Important Update

I haven't posted an update in awhile, because, for the most part, things have just been moving along in my now three-month-old routine.  I treat four days a week at Fox Valley in Fond du Lac--it is closed on Fridays.  Most of my treatments are first thing in the morning and last till 1:00-2:00 p.m.  Then I go to work four afternoons per week--we are closed on Thursdays.  Any extra tests/scans/bloodwork I've been able to schedule on Thursday afternoons or Friday mornings. I am still working as the insurance/billing manager at a chiropractic office three blocks from my house.  My bosses are like family and accommodate me however they can.  My coworkers are also great in their flexibility.  I've only had to call in once to say I wasn't coming in because I wasn't feeling well. Up to this point, my treatments and work have all fit neatly into place, and there has been little disruption to our schedules, which is a huge blessing.

The struggle with bone pain in my leg continues.  For about 3 1/2 weeks starting at Thanksgiving time, I had little to no pain.  I had started a new, stronger full spectrum CBD oil with a high concentration of 2000mg, and it worked so well that I was able to completely stop taking ibuprofen, which has been one of my goals.  But then I started having trouble again.  I'm not sure if it's because my body has built up a tolerance to the CBD or if it's because the bone pain is getting worse--or a combination.  So for the past couple weeks, I've had to take ibuprofen again with the CBD oil.  Today I got a new prescription for a pain killer that is used for bone pain and neuropathy, and it's supposed to be less harmful long term than ibuprofen.  Hopefully I'll be able to wean off the ibuprofen again.  Usually my leg pain worsens as the day goes on and can be quite bad at night.  But once the pain is under control, I usually sleep through the night.

At one point when the pain was getting me down, the lyrics to "His Eye is on the Sparrow" came into my head and were a great encouragement.

           Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come?
           Why should my heart feel lonely and long for Heaven and home?
           When Jesus is my portion, a constant friend is He
           His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches over me.
           His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

 

           I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free!
           His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me,
           His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches
          

I've been incorporating more detox therapies in my routine.  I think for a while I was concentrating too much on treatments and not enough on eliminating the die-off and toxic cell wastes that result from the treatments.  Both aspects are very important, treating the cancer and then detox, because without detox the body can become toxic and sick.  Dr. Donna Abfall from Fox Valley (she does blood microscopy and nutrition) also has her own detox clinic in West Bend called Inochi.  I've been there three times now for a 4-5 hour session of detox treatments.  She does Far Infrared Sauna, ozone sauna, ozone insufflation, ionic foot baths, photon therapy, and PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic frequency) therapy.  It's like going to a relaxing spa, so I enjoy the time there.  I have also scheduled some appointments beginning January 11, to get colonics done at a place in Appleton.  Cleansing the colon would rid it of build-up on the colon walls, which would not only be eliminating more toxins, but also allow nutrients, etc., to be better absorbed.

There is an extended group of people who are covering me and my family in prayer, and I've relied on my Prayer Warriors several times with specific requests on my Facebook page.  I can say from experience that when they pray, God works in a big way!  The latest example was over Christmas when I asked for prayer for the car ride over to Michigan and back.  I was concerned about my leg pain and the discomfort of sitting in the van for the six hour trip each way.  God graciously responded again, and I had no issues with pain or discomfort either way.  On the way there, Bob folded down one of the back seats and made a little bed for me with sleeping bags and pillows.  It was a perfect little nest, and I slept most of the trip.  I think I had the most comfortable spot in the van!  On the way home, we took my parents with us and dropped them off at the airport in Chicago, so I had to sit in a seat that far.  After we dropped them off, I got the back seat to myself and was able to stretch out.  My leg didn't bother me at all that trip, either.  It is very faith-building to see God answer specific prayers in specific ways.

Unfortunately, I did struggle with pain each night when I went to bed, but once I fell asleep, I was able to sleep well through the night. 

Our time in Michigan with both sides of our family was sweet and fun.  We spent Saturday and Sunday with Bob's side...39 out of the 40 family members were present!  Bob's family blessed us with an unexpected gift from all of them...it left us overwhelmed.  Monday and Tuesday we spent at my sister's house, and again we were only missing one niece in California and my brother's family here in Wisconsin.  When we arrived at my sister's house, it was very cool to see they were all wearing t-shirts designed by my nephew.  They say "Kim's Clan" on the back; the front has a design of a ribbon over a cross, and the ribbon says "Hope", "Not a spirit of fear", and "Against the tide".  They are a fundraiser on the Kim's Clan Facebook page.  My sister and brother-in-law also had Christmas gifts for our family which was another unexpected blessing and a great surprise for the kids.

Sunday morning we worshiped at West Cannon Baptist, which is where Bob and I were attending when we were married, so we have lots of friends there whom we haven't seen in a long time.  We joined two of Bob's sisters and husbands, his parents, plus my sister and brother-in-law drove up the 45 minutes from their house with my parents, so we had a nice group of our family at the morning service.  It was great to touch base with several of our old friends after the service.

The end of November I had six-week appointments with Dr. Coleman and Dr. Abfall to go over the six-week blood work, etc.  Most of the blood work numbers which were out of the normal range the first time had improved, except for the tumor markers which went up.  They check thyroid, hormones, blood, etc., etc.  The tumor markers are difficult to interpret without a third set of numbers to establish a trend.  For instance, it's possible that even though they went up, they went up at a slower rate than they were previously rising.  I had 12-week blood work done a couple days ago, so we will see what the new numbers show.  It can take a couple weeks to get all the results back.

Last week I had my second PET scan and a full-body thermography scan.  Thermography cannot penetrate bone, so it doesn't show bone cancer, but Dr. Coleman said it will show circulation issues and other problems.  It's so weird that if one just looked at the thermograph, there would be no indication that there's anything wrong with me!  My breasts are both still clear; in fact, they look slightly better than they did in my last thermography scan.  I thought sure my leg would show up warmer just from all the pain and inflammation, but it looks no different than my good leg.  Like I said, weird.

