March 27th, 2012
Just got back from infusion number 5. Pretty easy. The oncologist told me all my meds were as they were last week, but she had actually upped the steroids again. Got it figured out with the nurse fairly quickly and we were in and out pretty easily.
I tried the pre-chemo fast. It actually ended up being a little over 60 hours since I ate Saturday night at 7pm and then the chemo started at 10am on Tuesday morning. The Benadryl didn't hit me as hard and instead of sleeping through the entire infusion, I slept for an hour and was ABLE TO READ for an hour and a half. I have NEVER been able to read or use the computer for at least 5 days after an infusion (and obviously I'm using the computer right now!!) I'm not going to push it though. Once I get off this and check emails, I'll just do a cursory email check twice a day - unless I still feel great.
It may not have all been the fast - my dear friend Tracy met Rabbi Stanley Kolt at a solar convention and started talking about energy for healing - Tracy is an acupuncturist. It just so happens that Stanley built a machine based on Scalar electricity that he says can regenerate cells. Layman's explanation: any mutated or bad cells vibrate at a lower voltage than strong healthy cells and if the body can appropriately regulate its energy, healthy cells take back their electrons from the unhealthy cells, leaving them to be eliminated. Jon Barron describes it much better than I can here http://www.jonbarron.org/natural-health/remedies-special-reports-scalar-energy.
Stanley's machine is super simple - it consists of bronze and copper and runs a 12 volt through the ring that you wear around your waist or neck or legs (perpendicular to your body). I joined Tracy, Stanley and 2 of Tracy's other friends and for 3 hours we all sat at Caroline's house with the rings around each of us - chatted and laughed, ate apples and avocados, drank tea, and took pictures or felt the differences in our particular ailments throughout the 3 hours.
There were a number of ailments present, a sciatica or bursitis complaint through a hip and down a leg, my tumor, scars with raised centers, ruptured blood vessels, etc. We all witnessed or felt palpable changes. Everyone's faces definitely opened up and became more vulnerable (it reminded me of how people look after they skydive - like they are a kid again, totally eager and childlike). I took one of the rings home to try out.
It was hard to determine if we all really noticed differences or if we were in a sort of mass hysteria stage, all confirming that there was change. I used it again Sunday night and Monday night. It seemed to me that daily the tumor was getting smaller. But was it all just wishful thinking? Had I lost my objectivity. Today when my oncologist felt my tumor she said she thought it had gone from 3cm to 1cm and felt much more rubbery and soft. She said the cells could even be dead and just aren't sloughing off yet. Wow!
You can see Stanley's website here - http://stanleykolt.com
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Eating and Fasting!
May 23rd 2012
It's Spring and that gets me excited about gardening which gets me excited about growing and EATING food.
Last Friday I had lunch with my dear friend Maureen and afterward we walked over to our community garden and she gave me a bunch of stuff she had wintered over. I walked away with tons of kale, sorrel, onions and garlic. Encouraged, I came home and pulled out some carrots and arugula - and instead of being discouraged that my brussel sprouts never sprouted, I pulled the plant and the leaves taste like broccoli - delicious.
I've started watching The Chew on Channel 7 cause all they do is cook food. They had a great early spring recipe that I decided to change slightly and try. Here's the video of the food from my house (with 2 fresh eggs I pulled from the chicken coop) and the video of what I cooked with an explanation of what's in it.
Carrots, arugula, and brussel sprout - with eggs.
I placed the onion and garlic in a sauce pan with olive oil and let it sautee then added the the carrots, kale, brussel sprout leaves and sorrel with some tumeric. I dashed in a little white wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. I then added some grilled chicken from my dinner the night before with some tumeric over all of it and let it simmer for about another 3 minutes. Pulled it out, drizzled some more olive oil and sprinkled it all with parsley I dried this fall/winter.
I've also been juicing ALOT. In the mornings I have a fresh organic juice drink which I wrote about in the last blog - but in the afternoon I have a veggie drink. Usually start with a couple of apples and about an inch of ginger, then juice about 6 carrots (no need to skin anything) - today I added 4 leaves of collards, about 5 handfuls of Kale, a few leaves of sorrel (they are a little bitter) and the rest of my arugula - about 2 handfuls. That made a pint of juice! And it was delicious!
On another note, my friends Chad and Gretchen told me about a study they had read about fasting for 48 hours before chemotherapy can get rid of any side effects. I decided to look it up -and so far they haven't done any human studies - but it certainly works on mice. The idea is the starvation causes the healthy cells to protect themselves but the cancer cells leave themselves vulnerable, so the chemotherapy becomes targeted instead of just randomly destroying all cells - cancerous AND healthy. I have my next infusion this coming Tuesday and figured it wouldn't hurt to try the 48 hour fast beforehand. I'll let you know how it ends up!!
It's Spring and that gets me excited about gardening which gets me excited about growing and EATING food.
Last Friday I had lunch with my dear friend Maureen and afterward we walked over to our community garden and she gave me a bunch of stuff she had wintered over. I walked away with tons of kale, sorrel, onions and garlic. Encouraged, I came home and pulled out some carrots and arugula - and instead of being discouraged that my brussel sprouts never sprouted, I pulled the plant and the leaves taste like broccoli - delicious.
I've started watching The Chew on Channel 7 cause all they do is cook food. They had a great early spring recipe that I decided to change slightly and try. Here's the video of the food from my house (with 2 fresh eggs I pulled from the chicken coop) and the video of what I cooked with an explanation of what's in it.
