Time for the final post

   It is with great sadness that I write the final chapter in this all too short story. The beautiful Miss Becky took her final breath on this earth on October 9th, 2012 at 9:11 pm. She was sleeping peacefully when she passed away into heaven to enjoy her new perfect body. 

   In the end, cancer had spread to almost every part of her body. While the original tumor was long gone the crucial mistake of having that first biopsy done was likely the single biggest mistake we made together. Doing that broke the protein shell containing cancer and let cancer cells loose in her body. The lymphatic system picked those up and they spread to her upper spine, lower spine, left shoulder, inner chest cavity of both lungs and the pleura of her heart. Also involved were her entire pelvic structure, both hip joints, and both large thigh bones. 

   There is a photo of Becky online at Facebook showing her a week before her passing. Her face is alive and hopeful and you can tell that she feels happy and loved. SHE never gave up! Even the day before her passing she asked me if I'd gotten a prescription for oxygen because she as going to need it when she got home. Her eventual decline and passing were extremely rapid.... happening over the course of only about 4 hours. All of her monitor readings just kept getting lower as the moments ticked by..... her body was tired of it's long and difficult battle with a ruthless enemy. 

   Prior to her passing, the old Becky made the last appearance to comfort me. She was weak but said she wanted to sit up in bed. So I went around and eased her feet over the edge.... then put an arm around her and lifted her up to sit beside me.... holding her in place with my arm. Slowly I felt her arm move across my back until her hand was on my side and she gave me a little squeeze. I grinned and looked over at her and said: "That was a damn sneaky way to get a hug!" She got a happy little smile on her face and said softly: "It worked!"  We sat like that until she became tired and I helped her lay back down again. I kissed her and told her again that I loved her.... and she said I love you too. Those were the last words we spoke to each other. 

She got her daily foot massage the morning of her passing. Although pain medication had her out I'm sure she knew I was still doing my best to take care of her. 

   She always wanted to donate her body to science and so I made sure that her wish was granted. She was flown to Oregon on the 11th of October. She said she'd never fly until those TSA goons were gone from the airports.... but I suspect she sailed right through security without a body scan or pat down. I should have her ashes back about the second week in November. Her final wish was to have her ashes scattered in Caprock Canyon State Park. It was a place she always called "Magical": when we went there. It was the first place she took me camping.... and the last place we camped together too. All of my memories of her there are of her being happy, smiling, relaxed and totally at peace with everything. Fitting that she remain forever in the place that was so very special and "Magical" to her. 

   There are still huge lessons to be learned from our journey together down this road.  1) If you even suspect that you have cancer.... NEVER get a biopsy!! Doing that only floods your system with live cancer cells and they are then free to spread all over your body. If you suspect cancer... then just go ahead and start treatment immediately! 

   2) There are reasons why alternative cancer treatments are not available in America and every one of them has to do with greed. The treatments that PAY (Bbutbutig Pharma) have a 4% cure rate on average. The treatments which WORK and cannot be patented, because they are natural, average an 80% cure rate. YOU do the math. 

   3) Go to cancertutor.com     and proceed directly to the stage IV treatment protocols. I don't care if you only are at stage I either. Cancer is absolutely ruthless and it is out to KILL you 100% of the time 24/7 - 365. IT never takes a break or a day off.... it does not rest on Sunday. YOU have to be even more dedicated and ruthless in your treatment than it is in its desire to destroy not only your life... but also the lives of all those whom your life touches. Trust me.... being left behind sucks. 

   4) What works? Cesium works.... as do other methods which raise the alkalinity of your body internally. Diet can be a big help here and if you're okay with eating raw foods now that part will be an easy adjustment to make. Be careful with Cesium though! It is the most alkaline substance on the periodic table and it tends to deplete other vital minerals from your body. If you are going to use Cesium go through Larry, at Essense of Life, for all the necessary products and his telephone support for dosing. Cesium is weight dependent so monitor the patients' weight closely and adjust as necessary. Numbness in the lips is one sign that the dose is too high. Cesium is particularly effective against bone cancer and the pain of cancer. This is NOT the radioactive form of cesium..... it is the elemental mineral form. Rubidium (2nd most alkaline substance on the periodic table) is sometimes combined with the cesium to make it more effective.

   5) High dose Vitamin C works. This has to be done as an IV therapy though as simply taking pills cannot get the serum vitamin C level up nearly as high as it needs to be in order to be effective. Here we're talking in the range of 5000 times the Federal minimum daily requirement level. Sounds risky but it's not and here's why. Normal healthy cells have a gene in them which effectively blocks the entrance of vitamin C into them. Abnormal (cancer and free radicals) cells lack this gene so the vitamin C gets to enter those cells. Inside it is metabolized into Hydrogen Peroxide and that super oxygen molecule poisons the abnormal cells and kills them. 

   6) Hydrogen Peroxide therapy works. As above this is given through an IV over several hours rather like chemo. Being a super oxygen molecule... and cancer being an anaerobic process.... the excess of oxygen in the bloodstream effectively poisons the cancer. 

