Good News!

I had a busy summer and didn't post, but there is lots to talk about!  In an earlier post from May I discussed thermography vs. mammography for breast cancer screening.  Well, in mid-July I had a full-body thermography scan done at Valley Thermography in Appleton, WI.  Christine Haase is the technician, and she was super!  The process was easy and totally non-invasive--it's basically getting pictures taken.  For a couple of the breast images, I placed a sticker over the area where the tumor had been, so it was clearly marked.  We viewed and discussed the full color thermographic images, and Chris explained that the images and my medical history would be sent to a doctor to be interpreted.  That doctor would then issue a report with his findings.  I had the results within a week.

I have to admit that I was convinced that something would show up just because of how poor the histology of the cancer was.  I was also thinking that it was very likely that something would show up in my lymph nodes (up to this point it was unknown whether or not there was cancer in the lymph nodes).  You can imagine the surprise and relief I felt when the report came back that everything was clear so far! 

I have experienced what I call "dark days"--times when I was overwhelmed by negative feelings and thoughts.  At times when things weren't going well, I would think that my kids would be better off if I died of cancer.  (No, I don't really believe that!  As I said, these were dark thoughts influenced by dark moods.  I would overcome them by concentrating on what is true and right and good, etc.--choosing to think Godly thoughts instead.)  I also had pessimistic thoughts that I was probably going to die of this cancer, and then all the people who think I'm a lunatic for not getting radiation and chemo would be able to say, "I told you so" and never believe in nutrition, and I would have accomplished nothing.  Getting a clear scan definitely gave me hope that those scenarios wouldn't really happen.

The doctor who interpreted my scans recommended another breast scan in three months in order to establish good baseline images, so I will do that in October.  Depending upon what the second scan shows, I may go another six months or a year after that before I have another scan. 

I sent a letter to both my oncologist and my family doctor with a copy of the thermography report, an explanation of why I chose thermography over mammogram, and my plans to have another scan in October.  I did not make an appointment to see my oncologist, but I will keep him updated and possibly get some more blood work done in the future.

In the meantime, I am continuing with my immune-strengthening, anti-cancer diet as well as reducing my exposure to outside toxins--which I will discuss in another post.