Today, we met with Dr. P, the Radiologist. He brought his Nursing Assistant with him. He sat us down and drew me the same picture as the surgeon, only a little more detailed.
This doctor was also a bit more thorough. As he wrote everything out on a full sheet of paper, he then added my medical sticker at the top of the page, and then made a copy for his file. I got to take home the original.
He explained that DCIS is contained inside the ducts.
His recommended treatment: 1) Mastectomy and full reconstruction; or 2) Lumpectomy and six weeks of radiation. He wrote that if I have the lumpectomy alone, there would be a 20% chance that the cancer would recur. If I included the radiation, the chance of it coming back was less than 5%.
He wrote that with radiation therapy, they would mark tattoos over my breast, and treat just that area. My treatments would be 20 minutes each, Monday through Friday, times 6 weeks, so we would be done after 30 treatments.
He concluded with the side effects. He wrote 1) Fatigue and 2) Skin reaction, similar to sunburn.
Hmmmmm. Really?
Is cancer caused by a deficiency of chemotherapy or radiation? No. Cancer is systemic, not localized. I developed breast cancer, but it was not caused by having too many breasts. Cutting the breast off doesn't solve the problem, because ALL the factors that allowed the cancer to develop initially would still be in my body.
I know a little about radiation, unfortunately. Family, close friends. So, I've learned that radiation can cause cancer. It can also cause cancer to spread. It will kill healthy cells along with the mutant cancer cells. It will destroy your immune system. Some people who have radiation and/or chemotherapy end up with other problems AFTER the treatments. Does the medical profession do anything to help you combat these issues? Very few medical doctors will give you help in that direction.
So I shared my thoughts with the doctor. His responses were standard, medical practice. "Yes, radiation does destroy healthy cells, but it tends to kill the cells that are fastest growing or the fast-dividing cells. Therefore it will kill MORE cancer cells than normal cells."
Okay, so I asked him, "how many cells can I afford to lose?" I don't think he understood the question, because he never gave me an answer to that.
Here's what I know.
Radiation causes cancer. "I don't have a history of breast cancer in my family," I said. Again with the statistic... "Well, 90% of women who develop breast cancer do not have a family history." he said.
So I asked him, "You suggest six weeks of radiation. But we know radiation causes additional problems. As a matter of fact, can you prove to me that the radiation in the mammograms hasn't caused this problem?" His response, statistically, was "the percentage of radiation used in mammography is so small, it would probably not cause the cancer."
Really? How much is too much?
Let's put it this way. I'm 50, and I had my first mammogram. Damn, that hurt. Smashing my breasts into a vice. Radiate. Oh, this picture is fuzzy, let's try that again. Radiate, radiate. Done. Next breast. Radiate, radiate, radiate. "Thank you - see you in a year!" I'm 51, squeezing them into that vice again, radiate, radiate, radiate. "Thank you - see you in a year!" So now I'm 52, same thing. Radiate, radiate. Done. Then 53. Hmmmm. We see a minor calcification. Please come back in 6 months. But not before we radiate, radiate, radiate! Six months later, it's "Yep, it's still there," radiate, "we'll need to see you again," radiate, "in another 6 months, radiate, radiate."
So my last visit six months ago went like this: They see the calcification, they want to focus on just that area, so they radiate just a small handful of the breast, about two inches all around. So cup your hand over your breast. And then, to get an even closer view, they radiate just the areola area. Radiate, radiate, radiate.
"Dr. P, can you tell me for certain that the mammogram isn't what caused this cancer...?" As his Nursing Assistant is shaking her head no, he's wholeheartedly denying that a mammogram could possibly cause cancer.
But you already told me that radiation can cause cancer, and can cause cancer to spread. So again, we're back to the percentages.
Let me give you a percentage. The medical doctor who reviewed my last mammogram told me, "When we see this type of calcification, eighty-five percent of women are reported to have no cancer." Well, I'm the 15%. Here's to you and your percentages...
It's not an exact science - none of this is.
I then asked if he suggested anything to help combat the effects of radiation, if I choose to take that route. "No, not really - just a good healthy diet."
Really? You know, there are natural detoxifiers out there. Once the radiation is in your body destroying the bad AND good cells, you need to help the excess radiation out of your body through detoxification. Chlorella is one of nature's best detoxifiers. It contains one of the highest concentrations of chlorophyl of any plant. It's high in vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and essential fatty acids. It's also a great immune system builder.
