First Appointment

We are praising God for a very good first appointment at Fox Valley Wellness Center!  Both Bob and I thought it might be difficult emotionally, but it actually wasn't.  Every person we met, from the front desk staff to the nurses to the doctors, was very kind and positive.  There was no "doom and gloom" at all; Dr. Coleman is confident that they can help me while, of course, acknowledging there are no guarantees.  At the end of our time with Dr. Coleman, Dr. Meress (owner/head of the clinic) came in to meet us and give us a bit more information and encouragement.  By the way, both doctors give hugs.  :)

The first thing they did was take vitals, body mass index, iodine test, a vision test, and blood--LOTS of blood!  The nurse filled at least a dozen vials.  Some of the bloodwork will be sent to the labs by them, but I also have another whole list of bloodwork to get done at my family doctor's office.  I need to get an EKG through my family doctor as well.  The clinic really does a good job of letting patients do as many tests as possible through their regular doctors, so it will go through insurance.  They are testing for much more than just cancer--nutrient and mineral levels, parasites, viruses, yeast/fungus, hormone levels, etc., etc.  The body needs to be treated as a whole to find out where the problems/deficiencies are that are hindering the immune system from working properly.  This is the big difference between allopathic or Western medicine and holistic medicine:  allopathic medicine treats symptoms; holistic medicine finds and treats the causes of the symptoms.  Cancer is a symptom of a sick immune system.

I will be getting a PET scan, because we need to see exactly what's going on.  PET scans are cancer specific full body scans.  A toxic, radioactive glucose solution is injected into the patient, and then, since cancer cells LOVE sugar, the solution will accumulate wherever there are cancer cells gorging on it, and those areas will light up.  Even though the scan involves radiation and other nasty stuff that I typically want to avoid, I will get specific treatments following the scan to detox and eliminate the harmful stuff.  The office will order the scan and get it pre-authorized through insurance, so I'm just waiting to find out when it can be scheduled. 

I will also be getting another full-body thermography scan which can be compared to the first one I had a few years ago.  Thermography can't penetrate bones, but it will show other things.

I came home with around eight new bottles of supplements...and I'm now the proud owner of one of those handy-dandy giant pill boxes so I can separate them by time of day and days of the week.  Oh, joy!  There are a few more supplements I still need to get, also.

Next week Tuesday is my next appointment, and I will be at the clinic from 8:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.  I have a hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment first thing followed by an IV high-dose vitamin C treatment, then a two-hour appointment with another doctor who deals with blood microbiology and nutrition.  After that all-day appointment, the rest should just take place in the mornings, so I can maintain a pretty normal work schedule.  We will definitely have to get creative with our homeschooling schedule, but that's one of the advantages of homeschooling:  flexibility.  :)

Right now I am scheduled for about 30 hyperbaric oxygen treatments in all--one a day for four days per week for six weeks or so.  I will also be having the IV vitamin C treatments, IV ozone therapy treatments, and some IV chelation therapy treatments.  In six weeks I have my next appointment with Dr. Coleman to go over all the blood work results (some take a month to get back) and evaluate any progress from the treatments.  In a nutshell, the hyperbaric and ozone treatments are concentrated oxygen, which is so effective because cancer cells cannot survive in a highly-oxygenated environment--they are anaerobic.  Vitamin C, of course, is crucial for immune function.  Chelation removes toxic heavy metals.

Although the doctors give us their ideal treatment plan, the number and frequency of treatments are completely up to the patient.  Both doctors expressed their understanding that time and money can cause limitations.  Their advice was to do as much as I can as soon as I can, so that's what we plan to do.  After the first six weeks, we'll see where we go from there.

At home I will be on a strict diet and supplement regimen as well as doing coffee enemas (liver detox) and Epsom salt baths (whole body detox).  I can do light exercise, stretches for my hip, and continue making sure I'm getting adequate sunlight and sleep, and avoiding as much exposure to toxins as I can.

I have to keep track of a heavy treatment schedule, supplement schedule, and diet plan, plus make appointments for more bloodwork and the scans.  It's probably good that I have the rest of this week open before I start treatments to take care of some of those things.  It is a lot, but just shy of being overwhelming.  I can email or phone the nurses at the clinic whenever I have questions, so I'm feeling pretty good about being able to keep my ducks in a row.

