Wednesday - September 24, 2008

Well, we change direction again. Judy has been so ill for so long that her oncologist made a major change in her treatment regime. The oncologist determined that Judy's symptoms were not being caused by cancer, but rather by a cold, the flu or some other similar disease. So they jointly decided to stop her chemo for a month in order to give her body a chance to get well. She has stopped her Coumadin (blood thinner for her lower leg blood clot) and hopefully that will stop her continuous nose bleeds, the irritation in her throat that causes her to cough without stopping and the nausea that the blood causes when it drips down into her stomach. They also put her on Zyrtec to get rid of her congestion and Valium to make her throat less sensitive to the constant drainage. They also prescribed a nasal steroid to help with the swelling in her throat, though the pharmacist said that particular inhaler is no longer manufactured and will be calling the doctor for an alternate. They also wanted her to get physical therapy and exercise. She said that as long as she was going to physical therapy, she wanted them to work on her swolen arm's range of motion. The oncologist agreed and wrote the order.

We are looking at some possible alternative medicine regimens ... but are not sure if any of them make sense. Some have to be done in place of chemo, so now would be a ideal time to try them. One possibility would be two weeks in Tijuana with a Cesium chloride IV 12-14 hours a day and a new raw fruits and vegetables diet. We estimate this would cost about $15,000 and that none of it would be covered by insurance.

Another alternative would be to go to a chiropractor in Layton, who Sheri's mother-in-law swears by, another would be to go to a DO in Provo and a third would be to purchase the cesium chloride over the internet and administer it by spraying it on the skin. We reading a lot on the internet, talking to others patients and trying to make smart decisions as we move along.

We have harvested the last of the peaches, the tomatoes are producing a 5 gallon bucket every few days, the broccili is going strong and even a couple of cauliflower heads have begun to form now that the weather has turned cooler, we have two large watermelons and about one dozen canteloupes. We are mowing the lawn shorter and shorter preparing for winter and have put a 10' x 20' canvas garage up in the driveway to hold stuff from the garage while we paint it, reorganize the shelving and get ready to put a car in the garage for the first time in our married lives. Always before it has been full of "stuff". Even when we had a 3 car garage and a 30' x 30' workshop in California, we never had a car in the garage. So, we are making progress more progress in some ways than in years!