While in the process of trying to get my next round of xeloda ordered through the oncologist, we exchanged several calls trying to see how soon the insurance company would ship. It was clear it would not get here in time. When she returned my call, she started out with, "well you are in luck!"
Their office had a brand new bottle, worth 2 rounds of treatment that they were willing to GIVE me. This is the stuff that costs 1600/round through the insurance company!!! Not only that, but she was still going to file the order through insurance, so when all is said and done, hopefully, I will have at least 3 rounds of low dose chemo!
Had another IV Vit C infusion - got extra vitamins in it to help my energy and immune system - another unlooked for blessing!
A opportunity for God to work out the details -
So if you want to get some medicine from Mexico, there are issues - like it costs as much to ship as the product costs (and it is not cheap!) and if customs decides to inspect it, it could be hung up for up to 2 months! Who knew you needed that much of a lead time! I should have ordered with the Christmas rush! Well see how this goes!
I debated driving down to Tijuana to pick it up, but my energy is not that great and it is also a lot to ask a friend to do with me, and my passport needs to be sent in for renewal cause it is shortly to expire! Life is never dull or boring and my braincells get regular exercise trying to manage everything!
Still praying about my new doc, have an appointment with him on Monday....
I am thankful God is on the move in many mighty ways!
https://youtu.be/yPB9ENSd1Xc
Thanks for checkin' in and celebrating the details that God continues to work out for me!
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
God does it again!
Crazy Week - 1 blood draw, 2 IV Vit C infusions,
primary care doc apt, oncologist apt, 1 cold laser therapy appointment, and a haircut -
whew!
Multiple naps required! but
Energy good
Walked 3.4 miles yesterday :)
Was really nervous about today's oncologist appointment because of the bloodwork for my integrative doctor last month, showing that my tumor markers were up
(remember that he looks at different tumor markers than my oncologist does)
I was worried that the markers the oncologist watches would be up also. This was compounded because at my primary care appointment, she said that the ascites, which was gone at my December PET scan, was back (ascites is fluid build up in the abdominal cavity that can be caused by cancer and can harbor cancer cells/colonies that are looking for a new place to land)
So when the oncologist gives me the bloodwork report, she looks at it , and looks at it again --there were no tumor markers drawn! How silly is that? Again, God intervened! They have been tested every other time - but not this one! I laughed!
Also, when she examined me (poked my belly) she made no comment about the ascites at all and cleared me to get the xeloda for the round!! Hallelujah! God is amazing!
Wanted to let y'all know and say thank you for all the prayers - I was calm and peaceful and the outcome great and funny!
Thank you warriors - you are the best!!!
Praise God! I am so thankful!
primary care doc apt, oncologist apt, 1 cold laser therapy appointment, and a haircut -
whew!
Multiple naps required! but
Energy good
Walked 3.4 miles yesterday :)
Was really nervous about today's oncologist appointment because of the bloodwork for my integrative doctor last month, showing that my tumor markers were up
(remember that he looks at different tumor markers than my oncologist does)
I was worried that the markers the oncologist watches would be up also. This was compounded because at my primary care appointment, she said that the ascites, which was gone at my December PET scan, was back (ascites is fluid build up in the abdominal cavity that can be caused by cancer and can harbor cancer cells/colonies that are looking for a new place to land)
So when the oncologist gives me the bloodwork report, she looks at it , and looks at it again --there were no tumor markers drawn! How silly is that? Again, God intervened! They have been tested every other time - but not this one! I laughed!
Also, when she examined me (poked my belly) she made no comment about the ascites at all and cleared me to get the xeloda for the round!! Hallelujah! God is amazing!
Wanted to let y'all know and say thank you for all the prayers - I was calm and peaceful and the outcome great and funny!
Thank you warriors - you are the best!!!
Praise God! I am so thankful!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Keeping On
Tweeked
protocols -
reduced Laetril to 3/day,
reduced Modified Citrus Pectin to 1.5 tsp 1 x day
fairly successful with reducing animal protein to 1 x day
Strength
returning
Scary to
feel better doing less protocols....
can't help wonder if I am shortening my life by increasing the quality of
life....
walking
more - 2-3.5 miles sometimes -- sometimes just a mile
Weight
steady
Napping less
- down to an hour(ish) in the morning or in the afternoon most days
Sleep is
fairly good
Stepping
up the use of essential oils to fight the beast
Saw new
doc for IV Vit C infusion -
first infusion tomorrow
discovered on his website he does similar injections to what they did
at oasis of hope!
Immunotherapy! I am hopeful for this door opening
Wondering
if I am supposed to change my integrative, "quarterback" doctor since
he has moved further away (40 min is not a huge drive, but when you are not
feeling good, it is a lot and can turn into a snarly mess) He is the one who
looks at everything and guides me.
