I'm Back!

Time does pass quickly~my last Post was March 18, 2009. Can hardly believe it has been that long. Guess I need to see if I can remember all that has happened since that date and catch this Blog up to the current date.

Today is May 28th. In 2 days I will celebrate the big "66". That is almost more than I can wrap myself around. First off I do not feel like "66". But then I am not real sure what one is suppose to feel like at 66! But I feel wonderful - totally healthy - no pain - feel great. I guess that is pretty good for someone who was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer 9 1/2 months ago. I have to be honest and say it has not always been an easy journey. But overall, my courage and faith and trust in God have got me through those months. First off, I believed in what I was doing and realized that there was no other way to go for me. To put something as toxic into my body as chemo drugs made no sense to me and the idea of radiation treatment was very scary to me. But going God's way gave me total peace. So, what has happened since March 18th?

April 2nd I went in to see my doctor at the University Hospital. It was a follow-up appointment after the ultra sound I had on March 17th. He is a very kind and gentle doctor. He did not miss any words with me as far as he was concerned about my future with the cancer. He does not believe that I can reverse the cancer without the medical treatment. He begged me to see an Oncologist/Surgeon at the Huntsmen Cancer Center here in Salt Lake City. And as usual after my appointment I was so stressed and it always takes me a few days to calm down from the trauma of being told what I am doing will not work.

April 27th I had an appointment at Utah Thermography and had a Therma-Scan. Breast thermology has a very high sensitivity identifying the specific tissue changes associated with breast cancer. Over time and with repeated studies, thermology can distinguish non-cancerous conditions from evolving breast cancer.

The final summary stated: The thermal features of the left breast do not define any thermology signs or criteria associated with risk for malignant disease. Normal thermology of the left breast. A comparative restudy is recommended in 120-180 days.

So, that was really good news. I will go in for a follow-up the end of October.

I continue to follow the "program" religiously and thank God every day for my health and the healing that has and is taking place in my body. My weight remains between 121 and 125. It feels great to be rid of the "fat". It is nice to look better, but far more important is the health issues involved. So that is what I have focused on.

I thank you all for your prayers. It is hard to go against the medical establishment and since I am such a "people pleaser" it made it even more difficult. Whenever I vaguely considered giving in to the pressure I was feeling, my anxiety level went sky high and when I prayed for wisdom and guidance to make the right choice in my care I felt total peace with following, what I call, God's way. I have been well through all this - not even a cold/flu/headache or anything.

So at this point all I have to report is that all is well! I will continue with follow-up and will keep you posted. My quality of life is so important to me and I am thankful for the health that I have.
Blessings to each one who reads this Post!

Encouraging News

It has been 7 months, 6 days since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Time does fly when one is busy! If you have been following my BLOG you have read of the ups and downs of this journey. Since day one I have changed my eating pattern to a pretty strict nutritional plan and have exercised and have done all I know to do to reverse this dreaded diagnosis. Over the months I have posted the testing I have done and the results. February 24th the doctor ordered the CEA cancer blood test. I received those results. Any reading under 3.0 is considered "normal" ~ no cancer. My test score was 1.1~ So that was really good news!

Yesterday, March 17th, I went up to the Huntsman Cancer Center at the University of Utah Hospital and had a 3rd Ultra Sound done. The first Ultra Sound I had done was August 8th and it showed the breast tumor to be 8.4 mm. The second Ultra Sound was done December 10th and it showed the breast tumor to be 9.0 mm. (The Radiologist said that 6 tenths of a mm was insignificant as different tech's can read differently.) Then yesterday the Radiologists measured the tumor at 2 different angles. One angle was 6.0 mm and the other angle was a reading of 8.0 mm. I am encouraged! I believe the tumor will continue to shrink and will be completely gone within the next 6-12 months.

I continue to feel very well and know that getting my weight to a healthy level has helped me to feel much better too. I thank you for your continued prayers.

Spring is just around the corner and that is good news for all of us! It has been a long, hard winter.

Remember...."Nothing is impossible with God."

Dianne

Doctor's Visit Today

It is time for another update. Today I went to see a doctor up at the University Hospital here in Salt Lake City. I have felt the need to have a doctor monitor my journey through blood work, ultra sound and check ups. That has been difficult as I have chosen a path that medical people are not comfortable with. Dr. Doan was very kind and respectful. He did communicate his concerns and what he would like to see me do. He ordered a CEA cancer blood test. This first test will be a baseline test. And then he ordered an Ultra Sound for the middle of March.
He did a manual exam and could not feel any tumor. So that was good news for me.
The doctor's sister died from breast cancer and he told me she did everything she was suppose to do.......surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, Tamoxifen. But her father, a Surgeon, and her brother, an Internist, could not save her. He still wanted me to go up to the Huntsman Cancer Center for consultation.
He was surprised that I felt so good and had no pain. He is willing to continue to work with me and I feel thankful to have someone who will order the tests I need.
I asked him how I would know when I am cancer free and he said the only way would be to have a lumpectomy and have lymph nodes removed and tested. That is not on my agenda!!
If the AMAS test remains normal and when the Ultra Sound shows no tumor I will consider myself cancer free. I did learn that if I went the medical route - that with my type of cancer I would have a 20% - 50% chance of a 5 year survival. (He said I was probably between a state 3 and 4) That 20-50% rate is not acceptable to me. I believe God's way will give me a long, healthy life.

I will be flying to Portland, OR on Thursday to spend some time with my mother. Tawnya and Emma will fly out with me and spend 4 days with Grandma. After Tawnya flys back home on Sunday, mom and I will drive down to Southern Oregon to visit other relatives in the Myrtle Point, Bridge, Powers, Bandon area. I will return home on March 9th.