I placed the onion and garlic in a sauce pan with olive oil and let it sautee then added the the carrots, kale, brussel sprout leaves and sorrel with some tumeric. I dashed in a little white wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. I then added some grilled chicken from my dinner the night before with some tumeric over all of it and let it simmer for about another 3 minutes. Pulled it out, drizzled some more olive oil and sprinkled it all with parsley I dried this fall/winter.
I've also been juicing ALOT. In the mornings I have a fresh organic juice drink which I wrote about in the last blog - but in the afternoon I have a veggie drink. Usually start with a couple of apples and about an inch of ginger, then juice about 6 carrots (no need to skin anything) - today I added 4 leaves of collards, about 5 handfuls of Kale, a few leaves of sorrel (they are a little bitter) and the rest of my arugula - about 2 handfuls. That made a pint of juice! And it was delicious!
On another note, my friends Chad and Gretchen told me about a study they had read about fasting for 48 hours before chemotherapy can get rid of any side effects. I decided to look it up -and so far they haven't done any human studies - but it certainly works on mice. The idea is the starvation causes the healthy cells to protect themselves but the cancer cells leave themselves vulnerable, so the chemotherapy becomes targeted instead of just randomly destroying all cells - cancerous AND healthy. I have my next infusion this coming Tuesday and figured it wouldn't hurt to try the 48 hour fast beforehand. I'll let you know how it ends up!!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Infusion #4
March 14, 2012
Wow! Somehow time is getting away from me. I keep thinking that I need to write a blog and then suddenly its' a week later! Infusion #4 was actually really easy. I knew the oncologist was not going to be there, so I met with her RN who was GREAT! Why can't Doctors learn how to relate to people the way so many others in the medical environment can. We discussed the steroid intake and agreed to lower it again to 8mg. (I started at 25mg). She told me how my weight changed the carboplatin dosing - something no one had ever told me before. My weight was down to 183. That is 42 pounds lost since November, all from diet change. I'm feeling much healthier and am eating better than I ever have. If it wasn't for this pesky chemotherapy I would be great. Still taking about 6oz. of the essiac tea daily. I have fresh juice every morning with Dr. Schulze's Super Food Plus - amazing, it has all my essential vitamins as well as 3 kinds of algae, 3 kinds of grass, seaweed, spinach and some roots and fruit peels. I feel great after consuming it. This past week was much easier than any of the other infusion weeks - I had a little acid reflux on a couple of days but never the stomach rolling queasy nausea. Before, I stayed in bed on the Thursday after - this week I was able to get out of bed - even spent a couple of hours in the sun in the backyard. Yes! You read right - SUN! It is warm and sunny here in NYC. We've been getting little spurts of rain, but nothing major. The daffodils and hyacinth are in full bloom, my lilac has HUGE buds just waiting to burst and the quince is almost finished with it's bloom. I too feel a bit of rejuvenation and new spring in my step. Only two more chemo infusions to go. Of course the herceptin infusions last throughout the year - but they are much easier although still a heart risk drug.
In early April I'm to meet with the surgeon again, have another MRI to make sure nothing has spread and schedule surgery for early May. I leave for Idaho in early June for the Playwrights Conference and my family is having a little gathering in the town in Idaho my great grandparents on my Mom's side settled in.
Simon comes home for the weekend and I'll have to get him to take some photos of me in all my hats that my beautiful siblings have been sending me.
So, I'm hanging in and if time doesn't get the better of me - I will report back soon.
Love and thanks to all of you!!
Wow! Somehow time is getting away from me. I keep thinking that I need to write a blog and then suddenly its' a week later! Infusion #4 was actually really easy. I knew the oncologist was not going to be there, so I met with her RN who was GREAT! Why can't Doctors learn how to relate to people the way so many others in the medical environment can. We discussed the steroid intake and agreed to lower it again to 8mg. (I started at 25mg). She told me how my weight changed the carboplatin dosing - something no one had ever told me before. My weight was down to 183. That is 42 pounds lost since November, all from diet change. I'm feeling much healthier and am eating better than I ever have. If it wasn't for this pesky chemotherapy I would be great. Still taking about 6oz. of the essiac tea daily. I have fresh juice every morning with Dr. Schulze's Super Food Plus - amazing, it has all my essential vitamins as well as 3 kinds of algae, 3 kinds of grass, seaweed, spinach and some roots and fruit peels. I feel great after consuming it. This past week was much easier than any of the other infusion weeks - I had a little acid reflux on a couple of days but never the stomach rolling queasy nausea. Before, I stayed in bed on the Thursday after - this week I was able to get out of bed - even spent a couple of hours in the sun in the backyard. Yes! You read right - SUN! It is warm and sunny here in NYC. We've been getting little spurts of rain, but nothing major. The daffodils and hyacinth are in full bloom, my lilac has HUGE buds just waiting to burst and the quince is almost finished with it's bloom. I too feel a bit of rejuvenation and new spring in my step. Only two more chemo infusions to go. Of course the herceptin infusions last throughout the year - but they are much easier although still a heart risk drug.
In early April I'm to meet with the surgeon again, have another MRI to make sure nothing has spread and schedule surgery for early May. I leave for Idaho in early June for the Playwrights Conference and my family is having a little gathering in the town in Idaho my great grandparents on my Mom's side settled in.
Simon comes home for the weekend and I'll have to get him to take some photos of me in all my hats that my beautiful siblings have been sending me.
So, I'm hanging in and if time doesn't get the better of me - I will report back soon.
Love and thanks to all of you!!
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