   7) Hyperthermia works. The famous Greek physician, Parmenides, stated: "Give me the power to create fever and I shall cure any disease" This has been proven to be true time and time again. Native Americans use the famous Sweat Lodge to purify the body and cleanse it of illness. This is because all the little critters that make us sick are actually weaker than normal healthy cells..... and this includes cancer. How they get us down is by sheer numbers and through the release of toxins into our systems.... which overloads our defenses. By gradually elevating the body temperature internally to the 106 to 107-degree range and maintaining it there for a minimum of 3 hours.... these weaker cells are killed off while our healthy cells have little trouble dealing with this environment. 

   Hyperthermia is not without risk, however. Persons who are already in a severely weakened state should avoid this until better health returns. Until you are healthy this therapy should only be done at a facility where you can be closely monitored the entire time. Once health returns you may purchase a far infrared sauna and use it several times a week for general health maintenance and cleansing. A regular sauna isn't the same as its heat is only on your skin. Far infrared works by putting the heat energy up to 3-1/2 inches deep into your body.... heating it internally. This deep internal heating also helps eliminate harmful toxins through the pores in your skin and will leave you feeling healthier and stronger in a short time.

   8) IPT therapy works. IPT stands for Insulin Potentiated Therapy. Cancer is a very ineffective converter of energy and thus it requires a LOT of fuel to survive and grow. As with every other cell in the body, it gets its energy from glucose. However normal cells combine glucose with oxygen to "burn" it for energy while cancer cells "ferment" the glucose for their energy. (a process that happens without oxygen) Therefore to get the same level of energy output cancer cells takes up to 10 times more glucose than normal cells.

   IPT works by the Dr. first injecting you with insulin. This increases the burning of sugar in your body which brings your overall blood sugar level way down. At the point at which you are about to become hypoglycemic, they begin an IV with a glucose solution to which has been added 1/10 the normal dose of a chemo drug. Because the dose is so low the vast majority of people do not suffer any of the traditional chemo side effects. However! Due to the greed of the cancer cells for glucose when this mixture hits your system they quickly gobble up all the glucose they can get...... along with the chemo drug. Thus the drug is "targeted" almost entirely to the cancer cells and the rest of your cells are pretty much unaffected.

   9) A positive attitude, Prayer, and Meditation help. The worst thing you can do is feed yourself negative thoughts or energy. Statements like "My parents died of cancer and I know I will too." act upon all levels of consciousness. There is the conscious mind which just caused you to speak or think those words.... and there are also both the superconscious and the subconscious minds. You speak or think the words and your mind will instantly begin to try to give you that which you gave voice to. Kind of like the old truism... Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it. So immediately rid yourself completely of ALL negative thoughts, words, and emotions. Replace them with positive affirmations to support your fight. Statements like: "My body is aware that cancer is inside and all of its defenses are constantly engaged in seeking out and destroying abnormal cells where ever they are found." Be careful with affirmations because you can word them to be self-defeating.  Never make a statement like "my body WILL" do something. That's not positive... only hopeful. The statement has to be in the NOW. The action you are invoking is ALREADY taking place and working NOW! This causes your mind to implement the desired action. 

   Scientific studies have shown time after time that both prayer and meditation impart measurable changes in both the mind and the body. The mind can be measured as shifting to a more calm and peaceful state with an increase in the alpha and theta rhythms. In the body, breathing slows and blood pressure lowers... heart rate also lowers as the body becomes comfortable and relaxed. In this state, you may ask for healing or do focused mental imagery. Envision your body's defenses as little "Pac-Men" scouring your system for abnormal cells and gobbling them up whenever they are encountered. Whatever you are comfortable with will work. 

   As with affirmations prayer must be in the NOW. In your mind what you want must have already been granted to you.... THAT is your God-given right. Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9 both tell us that God wants us to have all that we desire to be happy. (within reason of course) "Ask and it shall be given... Knock and the door will be opened" Certainly good health is necessary for us to serve God. But be mindful of the difference between actions and hope. Thank God for filling your body with His light and His love and for driving out the evil of cancer that was within you. That is a prayer of action! To word it otherwise is to say a prayer of hope. God helps those who help themselves so help yourself to His healing by accepting it.... not for hoping that you receive it.

   Most of these are lessons from the rearview mirror. The old "hindsight is 20/20" concept. In looking back I can see the mistakes we made along the way and there were many. 1st mistake.... if you suspect that you may have cancer.... DO NOT hide that fact from your partner! That one mistake quite possibly cost Becky her life because SHE knew she had a lump in her breast two full years before I saw it. She feared cancer and she feared cancer treatment.... so she hid it from me. I hold her completely faultless for her fears. The past is what is it. 

   DO NOT get a biopsy! Doing that only breaks the seal between your body and billions of living cancer cells.... setting them free to settle into whatever place they feel at home. If your immune system is not operating at 100% then that could be anywhere. If you are eating too much processed food and your system is acidic.... you've just made your whole body a free campground for it.

