Cancer and the Test

This post card expresses how I felt about treating cancer. It seems to be an impossible burden. The options are bleak and the treatment that is offered exacts a price on your wallet and your health. I wasn't able to lift the burden alone. I had to rely on my family and friends for encouragement and comfort during the darkest moments. Each day I woke up and looked at this image. It inspired me to keep trying, kid, it's just another day I have to get through.

After all of the tests and progress that is measured. The money that is spent to keep you alive, I had to wonder, am I worth it? I'm sure that in a short term, that question is one I'd rather not give serious consideration. I do believe it is worth the time and effort to get better. Use everything you have to recover and get better. In my case, I believe the discipline I developed in athletic training served me well. I chose to follow the Gerson Protocol which requires some strict diet changes and cleansing procedures that have to be done daily for an extended period of time.

Reiki Healing and Cancer Treatment

It was a tough time. I felt very close to dying. I couldn't breathe very well, I had no energy and the time seemed to go by in short bursts of wakefulness and sleep.

I felt exhausted. My mother came to visit and as all good mothers do, she cared. As my mother rested her hands on me, I could feel a warmth enter into my body. I felt comforted and strengthened. My mother is a Reiki master. She has practiced this healing art for many years and has tuned her mind and body to be able to help and comfort those in need.

My sister Lynell is also a Reiki master. I am grateful for her visits and the time she took to administer to me in my time of need. She laid her hands on me and I felt rejuvenated and uplifted.
 
I had many dreams during this time. Most of the time, I felt that I was somewhere else, interacting with family members both dead and alive.

Complementary Cancer Treatments

I thought that I could heal anything with dietary changes, and cleansing. I felt healthy and I hoped with a little more rest, I would improve. Cancer, I learned, requires a lot more aggressive approach. There is a tipping point when your immune system is overwhelmed. I felt a bulge in my abdomen and hoped it wasn't cancer. I was in denial thinking that it can't be cancer. It grew aggressively and started to encroach on my stomach and lungs, and a biopsy confirmed that it was cancer. Here are a few devices and my experience with them.

The chi machine is billed as a home aerobic exerciser, oxygenates, tones, strengthens the body, increases feelings of energy, aliveness and well-being, stimulates lymphatic system. I placed my ankles in the slots, turned the dial and the plank moved my legs side to side. I found that it hurt when I used it. I didn't know at the time but I had two vertebrae, lumbar 1 and 2 had been crushed by the tumor. This therapy simply aggravated my condition.

The E-power by HTE has a console and a belt that you wrap around the waist. Using your body as a capacitor, the E-Power sends a current into your body. I had to be careful with this one, I touched the metal bed frame a few times and it gave me a jolt. I was told that some people had used this device to help shrink away cancer tumors. In my case, I did not feel well using it and the tumor grew in size despite using it.

My cousin Marion loaned this device to me. It is called a hothouse and it generates far infrared rays (FIR). I would lay under it for periods of up to 30 minutes. It creates a pleasant warming sensation and it does stimulate internal organs. I noticed that sometimes it calmed and helped me sleep when my back was aching. Sometimes it aggravated my condition and I had to stop using it several times. It helped to clear up my lungs when I felt bronchitis coming on. It was definitely helpful.

The Ioncleanse is sold as a "full body detoxification", increases oxygen in the body, neutralizes free radicals, increases mental clarity, removes toxins without taxing the liver or kidneys. You put your feet in some warm water, add some salt and place an electrode in the water. The machine timer is set and a small electrical current is charged in the water. It takes about 30 minutes to finish a session. The water turns all kinds of colors: brown, red, green, purple and foams up a little. I had a few sessions for several weeks. It is fun to watch the water change colors.

Keeping Things in Order when Cancer Strikes

You know that "Honey Do" list that many of us carry around to make sure the house doesn't fall down into ruin? And how some items on that said list seem to take forever to finish? Well, my friend, I hear you! While I've been struggling with cancer, I have had to ask for help from friends, neighbors and family to help keep things in order.

