The Plan Continues…
Radiation
is over. Praise Jesus. That was really, really rough. It was actually rougher
than I thought it would be. I blame the massive amounts of steroids that I was
on. They did a number on me. I wasn’t myself, I didn’t eat like I normally have
been eating, I slept a lot, and I just all around didn’t feel like myself. I
ended up losing my hair the day after I finished radiation. The doctor said that I
would and I was determined to prove him wrong; however, he was right! It’s now
starting to grow back, which is good…I have a little buzz cut now. I’m starting to feel better and better
everyday. I have more energy; I’m eating better, and feeling more and more like
myself. I still take a catnap every afternoon and that seems to help. I’m so
happy to be feeling better these days because now it’s time to move forward
with the next phase of the plan.
We
are very excited about what’s to come in the next month. I take off Sunday for
Mexico. The plan has changed a little bit as far as what we expected. I won’t
be staying in Santa Barbara like I originally thought. After I sent all my
records and tests to the Issels clinic, they decided they wanted me to stay in
their hospital/clinic in Mexico for the entire 21 days to receive the treatment
that they have planned. Because of the brain lesions, they wanted to administer
the injections over a slower pace to help reduce the chance of swelling and to
monitor me. There will be round the clock nurses and doctors there to help
provide care during these injections and to help in case there is more swelling
in the brain. Basically, the
process is that the lab will take my blood and cells and create a vaccine designed
to fight my cancer, which is then injected back into me. I will also go through
an everyday process of building my immune system back to max capacity. I will receive high doses of Vitamin C
and B17 (lots and lots of research on this and cancer); I will have
supplements, probiotics and enzymes to make up for what my immune system is
lacking; and I will be detoxed, fed a special diet, given veggie juice all day,
etc. Other therapies I will receive include a treatment to oxygenate my blood, which is great
for the immune system, and hyperthermia treatment where they bring my body to a
higher than normal temperature (on purpose) because there are studies that show
that cancer can’t survive at a certain heat in the body. They will also provide
counseling, which I find to be so important. It will help me deal with and
process everything that has been going on with me in the past 7 years with this
cancer. They will provide nutrition classes as well so I can learn about the
new diet they will put me on. It basically is a 21-day, whole body, cleanse-get-rid-of-the-cancer-build-me-up-stronger-than-before-and-send-me-back-home-again-better-than-ever
treatment. I leave with a 5-month supply of my own vaccine and a list of
supplements, etc to continue on and access to check in with the docs whenever I
need.
Just to ease minds about me
being in Mexico instead of the US, this is a legit hospital; it’s actually the
#1 hospital there. They have certified doctors and oncologists that work there.
They even administer chemo and radiation if they find the patient needs it as
well. Dr. Issels (the one who
founded this clinic) has been successfully doing this for 60 years. I have
hope; I believe in this, I have ABSOLUTELY nothing to lose for trying it. It
makes sense to me. I’m excited to
do this.
The logistics are working
out good, too. My sister in law, Mia, will join me for the first week while I’m
there. I’m so happy to be spending this time with her and to be able to catch
up; and I’ll be happy to have her “doctor knowledge” there with me as well. She
will leave after a week and then my mother will join me for the remaining two
weeks. I can’t remember when my mom and I have had that kind of time together.
I’m looking forward to having that time with her as well. She’s coming fully
stocked with supplies to teach me how to crochet! We will see how that goes! I
plan to provide weekly updates while I’m there to let everyone know how the
treatments are going, how I’m feeling, what it’s like there, etc – so look out
for those! (now that I’ve said it, I’ll have to do it…)
I
will return home to the UK and continue the course with my vaccine and supplements.
I will continue to see my doctor here for blood work and normal checkups, but I
probably will not have any testing done before I get back to the states this
summer. I want to give this treatment a chance to work before I subject myself
to more tests. My doctor here has been so supportive of this process. He told
me before radiation that he is a scientist and he believes in medicine and
studies and what he was taught; however, he can’t pretend to have all the
answers to treatments for cancer. I thought that was a great, honest,
supportive answer. I got very lucky when I found him as a doctor.
As
I close this post, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone again for
all the love and support you have given Josh, the girls and me. The GoFundMe
page that my sis in law, Che, set up was one of the most humbling experiences
of our lives. I couldn’t believe the way our goal was met so quickly and the
selfless generosity of family, friends and strangers – it has provided such a
huge help to us in this process. Now,
all we need are prayers, well wishes and good thoughts. I also appreciate
everyone who has sent cards, reached out in messages, emails, and visits to our
extended family during this. I have never felt so lifted up and loved. I believe in God’s purpose, I know he
has a plan for me during all this. I feel like I’m going to beat this, I really
do. Thanks for loving me and believing in me!
