#22 It's good news time!

For those of you who have been following these sporadic postings you know it's been an uphill battle right from the beginning. We had the previous cancer history of both of Becky's parents and their "main stream" medical outcome. Point blank... they both died wasted away and penniless after the medical system had "done all they could do." Nice code speak for keeping them barely alive long enough to drain them of not only their dignity but also their life savings.

Becky flatly refused to follow that path when she found out she had cancer too. She had seen how well "modern" cancer treatment worked first hand and the sad fact is...... it usually doesn't. People who recover after traditional treatment seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies don't make any money by curing you...... only by *treating* you... so there is no incentive to find a true cure in America.

Thus we began the slow and difficult investigation of alternative therapy options. The power of the FDA and big Pharma to intimidate, prosecute and imprison people for saying or writing things they don't approve of is frightening. (Hang on, gang, because the recent passage of S510 gives them far more power to control your life..... by controlling your food supply!) We had some false starts with therapies which were simply not powerful enough to combat what we were dealing with..... and we lost ground. More research and a couple of more trips in the wrong direction and we eventually started to make some progress.

Cancer has a few things going for it. #1 is that it is basically immortal. Once a defective cell changes enough to become cancerous the apoptosis (natural programmed cell death) stops. #2 is that it is highly adaptive. There isn't just one cancer... there are hundreds and they affect all parts of the body. #3 is almost complete environmental isolation. Cancer survives as a fairly isolated entity in an environment of it's own creation. It's mechanism for creating the energy it needs is totally different from what all normal cells utilize. It is also able to "hide" itself through chemical signals which make it invisible to the bodies normal immune system responses.

The treatment we eventually came to utilize targets as many of cancers unique properties as we can without having any one treatment compromise any of the other treatments. Everything has to work together for maximum benefit.

Becky's cancer is estrogen receptive..... meaning that it has the ability to convert estrogen into an energy source. That had to be dealt with so she takes an estrogen inhibitor called Arimidex. The immortality issue had to be addressed so we eventually settled on DCA to handle that task.

We started adding Oleander extract to accomplish two different tasks. One is to kill stray cancer cells should they be drifting around in her body attempting to settle in elsewhere. The second is that the Oleander interferes with atherogenesis which is cancers ability to cause the body to grow new blood vessels to support it as it grows.

We tossed Amygdalin into the mix to kill the cancer outright. This was taken via tablets but with those we had no way of verifying what *exactly* was in them. Might have been all fillers. So we use dried apricot kernels instead purchased from a Christian farm in Canada. With all these measures we were attacking the cancer from four different directions and attempting to target cancers various traits and weaknesses. To all of that we added supplements to support her immune system so it could deal with the treatment as well as help her effectively eliminate debris from her body. Many many of you.... added the power of prayer and for that we cannot thank you enough!

And now.... the GOOD news! On her last visit to the Oncologist he found that ALL of her cancer markers were down! The mass in her breast continues to shrink even if slowly. There is no sign of the cancer spreading to any of her internal organs either. Also the open sores that had appeared in her breast following the biopsy have all started to heal and grow closed. Even though we had declined conventional chemo and radiation at Baylor and even though we had declined the same therapy with our current Oncologist..... her cancer is still shrinking and being eliminated from her body. Her Dr. said he saw no reason to keep monitoring her monthly and we're going to go now every 2 to 3 months.

We both know that we're far from being out of the woods yet even though it is getting a bit brighter now. We will likely continue with our current therapy as formulated now for at least one to two more years. After that we'll likely keep it in place but at a lowered dose for the rest of her life as a prophylactic measure.

Meanwhile our focus is expanding to address other internal issues. I have made an appointment for her to see Dr. Liu who is a Dr. of traditional Chinese Acupuncture and herbal therapy. She also has 8 years and two degrees in "female" medicine. Our goal in seeing her is two fold. One is to bring her body back into balance so that it can more effectively combat the cancer that remains. The second is to address some female issues.

I consider Dr. Liu to be a miracle worker. I had suffered from various skin issues related to agent orange for over 20 years. The VA kept sending me home with more and more drugs to take..... but nothing ever improved. I stopped taking all the VA prescribed drugs and went to see Dr. Liu. She had my skin back to normal in less than 30 days! Over 6 years later and I'm still doing better than at any time the VA was "treating" me.

The estrogen inhibitor and some other issues have resulted in a rather significant decline in her sex drive. While normal aging and menopause can have a negative impact in that area most women still exhibit some interest in sexual activity even if at a reduced frequency. Going from normal activity to no activity, however, is neither typical nor normal.

The battle wages on but at least we seem to have the upper hand now and are making measurable progress. Becky has lost a significant amount of weight but is fairly stable now right around 160 pounds. That weight loss simply takes more stress off her system. She remains happy and positive about everything we're doing and is enjoying being back at work with her friends.

If nothing else our struggle, although far from over, indicates that everything you've ever been told about cancer and how to treat it is a lie. Many clinics and many doctors all over the world are treating cancer very differently from the "standard model" here in America and are having amazing results. All without the ugly side effects and dangers associated with Chemo, Radiation and Surgery. Becky never lost her hair, was ill but never the deathly sick that Chemo and Radiation cause. Her cancer has gone down from the size of a grapefruit to perhaps the size of a handball. Still large..... but shrinking rather than growing. Even with our success there are therapies that were left untried....... most simply due to expense. All that means is that IF we need them..... there are still other effective treatment options left for us to use.

She sees Dr. Liu on the 8th for her first visit. From my experience it can take a few weeks before the effects of the acupuncture and the herbal teas are noticeable in a significant way. Once they begin, however, changes occur fairly rapidly and can be dramatic. I'll keep you posted.

Until then.... be good to each other and may God bless.

#21 Minor Update - proper DCA dose & side effects

Hey, gang! I thought I'd provide an update based upon some recent developments with our alternative therapy.

As you'll recall one of the main items in our program is a substance known as DCA for short. This substance has been proven to re-awaken the mitochondria in cancer cells thus bringing on apoptosis or natural cell death. A slow process to be sure but a good thing none the less.

The dosage of DCA is a weight to milligram ratio. When we began use of this product Becky was above the 200 pound number on the scale. Based upon the numbers from an on line calculator her dose worked out to just shy of 1200 milligrams total for that weight.

Delayed light bulb moment here! As her weight declined so should have her dose..... a fact we both totally overlooked. Also we had decided that one capsule every 12 hours or so would ensure that there was always enough DCA circulating in her system so as to always be available to the cancer. Another OOPS moment. That initial 1200 mg dose was calculated to be taken once every 24 hours.... not 12. As her weight came down the dose should have followed to keep the same amount of DCA available in her system..... thus her dose NOW should be roughly 770 mg rather than the starting rate of 1200..... and certainly FAR less than the 2400 mg she was taking.

The effect of this higher than necessary dose rate has been the onset of a problem with her fine motor skills..... noticeable mostly by trembling hands. Additionally she had developed some peripheral neuropathy and also easily induced generalized fatigue. After spending several days researching everything she is taking for side effects and possible negative interactions with other medications and supplements I found the DCA connection.

