posted February 06, 2006 02:11 PM         

It turns out that the placement of this tumor was too low in my pelvis (growing down into my inner thigh) to continue cutting it out without the risk of damaging nerves and such. They were only able to remove about 90% of it. I am supposed to see a Gynecological Oncologist tomorrow to discuss what he believes the best plan of action would be to remove the rest.

I can't go through this again... I just can't. The drugs alone are enough reason to keep me from going back. I am a vibrant person. I cannot handle feeling dead inside. Not to mention the painful healing process... drugs don't touch some of the pain, e.g., gas, sneezing, coughing, or any physical action involving my abdominal muscles.

I'm sure these surgeons' only plan of action involves more surgery. I know their main argument will be that the tumor has a 30% chance of re-growing, and they believe the best way to keep that from happening will be to remove it completely.

So, in answer to your previous question: Yes. I would like nothing more than to find an alternative to surgery in this situation.

Any knowledge you may have on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

P.S.
I'm not sure if I mentioned in here that the tumor is (thank god-dess) benign.

posted February 06, 2006 09:25 PM         

Hope you're ok Libra. Keep the faith an alternative will be available for you.

posted February 07, 2006 01:03 PM         

Please keep us posted and know that I am sending much white light for your continued healing...

posted February 07, 2006 07:26 PM         

Let me begin by saying that ariestiger gave you some great advice. Health problems can be alleviated and eliminated by a change in our diets. Sometimes that means a drastic change.

I'd also like to say that vitamins are worthless. Forget them. Herbs can and will be a part of any cure, but they must be certified organic or wild harvested and of the highest quality. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money, even if you go to the health food store. If they're not organic, they're crap. Probably grown in a developing country where pesticides aren't regulated, then zapped with more pesticides when shipped to the U.S. And then if you get even 10% of the potency they've promised, you're lucky. Well, maybe not so lucky, when considering all the devastating chemicals you're ingesting.

But that doesn't mean you have to go broke. If you decide to use some herbs, there's a wholesaler in Oregon that is very reasonably priced.

Change your diet, LS. Put your body in an alkaline state. Most health problems simply can't exist in an alkaline state. That means cutting out sugars, meats, cheeses, etc., at least for a time. Then you might choose to add in small amounts of those foods. But right now, your priority is to heal and be well. There are several sites and books about becoming alkaline. I will find some for you.

It's nearly impossible for most of us to become completely alkaline. We are bombarded with toxins constantly, from those in the water in which we shower, to the air we breathe, to the shampoo and soaps we use. But we can make headway by changing our diets.

Yup, it can be difficult with a family. My diet is far from perfect. But how much do you want to heal, using natural methods that will make you feel well? When I indulge too much, I feel like crap for days. No matter what I say, it's your body and your life. Love yourself, and love your decisions. You're beautiful and so is your family.

There is a female formula I use every day. It's easy to make. You could buy it from Dr. Schulze, but why? It's so much less expensive to make it yourself. With herbs and supplies, it's maybe $100 for more than a year's supply. I can email you the details. It's the same recipe that Dr. S uses. That's one of the many reasons I think he is one of the best, purest natural health practitioners: he will tell you how to make his formulae.

Hot and Cold therapies are also known to work well, in conjunction with changing one's diet and detoxing. This means going into the shower and standing under the hot water for oh, maybe a count of 10, and if you can, vigorously rub the afflicted area. Then alternate under the cold water. Do this ten times. Do it twice a day if you can. It stimulates the blood in that area, bringing it rushing in to aid healing.

A detox would be one of your best courses of action. Dr. Schulze has a program that is brilliant, but you might not be prepared to spend the money on it. I think it's about $200 or maybe $300. That's ok. You can still detox.

By detox, I mean for a period of 30 days, eat only fruits and vegetables and whole grains and nuts. Buy organics when you can. No animals or animal by-products. No sugar. Make your own dressings.

You can make your own liver flush, too. I will give you more details if you are interested. Cleaning the liver of toxins is so beneficial.

There is more I can tell you, but I realize this can be scary or intimidating. You might think "No way can I do that! No way can I live without chocolate or meat!" Well, of course you can. It's not so difficult, especially if you think of it as a 30 day detox. You can do anything, including heal yourself!

It's simply your choice how you do it, and you shouldn't worry about what I, or anyone else, thinks of your choice. I will respect and love you no matter what.