Praying for wisdom about that.
Have
several friends that have come/are coming to stay with us - nice distraction!
Had
several lovely conversations with friends recently-
One said,
" I am so overwhelmed when I read you blog. I just want God to fix
this but there is nothing I can DO! What can I do? I just keep
asking God to heal you!"
I hugged
her and said, " Thank you -- that is what I need! That IS
doing something!"
Had to
laugh at her overwhelmed comment -- I try to keep it simple here -- Imagine how
overwhelmed I am! Thank goodness God always guides me!
Another
friend, a teacher, said that she reads my blog and reports to the kids and
guides them how to pray for me. (Can't really write this without crying
--) She said they had been praying for my strength! Again - exactly
what I needed! And it's been working -- I have gotten a little
stronger!
As I lie
down for my many naps I have been asking God what the heck I am supposed to be
learning from all this. There is no really clear answer, but I find that
I am dwelling more on his greatness, his love for me, his provision and his
promises. This is difficult to do since I often am uncomfortable and am
falling into the "pity party" mentality. Mental yo yo ing
between trust and thankfulness, and fear, self pity, frustration and
discontent keep my mind in whiplash!
The fact
is that if I am thankful for all the blessings he pours out on me, I cannot be
other than thankful for the disappointments as well (not that it is easy)
How can I take the good without taking the "bad?"
Who am I to question? How can I know? The obvious answer is that I
cannot.
"'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know
You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"
Laura Storey, Blessing
Thankful for
B&B
season at the Moritzes
Doctors
who provide information and hopefully healing
God's
Guidance
Cool
"wintry" weather
Rising
energy/stamina
3 day
weekend with Todd
That roof
leak was in garage, not house
Family
and friends who encourage me - who tell me to never give up
Feeling better
so that I can be more positive - less whiplash
Thanks
for checkin' in
reduced Laetril to 3/day,
reduced Modified Citrus Pectin to 1.5 tsp 1 x day
fairly successful with reducing animal protein to 1 x day
Strength
returning
Scary to
feel better doing less protocols....
can't help wonder if I am shortening my life by increasing the quality of
life....
walking
more - 2-3.5 miles sometimes -- sometimes just a mile
Weight
steady
Napping
less - down to an hour(ish) in the morning or in the afternoon most days
Sleep is
fairly good
Stepping
up the use of essential oils to fight the beast
Saw new
doc for IV Vit C infusion -
first infusion tomorrow
discovered on his website he does the same injections that they did
at oasis of hope!
Immunotherapy! I am hopeful for this door opening
Wondering
if I am supposed to change my integrative, "quarterback" doctor since
he has moved further away (40 min is not a huge drive, but when you are not
feeling good, it is a lot and can turn into a snarly mess) He is the one who
looks at everything and guides me
Praying for wisdom about that
Have several
friends that have come/are coming to stay with us - nice distraction!
Had
several lovely conversations with friends recently-
One said,
" I am so overwhelmed when I read you blog. I just want God to fix
this but there is nothing I can DO! What can I do? I just keep
asking God to heal you!"
I hugged
her and said, " Thank you -- that is what I need! That IS
doing something!"
Had to
laugh at her overwhelmed comment -- I try to keep it simple here -- Imagine how
overwhelmed I am! Thank goodness God always guides me!
Another
friend, a teacher, said that she reads my blog and reports to the kids and
guides them how to pray for me. (Can't really write this without crying
--) She said they had been praying for my strength! Again - exactly
what I needed! And it's been working -- I have gotten a little
stronger!
As I lie
down for my many naps I have been asking God what the heck I am supposed to be
learning from all this. There is no really clear answer, but I find that
I am dwelling more on his greatness, his love for me, his provision and his
promises. This is difficult to do since I often am uncomfortable and am
falling into the "pity party" mentality. Mental yo yo ing
between trust and thankfulness, and fear, self pity, frustration and discontent
keep my mind in whiplash!
The fact
is that if I am thankful for all the blessings he pours out on me, I cannot be
other than thankful for the disappointments as well (not that it is easy)
How can I take the good without taking the "bad?"
Who am I to question? How can I know? The obvious answer is that I
cannot.
"'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know
You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise" Laura Storey, -Blessings
Thankful
for
B&B
season at the Moritzes
Doctors
who provide information and hopefully healing
God's
Guidance
Cool
"wintry" weather
Rising
energy/stamina
3 day
weekend with Todd
That roof
leak was in garage, not house
Family
and friends who encourage me - who tell me to never give up
Feeling better
so that I can be more positive - less whiplash
Keeping up with a busier schedule
Thanks
for checkin' in! Ya'll are the best!