   IF you are comfortable with conventional therapy seek out the best you can afford and begin aggressive treatment as soon as possible. Try to go with someplace that treats the whole body, mind, and spirit because all are involved in your healing. Do NOT play patty-cake with cancer! It is out to KILL you so immediately demand the most aggressive therapy your body can tolerate. YOU are the one with cancer and YOU have to take control of the fight if you are going to win. If doing chemo demand the IPT method and if they don't do that go someplace else that does. It's YOUR life at stake! IPT is the safest and most effective form of Chemo.

   IF you are not comfortable with traditional therapy then, unfortunately, you will have to seek treatment mostly outside of the United States. Both Germany and Mexico have outstanding clinics and hospitals which can boast cure rates that put our system to shame. If you can afford it (and what is your life worth?) try to get to the island of Dominica and the Rogers Cancer Institute.  http://www.doctorofhope.com/  These folks use state of the art alternative treatments in a holistic environment.

   If Dominica is too far away they also have another clinic across the border from Del Rio Texas. They employ all the treatment options I mentioned above and many more. The typical treatment day lasts 3 to 6 hours and multiple modalities will be employed during that time to attack cancer on several different fronts. It's not an overnight thing and you may well have to seek treatment over many months..... but it's both safe and effective and you will not suffer any of cancer treatments traditional downsides. You didn't get cancer overnight....you won't cure it overnight. It takes a little time.

   If you happen to be in the Dallas, Texas area you may wish to consult with a Dr. A.G. Patel in Cedar Hill, Texas at the Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine Center. Get to this man as early as possible for assistance in getting your immune system working at optimal levels and for some of the therapies noted above. He does not take insurance but his treatments are very affordable with the most expensive being only $280 and they start at $75. He will take your entire history and work at eliminating the CAUSE of your cancer or other problems... NOT just at making the symptoms go away.   http://www.agpatelmd.com

   The thing to remember is that cancer does NOT have to be a death sentence IF you take control immediately and fight a relentless and highly aggressive war against it. Because information about alternatives is highly restricted we stumbled along trying different therapies which, while effective on lower stages of cancer, were too weak for what we were facing. This cost us precious time. Your immune system needs to be in top condition at all times. Do whatever is necessary to get it there and keep it there. Ultimately it is your own body which will win the war so you have to make sure that your strongest and best troops are on the front lines. For us, I discovered all of these things too late for them to benefit my beloved Becky. For that, I am truly sorry and hope that she can grant me forgiveness. YOU, however, can benefit from her loss and mine. God Bless us all.

#31 Urgent Update

   Things took a nose dive last night when Becky fell while getting out of the shower. As is typical for her she didn't let me know she was going to be taking a shower so I wasn't there when it happened. She stressed her left shoulder again (it has cancer and a fractured scapula) plus she hurt her right arm and shoulder and her hips.

   All that was Wednesday night. Thursday morning she was able to get up and walk okay but she tired easily. We had breakfast out and she was able to walk in and out just fine..... although slowly. She was to have a shot today (Thursday) at roughly the same time I was to be at work. I asked her if she needed me to drive her and she assured me she'd be fine.

   An hour later she calls from the cancer clinic...... where she came close to passing out and had her blood pressure drop. Turns out that while driving over there she suddenly got very short of breath about half way and it hurt for her to breathe. Now at the clinic they start an IV to hydrate her and do an x-ray of her chest. Her left lung is filling up with fluid again but no additional fractures or breaks show up. (Oh.... lots of cancer markers in that fluid they drained last week..... not good) They gave her a shot for her pain and by the time I got there she was loopy as all get out..... and still in a LOT of pain just trying to breathe.

   They ended up not giving her the shot..... but did send her home with both pain pills and pain patches. We had to leave her car over there and when we got her home could not get in inside the house. She could neither stand nor walk. So we took off to get a wheelchair. To make a long story short the first place I went didn't have what I wanted BUT a man on the same isle asked if I needed a regular wheelchair and I said I did. He said he had one he no longer needed because his wife had passed away several months previous.... and he'd give it to us if we'd follow him home to get it. We did and he rolled it out. Our "payment" is that we have to give it to someone in need when we are done with it. Fair enough deal I'd say. :-)

   SO! God smiled on us with the chair.... putting the man that had one in the right place at the right time. I'm also hoping that this event will drive home the point that Becky is not doing nearly enough to keep her immune system strong...... which is why the cancer is starting to get the upper hand. We're getting her back on the Bill Henderson program 100% with the exception of the Budwig diet. At least the cottage cheese and flax oil part...... which she just cannot stand to take anymore. I'll find some other method of getting more oxygen in her.

   Anyway.... that's it for right now. It still is hurting her to breathe and she is still very weak too. Hopefully she will be a bit stronger in the morning. We'll see. Till next time..... take good care of each other......

#30 - An August Update!

   Unfortunately this is NOT the August which immediately followed the previous July posting. I seem to have missed a year somewhere along the way for which I apologize to the followers.

