I thought I would take time to update my blog while I prepare what I like to call these 'keto kidneys'- just look at the huge lumps of fat that surround them!
I'm not a great fan of kidney (they can taste of urine- yuck!! So I will wash them thoroughly and I'm going to cook them in the oven with some herbs for 15 minutes, hoping that they don't explode. I am eating this for the nutritional benefits and so that my kidneys can remain healthy. I believe that if you eat healthy kidneys you will be provided with the nutrients required to ensure optimal health of your own kidneys. The fat is actually delicious!! These are lamb kidneys.
On Wednesday I had a meeting with Joye Marie Leventhal, founder of Satya Project.
Satya Project is:
'An international biotechnology company focusing on discovery and development of advanced therapeutics for chronic illnesses and pain.'
I met Joye at the medical cannabis talk at my university and her work is truly admirable. We had a long chat about my approach to my disease and how I have been controlling my epilepsy. I have started a society at university called 'The Progressive Medicine Society' and I am delighted that she has accepted my invitation to present as an external speaker.
Soon I will be campaigning for the role of Disability Officer at my university. I am passionate about creating an environment that enables disabled students to thrive in all aspects of university life and I'm really looking forward to the role.
Finally I am looking forward to being interviewed for New Scientist magazine on Monday. I will be detailing the metabolic strategy I have utilised to manage my disease and control my epilepsy without medication. My oncologist will also be getting involved, as will researchers from Imperial College London. I will discuss the practicalities of this approach as well as discussing what is happening at the cellular level as a response to this novel treatment approach. I will go on to discuss the tweaks and adaptations I have made.
I've been a fan of New Scientist for years so it's kind of surreal doing this but I just want the message out there. New Scientist love brain stuff and rightly so because it's fascinating and our brains are what make us who we are. It is simply remarkable and we may never be able to fathom it's complexities and adaptability... or at least perhaps not in my lifetime and I plan on living a long time yet!
Hey try soaking the kidneys in milk or brine for a couple hours and that should help get rid of the urine smell
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew, first and foremost a big congratulations to you for your excellent progress and your bravery and perseverance to make the choices that got you there!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your experiences on this blog, it's an inspiration and for me it also brings encouragement and hope.
I was diagnosed with multiple meningiomas (6 of them, all in the brain) last February. At the time they were assymptomatic and I was told to do 'nothing'. In May I had an epileptic crisis and all changed. I was on cortisone for a few days and keppra which I still take.
This was a huge wake up call for me. I am a single mother of twin 5 year olds and my family lives far away. I was on the lowest dose of Keppra but still felt like I was carrying an elephant. I made a lot of drastic decisions and started researching nutrition.
Two months ago I started a paleo autoinmune diet (no dairy, eggs, sugar, grains, legumes, nuts nor nightshades). A lot of symptoms I attributed to keppra side effects started to go away. I feel much more energetic, less anxious, don't have as much pain on my legs, better memory and concentration, no mood swings, I sleep better and best of all, my lichen planus (an autoinmune condition also diagnosed in Feb) seems to be going away. My follow up MRI was last week and low and behold, the inflamated tumor (also the bigger one) had shrunk!!!
This was big news, my neurosurgeon had recommended operating back in May. I had refused on the basis that I could't see how operating would improve my quality of life and there were serious chances of making it worse, especially in the short term.
Operating is off the table for now, and I keep reading about nutrition. I've stopped working for now (i want to have time to focus on my recovery which along with looking after my kids takes up all my time, I have no idea how I survived before on my 10+ hours per day very demanding job).
I found your blog yesterday and can't stop reading. You have gone through quite a journey with very positive results, I was wondering if you could offer any advice on how to understand if a ketogenic diet would be right for me. I dont have headaches, nor have I had any firther seizures or other major synptoms since May. I some times notice very subtle things and much less so since I started the diet. So I find it hard to optimize my diet without my body's feedback. It makes me nervous to just sit and wait for the next MRI in 6 months. So I would appreciate any recommendations on how to monitor impact of diet other than by major symptoms (i.e. Blood or any other tests?).
I also wanted to let you know about something you may want to try some time. I'm Spanish and in Spain there is a type of pig grown on acorn (cerdo de bellota, if it doesn't say bellota it's not the right one). The pigs are allowed to roam and fed grain and pasture for a time. Then from Oct to Jan they are fed exclusively acorns and they triple their size. This makes their fat closer in composition to vegetable fat than animal fat. This happens in La Dehesa in Extramadura a region of Spain full of acorn trees. Fresh meat is available in Jan. Rest of the year it's frozen or cured (cured is harder to find without additives and sugars but not impossible, you may have heard of jamon iberico de bellota).
One last question, Do you plan to ever go off the ketogenic diet?
Anyway, apologies for the long email, and thanks very much for your blog. All the best with your studying and your recovery!!
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