Now that my hair is growing back I frequently get asked the question "so, you're all done with treatments now?" by people who see me but may not know or follow my story. There's always a hesitation on my part before answering. During those few seconds before I answer I'm contemplating whether to answer honestly or just say "yep, all done" and leave it at that.
Each time I've chosen to tell the truth by simply saying "after much prayer I've decided to quit conventional treatment and have chosen to heal myself holistically". Most times this results in a look of complete shock, as you can imagine, followed by awkward silence, unless of course I'm accompanied by someone who knows my story. In that case, it always seems that whoever I am with feels the need to defend my decision.
Why not just say I'm done and leave it at that? It would be easier. I wouldn't be subjecting myself to silent stares or quiet criticism.
In my mind I feel as though that would somehow mean I am ashamed or embarrassed of my choice which couldn't be further from the truth. From the time I said I was done with chemo I haven't, even for one second, thought I had made the wrong decision. I sometimes think it sounds completely crazy, which I'm sure is how others view it, but never once have I thought about changing my mind and going back to chemo. I am proud of my choice. I have never been more sure of any decision ever in my life.
As far as me being viewed as "crazy", that's okay with me. All through history there have been people who have been called crazy by others who didn't understand them or their actions that in the end they were right. Where would we be if Noah didn't build his ark because everyone thought he was nuts? Being called crazy didn't stop Christopher Columbus from sailing his ship, turns out the world is round after all. So I'm okay with being thought of as crazy, not that I am comparing myself to either of these people but you get my point. This will end one of two ways; my greatest failure or my greatest accomplishment. Time will tell.
Anyone who has had c***** knows that as soon as you tell people of your diagnosis there are so many offers from people who have gone through the process willing to share their story, offer advice, and support you in every way possible. I experienced this just after I was diagnosed.
After I decided to quit chemotherapy I didn't really have another club of supporters cheering me on. Having c***** is lonely, having c***** and treating it holistically is even lonelier. There is really no way to describe it unless you've been there. So for those of you that have sent me messages, sharing your stories with me, THANK YOU. I sincerely appreciate you reaching out to me. It's a little less lonely because of you.
Many have asked if I have had another sonogram. The answer is no. I started back to work a few weeks ago. Last week was the first week back with students. Now that I'm back into the swing of things I plan on scheduling it sometime soon.
There is another group of people that I would like to say thank you to, that is everyone who donated towards my costs. With a herd of children, when money is always tight, trying to fund a holistic approach to healing seemed like an impossible feat. I jumped in head first not knowing if it would be possible to even buy the supplements needed. The money donated, small and large, from individuals and fund raisers, was greatly appreciated. Thank you for being a blessing in my life.
Lastly, thank you for all your prayers. In my last post I asked that everyone pray for my hormones to be stabilized. Tonight I am thanking God for answering those prayers. I am feeling better, my face is starting to clear up, and the other symptoms have gone away. Amen for small miracles.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
I Wonder....
I posted a story on my Facebook page that I really feel is worth posting again here for everyone else who hasn't read it yet.
I am completely amazed by this story. This woman, Ann, cured her c***** by only changing one thing. The only thing she did was drink carrot juice. She didn't take any supplements. She didn't change her eating habits. Just drank carrot juice. I'm blown away by this story!!! Check it out for yourself.
http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/ann-cameron-cured-her-cancer-with-carrot-juice/
This story made me think of scurvy. I'm sure most of you have heard of scurvy. Early symptoms are malaise and lethargy. After 1–3 months, patients develop shortness of breath and bone pain. Other symptoms include skin changes with roughness, easy bruising, gum disease, loosening of teeth, poor wound healing, and emotional changes. In the late stages, jaundice, generalized edema, neuropathy, fever, convulsions, and eventual death are frequently seen.
The cure for scurvy was first published in 1617 in The Surgeon’s Mate by English military surgeon John Woodall. It was completely ignored by the medical community. (hmm, where have we seen that before?)
Fortunately James Lind persevered and about 50 years later citrus fruit was finally accepted and used for the prevention and treatment of scurvy on sailing vessels. So, in summary:
The cure for scurvy was ignored for almost 200 years!! 200!!!
All that needless suffering when all they had to do to cure it was eat some fruit. Unbelievable.
Wonder if c***** is like scurvy. Wonder if all you have to do to cure it is to find what it is that your body is missing, craving. Wonder if by giving your body what it needs you reverse the c*****. Wonder if this is like the period of time that they denied fruit could cure scurvy. Wonder if in 200 years they, the medical establishment, will finally be willing to admit that the true cause of c***** is an overload of toxins and a weakened immune system. Wonder if they know it now but won't say anything because there is no money to be made by curing people of c***** from fruits and vegetables.
