In The Throws Of It

Thank you to all of you who have been posting comments and sharing from your experiences or just leaving a note and letting me know you're thinking of me. Right now, it really helps to know that others have been down this road and occasionally have a recommendation or two or just to be thought of or in your prayers. I very much appreciate it. And, I am almost done with the radiation and, as per the radiation/oncology Nurse Practitioner (NP), I am fortunate to have the current side effects only showing up now, towards the end. Apparently, it can start even earlier, so I am grateful they have not.

Today I met with the NP again because my backside is really getting irritated now from the radiation. And...and now, my front side is starting to...well...let's say, starting to get the same kind of "tan" that my backside's been getting. Not to mention that the Jock Itch seems to be getting worse. When I explained this to the NP, I must have given her one heck of a look because she started to laugh and said, "No, you don't have to worry. Nothing else is going to happen down there." To which I quickly thanked her for that reassurance and said, "That would be a whole new level of...well...I don't even know what, but I'm awful happy to hear that!"

She then went on to explain that the irritation was being treated as Jock Itch but in fact, the source of the irritation is the radiation now making its way through the front side of me. And since skin is weakened when radiated, the possibility of a fungal infection aka Jock Itch increases and therefore it is treated as such. And now it has become very clear why I was informed of the possibility of the radiation making me infertile. Because all my "business" is getting radiated. Which again leads me to being quite grateful that the extent of the side effects will be nothing more than a "sunburn" type reaction and the possibility of becoming infertile.

Regarding the possibility of becoming infertile, I did not go to a sperm bank or where ever one would go to insure the possibility of having more children. The first reason is that if we do have any more kids we will adopt. And the second reason is that I do not want to be a part of the creation of another human being, as I did Beau, with a body that is so toxic that cancer has shown up. Had I preserved sperm in order to have more children, it would be toxic. And since Beau was conceived while cancer was growing in my body, Daniela and I will be keeping that boy on a very healthy diet and commit ourselves to his staying healthy in hopes that when the time comes, he will also choose to live a healthy life.

Now I'm no fool - my folks raised me that way and of course once I was old enough to go out into the world and eat lots of junk food I did. And, I eventually put myself on a healthy diet because I grew up with it as a priority, so for me in just made sense. AND LOOK WHAT GOOD IT DID. Just kidding!!! But all kidding aside, we believe it's important that once Beau is old enough to start making his own choices about what kinds of food he eats, that he be very clear that he was conceived while I had undiagnosed cancer growing in my body. We were told by more than one doctor that Beau should have his first colonoscopy 10 years prior to the age I was when I was first diagnosed. That would be age 26 for Beau. What a thing to have to watch out for at such a young age. I certainly hope medical science makes some serious headway in the area of cancer prevention and treatment between now and then.

So, - back to my current side effects - I'm going to spend a lot of time this weekend attempting to heal or at least relieve myself from these side effects. The NP told me that in addition to my current regimen of side effect meds, a sitz bath would be very helpful as well aloe vera applied topically. So, I think I'll do a little reading while I do a sitz bath and then soak in some aloe vera gel. I've been putting off doing that thus far because all I want to do lately is lay down and sleep off all of my discomforts, but since I do not have radiation treatments over the weekend, I hope to have the energy to give my body a little more care in the way of healing.

I have also decided that once I am healed I will find a way to become a supporter of the advancement of medical science in the area of cancer oncology. I don't know to what degree it will be or what it will look like, but I do have that commitment now that I have first hand experience with the nasty side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. And, it's my understanding that I have only received a light dose yet still I am already sufficiently miserable.

I still very much support and believe in Gerson Therapy. Gerson Therapy is extraordinary yet, it takes an equally extraordinary commitment to take it on. And, without question, of those who believe in Gerson Therapy, not all are going to be up for it. I also am a firm believer that the rapid increase in cancer in our country is a result of the poisons in our water, our air and our food - from seed to supermarket - whether we ingest it through eating and breathing or by soaking it into our skin via the countless products we use in and outside of our bodies.

I also understand there are many angles to removing cancer from our lives. Many in the area of prevention and many in the area of treatment. And right now, as I am in the throws of a particularly unpleasant treatment process, I feel compelled to positively impact the greatest number of people in this area of treatment. So, for starters, I will continually be on the look out for new developments in oncology in hopes that there can be a real transformation of what is currently an often very painful and damaging process.

Here are two links to the same article about John Kanzius, who is developing what he hopes will be a side effect free cancer treatment through the use of radio waves and nano particles. You can click on the first link to view it on 60 Minutes via Youtube or you can read the article on the CBS/60 Minutes web page. And I will confess, I only watched the first of the three Youtube clips and I did not read the entire article because I currently don't have the energy to do so. I most certainly will once I'm free of these side effects, but I thought even though I haven't watched or read it all, what I did watch and read was very exciting and figured it's worth taking the risk and handing it over to you un-reviewed. I have a feeling you'll accept.

John Kanzius' story on 60 Minutes via Youtube (the first of three)

John Kanzius' story printed via the CBS News/60 Minutes website