Medical Update

I realized recently that it has been a while since I have written about my ongoing medical challenges. A number of you have been asking me of late how things are going, primarily with my prostate cancer. So here goes with an update.

Over the past year since I was diagnosed with this disease, I have been having a PSA test about every three months or so. The numbers have fluctuated some from a high of 7.5 which prompted the initial biopsy in February of 2011, down as low as 4.2 last December. When I had another biopsy the first of April this year it was at 4.6 and prompted my urologist to call me in for further consultation.

To better understand this process, I need to go back to a year ago March. It was then I was informed by the doctor that the biopsy revealed I had cancer in 2/3’s of my prostate. The doctor sat with Isaura and me and explained the medical options. He gave them in this order: surgery to remove the prostate; chemotherapy; and/or radiation. I liked none of those options, so after a time of prayer, and some intense research, my wife and I decided to look into alternative approaches that are designed to help the body heal itself, and which do not do further damage which all the reports, books, workshops and programs we scoured clearly indicated was the serious downside of the medical options. That being said, I began a holistic treatment plan which also includes eating organic foods (www.hacres.com). Besides dropping fifty pounds in six months, the overall sense of well-being has been worth it.

One of the questions I’m often asked is how do I manage to eat organic food when I am traveling or simply having a meal with family and friends at a local diner? Good question. I go for salads (greens and either no dressing or a light vinaigrette). The vegetables are most likely not grown under organic conditions, but I at least avoid the stuff cancer really likes, such as red meat, dairy and processed sugar. It’s not always convenient, but it is all very doable.

Now, when we met with the urologist last month he strongly advised that I have another biopsy. I have chosen not to go through with this procedure based upon a vast amount of research that warns against it due to the increased possibility of the cancer being unwittingly placed into the blood stream due to the invasiveness of the biopsy. You bleed for a day or more from the rectum after a biopsy. I asked the doctor if there was another way of determining the status of the cancer. He said a PET scan could be performed, but it would have to be authorized by my insurance company, which is TRICARE West. A PET scan is an acronym for Positron Emission Tomography which “is a nuclear medicine imaging technique that produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body.” Initially the request was denied, but the doctor has resubmitted the request, so we’re on hold at this point.

In the last several weeks my wife’s brother, Tony, told us about a book we should read, entitled, “Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work,” by Tanya Harter Pierce, M.A., MFCC. I’m just getting into this so I have little in the way of information to report. However, I have listened to the CD that accompanies the book. There are numerous testimonies from folks who have had success with various alternative approaches to going after their cancer. One product in particular seems to work wonders. It’s called Protocel. Isaura ordered this for me which I will begin this week, so when you read this, you will know I’m in the first few days of trying this concoction.

The author of “Outsmart Your Cancer” has written four chapters in the book about Protocel. On page 119 she writes, “I was stunned by the effectiveness of a brown liquid formula called Protocel. Protocel is a unique single-product approach that does not rely on herbs or vitamins or minerals for their anti-cancer activity and does not rely on boosting the immune system. It was designed to specifically target cancer cells in a way that makes them eventually fall apart and die, leaving normal healthy cells unharmed. And it does this by targeting the anaerobic aspect of cancer cells.” Anaerobic literally means “without oxygen.” So Protocel attacks the cancer cells by denying these deadly cells the oxygen they need to survive in the body.

So I’m off on another venture in my fight against cancer. I so appreciate the many prayers and expressions of concern that many of you have shared with me. It always surprises me, I guess, but please know that I am deeply grateful for your concern.

I will say this in conclusion: My faith is in Jesus, the one who died and rose again, defeating sin and death. I am committed to him. So when he says it’s time to break the bonds of earth, then I’m out of here!