May 29, 2013 update

This last trip to Oasis of Hope Hospital yielded a vibrant group of new friends and some equally vibrant black and blue bruises on my arms!  We met a beautiful little lady named Sheri, who worked at the hospital for 41 years as the music and laughter therapist.  She tickled our funny bones for the last few days of the week! She came to attend the 50 year anniversary of the hospital.  We had the wonderful privilege of going, too!  It took us a while to find the place...we took the scenic route!   The program included a video on the history of Oasis as well as the Issels and Gerson Therapy programs.  The three doctors shared many of the same philosophies and were good friends.   Rosa Contreras, the nutritionist and Dr. Contreras daughter, made sure that we had good food that was on our diet and Dr. Contreras made sure those who wanted to cheat had the opportunity!   

The anniversary was the night before we left, so we stayed in San Diego and flew home early in the morning.  I didn't get to walk as much as I wanted while we were there, because of my burning feet.  The doctors did change my schedule for chemo to help reduce this side effect but that takes time. Now, I am getting better with bearable discomfort! Herbal lotion helps to keep the skin from cracking but the peeling gets interesting.  Rather reptilian!  Other than the burning, peeling stuff, I am feeling stronger almost every day!

Dr. Contreras said we need to put cancer in the back seat and move on with life. (Or something along that line)  I know he was making a figurative statement but I took the opportunity to convince David to let me drive again!  I am feeling better and have adjusted to the many medicaments and nutraceuticals that I am taking.  Now, I just have to learn my limits and not over do my energy level. That said, this week the children and I have been pulling and burning brush!  What a work out!  Every muscle in my body is sore!  It kinda feels good to get some strenuous exercise, though!  I am reducing my hours today, to let myself recover. (I probably did over do it!)  I hear that caveman exercise programs are on the rise.  Tree climbing, log rolling, rock digging bush pulling and tree limbing activities are the trending exercises, now!  More fun than the treadmill, stairmaster, barbell stuff by far!   The children just came in soaking wet and muddy from working in the rain. So add fresh air, mud and water to enhance the experience!.   We are trying to get as much brush cleared and burned before the burn ban takes effect.  That will probably be today or maybe tomorrow if they take the rain into account, hence the rush.  (Our house is surrounded by trees and highly flammable brush.  The last wild fire, two years ago, we were saved by neighbors, firefighters and mostly Gods grace.  We are working on defensible space!)

Children are always good for a chuckle or two for laughter therapy.  Yesterday, while pulling brush,  I heard my young son singing the hymn," Wooly, Wooly is the Lamb"! Hmm?!?    I guess worthy and wooly are some what similar sounding and lambs are wooly!

We continue to pray for all of our friends in need of miracles.  Our hearts are with the families who have lost loved friends and family this month.  We grieve, but not as those who have no hope.  God is good and He hurts with us when we hurt.  This world is not our home!  And soon we will see Him coming in the clouds with that glorious trumpet!  Courage!

Brenda

Update 5-6-2013 Round Two

My time at home flew by so fast I didn't keep up with the writing!  At home, the first couple weeks were challenging in learning to cook differently and time the supplements just right. The pain has been gradually lessening with time.  Nathan helped me find good subject matter for laughter therapy.  I discovered that laughing is a wonderful way to eliminate or at least reduce pain.  George Burns and Gracie Allen proved wonderfully analgesic!

The second week of chemo I started getting a little neuropathy in the ends of my fingers and toes.  It went away on my week off the chemo.  Now, I am into my fourth week of taking the chemo and the burning sensation has gotten progressively worse. It is good to be here, though, and get a fast response from the doctor!  (We are at Oasis of Hope Hospital for another week of treatment.) The doctor cut my chemo dose in half.  I am praying that helps.  I was doing really well with the walking!  Now, well, walking is a little more challenging. I put my feet on ice to cool the burning!

At home, I gradually built up my strength, till the smaller children had to work to keep up on walks!
 I could almost out walk Adam!  One day, he took his turn "walking with Mommy" and when I asked him if he was getting tired his response gave me pause!

He said, "My legs isn't tired, Mommy. They just follow my feet!"  Hmmm......?

Ah, exercise and laughter therapy, in one small package!

Today, they gave me the Detox therapy, minus the Cup of Joe!  Every cloud has its silver lining!
I stayed in and put my feet up, hoping rest would improve their disposition.  It didn't!  The ice is nice, though.  Tomorrow, we start the whole regimen of ozone, UV light, Vit. C and Laetrile.  Oxidative therapy to the max!  Praying it does its job well!