The PET scan is another story and not what we wanted to hear.  There are multiple new spots throughout my skeleton, so it is spreading and growing.  The spot in the bottom of my right lung that was there previously remained basically unchanged.  I think we have a pretty good idea at what those new blood work numbers are going to show now.  I had this scan done head to toe, because I was convinced that my entire right leg was full of cancer all the way down to my ankle based on the fact that I have a lot of pain in my knee and lower leg that feels just like the pain in my femur where there is a lot of cancer.  Amazingly, there is no cancer below the femur!  I was shocked; the pain must be nerve pain then.  I found out that the reason PET scans are only done down to the mid-thigh is because that's all the farther the machine can go.  In order to get my lower legs scanned, I had to flip around and put my feet where my head had been and then run another scan which took about 10 minutes less than the body scan.  It's good that it was shorter, because I was starting to struggle with pain on the table and ended up singing out loud, etc., to distract myself so I could lie still.  The machine is pretty loud, so I doubt anyone could hear me.  :)

The results came in yesterday, so Dr. Coleman found me in the IV room and went over them.  Fortunately, Bob took me to the clinic yesterday, because he is off all week, so he arrived to pick me up shortly after Dr. Coleman came in and was there for the news.  All of the new spots are too small to measure, but there are many:  base of my skull, sternum, several more vertebra, ribs, pelvis, humerus.  Dr. Coleman compared them to new weeds popping up everywhere and said that the cancer is searching for new places to go.  He said the cancer has a lot of momentum, and that I need to do something more...sooner rather than later.  He recommended going to a cancer clinic in Mexico and said that is what he would do.  Of course I could choose to go with conventional chemo if I wanted, but I just think that would hasten the end and be ugly in the process.  I could also just keep doing what I'm doing and postpone the inevitable as long as possible.  But Bob and I are pursuing the Mexico clinics.  There are several, and they are not hindered by the backward regulations and restrictions of the FDA, etc., in the U.S.  They offer all the things I've already been doing as well as additional crucial treatments that are proven and used world-wide...except for in the U.S.

Some of the treatments include:  Hyperthermia (they put you under and raise the body temp very high...normal cells can handle it; cancer cells can't and get cooked). Sono-photo-dynamic therapy (using light and sound to kill cancer cells). IPTLD therapy (insulin potentiated low dose chemo): they put you under and lower the body's blood sugar drastically then introduce a very low dose chemo with insulin; the cancer cells are starving for the sugar, so they suck it up--it uses significantly lower doses of chemo and it's so targeted, it does little damage to the rest of the body. There are also viruses that are developed to specifically attack cancer cells.

The daunting part is that we need to come up with $45,000 up front, which we don't have.  And Bob and I would be gone for three weeks.  That nice, neat schedule I mentioned in my opening paragraph just blew up.  This would be a big upheaval for our family.  We also need to get passports--they can be expedited for medical reasons, if necessary.  We don't know if this is going to happen or not, but I know my God is bigger than any of the obstacles in the way, and He can move them if He chooses.

This news has been a blow, for sure, and my heart hurts for Bob and my kids.  Having decisions to make and planning to do helps keep the mind off thoughts of a grim future.  My good friend, Tammy, often says, "Don't doubt in the dark what you know in the light."  So we hold on to all God's promises and trust that He knows what He's doing and it will be for the best.

Glutathione

Every time I get a chelation or vitamin C IV cancer treatment, I also have to "push my glute" (a large syringe of glutathione that I have to push into the IV on my own).  The first time my kids heard me say "push my glute", they thought "glute" was short for gluteus maximus--the large muscle in our rear ends--and they couldn't figure out why in the world I would have to push myself in the butt.  We got a good laugh out of that after I explained about the glutathione!  I also have a glutathione supplement that I take--it can be ordered online.  So what is glutathione, and why is it important?

 

Glutathione is produced naturally in the body, and is a simple molecule made up of three proteins, or amino acids:  cysteine, glycine, and glutamine.  Although it is simple, glutathione is extremely important.  It supports the immune system, helps prevent and treat cancer, controls inflammation, removes free radicals and heavy metals, and recycles antioxidants to be re-used.  Not only does glutathione protect the cells, it's also important for efficient energy metabolism.  It decreases muscle damage, reduces recovery time, increases strength and endurance, and shifts metabolism from fat production to muscle development.

 

Although glutathione is produced naturally, production decreases with age and with the presence of toxins.  Glutathione is normally recycled, but if the toxin burden in the body becomes too high, glutathione becomes depleted and is no longer able to protect against disease nor eliminate toxins, which then leads to a downward spiral of chronic illness.  Virtually all patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, cancer, chronic infections, autoimmune disease, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, asthma, kidney problems, liver disease, and more are found to be deficient in glutathione.

 

Glutathione is called the "Master Antioxidant" because after it fills up with free radicals, it regenerates itself in the liver and is then able to go back to work and scoop up more free radicals.  Free radicals are formed by normal cellular metabolic oxidation and toxic overload and can cause cancers, autoimmune disorders, and heart attacks.

 

Glutathione is also essential for maintaining healthy mitochondria in cells.  When the mitochondria of a cell malfunctions, it can lead to mutations that cause the cell to become cancerous.

 

Natural health author Paul Fassa wrote:

“Glutathione is critical for one simple reason: It recycles antioxidants. You see, dealing with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione which cools off the free radicals and recycles other antioxidants. After this happens, the body can “reduce” or regenerate another protective glutathione molecule and we are back in business.”

 

Glutathione's super power may be the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule which acts to grab and help eliminate all the bad things in the body. Its stickiness allows it to capture damaging free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.  Sulfur-rich foods include garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress).

 

Selenium helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.  The family of antioxidants which includes vitamins C and E (in the form of mixed tocopherols) work together to recycle glutathione.  Milk thistle helps increase glutathione levels and is famed for its ability to cleanse, protect, and regenerate the liver.

 

Exercise also boosts glutathione levels as well as boosting your immune system, improving detoxification, and enhancing your body’s own antioxidant defenses.

 

The subject of glutathione reinforces the importance of a healthy diet, proper exercise, and elimination of as many known toxins as possible.

 

This information was taken from an article by Tony Isaacs at The Truth About Cancer.

Thankful Heart

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday last week, there are several things for which I am thankful.

