April 22, 2007

I can hardly believe that 3 months have gone by since my last post.......

I was re-reading all the comments tonight & once again realized how fortunate I was/am to have so much loving support through-out everything.

After receiving the news on finally achieving remission.......I ran around like a maniac trying to play catch up on all the things on my to do list from the past 1 1/2 years........PURE ADRENALIN.......

I forgot that I was still recovering from my SCT (white cell count was still only around 2.3)& high dose of radiaton (side effects were cough, fatigue & elevated heart rate)........eventually I CRASHED........ after that wake-up call, I smartened up & made sure I had more rest & a lighter schedule.

On February 17th, I took a celebratory trip with 3 friends to Turks & Caicos........it was a good trip.....though, I was feeling tired & a bit overwelmed by being so far away from the security of home......I think that this was a period of transition in my life. I was realizing a whole new outlook.

Since then, I have been re-building.......making changes.....& appreciating my life so much. I look at everything through new eyes......GOD I am so thank-ful.

On March 1st, I had a CT Scan. On March 9th, I had an appointment with Dr. Anderson....my scan looked good & my blood work was getting much closer to normal. I think that my whites were around 3.2 & my neutraphils for at the lower end of normal. So far so good.

I saw Dr. Wilke (my Rad. Onc.) on March 28th. A chest X-ray showed that there was evidence of calcification at the site of my "former" tumor.....he said this was a good sign that nothing was growing. He feels very good about the way things are going.

We just have to go scan to scan......if I can get to the two year mark....things will be looking really good....after 5 years in remission they will consider me cured!!!

I will be in touch!!

DAY + 189 GREAT NEWS TO SHARE!!!

TIME TO UPDATE MY BLOG.......

I have been keeping things low key for the past month or so, as I was waiting for an appointment for my 3rd Pet Scan.....

Originally, my scan was supposed to be in December 2006, prior to Christmas......however,

Dr. Wilke ( my radiation oncologist ) had been trying for over a month to get me into the PET facility in Saint John, New Brunswick, as they recently opened, and it would be a lot closer.(approx. 3 1/2-4 hour drive from Halifax)

As it turned out, he was probably the first MD to try to do this, and the head of MSI here had been talking to people in New Brunswick, and had finally got back to Dr. Wilke on Nov. 30th.

Essentially, New Brunswick wanted to charge Nova Scotia nearly 5 times the fee for a PET SCAN than Quebec charges ($5500 versus $1181) for service to Nova Scotia patients, so the Head of MSI told the people in New Brunswick that there will be no deal, therefore Nova Scotia patients will not be funded to go to New Brunswick.

Dr. Wilke also said that I shouldn't pay privately in NB either, as they have had some screw - ups already, as they fly in the radiative stuff from Sherbrooke, per dose, and have had flights cancelled, tests needed to be rebooked, etc, and they are inexperienced.

So, in his hope to get me scanned closer to home......it essentially introduced a delay, of which he was sorry, as he wanted to get me scanned before Christmas.

Therefore.....this meant he had to go back to the drawing board & request another scan at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital in Quebec.....

I was actually OK with delaying my scan until January.......after the hecticness of the Christmas Holidays.

Anyway, Sue & I flew to Montreal on January 10th. Our friend, Lucien drove us to Sherbrooke on Thursday January 11th for the scan. Everything went really smooth during this trip....and after the scan was over....we had a great time going out to eat, shopping, visiting with friends etc.

The test results have been on my mind for the past week & a half........some people call it "scanxiety".......I tried to keep my nerves under control as best as I could......keeping busy helps!!

Anyway, after eating supper tonight....I sat down at my lap top to check my e-mails just after 7pm.......& there was the most beautiful site......an e-mail from wonderful Dr. Wilke saying "GOOD NEWS" in the subject!!!

WELL.........this is the news I so badly wanted to hear!!!!!

The PET scan showed complete regression of the area of abnormal activity. It is no longer metabolically active.

There is no abnormal activity anywhere else. It showed a little inflammation in the lung from the radiation.

I am in remission. Remission doesn't guarantee a cure, but it's a good start.

TIME TO CELEBRATE!!

Day +155 AS CHRISTMAS NEARS

Everything is still going well & I have especially felt better in the past week. I am still just going for walks, however, I will to start doing light weights & back to pilates in January. It is like I am starting over again with my Fitness.....another challenge but one I will enjoy!