For example, I was resting when I hear a knock on the door and it is someone from the park next to our house to tell us that our back yard is on fire! I take a look and there is a large gathering of little kids and adults alike gawking at this huge pile of brush burning and throwing flames up into the trees 15-20 feet in the air. This pile was a volatile mix of assorted yard waste such as dried pine tree limbs, rose cuttings and grass that I had collected last summer. Unfortunately, my chipper broke and I was sick with cancer and it was neglected. A few men jumped the fence into my yard, grabbed a garden hose and started soaking the wood
fence. Then the fire trucks came in with their sirens blaring. It looked like they called in 3 brigades and all trained a ton of water on this raging inferno. I admit I was stunned. I looked out into the park and noticed a few of my neighbors watching too, I think they were wondering if their house was next. Thanks to the quick actions of a few friendly people who called the fire department, the fire was doused. Now the fire chief gave me the evil eye and asked me all kinds of questions to determine how this happened. Was someone playing with matches? After looking at my compost pile, I remembered that I had asked one of my daughters to dump the ashes from a fire we had in a Volcano collapsible grill. We had cooked some food on it several days ago. The problem was that there was still some hot ash with a few coals that were deposited on the heap and it smoldered for several days on a dry compost heap. There was also a lot of dried pine needles on the ground. Eventually some of it burst into flame and it traveled to the really big pile.


My three daughters got a lecture about fire safety from the fire chief. Luckily, I wasn't fined or cited. It was an accident after all. I realized then that I had a big problem, a huge fire hazard with all of this wood and kindling scattered about that might ignite again when it dried out. It was the following Saturday when neighbors with their kids came out to help clean up this mess and haul away the wood and brush. Some used chain saws to cut up tree limbs and everyone helped fill wheel barrows of wood. In all, we filled up several trailers and pick up trucks to haul away most of the wood. Then the small residual stuff was placed into yard waste containers that several neighbors volunteered. That was a lot of  work to clear it out and it was still a mess.

I am grateful for Norm Simmons. He is a good neighbor to all. He has the tools and the know how to help you out of a fix. Norm has helped many times with fixing broken fences, gates and even taking down a huge tree limb before it fell down and damaged another fence again. His warm smile, kind demeanor and friendly attitude really brightens my day. In fact, Norm recently came over and repaired a fence and spent 9 hours helping me until it was finished so I could secure the yard so the dogs wouldn't stray into the neighborhood. Thanks Norm, you are a great friend.

Day and night the rain pounded down. We noticed the floor in our subbasement was getting wet and that the water was rising on a sliding glass door window. It started to look like an aquarium. We woke up our girls and starting bailing water to keep it from rising. A large portion of our carpets were soaked and it started to smell moldy. I didn't have the strength to pull up the carpets and dry them properly. We weren't the only ones in the neighborhood to be flooded. Many neighbors stepped forward to help out. Kevin Kirkman came to our rescue. He came over, pulled up the carpet, hauled it outside and set up fans to dry the subfloor. After the carpet dried, he came back to return the carpet and pad into place. He replaced some of the carpet tacking and stretched the carpet back into place. Thank you Kevin, your time and effort really saved the day!

I had to stop the flooding but it turns out the sprinkler valve was jammed with dirt so I couldn't turn it off. Richard Russon, came over one day and within a few minutes he dug it all up and was in a hole 3-4 feet in the ground. He cleared the space around the valve and dumped in some sand to gravel around a new tube and then filled in the dirt. We put a cap on it and now it works better than ever. Richard has also helped with many other small projects around house, like filling in holes in the walls and a door, gluing down the kitchen floor. So many little projects that I struggled to get down and he stepped forward to help me fix them. Thanks buddy, you are friend forever.

I also want to thank Steve and Betsy Williams. These good people have helped me in so many ways, giving me a ride when the car broke down, watching the dogs while we were away, and many other acts of kindness. I love you both and will try to always be there should you ever need my help.

Chemotherapy or... DIE!

I went to talk to my bishop to get counsel. I told him that I was trying alternative approaches for my cancer treatment. I told my Bishop that I would rather die than undergo chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation treatments. They are destructive and painful. They require a lot of courage to face and they only treat the cancer with little hope of a cure. He asked if it was because of the cost? No, it wasn't the cost. I explained it was more of a principle. In the long term, I wanted to avoid damaging my body as much as possible. Treatment may help you stay alive but it creates a lot of problems too.

I changed my mind and submitted to chemotherapy when the pain and swelling from the tumor got too bad. The tumor enlarged to the point that I couldn't eat more than 2 teaspoons of food at a time and I was starting to have trouble breathing. I had a port installed and started Chemotherapy at Central Utah Clinic July 2013.

