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Old 12-27-2003, 10:21 AM   #1
Priscilla
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Today is December 27, 2003, and I am feeling good.

November 24th 2003, an MRI of my liver showed it covered with tumors, too many to count, and some as large as 2-3 cm, going all the way through, but my liver enzymes were normal, and so was my other blood work, except, for the first time in 2 years my (CA 27.29) was slightly above normal. The day before Thanksgiving I got the flu, and I just couldn't get rid of it.


December 21, I lay in the emergency room at the local hospital. The night before a dull pain had started in my right side and a sharp pain had shot through my heart and up under my left arm. For the last month I had been going downhill by the day. I had the flu off and on, a high fever for a few days, and today had an uncontrollable cough. As our family doctor looked at a C/T scan of my liver, all he could say was that I needed a miracle, my liver enzymes were very elevated. The hospital and emergency room was full of people with the flu. Since I had an appointment the following day at the Cancer Treatment Center, he sent me home. The pain seemed a little better and somehow I made it through the night.

It all started exactly two years ago today. I had infiltrating ductile cancer a 4.0 cm, tumor was removed with my left breast. It was grade III, ER/PR-, Her2/nu 3+, 8 of 16 lymph nodes were positive and a 1.5 cm met had spread to my liver, no cure, just treatment. Also, the doctor said he was sure there where other positive lymph nodes he could not reach in the operation.

After 4 months of Chemo and Herceptin, the 1.5 cm tumor was still on my liver and I decided to stop chemo and try a vegan diet that can be found at www.hacres.com. That was June 2, 2002. Our daughter talked me into taking one more herceptin treatment by itself in July. After 6 weeks on the vegan diet, my plan was to have radio frequency ablation. To our delight, the cancer had gone down to 1/2 cm, in August, and after another 6 weeks, it was a spec on an MRI. In November 2002 no cancer could be detected anywhere in my body. On December 7th, 2002, the horrible arthritis I was having, went away. I had been taking the maximum (and sometimes more) dose of Celebrex.

The next eight months were wonderful. In January 2003 I started the Gerson Therapy, still a vegan diet, but 13 eight oz glasses of fresh juice daily, and daily coffee enemas (don't laugh like I did, they work). More info at www.gerson.org, if interested. You must do all the therapy, not just part, and it is really hard, but all my blood tests always came back beautiful, and I felt really good.

July 9, 2003, at my 3 month checkup, the doctor felt a small lymph node near my collar bone. I didn't panic, I had met and read stories of too many hopeless cases that had recovered on the gerson therapy. In fact, I had just finished reading a book called "Time to Heal" written by Beta Bishop from England. She had also had a lymph node enlarge after getting cancer free and her body had sealed it off in a little membrane. Years later she had it removed and it was just full of dead cancer cells. I just tried to be more careful to eat the right things and do the therapy.

August 2003, the doctor felt another lymph node about an inch from the first. Again it was so tiny, the size of a piece of rice. So on Aug 14, 2003, the doctor did C/T's, bone scans, and MRI of my head and a PET scan. All that showed up on the PET scan was the very small lymph node. The other scans looked fine, I felt fine and the doctor said I didn't need to come back for two months. He did offer me Chemo, radiation, surgery or Herceptin. Again, I felt sure my body would heal itself if I just gave it the right tools. Faith, juice, exercise, sunshine, etc. My daughter urged me to at least take Herceptin, but it had given me such a backache the year before I didn't want to take it. Also, I didn't think it would do any good since it had not worked when it was given with Chemo. I did not want more Chemo. Also, I was starting to have some strange feelings in my head - and it does not go there.

I felt my own immune system is my only hope, at least long term.

September 2003 we went to Baja Nutri Care in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico to be sure I was doing the Therapy correctly. That week was absolutely wonderful, and I was symptom free when we left. My only symptoms seemed to be weird feelings that would surge through my body, or weakness if I was late getting my juices. I came home and started doing all my own work again, and immediately started feeling weaker, so I hired some help. Honestly, I don't know how I did it myself all those nine months. I continued to feel weaker, but still real good, and no pain. The coffee enema's seemed to take care of any pain (which would be a little backache).

October 2003, Blood work, including liver enzymes, perfect (CA 27.29) 9.0 (under 38.6 normal)

November 2003, thought I might be trying to get a stomach virus because a few evenings I felt a little sick at my stomach for a few minutes. Then I was OK. Didn't need any medicine.

November 25, 2003, Blood work was all normal, except for the first time my (CA 27.29) was 42. The doctor did an MRI that showed my liver covered with tumors.

December 21, 2003, liver enzymes really started going up fast they were over 190(ast), 122(alt) and 341(AP), and I thought I was having appendicitis or a heart attack. I knew at this point that the end would be soon if something didn't change fast.

December 22, 2003, after getting the blood work I spoke with the Chemo Education Director and we were discussing the benefits of the coffee enemas. She mentioned that she had met a lady who got a lot of relief by putting a castor oil pack over her liver (Flannel soaked in castor Oil), then lay a warm heating pad over that for 1-1/2 hrs (put a plastic inbetween). It really helped, the pressure was so great.

