MD Anderson Trip

We just returned from a 2 week stay in Houston, running many tests and talking to a lot of MD Anderson doctors. The results from all of the above were shocking and disheartening to say the least

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It seems that the low blood counts that I have been fighting for the past few months are due to “portal hypertension” in my liver. With all the scaring from surgery’s and the 3 years of chemo my liver is failing to do its job of getting platelets to the rest of my body.

With low platelet counts I can not get chemo treatments to fight the cancer. The fear is that I will bleed to death internal and never know its happening if I do chemo. So the tumors will grow and over come the liver at some point.

We talked about liver transplants and it was explained to me why that would not be an option for me. We talked about removing my ever enlarging spleen, but right now it is a safety value for the pressure that has built up in my liver.

The bottom line and one that is very hard to except is that there is nothing else left in traditional medicine that MD Anderson is aware of today for me. When we were told this news and the fact that I would probably only have a “few months” left, was likened to the day I learned I had stage IV cancer. The blood drains from you face and you feel like vomiting.

I plan to keep fighting and see what options my local doctors may have, get my affairs in order and ENJOY TODAY! We will also see what non-traditional things in the US are possible. But for this day I am grateful and smiling.

We always think/hope/pray we have longer to live and enjoy the time we have here, but no one know what the next day holds in store for us, so please ENJOY THE DAY, this day. Remember Yesterday, look forward to Tomorrow, but LIVE TODAY! In the course of every day find something or someone that makes you smile. I have that via family, friends and our 2 dogs and it makes my life full of love and joy.

Until next time You Keep Fighting Cancer and ENJOY THE DAY!

New Years Update

Update: Since starting the latest treatment, I’ve made through 2 ½ treatments. This is due to such bad blood counts.

Platelets are as low as I’ve ever seen at 15 – normal is 140-400
White blood cell count is now at 2.5 – normal is 3.8 - 10.8
Hemoglobin (red blood count) is 9.8 – normal is 13.2 – 17. 1

I need to have Platelets greater than 30 to get a treatment. With the numbers in a steady fail that’s not looking good right now. I’ve gone from 40, 4 weeks ago to 14. The doctors will not do a platelet infusion until I get below 10.

As for the white blood cell count, well I have no immune system left to fight even a cold. I’m still waiting on a call back to see if we can do anything about getting this number back in line, or at least closer to the line. 

So, instead of waiting for the doctors to take action, Lisa is breaking out the big guns again. The juicing machine is whirling as we speak.

Here is our Green Drink receipts and don’t say “uck” till you try them. They are very good;

Recipe 1
2 cored apples (green apples seem to work best, but any apple is good)
3-4 carrots peeled and topped

Recipe 2
2 cored apples (green apples seem to work best, but any apple is good)
2 hand full of spinach leaves
1 hand full of kale
1 hand full of dark grapes
Mint leave to taste (optional)
Wash all ingredients with veggie wash and rinse. Use organic when possible.  Add to juicer in reverse order to get the most out of each plant. Drink as soon as this is juiced to get the most nutrients as possible. Enjoy!

Lisa has me on a regiment of supplements also that will help my immune system and white blood counts.  Currently taking (but not limited to :)

Aloe Vera juice = George’s, it’s the only one I found that is taste free.
Probiotics
Daily Multi-Vitamin
Vitamin D-1000
Moducare = for immune system
Echinacea & Elderberry
A shot of fresh Wheatgrass

Trying to take in 5 serving s off fruit and 3 servings of vegetables a day, also. If you are eating your fruit raw, try to do so 30 minutes before you eat anything else. Your system will love you for this.

And finally as much Green Tea as I can drink, all this is giving me more energy also.

Till next time; You Keep Fighting Cancer and ENJOY THE DAY!

Another Year Spent

 Well I started on treatment number one again. This is the treatment that I first took back in 2008. This consists of Folfox, 5FU, Avastin … the side effects are bad in other ways from the last treatment that had Vectibix in it. 

The side effects are you feel like you have the flu, fatigue, nose bleeds and right now middle neropathy. Just got blood lab work back from yesterday and my platelets have dropped to below 30. This means that if today were treatment day I would not make the cut due to, too low of platelets. Another side effect.

“Another Year Spent”
 
As I reflect back on this past year and all the distance we have travel, I’m reminded of all the wonders in my life. The joy of waking up in the morning and see the sunrise if even behind a cloud or two is a present of the day. The joy and time spent with my family and good friends. 

Though the year had some tough moments, they were just that “moments” in time. The rash was the biggest hill I had to climb last year and now that I have made it over that in many ways I feel better. I can once again enjoy a shower or a whirlpool without the hours of pain that would follow either of these events. 

I also look back to see what I was able to get accomplished in my life and what did I learn last year. 

Learning is an ongoing process that hopefully you never find the end of that trail. The new advancements that are in work with cancer drugs and tools, better ways to eat to give your body the best fighting chance and finally learning more about myself. Example; here is a short article on a new blood test that is so sensitive it will be able to detect a signal cancer cell. That’s good news. 

Things that I did get done last year, I did get off my duff and got back to doing things that I enjoy. Time spent with family and friends. We were able to meet up with my aunt and uncle which was a very big deal for me this past year. To see them again and to tell them in person thank you for their help in my fight against cancer was important.

With the new treatment that I am on once again (Avastin, Folfox, 5FU…) I have several bad days, but as I remind myself I get to watch the sun rise each day and enjoy time as best I can and know tomorrow I will feel better.  

I’m waiting to see if my blood test result will allow me to have my next treatment. I will know tomorrow.

Never Give Up!

Here is a story of a man that is not giving up that I thought you might like and will fill your heart with hope;

Lester Warner is a hero in my book of those that NEVER GIVE UP !

Till next time – You Keep Fighting Cancer and ENJOY THE DAY!