Maintenance and Michael Douglas

Long time no blog. I've been taking some new holistic medicine. It's called Agaricus Phalloides D4. It's extract from a poisonous mushroom. This homeopathic medicine has been real successful in treating all kinds of cancer including head and neck cancer. I take 15 drops three times a day. You should only take this for four weeks, then off. I have one week left.  Even though I don't have cancer or a tumor, my doctor in Germany wants me to take this as maintenance to make sure the cancer doesn't come back.

Doctors here in the States don't think like that. As far as my doctor in Los Angeles is concerned, I'm in remission, I'm cured. I am-- but there's no preventative maintenance treatment at all.

A lot of people have contacted me about Michael Douglas. I don't know Mr. Douglas, but I got all of the information on the Klinik in Germany to a friend of his. I saw him on the David Letterman show. I wish I could talk to him. I know what his treatment is. I started the same treatment before I left for Germany. I have never been that sick in my life. Had I stayed here and continued with the full radiation, twice a day, 20 minutes a session, for seven weeks, I honestly believe I would not be typing.

Michael Douglas said he's only had one week of treatment, but after week three... forget about it.

He is in my prayers.

I've had a few emails from people who have heard that I'm sick again. I'm not. I'm actually very healthy.

I haven't been this healthy since birth! 

CV247

There’s a new cancer medicine called CV247. It stops the spread and growth of tumors. It was developed by Dr. John Carter, a veterinary surgeon, to stop the spread of cancer in dogs. It's now legal in Germany. It's holistic, which is always good. I mentioned this back in February, and I've been talking it for a month now just as maintenance. It’s something we don't do as a practice in this country, but should.

I must still be here for a reason

I was scanned last Thursday and everything was clear.  So now I have another scan in October and one in January.  When those are clear then it's once every six months.  I'll never get used to going in that tube.  I can't breathe in those things. 

I had a little talk with my doctor after he gave me news that my scans were clear. He mentioned that I'm the only one who's still here from a group of us who were sick together.  I asked him why he thought that happened. He kind of shrugged his shoulders and really didn't say anything... I don't know either. I must still be here for a reason. I know it's not photography.  I took that picture in my car today.

Health care bill for dummies

Healthcare reform... Where?

I started to read the health care bill and found a lot of it is written in "Lawyer" (Shakespeare was right). I also went online to find both the Republicans’ and Democrats’ pros and cons of the bill and got to read their translations. It's all kind of The Health Care Bill For Dummies.

Some of this is really scary:

Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and no appeals process).

Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None. 

Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer. 

Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same 

Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death. 

Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends. 

Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT. 

Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.

Note to the Government: I'll die when I'm ready, not when you tell me.

But here's the good news:

Everybody can have health insurance if they want it.

Insurers will not be able to stop paying for people who are sick, even if they lose their jobs.

People who cannot afford health insurance won’t have to pay as much money.

People who are already sick will be eligible for health care.

Health insurers can no longer cap coverage. In other words, they’ll no longer be able to say that they’ve spent enough on you and you’re on your own for the next hundred thousand dollars. This should reduce medical bankruptcy.

I think cancer is scared to death of me

I finally had the port removed from my chest.

The port was a small medical device beneath the skin, through which drugs and chemo could be injected and blood samples taken out without the hassle and pain of a typical “needle stick.”  Saying goodbye to that port last Wednesday was last thing I had to do to really put all this behind me and move forward to tell others what I've learned in my two and a half years of battling and beating cancer... twice.  

A friend of mine asked if I thought it was gone for good. I know it is. Honestly, I think cancer is scared to death of me.

Here's something I want to pass on: There’s a new cancer medicine in trials called CV247. 

CV247 was developed by Dr. John Carter, a veterinary surgeon.  CV247 stops the spread and growth of tumors rather than killing them.  The trials were started with cancer patients at the oncology unit in Cambridge, England.  Some of the patients are still alive because their cancer was in the early stages and are still on the medication.

CV247 is holistic. It includes sodium salicylate, copper, manganese and vitamin C. 

This is really promising news.

Laugh, pray, hope

I was scanned today. It's so good to hear your doctor say, "I'll go over the scan with you if you want, but there's nothing there. You're all clear, I'll see you in May."  I did a conference call a couple of days ago with a cancer support group. Twenty-two cancer patients. They were great. I think I inspired them to fight and never give up. I made them laugh and I pray that I gave them hope.

Awesome news

I met with my doctor from Germany yesterday. I never thought I would or could get excited about anything that has to do with medicine or treatments, but she told me about awesome news coming out of Europe about cancer and immune system treatments:

"Immunotherapy with the trifunctional antibody removal

leads to significant elimination of tumor cells

from malignant ascites in ovarian cancer"

That was the headline from the results of the first phase of a study in 2005. After phases 2 and 3 were completed, the results were so amazing that last April, the European Commission approved a drug called Removab for the treatment of malignant ascites. A few weeks later, Removab went on sale in Germany and was subsequently introduced to other European countries.

Removab is the first of a number of new drugs that use the body’s own immune system to help fight the tumor cells spread by “malignant ascites,” a condition in which fluid containing cancer cells collects in the abdomen.  It’s common in ovarian, pancreatic, colon, lung, breasts and gastric cancers.

How do I know? I looked it up.

Here are a couple of site to read so you can see for yourself:

“Trifunctional Antibody Catumaxomab Kills Cancer Stem Cells”

“Removab Approval: Proof-of-Concept for Technology Transfer in Germany”

I'm 80% out of the woods

It'll be two years Friday-- January 8, 2010-- since I was CyberKnifed in Germany.  According to a number of cancer specialists, I'm 80% out of the woods. One more year, four more clear scans and I'm 100% clear. Then it's one scan a year. I have another scan at the end of this month. My doctor from Germany is coming out to visit next week. She’ll take a dozen vials of my blood and send them to Greece for what I hope is my last microtumor cell testing.

Happy New Year to everyone.