My June Labs and Phone Consultation

6/28/13

Every month I have monthly labs  done for my Gerson doctor, I send them his way, and then we have a monthly phone consultation to review the results.  My first one was last Friday, and I was quite pleased with them.  

The labs I get done are a CBC with differential, a complete metabolic panel with lipid profile, a TSH, a T4, and a urinalysis.  

So, once I send the labs his way, they will e-mail me back with a day and time to call the clinic.  I say yes or no, and then we go from there.  The time I was given was June 28th at 2 pm PST (3 pm my time). 

Besides the fact that my baby was home sick with me, everything went very well.  I called.  The doctor was with a patient.  I called back a few minutes later, and the fast talking began.  The good doctor is very kind and inquired after my family and health.  He asked if I had any healing reactions at all (I hadn't), and he asked if my incisions were healing well which they actually were.  In the last week they had gone from a puckered, raised appearance to more of a flat appearance.  I was also slowly getting feeling back on the left side.  

Next, he quickly went over the labs with me one by one.  First was the CBC.  Everything looked great to him him with no problems at all.  

He then broke it down with the differential.  Here too things were looking good especially the eosinophils that had been elevated just after surgery.  I had had an allergic reaction to the pain meds, so it is common to have these elevated with an allergy. 

The urinalysis was very good.  It showed that my pH had become more alkaline.  At the clinic the doctor had said he wants my pH to stay in the 6.5-8 range, and it was!  This is great for me because studies show that cancer thrives in an acidic environment, and it cannot survive in one that is alkaline. 

  My comprehensive metabolic panel was also doing very well.  My kidneys and liver were doing great and functioning well.  I was getting plenty of protein despite living on a vegan diet for the last 6 weeks or so.  My glucose was also good with the low sugar and gluten diet I was on.  There were no problems mentioned. 

Next we went over my TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone test.  This test does what it sounds like.  Measures the TSH in my blood.  TSH is made by the pituitary gland and its job is to tell the thyroid gland to release other hormones (like the T4 in the next test).  My TSH was very low at this time, but that is because I was taking thyroid grain to boost my metabolism. The boost in metabolism makes it possible for my body to process and get rid of all of the cancer cells at an increased rate.  

The T4 free test is the last test, and even though my TSH is abnormal, my T4 is within normal range.  Yay!

Now, there were a few changes made to my schedule because of my lab results.  

A summary of changes are as follows:

1. Take only 1/2 tablespoon of flax seed oil at lunch and dinner
2. Decrease potassium from 4 teaspoons to 3 teaspoons
3. Decrease Lugol solution to 1 drop twice daily (beacause of TSH)
4. No more thyroid grain (again due to TSH results)
5. Castor oil only twice a week now (Yay me!)
6. Yogurt (organic plain non-fat NOT Greek) at breakfast and dinner

I'm happy with this.  The best part is castor oil only two days a week now!  Whoo Hoo!  I love his message at the bottom of the schedule. "*Keep up the good work Gerson person*"

And of course at the end of the phone call he told me to tell my mom hello.  I think he must remember us.  ;)

Follow-Up With the Oncologist

6/25/13

 

Well, this wasn't a very interesting appointment.  I showed up with my mom on time for my 3:30 pm appointment, and they told me my appointment was actually missed earlier that day at 11:30 am.  I wasn't really bummed or put out at all since this was just to follow up with the surgery and pathology report.  They did ask me to wait to see if the doctor was able to squeeze me in.  It turns out they were able to see me and quite quickly at that.

The assistant took me to the room, got my vital, allergies, and weight.  I then waited a few minutes for the doctor to come in.  It only took a few minutes for the wait thankfully.

My oncologist got to the point immediately.  She was curious to know if my surgeon had gone over my pathology report from the surgery.  I assured her that he had gone over it thoroughly including the conventional treatment that they would like to do on me.

She asked me if I understood the decisions I was making about my treatment then.  I told her I did. I told her I understood what the surgeon had said about the chemo.  He had warned me that the longer I did this  nutritional treatment the less likely the conventional treatment would work at all because I was just giving the cancer more time to spread and metastasize.  I told him I understood what he was saying at that time, and I told the oncologist the same at this visit.