Fortunately the "cure" for all those bothersome side effects is rather simple. Just stop taking the DCA for a little while..... three days minimum..... one to two weeks at the most. All those problems should be alleviated after that time and she can then resume the DCA at it's proper dose rate and level.

Thus we encounter again the dark side of alternative cancer therapy..... lack of good solid information due to the fear that either the American Cancer Society or the FDA.... or both are going to track you down and lock your ass up. (Yes... it happens all the time and has been going on for well over 60 years) There is very little "Freedom of speech" when the pocket books of large pharmaceutical companies are in danger of getting less money. Simply put.... your life and the lives of those you love come in a far distant second to profits for the drug companies and the power of the FDA.

Anyway.... if you are using or planning on using DCA keep a close eye on the weight of the patient. Change the total mg dose rate as necessary to compensate for fluctuations in total body weight. If you detect ANY of the symptoms noted above simply stop taking the DCA for a minimum of 3 days and monitor for the reduction of those symptoms. Use the DCA in concert with black tea and vitamin B1 to increase its effectiveness. If necessary adopt a program of DCA for three days followed by a three day break. Continue the black tea and B1 during the break.

Additionally..... remember that *everything* that enters your blood stream passes through your liver. The liver can become over taxed by both environmental toxins and debris resulting from dying cancer cells..... and needs to be maintained. One simple method is to squeeze the juice of one fresh lemon into an 8oz glass of filtered or purified water and drink that at the start of each day. During the day to can also take Milk Thistle to aid in cleansing and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA or just plain ALA) to help generate new liver cells and serve as a powerful anti-oxidant.

As always.... be good to each other.

Peace

#20 Slow progress

Hello again to everyone following along here. Sorry for the huge gaps between posts but, for the most part, fighting cancer is a lot like watching grass grow in reverse. On a day to day basis not a whole heck of a lot is noticeable so there's not much to write. Over slightly longer time spans though one can begin to note subtle changes.

We had another visit with the Oncologist at the Arlington Cancer Center today. He tried to push Chemo again and again Becky politely declined with the comment.... "That's our last resort." I suspect our anti-chemo attitude is ticking him off a little bit. While there is absolutely no way of knowing for certain..... there is a possibility that he could get some sort of kick-back from the drug companies for that type of therapy. That or the mark up just just so damn high that having a patient *not* taking it is a substantial pay cut.

Even with our continuing refusal of the Chemo he did tell us that the masses seem to be getting smaller. Our unspoken question was "Well... if the masses are getting smaller without the Chemo..... why would we want to start that protocol?" Also the ulcerations on her breast have begun to heal. Becky isn't sure if that's a good thing or not. She always felt they were something of a drain for stuff to escape. Nothing nasty ever did, however, so I view the healing over as yet another positive sign of our alternative progress.

Weight wise she is down to about 165 right now. Considering that when we met she was pushing 240 that's a considerable drop. Her dietary habits have changed some since then too and that's the most likely reason. She no longer guzzles 6 to 12 diet Cokes a day! (A shock to those of you who knew her back then I know) She's kicked a lot of the "bad food" habits and is eating more frequent, smaller healthier meals instead. Her joints, for the most part, bother her a lot less now. She still has to deal with a touch of bursitis in her left shoulder and hip joint though. If she could just keep from doing things to strain or injure those joints she'd be a lot better off.

Otherwise the only notable development was the sudden appearance of a painful red rash on her left side below her breast and around her side to just about half way to her spine. A steroid injection and some topical ointment seem to have taken the pain out of that and it's slowly fading away. She is still able to work every day and that is important to her mental health. She is simply not the sort of person who can sit around and do nothing.

On our visit to the local Dr. about the rash we had him address her painful urination issue. Come to find out she had a substantial urinary tract infection going on. A few days and several antibiotic pills later and she is happy to report the pain there is going away. That and the reduction in the rash both please me greatly because I sincerely hate to see and hear my Sweetheart in pain.

For now, however, we are continuing with mostly alternative therapy and it seems to be showing positive results. The Arimadex is our only nod towards conventional medicine here. As I explained previously it is an estrogen inhibitor and her particular cancer is estrogen receptive. Naturally we wish to deprive that cancer of as much support as we possibly can.... so she takes one Arimadex pill a day.

Beyond that there are items to stimulate her immune system and keep her liver functioning as well as possible. Additionally she takes Laetrile orally as well as using Oleander in a capsule form. The final weapon in our fight is the DCA powder which I put into capsules so she can take that too. Thus we are attacking the cancer on four different fronts with four different weapons. To date that seems to be working as well as can be expected.

As previously stated..... she didn't develop the cancer over night and it's not going to go away over night either. From a mainstream medical perspective she's already been cured. She was aware of the cancer 6 or 7 years ago and is still alive today..... doing better all the time too! Statistically once you know you have cancer and are still alive five years later..... you are considered cured. I guess that's because it takes Chemo and radiation five and a half to six years to kill you...... so they picked the safer number of five years as the official "cure" point. We do what we can each and every day and pray for the best.

Y'all take care of each other out there...... and remember to VOTE tomorrow!!! It's the only time you have to make your voice heard..... don't waste it.

For my opinions on things political try: http://moveondotblog.blogspot.com
Word of caution.... put on your thick skin and fasten your seat belt!

#19 Test results in her own words

We had the scans done last Wednesday. Becky was up in the air about them but ultimately it was a common sense decision to do them. With the sale of her company clearing the final hurdles the state of her health insurance is a question without an answer. Therefore we elected to proceed with the scans while we still have good coverage. Her blood tests cost $1350. The CAT scan and bone scans run roughly 10 times that much. Tough "pocket change" to come up with.

Anyway.... we got the results from the Dr. on Monday, the 27th, and here, in her own words, are Becky's thoughts on those results. Since this is a letter to a dear friend it will be edited slightly but not changed in content.

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Went to the oncologist today to get the results of the scans they did last week. I almost didn't have them done because I really feel like the radiation does more harm than the benefit from the info they get from them, but if I do lose my job there's no way we could afford them without insurance so I went ahead.

The CT scan showed no increased activity in the lungs, the spots that were there last year still are and about the same size, so I conclude no worries there. Absolutely no indication of mets to the liver, bladder, pancreas or stomach. The main breast mass is now actually a bunch of different smaller masses but he couldn’t answer our question as to which ones are actually active and which might be mostly dead tissue, except he said the “really black places indicate little or no blood supply” which to me says “dead”.

The bone scan showed about the same size and location of the T4/T5 vertebrae and ribs but there is now a lesion showing up on the T8. Also a lot of dye showed in the left shoulder and left hip which he reads as cancer. But those were the places I had treated this summer for bursitis and I think it may be the scar tissue from that picking up the dye. Also something in the right hip…but cancer? Don’t know.