A couple weeks ago, I did another four sessions of IV ozone therapy followed by lymphatic treatments.  Ozone requires larger veins, but any smaller vein can be used for my other IV's.  The main large veins inside my elbows have developed scar tissue from being used so much, so there is always the question of whether the nurses will be able to use those veins four days in a row.  That Monday, it took three tries before the nurses were successful, so on Tuesday morning before I left the house, I posted a specific prayer request on Facebook that my veins would cooperate, because I knew my faithful prayer warriors would respond.  I told my nurse, Alicia, about the prayer request before she started, so when she got a good vein on the first try, we both celebrated.  I said, "BOOM--that is a specific answer to prayer!"  After I checked Facebook much later that day, it was so cool to see all the people who had prayed that morning and to be able to tell them with a thankful heart how completely God answered their prayers.

That was a good week--I felt quite well all week.  The weekend wasn't quite as good, but it wasn't terrible, either.  I had a little trouble with leg pain one night, but it didn't last too long.  I also bought some new CBD oil (marijuana) that week.  CBD oil is from hemp plants and is the non-hallucinogenic part of the plant; THC is what provides the "high."  The legal amount of THC in Wisconsin is .3, and that is what is in the CBD oil--hardly anything, and I haven't experienced any "side effects."  So, despite the teasing by my kids and the references to "Mom's weed", I am neither smoking marijuana nor getting high.  :)  The CBD oil is like an essential oil, and I just put drops under my tongue for 30 seconds or so, then swallow it.  It doesn't taste very pleasant, but it's not as bad as some of the other supplements I take.  My doctors from the clinic recommended CBD oil when I first started at the clinic.  It is supposed to help the bone pain, and it also fights cancer and strengthens and builds new bone.  It seemed to help at first, and for about two weeks straight I was able to stop taking ibuprofen, but then it wasn't effective any more.  I later found out that what I was taking was an isolate, or just one out of the multitude of compounds naturally present in the plant.  I was able to find another local supplier whose oil is a full spectrum oil--it contains all of the cannabinoids and terpenes present in the plant instead of just one.  I also learned that it's the terpenes (not the THC) that contain the smell, so my new oil does smell like marijuana when I open it.  Fortunately, it doesn't linger after I swallow it.  I bought the highest concentration oil available, and over the past couple weeks have been adjusting the amounts of oil that I take while gradually reducing the amount of ibuprofen I take.  I am able to report with a very thankful heart that for the past several days (and nights) straight, I have not taken any ibuprofen at all, and I have had little to no leg pain.  One of my goals was to get off the ibuprofen, since it is damaging to the body, so this is an important accomplishment to me.

Just over a week ago my husband, Bob, and 15-year old son, Ben, traveled to the west side of the state for opening weekend of the gun deer season.  A friend has a lot of good hunting land in Buffalo County and always hosts a good group of his family and friends for hunting season.  They were gone from Friday afternoon through Tuesday evening.  We were praying that they would get a deer, so we would have venison in our freezer.  Venison would be a great change of pace for me, too--I never thought I would get sick of meat, but beef, chicken, and fish were getting old.  Ben had easy shots at two small bucks, but he chose to let them go.  Bob got an average-sized doe on Monday morning, so we did stock our freezer with thankful hearts.

My heart is very thankful for our oldest daughter, Emily, who arrived from Michigan on Monday afternoon (while Bob and Ben were gone), and is able to stay for a full week; she leaves Tuesday morning.  We love having her home again, and she is very helpful!  I felt really lousy last Tuesday and Wednesday (no leg pain, but headache and a wonky stomach), so I was glad she drove me to the clinic on Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, instead of going to the clinic for treatment, Bob and Emily took me to a detox center in West Bend, which is also run by one of my doctors from the clinic--Dr. Abfall, who does the blood microscopy and nutrition.  It was like being at a spa--mostly.  :)  I did an ionic foot bath, infrared sauna, ozone sauna, and a few other detoxing therapies as well.  It took four hours total, so Bob and Emily went shopping and had lunch while I was there.  I had awakened still feeling lousy that day, and I did start feeling a bit better part way through the detox treatments, which was a blessing.  I'm going to try to get down there more often, because while my treatments at the clinic are supposed to be killing off cancer cells and other bad stuff, I need to make sure that my body is eliminating those toxins and bad guys instead of storing them.

I shared a prayer request on Facebook again that I would feel better for Thanksgiving, because we had a lot of family gathering at my brother's house--many from out of state--and, again, God chose to bless me.  I woke up feeling great Thursday morning, and I have felt great since then!  My sister & brother-in-law, four of their kids, and a cute new great-nephew, my brother-in-law's parents as well as my youngest brother all came from Michigan to spend Thanksgiving Day and Friday with us at our brother's house just a few miles away.  There were 24 of us all together, and we had a great time visiting, playing games, and eating.  It was so warm on Friday that a large group played Frisbee golf, and a smaller group of us went for a walk.  My heart was SO happy and thankful to be able to get outside in the sunshine and actually go for a walk without my leg acting up!

Another praise is that I can tell my vision is improving again.  It's still not back to normal, but it is definitely better.  Once it goes back to normal, I plan to do some more hyperbaric treatments.

This week I will be doing IV's again, and then on Thursday I will meet with Dr. Coleman.  I had more bloodwork done a couple weeks ago, so hopefully he will have results from that.

Choosing to be thankful and finding ways to praise God are some of the best ways to prevent getting caught up in poor attitudes toward our circumstances.  My Father has truly been demonstrating in very real ways that He loves His daughter!

Slight Change in Treatment

I have decided to hold off on any more hyperbaric treatments for awhile since my vision is worsening.  I'm now borrowing an old pair of Bob's glasses so that I can I drive.  They work well, and I figured it's kind of important to be able to see clearly when I'm driving.  :)  My glasses are pretty useless at this point...I have to look through the distance section of my bifocals in order to see up close, and the up-close section doesn't work at all.  This morning was my 20th dive, and that's a good number.  I believe I would be required to take a break after 30 dives, anyway, so it's not that big of a deal.  I don't know how long it will take for my vision to return to normal.

I am planning to purchase an "oxygen concentrator" which will allow me to breathe 90% oxygen for a couple  hours a day.  It won't be as effective as the hyperbaric, because the pressure of the HBOT forces the oxygen into the body's cells, but it will still be beneficial.