Update 4/19/2013

We are home and working on our home treatment plan. So far we are doing alright. Some good days and a few not so good. The good days are gaining on the others!

Update April 10 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

I've been home from Oasis of Hope Hospital for one week, now.  It is taking awhile to get into a routine of things and finding what works.  I started the chemotherapy and home treatments Sunday.  The chemo I can take at home as it is in a pill form and is also low dose.  So far the treatment has caused some discomfort, due to inflammation.  I decided to add the b-17 supplement to my regimen a little early, as it is a good pain reliever.  I slept well last night as a result!  David said I was snoring, so that is a good sign! The diet I am on is very low glycemic index foods,  so every now and then I get dizzy or faint from low blood sugar.  I am learning to manage that by making sure I eat on a regular schedule and include plenty of good fats and proteins.  Since both of those side effects mean bad news for the tumor, I don't complain!

It is wonderful to be home and with the children again.  They surprised me with the gift of an i-pod when I got home.  Now, I can listen to hymns and inspirational music any where I go. It's great!  They have also been taking turns walking with me.  Exercise is an important part of my home treatment plan.  It increases the oxygen in the blood and tumors hate oxygen!  So, though I'm not moving very fast yet, I am walking a little more every day as my strength returns and my muscles heal from the surgery.  I long to feel 'normal' again.  I know it will be awhile but I do want a miracle!  Today, would be nice!  I want my tumors to disappear!!!!

I praise God for His many blessings to me.  I am blessed to have a lot of help at home.  Some of my friends don't have that help.  If you know anyone with the gift of helps, who lives in or near Rochester, NY, let me know.  My dear Sabbath keeping friends need someone to help them with the food preparation part of the home treatment.  Also, keep my friends Liz and David in special prayer.  They are still undergoing surgeries to correct the effects of a perforated colon.  Thank you for your prayers on my behalf as well.  I am feeling better every day!

Nathan set me up with a blog brendasjourneyofhope.blogspot.com He posted all my updates on there.  Now that the instructions on how to use it are in English, I will learn how to post to the blog!  My Spanish is a bit rusty.

Take care and many prayers,

Brenda

Update April 1st 2013

Dear Family,Friends,

Praises to God. Things are starting to move out for Brenda.

We will probably know when to go home tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers.

David.

Update March 31st 2013

Dear Family, Friends,

Brenda has the colostomy completed on Wednesday of last week.  Her bowel movement should be moving food through the colostomy opening by now, but not much significant soft solid has been happening.  Please pray that thing should move out soon  or it could be an urgent thing.

Thank you for your prayer,

Love, 

David.

Update March 30th 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for your prayers.  I had a rough morning with cramping, but no IV's!  The doctor prescribed walking.  We walked about two hours in the morning and came back for lunch. 

Oscar, the volunteer activity driver, was busy figuring out how many people wanted to go to Rosarita.  Nobody had signed up yet, so Liz took to serious recruiting.  Soon she had more people then one van could hold.  Oscar recommended they could sit on laps!  It's easy to fit twenty people in an eight passenger van!  Then, he started trying to hurry them along with their lunch because he was supposed to leave at one and they were still eating!  We all started accusing him of being an American disguised as a Mexican!  This is Mexico and we have all learned about Mexican time!!!  To keep from totally blowing his cover, his parting shot was "Be at the van by 1:15 or I'll wait for you!" 

We didn't go with them.  We took another walk around town and back down to the beach.  David walked, I felt like the Tigger that lost his bounces, I shuffled.  The beach swarmed with people due to the holiday.  Venders, with carts of mango and coconuts and other popular snacks weaved their way through the crowd.  Lots of little children flew kites, played catch, and dashed through the shallow waves.  One kid made a sand sculpture mermaid.  He did a pretty good job, too. 

As soon as we got back from our afternoon walk, Edgar and Salvador, two nurses, insisted I needed one more IV catheter for antibiotics and stomach protector. My veins are very difficult to find, especially since most of them run and hide when they see the nurses coming and the rest of them are trying to recover from ill usage.  They took two tries, and got it started in the crook of my right arm.  Handy!!! The antibiotic only took thirty minutes this time, but I had to wait till eight to get the stomach protector.  The cramps returned and my arm ached, so I skipped supper.  Four hours of pain later, I got the stomach protector and I begged some pain medicine!  Then they took the catheter out!!!  Life is good again! 

We continue the neutraceuticals, supplements at high dosages, and start the low dose chemo therapy when we get home.  I hope the cramping goes away soon!  The doctor said one week more.  I'm praying he's over estimating!!!.  The walking does help, though!

Looking forward to being home Monday!

Love,

Brenda