He’s wanting to do more aggressive chemo and then radiation. Well, this is where I parted ways with the last doctor who said I wouldn’t live six months without that treatment and hmmmm, guess what?...that was almost a year ago and things don’t look much different. Still have breast cancer with bone mets, but unlike her dire prediction, my lungs and liver are NOT involved and I just don’t see the benefit of wrecking my immune system (basically for them to collect $12,000 a treatment for the chemo and who knows how much for the radiation?).

So, we have to weigh whatever possible advantages there might be to shrink the remaining breast mass with chemo then blast what’s left after surgery with radiation versus doing something I believe in and that will keep the rest of my body relatively healthy. The Dr.’s comfortable with what he knows and my basic point of view hasn’t moved much so Joe may be stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea on this one. I really think if he’d been with me with either of my parents there’d be no question.

For now, we’re going to continue the program we’ve been on the last 3 months since there is definitely nothing of a critical nature to deal with right now and we are seeing improvement.
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While that devil thing might be a bit scary..... I'm pretty darn comfortable in the deep blue sea so it's only half scary. While there have been many gains in cancer treatment since the struggle of her parents it's *still* the same big three. Poison, cut and burn. And there is a great deal to be said for the famous "placebo effect" too.

To used Becky's own words: "So, we have to weigh whatever possible advantages there might be to shrink the remaining breast mass with chemo then blast what's left after surgery with radiation versus doing something I believe in that will keep the rest of my body relatively healthy."

[emphasis added]

It matters little how effective any therapy is if the person receiving it has no faith in it's effectiveness. Conversely even in highly controlled medical studies a sugar pill often gives the same or better results than the test medication. If the person taking the treatment *believes* in the treatment then the odds of a successful outcome improve greatly.

For example..... my first wife had twisted her ankle and was in considerable pain. The V.A. had prescribed some rather powerful pain pills for me so I figured giving her one would be okay. Got to the medicine cabinet and discovered that I'd used them all. I finally found a regular unmarked aspirin and took that to her with a glass of water. I cautioned that it was a *very* powerful pain killer and that I was supposed to take 2..... but since she was much smaller than me 1 should do the job. She took the pill and lay down. 15 minutes later she was sound asleep and when she woke up 4 hours later said it barely hurt at all. She *believed* that I was trying to take care of her and *that* mattered more than anything she took.

This is the case here as well. Because there is only anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of any of the alternatives we're using we can't point to clinical studies and trials or study definitive empirical evidence of effectiveness. SO based upon what people say about method X or therapy Y we form an opinion or a belief in the efficacy of the treatment. And once we form a belief that something *will* work for us then we dramatically increase the likelihood that it will. This belief component is actually a benefit to therapy that too many doctors of all stripe fail to put to full utilization.

Becky is improving and that's obvious even without the scans. She's typically upbeat and positive, has a great appetite, and is enjoying life day at a time. Her weight is down to about 172 due, in part, to dietary changes and a healthier life style. She looks great! (Something I tell her several times a day too!) As long as she's happy, positive and actively fighting the cancer then her wishes and desires lead the way. Marriage is a two way street..... and right now it's my job to support her any way I can.

Y'all take care of each other out there........

#18 A Big Step Forward

The 7Th of September marked a big step forward for Becky. With something akin to the exuberance of a child at Christmas she happily returned to work. She had prepped for the day with a minor shopping expedition to acquire some new pants to compensate for the 70+ pounds she has lost. She also got a new bag to tote all her essentials in..... her work "life support system" if you will.

Physically the weight loss has done her some good. Still a minor amount of pain in her hip now and then but overall both her hips and knees are giving her a lot fewer problems. She looks more healthy and also hasn't needed her "walking stick" for over a month now. All good news indeed!

While that is all wonderful there is still a huge reality check out there that has to be cashed. Point blank she still has breast cancer and will for some time yet. On the other hand we've had some wonderful success at shrinking the size of the tumor. It's not happening at break neck speed.... but then again it didn't just suddenly appear in her breast the size of a softball either. Took time to develop and it will take time to eliminate too.

While I never thought the pill the oncologist prescribed was going to be a "magic bullet" it was common sense that it couldn't hurt anything either. Since her cancer is estrogen receptive then it's only logical that if you reduce her estrogen level you hamper the growth of the cancer. To that estrogen inhibitor we're augmenting with DCA (see a previous post for the particulars on that product) and also with Oleander extract. Both have been shown to be effective against cancer but each works differently. Thus we are attacking the cancer on three fronts and with three weapons which each exploit a specific weakness of the tumor and it's growth mechanism. As long as those three seem to be working then we'll keep pressing forward.

We've still got a good supply of the MMS product too. That's the one which proved to be somewhat too effective at killing abnormal cells. Since it is so strong and so effective we're holding it in reserve in case we hit some sort of impasse in our progress and need a stronger weapon.

In case there is worry out there about the weight Becky has lost..... it's not from lack of appetite as is often the case with cancer patients. To the contrary she has a very healthy appetite indeed! At many meals she sitting there with a clean plate sipping her water and waiting on me to finish. I think it is a by product of changes to her basic diet in general and in eating things which are more healthy for her. Those changes are also a part of the overall cancer fighting plan so we're not concerned that some weight has come off.

We're not sure what is ahead of us but it does appear that we have turned a corner of sorts. The tumor mass seems to be on the wane..... Becky is healthy and happy otherwise.... and thrilled to be back at work with all her wonderful friends. Our course is ,however, dictated by what the cancer does.

At this point she's a candidate for surgery IF she thinks removal of the breast is her best option. Since the tumor IS shrinking then we see no harm in simply continuing what we're doing and monitoring the progress of this therapy. If, at some future date, we need to consider surgery then the mass will be that much smaller and the surgery far less radical. We see no downside at this point in time. Our outlook remains positive and hopeful.

#17 Late August Update

Apologies to everyone for not updating this sooner. Much (most actually) of this had been published from my laptop. Sadly ..... right after having the hard drive replaced and *finally* getting all my programs reloaded ..... the motherboard goes belly up. Since Becky was, at the time, having difficulty getting around we needed to get it fixed. The reality of that was that it would cost just over $400 .... and a new laptop can be had for under $300. She got a new laptop courtesy of her wonderful co-workers at Bowne. (Enough thanks cannot be extended!)

So now we have Sweetie resting in my easy chair for most of the day with her new laptop keeping that part of her lap NOT covered by kitties.... warm. I made the incorrect assumption that she was utilizing the new computer and some of her time to keep everyone updated on her progress. Wrong. Thus I shall attempt to rectify that oversight now.

Today is the 26th of August and we did have a visit with her oncologist today. Prior to this visit it was her judgment that various portions of the tumor mass seem to have receded. We got confirmation from the doctor that she was indeed correct about that! Needless to say we're both quite pleased to have heard that from him.

We're still using his prescription drug, Arimadex, and we are augmenting that with several alternative therapies. #1 on that list is DCA. That chemical works on cancer by awakening the mitochondria. (Cancer switches it off) Once awakened the cell can now resume a normal life cycle and die off. We are also adding #2 Laetrile and #3 Oleander extract.... .both of which directly kill cancer cells. Overall the combination seems to be working.... even if slowly. On the other hand the mass didn't get as large as it is over a period of weeks or months.... so it's not going to go away quickly either.