Tomorrow and Thursday I will just have an IV treatment each day.  Next week I scheduled four ozone treatments in a row, each one followed by the lymphatic massage.  I will not do any IV's next week.  The first time I did ozone and lymphatic treatments, I experienced quite a bit more pain in my leg, so I'll have to see if that is affected again next week.

I'm very thankful to report that I have been feeling quite a bit better overall the past several days.  I didn't have any problems this past Sunday and was able to finally attend the evening service for the first time in a month.  I haven't been feeling blah or yucky or super tired, which is fantastic!  My leg has been hurting more, but I just have to take more ibuprofen, so it hasn't been unbearable or anything.

This Friday I will have more blood work done, and I should have results that Dr. Coleman and Dr. Abfall can share with me when I meet with them the end of November.  I will have another PET scan just before the end of the year, which will be very close to three months since the first one.  If I can squeeze it in this year yet, insurance will cover it since I met my deductible now.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support!  God is good ALL the time.

How Ozone Heals

In 1925 Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering the relationship between oxygen and cancer.  Warburg discovered that "Cancer has only one prime cause. The prime cause of cancer is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of body cells by an anaerobic (oxygen-less) cell respiration."  All healthy cells in the body burn glucose as fuel through a process called oxidation.  When cells are deprived of their normal oxygen supply, they have no choice but to process glucose using the inferior method, fermentation, which occurs in the absence of oxygen.  During normal cell respiration using oxygen, the cells give off carbon dioxide; during fermentation, the cells give off lactic acid.  The limited amount of carbon dioxide is a crucial part of the disease process, because hemoglobin--which carries oxygen in the bloodstream--cannot give off oxygen without first receiving carbon dioxide.  Not only is the damaged cell deprived of its oxygen nutrients, it is also poisoned by the resulting toxic pathogens.

Another role played by oxygen in healthy cells is the production of a tough enzyme coating around the cell which protects the cell from invading disease-causing agents such as bacteria and viruses.  Oxygen-starved cells can't produce enough enzymes to form that protective cell wall, leaving the cell susceptible to destructive invaders.  Viruses are especially problematic, since they can live indefinitely (bacteria have a definite life span).  Viruses are not cells and do not have the ability to reproduce; they consist of genetic material.  Viruses look for weakened cells that they can invade then use and "reprogram" to constantly reproduce more virus material.  The metabolic waste of the virus soon overwhelms the body faster than the body is able to eliminate the waste.

All cells are pre-programmed to either continually replicate themselves or commit suicide (apoptosis).  The purpose of apoptosis is to protect the rest of the body from dying or damaged cells, but sometimes instead of self-destructing, damaged cells will continue to reproduce.  Normal cells have a natural life span that will end the tendency to continue replicating.   A consequence of being damaged is the cell can lose the ability to limit its own growth, and the abnormal reproduction continues out of control.  This pathogenic growth will go on forever as long as the cells have an oxygen deficient environment in which to thrive.  The term for all cases of cellular overgrowth arising from inadequate cellular respiration is called cancer.

There can be many reasons for oxygen deficiency in body cells:  environmental toxins and chemicals that poison cells, preventing oxygen uptake; blocked ducts or glands and inefficient movement of lymph fluid; cell waste materials that collect in tissues instead of being eliminated from the body.  No matter the cause, when the understanding is reached that the fundamental cause of cancer is oxygen depletion, the reversal of cancer becomes obvious:  flood the body with oxygen.

Dr. Frank Shallenburger determined that the real problem with cancer isn't necessarily that there isn't enough oxygen available to the cells, but that the cell mitochondria (the cell's energy factories) aren't able to use the available oxygen efficiently.  Ozone treatment doesn't only deliver more oxygen to the cells, it also stimulates the mitochondria to use the oxygen more efficiently.

We have all experienced ozone, most likely without knowing it.  Think about the fresh clean smell in the air after a thunderstorm, the invigorating smell when ocean waves or waterfalls are near, and even the cold crisp smell when sunlight shines on fresh snow...all of those smells are the same thing:  ozone.  Ozone is produced naturally in all of these scenarios; ozone cleanses the atmosphere, and it has the same cleansing effect in our bodies.

If ozone is so good, why does it get a bad rap from weather forecasters?  When sunlight, moisture, and temperature meet the chemical molecules in pollution, atmospheric oxygen is transformed into ozone, so the more pollution there is during the right weather conditions, the more ozone there is.  However, without ozone, the pollution levels would make our cities uninhabitable!

Oxygen (O2) and ozone (O3) are both gases.  Ozone has an extra third atom which makes it electrically imbalanced, and because of this imbalance, it is constantly seeking other imbalanced charges to which it can give its extra atom.  All diseased cells are also imbalanced, so ozone and diseased cells (as well as viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) have a fatal attraction and find each other.  Ozone is a very targeted cancer therapy:  it selectively kills cancer cells and only kills cancer cells--it has no effect on healthy cells.  Radiation and chemotherapy, on the other hand, indiscriminately kill all cells.  When ozone is directed to diseased areas, cancer cells are forced into apoptosis and die off.  Ozone has been shown to kill cancer cells on contact.  Ozone heals by inactivating bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, and protozoa; it stimulates oxygen metabolism; and it activates the immune system.

Ozone is the most powerful and fastest oxidizing agent on earth.  It would take 3,000-10,000 molecules of chlorine to equal the activity of one molecule of ozone; ozone works 3,500 times faster than chlorine--it only takes 10 seconds to kill 99% of bacteria, fungi, yeast, mold, and viruses!

Ozone has proven powerfully effective in fighting many more conditions than cancer alone including liver disease, auto-immune disease, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, Lyme disease, macular degeneration, viral diseases, rheumatism/arthritis, geriatric conditions, SARS and AIDS.  Significant results have also been achieved by the use of ozone in chronic infectious diseases, orthopedics, and dentistry.  Machine-made ozone is exactly the same as atmospheric ozone.

There are many different forms of administering ozone including IV, direct injection into a tumor, ozone sauna, and enema/douche to name a few.  One of my treatments is autohemotherapy, in which my blood is drawn through an IV, mixed with medical grade ozone, then infused back into my body (10 cycles of this constitutes one treatment).

