[2017-05-10] /r/keto Community Support for Wednesday 10th May 2017

I started the keto lifestyle at the start of January, in the hope that it would help to reduce the amount of seizures I have (uncontrolled by medicine for 18 years). I'm aware that the majority of successful studies with epilepsy and keto have been done with children - but when you've tried every seizure medication and have been denied every surgery and treatment, it's worth a try.

It's been a very difficult journey - seeing next to no results in the form of improvements on my epilepsy. I started having keto rash almost immediately after starting the diet. It stuck around for about a month, after which point the rash left but the itching never stopped and only got worse (it still hasn't stopped).

I hadn't slipped once, until the evening of Thursday, May 4th. I was beyond stupidly stressed out on that day.

That was the day when my mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme grade IV (GBM) - essentially terminal brain cancer, or a great big monster. I felt really sick the following day, partly worsened I'm sure due to the carbs. It's all been sort of a blurry nightmarish haze of emotions. I got back on track the very next day though.

Yesterday my mom told me that she hopes I stay on track with this lifestyle, because she keeps a log of all of my seizures. She pointed out that since starting keto I have had my longest period of no seizures since I developed epilepsy as a child, a whopping 10 days.

I don't know if keto can be credited with this achievement, but I hope that it is - and that it will continue to improve as I stay the course. Seizures take a lot out of me on the days I have them, and if keto can help me to have less seizures and therefore more time with my mother I will be quite happy.

I also plan on discussing if this diet would be helpful for my mother when we meet with neuro-oncology next week. So far it seems like it's not particularly useful since glioblastoma is one of the most resilient, aggressive, and adaptive cancers you can have - the great big monster just learns to live off of ketones or burn fat.

Stay strong and keto on. I know that I will.

/r/keto Thread