Do you know that six months ago, this doctor and his nursing assistant didn't even know what Chlorella was? But they know that the radiation they are giving their patients is causing havoc to their immune system, all the while destroying healthy cells.
We won't even talk about Chemotherapy. This is not on my "recommended treatment" list, but the same could apply to the effects of Chemo.
If you have, are or plan to have radiation or chemotherapy, please see your nutritionist or health food professional. I want to help you fight the damage that has been done, and prevent further damage. Something that the medical profession will most likely treat with prescription, more radiation or more chemotherapy.
Radiation. Not a big fan.
Later this week, we visit my General Practioner and meet Jenny, the thermal imaging specialist. Good stuff!
More to follow -
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
September 14, 2012 - the Chiropractor
We went to meet with Dr. Wade this morning. As they promised, he and his staff provided me with a lot of information on nutrition and whole food supplements. It all starts with what you are putting in your body.
Dr. Wade also gave me information on a book about changing the way you view cancer, by Dr. Charles Majors.
The following review is written by Steven Sisk: This book does an excellent job of filling the massive void that exists in the area of effective cancer prevention and treatment. In today's healthcare paradigm virtually zero attention is paid to preventing cancer, and the treatment options typically offered to patients who have already been diagnosed are more likely to exacerbate the problem than to address it.
Tragically, most cancer patients are subjected to carcinogenic, often deadly chemotherapy and radiation without every being taught about the environmental factors which play a pivotal role in the development of the vast majority of cancer cases. The for-profit cancer treatment industry has manipulated statistics to obfuscate the monumental failure that is conventional cancer intervention, with the result that many uninformed patients believe that poisoning themselves is the only hope of surviving their condition. Meanwhile, conventional medicine has ignored (or openly attacked) the astounding efficacy of "alternative" cancer therapies and lifestyle modification, apparently valuing continued profitability over the quality of quantity of patients' lives.
In this book, Dr. Charles Majors relates his harrowing journey from a successful doctor in the prime of his life who has just been diagnosed with a terminal blood cancer to an apparent miracle case of complete remission and return to heath, all of which was accomplished without chemotherapy or radiation. Dr. Majors is not a "cancer survivor"; his biggest act of survival was extricating himself from a failing medical system in order to search out and address the causes of his illness. His book is required reading for anyone interested in reversing a cancer diagnosis or in preventing one from occurring in the first place.
I am amazed, shocked, angry, mad. And then I am so grateful to Dr. Wade and his staff. I am not trying to be a crusader for all things holistic. Believe me - I want the cancer out of me as quickly as possible. But at what cost? Yes, they are just breasts. But they are mine. So, if I have a lumpectomy, according to the surgeon, Dr. S, after the surgery I will probably have a small dent in my breast. If I have a mastectomy, well, you know what happens then. They are mine.
This is my choice, and I want to make the best informed choice.
By the way, my husband has stopped calling me a Witch Doctor. After meeting with Dr. Wade and his nutritionist, he sees the whole food supplements are probably a pretty good idea.
I found a little more information about drugs:
Dr. Wade also gave me information on a book about changing the way you view cancer, by Dr. Charles Majors.
The following review is written by Steven Sisk: This book does an excellent job of filling the massive void that exists in the area of effective cancer prevention and treatment. In today's healthcare paradigm virtually zero attention is paid to preventing cancer, and the treatment options typically offered to patients who have already been diagnosed are more likely to exacerbate the problem than to address it.
Tragically, most cancer patients are subjected to carcinogenic, often deadly chemotherapy and radiation without every being taught about the environmental factors which play a pivotal role in the development of the vast majority of cancer cases. The for-profit cancer treatment industry has manipulated statistics to obfuscate the monumental failure that is conventional cancer intervention, with the result that many uninformed patients believe that poisoning themselves is the only hope of surviving their condition. Meanwhile, conventional medicine has ignored (or openly attacked) the astounding efficacy of "alternative" cancer therapies and lifestyle modification, apparently valuing continued profitability over the quality of quantity of patients' lives.
In this book, Dr. Charles Majors relates his harrowing journey from a successful doctor in the prime of his life who has just been diagnosed with a terminal blood cancer to an apparent miracle case of complete remission and return to heath, all of which was accomplished without chemotherapy or radiation. Dr. Majors is not a "cancer survivor"; his biggest act of survival was extricating himself from a failing medical system in order to search out and address the causes of his illness. His book is required reading for anyone interested in reversing a cancer diagnosis or in preventing one from occurring in the first place.