Her oncologist still tweaks her about taking regular chemo but since we're seeing progress, however slowly, with this methodology we'll stick with it for the time being. He says we could see faster shrinkage with chemo..... which is probably true. My thought is that regular chemo might be a good "ace up the sleeve" if we need to step up to something more potent should there be a reversal of progress.

Additionally we'll be getting a battery of tests and scans done on the 22nd of September. We've not done any of those for about a year so it's time to see what sort of progress we're making overall. Were such scans not prohibitively expensive it probably would have been helpful to have had some scans done right before we started on the Arimadex. Either way we'll know next month what things look like inside and we'll know if the results we're seeing in her breast are extending to the other sites which were initially involved as well. Obviously we are hoping that we've made progress there too.

While not much .... it's all the information I have to share at this point in time. OH! I nearly forgot..... Becky had been having some mobility problems. She had difficulty moving her left arm and severe pain in her left hip also. The hip problem made walking slow and painful. She'd taken to having to use a cane to help her get about. Happy to say the cane has been parked for the past three weeks and she's getting around well enough that she is planning to return to work soon!

I think I'll just end this on that high note. Y'all take care of each other out there!

#16 Head VS Brick Wall

It's the 28th of July as this is written and we're roughly a month into the "chemo" with the Arimadex pills. So far...... we're not seeing anything positive. Could the pills be working? Sure... anything is possible. Are they going to make a significant difference as a stand alone therapy? Highly doubtful. Might they make a difference if they were augmenting some of the alternatives we've used? More than likely.... yes!

That brings me to the nut of the problem in this installation. When the cancer was first positively identified Becky wanted absolutely nothing to do with traditional therapy. I agreed to support her decision to use alternatives instead. Due to the general lack of information and any attempt by traditional medicine to properly test and evaluate alternatives...... finding the *right* alternative for your situation is simply a matter of trial and error. (sad as that is)

We made some judgment errors due mainly to that lack of information. (Thank you FDA, AMA, and all the rest of the FOR PROFIT cancer machine!) Our early selections were far too weak for the advanced stage of Becky's particular cancer and that cost us valuable time and money. After much trial and error, however, we did find a therapy that proved so effective that we had to scale back the doses to keep Becky from going toxic again.

At about that point in time we also figured that if the main tumor was removed we'd have a much better chance of defeating the rest of the cancer.... some of which is in her spine and other bones. NOT having to try to kill off a mass the size of a softball would free the alternative therapy to work more effectively on what remained no matter where it was. Thus we tiptoed back into the murky waters at the edge of the big pond that is main stream medicine and cancer treatment. We choose to stay with DO's rather than MD's as they tend to be more open to alternative ideas. One DO. agreed to remove the tumor *IF* we could manage to shrink it down somewhat and sent us to another DO. who is an oncologist.

So now we're back to where Becky never wanted to go.... and that's some form of main stream "Chemo" and a bit of traditional therapy. This started out somewhat adversarial but the pills are not like a bag of poison in the arm and are rather small to boot. When we got home that first night Becky typed a letter to all the Dr.'s letting them know of her intention to continue with the last alternative therapy we'd found along with the new pill. We either mailed or delivered all those letters. After that she followed her new plan for about two days...... then quit doing anything except taking the new pill.

A week or so later I got her to at least take some supplements that she had been taking.... anything to help keep her immune system healthy. She does not, however, seem to have any inclination to continue with the chlorine dioxide therapy at any dose rate. Since that decision she is in more pain..... mostly in her left hip. That may or may not have anything to do with the cancer..... we simply do not know at this point. It does seem reasonable, however, since we already know it has spread to some other bones. That being said... it could still be arthritis or bursitis just as easily.

Last night she complained that she hurt all over. Her *skin* hurt her from head to toe. I have not had time to research what that could possibly be yet.... but I will make time to do that later on today. My headache comes from trying to get Becky to do anything beyond the little pill to preserve her life and get rid of the cancer. Frustrating is far too mild a term for the emotion. It's almost like, "I'm going to prove this little pill won't work if it's the last thing I do!" Problem is that with cancer.... it damn sure could be..... and that truly scares me. (If you know me then you know that the list of things that truly scare me can be enumerated on one hand with several fingers left over)

Becky is not only the love of my life...... she's my best and closest friend. I adore her and do my best to make sure she knows that each and every day too. And while I know that she loves me too there is beginning to be something of a contradiction. Is your desire to be with the person you love strong enough to cause you to fight for that life together? I ask myself that each day she fails to do everything in her power and control to beat the cancer. As it has been said by people wiser than I...... "Dying is easy........ it's living that takes courage." I fought the misery of agent orange for over 20 years. I'm the lone survivor of my team in Vietnam mostly because I'm too damn stubborn to quit. Living isn't always easy....... but it always beats the alternative.

#15 New month, new news.

One of these days I hope to be able to post some truly positive news about our struggle with cancer. Right now just doesn't seem to be that time. Becky has finally seen an oncologist and is taking Arimidex now. It's a 25mg pill once a day and is supposed to disrupt the estrogen cycle of this particular form of breast cancer. Since she only started a week ago today it's far too early to know if anything noteworthy is happening yet.

What I am finding troubling is that she seems to have given up on all things alternative even though we know the OCC system works quite well at killing cancer cells. Even more simple, yet effective too, is the addition of baking soda to a glass of water three or four times a day. Granted the OCC protocol gives her some horrible breath due to the gas exchange in the lungs. The chlorine in her blood stream eventually escapes via the lungs and it's a very odd smell. I can deal with that, however. The baking soda has no negative factors at all.... but she doesn't like it because of the "salty taste" it gives the water.

I drink a lot of baking soda and water for my stomach and I can tell you.... "It ain't that bad." To my primitive way of thinking it boils down to letting cancer win..... or putting up with the slightly salty taste of 4 glasses of water a day. Damn..... that's a really tough choice! Or it's letting the cancer win or having bad breath for a while. Again..... tough choice.

An example I used in a conversation with a friend was that it's like my leg is on fire and I have a bucket of water. Now I *could* pour that on my leg and put out the fire...... but if I did that then I'd get my pants wet.... and I don't like wet pants..... so I guess I'll just let my leg burn. What the hell kind of sense does that make?

Physically her breast hurts quite a lot and there are several open sores on it. In addition to that (as if that were not enough) her left shoulder and left hip joint give her considerable trouble too. Some days she can barely walk..... actually most days lately. We're seeing a D.O. for the joint pain and he's given her two shots so far. One to the shoulder seemed to do a lot of good. Another a couple of weeks later has seemed to have not had any effect at all. Since we have no scans of those areas I can't be sure what the root cause of the pain is. Could be age and wear... could be something more. The only consistent thing is that all of her problems are on her left side. I'm not sure what to make of that.... coincidence? Who knows?

What I do know is that doing nothing.... or doing less than all you could be doing.... is not a viable answer. Becky is not only the love of my life.... she's my best friend too. In *my* vision of things we whip this thing and have a couple more decades to become even better friends. There are too many things we haven't had time to do and too many things I haven't been able to show her yet. (The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone quickly come to mind.)