My devotions in Exodus 14 today discussed how the Lord deliberately placed the Israelites in peril when they left Egypt.  He led them into a trap:  "...a cul-de-sac between two hostile hills at the edge of a sea too deep to ford and too wide to cross" with enemy soldiers at their backs.  He deliberately put them in an impossible place.  He did the same to the apostle Paul, often telling him to go to specific places where Paul ended up being beaten, imprisoned, etc.  The lesson concluded with this:  "When you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps known for now only to Himself.  The same God who led you in will lead you out."

On the way home today, Bob was commenting on how it doesn't make sense how some people who lead grossly unhealthy lifestyles never get cancer while people who live much healthier lifestyles do.  I replied that I think in some cases people get illnesses or diseases as consequences of their lifestyle choices, but in other cases it may have little to do with that--God may just allow or even cause people to get sick or die because that is how he chooses to work in their lives.  Most likely we won't know why I got cancer until it gets answered when I get to heaven.  Until then, we have to rest in the fact that God is working out His plan, and he will lead me out of this one way (healing) or another (death--which for me results in eternal life with my Savior).

Panic, Pain, and Praise

PANIC
My parents have been giving me lots of information about the holistic clinic in Florida where my dad is getting treatments now for his prostate cancer, which is great, because if the clinic in Fond du Lac doesn't work out for some reason, I want to know that I have other options.  (My dad has been fighting prostate cancer naturally since 2015 [see the post on that here]. His PSA fluctuated at first then kept creeping up, so a couple months ago they sought a clinic where he could get actual treatments.  Since he started at Lifeworks Wellness Center in Clearwater, FL, his PSA has started dropping again, which is a great sign!)  Anyway, this past Thursday I received this email from my mom:
         

Hi Bob and Kim,

We talked to Dr. Minkoff today (dad’s doctor from Lifeworks Wellness Center) about Kim.  We told him you had breast cancer about 4 years ago and had a lumpectomy.  Told him you now have three small spots of bone cancer on your hip.  We also told him you were looking at a natural clinic in

Fond Du Lac.   

His response:  He said the clinic in Fond Du Lac is a good clinic but he also said he believes Kim’s cancer would be stage 4.  He said Fond Du Lac clinic called him this past week and asked him to take a patient of theirs who has stage 4 prostate cancer because they don’t have everything he needs there.  He said they may not have everything there Kim will need to get rid of the cancer.  He said they could help her but probably wouldn’t have adequate facilities and treatments for a cure.  He is very nice and I think he was just being honest with us.  He knows what they have there and he said

she would need more to get rid of her cancer. 

He said if she would come here to Clearwater for treatment she would need  2 1/2 – 3 months of top treatments, probably daily treatments.  They do have everything she would need here.  What they do is take all the tests, send them to Germany, where they go through them thoroughly by natural

cancer specialists and they can then tell what exactly she would need for treatment in detail.  Then they do all those treatments in Clearwater.  Dad, because his cancer wasn’t stage 4 could get by with less cost or testing. 

The cost for the 2 1/2 – 3 months would be $40,000 to $60,000 and would include all the testing, treatments, supplements, doctor etc. for that period of time.  It certainly is not cheap!  As you hear this, I’m sure you are saying “No way can we do it”.  BUT you just need to start praying about

it.  If it is your only option you may need to try it.  He said after that 3 months, Kim could then go home and continue treatments if necessary with the Fond Du Lac Clinic.  It would not be an easy thing!

 

Whoa.

 

First off, seeing in print that a doctor said I have Stage IV cancer hit me kind of hard for a second.  I honestly don't know why, because I already knew that and have been telling other people that.  Maybe it was just having someone else say it instead of me.  I don't know.

 

Secondly, "$40,000-$60,0000 and 2 1/2 - 3 months of daily treatments"?!  That was like a punch in the nose.  I mean, I knew it was going to be expensive, but that was more than I expected.  Several seconds of panic/shock/dismay passed by.  Okay, just breathe.  Get your emotions under control.