I am amazed, shocked, angry, mad. And then I am so grateful to Dr. Wade and his staff. I am not trying to be a crusader for all things holistic. Believe me - I want the cancer out of me as quickly as possible. But at what cost? Yes, they are just breasts. But they are mine. So, if I have a lumpectomy, according to the surgeon, Dr. S, after the surgery I will probably have a small dent in my breast. If I have a mastectomy, well, you know what happens then. They are mine.
This is my choice, and I want to make the best informed choice.
By the way, my husband has stopped calling me a Witch Doctor. After meeting with Dr. Wade and his nutritionist, he sees the whole food supplements are probably a pretty good idea.
I found a little more information about drugs:
Did you know that medical doctors use and recommend drugs that are approved in a process that costs hundreds of millions of dollars. Because of this high cost, the drug companies will only make drugs that can be patented. That way they can sell them for huge mark-ups and have no competition. Unfortunately, because these drugs have been altered from nature, which they must be to be patented, they become toxic in your body, with harmful side effects. Your body can handle natural foods and herbs, the altered ones have toxic side-effects because your body can’t handle them. This is the reason why the biggest cause of deaths in the US is from medical drugs.
Because of the cost of getting approval for drugs, no company would ever take an unpatentable natural product through the drug approval process. Consequently natural supplements aren't tested in multi-million dollars trials so can't be approved by the FDA to be used for cancer or whatever other health condition they may help. (Not that the FDA would approve a natural supplement that threatened the drug companies they are in bed with.) As they are not approved, doctors, or at least most doctors, won't use them, and most don't even know about them.
Alternative doctors not blinded by the medical/drug industry, find that a comprehensive approach to fighting cancer using powerful supplements along with chemotherapy, works much better than only using drugs and other treatments that harm the body.
For those who are still on the fence, take a look at your parents. For the most part, they have come up following doctor's orders. Take this pill for constipation, and this one for relief. Take this pill for high cholesterol, and this one for low blood pressure. To me, it seems like their badge of honor when the parents can produce a list of prescribed drug treatments from their purse or pocket.
I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. I was prescribed Simvastatin. Simvastatin is used together with diet, weight-loss, and exercise to reduce the amount of fatty substances such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ('bad cholesterol') and triglycerides in the blood and to increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ('good cholesterol') in the blood.
So, it's a "statin". Statins could most likely cause liver damage. It also destroys enzymes in the body used to fight mutant cells. ALL mutant cells. So what drug will the doctor then prescribe to fight these two new maladies? Funny thing - I would then be on three medications, and I would be able to start MY personal badge of honor.
So after about 2 years, I took myself off Simvastatin. I am now taking Cyruta. a whole food supplement. Cyruta supports healthy cholesterol that is already within a normal range. Cyruta helps: 1) Support circulatory cholesterol transport; 2) Supports healthy cellular glucose handling; 3) Supports healthy peripheral circulation; 4) Contains several independent factors that help to maintain the integrity of capillary walls.
On Monday, we see the Radiologist. That should be an interesting conversation.
More to follow -
Saturday, September 22, 2012
September 13, 2012 - Healing from the Inside Out
"Take an Advil."
Ask any of our kids. If they had any twinge, tingle, pain, my standard response was "take an Advil". It was more of a "geez, I birthed a 7 pound baby through a tiny hole, and you're complaining about a pain in your big toe" type of response, but all the same. Kids still tease me about that.
Now my response is, "see a Chiropractor". If you ever posted something on your page where you were in pain, sinus, allergies, back hurts, pooping problems - my post to you has been "See a chiropractor."
So, you have acid reflux. You take an antacid. Wrong! Did you know you need the acids in your stomach to help digest the food? Without those acids, the food could rot, ferment, putrify, and you would end up with a worse case of possibly stomach or colon cancer. Much more involved than that, but you get the point. There are whole food supplements that are all natural that will aid in your acid reflux - must healthier in the short AND long term.
So, let's look at colitis, chrone's disease, IBS. These are all things going on in your intestine and colon. You go to the doctor, and they prescribe a medication. You take the medication, you feel better, you're done. Is it cured? No. Are you healed? No.
The only way to heal yourself is to stop putting the junk in your body.
What's going on is this: You eat processed junk, such as breads, sugar, flour, "new and improved" wheat. It travels down, hits the stomach. From there, it digests, and travels out. Along the path of 6 feet of bundled colon, it could hit a speed bump. No worries, because only a teensy bit gets stuck there. More processed food, more junk. Travels along, hits the same speed bump. Now the teensy is tiny. More processed food, gets stuck in the same spot. Tiny becomes small. Small becomes large. So now you have a large speed bump in there. How are you going to get rid of it? Simple. Your leaky gut will fix the problem.