December 23, 2003, After visiting with the doctor, we decided to try Herceptin alone, and I took a 1-1/2 hour treatment and slept most of the day (between my juices). Also got an MRI of my head. Lay awake all night because of the Decadron (or whatever).

December 24, 2003, really tired and weak, felt like my kidneys were swollen and my back ached behind my heart. Began to cough even worse and started running a fever that eventually spiked at 102.9. Started Cough syrup and Antibiotics about 6:00 pm, and was too weak to even get out of bed. Very, very sick. My daughter gave me an asprin, Niacin and Vitamin C, and I went to sleep.

December 25, 2003, 3:30 am. Woke up feeling light and floating and so good - no pain or pressure - I believe I received a miracle. At 5:30 am, Christmas morning, I called the kids and woke them up to tell them how wonderful I felt. Felt great all day. Have been really weak and had lots of little pains and sensations, but believe they are all cancer sites being killed. My liver does not feel uncomfortable at all. Still running 100 fever and coughing a little and have not appitite - but am drinking my juices.

December 26, 2003, 1:42 am. Feel good, still running a temperature of 99 and the lymph nodes in my neck are very difficult to find, there is a little puffy place where the enlarged lymph nodes are located about the size of a quarter. Got very weak in the afternoon. My legs and arms got real cold and I couldn't get warm, so I drank some warm tea, ate two oranges, got under the electric blanket and felt better.

December 27, 2003, 7:15, Really feeling good, went to see all the children and wish them Merry Christmas.....To be continued........ Thank you Lord for My Christmas Miracle.





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Old 12-28-2003, 07:31 AM   #2
Priscilla
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P.S. The MRI of my head came back good.

December 28,2003, 4:00 pm - Felt wonderful, the cough is almost gone, still have a little fever and have lots of little tender spots on my shoulders and back. Have Lots of energy - Went to Church today.

Feel better it seems by the hour - what a Miracle Drug Herceptin seems to be - without Chemo. How do you know how much to take or to take it with or without Chemo?



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Old 12-28-2003, 01:50 PM   #3
Christine
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Priscilla,
Your story is a bit confusing. What do you attribute your success to? Herceptin, Gerson Diet, or everything combined.

The dose of Herceptin is determined by your body weight. I don't know the exact formula but it is posted on Genentech's site. Also, I don't believe that you can overdose although taking an excessive amount would probably be a waste of time and resources.

Hugs and Congratulations
Christine
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Old 12-28-2003, 02:02 PM   #4
Lolly
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Priscilla,
It's so incredible to read about your response to Herceptin, I well remember the feelings we experienced as we watched the cancer literaly melt away. I took it in combo with Navelbine for 6 months before graduating to Herceptin alone. I think the question of whether to combine it with chemo or not depends somewhat on the doctor's concern with a patient's quality of life, and since it appears you're responding so well to mono therapy, your doc may feel why mess with a good thing? As to how long to remain on Herceptin, I think the feeling is that as long as it's benefiting a patient a person can stay on it indefinately, given that side effects are generally so minimal. I myself am on it indefinately, it's considered a maintenance therapy to maintain remission. I'll be looking for your posts to read of your progress, and am pulling for you for continued improvement!
Hugs,
Lolly
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Old 12-29-2003, 11:23 AM   #5
Priscilla
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Thank you for responding to my post. Any similiar information is so welcome.

Today was good, although in the afternoons I really start to drag - I am still running a low grade fever (taking antibiotics). I can only assume it is my immune system responding to the Herception targeted cancer cells. I have had a funny little hurting (like a worm burrowing in) in my left side back at about my bra line - I hope it is cancer cells getting ate up.

If there is any kind of therapy - I think I am taking it. In addition to 13 glasses of fresh juice, 3 coffee enemas, liver pills, acidol pills, pancreatin, niacin, liver shots, enflizymes, I am have added to that IP6 (Thanks to Elaine), Ambrotose (5 tblspns a day) a product made by Mannatech, and lycine & proline.

I personally think that the Gerson and Herceptin are working synergistically (hope that is a word). If I don't drink the juice, I feel what feels like the cancer starting to take over. The juice quiets it right down and gives me real energy and strength.

What concerns me right now is a burning I keep feeling in my head - but the MRI came back clean, thank goodness.

Any opinions, suggestions or questions are welcomed. Everyday it is hard to know what to do next. I have however, really found that you have to be your own advocate because the doctors, and I feel like I have the best, are all so busy with so many patients I really do know how they and their staff carry the load.
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Old 01-02-2004, 12:32 PM   #6
Priscilla
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Thank you for all the person responses, they were greatly appreciated.

For those of you who read about my Christmas Miracle after having a dose of Herception, (See December 27th), I wanted to let you know that each day just seems better and better.

My father was dying of Rhumatic fever during 1940's and was so sick from taking sulfa drugs he wanted to die. He got one shot of penicellin (sorry about the spelling, too tired to look it up)and was healed. He did get one more shot, but doctors had told my mother he would never be able to work again, etc. He worked another 40 years at hard labor.

I think I know how he felt.
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