 

The thing about feelings is that they aren't always very reliable, and they have to be evaluated for accuracy and filtered through what God's Word says is right.  Satan loves to use our feelings to lead us astray.  We can't always control surprise emotions or thoughts that come over us, but we can definitely choose whether or not to succumb to them and dwell on them.  So I pushed the emotions down and started to think rationally.  The first thing I did was call my clinic to find out if my doctor knew that I was Stage IV (I didn't know if he had gone through my paperwork yet.) and if he could help me or not.  They had told me that the first appointment costs between $850 - $1500, and I certainly didn't want to fork out that much money only to find out they weren't equipped to help me.  The receptionist was very understanding and put me on hold while she went to speak to the doctor.  When she came back, she assured me that Dr. Coleman had been reviewing my paperwork all week, knew my situation, and was completely confident that he had everything he needed to treat me.  Okay.  Deep breath...relax.  I said, "Great!  That was all I needed to hear, and I'll be there on Monday.  Thank you!"  See, nothing to worry about there.  As for the cost...my treatments aren't necessarily going to cost what they do at the Clearwater clinic.  We aren't going to know the cost until after my appointment anyway, so there is absolutely no use fretting about it.  We will cross that bridge when we come to it.  So after those initial, brief feelings of panic, peace returned.

 

PAIN

The leg hasn't been so good the past few days.  It's still not as bad as the previous worst, but it's getting close.  The crazy thing is how there seems to be no rhyme or reason about where the pain is or what it feels like.  It can be sharp, shooting pain or dull, throbbing pain or a sharp ache; it can come and go or be constant; it can feel like it's in my thigh muscle, outside of my calf muscle, or all in my knee, etc.  It changes a lot and can be anywhere from my hip/top of my leg all the way down into my ankle.  The past few days it has been bothering me during the day, but then it's been OK at night and has allowed me to sleep.  This is better than in the past when it would be horrible at night and not allow me to sleep.

 

I was planning to go with my kids to their first church youth quiz/activity today, so that my brother (our assistant pastor) could stay home and go to his son's football game.  The youth outing is 90 minutes away and lasts all day, and since my leg has not been cooperating, I ended up not going.  My brother went to the youth outing, and I went to my nephew's game.  :) 

 

PRAISE

When King David wrote a lot of his Psalms, he often started by pouring out his heart to God about whatever trial he was experiencing, and expressing his sorrow or his anger or his despair, etc.  But then he almost always ended them by praising God.  He set an excellent example for us, because no matter how desperate our circumstances, there is always, always something worthy of praise to God.

I'm going to follow that pattern and end this post with some praises.

Bob is able to go with me to my appointment on Monday which is at 11:45.  He will be able to get four hours of work in and be home at 11:00 which is when we need to leave.  Along with that, one of my coworkers generously offered to let me use one of her vacation days for Monday!  Her thoughtfulness and generosity is such a blessing!

Bob checked with our bank about some financing which required a home appraisal, and the appraisal came back higher than either of us expected, which is very helpful.

I have received a lot of personal messages from people that have been a huge source of encouragement.  Lots of people are praying for me and my family, and we so appreciate that, because that's where the power is!

Several kids from the Kids Club at our daughter Holly's church in Iowa made cards for her letting her know that they are praying for "her and her mom."  They were so sweet and touching!  Holly sent me some photos of the cards and of the kids. 

 

                                              

 

  "Jenna" got Holly's curly hair right.                 Holly's favorite because "it is obviously

                                                                                  beans wearing sombreros."  :)

 

 

        

 

Finally, I'm going to include a photo of some of Rose's driveway chalk art.  She didn't say anything about what she had made, but when I saw it this morning, it lifted my heart.  It also reminded me of what I mentioned in an earlier post about knowing that my kids aren't expressing out loud everything that they are thinking.

 

 

                           "There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good?

                                   Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!' 

                           You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their 

                                  grain and wine abound.

                           In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

                                  for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

                     

                                                                                                         Psalm 4:6-8   

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting Hasn't Been So Bad

Even though I'm in Life's "waiting room" until my appointment on Monday, September 25, life has been moving right along.

FAMILY
Our second-oldest daughter, Holly, was home for about three weeks before she moved out again.  She has found a place to live and a job in Ankeny/Des Moines, IA, which is where she attended college and where many of her friends still are.  She left this past Sunday afternoon, and we all miss her a lot, but are happy for God's provisions for her.  She had a job interview this past Monday afternoon which must have gone well, since they hired her and had her start working Tuesday morning.  She also found a really nice living situation:  a Christian widow who rents a room to young single girls for a modest monthly rental fee.  The woman has had at least two other young ladies stay with her previously.  It works well for Holly to not have the burden of a lease and the expense of an entire apartment, and I'm sure the woman appreciates not having to live alone.