Wikipedia version: Leaky gut is a name used to describe intestinal or bowel hyperpermeability. Tight junctions (TJs) represent the major barrier within the pathway between intestinal epithelial cells that line the digestion tract. Disruption of TJs leads to intestinal hyperpermeability (the so-called "leaky gut") which has been proposed by some researchers to involve a relationship with acute and chronic diseases such as systemic inflammatory response syndrom (SIRS), inflammatory bowel disease, Type 1 diabetes, Allegies, Asthma and Autism.
Once the gut leaks, there are three places it will go - the joints, the muscles or the organs. Damage to two of the three will cause consistent and compound pain. Damage to the third will probably cause death.
Yes, we can't live in a plastic bubble. There are some things that just can't be controlled. I still need to breath the air. I still feel that even though I buy some organic, there's no way to tell if it's 100% organic. I mean, we still have rain coming down, that travels through the air that's filled with toxins.
And how does this relate to my Breast Cancer? Well, it's all part and parcel. Again, by healing myself from within, I'm fighting mutant cells. I'm helping my good guys beat back the bad guys. Have I turned away completely from my doctor? No, I have not. I am still in the learning mode.
The next couple of days are going to get interesting - you don't want to miss it. Especially when I meet with Dr. P...
Stay tuned - more to follow.
Ask any of our kids. If they had any twinge, tingle, pain, my standard response was "take an Advil". It was more of a "geez, I birthed a 7 pound baby through a tiny hole, and you're complaining about a pain in your big toe" type of response, but all the same. Kids still tease me about that.
Now my response is, "see a Chiropractor". If you ever posted something on your page where you were in pain, sinus, allergies, back hurts, pooping problems - my post to you has been "See a chiropractor."
So, you have acid reflux. You take an antacid. Wrong! Did you know you need the acids in your stomach to help digest the food? Without those acids, the food could rot, ferment, putrify, and you would end up with a worse case of possibly stomach or colon cancer. Much more involved than that, but you get the point. There are whole food supplements that are all natural that will aid in your acid reflux - must healthier in the short AND long term.
So, let's look at colitis, chrone's disease, IBS. These are all things going on in your intestine and colon. You go to the doctor, and they prescribe a medication. You take the medication, you feel better, you're done. Is it cured? No. Are you healed? No.
The only way to heal yourself is to stop putting the junk in your body.
What's going on is this: You eat processed junk, such as breads, sugar, flour, "new and improved" wheat. It travels down, hits the stomach. From there, it digests, and travels out. Along the path of 6 feet of bundled colon, it could hit a speed bump. No worries, because only a teensy bit gets stuck there. More processed food, more junk. Travels along, hits the same speed bump. Now the teensy is tiny. More processed food, gets stuck in the same spot. Tiny becomes small. Small becomes large. So now you have a large speed bump in there. How are you going to get rid of it? Simple. Your leaky gut will fix the problem.
Wikipedia version: Leaky gut is a name used to describe intestinal or bowel hyperpermeability. Tight junctions (TJs) represent the major barrier within the pathway between intestinal epithelial cells that line the digestion tract. Disruption of TJs leads to intestinal hyperpermeability (the so-called "leaky gut") which has been proposed by some researchers to involve a relationship with acute and chronic diseases such as systemic inflammatory response syndrom (SIRS), inflammatory bowel disease, Type 1 diabetes, Allegies, Asthma and Autism.
Once the gut leaks, there are three places it will go - the joints, the muscles or the organs. Damage to two of the three will cause consistent and compound pain. Damage to the third will probably cause death.
Yes, we can't live in a plastic bubble. There are some things that just can't be controlled. I still need to breath the air. I still feel that even though I buy some organic, there's no way to tell if it's 100% organic. I mean, we still have rain coming down, that travels through the air that's filled with toxins.
And how does this relate to my Breast Cancer? Well, it's all part and parcel. Again, by healing myself from within, I'm fighting mutant cells. I'm helping my good guys beat back the bad guys. Have I turned away completely from my doctor? No, I have not. I am still in the learning mode.
The next couple of days are going to get interesting - you don't want to miss it. Especially when I meet with Dr. P...
Stay tuned - more to follow.
