chapter 5: part 3

continued from chapter 5: part 2

The most intriguing information about cancer treatment came from our friend Jack. He called to say that his friend Harry ran a small independent pharmaceutical lab holding a patent on a drug currently being tested by a renowned doctor in Montreal. Hal talked to Harry, who was wildly enthusiastic about its potential. The major asset of this drug was that it was considered to be non- toxic, which means it won’t harm normal body cells and it was said to boost the body’s natural defenses.

The drug had been developed by a veterinarian who had satisfactory results injecting it into animals with tumors.

Harry said that one doctor in our city was permitted to inject this drug, once a week for five weeks and there were absolutely no after effects. The one criterion was that the tumors must be small so that they could be eliminated through the body. As far as we knew, Hal’s tumors would qualify for size and Harry offered to make the drug available to Hal at no charge.

I phoned a medical acquaintance at the hospital where I had previously worked to ask her what she knew about this drug; she checked with the Pharmacy Department and called back to say that while it was still in the early testing stages, it was being tested in Montreal on terminally ill patients.

I asked her, “ Look, I know the final decision is up to us, but if you had colon cancer with traces in the liver, what would you do?”

Her answer was, “Well, what have you got to lose?”

She was right. The appeal of a drug that doesn’t cut, burn and poison was huge, but what we were most afraid of, if we opted for this treatment, was that we would be out of touch with the cancer hospital and the oncologist we would soon meet. Somewhere I read a slogan I never forgot—“Not to decide is to decide.” Ultimately, we chose not to follow up on this treatment and years later when I searched for an update, it hasn’t proved itself.

Keep in mind that when a breakthrough for your cancer comes, your oncologist will be at the head of the line to get help for you.

Two of my new pals from a support group were Ellen and Curt. They had the most difficult time because there weren’t facilities equipped for Curt where they lived in cottage country. They had to endure a long drive into the city for his chemo and stay with their daughter while this was being done. Then there was the long drive home, when he would not be feeling good.

Ellen heard later that another friend with the same kind of cancer was given his chemo by capsule, and she feels bitter that she had never heard of this option.

This is where you need the information up front. Presumably a capsule was not right for him, but then again, could it have been?

They had been going to a hospital in the west end of the city, which meant they had to drive in from the country and right across the city. Added to this tiring fact, Ellen slowly began to realize she Curt had a doctor who had limited vision about cancer treatment and she finally asked that Ken be transferred to Princess Margaret, the cancer hospital and that was done.

She then felt she was getting him the best help possible.

continued in chapter 5: part 4

chapter 5:: part 2

continued from chapter 5; part 1

Some treatments work better than others and many forms of cancer can be arrested for the rest of a natural lifespan. The reason I am stressing that you must get a lot of information on your own is that you will feel less helpless, more in control of your life. A happy outcome is that in your search you will meet people who are keeping their disease at bay while getting in a lot of living.

We were in limbo for a while when Hal was discharged from the hospital, the surgeon and oncologist were away and we were on our own. This was the ideal time for us to do our research. Friends, friends once removed, and family members acted as messengers, bringing word of various treatments. It was usually about a person no one knew personally who had conquered the tumors by non-traditional means such as faith healing, macrobiotic diet combined with mega vitamins, gurus, Laetrile, other drugs you’ve never heard of, coffee enemas, green algae and the list goes on. You will be urged to find out more.

This is good. Tiring and confusing but good. Adding to the confusion is that if you worked your way through even the nuttiest treatments, chances are you would locate someone who took treatment and appears healthy. My skeptical soul tells me that you could probably feel good for a while if you believed whole-heartedly that sunflower seeds dipped in molasses would do the trick. Some people opt for a combination of things while taking accepted treatment. We didn’t write anything off at first. We wanted to keep open minds while we sifted through the information.

The danger with unproven cancer therapies is that you might veto accepted medical treatment for your disease.

You’ll hear reports of wondrous results in far off country clinics out of the reach of Medicare, and if you manage to liquidate everything you own, you might be able to get there for your treatment. From what I’ve observed these treatments prove worthless, but desperate people still seek them out.

At the same time you are hearing these hopeful stories, pick up a newspaper any given week and you’ll read about a new treatment getting good results but still in the testing stage. This will motivate you to keep a positive outlook while you prepare for your treatment.

continued in chapter 5: part 3

chapter 5: part 1 Do Your Research

Continued from chapter 4: part5
Think back to the last time you bought a car. Whether new or used, you probably did a little research and some road testing.

Well now, try being as meticulous about your cancer treatment. This suggestion might seem obvious but in the first stages of panic you might give way to despair without crediting your ability to study and analyze the situation and make good decisions based on what you’ve learned.

This is your life and it’s worth your while to put at least as much effort into researching your illness as you exerted in researching your last car purchase.

You know the name of your kind of cancer but what else do you know about it? Your doctor may have drawn a diagram and quoted some statistics about your chances of overcoming this, but go after more information on your own. This is the time to learn exactly the kind of treatments available and then to narrow down which one is right for you. Yes, your doctor will have an opinion but it’s your responsibility to understand the alternatives and double-check the doctor’s choice.

At first we vacillated between wanting to know everything or nothing. This passed quickly and we soon thirsted for every scrap of information.

When the doctor explained what Hal had and what probably would be done, we clung desperately to every word he uttered without crediting ourselves with the ability to get some facts on our own. Don’t bet your life on the opinion of one person; you must agree with what is being done. Since you’re all in this together, double-check the facts.

If your anxiety is compounded by memories of movies of a doctor solemnly saying, “There’s no time to lose,” Keep in mind that the unspoken part of that sentence is, “Unless it’s Friday,” when we all know that business everywhere, including hospitals grinds to a halt until Monday morning. Even wackier rules apply during summer vacation season, so give yourself time. Take a deep breath and marshal your questions.

When we were at this stage, computers weren’t the force they are now, there was no Internet and I had to rely on library research. It took longer but I found what I needed.

continued in chapter 5; part 2