Mesothelioma Survivor Book

By Judith Brandy  |   Submitted On December 21, 2005

  

Paul Kraus is a mesothelioma survivor and the author of Surviving Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer, usually associated with previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant (cancerous) cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products.

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Characterized by a shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, this is often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever.

If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face. Be aware, however, that these symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions. Obtaining a diagnosis of mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other, less serious conditions.

In June 1997, Mr. Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma (a "terminal" cancer) and given only a few months to live. More than eight years later, he is alive with a good quality of life having rejected surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. He took an alternative approach to healing his cancer that encompassed mind, body, and spirit.

In his book about mesothelioma, Kraus sets out how he beat the odds. The introduction reflects Paul's inspiration and commitment to life:

"In my eighth year after diagnosis I remain well. I have outlived my prognosis by at least seven years and the medical specialist I visited not long ago told me that 'you will be around for a lot longer yet.' My survival has been hard work. The underlying assumption with all that I have done, and continue to do, is a strong belief that our bodies are designed with amazing self-healing capacities."

Mr. Kraus has made himself available to other patients who would like to speak with him. The Surviving Mesothelioma website provides details about the book, how to speak directly with Mr. Kraus, facts and statistics about mesothelioma, conventional, alternative, biological and immuno-therapies, the latest medical news, directories of clinics that take a holistic approach to healing, and a patient forum where patients can share information and discuss issues of importance.

Get more information here: Understanding Mesothelioma

Judith Brandy is a writer, science fiction fan and cancer survivor who runs a SF website and a couple blogs on science fiction and dealing with cancer. Yes, it's an odd combination, but Judith's mission is to be both a haven against the storm of living with a serious illness and an educator on how-to take preventative, proactive steps. Her mission is to bring this information to the science fiction community.

Visit her sites here: Science Fiction Buzz and Understanding Mesothelioma

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Judith_Brandy/5603

Mesothelioma Survivor Paul Kraus

By Sandi Oertell  |   Submitted On January 11, 2011

  

The mesothelioma survival rate for victims is not good. The main reason for this is that it usually goes undetected until the later years of life, even if the asbestos exposure took place in a person's youth. The earliest symptoms are so common... coughing, fatigue, occasional fever... and come and go, making it easy to assume that you have a cold, the flu, bronchitis, and so forth. By the time it becomes chronic and debilitating enough to diagnose, it is usually to late to do more than make the patient comfortable, or give them a few more months.

Researchers are spending most of their time trying to come up with dependable tests to help diagnose the condition earlier, which would give chemo, radiation, and surgery a better chance of succeeding. Tests like the Mesomark blood test seem to be very promising new treatments that should increase the mesothelioma survival rate.

While The Usual Prognosis Is Less Than a Year, Some Patients Do Survive Longer.

A very small number have even achieved a five year remission or longer, though it is always expected that the cancer will return. The professionals cannot really explain why some people are able to fight this dreadful cancer. They do seem to have all gone through some sort of immune system therapy, either through clinical trials or by trying alternative treatments dealing with the immune system. Therefore, researchers are concentrating their efforts on both early detection, and also strengthening the immune system in an attempt to improve the survival rate for mesothelioma patients.

Paul Kraus Is Still Alive 13 Years After Being Diagnosed With Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

You never know what the universe has in store for you. You might want to read about Paul Kraus, an Australian who was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in 1997, thirty-five years after he was exposed to asbestos while working in a factory. He changed his whole life style by becoming a vegetarian, adding supplements to his diet, juicing, and undergoing ozone therapy, which removes blood from the body, adds ozone to the blood, and then drips it back in.

He is still alive, though getting weaker, and the cancer is not gone, but he is pain free and may live for several more years. He also uses as an example to give cancer patients hope, a 58 year old man who was diagnosed fourteen years ago and had a chest wall resection, and has never had a recurrence of mesothelioma. The mesothelioma survival rate is known to be affected by attitude. A positive attitude and a fighting spirit are needed to fight any chronic disease.

I can't go into all of the information that's available about the mesothelioma survival rate [http://mesotheliomaresourceguide.com/mesothelioma-survival-rate], because it varies from patient to patient, day to day as new treatments become available.

I had a friend with mesothelioma, and I have put together a resource site where you can get good information about all facets of mesothelioma help available. Feel free to visit it at: www.mesotheliomaresourceguide.com [http://www.mesotheliomaresourceguide.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sandi_Oertell/825780

Mesothelioma Survivors Diet

By Tony Ulrich  |   Submitted On March 06, 2010

  

I am a kidney cancer patient and my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer seven months before I learned about my disease. That doesn't make me a doctor or an expert, but I think it gives me some credibility and will put things into perspective as you read this article, especially when I talk about things like 'hope' and 'positive attitude'.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that comes with a very poor outlook on survival, if we solely look at the data and statistics. A cure is yet to be found. New promising treatment protocols have been introduced over the past few years; however, the associated costs are astronomical and therefore those options are out of reach to most mesothelioma victims.

I was actually beating all odds, because given my age and overall health, chances where less than 2% that the blood I had encountered in my urine, would only a few weeks later lead to a kidney cancer diagnosis. By that time, I was able to deal with it fairly reasonable, because my family and I just went through the whole nightmare of coping with cancer news when my wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer. So I know how it feels to a newly diagnosed mesothelioma patient and their families. And I also know how hard it is to absorb all the well intended advice that comes pouring in from all over the place, along with statements like: "Do not give up hope." And in retrospect I must admit that all those people were right, because eventually, it was hope and the belief that living a healthy lifestyle will help us surviving the cancer.

But let's go back to mesothelioma. Celebrex is COX2 inhibitor which has shown remarkable results in a study that was recently conducted. I will purposely not go into numbers here, but they are available on the Internet.

However, the in general the picture is still the same. Malignant mesothelioma remains one of the most difficult to treat forms of cancer and therefore comes with a rather poor prognosis. That leaves the majority of mesothelioma cancer patients often with only one weapon: their hope.

And yes, there are examples where mesothelioma survivors lived significantly longer than anyone could have ever predicted. Interestingly enough, all those individuals, who were able to do that, have one thing in common: they all kept emphasizing the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, that not only consists of pristine nutrition, usually a whole food and plant based diet, but also mental health. I actually prefer the term mental health over hope, because hope is commonly slightly connotated with desperation.

I'm no Pollyanna and I have good and bad days like everybody else. But I do know that our physical and emotional health helped my wife in going through all the turmoil with our cancers. And I am convinced that this principle is equally applicable to mesothelioma patients, or anybody else who suffers from a severe health condition and wants to play in active role in getting healthy again.

The author Tony Ulrich was diagnosed with kidney cancer in October of 2009. In his research on what his cancer could have been caused by, he came across with data that suggests a strong link to environmental toxins, such as asbestos. Please visit his Kidney Cancer and Asbestos Mesothelioma website for more details.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tony_Ulrich/493667