September 12, 2012 - Healthy choices
We told our good friends last night. That was very stress relieving. It seems that when we talk about it, the whole picture becomes much more clear. The kids were told, as were my brothers and sisters. Kept it from my dad - more on that later.
This morning, I called my chiropractor's office, Dr. Ty Casey Wade. The receptionist Lindsay listened as I gave her the details. She asked me a few questions, and then told me she would talk with Dr. Wade and his team, a nutritionist and a CMT Massage Therapist. I made an appointment to see him on Thursday afternoon, and again on Friday morning. She said by then, they would have lots of information for me and how to fight this from the inside out.
You might be thinking to yourself, why would someone with cancer call a chiropractor. A few years ago, I would have thought that too.
Back in early January, I hired a professional photographer to take family pictures. I wore the standard slimming black pants and long tummy tucking top. It's amazing what a good photographer will do for you. Oh wait, check that. No. The pictures were beautiful, but...
I knew I was heavy, but always thought I hid it well with my 5'9" frame. I tipped the scales at my highest at 263 pounds. After getting regular chiropractic adjustments for an old back injury that flared up, I learned about a health and nutritional product from of all people, my chiropractor.
Late in 2011, Dr. Wade offered a class on health and nutrition. It was held weekly for four weeks. There were about 16-18 people who came to each session. We all crammed into a room, and listened to Dr. Wade give the same speech, week after week. That was a good thing, because by Week 4, I could repeat the speech word for word. And it made sense.
Here's my version of the story. Everyone is born with mutant cells. A small percentage of people - there is nothing you can do about them. They will take hold, cause you illness, possibly death. But the rest of us - we can fight the mutant cells with healthy choices. There are external toxins everywhere. The car exhaust, the factory fumes, the bathroom cleaner, the personal hygiene products. Air. And there are toxins that we give ourselves. Liquor, smoking, processed foods, processed sugars, processed dairy. Processed.
So, here you are. You, and your good cells and your mutant cells. When you are born, for most of us, everyone is getting along in there. Your mother nurses you. Then as you age, you are introduced to baby foods, cereal in a cup for the car ride, a couple cookies because you were a good little kid, candy because it was Halloween or Christmas, school lunches, college starve and study. Well by the time you are in your 20's, your mutant cells and healthy cells are not getting along so well. All that crap you put in your body for the past 20 years is causing havoc. The good cells are like a little Pac Man, traveling along, eating up the toxins and processed crap that you've ingested for the past 20 years. While the mutant cells are loving the fat, mucus, sugar and toxins. Pretty soon, one is going to overtake the other.
On the Whole Food Supplement website, it reads:
"As a nation, we eat poor-quality foods that have been stripped of nutrients. We do not consume enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Many of us get our whole grains from instant rice, refined wheat breads, pastas, and cereal. We eat a tremendous amount of prepackaged, pre-made meals. One-quarter of Americans eat at fast food restaurants each day. Americans are overfed and undernourished.
Given the proper nutrition, the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself. To do so, we need to eat a healthier diet, exercise and take high-quality supplements made from whole foods. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients we are not getting from our diet, all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended, in a whole food form."
So on January 18, 2012, I started the new healthy way of living with a week long cleanse. That was rough. By Day 3, my body was screaming at me "WHERE ARE MY CARBS???!!!" I drank lots of water, and continued on the cleanse. I drank a whole food shake every morning, and had fruits and vegatables - no meats.
After the first week, I went with fruits, vegatables, chicken and fish. I would throw in the occasional beef or pork, but for the most part, FVCF was my standard diet. I stayed away from ALL processed foods, and by June, my weight was down to 220. That's over 40 pounds! That's more than four ten pound bags of sugar.
I was feeling good, no more aches and pains, and the best part - I was now sleeping sound the entire night. No more waking up every hour and a half. No more tossing and turning.
Well, I knew that plan worked. So now came the cheating. I had a donut here, a cookie there, couple candy bars. Have you ever had the creme filled coffee cake? Yum. And who can resist the custard filled donut slathered with chocolate frosting. Then came the rational, "well, if I'm going to eat a donut, I might as well have two in one sitting." So with that cheating, my weight went back up to 228. In very short order too - about 30 days.
Oh my goodness - what am I doing???
What does this all have to do with getting Breast Cancer? I'm getting to that.
More to follow, tomorrow.