I also have daily hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments which use O2 to saturate the body with oxygen, making more oxygen available to my cells.

If this knowledge has been available since the 1920s, why aren't oxygen therapies commonly used in medical treatment today?  The answer is simple, but sad.  Oxygen is free, and the equipment is pretty inexpensive.  Oxygen cannot be patented, so there is little money in it for the medical industry.  Much more money is made peddling toxic, man-made, chemical treatments that often require more man-made prescriptions and medical interventions to manage all the side effects.

(This information was taken from an article by Jane Goldberg on The Truth About Cancer website.) 

The Amazing Body

I had an echocardiogram over a week ago, and the results showed that there is nothing wrong with my heart at all; it's completely normal.  So the "abnormal" T-wave on my EKG is normal for me.  That was good news.  :)

For some reason, standard procedure for PET scans is to only scan from above the knee to the head--they don't normally scan the lower limbs.  The PET scan showed a lot of cancer in my femur which makes sense, because I have a lot of pain in my upper leg.  Well, I have the exact same kind of pain in my knee and lower leg--all the way to my ankle--so I am convinced that my entire right leg has a lot of cancer in it.

One side effect I have from the hyperbaric treatments is blurred vision, which I noticed a couple weeks after starting the HBOT treatments.  The doctor said that it is a common side effect, it's temporary, and it will resolve in time.  It isn't severe and doesn't limit me in any way (except maybe night driving), but it is definitely noticeable.  When you consider that glaucoma is a result of too much pressure in the eye, and that when preemies in the NICU are getting oxygen, the nurses have to be very careful with the infants' eyes or it could blind them, it makes sense that the pressure from the HBOT can affect vision.

How I feel varies from day to day, and there doesn't seem to be anyway to predict it.  The past three Sundays in a row I have missed the evening service, but each time was for a different reason:  one time I started having a lot of leg pain in the late afternoon; another time I ran a bit of a fever and was extremely tired; last night I had no pain, but I just felt gross--not exactly nauseated, just really yucky.  Then this morning I felt back to normal when I woke up, and I've felt really good all day.  Last Monday night I had a real rough night with pain which took its toll the next day.  I skipped my early HBOT treatment Tuesday, because I just couldn't do it, but I went in for my IV at 10:30 a.m.  The rest of the week went fine other than feeling tired.  I do know that a lot of my symptoms are a result of "die-off".  The treatments/supplements are killing parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungus, cancer cells, etc., which my body then has to eliminate.  My body is working very hard through all of the die-off and detoxing, plus it is working to produce new, good cells.  The body is amazing!

 I was struggling with discouragement on Tuesday, and even though I knew it had a physical source (being worn out and tired from dealing with the pain the previous night), I felt that I just needed some extra help.  I posted a request for prayer on Facebook, because I knew all my prayer warriors would faithfully answer the call--and they did!  The response was swift and sure, and it was such a comfort and encouragement knowing so many people were lifting me up in prayer in my weakness.  The Body of Christ is amazing!

We continue to be blessed regularly by thoughtful and generous people.  I'd like to share a few of those blessings with you and how they evidence God's involvement.  A Facebook friend who is a personal trainer, along with another trainer at her gym, decided to offer personal workout sessions for the month of October and then donate the money to us.  We received the money later last week; the next day we received a medical bill, and the total amount due was just a few dollars less than the amount we received!  It wasn't difficult to decide where to apply the money.  :)


On Saturday I got a package in the mail from family...I was excited that it wasn't a shipment of supplements or meds!  One of the things inside was a beautiful blanket made by "Hugs for Hope".  It's perfect and thoughtful, because the Hyperbaric room is kept at a chilly temperature, so I can use the blanket in the chamber as well as afterward when I get IVs and am still chilled from coming out of HBOT.  I also get chilly at home a lot, so it will get put to good use!

The last blessing I'll share was from a wise and thoughtful friend who knows that "with lots of blessings come lots of note-writing."  She whipped up a bunch of cute handmade thank you notes for me and gave them to me yesterday at church.  What she didn't know was that I had run out of thank you notes the previous night and was going to have to get more.  :)  Don't tell me God doesn't care and control the "little things" in our lives!

Striving to walk worthy,
Kim

Perspectives

I really enjoy the conversations I've been able to have with the staff at the clinic.  I'm getting to know them better, learn some of their stories, hear their perspectives on all different topics, and share my own perspectives.  I've also had the joy of sharing good Christian fellowship with a couple of them.  Alicia is my main nurse, and I've spent a lot of time with her the past three days while she administered the ozone treatments.  She's a beautiful young woman who has her RN degree; she's very competent, friendly and helpful, and it's been neat to hear about how she arrived in her position at this clinic.  I met Tracy for the first time this week, too, because she does a therapy known as "lymphatic massage" after the ozone treatment.  Tracy seems to have a personal relationship with Christ, and we've had a few good conversations on spiritual things.  The ozone therapy is done in the same room as the hyperbaric chamber, so we can also chat with the HBOT attendant.  There are three who regularly rotate on HBOT duty--Crystal, Pam, and Kim--and it's been fun and interesting talking to them more this week, too.

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Isn't it strange that when a cancer patient who chose alternative treatments dies, a common response is, "See, alternative treatments don't work."  Yet when cancer patients die after receiving standard medical cancer treatments, the common response is excuses like "the cancer was just too strong" or "we did everything we could"--but the treatments themselves are not blamed for not working.  It's pretty amazing how blind people are to the obvious double standard.

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Have you ever imagined God the Father delighting in you and singing about you with joy?  I hadn't until I read this verse, Zephaniah 3:17.  I know God loves me with an indescribable love, shows mercy and grace to me, grants indescribable peace, is longsuffering with my constant failures, forgiving, etc., etc., but those things are all on the serious side.  I never thought of God's lighter side--delighting over me and rejoicing over me with singing.  And what is He so cheerful about?  Me, a dirty rotten failing sinner.  This verse blew my mind when I found it.  My friend, Nancy, colored the picture, wrote a sweet note on the back and gave it to me last week.  She didn't even know how much I like the verse!

