Asparagus -- Who knew ?

A good friend of mine sent me the following article. Neither of us are sure of it's authenticity, but I'll be trying it out....

My Mom had been taking the full-stalk canned style
asparagus that she pureed and she took 4 tablespoons in
the morning and 4 tablespoons later in the day. She did
this for over a month. She is on chemo pills for Stage 3
lung cancer in the pleural area and her cancer cell
count went from 386 down to 125 as of this past week.
Her oncologist said she does not need to see him for 3
months.

THE ARTICLE:
Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a
friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of
an article, entitled, Asparagus for cancer 'printed in
Cancer News Journal, December 1979. I will share it
here, just as it was shared with me: I am a biochemist,
and have specialized in the relation of diet to health
for over 50 years. Several years ago, I learned of the
discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus
might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on
his project. We have accumulated a number of favorable
case histories. Here are a few examples:
Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case of
Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was
completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the
asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any
signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of
strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who
suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After
years of medical treatments, including radiation without
improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months,
examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had
disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th
1971, he was put on the operating table where they found
lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The
surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On
April 5th he heard about the Asparagus therapy and
immediately started taking it By August, x-ray pictures
revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared..
He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of
years with skin cancer. She finally developed different
skin cancers which were diagnosed by the acting
specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting
on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin
looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman
reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her
kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10
operations for kidney stones, and was receiving
government disability payments for an inoperable,
terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of
this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of
material medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the
University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was
used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even
referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of
asparagus in dissolving stones. Note the dates!
We would have other case histories but the medical
establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of
the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to
spread this good news and help us to gather a large
number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical
skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy.

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before
using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as
fresh. I have corresponded with the two leading canners
of asparagus, Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that
these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.
Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to
make a puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the
patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and
evening. Patients usually show some improvement in from
2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a
cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on
present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do
no harm and may be needed in some cases. As a biochemist
I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can
prevent.' Based on this theory, my wife and I have been
using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We
take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste
with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my
wife prefers hers cold. For years we have made it a
practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our
regular checkups. The last blood survey, taken by a
medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional
approach to health, showed substantial improvements in
all categories over the last one, and we can attribute
these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink.
As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all
aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a
result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better
with the latest theories about cancer.

Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called
histones, which are believed to be active in controlling
cell growth.. For that reason, I believe asparagus can
be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth
normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and
in acting as a general body tonic. In any event,
regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a
harmless substance. The FDA cannot prevent you from
using it and it may do you much good. It has been
reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that
asparagus is the highest tested food containing
glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most
potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Please send this article to everyone in your Address Book.
The most unselfish act one can ever do is paying forward
all the kindness one has received, even to the most undeserved
person.

Ding ding ding... fighters to your corners, round 3 is over

Hi y'all. I thought I'd write my May entry tonight. I've gotten a few inquiries on Facebook, so I know there's a need for an update.

On Wednesday I'll receive my last infusion of chemo in round 3. My nurses scheduled a CT scan for May 18th to see how the cancer is reacting to this latest chemo mix. This scan is the scariest one yet, as the pressure is on. If the tumors haven't shrunk, or if more tumors appear, I simply dread what might come out of my oncologist's mouth. However, I do expect that they are shrinking, as I said earlier. For now I'll go to my corner of the ring, wait until the bell rings again, and come out fighting. I guess while I'm sitting on my stool, I could pray for a miracle. Wait, didn't Rocky get down on his knee and pray between rounds? That's more like it. I'll be doing that.... You do the same from those ring-side seats.

For those prayers you've already done, thank you. The side effects have been minimal. A few mouth sores flair up each time I have an infusion (every two weeks) but they go away after a few days. Otherwise, I have some fatigue, but even that is minimal. All in all, it's going quite well.

On a lighter note, I hope to take a trip up North after I get my CT scan results. It'll probably be my last chance to travel for a while.

My boy TK turned 5 on April 16th. We had a Ben10 party with about 15 kids. It was a blast.

And my hubby treated me like a princess this Mother's Day. Not only did I get a gift basket and an amazing dinner at Outback, but he also got me what I asked for/really wanted. We're going to the Lilith Fair in August, and we got great seats!

