Saturday, June 28, 2014

kickin' up the vegan path

Well, well. It has been a very long time since I've blogged. Can't imagine anyone (certainly not everyone) is still checking in, but for those who are, I've got some news.




Since March 2013, I've been having blood drawn every three months to be on top of any abnormalities. Each test, my tumor markers have continued to go down. Slowly, almost imperceptibly sometimes, but definitely heading in the right direction. Not always as quickly as we'd like to see them go, but still, they were merrily heading down, which is were we want them to go. Almost to zero if we can get them there.




They were.




The first week of June, the test showed the markers have doubled since my last test on March 1.




Now, this is not automatically terrifying. For one, we don't know why the numbers went up. This could be due to many things and we haven't ruled out any of them. Some culprits are (in the order they come to my brain): faulty or botched test; cancer cells have congregated and formed into another tumor; my diet and stress level were both awful for the three-month period and the numbers are showing the effects.




Another thing, the numbers are still in a relatively normal range. With these numbers, I still wouldn't be diagnosed with cancer (again). I'm still doing fine, but possibly something is changing and we want to know now before I can actually see and feel a tumor like last time.




My gut instinct is that it is diet- and stress-related. And here's why-




In April we put our dog down. That was just brutal. She was not even two years old, but she was aggressive and we ended up deciding that she wasn't safe to even give away. She was such a danger to others, particularly little children, that in the end we made the heart-wrenching decision that she needed to be destroyed. Our daughters were wracked with sobs, having to lose this good friend. They saved up their money for our 'dog fund' for years and to have it end this way was so overwhelmingly awful. It was hard for them to go through and it was physically agonizing for me to watch. This was the very same puppy we got just ten days before I found the original tumor. This dog, Keta, was with me through it all, such a loyal friend, and just a sense of comfort to me when I couldn't do anything but pet her soft ears and smell her puppy-ness. I grieved so hard for her (and still do a bit). So that was pretty much all of April.




In May we got another dog, who we just love. His name is Doc and he's such a floppy loveable goober. But again, having a puppy is more work and worry. I've not been sleeping well and am up several times a night to take him out and make sure Hubby gets enough rest to get to work in the mornings.




Also in May and so far in June, we have had lots of visitors, which let's face it... even though it is a joyful blessing to have company, it can hold its own anxieties and stressors. I'm so very thankful our families can come, but without my being stridently mindful of requiring less strain on my healing body, I'm sure I've gotten a little too hassled and worried about minor things like clean towels and dog hair in the soup.




So, with that backstory, here's what were aren't doing about funky test results: panicking.




Here's what we are doing: We'll retest my blood on July 7. Until then, I'm going to stick unflinchingly hard to my vegan diet with all my supplements, and I am going to exercise often, sleep well, and be mellow - not stressed.




Once we get new results (on my hopefully healthier, detoxed blood), we will see where the numbers are. If down, we're good. I just will know for certain that even organic potato chips cooked in avocado oil are not okay for my body, and I will continue my strict diet. FYI, I slid off my healthy eating a little bit during that time, too. More meat and fats than I know I should have crept back in, but still no dairy and very little sugar or gluten. And we were/are still all organic.




If the new test results are up, even further than this most recent test, then we'll head down for a bone scan and see what's what. Even my healthy eating will likely not combat those numbers so strongly that they would rise in the face of a fast-growing tumor.




I would welcome your prayers. Stay tuned....