ON CANCER PATIENTS

My experience is that many cancer patients are clearly afraid of their disease , what it is doing to their bodies, and what could be the end of their lives. As a result of that fear, patients tend to cling to their doctors' every word, go along with treatments their doctors suggest, and generally will not support any treatment contrary to what their doctors advise. This fear will lead them into a state of mind which will resist the opportunity to consider treatment options different from their doctors' recommendations. It is, therefore, important for husbands and wives, family members to gather around the cancer patient and discuss openly the options for treatment available to the patient. So far as I know, only the Pope is infallible. Most doctors are hard-working, well-meaning individuals, but not all of them. Most doctors are deeply devoted to the care and treatment of their patients, but not all of them. Most doctors are conscientious, caring and loving individuals, but not all of them. It is the responsibility of a loved one, family member, and friend to keep watch over treatment, make certain your loved one is getting the best treatment possible; and if one finds a diversion of the best treatment, then speak up, speak your mind, and let those in charge of treatment know what you are thinking. If you find a doctor who you consider to be stubborn, not given to options, not listening, then perhaps it is time to move on to another doctor. At that point, you must confront the fear of your loved one with cancer and explain your position and the reasons you hold the position to move on.

THE LIGHTHOUSE IN ANITA'S PHOTO

The lighthouse is the symbol of light and hope for all cancer patients. All good people know the meaning of light. It is the symbol of God, for God is all light, and the bible teaches us to have faith and hope. However, that does not mean we whose loved ones suffer from cancer rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we must work harder and more diligently to explore solutions to this terrible disease. Prayer is a good thing. Prayer is our conversation with God. If at times one is overcome with grief and suffering, it does not hurt to say a prayer or two or three. Just do it. God really and truly does listen. I think above all , one must impart that faith and hope to our cancer patients. Hope is good for the soul. It helps the body by allowing the mind to think positively, and the power of positive thinking is more powerful than any of us can imagine. Always, but always think positively, especially for positive results.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH CANCER

My wife and I found out she had cancer back in March, 2008. We landed in Jamaica and the airline lost her luggage, and so we went shopping for new clothes. As she tried on new blouses, I noticed a large lump protruding from her stomach cavity. I felt it and it was hard as a rock. We were concerned enough to fly back to New York on Monday and went immediately to one of the large hospitals in New York City. We waited in the maternity ward for a sonogram. A very good doctor immediately identified the lump as cancer. She was operated on, a complete hysterectomy,  and 94% of the cancer was removed. One might ask: why not all of it? Some of the cancer was too difficult to get to. That was the surgeon's understandable explanation. Cancer was diagnosed as ovarian cancer.

She began treatment with Taxol. It worked. Six months later, her cancer was in remission and never returned for four years,but when it did, it returned  with a vengeance. I do not recall any sonograms, CT Scans or any important exams during the four year period the cancer was in remission. Giant mistake if that were the case. Three large tumors were located in late August, 2012.

The cancer blocked her colon and so surgery was performed to bypass the colon. No cancer was removed during this procedure. She was again placed on Taxol. Was that a mistake? Well, it did not work. I pressed her doctor to perform a biopsy to gather up fresh tissue to take to a well-known lab out in California, the Wiesenthal Lab. She turned down my request.  One would assume that if the cancer had mutated, then the new cancer which grew back would be immune to Taxol. In my wife's case, the cancer was immune to the drug which worked four years earlier.  I attempted one more time to convince her doctor to perform a biopsy, but she turned down my second request to perform a biopsy. Instead , she put my wife through a second series of chemo treatments with Doxol. This chemical did not work either.

Later I found out that some of the giant hospitals which treat cancer have certain protocol which they follow and apparently rarely digress from,  In my wife's case, the hospital protocol for treating ovarian cancer was followed. Doxol failed to stop her cancer from growing.

Her CA-125 numbers during this period were consistently low and rarely moved above 30. We discovered too late that the CA-125 numbers can be extremely inconsistent, since even when the cancer was growing, her numbers sometimes went down! With each treatment , my wife and I anxiously waited for the CA-125 number , but not knowing that the number could vary from week to week for any number of reasons. This number is not to be trusted. Period. We should have been told that in the early going , but we were not.

