Last Day

Friday was my last day at CTCA. When I had my "exit interview" with oncology, the PA told me my blood results were the best she had seen all week. The radiation to the cancer in my hip socket has been a great success. I have been able to go to half dosage of the pain patch I am wearing and still feel great.

The reason I decided to go 1200 miles for treatment in the first place was because in addition to traditional oncology and radiation, I also see a nutritionist, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist, and a mind/body psychologist. These are considered consultant services and there is NO CHARGE. CTCA has an electronic medical records system which makes it possible for all the various practitioners to view what everyone else is doing and has prescribed. If I tried to get the same level of care in Long Beach/Los Angeles, I would go crazy just trying to coordinate all my medical team and the cost for the consultant services would be out of pocket.

The ND (doctor of naturopathy) has been one of the most valuable members of my team. Right now my biggest problem is nausea. My oncologist prescribed the traditional meds, but the ND also suggested simply trying ginger (did you know there is no ginger in gingerale?). For the past few days I have stopped taking the Kytril and Compezine and substituted the ginger chews. This natural substitution has worked perfectly and allows me to decrease the amount of toxins I am ingesting. I have been taking large doses of vitamin B-12 to decrease the chemo side effects. My oncologist is amazed that to date I don't have the usual sores on my hands and feet that almost everyone gets from using Xeloda. It is so cool that the oncologists and radiologists at CTCA actually work in conjunction with the NDs and nutritionists instead of fighting with them! My ND, who used to practice in California, recommended an acupuncturist in Santa Monica. He told me that studies have shown that acupuncture can greatly eliminate the side effects of both chemo and radiation. It's certainly worth investigating.

From my mind/body psychologist I have learned vizualization, stress relieving, and humor techinques to help me more effectively deal with cancer. The last session we had we spent praying together for a healing of both the cancer and my lack of mobility. Dr. Ellison is definitely a prayer warrior. While he was praying for me, I felt a heat go throughout my body that was a tangible witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit. I have never had that experience with any of of doctors in Long Beach so far.

This is not to say that I received bad medical treatment in California, but I don't think my oncologist knows my name without looking at the top of my chart. He just has too many patients to personally keep track of us all. In fact the last time I went to his office for an infusion, they were going to give me Sue McNeely's meds. He is a very competent physician associated with UCLA, but I doubt seriously if he would stop and pray with me or call on the power of the Holy Spirit to heal my disease. I feel a lot more comfortable with folks that acknowledge that there is a Creator of the Universe that might know a little bit more than they do about cancer.

I am going to try to have some of the more routine oncology procedures done in Long Beach to cut down on the number of trips I have to make to Tulsa. This will be especially important as I hope to return to work soon. The good news is that CTCA is opening a new facility in Phoenix the first of December. This event will make followups a breeze. But it would be very difficult for me to stop going to CTCA because they believe in the "mother standard" - would you want to send your mother there?