I'll post again in June, maybe sooner. Until then....

Stacy

Hold Off on the Knives, Stir Me Up a Cocktail

The CT Scan result and doctors decisions are in. On Wednesday I start up my 3rd round of chemotherapy. They're mixing up what a cancer buddy of mine likes to call a chemo-cocktail. I'll be on four different chemo drugs at once. If that sounds a bit extreme, it may be. We'll see how I handle it.

My liver surgery will be put off, as they found a third cancer spot in my lung. They assume it travelled there through my lymph nodes, which means chemo is the best option now. My treatment has focused mainly on the primary area where cancer started. I haven't been given "systemic" treatment. Systemic treatment addresses your whole body. This chemo treatment is meant to kill cancer cells all over my body. After about 2 months, they'll measure my tumors again. If they've shrunk (are responding) then I'll have liver surgery after a chemo recovery waiting period, then more chemo, wait again, then lung surgery, wait again, then more chemo.

I'm trying to stay positive in light of this latest news. It's hard not to get overwhelmed and let my mind go to dark places. I find myself uncontrollably envious of just about any healthy person I see. I miss my health, my peace of mind and my old routines. But I have to buck-up, as it's a long road to recovery ahead.

So as always, keep me in your prayers... for the chemo to work, for the side effects to be managable, and for my peace of mind. I hope to find my comfort in God. For those of you who might be inclined to do so, please pray for my faith, which has been shaken, and for me to use this dark hour to reconnect with God in a deep way.

Going Under the Knife May Be Sooner Than Expected

Last night at 9pm, I had another CT Scan. It's an interesting time of day to have a procedure like that done. The hospital was eerily quiet.

On Monday, my oncologist ordered the CT Scan, as I just completed a round of radiation and chemotherapy. I am thrilled to report that there were no complications that landed me in the hospital this time, thanks to my oncologist who removed Oxyplatin from my prescription. The CT Scan will be sent to my surgeon at UNC. He is going to determine if I should go to surgery now, or continue with more chemotherapy before surgery. Either way, at least six months of chemotherapy is in my future. I'm hoping for surgery now. Let's get this tumor off my liver, the sooner the better. Not to mention, taking this dreaded bag down. I can't wait to poop normally again!

In preparation for my last round of radiation, I sat with my radiation doctor, as is customary. He prescribed 18 straight days of treatment, Monday though Friday. As he sat with me to discuss my case, he told me a piece of data that crystallized exactly what my surgeon at UNC had meant when he stated, "my margins were very close." Apparently, where the surgeon cut to remove my rectal tumor was only 1 mm from my vaginal wall. (I can't believe I'm sharing this with you all). When I discussed this with my oncologist, I shared my fears with her that I may find myself having a 3rd surgery down the road to remove that wall (yikes). She said, "Not really, that's why your radiation is so important right now". So I ask yet another thing to pray for, the preservation of my vaginal wall. I can honestly say, I never thought that I would be asking my friends to pray for ...that. Can you imagine? Eeashhh, it's a bit unthinkable.

I'll add another post to this blog soon when I receive my doctor's decision. The truth... I can wait for my surgery if the doc thinks that more chemo would be best now. The optimal word here being "best." I would like surgery now to be what is best. But not in lieu of my health.

