If you haven’t read the previous installments, read them here.
As we were leaving the oncologist’s office, Dr. Wingo’s patient, who we’ll refer to as Mary, called my cell phone. When she told me who she was I got a little excited. She started by telling me about her ovarian cancer that was not surgically removable and how she discovered it. She told me that she just didn’t feel good about chemotherapy and searched for other options. She found Dr. Colleen Huber at the NatureWorksBest Cancer Clinic in Tempe and that she goes there 3 times a week to receive IV vitamin C or “liquid gold” as she referred to it. Mary told me that she was impressed that Dr. Huber meets with each patient before each treatment to evaluate his/her progress and adherence to the diet plan and to make any adjustments in the treatment plan. Mary proceeded to explain Dr. Huber’s recommended diet of lots of frequent raw salads, lots of fruits and vegetables, little meat, and little to no sugar. That didn’t sound nearly as extreme as I was expecting. As I asked more about the treatments, Mary told me that each treatment cost about $200 and insurance doesn’t cover any of it. That was a little disheartening. I thanked her for calling and we decided to keep in touch.
We made an appointment to get a CT scan for the upcoming weekend. I had to pick up a bottle of contrast to drink 4 hours prior to and then I would drink another one on location. They even let me choose which flavor. I ended up with “vanilla” flavor. I’m not sure that vanilla is even what it tasted like. There may have been a slight imitation vanilla flavor, but mostly it just tasted like liquid chalk. The texture was just like liquid chalk too. It was difficult to swallow down the 2 cups worth that was in the bottle. After each swallow I felt like I had to use the back of my tongue to rub the filmy chalk off of the back of my throat and the roof of my mouth. Over and over, again and again. And, I was not allowed to eat or drink anything else 4 hours before the scan. Only having chalky contrast in your system for 4 hours sure contributes to just feeling gross.
When I arrived at the radiology center they gave me my second bottle of contrast. I requested “the best flavor” and they gave me “berry.” Once again, not much ‘berry’-ness in the chalk, but it was maybe slightly more tolerable than the vanilla. It probably took me the entire hour to get the barium contrast down before they took me to the back where I changed into a gown and they gave me an IV. Before this cancer experience I could tolerate needles pretty well. But by this point, each needle seemed to be more painful than the last. Luckily, the nurse was very adept and inserted it quickly, effortlessly, and nearly painlessly.
The scan went much more quickly than I expected and I was finished in about 15 minutes. I changed back into my clothes and left with a feeling of anxiety and anticipation of what the results would be.
Luckily, I added Dr. Wingo’s name to the list of doctors to receive the results of my scan eventhough she was not the one who ordered it. She was my ally in this crazy cancer rollercoaster that I was on. She knew what was at stake and how anxious I was to know how far the cancer had spread and what I was up against. By the end of the day the radiologist had read the scans. Dr. Wingo had called to get the results before the offices closed at 5 and called me shortly after.
She read the results to me: “…calcified nodule in the medial right upper lobe…subpleural nodule at the right lung base…lesion along the posterior margin of the posterior segment right lobe of the liver…irregular margin in the central pelvis…” My heart just sank. While none of the lesions or nodules were specifically identified as cancerous, they may as well have been. This particular cancer most often metastasizes to the lung and liver. That only made the hill to recovery that much taller. Inside I panicked a little. Okay, a lot. But I also started feeling a pressing need to start doing something. Anything. As soon as possible, before it could spread further and grow bigger.
Jeremy continued to tirelessly scour the internet for any and all information about leiomyosarcoma. He is one of the best internet researchers I know. He can find information about pretty much anything and then gleans everything about it. One morning after my shower, as I dried the tears from my eyes, he called me over to his laptop to show me something promising he found. I eagerly looked over his shoulder at a blog by a woman we only know as Jeannie. She explained that she is a 3 year survivor of uterine leiomyosarcoma. In 2008, after years of heavy bleeding, she decided to have a hysterectomy. As part of the hysterectomy procedure they cut up her uterus before removing it. She received the pathology report a few weeks later with the diagnosis of stage II/III uterine leiomyosarcoma and then underwent a procedure to remove the cervix to determine if it was cancerous also. Luckily, it was not. She was told that this type of cancer does not respond to chemotherapy or radiation and that she had a “50% chance to live 2 years and a 20% chance to live 5 years.” Jeannie decided to work on strengthening her immune system through diet, supplements, and guided imagery.
It was as if a light went on in my head. There was a glimmer of hope that started to rise in my heart. Looking back, I am convinced that the Holy Ghost was whispering to us that this was something to investigate further. The scriptures say in Doctrine and Covenants 9:2 “that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right” and in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” I definitely felt good about this possibility and it seemed to make sense. We decided to study this option further.
Over the next few days Jeremy and I delved further into Jeannie’s blog and pored through her lists of supplements and dietary regime. It was fascinating. It seemed to resonate with what we had been feeling and learning about food over the previous few years. Jeremy’s brother had introduced us to the organic movement back in 2010. At first we thought it was a trendy idea that cost a lot of money. But we began looking more into it and started to understand why people choose organic produce, and the concerns over feed lots and GMOs. Slowly, our groceries included more organic produce, and less meat, only of which was pasture-raised. It had been interesting to learn that the food that populated the typical grocery store is not the same food that our grandparents ate. As a result, we are plagued with more health problems and obesity. It was because of this belief that it wasn’t such a stretch for us to consider cleaning up our diet even further to eliminate cancer.
Jeannie also mentioned several supplements that she was taking, one of which was curcumin. Jeremy, once again the diligent internet researcher, found a study in Japan that showed that curcumin increased that rate of apoptosis, or death of damaged cells, in lab mice. It was fascinating, but also a little curious as to why no research in the United States was done on this possible herbal cure. Curcumin is derived from turmeric, a common spice used mostly in India. As we were learning about this I decided that I needed to start taking some, as soon as possible.
Soon after reading Jeannie’s blog some friends from Jeremy’s work stopped by to see how we were doing. They brought a book entitled, “The Gerson Therapy.” Had we not seen Jeannie’s blog I may have just tucked it away on a shelf to read later next to all of the other home treatments for cancer that people had brought by. Jeremy started reading the book first after looking up the diet on the internet. The Gerson Therapy has been around since the 1950s with documented cases of curing cancer, even stage IV. There were a lot of impressive results and testimonials; and there were a lot of studies and highly respected physicians making the case that there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of the Gerson Therapy. So who do I believe? The cancer survivors? The educated medical professionals?
I definitely had a lot of inner turmoil as I considered the Gerson Therapy. I looked at the before and after pictures of patients with huge tumors that gradually went away. I read the stories of stage IV cancers that were completely healed and the survivors went on to live a long life. It was hard to dismiss. But the diet seemed awfully strict. It consisted of 13 freshly pressed juices, mostly carrot, consumed every waking hour, and lots of raw fresh vegetables, some fruits, and flavorless soups. There was also a list of foods not to be consumed. Some things were easy: alcohol, drugs. Some made sense: meat, sugar, dairy, and soy. But other things seemed a little odd, like green peppers, salt, ground pepper, spicy peppers, avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and a few other things. It was a huge lifestyle change to jump into and I needed to prepare myself mentally before I committed to it.
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