 It took 5 hours, 5 days a week with a week in between to recover. Each day, the nurses  inserted a large needle into the port in my chest above the left breast. The nurse would start each session with a large bag that contained saline solution that took about 20 minutes to finish dripping. I would then have to use the restroom about 3-5 times during the session to help protect the kidneys. This was followed by a smaller bag that contained anti-nausea medicine and up to three chemo drugs: etoposide, cisplatin  and a shot that I got once a week, bleomycin, that was administered with a syringe and cost $3,000! On the "recovery" week I received a bleomycin shot. I remember watching all of the air bubbles in the tubes afraid at first that this was dangerous. Sometimes the nurse would bleed off the air and reassured me that I wasn't at any real risk.

Before the chemo started, I was taking ibuprofen and Tylenol in large doses around the clock. After the first chemotherapy treatment, I felt significant pain relief and after the first week stopped taking pain meds. I didn't notice any side effects the first week apart from fatigue. I think the tumor sucked up most of the medicine since it was growing so fast.

An Ironman Hopefuls Thoughts on Cancer

I'm an athlete. I trained for two years to prepare my body and mind to participate in an Ironman Triathlon. This required discipline. I spent 3 hours a day training, monitoring heart rate, and measuring my performance. I learned how to eat or "fuel" for short or long runs. I learned how to use electrolyte supplements to ease muscle cramps so I could train longer. I hired coaches to help me improve my technique and form with swimming, running and biking. I would concentrate on improving just one or two things in each training session. I focused on improving on what I had done before and shunned any comparisons to others. This was a personal challenge, to improve on my own terms and no one else.

And despite all of this, Testicular cancer manifested in my body. A tumor that ballooned to the size of a basketball that crushed two vertebrae, lumbar 1 and 2. It strangled my stomach so I could not eat more than 2 teaspoons of food at a time and made it hard to breathe. I lost over 60 lbs. and ironically, I looked like I was 6 months pregnant with all of the symptoms, i.e. back ache. I was reduced to sleeping most of the day and kept up at night with dry mouth and a back that ached so badly that I had to muffle my cries in a pillow to not alarm my wife and children.

Death was a looming possibility. All of my efforts seemed to be in vain. I tried many medical devices and healers applied their skills with little effect. Everything that I thought I knew was thrown back into my face in a merciless mockery. I felt guilty for having this sickness. How will my family survive without me? Why did I let this happen? Where is the justice in having this condition? Where art thou God? His answer was simple: "right here. I never left you." I underwent 12 weeks of chemotherapy, you can read about it here. It was harsh, I almost needed a blood transfusion a few times because my white blood cell counts went so low and I had a fever several times. Friends and family prayed for my recovery.

I was comforted and strengthened when I needed it most. My sister Lynell, my brother Mark, my aunt Elma, my cousin Theresa, my nieces Melissa and Leah and my mother came to visit. I had a vision of our family line going back to the patriarchs of old, a wonderful gathering of the family where we sat down for a meal while hearing the stories of our ancestors and afterwards danced together. The witness of the holy ghost was very strong as I related what I saw.

I have made many changes to adapt to living with cancer. I started juicing raw carrots, apples, beets, ginger, turmeric and other mixed greens and fruits. I eat salads with mixed vegetables and nuts as condiments. I drink Peppermint and Essiac tea instead of water. I perform a daily cleansing with a coffee enema. I spend a few hours in quiet meditation and prayer. I write. I work part-time as a technical writer. I walk a mile or two to stretch out my back. Recently, I have been having 3 chiropractic and 2 massage visits a week.

Recovery is coming along well. I track my progress with blood tests, e.g. Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) and Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). I monitor the size and shape of the tumor by laying on my back and pressing down into my abdomen. I feel the lump in my back. The shape and size changes daily. I have my doubts some days. I refused an Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) surgery because I thought the price was too high: a kidney, lymph nodes and probably another round of chemotherapy. I still have the goal to complete an Ironman Triathlon.

Diagnosis Testicular Cancer

I found a strange little bulge in my groin area one day. At first I thought maybe a testicle had somehow migrated up or something weird like that. I visited Dr. Stubbs, my primary care provider about this concern. She referred me to a surgeon in American Fork. Dr. Peterson diagnosed an inguinal hernia. However there were several other symptoms that I described and it caused him a lot of concern. He told me that it sounded like I had more than just a hernia. The hernia was uncomfortable and painful. I hated feeling like a snake was crawling down my leg.