Post Surgery - What's Next

It's been a while since I wrote. My surgery was a little over a month ago. Sorry for making you wait for this entry, especially those of you who are far off.
My surgery on December 15th was a success. It was 6 1/2 hours long and dedicated entirely to the rectal region. The liver was not addressed. They simply ran out of time to get there. So I will be going under the knife once again, more about that later.
The tumor was removed from my rectal area. And biopsies of the adjacent organs and female parts were done right there in the surgical room. They took these biopsies and obtained preliminary results during surgery to determine the immediate course of action. It was decided right there during surgery not to remove my uterus, ovaries, or any other female parts. Other than the tumor, they did remove the lower portion of my colon, which was the doctor's plan all along, and not in question. In doing so, they reattached my colon to my rectum, a very delicate procedure.
For whatever reason, I was under the impression that I would only have a couple weeks recovery before restarting my chemo treatments. But they gave me a month and a half to recover. I've been off chemotherapy since Halloween. My body shows many signs of that first round even though it was cut short. My nails are missing several layers, my hair is extremely thin, my skin is changed for the worse and, of course, the ileostomy bag is a constant reminder of my cancer patient status. Also, I have been given an intense pain medicine combination. Initially, I had to administer oral medicine every 4 hours. I've since cut back, however after doing this for weeks, my sleep patterns are all out of whack. If I get a 6 hour stretch of sleep, that is a rare and wonderful thing these days. Usually I wake. Now that I've weaned myself off of the oral meds (I only have a Fentanyl patch) I don't need to wake. But I still do, finding myself having to empty my ileostomy bag. Last night, Takashi and I went to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. I paid for it in an unusual way. I must have emptied that bag about 6 times throughout the night. It is highly annoying, but knowing what I am going to face next, I gladly put up with it.
A week ago, I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon. All is well, but he gave me a piece of news I'd rather not have heard. UNC hospital's cancer board discussed my case and they want me to continue with another full course of radiation treatments. The rationale being that all their data are based on a full course of treatment, not a half course, which is what I had. So back to radiation I go, starting the first week of February. Happy Birthday to me. :-(
I anticipate that I might get radiation colitis, radiation burns and rectal inflammation once again. So I love my annoying ileostomy bag. It will likely save me from experiencing the torturous pain from my past (see prior blog post from November for that gory detail). I likely will have pain, but what I may experience is nothing compared to what I would go through if my cancer revisits the rectal area.
As for my liver, the chemotherapy that I have during my radiation should keep it under control and hopefully shrink the tumor there. And after a few months of treatment, I will go under the knife once again.
So for now, please pray that my cancer is responsive to the chemotherapy treatment. I believe it will be, as my tumors did respond the first time around. The responsiveness is the key to my recovery. The doctors can cut out what they see, but it is what they do not see that truly matters. If my cancer does not respond to treatment and tumors resurface after my treatments are done, then the doctors will label me incurable.
This brings to light another element of my treatment. I have not dismissed alternative treatments. A friend from my church had offered a drink, a dietary supplement that contains an ingredient called Fucoidan, among other super supplements. My friend claims that this ingredient is a miracle supplement that cures cancer, diabetes and many other diseases. While in my doctors’ care, I want the best chance of success for the regiment they administer. So I brought this supplement to my doctors' and nurses' attention and they all basically said they cannot recommend its use, especially while on chemotherapy. Such supplements may actually work against the chemotherapy drugs and can decrease the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments. I also learned that chemotherapy drugs work on your body about 6 to 8 weeks after you stop using them. Since my last dose of chemotherapy was on Halloween, I have been clear of chemotherapy effects in 2010. So I have a window of time in which alternative supplements can be used. I took this Fucoidan supplement this January. So you can also pray that it does miracles for me. As such, I won’t know what cured me, Eastern or Western medicine. Who can say? But then again, does it matter? I think not. I’m in God’s hands. He is The Great Physician.

My Surgery Date is Set

It has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote, mostly because there was little to tell. I have been off of chemotherapy and radiation all this time, about 5 weeks now. On Friday, I sat with my surgical oncologist at UNC, Dr. Calvo. He looked over my MRI that I had the night before and told me the news I had been hoping to hear. He agreed that it was time to go to surgery, and that restarting my chemo would not be in my best interest at this time. The date set for my surgery is Tuesday, December 15th.