Is fighting cancer easy? Hell no. If it was there would be a lot fewer deaths from it. What I do know is that if you're NOT fighting it with everything you have every day..... you're agreeing to let it kill you. That's not an option in my world. As they told us in training many moons ago on Coronado Island, California..... "2nd place is 1st looser." That may not be a big deal in a rope climb or rubber raft race..... but with cancer it means that you're dead. Death should come softly in old age after you've had time to make friends with it. I'm hoping her fighting spirit will awaken again soon.

#14 Mid-June update

Things have been a tad rocky these past few weeks. Becky became toxic as a result of one of the therapies working a bit too well. She achieved a large kill-off of pathogens... and their death resulted in the release of a large amount of toxins into her system.... overloading her liver and kidneys. Going off the therapy for three days had her feeling much better though.

Otherwise she has had problems with her left shoulder and left hip for the past few weeks too. Her left arm is almost useless and it causes her great pain to move it at all. Range of motion is perhaps 3 to 5 percent at best. She had a shot last Monday (the 14th) and felt much better the following day. Smiled for the first time in weeks.... which was refreshing to see.

While she felt better we consulted with a surgeon about removing her left breast. The Doctor is a very kind gentleman of 65 who nearly cried when he saw her breast. Seeing a Doctor who demonstrated some actual *concern* about her condition was SO refreshing that it had another benefit. Becky has agreed to see an oncologist he recommended and undergo a course of a new chemotherapy drug to try to shrink the tumor. (Which she estimates to now be somewhere between 5 and 7 pounds) This new drug is in pill form so no IV's to deal with. We are still waiting for a consult appointment with him and expect to hear something tomorrow. (Friday)

On another front Becky used the last of her PTO days last week and has had to apply for short term disability until she feels better. So far we're keeping up with the monthly bills but things are going to start squeaking when the medical co-pays start to roll in. I'm searching for organizations (Cancer related) who may have grants available to help with the payments. IF anyone knows of such an organization please leave a message with the contact information.

Otherwise she remains in good spirits and we both remain resolved to win this battle. We think that once the bulk of the cancer is removed with the surgery we'll have a much better chance at defeating what remains. The MMS therapy IS effective and DOES target and kill abnormal cells so she will likely return to that.

The main thing we have learned is that cancer does not play nice and anyone trying alternative therapy should not even waste their time with a majority of the therapies. Rather than working your way through various light weight measures..... escalate immediately to thermonuclear warfare and hit the cancer with the strongest therapy you can find. We made the mistake of starting out at the low end of the scale and working up. This is fine IF your tumor is the size of a pea..... but if you can feel it..... hit it with the strongest therapy you can stand to take and DO NOT let up for even a day.... unless you become toxic.

Laetrile is effective and can be used with most other therapies. Either get the B-17 pills or go to "Our Fathers Farm" and order apricot pits. Treat the pits as though they were whole apricots and eat no more than you could the whole fruit. (normally in the 6 to 8 range) We found the MMS therapy to be quite effective but discovered it too far into our search. IF the MMS is not to your taste (and it tastes like drinking water with bleach in it) then simply use baking soda. Health food stores sell "Bob's Red Mill" baking soda which does not contain any aluminum. Mix a teaspoon of soda with water and drink it throughout the day up to a maximum of 7 teaspoons a day.

In conjunction with that change your diet to raw foods which are alkalizing. If you get your blood alkaline enough when it enters the cancer cells they will die. Be aware that in a lot of cases there will be additional swelling and perhaps an increase in pain for the first 2 to 4 days when the baking soda starts working. This is normal and you should start to see some mass shrinkage in the 4 to 6 day range. if you are fortunate enough to know someone who can do an IV then you can also use a 5% baking soda solution to pack a more powerful punch. The same 5% solution can also be injected directly into the tumor if you are so inclined and have the required skills.

Lastly.... a concoction of 3 parts natural grade B maple syrup and 1 part baking soda can be used. Heat this mix to 120 degrees and stir for 10 minutes. It will foam a lot and, after sitting a while, separate out some. Simply stir it up and take 2 teaspoons full three times a day. The cancer cells love the sugar and will take it in. The baking soda sort of goes in too like a Trojan Horse so the syrup is something of a last meal for the condemned. DO NOT underestimate the baking soda as a viable therapy! There is a mountain of evidence out there of its effectiveness.

I will try to keep everyone informed with regard to the new pill type chemo and the surgery. As I said we are both confident that once the bulk of the cancer is removed we can deal with the rest knowing what we know now. We both thank you are for your prayers and your continued support.

Peace

#13 Early June Update

I think I mentioned last time that we were embarking upon a new therapy method. It's a protocol named the "OCC" or "Overnight Cancer Cure." Obviously nothing can cure cancer overnight but this is still a rather strong therapy method. SO! How's it going?

Actually it worked well.... TOO well in fact! So how can a cancer cure work too well? I'll explain.

The protocol is based on the theory that the root cause of all cancers is a little microorganism that invades normal cells. The organism retards normal cell activity to the point at which the mitochondria eventually shut down. (those are the little power plants in all cells that burn the glucose and make energy for the cells)

Once the mitochondria shut down two things happen. Cell energy production transitions from glucose burning (oxidation) to glucose fermentation. (An anaerobic (without oxygen) activity) Since this is a very inefficient method of energy production cancer consumes much more fuel than normal cells. Also... when the mitochondria shut down so does their control over the normal life/death cycle of the cell. Thus cancer cells are almost immortal.

Okay... those are the basics. Now then... this new protocol works by clearing the system of microorganisms. This begins in the gut and bloodstream first..... since the medicine is taken orally and has to circulate through the blood to get to the cancer. Thus the first few days are basically spent cleaning up those two systems of all microorganisms.

This must be done in order to get to the cancer.... but there is a potential for harm too. When the microorganisms die they release toxins into the bloodstream. IF the kill off of the microorganisms happens slowly enough then the liver and lymphatic system can handle the build-up of toxins in the system. Kill them off too quickly and those systems cannot handle the overload.... and the person gets rather sick. REALLY over do it and death can result.

This (not the death part) is exactly what happened to Becky this past Memorial Day weekend. She tolerates the protocol rather well and it had never made her even a little bit queasy. But she suddenly began to feel very sick and lacked energy. Didn't want to do anything or even eat anything. I suspected she had gone toxic and had her stop the protocol and return to a more normal diet... plus drink a lot of filtered water. Two days of that and she's back to normal again.

We're are starting the protocol again later today but we're going to go at it much slower than we did at first. Now that she knows what the toxicity feels like she can monitor for that and cut back as necessary to prevent getting as sick as she just did. While the toxicity was not fun for her it did prove, without a doubt, that the protocol does work as intended.

This episode also points out the critical need to have at least two people involved in the therapy process. Both people need to read and become totally familiar with the procedures involved as wells as the risks and possible side effects of the therapy. Double check the person doing the therapy to ensure the dose rates are correct. Monitor them for reactions they themselves may overlook. If either of you have a problem with the results or side effects then STOP the protocol and do more research before starting again. Safety.... first... last... always.

