My Journey Through Conventional Medicine

Almost 2 years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. These are no words that a healthy twenty-five year old ever thought she would hear. I am here documenting my journey through conventional medicine but ultimately how I found alternative therapies that I truly believe will heal me. 

In the fall of 2016 I received my diagnosis of stage 4 round, blue cell sarcoma. The doctors thought I would be an easy case. We would zap the area with radiation and then cut the tumor out. Easy. Unfortunately things quickly changed after I had a CT scan that showed 30+ nodules all over both lungs. This changed our treatment plan drastically. Not only did our plan of treatment change but my faith in my doctors also changed. They always just kept saying "We don't know what type of sarcoma it is; I think this chemo will work; I am not sure of your prognosis; etc." I felt like I had already ran out of options before I even started treatment because I was with a HMO insurance company that required me to use their system for treatment otherwise it wouldn't be covered. 

Thankfully someone was looking out for me 6 months prior when I met my now husband, Mikayel. Things got serious quickly when my doctor looked him in the face and said "You are in or you are out. You have to decide this now. If you decide you're out a few months down the road I will hunt you down." Mikayel has been nothing but supportive throughout this whole journey. Soon after we had lost hope in my doctors he filed with the State of California to become a domestic partnership so I could be added to his insurance plan through Apple that would allow us more options in doctors and care. 

I left my HMO insurance and joined Mikayel's plan that allowed me to get multiple opinions before deciding to receive treatment at City of Hope. From meeting the doctor to starting treatment was just 5 days. In November 2016 I began chemotherapy where I received 6 rounds of aggressive Doxorubicin & Ifosfomide. So aggressive that I have capped out my lifetime supply of these drugs. The next 5 months were long and hard but we powered through and couldn't wait until chemo was over. Luckily I was part of the 30% that responded to these drugs. My 30+ nodules went to 6.

 

It was always in the plan to have surgery to remove the main tumor in my left butt after chemotherapy. We were referred by a family friend to one of the best surgeons in the country at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. This was convenient because I grew up there and my parents were there. In March of 2017 we took a flight to Salt Lake to meet with Huntsman. We were very surprised when he recommended radiation before surgery. This added yet another 8 weeks to our treatment plan that we were not expecting. I received 25 sessions of radiation in April at Huntsman and then 3 weeks healing time before we could cut the affected area. I continued to get CT scans during this time to watch my lungs to make sure the nodules weren't growing or spreading. In May of 2017, the main tumor aka Gertrude was removed. It was the size of a nerf football but 99% dead which meant that all my treatment this far had worked. I was put on auto-pilot because I had healed so well from surgery and still didn't have growth in my lungs. 

In August 2017 I had a CT scan that showed growth in the nodules which meant we needed to remove them ASAP. I was about to have 2 lung surgeries within 6 weeks of each other. Each time the surgeon was able to remove 3 nodules with clean margins but it wasn't until the second surgery that we learned that there was a tiny nodule on the fissure of the upper & lower lobe near the heart that made it very dangerous to remove. When I woke up from surgery and was told this news I knew what it meant... more chemo. The surgeon recommended that we wait about 9 weeks before having another CT scan. 

Just a few weeks after my last lung surgery Mikayel proposed on Halloween and we were planning a September 2018 wedding. 

Christmas 2017 was when we received the devastating news that not only had the nodule near the heart grown but there were new nodules in both lungs. We had adjusted back to normal life so easily so we were not ready for this news. The recommended plan from 4 different doctors was to do chemotherapy again. My hair had finally reached my shoulders and was so sad to lose it all again especially knowing that we were planning to get married in just a few months. 

Just three weeks after the news of more chemo we were standing across from each other in the perfect backyard wedding with our closest friends and family. Five days after the happiest day of our lives I was back in the infusion room receiving chemo. During this time we went on a honeymoon to Monterey which was great but cancer was always in the back of our minds especially when we had to have my head shaved while we were traveling. 

I was scheduled to do 3 rounds of Gemcitabine & Docetaxel before getting a CT scan to see whether or not these drugs were working. Unfortunately we found out that they did not work and it felt like we had just wasted 10 weeks to find out the nodules were growing. I took a month off from chemo while we tried to come up with a new treatment plan. My doctor recommended a new chemotherapy that has to get FDA approval for each case called Yondalis. This was a chemo that was worn at home for 24 hours. We quickly learned that my body did not like this drug. I had an elevated heart rate, my white blood cells skyrocketed and my liver enzymes were critically high. This called for emergency blood work, EKG and CT Scan. 

3 weeks later when I sat in my doctor's office and had come to the decision that chemotherapy was not the route I wanted to take to heal. I knew that if I continued down that path the chemo would kill me before the cancer ever got close. He was obviously not thrilled with the idea of stopping treatment but I knew this was what was best for me. I was told in that office that I needed to have my affairs in order and make sure I had a medical directive in place to make medical decisions for when I stop breathing and can't make them for myself. 

I had been in contact with an alternative clinic in Mexico that I was interested in trying. I had also been reading books about how a healthy, positive mind can heal the body. I radically changed my diet that is mostly plant based with fresh, organic fruits & veggies. I was doing everything I could do to heal myself from this disease.

I was referred to an herbalist in Los Angeles by my father in law. I met with her and quickly learned that it would be best for me to start many different supplements to help heal everything chemo destroyed. Just a month after taking the probably 80 different pills a day, my blood work came back with perfect results. Everything was within normal range and I had these supplements to thank. 

Now this brings us to current day. I am sitting here in Mexico attending the alternative clinic daily, receiving treatments that the US does not have readily available for cancer patients. I am thankful to all of those who donated to make it possible for me to be here healing and thriving!