Dr. Schulze is a brilliant healer. You can read more about him on his website--but he is not for the timid! He is a healing evangelist!

If you would like to hear more, just let me know. There will be those here who disagree with me; so be it. Perhaps there will be others with opinions from which we can all learn.

I wish you wellness.

posted February 07, 2006 07:27 PM         

Let me begin by saying that ariestiger gave you some great advice. Health problems can be alleviated and eliminated by a change in our diets. Sometimes that means a drastic change.

I'd also like to say that vitamins are worthless. Forget them. Herbs can and will be a part of any cure, but they must be certified organic or wild harvested and of the highest quality. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money, even if you go to the health food store. If they're not organic, they're crap. Probably grown in a developing country where pesticides aren't regulated, then zapped with more pesticides when shipped to the U.S. And then if you get even 10% of the potency they've promised, you're lucky. Well, maybe not so lucky, when considering all the devastating chemicals you're ingesting.

But that doesn't mean you have to go broke. If you decide to use some herbs, there's a wholesaler in Oregon that is very reasonably priced.

Change your diet, LS. Put your body in an alkaline state. Most health problems simply can't exist in an alkaline state. That means cutting out sugars, meats, cheeses, etc., at least for a time. Then you might choose to add in small amounts of those foods. But right now, your priority is to heal and be well. There are several sites and books about becoming alkaline. I will find some for you.

It's nearly impossible for most of us to become completely alkaline. We are bombarded with toxins constantly, from those in the water in which we shower, to the air we breathe, to the shampoo and soaps we use. But we can make headway by changing our diets.

Yup, it can be difficult with a family. My diet is far from perfect. But how much do you want to heal, using natural methods that will make you feel well? When I indulge too much, I feel like crap for days. No matter what I say, it's your body and your life. Love yourself, and love your decisions. You're beautiful and so is your family.

There is a female formula I use every day. It's easy to make. You could buy it from Dr. Schulze, but why? It's so much less expensive to make it yourself. With herbs and supplies, it's maybe $100 for more than a year's supply. I can email you the details. It's the same recipe that Dr. S uses. That's one of the many reasons I think he is one of the best, purest natural health practitioners: he will tell you how to make his formulae.

Hot and Cold therapies are also known to work well, in conjunction with changing one's diet and detoxing. This means going into the shower and standing under the hot water for oh, maybe a count of 10, and if you can, vigorously rub the afflicted area. Then alternate under the cold water. Do this ten times. Do it twice a day if you can. It stimulates the blood in that area, bringing it rushing in to aid healing.

A detox would be one of your best courses of action. Dr. Schulze has a program that is brilliant, but you might not be prepared to spend the money on it. I think it's about $200 or maybe $300. That's ok. You can still detox.

By detox, I mean for a period of 30 days, eat only fruits and vegetables and whole grains and nuts. Buy organics when you can. No animals or animal by-products. No sugar. Make your own dressings.

You can make your own liver flush, too. I will give you more details if you are interested. Cleaning the liver of toxins is so beneficial.

There is more I can tell you, but I realize this can be scary or intimidating. You might think "No way can I do that! No way can I live without chocolate or meat!" Well, of course you can. It's not so difficult, especially if you think of it as a 30 day detox. You can do anything, including heal yourself!

It's simply your choice how you do it, and you shouldn't worry about what I, or anyone else, thinks of your choice. I will respect and love you no matter what.

Dr. Schulze is a brilliant healer. You can read more about him on his website--but he is not for the timid! He is a healing evangelist!

If you would like to hear more, just let me know. There will be those here who disagree with me; so be it. Perhaps there will be others with opinions from which we can all learn.

I wish you wellness.

posted February 07, 2006 10:59 PM         

Yin, thanks for the vote of confidence. I need all of the confidence I can get right now.

Trillian, I don't have a problem cutting anything out of my diet, really. Surprisingly enough, not even caffeine. This whole experience has sort of gotten me off on a detox of my own. The caffeine head aches only lasted 4 days. My stomach is still very sensitive, and I have basically resolved to eating lots of fruits and veggies, and pasta/rice (not whole grain, usually. I usually buy jasmine rice, and pasta made from white flour). It's not really all that big of a step for me anyhow. I am an organic shopper, and avoid conventional produce to the best of my ability. (I'll even spring for an organic pineapple every once in a while.)