On other fronts we still have more irons in the fire too. Another option, which was researched in British Columbia, is something called DCA or sodium dichloroacetate. It seems to accomplish two distinct things in the cancer. First it seems to have the ability to switch on the mitochondria once again.... thus re-booting the normal life cycle of the cells. This is called apoptosis and is defined as "programmed cell death."

At the cell level what happens is that once the mitochondria "wakes up" again it checks it's surroundings and discovers that the cell it's living in is *much* older than it ought to be. Since the cell was programmed to have a life of X number of days or weeks and is now way beyond that.... it's time to die and make way for new cells.

The second thing that sodium dichloroacetate does is mitigate the effects of lactic acid in the cancer... and elsewhere in the body. The lactic acid build-up is what causes the pain in the cancer and the "burn" in overworked muscles. I won't go into great detail here but the dose is *very* small and only required once a day rather than once an hour like the OCC protocol.

Also I'm investigating Rife machines. These are really tough to sort out because the creator was hounded and destroyed by an evil little troll named Morris Fishbein who, at that time, was the head of the AMA. Basically Fishbein wanted a piece of the action and when Rife would not make him a partner..... Fishbein had him destroyed. Not stopping there he had is laboratory burned to the ground too. ALL Rife machines known to exist were confiscated and destroyed. This one mans greed has resulted in the unnecessary and painful deaths of millions upon millions of people world wide. The Rife machine cure rate on terminal cancer was..... 100% in clinical studies. Harmful side effects? None. Cost of treatment? Insignificant. And that is the problem. Cheap treatments do not make anyone rich.

Here is a link you can follow to learn more about this amazing American:

http://www.rense.com/general31/rife.htm

As we work on making progress in this struggle it is very frustrating to keep learning of protocols and systems which worked well in the past..... but are lost to us today due mostly to greed. Hopefully the evil people responsible for keeping these cures out of the hands of those who need them..... will pay a very painful and eternal price for their lack of humanity.

To all who pass this way and share this journey with us...... Peace.

#11 May update

I would like to be able to tell you we've been doing handsprings over the wild success we've been having with Becky's therapy. I'd like to.... but can't. Her last Navarro test came back no different than her first one.... a solid 53. I suppose the good news was that it had not increased.

While the Budwig Protocol is a sound one it simply may not be sufficient to cope with stage IV cancer. With a mass the size of an orange there are literally billions of defective cells to deal with. IF we were killing them off.... or causing them to revert back to normal at a rate of a million a day.... I doubt we'd be keeping pace with the new growth. Such is the problems with dealing with late stage cancers.

Still we persist and search out other, more potent, alternatives. We researched several possibilities and whittled those down to two. My investigations led me to a therapy which used a substance known as Zeolite combined with a few other ingredients. Her research point her towards a therapy which utilizes several chemicals in a rigorously controlled dosing combined with a very limited and strict diet.

After some discussion I finally asked her which therapy *she* thought would do the most good. She felt the chemical therapy she found would be the most effective. Since mental state is just as important as the therapy itself..... I ordered all the necessary items late last week.

You can check out the therapy by doing a search for "Overnight Cancer Cure" with your favorite search engine. Obviously nothing cures cancer overnight however this is a *very* potent and powerful combination of chemicals.

#1 is DMSO or Dimethyl Sulfoxide. This is a powerful solvent derived from trees. It is clear and has no real odor. It's claim to fame is that it can easily penetrate skin and other cellular material. It is mainly used to aid in the transdermal transport of other topical medications. It can, however, be taken internally in small amounts when diluted with water.

#2 is MSM which is short for Methylsulfonylmethane. (Yeah.... I'm glad for the abbreviation too!) MSM is a close cousin to DMSO and is a clear solid. It's not as reactive as DMSO and it's main purpose seems to be its sulfur component. If you look at the joint supplements you have probably seen Glucosamine and Condroition pills with MSM. It is a common additive in supplements and used because it seems to be an anti-inflammatory.

#3 is Colloidal Silver which has famous antibiotic properties dating back thousands of years. At least those properties have been linked to silver for that long. Colloidal silver is available now because science is now able to create sub-micron size particles of pure silver which can be transported inside almost any pathogen.

Prior to the colloidal form being made consumption of other silver supplements could result in a persons skin turning an odd shade of blue. This was common with English Royalty.... who ate with silver utensils off real silverware food which had been cooked in silver pots and pans. Thus.... the "blues" or the "blue bloods" and the phrase... "Born with a silver spoon in his (her) mouth."

#4 is Chlorine Dioxide which is marketed under the name of MMS..... or Miracle Mineral Solution. (Since neither chlorine nor oxygen are minerals I'm not sure why the name) This is the real "killer" in the cocktail. It is sodium chlorite.... not to be confused with sodium chloride..... which is common table salt.

The sodium chlorite is "activated" when mixed with a mild acid (vinegar or lemon juice for example) which effectively removes the sodium ion leaving chlorine dioxide in ionic form behind. (One atom of chlorine and two of oxygen) Since it is an ionic form it has a positive charge.... which just means it's missing a bunch of electrons. Cancer has a negative charge.... or an excess of electrons.

Since opposites attract the chlorine dioxide is drawn to the cancer where is steals all the electrons it can.... rendering the chlorine dioxide neutral in charge. The oxygen dissolves in the blood stream and the chlorine binds with free sodium ions to become salt. The cancer, having given up electrons is now unstable... and breaks up.... or tries to revert back to a normal cell.... which then dies off normally and is removed by the body.

************************

None of these compounds is particularly kind to the human stomach..... thus the dose rate is *very* small. A teaspoon of any one of them is a huge dose and generally we're talking measurements of drops which are then diluted in water. the Chlorine dioxide is only bio-active in the human body for about one hour at most. Thus when the protocol is fully implemented she will be taking a dose about once an hour to keep up a steady flow to the cancer cells.

It should be noted that chlorine dioxide is the most powerful killer of pathogens known to mankind and has been approved by the FDA for use on beef, pork and poultry for many decades. It is safe when taken in small controlled doses.

Other forms of chlorine dioxide have been used to treat water for drinking and sometimes sold under the name of "Stabilized Oxygen." Even this lessor form of the substance is very powerful!! Just 30 drops..... given in two doses 4 hours apart will cure almost anyone of malaria in less than 48 hours. When "activated" with a mild acid.... left to stand for three minutes then mixed with water and consumed it is nearly twice as powerful.

As always we remain hopeful and pray for success. We humbly thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers too.

May God Bless......

#10 April (late) Update

This had been a month of change. At this point we're not quite sure whether that change is going to be for the better or for the worst. We have another Navarro cancer test in the mail headed for the Philippines even now. If memory serves me (and often it does not) her initial "score" came back at a 52. Provided the methodology we're using is working then we should see a lower number this time.

