An Unwelcome Update

                          

waiting for my turn

i will never get used to that thing, absolutely hate it

Sometimes things don't always play out as planned or as we had hoped. I was given 9 infusions every other week of the new, very expensive drug Nivolumab. I had two CT scans 3 weeks apart. The results, unfortunately, didn't make me jump with delight. The cancer progressed despite our efforts. We could have given up after the first scan, but the Oncology team wanted to know for sure that what they see is not just an inflammation from the drug, they were hoping it just gets worse before it gets better. The second scan confirmed our worst nightmare though, that it is indeed a progression and with mets on the left lung, which moves me back to stage 4. The new predicted time I have - 6 months without treatment. With the rare mutation I have, there isn't a lot of conventional options left, the team is frantically searching for clinical trials. I'm still actively pursuing alternatives. My Oncologist gave me the option to go back to chemo, but a different cocktail this time, a combination of Docetaxel (Taxotere), taken intravenously and Vargatef (Nintedanib), taken orally. These are both very toxic and would only give me a few months more, if it even works. I know it's there as an option, but I have turned it down. So the drug didn't work......next please, but not that.

It is very upsetting, the news is a big blow to me and my efforts. I have reached milestones in this journey but I'm still running short. I came back from the meeting despondent and crestfallen. My 13 yr. old daughter sat beside me and asked if I could watch a video with her. This alone renewed my conviction to keep going, because after all, hey, I'm still breathing, and I want to live so my daughter can watch as many videos with her Mom as she wants. I've got new things in my arsenal that could be the breakaway I'm looking for, I hope I find my path real soon. Here's wishing the next update will be better. 

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu 

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. 
Thich Nhat Hanh 

If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell. ~Lance Armstrong

 everything is as it should be and this obstacle simply is part of my path

Lemon and Baking Soda Alkaline Drink

 

Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment so it is vital to keep the body alkaline. One of the easiest way to do this is by drinking lemon juice with baking soda. Get some ph strips and test your alkalinity. Avoid food that makes you acidic like coffee, meat, and dairy. A ph of 7.0 is neutral, below is acidic, and above is alkaline. The human blood is slightly alkaline at 7.35 - 7.45. When you are acidic, the body will try and compensate by using alkaline minerals, and if your diet doesn't contain enough, a build up of acids in the cells will occur. Acidosis decreases the body's ability to produce energy, repair damaged cells and detoxify. When you're acidic you are more susceptible to disease and illness. If you're generally healthy, aim for 60% alkaline forming foods but when you are trying to restore health, it should be 80%. Here's a link to a list of alkaline and acidic food. I make my alkaline drink by juicing one organic lemon, then adding 5ml. of aluminium free baking soda. Make this in a tall glass, as it will fizz. Wait till the bubbles relaxes then add about a cup of warm water. Drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Drink for two weeks then take two weeks break and so on. It tastes like a salty fizzy lemonade. Lemon juice is acidic but it produces an alkaline environment in your body when metabolised. Sodium Bicarbonate is alkaline and remains so in your body. I have read of cancers getting cured on this protocol alone, or on just the lemon juice and baking soda drink. For some Cancer patients, they were just acidic and switching their diet  to include alkaline food and drinking this concoction was all they needed. They mix 3 parts maple syrup to 1 part baking soda, heat it up on low for 5-10 minutes and consume 3 tsp. a day for 1-2 months. It's like a trojan horse, the cancer cells will go to the maple syrup because of the sugar, and the baking soda will kill it. More on that protocol here. Baking Soda is also effective in delivering oxygen through your skin when you bathe, I mix in 1-2 cups of baking soda in my bath, about twice a week.