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.