Continuing on my therapy is essential so I have plans on ways to do that while traveling.

Thank you, thank you for your continued prayers. God is good ~ and I am counting on the immune system He put in my body at creation to heal my body and to destroy the cancer cells and tumor.

Blessings to one and all~

Medical Tests

In one of my recent Posts I told you that February was the month I would be having some follow-up blood test and also a chest x-ray. I planned to do these now as February 12th will be the 6 month anniversary of receiving the diagnosis of breast cancer.

3 months ago I had the AMAS cancer blood test ~ www.oncolabinc.com ~ Anything under 135 is considered normal/negative for cancer cells. The first test in November came back with a score of 36.
Last week - February - I had a repeat test and the test results came back with a score of 12. So it had come down even further.
I also had the Ca125 cancer antigen assay. Anything less than 25 is considered negative or normal. My test results came back at a 11. This particular test is used primarily as a marker for cancer of the ovary, but is also used for other malignancies - including the breast.
I also had a chest x-ray and there was no sign of metastises to the lung or ribs and there were no enlarged lymph nodes visible.

So I must say I am quite encouraged. Tawnya still takes the stance of "cautious optimisn".

We will all feel better when the tumor is "digested" and gone. From others I have talked to who have been down this road tell me it takes 12-18 months for the tumor to dissolve and be excreted.

So that is my good news!

Fear is the Enemy

It has been awhile since I have written. A lot has happened and it will take a couple of Posts to get you all caught up. The last several weeks have been difficult. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a devastating emotional trauma. I will never forget the day I received the phone call from the Radiologists telling me the pathology report showed malignancy. I remember feeling faint and my mind traveling fast with many thoughts. Over the years I have known so many who fought the "disease" and lost. I remembered the devastation of the treatment and the uncertainty in their lives. Martin and I stood by the bedside of those who did everything the doctors wanted them to do and they were dying anyway. ...some of them from the treatment and not the disease. And here I was ~ facing a diagnosis that was the most dreaded.

Believing in the mind/body conncection I knew I needed to remain positive and trust in my Heavenly Father each step of the way. But that is easier said than done sometimes!

So I have experienced the typical major emotions ~ panic, shock, rage, hopeless resignation, numbing despair and a sense of isolation. But I think the overwhelming feeling of fear is what I really struggled with. I did quite well until I was tired and then fear would take over. And yet, I knew that "fear" did not come from my Creator/Healer. God's way is not one of fear. Fear only comes from the enemy. It was during those times I would pray and rebuke the enemy in Jesus' name. God always gave me peace during those times.

So I have struggled these last couple of weeks. I have to admit it is difficult going against the main medical pathway. And yet that was not an option for me. Instead of destroying my immune system through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and Tamoxifen (or other) I knew I wanted to do all I could to boost my immune system and allow God, my Creator, to work through the immune system He put into my body to heal me from sickness and disease.

I had so many people say to me that I should do what the medical establishment wanted to do for me because God works through doctors. Yes, I believe there are a lot of good Christian doctors and when I need one I am mighty glad they are there! When there are "acute" issues that need to be addressed I am glad to know that there is a hospital down the road with an emergency room.

But for many chronic illnesses/diseases we need to take responsibility for our difficulty's and do what we can to reverse our problem. So many issues are due to diet and lifestyle. The medical field tells us what those problems are: diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
(Please know that I know there are always exceptions)

But for some reason we think that cancer cannot be reversed with diet and lifestyle. But I have learned it has been done by many thousands of people over the years. When Jesus walked this earth the 3 1/2 years during His ministry He healed everyone He met who was sick. I choose to cooperate with Jesus for healing.

Well, this is getting way too long so guess I had better sign off. I have several more Posts to do to get you caught up. Thank you for your prayers.

Hello!

It has been awhile since I have written so just wanted to say "hi" and let you know I am doing well. I feel well and have a lot of energy. I continue following a healthy lifestyle and continue to believe and trust healing is taking place in my body.

Our good friend, Bob Cox, was here visiting for 5 days. We had a great time with him.

So, not much other news. Just wanted to let you know I am doing well.

Thank you for your prayers.

Interesting Insight

Hello, once again. Time does fly and it has been awhile since I have posted.
Before I get into the "interesting insight" I want to clarify something from my last Blog - Statistics.
It is easy when writing to know in my head what I am saying and meaning, but write it in a way to be misunderstood. It was brought to my attention that when I quoted the ACS concerning the number of people diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and the number who died in 2007 that those who died were not necessarily those who had been diagnosed the same year. Probably many of the 8 million who died had been diagnosed in previous years. I made the assumption that we would all know that, but since I tacked on the 33% survival rate it made it look like I believed that 8 out of the 12 million died the same year. That is not correct.

An interesting insight I read about today that comes from U.S. oncologist Bernie Siegel, MD, author of several best-selling books that have helped to extend public understanding of the body-mind link in health and sickness. Doctor Siegel states that 15% to 20% of cancer patients consciously or unconsciously want to die, no doubt to escape a difficult life trap; 60% to 70% wish to get well but are passive and expect the doctor to do all the work. 15% to 20%, however, are exceptional in that they refuse to be victims, they research their disease, don't obey the doctor automatically but instead ask questions, demand control and make informed choices. In Dr. Siegel's words, "Difficult or uncooperative patients are most likely to get well." Apparently, they have a more warlike immune system than docile patients! Do you think I may fit into that category??
I continue to feel well and trust God for the healing powers He put into our body through the immune system.