She felt this was the perfect opening to go over some conventional treatment options.  Because of her conventional training, she felt like it was a responsibility to go over this information.  I had no objections.  I was curious after all to learn.

She did mention that I could take Herceptin if I wanted to without the chemotherapy that was so toxic.  This is not what I had understood from her at the last meeting we had together.  I had asked specifically about Herceptin because it wasn't as toxic.  No matter.  I didn't really want to take it at all.  She also casually mentioned a couple other drugs that were related to Herceptin and used for my type of treatment.  I listened  and accepted some information on them.  It never hurts to have information.  The other drugs mentioned were Kadcyla or TDMI and Tykerb. 

I then informed her that I would like to keep an eye on the cancer.  I wanted to know that the cancer was gone.  I also mentioned that the surgeon recommended a CT scan every 4 months to do just that.  I was hoping I could get away with an MRI so there would not be any extra exposure to radiation with a CT or PET scan, but the oncologist did not recommend this.  She said it was better to get a CT scan, and I could have an MRI of the head if I showed signs of metastasis to the brain.

She then went on to ask what I would do if I had the scan and it showed that the cancer had grown instead of disappearing.  I told her that I believed with all my heart that the cancer was already gone.  I don't plan on that being an option at all.  She then said she wanted to play the devil's advocate.  What would I do hypothetically?  I told her I would probably rethink things, but I'm pretty sure I would just stick to what I was doing.  The proof is out there that this works if you are open enough to find it and accept it.  This works!  So, I would have to figure out what I'm doing wrong with this treatment, and fix it.

She accepted this and was agreeable to the CT scan at the end of August.  She said to just call her if I wanted to have it scheduled.  She did mention that after this scan if there was no sign of the cancer that we should only continue the CT scans if I am having issues or other signs of the cancer returning.  Insurance wouldn't cover "just to see".  This made me feel better anyhow.  I prefer to limit my exposure, and I'm confident that things have resolved.

I thanked her for her time, and we left after that.  That was pretty much it.  Quick and easy and to the point.

My Daily Schedule

So, what do I do all day now that I'm at home?  That is a loaded question.  It all depends on the day and the time.  Remember my daily schedule?  Well, if not, here it is again...

I am supposed to start at 6 am, but I don't set an alarm.  My kids usually wake me up.  It is pretty rare that I wake up later than 6 am or 6:30 am.  I figure if I sleep longer than that, I can just adjust the schedule a touch.  As you can see there on the bottom of my schedule, "Rest is very, very important."  

Once I do get up, I try to remember to eat something, and then I do my first coffee enema of the day.  (From here on out, coffee enemas will now be known as my coffee breaks.  It just sounds better.)  

Why do I do the enemas you may ask? That is a good question.  I do them because the juices that I drink every day are so pure and healthy that they cause my organs and especially my liver to detox and release toxins into the body.  If these toxins are not eliminated quickly, too much stress is put on the body.  The caffeine in the coffee will trigger the liver to release serum toxins, and the coffee can also aid in flushing the toxins out at a quicker rate without disrupting the beneficial digestive flora in the intestines.  

For more information on coffee enemas see the following:   

http://gerson.org/gerpress/faqs-detox/http://www.naturalnews.com/038429_health_benefits_coffee_enema_detox.html

After my coffee break, I rush to get breakfast ready.  For breakfast I have oatmeal and fruit.  I start the oatmeal right away.  After this I sort my meds for the day (I try to do it at night before bed, but the habit has not fully formed yet) , and I will start to wash and prepare my produce for the rest of the day.  While I wash and prep, I try to remember to take my pre-breakfast meds at the right time.  I usually don't have issues with this, but there are some days when I space it.  

Then I have my breakfast.  8 am is the normal time, but some days I run a little late.  I usually will eat my oatmeal with a banana just for it's sweetness.  I have to be careful with the bananas due to their high content of sugars.  Only one a day for me.  Some days I will put a touch of organic 100% pure maple syrup in my oatmeal, but only a touch.  Also, I must remember to take some meds mid-way through the meal.  If not, not a huge deal, but it works better if so.  

After breakfast, it's time to hurry.  I have a green drink I need to have at 9 am, a carrot/apple drink at 9:30 am, and another carrot/apple drink at 10 am.  Prepare the drink, wash the equipment, drink the juice, and then prepare the next drink. This can be very time demanding.  

