When the rubber meets the road

Because I use this blog as a medical journal, helping me if and when I need to look back for information and details, I thought I'd jump on to document my excitement. I just woke up at my normal 3am, only to realize I didn't experience any pain yesterday! And I'm in no pain now.  I want to say "finally," but I know so many people in chronic pain that I feel silly.  I've said it many times, "Cancer is one thing; but, dealing with pain is a whole other thing."  I guess the Metformin has finally left my system. I honestly don't think going to the chiropractor did anything for it.  Yay! I'm out of pain. What a relief. 

The oncologist really wants me to be taking Metformin. That surprised me on my last visit with Dr. Mellott because I thought that was more of an "alternative" thought. There is an organization called Care Oncology that has people take Metformin to minimize spikes in glucose in the body that can feed cancer as insulin goes up and down. My blood sugar and blood pressure have gone up since taking so much Prednisone these past few years. Care Oncology also has people take an antibiotic, chronically, which is one of the reasons I haven't signed up for their program. They also prescribe an anti inflammatory and an anti-parasitic like Fenbendizole, which I take. Each has a different purpose to help the body deal with the different drivers of cancer.  Anyhow, I told her I had trouble tolerating Metformin in the past so she had me try a time-released version. I was happy not to be nauseous or anything; but, after having gone to the chiropractor and starting to take lots of pain ki...

 Hello.  So it sounded so innocuous. I had done a round of 60mg Prednisone when I had Covid and had no detectable problems. 100mg was a different story; but, as with all of this, it is hard to definitively say what caused what.  I took it a few days and then went on a weekend trip, continuing the 100mg Prednisone for a total of 5 days. 60mg is considered the high dose but 100mg is often used just before a person has high dose cytotoxic chemotherapy or a stem cell transplant. A person I was with on the trip felt somewhat unwell and vomited a couple times but was then OK except for a bit of queasiness when eating. We went out for Mexican food and I thought it was one of those weird times when a normal amount of food and a couple margaritas just expanded in my stomach, making me extremely uncomfortable. I went to bed, berating myself and absolutely miserable.  We were 4 adults in two queen beds in a normal hotel room. Ugh!  I was up and down, trying to get some re...

Yesterday was oncology day; the possibly pivotal day when she looked at Friday's PET scan and we decide what to do next. I suspect things are worse; I have a troubling sensation that lymph nodes are pushing on my windpipe. The sensation is worse sometimes that others. Sometimes I can still just go about my life as I have for so long. Other times it deeply rattles me.  My dermatologist of 4 years has pleaded with me to go to MD Anderson where she took her son who has now beaten Hodgkins Lymphoma. I met her when he was first diagnosed 4 years ago. We cried together and I gave her the Chris Beat Cancer and Radical Remission info. He apparently really took to the integrative info as they also sought out what they thought was the best conventional treatment. 3 years ago we cried together as she told me he was really in trouble because all the horrible chemo had not been working. 2 years ago, she told me they were trying Keytruda as a "Hail Mary." And when I met with her a few ...

I've gradually increased Fenben from 250mg twice daily for a few days, to 375, to 500, to 750. When I reached 875 with the goal of getting to 1000mg twice daily, I had increasing diarrhea and a yesterday a terrible headache and nausea so I backed down to 750 mg twice daily. I take Tudco with it, which is supposed to help the liver and Serrapeptase at night when I wake up so that it is on an empty stomach. This is supposed to help the body clear out dead cells and break down biofilms. I was taking 2, but backed down to 1 when I had what may be the Herz reaction. I have a new large, hard lymph node on the left side of my neck. It reminds me of what I am dealing with, which is probably good. It's motivating me.  Tomorrow I have a consultation with Zahara Sita, who is something of an expert on this protocol and naturally healing cancer in general.  Some good news for me to remember:  -The new big lymph node will give me a way to show the new protocol is working.  - I've ...

I tried the Metformin and, yuk! I felt like I had the flu all the time, terrible heartburn no matter what I ate, and hip pain, especially while trying to sleep. I finally stopped it after about a month and the symptoms went away pretty quickly. I finally got the Revlamid, after a lot of trouble with insurance and pharmacies. Unfortunately I got an itchy rash after only a few days and my doctor told me to go off the Revlamid for about a week, hoping the rash would subside, and then start the medication slowly again. Even having been off the medication for a few days, I was still having to take Benadryl to sleep without such incredible itch. I'm a bit concerned about the rash and some night sweats. After waiting about 10 days, I tried the Revlamid again but the rash came back quickly. Well, that's off the table. My mindset is a problem right now. I feel powerless over my health. It's like progression of the disease is inevitable and I'll end up having to do CHOEP, which h...

Today was oncology day. No big deal, really, but the day I go to Memorial Hospital North on Briargate to check in with Dr. Mellott, the oncologist. I refuse to call her "my oncologist." I need to review things to know details of medications, clinical trials, updated information about this lymphoma and what's going on in the world of research and data. It inevitably makes me weepy and today it was like I was transported back 6 years to that vulnerable fearful place. I feel like I need to be smart and assertive while still relying on people who know things I don't. It hits something deep in me and wears me down quickly.  I think it's the fear of having to jump into CHOEP that scares me the most. For good or bad, I believe that would be the beginning of the end of my general health. Just about everything I have done makes me feel horrible, even though I am so grateful for the way the targetted medications have helped with symptoms like the swollen tonsils and other l...