Her doctor told her she had pretty much ran out of options after the second chemo failed to stop the cancer from growing. She suggested visiting another hospital, well-known for the treatment of cancer. The second doctor suggested a drug, Iridikin, which had been treated on kidney tumors and been successful, but not ovarian cancer patients. I argued with the doctor, opting for a biopsy instead,  taking the position that since this drug was not even used on ovarian cancer patients, it could not be trusted to kill her cancer, so if it had no prior success in treating ovarian cancer successfully, why give it to her. I lost the argument.

Within weeks , my wife's bowels began to shut down. Was it the cancer growing and shutting them down, or the Iridikin, or even perhaps the leftover tissue from her operation in August? No one can be certain what caused the bowel shutdown. Later, I was told by an oncologist that this particular drug can shut down bowels , and he does not use it for his own patients because of that disastrous effect. Within one month, my wife began to experience the bowel shutdown. Her stomach bloated, she was unable to pass gas, eat or drink, and suffered excruciating pain. I rushed her to the hospital where doctors on duty tried to relieve her pain by relieving the pressure to her system of the bowel shutdown. Some relief ensued and she was sent home. The cancer treatment with Iridikin continued, but it was clear the cancer continued to grow. Two more visits to the hospital were necessary because of the incredible pain caused by the bowel shutdown. She could not pass gas, could not eat, could not drink. It was a horrific experience and my wife continued to deteriorate rapidly.

By late July, it was necessary to take her in to the hospital since the pain from her distended belly was simply too much to bear. Her doctor was on vacation. A CT Scan was finally performed. A second doctor on call read the Scan and said that her cancer had "stabilized." Later, I took the disc of that CT Scan to another doctor, and he told me bluntly that my wife was dying.

While my wife was still at the hospital, I called another doctor on duty and asked her to ease my wife's pain by removing some of the cancer fluid from her stomach cavity. She agreed. She was sent down to radiology to remove the fluid. While this work was being carried out, I asked the doctor if she would assist me in packaging the fluid to send to the Wiesenthal Lab for study to determine what chemicals would work on my wife. The fluid was boxed and sent to the Lab. The results showed three of the chemicals which my wife was treated with, failed in the Lab, basically showing these chemicals were not sensitive to her cancer. However, one chemical, Altretamine, was found to be extremely sensitive to her cancer and found to be the drug which showed considerable possibility of killing Anita's cancer.

It was too late. the lab results came back just five days before she died. This new drug could only be taken orally , and Anita could not drink or eat, and the drug, a pill , according to her doctor would not reach to her stomach cavity and be absorbed into the blood stream. I objected strenuously. If she was dying, why not try anyway to give Anita the drug? She refused. Anita died a few days later without her taking the one drug which gave us hope that she would beat her cancer.

I am a strong advocate of biopsies: to determine the existence of cancer, as a means to determine what chemical will work on cancer, and as a strong tool to detect cancer in its earliest stages. Why try a drug which is untested when lab results will show a drug will kill a particular cancer?

This experience is one experience. Anyone can add to this blog. Please avail yourself to do so.

FRAN DRESCHER'S CANCER STORY: CANCER SCHMANCER

Fran Drescher's book, "Cancer Schmancer, is extremely informative reading for patients suffering from cancer, or family members of cancer patients. It is a personal story with considerable important advice on how to deal with doctors, treatment, and the cancer itself.

1. Make certain you get second, third and fourth opinions from doctors. Ms. Drescher visited nine doctors before discovering she had uterine cancer;

2. Her ninth doctor performed a D&C on her and discovered uterine cancer by performing a biopsy. Her sister, Nadine, suggested she do a second biopsy to be certain of the results of the first biopsy. One biopsy suggested Ms. Drescher was in stage one or two of uterine cancer, while the second stage 3 and 4. In the end, it was determined , her cancer was in early stages;