Our oldest daughter, Emily, has lived in Grand Rapids, MI, for the past three years.  She has the last Friday in September off work, so she will be coming home to visit that weekend.  Ever since my new diagnosis, she has really wanted to be home with us, so we are looking forward to seeing her again!  It is also good timing, since her visit will be after my first appointment, and I will have more details to share with her.

Heidi, Ben, Rose and I continue on with our daily routines.  We do homeschooling in the mornings before I head to work for the afternoons.  Rose will be a part of "Wednesday Club" again this year--a small homeschool group that meets once a week.  The first day of Wednesday Club starts this week.  Heidi still has her part-time job at McDonald's.  Ben and Rose continue to have weekly piano lessons on Monday afternoons; Heidi is no longer taking lessons, but she continues to play a lot as our church pianist.  Our garden is winding down, but there is still a fair bit of work to be done in it yet this season, and the kids have been good at helping.  Rose is the delivery girl, visiting neighbors to share our extra vegetables.  On a few occasions now, our next door neighbor will send us a loaf of zucchini bread after we've given them some zucchini, which is much appreciated by Bob and the kids.  :)

Bob has had a bit of a shortage in hours at work, which is typical this time of year, but he said there may be an opportunity for quite a bit of overtime coming soon, which would be a huge blessing.  I think my Love is carrying the largest burden of all of us.  Personally, I think being the spouse of someone with cancer can be the most difficult role.  Most of us would rather be the one suffering than have to watch our spouse suffer and not be able to do much about it.  And most of us would probably prefer to be the one potentially taken than be the one potentially left behind alone.  On top of that, being the husband, I know there is the pressure of being able to provide financially as well.  Bob is handling it all quite well, I think, but he has referred to the "weight on his shoulders," so I know he is feeling it.

Rose probably asks the most cancer-related questions, and she often wants comparisons to her friend's mom and former teacher (Amy Veldman), who passed away a year and a half ago from cancer.  The other kids have had a few questions about what is going to happen at my appointment, but otherwise, the most common question is asking me if my leg hurts.

We have been able to do quite a few fun things as a family, especially when Holly was home, so everyone's spirits are pretty positive and normal.  There is a disc golf course just across town, and many evenings will find at least Bob and Ben, and sometimes the girls, too, playing a round or two before dark.  We've had a few fires in our new fire pit, played Frisbee, tossed the football, or played volleyball in the back yard.  Bob and Ben are also involved in a couple fantasy football leagues which keep them occupied.

MEDICAL
My leg pain continues to be drastically reduced, which is a huge praise.  I have only taken ibuprofen two different times in the past week.  I can always "feel" the spots in my hip area, but I hesitate to even call it "pain" most of the time...more like occasional twinges that let me know it's still there.  I have had the referred pain down my leg here and there, but usually it eventually fades away without getting too bad and without me having to take medication.  I still walk to and from work every day, which is only about three blocks away.  This past week I also played a bit of Frisbee and volleyball with the family, with only minor pain afterward.  Other than the hip/leg pain, I have no other symptoms.

I am convinced that refining my diet again is what reduced the "extra" referred pain so significantly.  Even though I mostly ate healthy forms of grains and sugars, they can still cause inflammation, so eliminating them has reduced the inflammation-induced pain.  I would strongly encourage any of you with chronic aches and pains to change to an anti-inflammatory diet as well--it is amazing how much it can help!

I am currently trying to get some pre-determination/pre-authorization through our insurance for my upcoming medical care, since I am unsure what it will cover and what it won't.  Hopefully, I can get some answers this week.  I will have to submit medical claims myself, too, because the clinic does not bill insurance.  I am very thankful that I have experience billing and working with insurance companies, since that is what I do at work most of the time.  It definitely makes this process a lot easier and less stressful! 

PRAISES/PRAYER REQUESTS
Requests:

• Continued strength and growth spiritually, mentally, and emotionally for our family
• Wisdom in decision-making, medically and financially
• Faithful representation of our Lord and opportunities to share the gospel
• Enablement and blessings for our friends organizing a benefit on October 7, and good weather that day

Praises:

• Time with Emily and Holly
• Reduced pain
• An appt. within a couple weeks instead of having to wait longer (apparently it can be very difficult to get in at this clinic)
• Possible overtime for Bob
• A dear friend is organizing a benefit (brat fry/bake sale/raffle) on Sat., Oct. 7, at our local Piggly Wiggly grocery store!  She made me cry when she told me, so we joked that she had finally broken through my "ice queen" exterior.  :)

God is good all the time!

