While we were in Dallas in October for the Truth About Cancer Symposium, we heard of a Doctor in Atlanta who uses a team approach of mixed conventional and alternative medicine to treat patients with varying disease processes. We have been in search of someone local who does this. Fast forward to earlier this week when we finally sat down long enough to catch our breaths. Mom called the clinic in Atlanta to learn a bit more about what exactly they do down there and what treatment recommendations they would have for me. We ended up being on the phone with the doctor who sees cancer patients for about an hour asking questions and learning. He left us with his direct phone number and instructions to decide what we wanted to do and let him know when/if we wanted to go see him. We prayed about it and decided that if my numbers were low at my next blood test then we would wait and see, but if they were on the rise still, we would act with a bit more urgency.
On Friday morning (Feast of St. Juan Diego as well as the birthday into heaven for both of my maternal grandparents AND Venerable Fulton Sheen) I went to get my blood work done including my CA125. While we were praying and hoping for lower numbers, we were told that they had increased instead. Almost immediately I was told to go get a neck, chest, abdominal, and pelvic CT scan to rule out any new tumor growth. Thankfully, Dr. Graham squeezed me in Friday evening. He was able to compare it to a CT I had from August and said that everything looks the same which was a good sign. Nothing new growing! While it's great news that my scans are clear, my blood test is still concerning. While at Hippocrates (South Florida clinic trip from October) we were told to expect increases in my CA125 due to the extra strict vegan detox diet that I've started since being there. The CA125 can fluctuate for a number reasons aside from increased cancer growth. So for now we feel like God has opened this new door for us to explore and learn what we can. The treatment program focuses on a proactive approach to boost my immune system that I can break up into parts before and after Christmas. Mom and I will be gone for the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas then we'll go from there.
At a funeral for a friend we recently attended, the preacher Jerry Tidwell reminded us of one thing that is so important to remember: to find joy in the journey. There's so much to learn and so much to stress over, but at the end of the day what fun is stress and worry?? I'd much rather focus on enjoying this journey rather than being worried about the destination. God has a great master plan for my life and I'm thankful to be here living out my life however He wants me to. Thank you all for the continued prayers and support as well as for being a part of my life. I hope that everyone has a great Advent season and a very Merry Christmas!