This morning, I called my chiropractor's office, Dr. Ty Casey Wade. The receptionist Lindsay listened as I gave her the details. She asked me a few questions, and then told me she would talk with Dr. Wade and his team, a nutritionist and a CMT Massage Therapist. I made an appointment to see him on Thursday afternoon, and again on Friday morning. She said by then, they would have lots of information for me and how to fight this from the inside out.
You might be thinking to yourself, why would someone with cancer call a chiropractor. A few years ago, I would have thought that too.
Back in early January, I hired a professional photographer to take family pictures. I wore the standard slimming black pants and long tummy tucking top. It's amazing what a good photographer will do for you. Oh wait, check that. No. The pictures were beautiful, but...
I knew I was heavy, but always thought I hid it well with my 5'9" frame. I tipped the scales at my highest at 263 pounds. After getting regular chiropractic adjustments for an old back injury that flared up, I learned about a health and nutritional product from of all people, my chiropractor.
Late in 2011, Dr. Wade offered a class on health and nutrition. It was held weekly for four weeks. There were about 16-18 people who came to each session. We all crammed into a room, and listened to Dr. Wade give the same speech, week after week. That was a good thing, because by Week 4, I could repeat the speech word for word. And it made sense.
Here's my version of the story. Everyone is born with mutant cells. A small percentage of people - there is nothing you can do about them. They will take hold, cause you illness, possibly death. But the rest of us - we can fight the mutant cells with healthy choices. There are external toxins everywhere. The car exhaust, the factory fumes, the bathroom cleaner, the personal hygiene products. Air. And there are toxins that we give ourselves. Liquor, smoking, processed foods, processed sugars, processed dairy. Processed.
So, here you are. You, and your good cells and your mutant cells. When you are born, for most of us, everyone is getting along in there. Your mother nurses you. Then as you age, you are introduced to baby foods, cereal in a cup for the car ride, a couple cookies because you were a good little kid, candy because it was Halloween or Christmas, school lunches, college starve and study. Well by the time you are in your 20's, your mutant cells and healthy cells are not getting along so well. All that crap you put in your body for the past 20 years is causing havoc. The good cells are like a little Pac Man, traveling along, eating up the toxins and processed crap that you've ingested for the past 20 years. While the mutant cells are loving the fat, mucus, sugar and toxins. Pretty soon, one is going to overtake the other.
On the Whole Food Supplement website, it reads:
"As a nation, we eat poor-quality foods that have been stripped of nutrients. We do not consume enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Many of us get our whole grains from instant rice, refined wheat breads, pastas, and cereal. We eat a tremendous amount of prepackaged, pre-made meals. One-quarter of Americans eat at fast food restaurants each day. Americans are overfed and undernourished.
Given the proper nutrition, the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself. To do so, we need to eat a healthier diet, exercise and take high-quality supplements made from whole foods. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients we are not getting from our diet, all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended, in a whole food form."
So on January 18, 2012, I started the new healthy way of living with a week long cleanse. That was rough. By Day 3, my body was screaming at me "WHERE ARE MY CARBS???!!!" I drank lots of water, and continued on the cleanse. I drank a whole food shake every morning, and had fruits and vegatables - no meats.
After the first week, I went with fruits, vegatables, chicken and fish. I would throw in the occasional beef or pork, but for the most part, FVCF was my standard diet. I stayed away from ALL processed foods, and by June, my weight was down to 220. That's over 40 pounds! That's more than four ten pound bags of sugar.
I was feeling good, no more aches and pains, and the best part - I was now sleeping sound the entire night. No more waking up every hour and a half. No more tossing and turning.
Well, I knew that plan worked. So now came the cheating. I had a donut here, a cookie there, couple candy bars. Have you ever had the creme filled coffee cake? Yum. And who can resist the custard filled donut slathered with chocolate frosting. Then came the rational, "well, if I'm going to eat a donut, I might as well have two in one sitting." So with that cheating, my weight went back up to 228. In very short order too - about 30 days.
Oh my goodness - what am I doing???
What does this all have to do with getting Breast Cancer? I'm getting to that.
More to follow, tomorrow.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
September 11, 2012 - the Surgeon
I finally was able to reach Len at work. I gave him the report, and he could tell I was upset. He couldn't leave. I waited until the next morning to cry on his pillow. Felt good just to get a nice hug. He gives the best hugs.
Dr. S wanted to see me right away to go over my options. So I made an appointment to see him at 4PM on September 11th at the Glendale clinic. Len was able to take off work so he could go with me. I needed a second set of ears, but really just needed him with me.