Next Steps

Since finding out on Wednesday, September 6, that there is cancer in bones in my hip area, I knew that I had to start pursuing treatments...the sooner the better.

One of the first questions that followed was, "Has it spread anywhere else?"  It seemed logical to get a full body scan to determine that.  First I contacted my thermography tech, and I learned something new:  infrared light doesn't penetrate bone, so thermography would not show cancer in the bones and was not a good option.  Next, I checked into a full body MRI and again learned something:  full-body MRI is not a thing; they aren't done.  Full body imaging is only done through nuclear medicine--like PET scans, bone scans, etc.  The problem is that those scans use radiation or radioactive fluids are injected into the body, and I don't like the idea of being exposed to more radiation...because radiation causes cancer.  So I need to do some more research on full-body imaging options, which I have some time to do, because they can only be ordered by my treating doctor.  Which brings me to the next step:  finding a doctor.

There is a naturopathic, alternative clinic called Fox Valley Wellness Center in Fond du Lac, which is only 30 minutes from our home, so I started there and was able to make an appointment for Monday, September 25 with Dr. Robert Coleman, who is also the president of the Wisconsin Naturopathic Association.  It will be a lengthy three-hour appointment with at least two of those hours spent with the doctor.  I have already faxed all of my completed paperwork and test results to them.

I've known about this clinic for a while now and actually contacted them about a month ago to inquire about using their hyperbaric oxygen chamber when I thought I had a soft tissue injury in my hip.  I knew they also offer several other cancer treatments like high-dose IV vitamin C and infrared sauna, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do for me.

In the meantime I have gone hard core on my diet again and have adjusted it to align more with a strict cancer-fighting ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carbs).  You can find my article on the ketogenic diet here.  One very interesting result of this is that the nasty referred pain that would extend down my entire leg has disappeared!  I still feel minor pain in my hip itself in the three specific areas where the lesions are, but no pain down my leg.  I didn't take any ibuprofen last night before bed, and I had no problems through the night as well as still no pain today.  This is a huge blessing, and I can't think of any other reason why it has diminished other than eliminating grains and sugars that can be inflammatory.

I have just over a week before my appointment...God seems to like putting His children in the Waiting Room of life, doesn't He?  Undoubtedly because He knows better than any of us how much refining can be accomplished when we have nowhere else to turn but to Him.  Up to this point, I have continued to experience His peace without anxiety or stress, so I will continue to rest in His goodness, power, and sovereignty. 

Did I Make the Wrong Decision?

Knowing that cancer has spread to my bones now begs the logical question of whether my decision made four years ago to fight my cancer naturally instead of getting radiation and chemo was the right thing to do.  There are also some "I-told-you-so"ers out there--people who are convinced that the reason the cancer has spread is precisely because I refused chemo and radiation.  Are they right?  Did I make the wrong decision?

In order to answer that question, another question needs to be asked.  Do cancer patients who do choose the standard treatments of chemo and radiation have recurrences and/or metastases?  The answer, of course, is "yes."  Over half a million people die of cancer in the U.S. every year, and it's safe to say that the vast majority of them chose standard cancer treatments.  So, treating cancer with chemo and radiation is far from a guarantee of curing it or preventing recurrences.  In light of that fact, it is unreasonable to conclude that someone who chooses alternatives to chemo and radiation is acting recklessly or ill-advisedly.  Alternative treatment options are not a guarantee of cure, either, but they must be recognized for what they are:  viable alternative treatment options.

I have never claimed that choosing alternative methods would cure me of cancer.  I have consistently said that I believe they are safer and healthier options, since chemo and radiation both not only have devastating effects on the rest of the body, but also cause more cancer in the process.  {For more info on chemo and radiation, refer to my earlier posts in 2013.}  I do believe that alternative treatments have the ability to cure cancer and that they offer better odds than standard treatments, but I also know that there are no guarantees.  As I have stated before, I am simply trying to be the best steward of this body that God gave me, but the end result is up to Him.  God's plan for my life--and death--is already written, and it will be accomplished regardless of which treatments I choose.  Which is why I have never told a cancer patient who chooses standard treatments that they are wrong for doing so.  We can only make decisions for ourselves.

