Face The Facts But Fight Your Fears!
Face the facts but fight your fears! (Pastor Steven Furtick) Although we would like to "stick our heads in the sand" and pretend that Mike's body is as healthy as he feels, the fact is that for some reason his body grows lung nodules. He has Multi-focal non small cell lung cancer and a few small nodules that have been growing in his right lung the past few years. So we are fighting our fear of what people will think and starting a blog to let people know what we are doing. Our kids actually helped us set the blog up a few years ago but... we never blogged!
After having a lobe of the right lung removed in 2001, a lobe of the left lung removed in 2006 and a wedge of a lobe removed from the right lung in 2011, surgery is not an option at this time. The doctors at Mayo gave us several different options including Proton beam radiation but that is still not ready to use on the lungs, Cryoablation which is freezing or burning the nodules which causes "collateral damage " to other lung tissue or Chemotherapy (Vadetanib, Alectinib or Cabozantinib). Mike already has decreased lung capacity due to all his surgeries and the Chemo drugs didn't seem to have enough research for lung cancer, so we decided to go a different route.
I have been reasearching "holistic/alternative cancer treatments since Mikes last surgery in 2011 and that is how we ended up seeking treatment in Reno, NV. There are many great Cancer facilities around especially in Mexico but we liked the protocol here the best. We know a lot of people will think we are crazy for not following Mayo's standard protocol and we are okay with that, we just ask that you not judge us for our decision.
In May Mikes blood was sent to Greece for the RGCC test. There they tested his blood against all Chemo drugs and natural substances to determine what will work best for Him! (Why don't we do that in the US?!?) The doctor then picked the best Chemo drugs along with natural vitamins and supplements. Mike will get high dose Vitamin C along with other supplements 3 days a week and Low Dose Chemo with Insulin 2dys a week with weekends off for 3 weeks. Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT) is done because cancer feeds off sugar so the theory is that the cancer cells open up thinking they are getting sugar but instead get Chemo.
On Monday Mike had a pic line put in at St. Mary's hospital here and had his first Vitamin/supplement IV's. Tuesday was supposed to be his first Chemo but……due to wild-fire Farad we could not get to Reno from Lake Tahoe. So, today he is having his first Chemo treatment (Taxotere and Vinorelbine). Thanks for your love, support and prayers, we so appreciate it!!!
Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid; courage means you don't let fear stop you!!!