3. Ms. Drescher did her homework: She got multiple expert opinions about her cancer; she visited several hospitals to make certain she was receiving the correct treatment, and at every step during her treatment, when an important decision had to be made, Ms. Drescher did her homework! She searched the web and found an extraordinary amount of information about her cancer and the various treatments. At one point, Ms. Drescher was confronted with the choice of having radiation treatment, an important decision. She searched the web, consulted with many expert doctors, and eventually came up with the right decision. She elected not to do radiation because her doctor told her that her cancer had a 95% chance of going into remission without the radiation. Important point: she did her homework and refused to listen to one doctor;

4. Learn all there is to know about your cancer. The Internet is a great tool and a wealth of information. Use the Internet to manage your treatment. If you are not comfortable managing your own treatment, get someone you trust who is intelligent, has considerable medical experience, and is close to you. Ms. Drescher took advice. She was not stubborn, did not listen to one voice, and pursued as many avenues of information as was possible. She was determined to find the right answers. Her determination in pursuing knowledge is a lesson for all  of us;

5. After her cancer went into remission, her doctors prescribed a strict schedule of follow-up exams. These included blood tests, CT Scans, and any and all other tests during the remission period. Tests were performed initially at three month intervals, then at six month intervals , and so on. Important point to remember is this: after one's cancer enters into remission, don't forget that you still have cancer even though it went into remission! It may return, and if it does, a cancer patient wants to know as early as possible that it has returned, and not when the cancer has spread and grown beyond doctor's ability to stop its growth;

6. Exercise: once your cancer has gone into remission , it is important to stay healthy and strong by keeping your body in as good a physical condition as one can. Stay healthy by eating the right foods, exercising, getting a good night's sleep, and keep on studying cancer research.

7. Ms. Drescher was determined to beat her cancer. She did her homework. She pursued many voices, listened to many options, and ultimately became an expert of sorts in treatment. She saved herself by working hard to beat the cancer. She learned to stop pitying herself. She learned courage. She learned to deal with this terrible disease. Above all, do not be afraid of dealing with the treatment. Do whatever it takes to beat the cancer. Be not afraid. Have hope and courage!

ON OZONE TREATMENT FOR CANCER

I am familiar with one patient who was treated in Canada with ozone under the fingernails. It sounds extremely odd to our fellow Americans who are so used to the treatment of cancer via chemotherapy. I have stressed in other postings the need to explore every option available in the treatment of cancer. Some of these options may not work, and yet, some of these treatments, other than chemotherapy , have proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer. Cancer patients who have survived utilizing these treatments swear by them; however, one must carry one's own research to determine whether these other treatments of cancer will work for your loved one. Two of these treatments are first the nutritional treatment called the Gerson Therapy, and the other is the ozone treatment. Find out more about both options to chemotherapy. Do your homework and good luck.

ON FRAN DRESCHER'S SEARCH FOR A DOCTOR

This post discusses the experiences of Fran Drescher who talked to eight doctors before finally meeting a doctor who discovered her cancer.

Ms. Drescher is the famous comedienne who is bright and persistent. Her body told her something was wrong; and that brought her to her search for an answer to reasons why she was not feeling well.
After numerous discussions with eight doctors, she located a knowledgeable doctor who advised that she should perform a D&C, which ultimately discovered her cancer.

Ms. Drescher then underwent a biopsy. Doctor told her that her cancer was a Stage one cancer and treatable. Her sister, Nadine, a practicing nurse, however, suggested a second biopsy, and her doctor agreed. The second biopsy proved that her cancer was more advanced, stage four, and ultimately, it was decided to do a hysterectomy on Ms. Drescher.

Her experiences point up the need to pursue the right doctor, the need for a biopsy , and maybe a second biopsy, and to be certain to follow up on your own with the treatment you are receiving.

BIOPSIES & SCREENING FOR CANCER

A biopsy is the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body. If a biopsy is performed on  cancer patients, it can be an effective tool for identifying and locating the right chemical which will match with the cancer of the patient from which the cancer tissue , cells or fluid is taken.

The cancer specimen is sent to any number of labs which take this specimen and examine it to determine if any current chemicals in use today are effective in killing the cancer of the particular patient from which the sample has been taken.

There could be thirty or forty chemicals which are tested against the particular of the individual; some will be found to be ineffective, while others in the lab examination may be found to be sensitive to the killing of cancer cells in the patient. Lab results may be inconsistent. They may not always work, and then again, they may work.