What I do know is that for the past four years, adopting an anti-cancer/anti-inflammatory diet and making lifestyle changes to reduce toxin exposure and promote overall health gave me four years of improved overall health and completely normal living.  I also believe that without those changes, the cancer would have returned sooner and possibly worse.  Personally, I prefer that over being ill, tired, and suffering from other side effects of chemo and radiation.

Up to this point, those diet and lifestyle changes along with regular breast thermography scans were the only steps needed to fight the cancer. 
Obviously, I now need to pursue actual treatments, which is what I am doing.

Having said all that, my faith and hope are not in cancer treatments of any kind.  My hope rests in God my Savior, and I will strive to walk worthy of Him through this journey.

Psalm 39: 4-7
     O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;
         let me know how fleeting I am!
     Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is
         as nothing before you.  Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!  Selah
     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!  Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
         man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
    And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in you. 

 

Time to Swim Harder

It has been four years since my breast cancer diagnosis.  Four perfectly normal, good, healthy years.  But as any cancer patient can relate, the possibility of a recurrence has always been in the back of my mind.  The pathology of the cancer cells in the original breast lump was not good.  It was Stage II due to the size of the tumor (2.2 cm), and it was Grade 3--one step away from being the "naughtiest" kind of cancer cells.  If I had known then what I have learned since, I would have done several things differently, but we can only make decisions based on what we know.  I did have a needle biopsy and surgery to remove the lump.  Both of those procedures compromised the integrity of the tumor.  Instead of the cancer cells being confined to that one mass, the biopsy and surgery opened it up, allowing cancer cells to escape and move throughout my body.  Once I learned that, I realized that there was a pretty good chance of recurrence.  That brings me to today...well, actually to this past Wednesday, but I have to go back a bit further yet.

The first week of June while I was playing basketball, I felt a sudden severe sharp pain in my right hip--the front of the top of my leg.  I could barely walk, but I did manage to drive myself home from the gym.  Fortunately, my boss and good friend is a chiropractor, so, of course, Dr. Nic worked on it, and it did improve that first week.  Then it kind of plateaued.  I could function, but it was still very painful at times.  Dr. Nic took an x-ray to make sure the bones and structural integrity were okay.  When he sent my x-ray to a chiropractic radiologist, he did include my history with cancer.  The report came back that I had a slight bone impingement (no big deal) and couple possible cysts, but no evidence of metastatic disease.  Whew!  That left me with a suspected tear in a ligament or the labrum (the lining of the hip socket) which could only be determined by an MRI.   That would cost a minimum of $600.  And it wouldn't necessarily provide me with other treatment options.  Other than surgery, which is the last option, a soft tissue injury or tear in that area most likely would just require a lot of time to heal--like six to nine months.  So I put off getting an MRI and instead had some acupuncture for a few weeks and took some extra supplements to promote healing.

The pain is usually minimal during the day, but would worsen as the day went on or with increased activity--more signs that it was an injury.  At night, I would experience what I thought was referred nerve pain (there is a bundle of nerves up in the hip area) down my entire leg.  It was weird, because the pain would "move" around:  sometimes it was down the front of my leg, other times down the side, in my knee, or in my ankle.  This referred pain could be almost unbearable, and it kept me from falling asleep and also woke me up out of a sleep.  Ibuprofen was the only thing that gave me any relief, but I didn't want to be constantly taking it, so I would usually wait until the evening before taking it.  So, for the past three months I've been taking a couple ibuprofen once or twice a day.

Then all of a sudden, with no explanation, the pain went away completely...zero pain!...for two straight weeks the end of August.  During those two weeks, I was able to go hiking with my family and go to Six Flags with my kids--two activities I had really wanted to do, but thought weren't going to happen because of my leg.  Neither of those activities is that big a deal, but the only conclusion I have is that God gave me a two-week respite just to be able to do those things.  After those two weeks, the pain returned, worse than ever.  And that is when I decided I had to at least find out exactly what was wrong.

This past Wednesday, September 6, I had an MRI at 9:00 a.m.  I took ibuprofen prior to the appointment, because I knew I would have to lie still for the 45 minute scan.  Everything went smoothly; I prayed and dozed during the scan.  The tech said I would have the report late that afternoon at the earliest.  Before the scan I had told the tech it was a suspected soft tissue injury, but that cancer recurrence was always a possibility, too, which he noted when he sent the scan to be read.  I arrived at work shortly after noon that day, and when I gave the MRI image cd to my boss, he told me that a doctor had tried to call him earlier about me.  As soon as he said that, I knew it was bad.  Why else would the doctor reading the scan call my boss within a couple hours of receiving the scan instead of just sending the report?