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The Brat Fry benefit a couple weeks ago was a big event and far exceeded our expectations, but people have continued to give us gifts, and the generosity of people has just been overwhelming!  Encouraging cards, a bit of cash here, a check there, a gas card.  Last week while he was at work, Bob was presented with a large wad of cash from a 50/50 raffle that takes place at work regularly.  Not only did they decide to give the proceeds from that raffle to Bob, but the winner donated his winnings back, too, to add to the total!  Bob told me that he was overcome, and when he went down to the locker room to put the money in his locker, he just lost it and had to stay in the locker room for 10-15 minutes before he could compose himself enough to return to the line.  It was very good for him to be able to release all the pent-up emotions he's been carrying around.  Oh, my Love.  He's been everything I need him to be and a rock for me to lean on.

Another example is a far-away Facebook friend who generously ordered a rebounder and had it shipped to me after reading that I was looking for one.  She said her family have been praying for us and really wished they could have been around to help with the Brat Fry, so when she saw my post about a mini-trampoline, they jumped on the idea, since it was a way they could help.  She even ordered one with a handle bar, which has allowed me to still rebound when I'm tired or my leg is hurting.  Such a blessing!

"Rebounding", bouncing up and down on a trampoline--the motion of resisting gravity--has proven very effective in ensuring proper movement of lymph through the lymph vessels.  Lymph vessels do not have muscles like blood vessels to automatically move fluid through.  Lymph vessels rely on movement of the body to move the lymph fluid along.  And since the lymph system is a crucial part of the immune system, we want it to be moving freely and often.

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I have had some pretty serious leg pain the past three evenings and even ran a low fever for several hours a couple nights in a row.  However, I was still able to sleep well the whole night, which is a big praise.  The only thing I've done differently is added the lymphatic massage treatments, which have been targeting my leg and knee.  I told my nurse, Alicia, and she asked Dr. Coleman about it.  He said that it may well be that all the treatments are "stirring things up", "messing with" the cancer--which doesn't like to be messed with, causing it to react.  :)  Either way, it's a sign that things are working and having an effect, so I'm not going to complain about the pain!  It is common in natural healing for things to get worse before they get better.  The pain was so bad that I could barely walk, and I know it bothers Bob and the kids to see me like that.  And it bothers me that it is bothering them.  They are all very willing helpers and get me whatever I need.  I am learning to be the receiver instead of the do-er.  Partly because I really could use help, and partly because I know how helpless they feel and that the more they can do to help, the better they feel.    (The photo is Alicia giving me the IV ozone treatment.)

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A few sermons lately from my brother and from Pastor Schultz have been encouraging.  A few weeks ago my brother, Steve, pointed out that all the people Jesus healed and even brought back to life during His earthly ministry didn't live forever.  Jesus healed them at one time, but they all ended up dying of something at some point.  Since that sermon I've shared that thought with many people, and it really seems to be impactful.  Even if God heals me of this cancer now, I'm eventually going to die of something (barring the Lord's return, of course).  It helps put things in perspective.

Pastor Schultz did a sermon and word study on the differences between patience, longsuffering, and forbearance.  Patience is the ability to "stay under"--to stay and be still under the pressure of trials.  Forbearance is the ability to endure to the end, follow it through, not give up.  It was a timely message since this battle with cancer is definitely going to require staying power.  I'm so thankful I don't have to muster it up on my own because my strength is in Christ!

There has already been so much good accomplished through this trial.  We are learning

lessons that we could not have learned otherwise and are experiencing blessings that we could not have experienced otherwise.  He truly does work "exceeding abundantly" above what we could ask or think.

PET Scan Results

Well, the results aren't that great, but they could definitely be worse.  I'm somewhere between "what I expected" and "disappointed."  There are a lot of small lesions in my bones:  "several scattered" in the pelvis, as well as the left humerus (upper arm bone), left scapula (shoulder blade), left 6th rib, and three different vertebrae (T7, L2, L5).  There is also a large lesion in my right femur (which explains a lot of my leg pain).  Then one more 7mm nodule in my right lung base.  The fact that all the spots in the bones don't have measurements attached makes me think they are quite small.

There is some good news: there is no cancer in my lymph nodes or lymph system; my bone marrow has not been damaged yet; and I have adequate immune fighter cells--the "Special Forces" of the immune system military that specifically hunt down and destroy cancer cells.  Obviously, there are other areas where I have deficiencies, but those are all being addressed through my treatments and supplements and diet.  Dr. Coleman said repeatedly that "all this is reversible", and he didn't seem discouraged or put off at all by the results.  Bloodwork will be repeated in six weeks, hopefully showing improvements in all the numbers that are not where they should be right now.

So I will keep doing what I'm doing, we'll all keep praying, and we'll keep trusting in the Father's perfect plan!

My dear friend Tammy drove me to the clinic today.  I had a hyperbaric treatment and an ozone therapy IV--today was the first time I had ozone.  They "vacuum" 200 cc of my blood, infuse it with ozone (O3 as opposed to O2), and return it to my body.  A full treatment is 10 cycles of this; I only did five today, because I wanted to see how I tolerated it.  I didn't have any problems, so next week I will do full ozone treatments three days in a row as well as hyperbaric each of those days.  The other day I will do hyperbaric and an IV chelation treatment.  I am expecting to be exhausted by the end of the week.

Tammy accompanied me everywhere today, and she was able to sit in on the meeting with Dr. Coleman.  I did not have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Coleman today, but apparently he had extra time, so instead of one of the nurses showing me the PET scan report, he sat down with us and went through that as well as all of the blood work results that had come back and my EKG.  So I won't see him again until six weeks from today.

That's another thing...my heart.  I have an abnormal T-wave which is most likely due to an area of my heart that at some point was blocked and the tissue died.  It could have been the result of a virus or something, and it could have happened a very long time ago.  When I was in high school, I had a mono-type illness for a couple weeks, but the doctor said it wasn't mononucleosis--that virus could have caused the little blockage.  This was all quite shocking to me, and I asked Dr. Coleman how I could play sports my whole life and never have any symptoms of heart issues?  He said that the body is amazing, and the rest of my heart just compensated.  But now I have to get an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to see which part is damaged and make sure the heart is functioning properly.  He also said that the heart can generate new tissue and repair even that damage!