In doing the background research on this thing we're fighting I discovered that it's not unusual for a person to have cancer for decades prior to it being detectable to the mainstream medical world. Dr. Navarro created a test sensitive enough to find evidence of cancer 5 to 7 years before it shows up on traditional screenings. And as it turns out.... the testing is simple enough that anyone can take care of the sampling part in their own home. Once that's done just send the sample to the Navarro Clinic in the Philippines and you'll have the results back in a couple of weeks. All for $50. Not bad.

Anyway.... the reality is that Becky has *had* cancer for probably 10 years minimum. Had we known of Dr. Navarro earlier (and admittedly there was no reason then to know of him) this simple test could have been a tip off for us. And cancer at that stage is easily treated and eliminated prior to it even becoming a tumor. Obviously the earlier you begin active intervention the faster and easier the cure. With Becky her tumor was already the size of two eggs before the official word came down. Thus any alternative we utilize is facing an uphill battle.... and the hill is located in California..... prone to mud slides..... and it's raining. Does that mean you can't make it to the top? No. But getting there is not going to be easy.

On the bright side Becky's back has bothered her much less since the last posting. Also she remains in good spirits, has a healthy appetite and generally as active as she has typically been. On the other hand she has developed a bad right shoulder which has been initially diagnosed as bursitis. It causes her a good deal of discomfort. Her breast has been hurting her more for the last couple of weeks too. We don't really see any signs of change (plus or minus) in the size of the growth.... so we're not really sure what is going on. Pain can be either good or bad. It could be hurting because it's growing again..... OR it could be hurting because the therapy IS working and the cancer is being attacked by her immune system. (She also notes a constant warmth)

As far as alternative therapies go we're still just scratching the surface. Germany seems to have abandoned the "big three" that are American's only authorized "choice" in favor of other treatment options that cause less damage and are more effective. (They don't get the nod here because they are also fairly inexpensive..... unlike chemo and radiation) One clinic is located in the low mountains of central Germany about 50 miles from where I was stationed while in the Army. (Heilbronn) While a trip there is probably out of the question at least we know the option exists.

One promising alternative is a radio frequency therapy that heats the cancer area with radio waves. This is something like a microwave oven but the wavelength is far longer and penetrates deeper into the body. Microwaves are good for a few millimeters while the radio waves penetrate up to about 4 inches. Cancer cells don't care for heat and tend to die off when their temperature is elevated to about 104 degrees F. Thus the "miracle cures" of some folks who become ill.... run a fever for a few days..... then recover only to discover their cancer is gone or going away.

The bottom line is that as long as Becky remains healthy and her immune system stays strong then we have hope for success. There are far too many unexplored options out there to ever consider quitting the fight. We still reserve the option of surgery to remove as much of the mass as possible while opting OUT of both chemo and radiation. This is like a war..... so if you can take several divisions of the enemy off the battle field..... your side has a better chance of success. If you hear of the success Susanne Sommers had with alternative therapy...... you need to read the fine print to discover that she gave the alternative therapy the advantage of having most of her cancer surgically removed before traveling to Germany for the treatment.

We thank you all for your support and prayers. Prayer too is a therapy whose value and effectiveness is all too often discounted by main stream medicine. We know it has value and works and we thank you for keeping Becky in your prayers.

#9 March Update

I apologize for not being more timely with posting here. Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes. Also I managed to suffer a meltdown of the hard drive on my little laptop which meant DOOM for the months of research and dozens of bookmarked web sites we'd located. As they say... to err is human.... but to *really* screw things up takes a computer. I've been trying to recover as much lost stuff as possible but that takes almost as much work as finding it in the first place. I had a 350G backup drive attached and felt confident that would handle things. However.... I overlooked the fact that I used the failed drive as an excuse to upgrade the OS. End result? A backup made on Vista simply will not restore on a new drive running Windows 7. Live and learn.

So how is Becky doing? Actually..... rather well... thanks for asking! She has stopped with the Budwig protocol after her last visit to the doctor. After following another course she said she was tired of being sick all the time and indicated that she felt the Budwig protocol was the path to follow for her. I have learned not to doubt what ever little voice guides a person so we dropped everything except the Budwig protocol.

We also got a book by a gentleman named Bill Henderson. Bills first wife died of cancer and he's spent the last dozen years researching alternative cancer cures. Bill is retired from the Air force and leaves no stone unturned. He visits the folks who are administering the cures.... visits with patients past and present..... filters all that through reality and writes down what he thinks. I think he just saved me about a dozen years of research! Bill's own protocol is his synthesis of what he considers the most effective and least harmful treatments. He claims no fast ans easy cure but does say if you stick with it.... it will work. If not then call him and he'll work with you 1 on 1 to find something that does work for you.

Bill's protocol is based on the Budwig program. That is the base then he adds a specific group of supplements to that. Everything is natural and organic.... safe and gentle. Becky said yesterday that she feels better now than she has in years! More energy..... less tired..... no more stomach problems.... just doing amazingly well overall. We still juice vegetables weekly mostly because it's far easier for her to drink them than eat them all. She can toss back a glass of carrot juice in a minute where eating a bunch of carrots would take close to a hour. Same effect minus some fiber.

I think I have a link to Bill's web site on this blog..... but if not it will be there by the time you read this. Nothing harsh..... no drugs..... just diet and supplements. Unsaid but implied is the fact that a mental change also needs to be made. You simply cannot get well if you *think* that you cannot..... or that what you are doing won't work or isn't working. The human mind is still the strongest "drug" going and the best medicine on earth. Your body has little choice but to follow your minds intentions.... provided that those intentions are genuine. You can't fool your mind or your body. As soon as you *know* to the last cell in your body that you will beat the cancer..... you will. Becky seems to have that faith and mind set going for her now. Several months ago I could look at her breast and see the lump getting larger. While there is still a mass there... it's gotten no larger in the past two months.

We both know this is a marathon.... and a complete lifestyle change. It's how we are going to have to live from this point forward in order for her to be healthy. By default I guess I'm being dragged along to this healthier state too. While Becky has always loved her vegetables..... I'm the pack hunting carnivore. Give me MEAT! Oh well.....

#8 February Update

Roughly a month has passed since our last posting. Some days have been good for Rebecca and others have been somewhat rough. We had very high hopes for the high PH therapy using the ionic cesium. It seems, however, that Becky has a problem with physically assimilating the cesium. As soon as her PH level gets above about 8 she simply gets ill.

We tried altering the dose level and at a lower dose rate her PH level also dropped. When the dose was lower she felt better. When she skipped the dose she felt even better. As soon as we began the cesium again she got sick again. Since avoiding the downside of conventional therapy was key with pursuing alternative treatment.... we had to find another option for her.

Based on a conversation with her oncologist we had stopped the Budwig protocol. According to the Dr. the flax oil was an estrogen stimulator and her particular cancer is estrogen receptive. After stopping the cesium we investigated her claim and could find no supporting evidence anywhere.

We also found that the act of blending the flax oil and cottage cheese as directed completely eliminates the individual identities of both. IF the flax oil was an estrogen stimulator that element of its nature is lost when blended properly with the cottage cheese. Likewise the cottage cheese looses it dairy based identity and will not bother someone who is lactose intolerant.