An inguinal hernia occurs when soft tissue, usually part of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity (omentum) or part of the intestine, protrudes through a weak point in the abdominal muscles. My hernia looked like a bulge in the groin area that became more prominent when standing up.  The bulge would disappear when I laid down. I tried to manage the hernia wearing a special support underwear but it seemed to get worse as time went on. I wanted to avoid having the hernia becoming 'incarcerated' which would require emergency surgery. As the hernia progresses, intestines can descend into the hernia and runs the risk of being pinched within the hernia, causing an intestinal obstruction. I visited Dr. Stubbs again when I felt a another bulge in my abdomen, a firmness. She consulted with Dr. Savage and they both agreed that I should get a CT scan. I resisted getting a CT Scan. I kept denying that anything was really wrong.

After the CT scan, I got a call from Dr. Stubbs, the scan revealed a large tumor mass. I had a very difficult time accepting the diagnosis of cancer. Yes, I had a large tumor mass in my abdomen and I had a lot of unexplained sickness and fatigue. When Dr. Stubbs talked to the radiologist, she felt that the best course of action would be to immediately check me into the oncology ward. It was her fear that my life was in jeopardy. However, I felt confused and upset by this course of action. I didn't see how sitting or laying in a hospital bed would make a difference and I'm always wary of hospitals because of the risk of infection, i.e. Staph. I talked to Dr. Stubbs and she related how the situation came across to her. The radiologist was alarmed by the size of the tumor mass and wondered how I could walk. She hoped that I could stay in the hospital a few days and get the tumor removed as soon as possible.

Cancer therapy is much more complicated and requires some analysis to determine what kind of cancer is present and a qualified Oncologist to evaluate the best treatment options. This led me to scheduling a biopsy. A core needle biopsy (CNB) is performed using a hollow needle to withdraw small cylinders (or cores) of tissue from a tissue mass. I was given an anesthesia where I remained awake and aware that there was a needle being stuck in my back but not feeling any pain. The doctor placed the needle into the mass using an x-ray image to guide him. The first biopsy took 5 samples but the test came back with no results because all of the tissue sampled was dead. It left a small bruise in my back and was sore for about a week.

I was upset at the results and a little irrational. I refused to talk to  Dr. Stubbs or the surgeon Dr. Peterson for several weeks. I was upset because of the cost, hassle and trouble this whole process required. I talked to another surgeon and scheduled another core needle biopsy that would take a sample and a doctor would be present to analyze each sample until they got enough live samples. This test required 25 samples and 5 were live samples. They had drawn some fluid which indicated that the tumor had grown so fast that some of the tissue in the core had died and became liquified.

Cancer broke my Back!

I knew something was wrong when it was painful to stand or lay on my back. I learned after a CT Scan that the tumor had fractured lumbar 1 and 2 in my back. The pain was getting to be unbearable. I started taking ibuprofen and Tylenol in tandem to control the pain. Every 4 hours around the clock, I would often suffer waiting until it was okay to take the next pill. I didn't have much luck with other pain killers.

I noticed that the Oncologist really didn't care too much about the pain that I was experiencing in my back. His role was to treat the cancer and that is it. I remember sitting in the room taking chemo and waving to him as he passed me. With a blank stare he didn't even acknowledge that I was there. I realized that he wasn't terribly interested in me as a person. I suppose he probably escorts too many people to their grave to worry about being too personal.

As I sat up nights unable to sleep, I decided that I needed a recliner chair that I could sit, relax and sleep.We visited RC Willey and I sat in each chair in their show room. As I sat in each chair, the most important criteria was if my back hurt when I sat down. I found a La-z-boy chair that was perfect.

Kathy Waterman was visiting us at the time. Kathy is a friend from college days at Brigham Young University. We don't see her very often and her visit was well timed. She traveled to Salt Lake City to pick up the recliner so I could have it that night. We assembled it and as soon as I sat down and reclined, I was soon asleep. I ended up staying in that chair for 3 months before I could sleep in a bed again. I had to wait another agonizing 7 days until chemo started which started shrinking the tumor and gave some relief.