   The last therapy being used here at home was the modern version of the Rife machine. I suppose that using it ranks right up there with watching paint dry or grass grow. It's boring as hell. When operating in the carrier wave mode you feel absolutely nothing.... even though there is 10 watts of power being sent through your body.  There is a display which keeps track of the therapy stage but otherwise there's not much of interest going on. Since you feel nothing..... and running through all the frequency ranges necessary to cover both the X and Y strains of cancer takes hours..... it gets old fast.

   Unfortunately..... faster than is necessary to quantify it's effectiveness. [SIGH] We still have the unit though so perhaps it's a matter of getting it set up near where Becky spends most of her day. That way even though it's still boring.... she can continue to do whatever else she wants while that runs in the background. Previously we had it in the bedroom so she was stuck just sitting there for 45 to 90 minutes while the device cycled through all the frequency variations. In the living room she can still watch TV, read or use her computer while the device runs..... which should make using it much more practical.

   On other fronts the injectable chemo eventually gave way to a bag form known as Halavan. It is a rather new product which is specific for estrogen receptive breast cancers. The first 3 or 4 treatments went well and Becky was feeling pretty good in general. We had her hair styled in an easy to manage fashion that I could maintain for her at home. The week after we got her hair the way she liked...... it began coming out in clumps. Every time she would shower it would cover the shower floor. It would fill her towel when she dried off..... and her comb when the combed it. Nearly in tears she asked me one morning if I'd drive her to the salon so she could get it all cut off. "No..... it it's gotta come off then I'll do that for you." So I got out the barber stuff and a shaver and made her nice and shiny.

   Of course by then it was getting cool out so I got her a variety of hats and caps to wear to help keep her head warm. Stocking caps for really cold outside stuff.... and flannel caps for restaurants and things. And of course for those who know me...... bald didn't matter a bit. Loved her with tall Texas hair..... loved her with a short page boy look..... .loved her slick and shiny too. Same thing with the missing breast..... two..... one... none.... doesn't matter to me. Neither of those things is what loving someone is all about anyway.

   Okay.... so where the heck are we today? She was still on the Halavan the last time we went in..... but a scan seemed to indicate a bit of a spread in the large leg bone down from the hip..... so the Doctor may well advocate for something different as the cancer may have adapted to the previous drug. She also takes shots to help her bones stay together and another to help with her white cell numbers.

   A few months ago she developed a cough which persisted. It was a dry and unproductive cough but it plagued her day and night. Of course each time I'd voice my concern she would insist that it was nothing. Then on July 27th the hospital in Arlington drained 1880cc of "nothing:" from her left lung cavity. That's enough fluid to fill the cylinders of a LARGE V-twin motorcycle engine!!! (Think 2 liter coke bottle) She lost 5 pounds during the process. She was still coughing and in some discomfort as her lung tried to unfold back into the void available with the fluid removed. After a couple of additional days the coughing almost stopped and she was able to sleep through the night for the first time in months. She still has an occasional cough so I fear the lung may be filling up again.

   While I'm thankful that the fluid is gone and she can sleep all night..... I'm still bothered that *no one* made any attempt to figure out WHY her lung cavity filled with fluid in the first place. From what I read generalized inflammation is the main reason.... and if so then what is causing that? Is it a breakdown of her immune system? Is she developing some problem other than cancer now? What the heck is it? Most days she is SO weak that a trip to the bathroom and back just completely exhausts her. When she gets back you'd think she'd been out running a marathon or chopping wood for an hour straight. She is wiped out. [SIGH]

   While she was doing the radiation on her bones we gave the Bill Henderson book to a nice lady she had met there. Thus we ended up falling away from his protocol which is designed to boost the immune system so that the patient has more time to fight and (hopefully) beat the cancer. Last week I bought the updated version so I need to review the protocol and order the recommended products. The only part of the plan we'll probably not use is the cottage cheese and flax oil..... the Budwig diet. Becky forced herself to do it for about a year but just cannot stand the oily feel in her mouth that results from consuming the mixture. Since that part of the program is designed specifically to transport oxygen more effectively to the cancers.... I'll have to find some other method of getting her blood-oxygen levels elevated. I'm thinking as much stationary bicycle as she can manage while breathing pure oxygen might do the trick. At least it can't hurt anything.

   Since our kitchen project is coming along well I hope to have more time to devote to the therapy of writing again. Sorry I let this go for so long and I'll try not to let that happen again. Until next time......

Peace

#29 July update - Rife therapy

I’ll call this an early July update since it’s so late in June. Becky finished her round of radiation therapy a couple of weeks ago. She had opted for the radiation in the hope of minimizing some of the pain she had been experiencing. In all fairness to the process it *did* make a dent in her pain level for a couple of weeks…. Although it failed to reduce it by the level we had hoped for.

Meanwhile her “chemo” has transitioned from her daily pill into a once a month pair of injections. The substance is clear and about the consistency of Kero syrup and the number of cc’s is enough to construct a small 2 cycle weed whacker engine! The process does not appear fun in the least but thankfully it’s only once a month.