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Buyer beware - not what I thought...
I thought by doing integrative/alternative, that I would feel good while doing the various protocols. It is definitely better than doing chemo, but the continuous gut aches, gut twitches, upset stomach, gassiness and aches do wear on me. Its a matter of never really feeling good - not great - good. This causes my spirits to tank repeatedly. It's an uphill fight.
Since part of the reason I blog is to let people know about the alternative ways of dealing with cancer, it is only fair to share the caveat that it is not for the faint of heart. These protocols do work hard on your system and wear you out! It has sapped my strength. I am taking lots of naps - If health were granted by how much a patient slept, I would be completely well! There is not tons of energy left to do things like call around to infusion places to see who takes insurance and how much it costs for what size of IV vit C bag - or (my person favorite [sarcasm]) to argue with Quest and the insurance company! Yes I am still arguing with Quest! over the $2500 bill from last Summer and the $400 bill from October!
Sorry - I digress! However the theme is the same -- Standard vs Alternative care
If I were doing the chemo like my onco wants, neither of these bills would be an issue and i would not have to shop the best price on IV Vit C!
Anyway -
Several days ago, after a restless night, the first words out of my mouth in the morning [even before good morning] were loaded with snarkiness, "maybe I'll just chuck all this and go back to steak, potatoes, wine and cookies!"
Obviously that is not what I am doing, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once.
Anyone considering doing alternative therapies needs to have a great support network like y'all are!
It would be impossible to keep my spirits up without the blessing of your continuous messages and encouragement keeping me grounded and focused.m Thank you!
It has been rugged week, so here goes - Thankful that
I could attend the auction - even if I had to leave early
for my sweet friend who offered to pick me up from the auction!
we have warm weather and sunshine
even tho my stomach is upset, there are things that still taste pretty good
I am not craving wine and cookies (does that tell you how icky I feel?)
if I have to take tons of naps, at least I feel a bit better when I wake up
a friend can come and help with whatever needs doing and cheer me up with her understanding help
sleep is not usually too elusive and that I usually wake up feeling ok
I am not worried about being too skinny
the tumors are easy to find to rub frankincense on them
my husband loves to cook
I have an amazing valentine of almost 35 years
we have this amazing support network in all of you -- you are such a blessing to us!
The God of angel armies is always by my side....trying to keep my focus on him and not on all the things that fly around in my head and all the infirmities of my body.
Trying to, "consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.... James 1:2-4
Thanks for checkin' in - Y'all keep me going!
Since part of the reason I blog is to let people know about the alternative ways of dealing with cancer, it is only fair to share the caveat that it is not for the faint of heart. These protocols do work hard on your system and wear you out! It has sapped my strength. I am taking lots of naps - If health were granted by how much a patient slept, I would be completely well! There is not tons of energy left to do things like call around to infusion places to see who takes insurance and how much it costs for what size of IV vit C bag - or (my person favorite [sarcasm]) to argue with Quest and the insurance company! Yes I am still arguing with Quest! over the $2500 bill from last Summer and the $400 bill from October!
Sorry - I digress! However the theme is the same -- Standard vs Alternative care
If I were doing the chemo like my onco wants, neither of these bills would be an issue and i would not have to shop the best price on IV Vit C!
Anyway -
Several days ago, after a restless night, the first words out of my mouth in the morning [even before good morning] were loaded with snarkiness, "maybe I'll just chuck all this and go back to steak, potatoes, wine and cookies!"
Obviously that is not what I am doing, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once.
Anyone considering doing alternative therapies needs to have a great support network like y'all are!
It would be impossible to keep my spirits up without the blessing of your continuous messages and encouragement keeping me grounded and focused.m Thank you!
It has been rugged week, so here goes - Thankful that
I could attend the auction - even if I had to leave early
for my sweet friend who offered to pick me up from the auction!
we have warm weather and sunshine
even tho my stomach is upset, there are things that still taste pretty good
I am not craving wine and cookies (does that tell you how icky I feel?)
if I have to take tons of naps, at least I feel a bit better when I wake up
a friend can come and help with whatever needs doing and cheer me up with her understanding help
sleep is not usually too elusive and that I usually wake up feeling ok
I am not worried about being too skinny
the tumors are easy to find to rub frankincense on them
my husband loves to cook
I have an amazing valentine of almost 35 years
we have this amazing support network in all of you -- you are such a blessing to us!
The God of angel armies is always by my side....trying to keep my focus on him and not on all the things that fly around in my head and all the infirmities of my body.
Trying to, "consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.... James 1:2-4
Thanks for checkin' in - Y'all keep me going!
Sunday, February 5, 2017
A Disappointment
Bloodwork showed that one tumor marker is up - not good!