Tammy took pictures at the clinic today, so you can see what the hyperbaric chamber looks like and the ozone machine.  Enjoy!  :)

The Brat Fry Benefit Was Amazing!

All glory to God for the great day we had this past Saturday at the Brat Fry benefit! 

• We prayed earnestly about the weather, because the forecast was for rain and strong winds; it sprinkled here and there, drizzled for a short time once, was breezy but not windy, and the temperature was comfortable.
• When we arrived to set up, my friend Tammy Augsburger, who organized the event, told us that there was a cart waiting for us with a couple bags of charcoal and some water and soda which had been donated by Piggly Wiggly employees.  That was the first time I cried that day.
• My sister and brother-in-law, Joy & Jeremy, and youngest brother, Tom, drove here from Michigan and surprised us by showing up to work at the benefit all day.  I bawled when I saw them (but that made them cry, too, so I wasn't alone).  ;)  The three of them plus our other brother, Steve, who lives nearby manned the hamburger/brat hut all day and did it very efficiently.  They were helped out by the men grilling who, from what I heard, kept the meat coming at the perfect pace.
• There were many volunteers, most of whom stayed the whole day.  Tammy, her husband, Dave, and son, Matt; Bonnie Mallman; Pastor Steve & Jo Schultz; Rebecca Krueger; Steve & Rebecca Abrams & their kids Luke, Joe, and John; Doris Popp; Richard & Betty Schnell; Holly & Mallory Prigge; Lisa Manz; Lisa Schwarz; and, of course, my Love, Bob, and our kids Heidi, Ben, and Rose.  (I didn't do much work; I spent most of the day talking to people and giving hugs.)  :)   Everyone did a great job, and things ran very smoothly.  We can't thank everyone enough for all their help!
• The amount of baked goods donated for the bake sale was astounding!  Several of us women who were setting up wondered what in the world we were going to do with all the leftovers.  It turned out that there weren't that many leftovers considering how much we started with--the bake sale made roughly 50% more than the brat/burger sales!
• Butch's Army gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a beautiful card--that was the third time I cried.
• The profits from the sale far exceeded what we expected!
• I felt great the entire day, and my leg gave me no problems whatsoever, even though I was on my feet most of the day.

In some of the pictures, you will notice several people wearing purple "Butch's Army" shirts.  Butch Mallmann passed away in June of this year after his own long battle with cancer.  My friends, Tammy & Dave, have been close friends with Butch and Bonnie since grade school.  I knew about Butch from Tammy, and I prayed for him throughout his battle.  Butch's Army is the group of family and friends who supported Butch during his fight, and since his passing, they want to keep the Army going to help other people fighting cancer.  They chose the benefit for me as their first project, and their support was overwhelming!  I was humbled by their willingness to volunteer and by the amount of goodies and crafts that this group--most of whom didn't even know me!--donated to the benefit.  And then the flowers and card on top of it!  This is a special group, and God used them to be a huge blessing to me and my family.

I also want to give a special Thank You to Tammy.  Planning an event like this was out of her comfort zone, but she will tell you that God put the idea in her mind, and she just obeyed Him.  It was a ton of work, but she did a super job, and God brought it all together.  Thank you, Sister!

It was an amazing day full of unbelievable love and support, and as Bob said, "a day we will never forget." 

   

Update

Yesterday morning I had an HBOT session but skipped my IV treatment, because I wanted to have a good vein left for PET scan injection.  The break allowed me enough time to go into work and finish the monthly email newsletter.  From there I left to pick Bob up from work before heading to the hospital for the PET scan.  Everything went well, and it took just under two hours--again, shorter than I had anticipated.  The scan will be read sometime today, but Fox Valley Wellness is closed on Fridays, so it will be next week before Dr. Coleman gets the report.  So we're in the Waiting Room again, but we have plenty to keep us occupied with the Brat Fry benefit being held tomorrow.

I was actually just sitting here crying into my bone broth, overwhelmed by the generosity of people's contributions for the benefit--many of whom don't even know me!  No one wants to be "the person on the poster"--it's much easier to be a supporter of the person on the poster.  God is teaching both Bob and I the life lesson of being gracious receivers.  It is very humbling...and awkward.  :)  One man came into my office at work on Wednesday to give me a donation for the benefit.  He looked so...stricken...and sad that I almost lost it.  But he wanted to speak to me personally--he didn't just drop it off at the front desk--which meant a lot.  It's good, but hard, to witness how much people care.

I also just posted on Facebook that I have been asking God to hold off the wind and rain forecasted for tomorrow until after the benefit is over.  He answered a very specific request I had for yesterday, proving that He cares about the small things.  Well, He controls the weather, and He can do the big things, too!

I haven't been feeling well lately.  I compare it to recovering from the flu.  I'm tired, weak, emotional, and my stomach isn't "right."  It's hard to explain, because it's not even nausea.  Probably TMI, but my BM's are diarrhea--not uncontrollable, but when I do go, that's what it is.  So my gut is just "yucky" right now.  I guess this is all pretty normal due to the fact that my body is detoxing.  I'm taking so many supplements plus the treatments on top of it.  I will get hungry, but then nothing sounds good...or tastes good.  Sometimes I want to put food in my mouth and taste it, but I don't want to swallow it and let it go into my stomach.  Weird.  I always have a bad taste in my mouth and feel like I have bad breath; many of the supplements aren't very pleasant--they aren't nasty, just not good, either.  I feel like I can't get enough water even though I'm drinking way more than I should have to.  I'm trying to find the right combinations of when to eat and when to take all my supplements and meds, since I'm sure that makes a difference in how my stomach feels.

Last evening I was a mess. I crawled into bed fully clothed at 7:30.  Nothing specific was "wrong"; I was just exhausted and cold and emotional.  About an hour later I called to Bob to bring me some ibuprofen for my leg (the pain wasn't horrible, but it was starting), and he heated up some bone broth for me.  The broth tasted good, but I could only get about a quarter of the cup down.  I woke up at 1:30 a.m., got a drink, went to the bathroom, got undressed and went back to bed.  Then I slept till about 7:00-ish.  So I did sleep quite well, which was a blessing.  This morning I'm still very tired and weak, but my stomach feels better.  Since my clinic is closed on Fridays, I get a three-day break before treatments start on Monday, and I think that is a very good thing right now.

