The Big December Scare

(from Margi)

I think that the big scare last December (when the nurse in Memphis misread the results of my CA125 test) served a purpose. She actually read the patient I.D. number, which unfortunately was over 1000 and would have been higher than my original Stage IV number in February 2006. The actual CA125 test value fortunately turned out to be 12-- a nice number well within the normal (0-35) range. But the mistake wasn’t discovered for almost a week. Okay-- the purpose of that torturous time you are asking?

Well, after listening to an oncologist in L.A. describe the likely scenario that conventional medicine had in store for me—exploratory surgery and likely implanting a chemo-pump into my abdomen so that I could undergo “extended” chemotherapy, as in, for the duration-- whatever that might be-- and very possibly a colostomy just for extra fun. He also mentioned that the costs would be astronomical (his exact word) and that I would never be able to afford it and so he would refer me to L.A. County Hospital. I suppose they have a special program for those who are ready to donate their live bodies to medical science…

So in the spirit of contributing to medical science I decided I would prefer, this time around, to be the lab animal for a different set of experiments. ‘The ‘Big December Scare’ as I now refer to it, prompted me to take a look at alternative therapies for cancer treatment. There were many therapies out there and I suppose I chose this particular one for it’s overall approach of building up the immune system while also removing toxins in the body. (I never really fully recovered from the energy draining effects of the chemo or the general feeling of nausea. Nor have I been able to completely rid myself of that come and go sinus/chest infection.) So, when my recent CA125 came out at 251 I hightailed it to the Big Island at a Naturopathic Retreat where “Gerson Therapy” along with other therapies are offered.

Dr. Baylac is a naturopathic doctor who runs the Center. In addition to the G.T. she tailors the routine to address individual problems. She is also a psychologist which is helpful in dealing with the fear factor.


My current address for the next few weeks is:

17-502 Ipuaiwaha Street
Keaau, Hawaii 96749

In this address the English word ‘street’ has the highest consonant to vowel ratio.

Maybe it’s the influence of the volcanoes—volcano culture—living in a place where the earth’s mouth is O-shaped and ready to blow smoke rings into the sky.


Hawaii is filled with vowels. All the extra I’s and O’s and U’s give me comfort and reminds me I.O.U. all! But I am especially fond of the O’s. O for open ended. O for
the chanting sound Ooooooooohhhhmmm. O for the circular cycles of life and death
and life and on and on and on. Okay, O for off too. O for Oh thank-you soooo much
for loving me. O for of course. O for oops and oingy boingy. O for ovaries growing healthy. And O for the mouth of the volcano, Pu’u O’o, who slowly flows her hot molten lava onto the open sea.


Time of Day (Gerson style):

8am (so to speak)
Orange juice
Breakfast-- fresh fruit (assorted), oatmeal, raisins.
Supplements:
Acidol 2 tabs (enzymes—pepsin, betane HCI, raw pancreas)
Potassium compound (added to juice)
Lugols (iodine—added to juice)
Thyroid 1/2 grain (levothyroxine T4-- 19mcg, liothyronine T3-- 4.5mcg)
Niacin 50 mgs
Pancreatin—3 tabs (digestive enzymes—325mg)
CoEnzymeQ10 (200 mg)
Inf-zyme Forte-- 3tabs (proteolytic enzymes complex: pancreatin, bromelain, papain,
trypsin,chymotrypsin, rutin, lipase, zinc, superoxide dismutase, catalase, L-cysteine)
Vitamin C 500mg (citrus bioflavinoid complex 250mg—hesperidin,naringin, flavones
& phenolics)

9am
Green juice (w/ potassium)
Vit C

9:30
Apple/carrot juice (w/potassium & iodine)
Vit C

10am
Apple/carrot juice (w/P & I)
Thyroid tab
Niacin
Vit C

11am
Liver caps 2-- 500 mg (defatted, bovine)
B12 injection

12noon
Green juice (w/P)
Vit C

12:30
Apple/carrot juice (w/P&I)
Lunch—cooked & raw vegetables & salad, etc.
Flax seed oil 1tbsp
Supplements same as with breakfast plus Indole-3-Carbinol 200mg
Probiotics
1:30
Green juice (w/P)
Vit C

2:30
Liver caps 2

3:30
Liver caps 2

4:30
Apple/carrot juice (w/P&I)
Supplements—thryroid, niacin, pancreatin, Vit C

5:30
Apple/carrot juice (w/P&I)
Dinner—cooked & raw vegetables & salad, etc
Flax seed oil 1tbsp
Supplements same as lunch

6:30
Green juice (w/P)
Supplements—niacin & Vit C

Before bed
Melatonin 20mg


*All juices are fresh squeezed
In general, it is a low sodium, low fat, low protein diet designed to transform the
body into an inhospitable environment for cancer cells…



Ride the Current

Take me
to a quiet place
where I can hear
the sounds that are small.
Let the wind lift
and whirl me round.
A feather’s dance
in lightness of air.
Spinning first upwards
then down
to ride
water’s rippled surface.
Air
water
up
down --
the feather sees no difference
between the currents.

Margi & the volcano

On Tuesday, March 13, Margi flew to the big island of Hawaii to participate in an alternative medicine program to treat her cancer. This trip was spurred by a CA-125 test the previous week that came back with a count of 251 (normal range for the CA-125, which tests for ovarian cancer, is 0-35). She made the decision to go to Hawaii very soon after getting the test results, so was not able to let very many people know she was going. She will probably be there a total of two weeks.

The Gerson Therapy program focuses on nutrition, organic foods, meditation and positive thinking, from what I can gather from the website. There are also enemas. (As Margi says, she's "getting it from both ends," but at least the coffee enemas mean she gets a little caffeine each day!) You can read more about the program by visiting its website:

http://www.gersonhawaii.us/

While Margi has some access to email while she's there, it is very limited access, as they discourage people from spending very much time in front of computer screens. So if you write to her, don't be surprised if it's a rather long time before you hear back. She's focusing hard on trying to help her body heal.

Main attractions of the program for her, aside from her desire to try a non-traditional approach to strengthening her body against the illness, are the presence of a live volcano nearby, warm ocean waters to swim in, and sea turtles to perhaps swim with.