You're Not Alone Walk with God

The loneliness and isolation is hard. While everyone else is off to get something to eat at a restaurant or those early morning hours staying awake and waiting for the sunrise. It gave me a lot of time to think. I perused Facebook, seeing how much fun everyone was having and I'm stuck in a chair in pain. I reached out in prayer to my savior Jesus Christ many times a day and night. When it got really hard, I felt comforted and strengthened. I know there was family and friends praying for me. God loves us, cares for us and holds out open arms to receive us. We just have to do the same to Him. I open the scriptures and read about others who have been in tough spots and they have always been helped in some way. I know that this experience has taught me a lot. It has given me a perspective about what it feels like to be in pain and fearing what may come next.

I was grateful for my wife, Kelly. She had to pick up a lot of slack while I was down. Managing a household of 3 young girls and making sure everyone got to school on time and that I arrived for my next chemo treatment or doctor visit. She soon realized that she would have to manage our bills and make sure everything was paid on time. I felt a little bit like a pet, since I had to be provided water and food when I couldn't navigate the stairs.

To my mother who even in her own difficulty and struggles, takes a few minutes each day to talk to me on the phone and traveled a few thousand miles to visit me. My sister Lynell, who gave me advice and encouragement having had her own successful cancer remission. Marion Baxter, a cousin that has always been there when I needed her help.

I'm thankful for Patti Bolton, a friend from high school that sent me cards in the mail with words of encouragement. Richard Russon who encouraged me to transform a piece of barren backyard into a garden space. Kathy the nurse practitioner who visited me and answered my questions and quieted my fears. The nurses at the Central Utah Clinic that helped me during those long hours getting Chemo treatments. Dr. Eric Vogel, my dentist and friend who gave me courage to keep fighting the cancer. Steve and Betsy Williams who give assistance and friendship over many years.

How to Avoid Sickness During ChemoTherapy

One of the biggest challenges of chemotherapy is to stay healthy. Chemotherapy kills your white blood cells which is a critical component of your immune system. Every time I had a small fever, Dr. Wallentine would prescribe an antibiotic, which you guessed it, weakens your immune system, forming a depressing downward spiral. This is one of my biggest gripes about Allopathic medicine. We used Young Living Thieves cleaner to disinfect the bathroom. This was critical since I was in and out of the bathroom frequently. The benefit of using the cleaner is that it is composed of all natural ingredients.

 

For convenience, we used Chlorox wipes to clean door knobs and table surfaces. We also had hand sanitizer bottles at the door and asked visiting guests to clean their hands as they entered.

I always wondered why silver eating utensils are favored. They require a lot of maintenance to keep their shiny beautiful appearance. I thought it was interesting that one of the few possessions that the pious Bishop Myriel from the story Les Miserables had a set of silverware that he used to eat his daily supper. Hospitals used to use silver nitrate to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis. Silver has antibiotic properties. The Greeks and Romans used to store all of their perishable liquids in silver containers. And prior to the invention of refrigeration, it was common practice to drop a silver coin into a container of milk to retard spoilage. I don't own any silverware so I added a teaspoon of ASAP10 Colloidal Silver solution to my drinks to kill any stray bacteria.

The side effect from chemotherapy I struggled the most was mouth sores. Cancer-related mouth sores are sores or ulcers that form on the inside lining of your mouth or on your lips. The mouth sores appear burn-like and can be painful, making it difficult to eat, talk, swallow and breathe. Sores can appear on any of the soft tissues of your lips or your mouth, including your gums, your tongue, or the roof and floor of your mouth. Sores can also extend into the tube (esophagus) that carries food to your stomach. I would wake up frequently during the night with my mouth sore, dry and painful. I found that sucking on a popsicle helped. I applied bag balm but the most effective relief came from dipping a q-tip into a bottle of  Myrrh essential oil swabbing it over my lips and inside my mouth and then sucking on to coat my throat. It also helped to eat watermelon in the morning.

Seeking Safe Food at Farmers Market

Every Saturday, people gather at Pioneer Park in the center of town and sell their fresh fruits, vegetables, arts, crafts and food truck items. The side walk becomes an aisle jostling with people with their children and dogs. Food options range from pizza baked in wood fired ovens to Thai cuisine. The smell of Mexican food prepared in front of you fills the air and fresh squeezed lemons and limes made into a refreshing glass of limeade or lemonade tops it off.

I have to forgo these delicious treats while I am still on a strict diet of vegetable and fruit juices. I do enjoy it with my eyes though. There are often guitars playing in the background, people relaxing under the shade of trees and the laughter of children playing tag. I'm there for fresh apples and beets. There are several farmers that I have come to look forward to seeing each week. They farm without pesticides and use organic methods. I can tell when I bring it home and slice into a nice fresh beet. The taste is wonderfully sweet. 