The MRI had "difficulty" picking up the rectal tumor, which means that the 14 days of radiation with chemo seems to have been very effective. If you read my previous blog entries, I had mentioned that I was only half way through my treatment when my hospital stay put them to a stop. So to have such significant results, and then to find myself going to surgery before having to complete that round of treatment seems nothing short of a miracle to me. And the liver tumor shrunk as well, though I forgot to ask him by how much. During surgery, the doctor hopes to remove the rectal tumor, remove the lowest section of my colon, fry the liver tumor with some electrodes, and biopsy some of the small lesions in my liver to determine if there is more cancer there. Each of these procedures has unique challenges. The first is in removing my rectal tumor, the doctor hopes to save my vagina and uterus, but not at the cost of leaving cancer behind. The location of my tumor is near enough to those areas that there is a possibility that all of the above mentioned may be removed. The second is in removing my colon, what remains will be reattached to my rectum. This reattachment poses the most likely complication. If all does not go well, my hospital stay may be longer than the expected 5 to 7 days. A common complication in this procedure is that stool might leak out. However, given I have an ileostomy; this might be hard to detect in me. Recall from my other entry that I still pass stool naturally, even though I have a bag, in the form of mucous, and colon and rectal wall shedding. The third procedure will be that the tumor in my liver will be fried. And Takashi recalls the doctor telling us that it will be gone most definitely with this process, though I don't recall such a guarantee being made. Let's pray that Takashi is right. I have a big concern with the last procedure. Please pray that if there is any cancer in the small lesions in my liver, that the cancerous lesions are biopsied. I have a high quantity of lesions. My fear is that the doctor biopsies healthy lesions and leaves cancerous lesions behind. My hope is that EVERYTHING will be removed and NOTHING is left behind. Of course I will be returning for tests, I believe every 6 months for years to come. And I will also undergo more chemotherapy. So if something is missed, we should catch it down the road. But certainly, I don't want to ever hear a diagnosis that I am positive for cancer ever again!

For those who want to know, I will be staying at UNC-Chapel Hill NC Memorial Hospital starting Dec 15th and remaining there for 5 to 7 days after surgery, barring no complications, before I go home to Fort Bragg. There is a link for the hospital on this blog on the right side column. My recovery at home I'm told will be lengthy. I was told to expect to be in bed for a good six weeks.

So am I scared? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But I am hopeful. The other day I did read a story of a friend whose mother lost her 10 yr battle with ovarian cancer. I don't want that to be my story. So I deeply thank all of those who are praying for me and sending me their positive thoughts. Please continue to do so.

Thank you for following my blog. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. God Bless.