My last blood work on December 14th showed improvement.....everything except my White Count is in the "normal" range. My White Count was a 2.8 & my ANC was basically at 2000 (that is approaching normal). So nothing to complain about there.
My next appointment to see my hematologist, Dr. Anderson is Jan.5th....just a routine check-up.

We are completely ready for Christmas....& now all that is left is the fun of visiting & entertaining family & friends......

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS & HEALTHY & HAPPY 2007!!

Day + 136 Recovery is going well!

I know it has been weeks since I updated my blog, and I don't have a good reason......other than maybe I just wanted to stop thinking or talking or writing about hospitals & treatments & being sick for awhile.....just for a break!.......
However, it has been brought to my attention on several occasions by certain people ....that they get worried when they don't hear from me.......they have told me that they were in such a habit of checking my blog everyday, that they are disappointment when I don't write more often......SO HERE GOES!!

There really isn't much to report, other than I have not had any appointments since my last posting & I currently have not heard about any upcoming appointments.

My recovery has been a slow steady upward journey......sometimes I take a step back & then forward again. I have learned to manage my energy each day......usually I accomplish more earlier in the day & save the easier tasks for the evenings.....ie. like watchin TV :)!!
The past couple weeks, I have noticed a much greater improvement in the way I feel.....my fatigue is less & I just know I am getting stronger.

I am continuing my supplemental program which involves.....a Multivitamin, IP6, Astragalus, Pro Biotics(acidophilus) , Ambratose (glyconutrient), Phytaloe (dried fruits & veggies), Flax......& sometimes my UDO's Oil. I also inject myself with Iscador every couple days....it is basically a mistletoe root that helps kill & stop tumour growth.....this natural type treatment is used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments in 70% of cancer patients in Germany.

I have also been going for Vitamin C IV treatments at my Naturopath's office.....it is approximately 2 hour process & I try to go twice a week.
Vitamin C is a known antioxidant and has been associated with reduced risk of stomach, lung, colon, oral, and prostate cancer.
Immune system booster. Vitamin C increases white blood cell production and is important to immune system balance. Studies have related low vitamin C levels to increased risk for infection.

Everybody gets cancer.Some of us die from it.Why?
Normal, healthy cells are arranged in a definite, organized structure to form tissues. They only divide to make a new cell when the need arises. Sometimes, a cell will mutate and disobey the rules. This is most often caused by free-radical damage to the cell, which is why we hear so much these days about antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E and Beta Carotene. These Vitamins neutralize the free radicals and slow their progress. This mutation of individual cells probably happens to all of us every day. As quoted in An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, Dr. Douglas Brodie says
"Each one of us produces several hundred thousand cancer cells every day of our lives. Whether we develop clinical cancer or not depends upon the ability of our immune systems to destroy these cancer cells. That's because cancer thrives in the presence of a deficient immune system."
Why Cancer Progresses?
When a mutated cell has the ability to replicate itself with disregard to the tissue structure - This is a tumor. Our bodies have two basic lines of defense against tumor growth - both involving Vitamin C.
The first is our immune system. Even after the most successful surgery, radiation- or chemotherapy, some cancer cells are bound to remain. It is our immune system that will hunt down these cells and destroy them. Vitamin C is required for our immune systems to generate and mobilize the specialized cells that fight cancer and infections, too. The more stress your immune system is under, the more Vitamin C is used, if it is available. If it isn't available, the disease will not be stopped.
Secondly, there is a cement, or ground substance, that holds our cells together properly to form the integrity of our tissues. Dr. Ewan Cameron theorized that cancer cells excrete a substance, hyaluronidase, that breaks down the collagen and fibers that make up the structure of this ground substance which creates the space needed for tumor growth. Vitamin C is required for the development of collagen and this fibrous material. This is why it is so important to all tissue related problems, including disc injuries, gum problems, vascular diseases and even skeletal problems. It is a reasonable leap of logic that chronic Vitamin C deficiency is a major contributor to osteoporosis. Juvenile osteoporosis could probably be eliminated or at least minimized through proper nutrition.