When I went to the first doctor after being diagnosed he told me that 90%-95% of c***** was just bad luck. BAD LUCK!! Does he really believe that? Because I don't. That doesn't sound very scientific to me. And if c***** is due to bad luck then I guess the luck of the people in this country is getting worse.
Have you checked out the latest statistics? They vary but I have seen as many as 1 in 3 will develop c***** in his/her lifetime. Look to your left, look to your right. That's it right there. One of the three of you will get it.
We live in a toxic world. We eat it, drink it, breathe it, rub it all over our bodies in an attempt to make us look pretty, smell better, not smell, look tan...etc. It's everywhere. When you add that to the lack of nutrients in our pseudo food it's no wonder there's a c***** epidemic. But try getting the medical establishment to admit to that.
Show me the medical doctor who asks how my diet is, because that's never discussed. All they ever want to do is treat symptoms, not the cause of the problems. And of course I realize I am generalizing. I'm sure there are rare exceptions.
The other 5-10% of c*****, according to that doctor, is caused by genetics. I fall into that 5-10% because I do have the BRAC1 gene. That may make me more susceptible than most of the population but it doesn't have to determine my fate. I do that by eating better, drinking clean water, and avoiding those things which are known to cause c*****. And my chances of getting it a second time are now no greater than yours.
I am completely amazed by this story. This woman, Ann, cured her c***** by only changing one thing. The only thing she did was drink carrot juice. She didn't take any supplements. She didn't change her eating habits. Just drank carrot juice. I'm blown away by this story!!! Check it out for yourself.
http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/ann-cameron-cured-her-cancer-with-carrot-juice/
This story made me think of scurvy. I'm sure most of you have heard of scurvy. Early symptoms are malaise and lethargy. After 1–3 months, patients develop shortness of breath and bone pain. Other symptoms include skin changes with roughness, easy bruising, gum disease, loosening of teeth, poor wound healing, and emotional changes. In the late stages, jaundice, generalized edema, neuropathy, fever, convulsions, and eventual death are frequently seen.
The cure for scurvy was first published in 1617 in The Surgeon’s Mate by English military surgeon John Woodall. It was completely ignored by the medical community. (hmm, where have we seen that before?)
In 1753 (136 years later!!) naval surgeon James Lind published his discovery in
A Treatise of The Scurvy, which was also ignored. The medical establishment insisted that the testimonials of eating citrus fruit to reverse scurvy were merely “anecdotal” and not based on “scientific evidence”. (Imagine that!!)
A Treatise of The Scurvy, which was also ignored. The medical establishment insisted that the testimonials of eating citrus fruit to reverse scurvy were merely “anecdotal” and not based on “scientific evidence”. (Imagine that!!)
Fortunately James Lind persevered and about 50 years later citrus fruit was finally accepted and used for the prevention and treatment of scurvy on sailing vessels. So, in summary:
The cure for scurvy was ignored for almost 200 years!! 200!!!
All that needless suffering when all they had to do to cure it was eat some fruit. Unbelievable.
Wonder if c***** is like scurvy. Wonder if all you have to do to cure it is to find what it is that your body is missing, craving. Wonder if by giving your body what it needs you reverse the c*****. Wonder if this is like the period of time that they denied fruit could cure scurvy. Wonder if in 200 years they, the medical establishment, will finally be willing to admit that the true cause of c***** is an overload of toxins and a weakened immune system. Wonder if they know it now but won't say anything because there is no money to be made by curing people of c***** from fruits and vegetables.
When I went to the first doctor after being diagnosed he told me that 90%-95% of c***** was just bad luck. BAD LUCK!! Does he really believe that? Because I don't. That doesn't sound very scientific to me. And if c***** is due to bad luck then I guess the luck of the people in this country is getting worse.
Have you checked out the latest statistics? They vary but I have seen as many as 1 in 3 will develop c***** in his/her lifetime. Look to your left, look to your right. That's it right there. One of the three of you will get it.
We live in a toxic world. We eat it, drink it, breathe it, rub it all over our bodies in an attempt to make us look pretty, smell better, not smell, look tan...etc. It's everywhere. When you add that to the lack of nutrients in our pseudo food it's no wonder there's a c***** epidemic. But try getting the medical establishment to admit to that.
Show me the medical doctor who asks how my diet is, because that's never discussed. All they ever want to do is treat symptoms, not the cause of the problems. And of course I realize I am generalizing. I'm sure there are rare exceptions.