The doctor came in. He's a nice man. I like him. He did the surgery on Len last year when he was having issues with his colon and his intestines. Angry bowels, I think they were called.
So he sits us down, and draws a picture. Looked like cauliflower on a tube. Well, down the tube, he draws the bubbles inside the tube. "This is what the DCIS looks like - it's contained in your milk duct." Okay, that makes sense. "This is what would happen if it were to spread" as he draws the bubbles outside the tube. "That would be called invasive cancer." Okay, that makes sense.
"So, what are your recommendations?" I asked.
"You have a couple of options, but I would recommend you have a lumpectomy to remove the margins around the tissue we took out, and then six weeks of radiation."
Silence. For what seemed like an hour. It was probably closer to 10-15 seconds.
"Hmmmm. Why six weeks of radiation?" I asked.
He started repeating statistics. "Well, doing the lumpectomy without radiation, the chance of it recurring is about 20%. But with radiation, it's less than 5%."
He answered a few more of our questions - what is the process, when should I have this done, what's next, who else should I be talking with - just general questions.
"Do you have any other questions?" he asked.
"Sure. What if I decide to go without the lumpectomy or radiation...?"
Without hesitation, his response was, "I think you'd be making a huge mistake..."
Hmmmm. Okay then.
What happens next? More to follow, tomorrow.
Dr. S wanted to see me right away to go over my options. So I made an appointment to see him at 4PM on September 11th at the Glendale clinic. Len was able to take off work so he could go with me. I needed a second set of ears, but really just needed him with me.
The doctor came in. He's a nice man. I like him. He did the surgery on Len last year when he was having issues with his colon and his intestines. Angry bowels, I think they were called.
So he sits us down, and draws a picture. Looked like cauliflower on a tube. Well, down the tube, he draws the bubbles inside the tube. "This is what the DCIS looks like - it's contained in your milk duct." Okay, that makes sense. "This is what would happen if it were to spread" as he draws the bubbles outside the tube. "That would be called invasive cancer." Okay, that makes sense.
"So, what are your recommendations?" I asked.
"You have a couple of options, but I would recommend you have a lumpectomy to remove the margins around the tissue we took out, and then six weeks of radiation."
Silence. For what seemed like an hour. It was probably closer to 10-15 seconds.
"Hmmmm. Why six weeks of radiation?" I asked.
He started repeating statistics. "Well, doing the lumpectomy without radiation, the chance of it recurring is about 20%. But with radiation, it's less than 5%."
He answered a few more of our questions - what is the process, when should I have this done, what's next, who else should I be talking with - just general questions.
"Do you have any other questions?" he asked.
"Sure. What if I decide to go without the lumpectomy or radiation...?"
Without hesitation, his response was, "I think you'd be making a huge mistake..."
Hmmmm. Okay then.
What happens next? More to follow, tomorrow.
September 10, 2012 - the diagnosis
"We have the results of your biopsy. You have Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. It's Stage 0 Breast Cancer." It took about three minutes to get past those words in my head. He kept talking, but I wasn't hearing it. And after he hung up, I got a call from a Breast Cancer Coordinator. I finally heard what she had to say and started to write things down. "Uh-huh, Stage 0, Lumpectomy, uh-huh, radiation, hmmm, uh-huh, Mastectomy...?"
I remember seeing the teensy spot on the screen. "This spot has changed slightly since your last mammogram nine months ago, so we will need to do a biopsy to determine if it's cancer." Okay, I thought. No big deal. That teensy spot had been there for about two years.
It started when I was 50. My sister, who doubles as my RN, called me with the standard message. "Keri, you are now 50, so you need to start getting your annual mammogram." Whatever. Not a big deal, until I got the first squeeze from that huge machine. That was rather uncomfortable. Yes, not a pleasant experience. They try to be as delicate as possible, but imagine your softest tissue being clamped in a vice, and they keep squeezing. Not fun. And then there's the, "oh, let's try that one again - it didn't come out as clear - hold your breath." Dang, I just wanted it over.
So 18 months ago, there was a calcification. "Let's keep an eye on it" they said. "Come in to see us in six months, and we'll do another mammogram." So nine months later, I went back, and the calcification was the same. Let's try another look in six more months. Okay, another nine months passed, but this time it grew. Very little, but significant enough for a biopsy.