How Essiac Tea Helps my Cancer

I'm brewing up another 2 gallon batch of Essiac or Cassi Tea this morning.  The process requires two 12 quart stock pots. I fill the first pot with 2 gallons of water and bring it to a boil. I add a cup of Cassi-Tea mix and stir for 10 minutes. I lower the heat, cover and let it sit for 6 hours.

The tea is a mix of 4 herbs: Sheep Sorrel, Burdock Root, Slippery Elm Bark, and Turkey Rhubarb.

A simple and elegant combination of herbs that I have walked past in my hikes. As a 5 year old I loved grabbing Rhubarb from a neighbors garden and still admire this hardy plant. I've hugged an Elm tree and enjoyed it's shade in the summer. I started drinking Cassi Tea about 7 months ago.

I talked to my sister Lynell on the phone and she reminded me that Essiac or Cassi Tea would help speed my recovery. At the time, I was sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner recovering from 12 weeks of chemotherapy. I was starting to feel better but wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to cleanse my body of the chemo drugs and the cancer cells that were still active. I purchased the tea from an herb shop in Orem called Healthy Herbal Nutrients or HHN. It cost about $43 dollars with Utah state tax. The kit contains 4 packets of herbs in the correct proportions. I poured each pouch into a 22.8 cup Flip top Snapware airtight storage container. I shake the container to mix the ingredients and it renders 7 cups of mix.

The tea tastes like tree bark mixed with some roots dug out of the ground. I used to play alchemist when I was younger mixing up grasses, barks and leaves to see what it would taste like. I drink a cup of Cassi tea in the first thing in the morning. I notice that the tea helps keep me regular, gives a little energy boost and helps me feel better. My cancer indicators hcG and AFP levels continued to go lower. The tea is great for a host of other health problems too.

Martins Collision Repair Disappoints

Cancer has made me feel vulnerable, kind of small. It really knocks you down and makes you feel helpless at times. A recent car accident has knocked me back.

Recently, I took my car to Martins to repair it. I trusted Martins because 13 years ago, I was hit and they repaired my car and did a good job. I asked them to check the alignment on the vehicle since I believed that it might have been damaged. I stopped at a red light and turned my wheels to the right and the driver behind me struck me hard enough to push my vehicle forward and caused some damage to the alignment.

I trust Discount Tires. I buy Pirelli tires because they are rated for 80,000 miles and I like how they feel safe in almost all weather conditions. I return to Discount Tires to have my tires rotated on a regular basis. It is part of their tire warranty program. I had my tires checked a few weeks before the accident. The tire technician checked our tires and told us that they looked great and would not require rotation at that time. A few weeks later, we noticed that the right front tire looked like it was going flat. We returned to Discount Tires and after inspecting the front tires, the side walls were damaged enough to warrant immediate replacement. They were at risk of blowing out soon. It cost us $226 to replace the two front tires.

I think that Martins put me in my family in danger because they released my car with bad alignment. I want to make sure that my family is safe as much as I can. I don't want to end up like that family that recently had a car accident where 3 people were injured when the car rolled over.

I called Martins and talked to the manager, Thiago. I got upset when he told me that the suspension was so badly worn that they couldn't fix it and that it would be insurance fraud to do so. The problem I had is that the alignment was damaged because of the accident and it almost caused a tire to blow out. I could have been hurt in a car accident. Martins did NOT release my vehicle in a safe state to drive.

I wrote a letter to the manager of Martins, Thiago.

Massage and the Cancer Tumor

I started massage therapy to treat a back and neck injury caused by a car accident. Dr. Gunther, the chiropractor prescribed massage treatments to help with neck and lower back pain. I visited Brad Clarke in his office and was available and started a massage treatment. My first impression of Brad was that he has an athletic demeanor. I mean he looks like an athlete. He has a solid looking frame and strong arms. I soon learned that he also knows how to leverage those arms to give good, consistent deep tissue massage. His knowledge of Qigong was very helpful for restoring range of motion and loosening up tight muscles. He has a gift for this work combining several complimentary techniques. I liked how he helped to balance each side of the body, for example, enabling me to lift legs with equal effort.