The other 5-10% of c*****, according to that doctor, is caused by genetics. I fall into that 5-10% because I do have the BRAC1 gene. That may make me more susceptible than most of the population but it doesn't have to determine my fate. I do that by eating better, drinking clean water, and avoiding those things which are known to cause c*****. And my chances of getting it a second time are now no greater than yours.
B17: More than Just an Aircraft
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one. This is not a medical site and nothing in this post should be taken as medical advice.
Also, I apologize for the ADD format of this post. I thought about trying to fix it, but well, I honestly just didn't feel like it. I'm tired and I'd rather just get the update done even if it is kind of scatter brained.
So here it is.
So what's changed? I'll tell you.
We all know of the apricot. We also all know that inside of an apricot is a pit. But who knew there was something inside the pit? I certainly didn't until all this started. If you crack open the pit of an apricot there is a kernel inside. It actually looks a lot like an almond, though it doesn't taste like one. This kernel is said to have anti-c*****ous properties and something called B17. I've watched a couple of documentaries about it, in addition to reading a lot about it. I'm not going to get into specifics but if you want to watch or read about it you can try googling B17, amygdalin, or laetrile.
Apricot kernels aren't the only seeds to contain "B17". It's said to be in other fruit seeds as well but in lower concentrations. So my new rule is eat the fruit, eat the seeds. I must say, apple seeds are not as hard as I thought they would be.
Taking these kernels was something I had been wanting to try for awhile, but I was on so many supplements I was afraid to add anything else for fear of an interaction with something I was already doing. That's all I need to do is die of some strange interaction between treatments.
Let's back up a few weeks. I was getting an upset stomach from one of the supplements I was on. By upset, I mean vomiting. I don't know exactly which one was causing it since I was taking so many. I did have it narrowed down to three. It was at that point I stopped taking everything. I thought maybe I should just give my stomach a rest. That's when I decided to take these apricot kernels instead.
I started with taking one an hour. After a few days I worked my way up to 24 a day. The plan is to add back in some of the supplements, not all, one at a time to make sure there isn't any reaction and if there is I'll know what caused it. As of right now the only other thing I am taking is vitamin C. I'm also drinking Essiac tea twice a day.
So far, so good. I've been doing this for about two weeks and I haven't noticed any adverse side effects.
The lump is status quo as far as I can tell. It's almost time to have it checked again. And since he already knows I quit chemo, I am considering asking my primary care physician for a script to get an ultrasound rather than going where I had gone before. If I can get a script from the doctor my insurance with cover it. Why spend $160 if you don't have to. I think he'll work with me, although there is always the possibility that he won't. My thought is it won't hurt to ask.
Bob left this morning to take the kids camping. They were meeting up with some friends of ours. Under normal circumstances I would have gone. Not because I love to camp, but because I enjoy the family time. My kind of camping would be in a hotel with a pool, not in a tent in some mud (or rocks, as it happened the one year). I did however turn down the invitation to go this time. Thinking about the food situation for me while camping just made it all seem not worth it. Besides, when is the last time I had a weekend all by myself? NEVER!!
I've enjoyed the time I've had to myself. I got to take a nice, long, hot bath (with no one knocking on the door), I went shopping for new clothes since none of mine fit (I'm in a size 6 pants now. Woo-hoo!!) I made myself a gluten free pizza (no cheese of course) and I started watching a movie.(Then I stopped the movie to write this.)
It's also my last weekend of my summer break. It's back to work for me on Wednesday. I complain about having to go back so much earlier than my kids but really it helps to have all the start dates staggered. It eases me back into the crazy, hectic schedule that follows; work for me, school for the kids, soccer x3.
For months I had been having bone pain in my right forearm as a result of the shots of Neulasta I had for the low blood count that was caused by the chemo. Yep, imagine that, side effects of the drug to treat the side effects...ugh! Bone pain is listed as the "less serious" side effects. You should read the more serious side effects list. Anyway, I was lying in bed last night when I realized that the pain was finally gone. God is good, restoring my body little by little.
Someone had mentioned to me once that by reading this they knew how to pray for me. So if you're a praying person please pray for my hormones to normalize. It's very evident to me that this wasn't an issue before the chemo and is more than likely a result of it. I'm sure my family would love to have a more even tempered, less agitated mommy. And Mommy would really like breasts that aren't sore 90% of the time. (I know, TMI...sorry)
So I think that's it. I'm good, getting better and healthier and hopefully shrinking tumors along the way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)