I do eat meat, but not very much, and not even daily. I am also very careful to not buy meat with added antibiotics or hormones. I do eat quite a bit of dairy and eggs (free range, no antibiotics, no hormones as well). Are they things that will need to be cut out of my diet too? Also... what about Whey protein shakes? I drink a lot of smoothies made from frozen berries, milk, honey and Trader Joe's whey protein powder (with added vitamins). I could cut the honey out... the kids would probably hate it, but that's okay. I can make my own separate smoothie in the morning.

I'll definitely be trying the hot/cold therapy you recommended. That will probably help a lot with the healing process for my incision. I've been taking an extra 30mg of Zinc since my surgery. I'd like to say that it is helping, but since I have no other similar experience to draw on for comparison, I really don't know that it is. The doctors seem to think I am healing rather quickly, so it may be helping. I've also been taking in a lot of Vitamin C, not through supplements, but through mass amounts of oranges. I have been craving oranges like a pregnant woman. I've probably eaten at least two medium oranges a day for the past few weeks. I've been craving mangoes too, but I'm in no financial position to be eating 2-3 mangoes a day.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to this. You're a wonderful friend. I'd really like it if you could find the time to email the some of the recipes/formulas you mentioned... especially the liver detox info. It makes good sense that that nasty little bugger would need a good cleaning from time to time. My linda-goodman.com address is active (I didn't check yours... just replied right here). You can email the info to me, when you have the time. Although, I'm not opposed to posting it right here. It's bound to be very useful information. Either way is fine with me.

Again, thanks SO much for taking time out for such a lengthy reply. You're super-duper-terrific, and I love you to death!

posted February 08, 2006 11:57 AM         

I learned from my post op. appointment that this tumor is EXTREMELY rare. Apparently there are only about 120 documented cases world wide.

While it is technically considered a cancer, it is not what a layperson would consider cancer. The tumor does not metastasize (change, transform, or spread). It is technically considered a cancer (though it is benign) because it grows. Apparently typical benign tumors don't grow. (Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me... If they don't grow, how do they get there in the first place??? )

posted February 08, 2006 06:50 PM         

It sounds like bullsh!t from your doctors. A lot of double-speak to cover what they don't actually know. And that tells me that you should definitely take your health into your own hands. Don't forget the power of meditation!

This might be brief, as I don't have a lot of time. But I will write more, and email you the recipe for the female formula, which is a miracle potion.

Here is a decent site for alkaline/acid foods:
http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/acidalkfoods.html

However, I know I have been to better sites which rank each food's acid or alkaline levels. And there is some disension over certain foods like blueberries and asparagus; some say they are acidic, some say alkaline. Personally I don't think you can go wrong iwth fruits and veggies.

Your diet is excellent. Keep up with the oranges, etc.! I will add that Dr. Schulze would say that to heal, you must eliminate dairy and all meat and animal by-products. Don't worry so much about the honey; it's the processed white sugar that's the real culprit. Though there are other alternatives like Stevia, which have no calories and no adverse affects.

The most radical book on alkalizing your body is "Alkalize or Die," but there is a lot of very valuable information in it, with specific ratings on the foods. You can probably find it at your local health food store.

I have some more ideas for you, and I will get them to you.

More soon, sweet lady. Try not to worry. I feel wellness for you.

posted February 09, 2006 09:42 AM         

I can't add anything that hasn't already been said - certainly can't add anything to trill's excellent advice.

posted February 09, 2006 04:21 PM         

We're expecting a snowstorm this Saturday, which means I should have lots of time to write to you. LOL!

So more soon.

How are you, lovely lady?

26T

posted February 12, 2006 03:20 PM         

Thanks to Pix, Yin, Proxie and Bluemoon too. It's great to know I have so much support here. You guys are great!! LL is the BEST!!

Bluemoon,

posted February 12, 2006 07:56 PM         

Keep up the healthy living Libra and you'll heal. Healing Light to you

posted March 31, 2006 03:10 PM         

I'm recommending this because my mom's bf had cancer and it stopped as soon as he got started on this new diet. If you are interested, post a message here and I'll get him to talk to you. Here's what he did:

1) stop consuming meat and milk immediately - this caused his tumor to stop growing within a month

2) there is a vitamin (B17) which is linked to curing cancer; it's illegal in the U.S. but can be still be found online

3) switch to organic food as much as you can; replace white bread with wheat or rye

I wish you the best in recovering regardless of what procedure you choose. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about B17.