Fighting gut discomfort probably due to supplements
Fighting weariness - my stamina is not great
Hoping to get back to walking this week
My integrative doc looks at different tumor markers than my oncologist. One of the tumor markers he looks at came back elevated, meaning that there is more cancer activity than there had been last time he checked. This definitely is not what we want to hear. 7/6/16 it was 67, 7/25/16 it was 44, and 1/19/17 it was 124. This means that there is an increase in cancer activity someplace...You can probably guess how I feel about that!
The battle plan is as follows:
-flip flop my meals from 7 veg meals/14 animal protein meals per week to 14 veg/ 7
animal protein (animal protein feeds cancer)
-increase B17(Laetril) (Oasis of Hope said 2, 2 x day which I could not tolerate b/c of the
bacterial infections in my gut. I was doing 1 3 x day. Now I am at 2 2 x day)
-gentle cleansing - 3 coffee enemas and 2 epsom salt baths / week
-take modified citrus pectin (could not tolerate last Summer b/c of gut infections)
(this cuts off the galactin, the anchor on a cancer cell floating in my blood, that hooks it into
a healthy cell and begins a new colony)
-weekly IV Vitamin C infusions for 6 weeks to strengthen my immune system and boost my
natural killer cells
-boost my thyroid meds to help my system to function more optimally (and hopefully give me
more energy)
-increase water intake
-really, really watch sugar intake (sugar feeds cancer)
-get back to walking
-xeloda as prescribed
Continue:
-cold laser therapy
-liposomal vitamin c
-bone broth
-AHCC (Immunokinoko)
-cinnamon tea
-Teagreen
-therapeutic yeast to balance my micro biome
Break out the charts again, to keep track of everything!
A return to Oasis of Hope is always a possibility. We are waiting to hear their opinion, but I am praying that the positive trend that showed in the PET scans indicates that I will be able to fight this beast more effectively than I could do before 12/1, after finishing with my bacterial infections.
It is never easy to share bad news -- Thank you for walking with us in this. We continue to
rejoice in the good times,
to try to hold our plans loosely and
to try to endure the bad with trust and faith
(sometimes I fail miserably and just cry from frustration, fear and sadness. That's when
my focus turns to myself and drifts from God.)
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies (cancer cells) before you, saying, 'Destroy them!' Deut 33:27
Fighting gut discomfort probably due to supplements
Fighting weariness - my stamina is not great
Hoping to get back to walking this week
My integrative doc looks at different tumor markers than my oncologist. One of the tumor markers he looks at came back elevated, meaning that there is more cancer activity than there had been last time he checked. This definitely is not what we want to hear. 7/6/16 it was 67, 7/25/16 it was 44, and 1/19/17 it was 124. This means that there is an increase in cancer activity someplace...You can probably guess how I feel about that!
The battle plan is as follows:
-flip flop my meals from 7 veg meals/14 animal protein meals per week to 14 veg/ 7
animal protein (animal protein feeds cancer)
-increase B17(Laetril) (Oasis of Hope said 2, 2 x day which I could not tolerate b/c of the
bacterial infections in my gut. I was doing 1 3 x day. Now I am at 2 2 x day)
-gentle cleansing - 3 coffee enemas and 2 epsom salt baths / week
-take modified citrus pectin (could not tolerate last Summer b/c of gut infections)
(this cuts off the galactin, the anchor on a cancer cell floating in my blood, that hooks it into
a healthy cell and begins a new colony)
-weekly IV Vitamin C infusions for 6 weeks to strengthen my immune system and boost my
natural killer cells
-boost my thyroid meds to help my system to function more optimally (and hopefully give me
more energy)
-increase water intake
-really, really watch sugar intake (sugar feeds cancer)
-get back to walking
-xeloda as prescribed
Continue:
-cold laser therapy
-liposomal vitamin c
-bone broth
-AHCC (Immunokinoko)
-cinnamon tea
-Teagreen
-therapeutic yeast to balance my micro biome
Break out the charts again, to keep track of everything!
A return to Oasis of Hope is always a possibility. We are waiting to hear their opinion, but I am praying that the positive trend that showed in the PET scans indicates that I will be able to fight this beast more effectively than I could do before 12/1, after finishing with my bacterial infections.
It is never easy to share bad news -- Thank you for walking with us in this. We continue to
rejoice in the good times,
to try to hold our plans loosely and
to try to endure the bad with trust and faith
(sometimes I fail miserably and just cry from frustration, fear and sadness. That's when
my focus turns to myself and drifts from God.)
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies (cancer cells) before you, saying, 'Destroy them!' Deut 33:27
You make all the difference - thank you for your faithful prayers! They are such a blessing to us!
Thanks for checkin' in --
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