Since we were in a position to do so we have finally opted for the purchase of the modern evolution of the Rife machine. The unit is called the GB4000 and it is a frequency generator. In testing it is the -only- frequency generator capable of producing harmonic frequencies as the 1930’s vacuum tube Rife machines did. Thus it is the only frequency generator able to accurately reproduce the full spectrum of frequencies necessary to “devitalize” pathogens in the body.

The methodology of the Rife machine is fairly easy to understand. If you are old enough to remember the seeing a singer break a wine glass with her voice then you have seen the underlying principle. Microbes and all cells for that matter have an oscillatory rate at which their outer membranes can no longer maintain integrity. So identify the virus or microbe you wish to eliminate…. Select the appropriate frequency range and turn on the power. At either the prime frequency or one of it’s harmonic variants the target will simply loose integrity and come apart. Since these frequencies are very specific targeting can also be quite specific.

Dr. Rife identified cancer as basically a virus and those he worked on always fell into either an X group or a Y group. Thus they were labeled the BX and BY viruses. So by targeting these two groups the odds are you can eliminate the trigger which causes cancer in the first place….. And also kill whatever cancer is already growing. This is not an overnight cure but it can produce results in a matter of months.

Dr. Rife had a cancer center north of San Diego send him patience which they had declared terminal….. NO hope of recovery from cancer whatsoever. Of all these people previously declared “dead men walking” by mainstream medicine….. Rife cured 80% of them within 90 days! Cured!! NO sign of cancer left in their bodies at all…. None! Of the 20% remaining Dr. Rife adjusted this treatment frequencies and durations which resulted in those persons eventually being cured as well. Thus Dr. Rife was successful in curing 100% of *terminal* cancer patience. His methods work!!

We have begun therapy with this system as an adjunct to that we are still getting at the Arlington Cancer Center. Lab work and imaging will eventually tell us how we’re doing. We’ll let you know more when we do.

Until next time…….. Peace.

Royal Raymond Rife background information

More Rife resources

#28 June update

It's been a bit bumpy lately. Becky opted to give limited chemo and radiation a try in an attempt to check the bone cancer. I believe I mentioned in some other posting that scans had shown evidence of cancer in three of her vertebra plus the ball of her left hip joint and the socket of her right hips joint.

The chemo consists of two huge injections in her hips. The compound is Fasladex and it is the next step up the ladder of estrogen inhibitors. Actually it doesn't inhibit estrogen itself.... rather it attaches to the estrogen receptors on the cancer which blocks it's ability to capture and metabolize estrogen. I'll have to check on the dose but each injection sure looks close to 8 to 10cc to me. Both together would add up to the displacement of a small Weedeater engine!! If the amount isn't bad enough (and it leaves a sizable knot in each hip) the consistency of the liquid is that of Kero syrup. Okay.... made that cold Kero syrup.

Radiation therapy was targeted at the hips from the front and rear as was the treatment for the spine. Most of it went well but the beam going in through her chest to her spine also managed to pass through her esophagus. That being more sensitive to radiation than other parts it started to swell until it was nearly closed. Even drinking water became painful for her. Becky's weight bottomed out between 123 and 124 pounds and may slip a bit more before her throat is back to normal. Today was a much better day for her so far as swallowing went.... but while constricted her stomach shrank some more. Thus she will be really hungry and 7 to 10 bites into her meal she is stuffed and can't eat anymore. Great for loosing weight but that's NOT something she needs to be doing.

After seeing her endure the pain of the injections and the massive discomfort of the radiation I got back into research mode again. One of the last therapy alternatives that we've yet to try is electrotherapy via frequency generator..... or Rife machine. We'd avoided it due to cost but after seeing what radiation costs it looks much more practical now. (I calculated that for roughly 6.7 hours of initial scans, molds and therapy the cost was $3880.60 per hour.) A frequency generator capable of duplicating the frequencies, and more importantly the harmonics thereof, to affect cancer represents an expense of only about $2600. It can be used whenever we want to use it..... both of us can use it for improved health..... and different frequency settings "devitalize" different pathogens so it's effective on much more than just cancer.

Rife's body of work is truly mind boggling. In all he spent over 30 years perfecting his "beam ray" device and testing it on every known pathogen. How effective was he? As part of a trial he asked a cancer hospital in San Jose to send him terminal cancer patients. When Rife got these people some literally had only weeks to live. In a 90 day trial cycle Raymond Rife CURED 80% of the terminal patience placed in his care! 80%!!!!! Given more time to adjust his therapy his overall CURE rate for TERMINAL cancer patience was 100%. Read that again. 100% CURE rate!!!

So how come we still have cancer and Rife isn't a medical god? Human greed. Rife, almost all of his research papers, his labs and his devices were systematically destroyed by the then head of the FDA. Why? Rife thought his research should help people... not generate huge profits. The head of the FDA wanted Rife to make him a 50% partner in the machines so he could profit and become rich. Rife refused.... and the power of the government came crashing down upon him. Rather than being famous for curing cancer (and every other disease know to mankind) Rife died a poor, unknown alcoholic...... totally destroyed by the greed of one man.

