperthyroidism in cats…

I’ve looked at clinical trials, I’ve looked at natural remedies…anything and everything. I know all there is to know, practically, about feline hyperthyroidism–its causes (BPAs in cans has been linked to this condition, for example) and treatments. I’ve read heaps of forum comments, both in Italian and English, written by other humans who have hyperthyroid cats…

Anyway, the first changes we made were as follows:

  1. We have increased her daily dose of Tapazole. This doesn’t make me happy at all, because this drug comes with a bunch of side effects, including liver toxicity!, but for now she seems to tolerate it well, even at the higher dose.
  2. I am back to mixing curcumin into the cats’ canned food once a day. The eldest cats lick their plates clean and most often meow/stare at me for more…the youngest cats will gulp it down one day but turn up their noses at it the next…But the important thing is that Puzzola absolutely loves the stuff. I mix the Tapazole in with her curcumin wet food. Thus far it has worked like a charm.

puzzolaShe seems to have calmed down a lot, though sometimes she still goes wacky (her metabolism is on the go-go-go all the time, poor sweetie). Just a few minutes ago, for example, she ran helter-skelter into my study and wouldn’t settle down…aaaaagh. We’re also trying to give her milk thistle for her liver (she’s so difficult, though, and so far hasn’t taken it)…

Her next set of tests have been scheduled for May.

Last week we took her to a homeopathic vet who admitted to having treated only FIVE cats with hyperthyroidism in her entire career. She hadn’t even heard of the feline hyperthyroidism-homeopathic remedy clinical trial that I asked her about. Uhm.

Furthermore, among other things, she suggested that we put Puzzola on a raw meat diet that included chicken and turkey. Yes, raw. Oh, and, worse, RAW PORK. When I brought up the issue of possible salmonella (etc.) contamination, she told us that freezing raw meat KILLS salmonella and other nasties. Well, from what I have since read online, that appears not to be the case: freezing chicken meat can slow down the growth of salmonella, but it doesn’t kill it. Well, I am hugely disappointed and doubt we’ll be going back…

I am taking the diet issue seriously, though. I want to bring down Puzzola’s numbers AND I want my cats to be on the BEST diet possible. I have eliminated anything that contains corn and wheat and by-products (oh yes, I am the crazy cat lady reading labels in pet food stores…), and the raw meat diet is also OUT–even before it began!–but we have been giving all the cats some slightly cooked meat (cooked rare), the same meat we ourselves eat…

We have always given our cats what we thought was the best cat food available (only bought at the local pet food store, no supermarket brands, no crappy cheap stuff with fillers and so on ). But now we’re not so sure it’s the very best. I’ve been looking at cat food that is grain-free and possibly also low in iodine (but not Hill’s y/d, which can also cause problems, it seems!)…

Unfortunately, there are no simple answers…and so my search goes on…

Gugguls, not giggles…

Okay, so I said that I wouldn’t be experimenting with new stuff for a while. But that was BEFORE I began spring-cleaning the house last week (= one of the household tasks I hate the most!) and found something while checking to see how much curcumin I still have. url-2You see, Stefano and I will be spending a few weeks in April (around Easter) with my parents in Massachusetts, and I buy all my curcumin in the U.S. (even though it’s not as “cheap” as it used to be, mamma mia). So I needed to see how much curcumin I had left…

Anyway, while I was checking and counting, I happened upon two bottles of guggulsterone and decided to go ahead and start taking it. Reason no. 1: the bottles are going to expire at the end of the summer. Reason no. 2: guggulsterone kills myeloma cells and does a lot of other good things (just do a “Search” of my website for “guggulsterone” or scroll down my Pages until you find the one on guggulsterone). Reason no. 3: for some reason I stopped taking guggulsterone during my first experiment back in 2012. I’ve completely forgotten why, but I am POSITIVE that it had nothing to do with the supplement itself. It could have been because of all the illnesses and deaths that have taken place in Stefano’s large extended family in the past couple of years (stressful medical situations, including deaths, involving close members of his family…)…too much to deal with…

Anyway, 2014 has begun on a bit of a brighter note. Therefore, when, last week, I came across these two bottles of guggulsterone, I thought: “ah, why not?”

I’m having my next set of tests in late March…so it won’t be long before we know if the giggling gugguls have killed any myeloma cells… 🙂

And now for a couple of off-topic notes.

1. I have received many queries, mostly private, as to which curcumin brand (and other stuff) I take. I cannot reply to everyone, impossible!, but I will write a post about that within a few days…so stay tuned!