Some people ask why I can't just prepare all of my drink all at once?  Well, the green drink is only good for about 10-15 minutes after being made.  The reason is because if you let it sit around it begins to breakdown and oxidize.  The enzymes that do so much to help you are no longer any good.  The carrot juice and the carrot/apple juice on the other hand is good for about 3-4 hours, but it is still recommended to make them fresh at every juicing because you do get more of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients your body so badly needs.  (Sometimes at this juicing I will juice for the 9:30am and 10am juicing at the same time since it is just 30 minutes apart, and they are the same juice after all...  Shh.  Don't tell anyone.)  

Now, I make fresh Hippocrates's soup every other day.  It's nice when I don't have to worry about the soup.  It isn't hard to make the soup.  It's just one more thing.  You basically just chop veggies, cover with water, and cook for two hours.  For the recipe, go here: http://www.treating-cancer-alternatively.com/Hippocrates-Soup.html.

After the soup, I may have time to sit for a few minutes, or it may be time to have my next coffee break.  It sounds funny, but I kinda of like my coffee breaks a lot now.  It is at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted rest in a sense.  You basically just lay there and do nothing, or in my case catch up on my Netflix or social networking, etc.  Also, don't forget to clean everything thoroughly.  By this I mean the supplies that I use for my coffee break.  (I forgot once in my tiredness, and I regretted it the next morning...)

Next, it is time for my 11 am carrot juice and meds.  Don't forget to wash and clean the juicer, and then, you can start to get lunch ready (baked potatoes, other veggies, etc.), and you may even have a couple of minutes to sit around and do nothing.  The nothing doesn't last for long because you may need to return phone calls, emails, or other important correspondence, and this is very important to keep up with real life stuff.  

Pretty soon you're ready for your noon green drink.  Get that ready, now wash the juicer, and it is almost time to get ready for your before lunch meds and lunch prep.  In between the meds and lunch prep, you can make a few more phone calls, schedule another appointment, and make another move on Words with Friends.

I usually eat lunch around 1 pm.  I have for sure a baked potato and some Hippocrates's soup.  If I feel up to it, I make a salad, fruit, or other veggie to go with it.  I like to have a variety of veggies, but sometimes you just go for the easy stuff to make it quick and easy.  Don't forget to take your meds both during and after your meal.

At 2 pm you have your next coffee break and next green drink.  I usually have the green drink first, and then the coffee break.  Once again wash everything up, and then get ready for your 3 pm carrot juice.

At this point, sometimes I cheat.  Since the 3 pm juice and the 4 pm juice are both carrot juice, I will juice just the once at 3 pm so I can have a little bit of a break.  This is usually the time that I can get the most done uninterrupted like my blogging, appointments, and house work, etc.  It doesn't hardly every happen, but if I were to get a nap in, this would be the time.

I have my next coffee break and juice scheduled for 5 pm.  Again i will sometimes cheat here since the 5 pm and the 6 pm juices are both carrot/apple juice.  If I'm good, I have juicing and coffee breaks all done before the boys get home, but this doesn't always happen.  This is a busy time with the boys getting home around 5:30 and getting dinner on the table.  Sometimes my coffee break doesn't happen until after 6 pm.  It all depends on the day.

Dinner for me is supposed to be around 6 pm, and I try to scarf it down as fast as possible so that I can spend the rest of the evening relaxing with the boys.  I have the last juice of the day (green of course) at 7 pm.  Bed time for the little guy is usually around 7:30 if he can hold out, and big brother goes to bed anytime between 7:30-8 pm.

Big brother is very persuasive in getting me to lay down with him at this time (maybe 50% of the time).  If this happens, he spends a good 15 minutes talking my ear off and playing in bed, but then we usually both fall to sleep pretty quickly after that.  I try not to really fall asleep so that I make sure I have some time to spend with the hubby.  After all he is just as important as the little guys.

My last coffee break of the day is scheduled for 9 pm, but it can sometimes not be until 9:30 or later depending on if I make it out of big brother's room on time.  My hubby is often with me for the last one, and we will usually watch a comedy together.  I like to laugh if possible during my coffee breaks.  It makes them seem like nothing when you laugh through them.

Last thing of the day is to get ready and go to bed!