For an informative read..... and more technical information than you may wish to encounter... try following this link: http://www.rense.com/general31/rife.htm

That's it for today, boys and girls. I have a little black kitty demanding attention (not to mention helping me type by walking on the keyboard) so I need to love on her fur. Y'all take care of each other.

Peace

#27 April Update

Just touching base with the few folks who are following along with our journey. Since the surgery the battle has shifted to Becky's joints. Her left shoulder and right hip give her near constant debilitating pain. As you might suspect this makes walking and grooming a considerable struggle for her. (Try working a curling iron with one hand)

After a communications misfire with the Arlington Cancer Center, which resulted in us missing her first scheduled set of MRI scans, we're finally back on track to get those done. So on the 5th of May they have 4 hours of time blocked out for Becky to get her shoulder, spine and hips scanned. The x-rays tell us very little beyond the fact that there is an increased uptake of the marker in her shoulder and hip joint. That could either be accounted for by cancer or by localized inflammation resulting from arthritis or bursitis as all three will result in increased blood flow to the area. The MRI generates such a detailed image that we'll finally know for certain exactly what we are dealing with now.

As far as the after effects of the surgery go she is doing quite well. The incision has healed nicely however there is still a bit of swelling in one area. This is probably a result of the reconnection of underlying muscle tissue which has not yet returned to a normal position. The fact that she has only very limited use of her left arm is likely the major culprit in this problem. Were she able to exercise a full range of motion and thus work the chest muscle more often then that tissue would have likely flattened by now.

Other than the fact that the constant pain is beginning to really wear on her both physically and mentally she is still doing very well overall. Her weight as stabilized between 135 and 140 which is 100 pounds lighter than her pre-cancer weight. I'm thankful for that because I doubt if she could move at all if her hip joint had to carry that additional load. No doubt she could safely loose an additional 10 pounds and still be just fine for her height and build. I personally have no problem with her current weight. What I do notice, however, is that overall her muscle mass and tone are well south of idea. This is attributable to her inability to do any sort of exercise in her current condition.

I'll post an update again around the middle of May by which time we'll have the results of her MRI scans back.

Until then..... Peace

#26 Pathology update 03-30-2011

We had a visit with the oncologist this morning and were able to obtain a copy of the pathology report. I'll be kind and spare everyone the "Doctor Speak" of the report. I figure that if you're here you either knew where you were going.... or you're lost as hell and wondering what the heck is going on. All those 17 letter words meaning front and rear or left and right would only serve to add to your confusion.

Translated into every day terms they made a football shaped incision <----- biggest Dr. word I'll use....... on her left breast removing a section if skin including the aureola and nipple along with three ulcerations which had been there for well over a year. Inside they removed the main tumor and several smaller items of interest as well as two lymph nodes. Top and bottom of the opening were drawn together and secured inside with two layers of regular stitches and the skin with 25 stainless steel staples.

All of that is healing nicely and the tenderness going away too. Downside of the (former) breast not hurting her anymore is that now she is more aware of pain in her hips. That aside the report on the stuff removed confirmed that it was cancer (no surprise there) but it also said that the main mass consisted of a cancerous outer layer covering a dead mass. That was significant to us because it did prove that the alternative methods were killing the cancer!

Because of the pain in her hips and left shoulder (which had all given her trouble in the past) the oncologist suggested an MRI to get a better idea of what is going on in there. So the first Thursday in April she'll go have that done. They will scan her shoulder, upper spine, ribs and hips. Our regular D.O. seems to think the problem is either arthritis or bursitis...... both of which can be controlled or treated. We're having the MRI done to find out for certain what the problem is.

Meanwhile Becky is going off the arimidex and starting Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen works by blocking various receptor cells on the cancer and thereby fooling the cancer into thinking it's feeding. Doing so ultimately causes the cancer to basically starve to death. (couldn't happen to a nicer Lytic metastases) (okay..... I lied about the big Dr. words) To simplify.... that's an area of the bone which is weakened by cancer activity. Now.... to be clear.... Becky does NOT have bone cancer..... rather she has breast cancer which has spread (metastasized) to the bones.... so we're still treating breast cancer. The difference is that we're treating it just a little bit differently from this point forward.

Part of the reason for that is that the estrogen inhibitor (arimidex) that she was taken can also serve to weaken the bones. This is because estrogen plays a roll in maintaining healthy bones so it stands to reason that less estrogen in circulation can lead to poor bone health. While Becky had the tumor in her breast there was a rational trade-off to be made. Since her cancer was estrogen receptive it made sense to risk using that therapy to help kill the cancer. While what remains is still technically breast cancer there is also far less of it in her bones and there are other, more effective, treatments which can be utilized to treat this cancer IN the bones. These treatments serve to both destroy the cancer while attempting to maintain and strengthen the involved bone.