Stacy

Back Home From the Hospital

On Oct 30th, I checked myself into the ER as my temperature had reached 102 degrees. As a chemo patient, any temp over 100.4 demands a trip to the ER, as chemo patients have weakened immune systems and often can not fight off an infection. It turned out that I did have an infection and I was admitted myself to the hospital.
On Oct 24th, almost a week before my trip to the ER, I could not have a bowel movement. To make a long story short, I was constipated in total for 2 WEEKS and 2 DAYS! And my rectum was not giving into that state. I was basically living on the toilet, trying to pass the stool that had built up inside. If I tell you I had 25 bowel movements in one day that was a good day. I was averaging a lot more, with little drips and drabs coming out at a time. It seems there should have been a simple solution to my problem. You're probably thinking, "Why didn't they just give Stacy an enema, a laxative, or something to end her problem?" But there was a lot more going on.
As a chemo/radiation patient, I had several side effects. Prior to being hospitalized, on Monday, Oct 26th, I was told that my rectal walls were inflamed from my treatments. Between the tumor and the inflamed walls, nothing was passing at the time, not even liquid. So they gave me suppositories to reduce the inflammation for stool to pass. After a couple days, it started to work, but not fast enough. Thus I came down with my fever on the 30th.
While in the hospital, the doctors were able to do several examinations. They found that I had colitis, a large radiation burn on my colon wall, and to make matters worse, my fissure recurred due to all the bowel movement attempts. Given these findings, I no longer used suppositories to reduce my inflamation. The hospital dietician recommended 1000 mgs of fish oil per day. Unfortunately, it is not a supplement I can take every day. As a chemo patient, I should not take supplements that work against my chemo, which includes massive doses of Vitamin E, super antioxidant supplements, etc. While on chemo, the idea is to let the treatments fight the cancer, and allow my body to be invaded by it's chemicals, doing it's work against my cancer. Thus certain supplements are discouraged as they conteract chemotherapy. The doctor approved my fish oil supplement to treat the inflammation only. I took it for several days, reduced my internal inflamation, and now I'm off fish oil, which is just as well, as it produced nasty indigestion burbs.
In my previous entry, I described my fissure, so I won't go into detail about that. Except to say that now it was accompanied by my internal pains, as well as surrounded by a radiated hind area where ALL skin surfaces were burned, internally and externally. The internal burn, I will leave to your imagination. To describe colitis, I borrow an excerpt from www.livingwithuc.com, "Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that affects the colon or large intestine. In people with UC, the innermost lining of the intestine, called the mucosa, becomes inflamed and develops tiny open sores. These sores bleed and produce pus and mucus. The inflammation causes the intestine to empty frequently, which results in bouts of bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps". Needless to say, I was utterly being tortured. Each BM was excruciating, in league with labor pains. And there was a day in there where I must have neared 100 BM attempts in one day. Fortunately, by the time it got that bad, I was in the hospital and being issued pain medication. But even that wasn't enough. The pain still came on unmercilously. So I found my "happy place" to get me through. I focused on the sands and waves of the Pacific Ocean, specifically Hermosa Beach, approximately 1994. I spent a lot of time back then at my dear friend Christine Andrews’s apartment, right on the beach. Those were great times. Few things compare to the majesty of the Pacific Ocean and its beauty at dawn when waves blissfully crash on the shore and it is all you can hear.
Given my multiple complications, the doctors finally conceded to my request. I had a temporary ileostomy bag placed. And they performed a sphinctorotomy, which is a minor operation to assist healing of my fissure, basically, weakening the sphincter muscle with an incision, so that it would stop resisting any bowel movements and allow the rectum to pass stool without "a fight."
I never thought I would feel even good about getting a ileostomy bag. But I can honestly say, when the doctor came in my room on Monday, Nov 9th to tell me that they would perform that procedure, it sounded like the best news I had ever heard.
Going through cancer treatment, you learn a lot about the human body. Having a colostomy bag does not remove the need for natural bowel movements. I still have one or two a day, passing blood and mucus from my colon. But thanks to the 90 mg of timed release morphine that I now take twice a day, along with an occasional 15mg immediate release tablet as needed, my pain is pretty well managed now. So I'm pretty well medicated. If you want to see me, you'll have to come my way, as I can't drive at the moment due to these meds.
Now I am waiting for my medical oncologist here at Fort Bragg to discuss my present condition and recent episodes with my surgeon at UNC. While that happens, I am taking a break from treatment. My last radiation was on Oct 28th and my chemo stopped on Oct 31st. The doctors may decide that it is best I resume chemo next week. Or they may conclude that I go straight to surgery. The only thing I hope for in my upcoming treatment is that it does NOT include radiation, which my medical oncologist here at Fort Bragg says is an option, to rework my treatments so that it only is chemo from this point forward. I had 14 days of radiation, and am scheduled for 14 more. As for now, we can tell that the radiation has had an effect on my rectal tumor. The doctor who performed my sphinctorotomy said that it, "seemed smaller" and that it felt harder than it did previously. He described it as "fried," which is a good thing. The end goal of my treatments is that both tumors shrink significantly. And they will continue to be effected by treatment even after the treatments stop. The surgeon gives me 4 weeks off treatment before he begins working with me. All pain aside, as bad as it got, is worth it if the treatments work and my tumors shrink, especially given their precarious locations. My rectal tumor is lodged right next to my bladder and other female parts. And my liver tumor did turn up to have some cancerous lesions nearby. Four that they could identify and one on the other left side. However, given its very small size, the doctor said it will most likely not affect my prognosis. I am still very operable.
Some of you want to know what to specifically pray. Pray that my chemo treatments continue to battle my cancer through this break I am on. And that the tumors continue to shrink. Pray for wisdom for my doctors and that they openly and freely communicate between UNC and Fort Bragg, so that their plan for me going forward is optimal. And most of all, pray for God to see me victoriously through this fight. That he be with my doctors and all the others on my medical team.
And I can't end this blog without holding up my husband Takashi. These past few weeks have been extremely challenging for him, having to suddenly take on all responsibility for TK, getting him to daycare, visiting me in the hospital, etc. Now that I am home, a bit of the strain is lifted from him. He has taken great care of me since I've been home. Setting up a comfortable area for me to sleep, even buying me a new TV for my temporary sleeping quarters, and having to prep my meals. (Side note, one of the side effects of chemo is this weird reaction to cold and hot. I can not even open the refrigerator, as per the doctor’s orders). Thanks honey for all that you've done and continue to do!