I've always desired that God would be glorified through this journey, and last Tuesday was a good example.  There were two other very friendly ladies in the IV room at the clinic when I went in.  After the usual introductions and, "What are you in for?" discussion, the conversation turned to spiritual things:  faith, healing, God's will, peace, etc.  One of the ladies was very proactive and appeared to have a strong faith; the other lady was more quiet, but she didn't seem uncomfortable or offended by the topic, either.  It was a good time of mutual fellowship and encouragement.  Both of their IV's were finished before mine, but before they left I led in prayer for all of us, which they seemed to really appreciate.  It was a sweet time.

     "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be
      done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my
      name, there am I among them."
                                                                   Matthew 18:19-20

First Day of Treatment

Well, it was a long day, but not as long as it could have been.  They squeezed my appointment with Dr. Abfall in between the two hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT), and I had my high-dose vitamin C IV running while I met with her.  I was home shortly after 4:00 p.m. when I was expecting to be at the clinic until 5:00.

The HBOT went well.  The chamber was pretty cool; it looks a lot like a mini submarine.  I felt like Jacques Cousteau except there were no fish swimming by.  I was given scrubs to wear and a plastic hood with a flexible rubber collar that fits tightly around the neck.  There are two hoses hooked up to the hood.  Oxygen is only flowing inside the hood--the "dive" chamber is pressurized with regular air.  The seats are quite comfortable, and pillows & blankets are allowed.  They have a video screen attached to the outside of one of the porthole windows, and there are speakers inside the chamber, so we can watch movies during the dive.  I thought I was going to be able to read in there, but the plastic of the hood isn't crystal clear, and the lighting is a bit dim.  I guess I'm going to be watching a lot of movies!  I took two shorter dives today--they do that to make sure you don't have any kind of trouble with it.  From now on it will be one longer dive each time which lasts a couple hours (2 1/2 hours counting the set up time and pressurizing/depressurizing time.  Of course the ears pop a lot during pressurizing/depressurizing, but otherwise it's quite uneventful.  I did take note of all the warnings and instructions printed inside the chamber "in case of fire"--oh, boy!

Before the vitamin C IV, I received a glutathione "push" IV--which means I had to push the IV plunger manually--it wasn't in a bag.  Ooookay...I didn't really know what I was doing, but I didn't blow a vein or anything, so I guess I did it correctly.  Seriously, it was pretty easy.  The vitamin C took a couple hours or more.  The drip is pretty slow, because if it goes in too fast, apparently you can feel burning in your veins.  Oh, I was able to take my IV right into the HBOT chamber during the second dive.  The pressure just made the drip slow down a bit more.  I had no reactions to the IV's, either, so that's good.  The nurses/attendants are always asking if I feel ok or am having any problems.  I had heard that one tends to feel very energized after an HBOT dive, but when I asked the nurses, they said that doesn't happen right away.  They said I will actually be exhausted by the end of the first week, but then it gets better.  I don't really feel any different at all after the treatments today.

The meeting with Dr. Abfall (a woman) was very interesting.  She looked at my blood under a microscope which was hooked up to a large computer monitor, so I could see what she saw.  I have to say, it's pretty interesting to see a parasite, protozoa, yeast, uric acid, heavy metal particle, and what-all else swimming around with the red blood cells.  Yeah, it's creepy at the same time.  I have a lot of good red blood cells, but I also have a lot of unhealthy ones, and the difference is very obvious.  I saw some white blood cells, too, and actually watched one move toward  one of the "bad guys" and start "eating" it, which is what they are supposed to do.  My white count is low, though, so we really have to build up my immune system.

Dr. Abfall is a super lady; she has strong faith and made a few references to the Creator's intelligent design/our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies, etc.  I made sure to let her know we were on the same page.  :)  She went over some of my lab results and also did a test which measures the electric current passing through every part/organ of my body.  Anywhere in which the current is slow or blocked is a problem.  She detailed exactly which nutrients in which I'm deficient and what types of foods and other substances to which my body is sensitive.  Mind you, I've never had any symptoms at all other than leg pain, so it is slightly discouraging to find out that my blood and gut, etc., etc. aren't actually that healthy right now.  It's like when a patient goes to the chiropractor for one specific pain and finds out that their whole spine is out of line.  You feel perfectly fine...and then find out that you aren't.  :)  She gave me a lot more specific diet and nutrition advice based on what my body needs, which is one of the things for which I was looking forward to getting help.  She also added more supplements (AARRGGHH--I might have to get a bigger pill box!).  :)  My diet is even stricter now, but some of it is temporary.  Everything--the food, supplements, and drugs--will be re-evaluated at the six-week appointment.  There is a lot of stuff to fix, but it is fixable!

The next two days I have to be at the clinic by 7:45 for HBOT followed by an IV treatment (glutathione and chelation tomorrow).  Thursday I will go from the clinic straight to the hospital in Sheboygan for the PET scan.  Just so you all know, I am fully expecting the PET scan to show more cancer.  Best case would be it is only in my hip; worst case would be it's everywhere.  I'm thinking it will be somewhere between.  So I'll be either pleasantly surprised, disappointed, or have my expectations met. 

The day at the clinic went well, but I was feeling a bit stressed afterward.  I have a lot to keep track of; I was a bit discouraged to find out I'm sicker than I thought; and it's pretty unreal the amount of money I'm dropping every visit.  I've been fine the whole time since my first appointment last week, but I think everything kind of got to me this afternoon.  Bob noticed, too--have I mentioned that I love that man?  After I got home and sorted out all the new supplements and papers, I went outside and spent some time in the yard and garden, and then I went for a long walk--and my leg didn't bother me!  I needed that, and I used the time outdoors to pray and to thank God for all the good things that happened (remember King David and ending with praise?):

• No reactions or side effects from any treatments
• A shorter than expected appointment allowing me to have time outdoors
• Dr. Abfall is a woman of faith
• Our bodies are truly amazing creations
• Leg pain is better today--hopefully, that means something is working!

God is good ALL the time!