The Tamoxifen is the killer aspect of the therapy. Once the results of the MRI are in hand that will help determine what ancillary treatments will be employed. One option is the addition of a form of Bisphosphonate. This family of drugs helps build and maintain bones. Targeted radiation is also on the table for the first time during our battle. This, when combined with minerals such as strontium, can not only kill the cancer but also strengthen the bones.

Otherwise we continue to move forward with an ever positive attitude and a continuing love of life. We continue to do those things which we enjoy doing and making plans for future events and outings. Give up..... defeat..... and failure are not a part of our vocabulary.

Take care of each other!

Peace

#25 Surgery

On the 8th of March 2011 we checked Becky into the Hampton South Hospital for surgery on her left breast and a few benign lumps on her scalp. How did we get to this point? Well, from the beginning Becky had been against Chemo and Radiation therapy. Surgery, however, had always been an option which we may elect to use at some point.

The decision was made by Becky since it IS her body and she was the one who had to live with both the procedure and the lack of a breast for the rest of her life. My main job (besides chief researcher) has always been simply to support Becky every step of the way. I voiced my opinion which was that 1) I had no objections to the surgery at all and 2) I felt that by eliminating the tumors in her breast we stood a much better chance of eliminating the other cancers in her body. She agreed and we spoke with the surgeon and he scheduled the operation for us.

The operation began about 0930 and only lasted about 35 minutes. She spent about 2 hours in recovery outside the operating suite before I was permitted to escort her up to her room. Once there she was basically in and out of consciousness for the next 24 hours. It seems that her body reacted more than expected to the anesthesia.

What happened was that her entire left breast and two adjacent lymph nodes were removed. While there was no sign of involvement the nodes were removed as a precautionary measure. Within the breast was one large mass (roughly golf ball size at this point and 4 smaller masses which were laid out radially around the main mass through a 180 degree arc towards the center of her chest. She has about an 8 inch incision running horizontally across her chest then upward towards her arm pit. It is closed with perhaps 25 staples and she has two vacuum assisted drain tubes located about an inch and a half apart and perhaps an inch below the main incision.

All the questionable tissue was sent to pathology and we should have those results in about two weeks. It will be interesting to see how well our alternative therapy has worked. We know it has been successful at shrinking the tumor mass. What we're interested in is if it has also been successful in actually killing or converting the cancer.

As I said before.... she was mostly asleep for the first 24 hours following the operation. This was supposed to be a day surgery however her reaction to the anesthesia was not going to permit her to leave that day. On Wednesday she was still quite groggy at breakfast time. By lunch, however, she was much more alert and able to eat a good bit of her meal. The Doctor's opinion though was that she really should spend one more day in the hospital.... and that she should take a shower.

It's the Doctor's belief that showers are therapeutic for patients. Naturally they feel cleaner afterwords but the shower is also a relaxing experience. He was right. Becky felt much better after having a shower and getting into a new gown. About an hour after the shower she was walking the hallway for exercise and to get her circulation going. We took a short walk first then a longer one several hours later.

On the third morning she was awake and quite alert when I arrived shortly before 0800. She ate the majority of her breakfast and we waited for the Doctor to arrive and make his assessment. He arrived about 10 and was pleased with the progress he saw. Since she was more lucid today he fully explained what had happened during the surgery and answered all of our questions. This Doctor is a *very* caring man and we both feel blessed that we were able to find him to help us in our battle with cancer.

He said that she had made great progress and that she could be released...... right after she took a shower. So we got her into the shower again and she did spend a good 15 minutes in there enjoying the nice warm water. Dried, dressed and ready the nurse showed up with a wheel chair and we rolled her towards the front door. She got into the car all by herself and we bid farewell to the hospital and the wonderful staff who had done such a great job.

She is home now and both resting and taking care of small projects she can do while seated. While she was gone I only saw one of the stray cats we look after at our house.... and she was the shy one! Becky gets back home and within minutes of her arrival all of the strays make an appearance for her. Okay.... I see who they like best! :-) Inside her Paige kitty wanders around for a while then jumps up into her chair to check on her and get some pets. Home seems as happy to have her back as she is to be back!

I'll post another update when we have the pathology reports back and let you folks know what was going on. Till then....... Peace

#24 New Stuff

For those following we had another set of scans performed and a follow up visit a week later with her oncologist. We must be singlehandedly making the man bankrupt judging by his efforts to get her to do chemotherapy. Now Becky and I are not exactly on the down slope of the intelligence scale..... so if you're going to try to pull a fast one your game better be spot on or we'll nail you. He tried but we both caught him at it.

What he tried to do was show us two sets of scans to illustrate how the cancer has progressed and thus convince her to agree to chemotherapy. So he pops up the "before" and "after" scans and sure enough on the second set of scans there is about twice as much tissue involved in high uptake of the radioactive marker as in the first set. One minor problem though. Soft tissue still shows up on the scans as a faint shadow..... thus you can see the "outline" of the body being scanned. Well in his presentation the "after" scan showed the outline of a body that weighed perhaps 230 pounds. Becky only weighs about 145 pounds right now though.... so it's really tough to explain how she happened to gain and loose about 90 pounds in the 15 or 20 minutes it took to take the scans. BUSTED!!

