Annie’s Dad’s Battle with Cancer pt. 2
This note was dated 10/6/2007.
Hi,
Well, it has been a very busy month, to say the least. I last sent information out on 9/10, and we did not have a diagnosis. The radiologist decided it was safe enough to attempt a CT-guided needle biopsy; they got a good sample and the resulting diagnosis was non-small cell lung cancer. This was good news/bad news again. The good news was that we had a firm diagnosis so we could more effectively treat the cancer; another bit of good news was that non-small cell is not as aggressive as small-cell. The bad news is that it is not as responsive to chemo as small-cell. Therefore, we were going to have to do many adjunctive treatments to the targeted low-dose chemo (IPT). So, before we even went for his first IPT treatment, Dad was doing the anti-cancer diet that I told you about in the last email; he added Red Clover Stilingua (an herbal anti-cancer), Artemisinin (a Chinese herbal chemo and chemo booster), and a digestive enzyme that reduces inflammation (cancer loves fungal, viral, and inflammation). I also talked to him at length about exercise and the involvement of the mind and the need to think positively and get rid of negative emotions. This was hard for him to do in his current state, but he tried. He was still too weak to walk the dog or exert himself much physically. The closest IPT doctor was in Dallas, 3 hours away, so we knew we would be staying up there overnight at the very least. The question was how to accomplish this with a tight budget. While I was trying to figure this out (and despairing that we could manage it), one of my oldest and best friends, Janet, offered to let us stay with her. This was literally a gift from God. In fact, we all look upon Janet as our Angel. She has not only made us welcome, but she has helped me accomplish many things during our stay, and she has supported me emotionally. We know now that we could not have done this without her. Dad’s first IPT treatment was on 9/20 in Dallas. The doctor checked Dad’s lungs out and found that the 20% of his right lung that he had had 10 days before was gone – there were no “breath sounds” from the right lung. This was very upsetting to all of us, naturally. When we asked this doctor if Dad could get some of his breathing capacity back, he said that anything was possible. Already this was completely different from the doctor in Austin, who said that he would never get anything back.
So, on to the treatment. They took Dad’s vitals, and then hooked him up to an IV and started a saline drip. We were all surprised when the doctor told Dad to do some visualization, to see the cancer being destroyed and flushed out of the body. He suggested that Mom and I might want to add prayer. It was amazing. Then a small dose of insulin was delivered, based on his body weight, and we waited 45 minutes before delivering the chemo, in order to give the cancer cells time to reach the “therapeutic moment”. Dad came through the treatment fine, but he was still tired and having trouble breathing after that first treatment.
The next treatment was 9/24, then the third on 9/27. For the first 2 weeks, he was to go twice per week. Then it is once per week for the next 6 weeks. Then they look at the cancer to see how well it is responding to determine how to change the schedule. Things really began to change for him after the third treatment. Both Mom and I noticed that he had more energy and more stamina. I believed that he was breathing better, that there was less wheezing. The fourth treatment was 10/2, and by then it was apparent to Mom along with me that his breathing was much easier, and that there was no more wheezing. After the treatment, we asked the doctor to check out his lungs. The doctor reported that there were “breath sounds in both lungs”. Wow!
So now we are getting ready for a West Coast Odyssey. I have to be in San Diego for the Foundation’s Fifth Annual International Conference, and I cannot leave Mom & Dad at home with nobody to take them to their weekly treatments. Therefore, they are going with me. We are leaving the dogs with Janet and taking off after Dad’s fifth treatment next Wednesday. We will stop in Mesa,
Dad is now actively walking the dog and running errands. He takes care of his diet and vitamins/herbs by himself (something new, believe me). He is employing visualization on a regular basis and working on staying positive/dumping negative emotions. I am so proud of him and what he has done.
You probably won’t hear from me until we get home, sometime after October 30. Until then, please keep up the prayers and send good energy our way, and thank you for all of the support you have already given us.
Love,
Annie