Dr. S performed the biopsy on September 7th. That was a little scary. Not sure what to expect. But the women at the Cancer Treatment Center were very kind and caring, and made me feel very comfortable. Instructions were to strip from the waist up, and put on this really soft, nice kimono type robe. They lead me into this room with a table, tell me to get up there as gracefully as possible, and lay down and let my boob fall through the hole in the table. Really? So they do one more mammogram, and get me prepped for the procedure. This table rises into the air, and I'm about 5 feet off the ground. I'm unable to see anything but the kind face of one of the nurses to my left who has stepped up on a ladder of some sort. She stayed there, and just held my hand throughout the procedure. Except when they used the x-ray machine.
After about three minutes, they announce the arrival of Dr. S. The nurse tells me that she needs to give me a shot to freeze the area. She tells me it's going to burn, but will quickly go away, and then I won't feel a thing. She prepares me, and I hear her say "okay, we are going to insert the needle, and you will feel a little sting and a burning", and by the time she gets out the last word, I can't feel a thing. Thank God. I hate needles. But hate pain more.
So Dr. S does his thing, and takes out the sample tissue. He's sending it to the lab, and I should hear from him on Monday after 4PM. If I don't, he says to give him a call.
Well, that wasn't so hard. The cut was minor - a little over 1/4". A little bruise, but all in all, doing okay.
Well, the weekend took forever. And Monday just ticked, ticked, ticked away. By 4:00PM, no call. So, I called them. The woman who answered the phone seemed to know a secret, but wanted to let the doctor surprise me. So she took a message, and said Dr. S would be calling by 5:00PM. At 4:30PM, my husband Len had to leave for work. "Don't worry - I'll call you as soon as I hear something."
And, so I got the call. "We have the results of your biopsy. You have Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. It's Stage 0 Breast Cancer."
What happens next? More to follow, tomorrow.
I remember seeing the teensy spot on the screen. "This spot has changed slightly since your last mammogram nine months ago, so we will need to do a biopsy to determine if it's cancer." Okay, I thought. No big deal. That teensy spot had been there for about two years.
It started when I was 50. My sister, who doubles as my RN, called me with the standard message. "Keri, you are now 50, so you need to start getting your annual mammogram." Whatever. Not a big deal, until I got the first squeeze from that huge machine. That was rather uncomfortable. Yes, not a pleasant experience. They try to be as delicate as possible, but imagine your softest tissue being clamped in a vice, and they keep squeezing. Not fun. And then there's the, "oh, let's try that one again - it didn't come out as clear - hold your breath." Dang, I just wanted it over.
So 18 months ago, there was a calcification. "Let's keep an eye on it" they said. "Come in to see us in six months, and we'll do another mammogram." So nine months later, I went back, and the calcification was the same. Let's try another look in six more months. Okay, another nine months passed, but this time it grew. Very little, but significant enough for a biopsy.
Dr. S performed the biopsy on September 7th. That was a little scary. Not sure what to expect. But the women at the Cancer Treatment Center were very kind and caring, and made me feel very comfortable. Instructions were to strip from the waist up, and put on this really soft, nice kimono type robe. They lead me into this room with a table, tell me to get up there as gracefully as possible, and lay down and let my boob fall through the hole in the table. Really? So they do one more mammogram, and get me prepped for the procedure. This table rises into the air, and I'm about 5 feet off the ground. I'm unable to see anything but the kind face of one of the nurses to my left who has stepped up on a ladder of some sort. She stayed there, and just held my hand throughout the procedure. Except when they used the x-ray machine.
After about three minutes, they announce the arrival of Dr. S. The nurse tells me that she needs to give me a shot to freeze the area. She tells me it's going to burn, but will quickly go away, and then I won't feel a thing. She prepares me, and I hear her say "okay, we are going to insert the needle, and you will feel a little sting and a burning", and by the time she gets out the last word, I can't feel a thing. Thank God. I hate needles. But hate pain more.
So Dr. S does his thing, and takes out the sample tissue. He's sending it to the lab, and I should hear from him on Monday after 4PM. If I don't, he says to give him a call.
Well, that wasn't so hard. The cut was minor - a little over 1/4". A little bruise, but all in all, doing okay.
Well, the weekend took forever. And Monday just ticked, ticked, ticked away. By 4:00PM, no call. So, I called them. The woman who answered the phone seemed to know a secret, but wanted to let the doctor surprise me. So she took a message, and said Dr. S would be calling by 5:00PM. At 4:30PM, my husband Len had to leave for work. "Don't worry - I'll call you as soon as I hear something."
And, so I got the call. "We have the results of your biopsy. You have Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. It's Stage 0 Breast Cancer."
What happens next? More to follow, tomorrow.
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