Taken in their *correct* order the scans indicated that we've managed to reduce the cancer by a good 50% so far..... and we're still on the attack. We recently uncovered some more research on various over the counter supplements that we believe will be a good augmentation for the program we already have in place. One of the supplements goes by the abbreviation DIM which is much easier than Di-Indole Methane. DIM has been shown in clinical studies to promote the healthier metabolism of estrogen in both women and men. Since Becky's cancer is estrogen receptive this addition makes sense. She takes the Arimidex as an estrogen inhibitor already and we feel that the addition of the DIM will further serve to starve the cancer of this substance. As an aside I'm taking the DIM also since it is a fact that estrogen levels in men begin to rise over 50 years of age as the testosterone levels start to decrease. This estrogen increase tends to cause older guys to grow a nice spare tire around the middle. I'm sporting a lovely raised white letter low profile steel belted radial myself. Hopefully that will go flat and fade away over the next several months.

We added in another couple of vitamins and she started using a supplement called Alka-Max too. This is a powered "drink mix" which can be added to water. It has a slight citrus flavor so Becky mixes it with her black tea and it seems to be palatable that way. Of course the idea there is to shift her body to a more alkaline state which is inhospitable to cancer cells. This also seems to be a fairly easy and painless method of getting that result as she drinks a lot of tea anyway.

Otherwise she is visiting the surgeon on Friday the 25th and, with luck, will have a date for her surgery set when she leaves. If not that will at least be in the works. I believe I mentioned that he is 100% certain he can remove all the cancerous material with 0% risk of any breakout or spreading. We're both in agreement that this is the correct course of action as it will permit all of our efforts to concentrate on the cancer which had earlier spread to her spine and rib. The scans also showed dark areas on her left shoulder joint and hip joints....... but she has had arthritis in those for years so we believe that the darkness is the result of an increased uptake of the radioactive marker in those joints due to the increased blood flow caused by inflammation.

Otherwise bone density seems to still be rather good over all. She does take vitamin D and calcium daily. There is a treatment (Yes another alternative therapy) out there that can rebuild the arthritic joints in a fairly short period of time It uses a combination of an injection of a solution which irritates the joint...... and an infusion of ozoneated blood back into the system. The ozone in the blood makes far more oxygen available and triggers a rapid rebuilding of the joint material. (As a side benefit the extra oxygen also kills cancer cells as they are anaerobic)

That's it for right now. I'll fill everyone in as we learn more!

Needed now more than ever..... peace.......

#23 February Update

It's time to update everyone on what has been going on lately. We continue to see the oncologist at the Arlington Cancer Center. Much to his dismay we continue to have success *without* resorting to either Chemo or Radiation. (this, of course, does not help his income rise) :-) On our last visit, which was Monday the 31st of January, her cancer marker were slightly elevated but we're not concerned with that finding. Remember that we had Becky off the DCA for nearly 3 months and that is the main element in our alternative therapy. She is back on it now at her weight adjusted dose and we expect the progress to continue.

Earlier in January we had an appointment with the surgeon. He's satisfied that the tumor has shrunk enough to permit surgery and be able to have a nice clean closing line. He is also quite confident that he can remove *all* of the cancer tissue in her breast without any risk of metastasis. As of now we're considering tumor removal this month which will likely have Becky off work for a week or so. Pretty much the entire left breast will be removed. We think that this will help us combat the cancer that is in one rib and a couple of vertebra.

Even if the main mass is totally dead we'd prefer not to have that tissue in her breast. To us that just seems like asking for problems down the road. If it's mostly dead but has some active cells inside somewhere..... then eliminating it also eliminates the risk of those cells escaping and causing problems elsewhere. No specific date for the surgery has been set at the time of this writing. At most we honestly don't expect her to be in the hospital more than overnight.

Otherwise she is doing quite well. The dietary changes mean that she is still loosing some weight which is helping with her hips and knees as they have less weight to bear. We also got rid of our old "sleep number" bed and acquired a mattress from IKEA. We added a 2.5 inch memory foam topper to that and a 72 spring base under it. So far it has helped Becky get a much better nights sleep than before so it was a good investment. She typically sleeps on one side or the other..... but since the new mattress she has been sleeping more on her back. Before she complained of back pain when she woke up but that seems to be a thing of the past now.... for which I am most thankful.

As soon as we have any additional information about her surgery I'll post an update here. I doubt she will in the hospital long enough for cards or flowers to reach her there. We'll discuss the possibility of posting our address here..... but I suspect that anyone reading this already has that information.

As a parting thought...... "Love as if you'll die tomorrow but learn as though you'll live forever."

Peace....................

#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.

...........................................................................................................................................................................

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.
...........................................................................................................................................................................


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