Lab results will also show what chemicals are not working! Therefore, if your family member is a cancer patient, and he or she has been treated with certain chemicals, none of which have destroyed the cancer in the patient, then the lab results indicating insensitivity to the cancer will be proved to be correct.

Also, however, lab results may very well identify chemicals which in the lab are proved to be effective in destroying cancer cells. It makes sense then, does it not, to apply the chemicals which show sensitivity to the cancer of any particular patient in the lab, meaning chemicals which are shown in the lab to destroy cancer cells. Better to apply chemicals to the cancer patient which are proven in the lab to kill cancer in the patient than to treat the patient with chemicals showing no ability to kill the cancer cells.

How can we be more precise in determining if lab results showing certain chemicals will work against cancer in the patient? Some assays may show inconsistent results , from lab to patient.

It would make sense then to take cancer tissue, cells or fluid,  to another lab, or perhaps two more labs, to determine if those labs , examining other areas of cancer sensitivity, demonstrate similar  results from the first positive lab results. Then one has confirmation that the lab results from the first examination are most likely to be effective against the cancer.

Different labs examine different areas of cancer tissue and fluids. It is important then to familiarize oneself with the many labs in the country who are examining cancer tissue and fluids. This research can be exhausting; but if one discovers a chemical match to the cancer destroying your loved one, then all that time and effort will be enormously rewarding.

There are ovarian cancer patients who have gone into remission for years, some upwards of fifteen years and better. So, there is hope, but one must be vigilant and work hard to understand the nature of cancer, how it works to kill, and what can be done to kill it.

Debate the doctor treating cancer in your loved one to determine reasons why a biopsy should  not be performed. One needs to know specific reasons why a chemo has been recommended by your doctor if that doctor refuses to do a biopsy, for   the risk of a biopsy is minimal compared to the potential result of not doing a biopsy: the death of  your family  cancer patient.

ABOUT CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT

Most cancer patients have no idea what chemicals doctors are treating them with in terms of side effects, negative symptoms, and how often and to how many individuals these chemicals have been in use. It is important first off to know if the chemo a cancer patient is being treated with has been found successful elsewhere, or whether or not that chemical has even treated any other cancer patient. The point is to find out all about this chemical. Do your research. Google the product. Ask serious questions regarding the effectiveness of this chemical. Does it follow a certain protocol which certain hospitals follow , regardless of the patient.

You may want to know , for example, if a chemo shuts down the bowels as a side effect, which could eventually lead to an inability of the patient to eat or drink. There may be excessive nausea, or vomiting. You need to ask your doctor what negative side effects could result from the administration of the particular chemo application to the cancer patient.

It is very important also not to be intimidated by your doctor. Do not be fearful of obtaining information on the results of this particular chemo's use. How successful , you should know, has this chemo been on patients with similar cancers, like ovarian cancer for example.

Cancers mutate. In some instances , when a cancer returns to the cancer patient after it has been in remission for a long period of time, say four years for example, the original cancer may have mutated to another cancer now resistant to the original chemo which sent the first cancer into remission. So it is very possible that the chemo which sent the original chemo into remission may not work the second time around.

Supervision of chemo treatment is extremely important, by the doctors and by the family. The results of chemo treatment on an ongoing basis is particularly necessary. It is not good for chemo to be applied for weeks on end and not know if the chemo is effective! If it is not effective, then obviously the cancer is spreading, and the cancer patient has lost critical time. A cancer patient must be alert early on to the effectiveness of the chemo treatment. Your doctor must be supervising the treatment with an absolute minimum amount of time in between treatments. Be cognizant of what is going on at all time. Ask your doctor questions like: how often should a CT-Scan be performed to determine cancer growth. If a chemical is not working the scan will tell us if the cancer has grown, and the chemo is not working. Simple common sense conclusion. It could be possible to do a sonogram. Your doctor will know, but it cannot hurt to get a second opinion. This stage when chemo is being administered is a critical time for the cancer patient, and as much information as possible should be obtained during this process in order to make important and critical decisions about any particular chemo result. In short, the sooner one learns whether or not the chemo is working the better.