Hmmm, speaking of queries, I have something else to add. Lately I’ve been getting an increasing number of private and “contact form” messages. So I’d like to make a couple of points. a I’m not a professional blogger, which means I don’t get paid to write my posts or do research (I wish I did!). I have a paying job that I enjoy but that takes up a good chunk of my time AND has nothing to do with the blog or curcumin (in brief, it’s connected to my years of teaching English). So it’s not easy for me to reply to everyone, even though I do my best. If I haven’t gotten in touch with you, try sending me a second email (but first read the next paragraph!). b. unfortunately, I cannot (and will not) give advice on treatments of any sort or dosages. My blog details my own personal experiences with curcumin and other naturally-derived substances. But that’s as far as it goes. I’m very VERY sorry, but I hope you will understand that I simply cannot give out any medical advice (I have a doctorate in linguistics, not medicine!)…Perhaps this will explain WHY I don’t always answer those types of queries…Again, sorry!

2. Completely off topic: Stefano and I would really like to spend three days in New York City the week of April 21st (we haven’t been there in YEARS…and in any case we haven’t been there as a couple, yet!), so for the past several days I have been looking at hundreds of bed and breakfasts, airbnb places, tripadvisor, booking.com, hotels.com listings…you name it, I’ve looked at it! I’m confident that I’ll find something, even though our budget is tight.

I have excluded anything that isn’t within easy walking distance of a fast train or bus to Manhattan (no point in spending most of the day commuting!)…and I have now found a few options that look nice and clean and more or less, gulp, affordable for us…Now, I am mentioning this mainly because my hotel-b&b search has been eating up a lot of my time, which means, among other things, that I’m not reading any studies right now, phooeydooey…But I also thought that some kind New York blog readers might have some helpful suggestions, which would be most welcome and perhaps save me some grief…! Thanks in advance. 🙂

Anyway, I will get to the studies soon…and report anything of interest, as usual! Take care, everyone, and…ciao for now! 🙂

February 27 2014 test results

This morning Stefano and I picked up my February 27 2014 blood test results and went to the doctor…even though I already knew…But hey, it’s always a good idea to get an expert’s opinion!

As you may recall, my November 2013 test results weren’t that great. I’d tried testing a lower dose of curcumin for a bunch of months. Didn’t work!

Well, I’m pleased/happy/ecstatic to announce that today’s results were an entirely different story…

In a nutshell, what should have gone up WENT UP; what should have gone down WENT DOWN. 

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One of my favorite photos, taken in Arizona in December 2013 (cacti with Santa hats…so happy-looking…so cute!).

My m-spike and monoclonal component, for example, have gone down. Not by a huge amount, but enough to impress my doctor. More good news: my hemoglobin and hematocrit are now back in the normal range…my light chains have also gone down…all very nice. My total protein is down, too (10.4, down from 10.7…yeah, not much, but I’ll take any decrease, especially after what I heard Dr. Gertz say…). My creatinine, which has always been in the normal range anyway, went down a wee bit more…which wasn’t necessary, but…eh, why not?

My other two immunoglobulins (A and M) are still the same number as last time, so they’re stable. B2M, also stable. Parathyroid is back in the normal range, dance of joy.

In sum, I couldn’t have wished for better results in such a short period of time…My doctor was relieved, too, and commented that evidently I respond very well to curcumin, but at the 8-gram/day dosage…

Let’s see. In addition to increasing my curcumin intake from 6 (back) to 8 grams/day, some with and some without bioperine, here’s a list of the other stuff I’ve been taking in this period (since November):

  1. 1.5 grams of quercetin with bromelain
  2. a spoonful of molasses/day
  3. a heaping teaspoonful of flax seed lignans mixed in yogurt, every day (thanks for this useful tip, Lisa!)

I think that’s about it…Oh well, of course I take vitamin D, and sometimes a (good) multivitamin.

The main lesson I’ve learned from this slightly harrowing experience: we have to be on our guard at all times. This doesn’t mean we need to be obsessive and compulsive about stuff (that would be very BAD, since by now we know that stress has an impact on this cancer) OR freak out if we have one bad test result. But if six or eight grams of curcumin–or whatever else for that matter–has been keeping our numbers stable, why fool around with it? Why rock the boat, as the saying goes?

Learn from my mistake…

But today, at least, I’m not thinking about past mistakes. I’m celebrating…not just with my family and friends, but with all of you, too! Thanks, everyone! 🙂