SO Good to be HOME...

It is so good to be home and well enough to write my own update! (Thank you to Chantelle for taking care of things during my surgery and recovery.)

As you all know, my surgeons were able to successfully remove the tumour in my small bowel. However, during the surgery they found that the cancer had spread through my lymph system to my liver. They removed some of the damaged tissue but were unable to remove it all, so I definitely have a battle ahead of me – with chemo and a variety of other medical treatments.

I was released from the hospital on Thursday and as Chantelle inferred, it was a bit of a tough week for me. Unfortunately, my epidural failed half way through the first day after surgery and pain management became a real challenge.  I know that many of you wanted to come for a visit, but I really was not up for it that first week.  I had a very small circle of friends and family who were with me almost around the clock taking very good care of me, feeding me, forcing me to move around and walk and almost killing me with laughter (Dad, Chantelle, Tim, Pam, Mar, Kristie, Roli, Parch and Mike). I have lots of funny stories – apparently I turned into a crusty old lady with lots of interesting hallucinations and a penchant for imitating Whitney Houston. I don’t remember a lot of it, so I think my friends are making it up.  

Thanks to all who sent flowers and cards - I definitely had the brightest and sweetest-smelling room on the ward:

The first few days at home were a little tricky – I guess I had pretty high expectations of feeling good as soon as I got home. Naive. Funny how much I missed all those nurses with their syringes full of morphine....  Tim has been an absolute god-send since I got home, don’t know what I would have done without him.  We are really focussed on getting me back to my fighting weight – so he has been in charge of making LOTS of healthful, high caloric foods and shakes and as much fresh-squeezed veggie juice as I can drink.

The next step obviously is chemo, but in addition to that we are on a quest to do EVERYTHING we can to beat this thing. Thanks to my good friend Michelle, we have come across some very promising alternative medicine options that we are looking into as additional treatments.  She has put us in contact with a gentleman in Ontario who had a very similar cancer to my own, that had spread to his liver as well – and who today is CANCER-FREE.  In addition to chemo, he ate a very clean, cancer-fighting diet, took very high doses of IV Vitamin C and a variety of supplements. In addition to this, he took very low doses of Naltrexone – which at high doses has been used for years with HIV patients.  It has been used more recently with cancer patients, MS patients and those with fibromyalgia.  Low Dose Naltrexone (also known as LDN) is a bit controversial though, b/c it is not actually indicated for cancer treatment and there have been no clinical studies conducted to establish efficacy. (Mostly b/c it is an old drug that has already been genericized, so there is no financial upside to conducting clinical trials.) Some of you may have questions or concerns about LDN, so I encourage you to visit http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/gazorpa/LDNFAQ.html.  Another good site is www.ldninfo.org 

The reason I tell you all this is because many of you on this distribution list are pharma reps, pharmacists and nurses. Part of my challenge in the next little while will be finding a practitioner who is willing to prescribe the LDN for me, and unfortunately there are very few doctors in Saskatoon who have knowledge about it and even fewer with clinical experience.  I already have several of my pharma buddies talking to their physicians  and pharmacists to get as much information we can about LDN – and I would ask any and all of you to do the same.  I truly believe that I can beat this, but want to explore absolutely every avenue available to me to do so.  I already have an appointment with a naturopath in Saskatoon who does a lot of work with cancer patients.  I plan to work with a homeopath and an acupuncturist in order to boost my immune system. There is also a great clinic in Calgary that specializes in Integrative medicine called the Hoffman Centre where a good friend of mine was treated and is now celebrating 5 years of being Cancer-free.

This is going to be a very busy week for  me. Tim is taking me to my family doctor to get my staples removed on Tuesday, on Wednesday Chantelle is taking me to see the naturopath and on Thursday I have my first appointment with my oncologist. Thank you all so much for all the well wishes and prayers, and please keep them coming.  It makes all the difference in the world.

Take good care,

Barb