In addition to my Vitamin C treatments, I have been using an Infrared Sauna at my Naturopaths office......my energy skyrockets after my session...& my skin feels so smooth & my spirits are lifted & I just feel GREAT! There are so many benefits for FAR Infrared Saunas, that I think everyone could benefit for using one regularly. Do your own search on the internet, if you are interested to learn more.....however, some of the benefits are:

Relaxation & Stress Relief
Pain Relief
Weight Loss - Burn 300-600 calories per session!
Improves skin, reduces scarring & cellulite
Passive cardiovascular training
Boost energy, immune system & metabolism
Detoxification
Decreases lactic acid (good for over trained muscles)
Perfect warm-up before sports and workout
Speeds healing and recovery from injuries, sprains and cuts
Helps stop swelling
Improves lymphatic flow and blood circulation

This is an excerpt from CTV news last year:
http://www.prohealthsauna.com/u-ctvnews.html

Only read this if you are interested, as I do not intend to bore......
We live in a world where we are overpowered by toxins and pollutants. Almost everything we eat, drink, or breathe has toxins and pollutants in it. As a result our bodies are constantly trying to detoxify us but because the input is so great, we simply cannot keep up. Therefore, we store a lot of toxins until we can dispose of them.Someone once compared it to working in a factory where our job was to shred paper. As the constant stream of boxes came down the conveyor belt, our job was to open them up and shred the contents. This all worked fine until the conveyor belt started to speed up. As a result we got further and further behind until we had no choice but to stack some boxes in the corner until we could deal with them. Still the boxes kept coming and pretty soon we had no more room to put them. All we could do at that point was to shut down the conveyor belt until we could catch up.This is what happens in our bodies. If we take in more toxins than our body can dispose of, we store these toxins until we can get rid of them. But, if the toxins keep coming in faster than we can process them, our body eventually gets overpowered, shuts down, and we get sick. I believe fibromyalgia is caused by this type of toxic overload as are many other sicknesses and diseases.Therefore, to stay healthy, we need to decrease our intake of toxins and process the toxins we do take in better. If we help our body get rid of toxins, then our liver, kidneys, and other organs have more time to dispose of the daily intake and we store less and less. In an infrared sauna, the infrared rays penetrate up to 2" into our bodies, increasing blood circulation and cellular activity. By simulating a fever the immune system springs into action. Our heart rate increases and as we start to sweat, toxins are released from our cells and carried out of our body through the skin. This gives the heart and circulatory system an aerobic exercise as well. As muscles and joints are loosened up, we absorb more oxygen. This makes us feel refreshed and energized as aches and pains disappear. It has been said that to have a 30 minute sauna once a day for a year will get rid of most of our accumulated toxins and pollutants and help our liver and kidneys keep up with the rest of the detoxification process.Almost everyone I have spoken to who uses an infrared sauna regularly tells me the same story. More energy, greatly reduced pain, better looking skin, more flexible, loose muscles and a general feeling of health and vigor. I have experienced the same. The inflow of toxins is not going to stop unless we make some drastic changes to the world we live in. This is highly unlikely to happen in the near future. Therefore, the best we can do is to help our body detoxify so we can be healthier, live longer, and most importantly, enjoy a good quality of life.

"They spend all their health making money, and then spend all their money trying to restore their health." Anonymous

This is just one site of many that has a ton of info. on the subject: http://www.physiotherm.net/saunas/43/infraredSaunaResearch.html

ENOUGH ON THAT......

Other than my naturopathic self imposed regime, I am busy trying to get my life back to a normal....Xmas shopping, decorating, visiting with friends, being able to eat at restaurants again, walking etc.
Everything is currently going along well & all of our family are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas & postive & healthy coming year.

I probably won't be posting everyday, however, I will try to update more often then my last posting.

Day + 108 Appt. with Dr. Anderson

Since my last posting, things have definitely improved....

On day 101, I stopped vomiting....on day 102 I managed to have Smoked Salmon flavored with Maple Syrup...cooked on the bar-b-que....with some Jasmine Rice on the side....YUM! I do like my food!!!
It was like...."One day I couldn't eat ....& the next day I could"!!......Just like when all the problems started....One day I felt strong & managed to do a 3 hour hike in the woods on the Thanksgiving Monday....then had a delicious meal at Mom's.....then the next day I couldn't eat. The mucositis in my esophagus came on suddenly & left suddenly.