The tumor puts pressure on the lumbar spine and protrudes forward that can be felt around the stomach and intestines. Brad uses a technique to activate pressure points in the intestines. The process is a little painful but it had an unexpected effect. I could feel the tumor tingle and burn. I could feel where it was in my body, the size and shape. It still has a mushroom shape with the bell in the back and the stem protruding forward. I came home and laid down to rest. On one occasion, I felt all of the pain from leave for a short time and fell into a blissful restful state for the next couple of hours. I feel like the massage has helped to release the pain and to help me in my desire to restore my body back to normal. I would not have guessed that massage treatments would be so helpful.

Aubergine & Company helps with Cancer

I like good food. It goes further though for me because I'm fighting for my life. I'm convinced that I grew a large basketball sized tumor because of my diet. There are many claims that Cancer grows in an acidic environment. My body is hosting an aberration, a perverse set of cells that are going to town growing, thriving and ultimately, killing me. Ugh. I have discovered that many restaurants and fast food serve low quality, acid causing food. However, I am thrilled to recommend Aubergine & company. They offer high quality food at a reasonable price. It is a bargain when you consider how much it costs to source all of the ingredients, chop them up and sit down and eat. It is a challenge to eat it before it all goes bad and buy ingredients that are organic, antibiotic free meat and bring together everything for a lunch served in minutes.

I found this oasis of good eating while shopping at Sprouts. I juice a lot of carrots, beets, apples, celery and it requires frequent trips to this store. I find the store has a welcoming environment, helpful store associates and fair prices. I appreciate their friendly and helpful attitude. It is such a blessing to be able to visit, shop and trust that you are buying food safe to eat and feed to your family.

Another important factor is what I like to call the mileage you get out of your lunch. Do you go back to work and find that you are starving at 2:00 and are tempted to eat a bag of Doritos or a pop-tart? Or worse tempted to steal a coworkers leftovers left in the refrigerator? I found that the lunch is satisfying while giving you the energy to continue until dinner time. Disclaimer: you may find this food is difficult to digest if you are in the habit of eating highly processed foods. As you eat less processed foods, your body will absorb more out of it easily and render more energy available enjoying life! Buen Provecho!

So far, I have visited the Orem location three times. The menu is mainly mixed salads, sandwiches and Acacia bowls. The first time, I tasted the large Tuscany salad with Italian dressing and pita bread. I liked the flavors but I had a hard time tasting the dressing because there was so much chopped greens. I added ginger dressing to the salad. I think my sense of taste has been harmed from chemotherapy, because my wife tasted the salad and said it was an explosion of flavor or "a party in my mouth". I ate the entire salad and it made me feel good. I returned the next day and tried the Greek salad. I'm a big fan of Greek food, especially olives. I was very pleased with this salad with Jalapeno sauce. I returned today and tried the Dream Salad. Omigosh, it was the best salad yet! My goal is to juice and eat the salad each day for a week to see if the tumor shrinks. Wish me luck.

Cancer, Really?

I thought that I was healthy and fit. I had trained 3 hours a day 5 days a week to prepare for an Ironman Triathlon. I noticed that I started sleeping a lot and not feeling well. On the weekends, I would spend a lot of time in bed asleep instead of running or swimming. On Monday, I would get up for work and take the train to commute to the office at Attensity. Everything seemed fine all week until I noticed a lump in my abdomen.

I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Lisa Stubbs at Grandview Family Medicine. After examining me, she recommended a CT scan. I went to Utah Valley Hospital. I had to fast for 12 hours and drink a chalky tasting drink, barium sulfate: A white insoluble radiopaque powder that is used to make certain body parts more visible in x-ray images. Chug, chug, chug.

I received a call from my doctor after she had talked to the radiologist. She said told me that the scan revealed a large tumor mass in the retroperitoneal space in my back and that I needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. 

I was in shock, cancer? Really? I was escorted to the oncology ward on the 7th floor. The orderlies arranged a bed and wrote a small message on the white board, "7th heaven". My wife arrived and we started to talk. I felt fine and I didn't really understand why I needed to stay in the hospital overnight. I was anxious to return to work the next day, after all. A Nurse practitioner came in gave me some paperwork to fill out. She went over the CT scan with us and asked how I was feeling. It was informative and helpful. I asked if there was anything they could do for me if I signed into the hospital. She told me no but it would speed up the time it took to talk to a surgeon. I don't like hospitals. There are risks, such as staph infection or other bugs that others much more sick than I might be struggling. I declined to sign the paperwork and left the room behind. It felt good to get home to sleep in my own bed.