Our research eventually lead us to the web site of Bill Henderson. His book, Cancer Free - Your Guide to Gentle Non-Toxic Healing, is the result of over a decade of devoted research into alternative cancer cures. Bill was a driven man after loosing his first wife to conventional cancer treatment. We decided that, since he had about an eleven year head start on us, we'd get his book and see what he'd learned that we had not.

Oddly enough the corner post of his therapy method is the good old Budwig Protocol. At least we were back on familiar ground again. He also adds some very specific supplements to that protocol to boost its effectiveness. We had, once again, implemented the Budwig Protocol and are awaiting the arrival of the various supplements. Getting started was somewhat expensive since I ordered a 90 day supply to get us started. it should level off to about $100 a month for the supplements once we get rolling with the entire program.

Becky did have one emotional low to get past. Her 19 year old Isuzu Rodeo finally gave up on her. She said she'd drive it till the wheels fell off. The wheels were still on but the engine just refused to run anymore. Two weeks in a shop could not make it run. So we sold it for $100 and moved on. She found a little Kia Spectra SX with a 5 speed at a local dealer. Lot price was $13K. We drove it off.... tax... title and license... for about $9k. It sits a LOT lower than her Rodeo.... but it's a genuine hoot to drive. Also... the fact that it averages 29.64 MPG in town.... darn sure doesn't hurt. I think she's about over the loss of the Rodeo.

We're not to sure about continuing the visits to the current oncologist. While she has been fairly open to what we're doing she's also main stream medicine.... and in business to make money. She obviously makes the most money pushing chemo. So rather than deal with the drive and the mental and emotional down of that visit.... we may be better off eliminating that stress from Becky's life. We know that treatment and recovery is going to be a LONG process. Checking in with someone every two or three months.... only to be asked if we've come to our senses yet and are ready to do chemo..... seems rather counterproductive. We have one more scheduled appointment with her so we'll decide then.

Meanwhile you might check out Bill's web site: http://www.beating-cancer-gently.com I'll add a link on the main page too.

Until next time.... Peace.

#7 Treatment Caution!!!

Just a quick note this evening to warn of a treatment option Becky happened upon and decided to try. It involved dissolving baking soda in DMSO and applying the mixture to the skin. Since I didn't read anything about this method I can only assume that the purpose is to assist with alkalizing the body.

Initially the application was going just fine. The mixture was rapidly absorbed through the skin and all seemed well. However.... after about a minute Becky noticed a slight burning sensation. At that point it was simply and indication something was happening and not serious. Had the burning remained at that level things would have been okay.... but it didn't

The intensity of the burning sensation progressed until Becky was in tears. Soon small blisters began to appear anywhere the mixture had been applied. She took a cool to cold shower to help ease the pain but it was still quite some time before it was back down to a level she could tolerate comfortably.

No matter the intent of this "therapy" we STRONGLY advise against it! There are other methods to alkalize the body which do not involve the need for superhuman resistance to pain and don't generate blisters either.

A much better option is a 50/50 mix of Ionic Cesium Chloride and DMSO in a small spray bottle. If you wish to make this more soothing to the skin you can also mix in some Aloe Vera juice. (not gel) I'd start out with 50% Cesium 25% DMSO and 25% Aloe Vera juice if you want the skin care version.

Spray this on large open areas of the skin and rub it in until it is absorbed. Use rubber gloves if you are helping the person with cancer.... otherwise you will also be absorbing the mixture through your palms. While that likely would not cause any harm it's probably best to limit your exposure to the mixture.

If you do elect to use the spray on option count that is part of your daily dose of Cesium.... which should not exceed 2 tablespoons per day. You can either add the cesium to a drink of some type.... or spray it onto the skin..... or do both..... but keep track of how much goes where and DO NOT exceed the 2 tablespoons per day limit!

#6 What's going on?

What's going on? Well we're still fighting! But it's like being in the first 10 seconds of the first round of a 15 round title bout. Time wise we've just started but there is a LONG way to go.

Last week Becky had blood work done at our local (unnamed) D.O. and those came back looking very good. She forgot to ask to have cholesterol checked so those numbers are an unknown. The other side of that coin is that she's gone just about 100% vegan in her diet that that has likely done a lot towards bringing down the numbers. (She was barely high at 203 to begin with) We can attest to the fact that she is no longer having to take Pepsid to get through the night and hasn't taken any Tums for several weeks either!

This past week (The 13th) she had an appointment with the oncologist at Baylor. The tumor is a bit larger... but we never expected it to just vanish overnight. The Dr. is still recommending Chemo.... but that's her job. To her credit she also acknowledges that it's Becky's decision to make and she is also okay with supporting us in our alternative therapy efforts. That attitude is the only reason we return to her.

We also learned that Becky's cancer is "Estrogen responsive" which means that we have to cut out part of her therapy. Part of what we'd been doing was something called the "Budwig Protocol." The base of the protocol is a mixture of flax oil and cottage cheese. However it turns out that Flax Oil is an estrogen stimulator.... so we've actually been giving the cancer something it needs..... feeding it. So now we have to sort through her entire diet and make sure we eliminate any other estrogen stimulator items.

We are still using the Cesium therapy but we think that Becky's body has reached it's saturation point for the mineral. Even just a little bit more of the substance causes her to be on the verge of throwing up most of the day and seems to drain her of energy. Cut back just a little and she feels much better and has lots of energy. So it has become a delicate balancing act to get her dose rate just right.

She also came across an experimental method which uses liquid vitamin C and B-12 in a ratio of 2:1 which is injected near the tumor. According to the research this method seems to promote the breakup of the tumor. I have not yet read the information so this is 2nd hand stuff.

Based on that information what I wonder is this: What would happen to the cancer IF a small amount of the cesium solution were injected directly into it? In pondering that the downside I can visualize is that there would then be a region of dead cancer cells trapped inside the walls of the tumor..... which might not be a good thing. It would seem that key to making any sort of progress is breaking down the extra thick protein wall that the cancer hides behind. Thus it follows that increasing the amount of free enzymes circulating in the body. To accomplish that it is necessary to take Bromelain, Papain and Protease. All of those enzymes aid in breaking down proteins. We have added extra enzymes to her daily routine.

Otherwise we are attempting to maintain a normal daily routine. Becky continues to work every day that she does not have a Doctors appointment. The bills have started rolling in and they are staggering. Bear in mind that we have NOT had ANY cancer treatments at Baylor. All we've had there is testing and consultations. Yet in slightly less than 2 months the bill is already just over $19,000!! And people still wonder why there has not yet been found a "cure" for cancer? Consider this.... on any given day there are more people employed in "treating" cancer than HAVE cancer! The ratio is nearly 4 to 1. As I said back in the first post.... Treating cancer is BIG business..... curing it is not.

Lastly a new link has been posted to the Blog. Cancer Tutor is a huge vault of information! Between that and the essense of life site it is almost information overload. However.... in this battle you cannot have too much good information.