I have to say that the radiation has taken more out of me than any of the other treatments. In addition to feeling week from not eating for over 2 weeks.....the fatigue is adding to the challenge. According to my doctors, I will be looking at months before I will get back to feeling "Normal". Dr. Anderson, wants me to be gentle with myself & not to rush to quickly into my work-outs, as my body needs me to manage my energy for healing. He told me that I will have good days & bad days....but slowly I will see some progress.

I had a terrific meeting with Dr. A today.....he still feels we are moving in the right direction with my treatment.....he was not overly concerned about my positive PET scan in August & was pleased by my CT Scan on October 12th. Of course, we take nothing for granted in this unpredictable world of cancer.....but things are looking good at this point in time.

He talked to me about how important it is for me to start re-building my life again & adding some normalcy to my day to day life. As he noted, I have been on a roller coaster during the last year & through some very intense treatment in a short period of time......so he wants me to gently start thinking about life after treatment. He is a very kind man & really seems to have my best interest at heart.

I am so thankful that my own personal experience with my nurses, doctors, technicians & other hospital staff has been a very positive one...for the most part. It really makes the journey so much more bearable when people are kind & seem to care. There is so much negative talk about our health care system....(which I know has definite merit due to funding)......but the people who work the system give so much of themselves & do their very best with the tools available to them.

Anyway, I am greatful for so many things......including the endless support of my family....& friends....How awful this last year would have been without the love of so many! I wouldn't want to travel this alone.

I send my love back to all of you!!! THANK-YOU...

DAY + 100

Today is the final day for me to follow the strict precautions following my Stem Cell Transplant.

So officially......I am allowed to eat fresh fruit & veggies again...& I can eat out at restaurants.

Unofficially....I am definitely not physically able to even attempt any of the above. Keeping food in my stomach, continues to be a challenge.......my esophagus is feeling better for swallowing, however my stomach acid is acting up.....I think it is having trouble digesting my food.

I am continuing to take my Zantac for stomach acid & Zofran for nausea plus I have started taking a liquid laxative to help with that end of things.
After vomiting this morning....I took my necessary meds. & ate some yogurt & liquidfied cream cheese in a small amount. Today, I will continue to eat small amounts every couple hours.....I am going to walk a little & see if there is an improvement. Also, I will try to get more protein in today via egg & tofu.....
I have an appointment to see my Naturopath this afternoon.....so she may have some suggestions to help me out too.

Other than the above, my spirits are good & I believe that I am on the way to being fully healed.......this is just a little glich in the road......no journey worth achieving can ever be too easy!

I am very happy to be in my own home & am so thank-ful to feel loved and cared about by my family & friends. Loving & being loved is the best thing in life.

In addition, Gratitude, happiness and forgiveness of anyone and anything will continue to be my part of my life's goal......all important to healing!

I will be in touch.....

Day + 98 "Out of Hospital"

This is just a quick update to say I am home from the hospital. I was released yesterday afternoon at my request......though I hope I haven't jumped the gun too soon!

On Sunday, I spent most of the day at home on a day pass, and felt that I did well with getting enough fluids & nutrition into me. I was feeling better, even though I was tired. On Monday, I continued to feel fairly good & thought I was ready to be released from hospital. I felt that I would heal better at home in my own bed with my own kitchen to make nutritious food. Plus, I thought I would be safer from infection & disease more prevalent in hospitals. My White Blood counts were only 1.7 & my ANC was 1190.....so still running low in the immunity department.

Anyway, yesterday went fairly well & I felt I managed to get plenty of food & fluid into my gut. However, this morning I had some cream of wheat & immediately my stomach started to gurgle. As time went on, I started to feel worse & ended up vomiting....then I tried to get water in me to replace some of the lost fluid & I vomited again.......then I realized that I forgot to fill an important prescription for Zantac....which reduces the acid in my stomach to prevent acid reflux. I believe it is the acid reflux causing my problems.

Mom then filled my prescription for Zantac , along with an added prescription for Zofran to help with nausea. ( I called Dr. Bata who over saw my care in hospital , and asked her to phone in this prescription to the pharmacy, & she was kind enough to help me out).

I vomited once more so far (3 times total)....then managed to take my Zantac & am crossing my fingers that will solve the problem in the next 24 hours or less.

Anyway, I am concerned that I am losing too much weight & body fluid.....& am determined to get this rectified ASAP.

I will keep you posted.