A couple hours later, Dr. Nic was able to finally connect with the doctor, and it was confirmed.  There were three small lesions in different bones in my hip area.  The doctor also said they could not have been seen on the x-ray Dr. Nic took previously, so there was no issue of them being "missed" by the chiro radiologist.  The doctor recommended a full-body bone scan to follow up.  I am pursuing a full-body MRI now to determine if there is cancer anywhere else other than my hip. 

There is no getting around the fact that this is bad...the cancer has metastasized, and it is in my bones.  I'm not a pessimist; I'm a realist.  I'm not planning on dying from this, but I'm fully aware that could be the end result.  Again, I will not be seeking chemo or radiation, since they will only kill me faster and ruin my quality of life in the process.  I was greatly encouraged when a friend told me of a woman she knows with the same diagnosis who was much more advanced than I, who also did alternative treatments which have resulted in her tumors disappearing, and she is healing!  There are lots and lots of alternative cancer treatments available, and lots of clinics where they can be done.    I'm starting with one in Fond du Lac, which is only 30 minutes from our house.  It will most likely be another week before I can get in, which allows time to practice being still and resting in God's timing.

One positive is that the three spots I know about are quite small...the negative is the amount of pain those three small spots cause already.  Bone cancer is ugly and extremely painful, so it's likely that my pain will only get worse, which I admit is disturbing.  I am thankful that so far I am managing with just ibuprofen.

Just as it was with my first cancer diagnosis, having to tell my family the news was one of the hardest parts. I can deal with my issues, but it's hard to cause emotional pain and stress to loved ones.  I know it's necessary and ultimately beneficial, but that doesn't make it any easier.  So far, everyone seems to be handling it pretty well, for which I'm thankful.  If you observed our family, you wouldn't notice much difference other than more frequent hugs.  I'm pretty matter-of-fact and have always been straightforward with our kids, so they know the situation, and they ask me questions about it when they have any.  I know there is likely more going on in their heads than they are expressing outwardly, though.  There have been tears, but there is still an overall sense of calm and peace rooted in the confidence that this is in God's hands.  He will allow it to unfold perfectly and give us all the grace and mercy we need as it does unfold. 

My desire is to walk worthy of my Savior.

Specific prayer requests:

• Wisdom in decision-making
• Healing
• Pain management
• Reliance on God for all our needs
• His will to be accomplished in each of our lives

Let's Get Personal

I have debated in my own mind for months whether or not this topic is appropriate, but I decided that since it is very important, often overlooked, and very relevant that I'm going to write about it.

Personal menstrual hygiene products are usually considered a female topic, but guys, if you have a wife or daughter, and even a mom or sister who is still dealing with menstruation, it's important for you to know the health concerns of these products and look out for the wellbeing of your female family members.  This article is short, to-the-point, and spares any graphic details, but know that there is lots of information on this subject available on the internet for further research.

Conventional panty liners, pads, and tampons are usually highly absorbent...but toxic.  They are made with synthetic materials that go through heavy chemical processing and bleaching or GMO cotton...cotton fibers contaminated with glyphosate, the toxic chemical found in RoundUp, and other agricultural chemicals.  It isn't difficult to imagine how dangerous it is to expose the delicate tissues inside a gal's baby-making parts to carcinogenic toxins for several days each month for 40 years or more of her life!

There are much safer--and often much cheaper--alternatives.  Disposable liners, pads, and tampons made of 100% organic non-GMO cotton are readily available at health food stores or on Amazon.com.  There is even an online company named Lola.com where you can customize a regular delivery order of organic pads and tampons.  

 

Reusable cloth pads are also an option--they save a ton of money, are impressively absorbent, easy to clean, and made in cute prints.  There are also menstrual cups--cups made of medical-grade silicone that are inserted and "catch" instead of absorb the fluids.  The "yuck factor" of reusable products isn't nearly as great as one might think, and knowing that the products are safe, easy to use, economical, and much less damaging to the environment is priceless!

Here is a link to one article that gives very detailed information about the topic and about specific products:

https://kellythekitchenkop.com/reusable-menstrual-products/

I went to Amazon.com and searched "menstrual cups" which results in lots of different brands as well as provides links to other natural feminine hygiene products.  I always read the product reviews, because they are a great source of helpful information...many times they are more helpful than the product descriptions alone!