If you haven't had your colonoscopy yet, let this month be the one you get in there and have it done. It's important and it could mean living a long healthy life or a short one. Your choice. Here is a great site on basic information of the colonoscopy.
http://aids.about.com/od/howtostayhealthy/a/colon.htm
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
No Butts About it Get Your Colonoscopy
This was my summer of 2010
When the doctor came in and told me I had colon cancer, I was shocked, that me, a vegetarian, who reads labels and exercises regularly, should ever receive such an announcement after a colonoscopy, I will never know.
It all came about when my gynecologist asked if I had gone in for a colonoscopy yet, I was 57 at the time and had thought about it many times. It was June and I told her, with confidence, I would have it done in July, that way I could mentally get ready for the whole thing. She said, “Well, just in case you don’t, I’ll go ahead and do a fecal occult test”. A few days later her office was calling to tell me, no cause for alarm, but they did find a little blood in my stool and now I really did need a colonoscopy.
I did as she said and had no cause for alarm and made my appointment. Since we were going the thirty miles to the Surgery Center, in a much larger town which has a mall, I arranged for my mom to go with me instead of my husband, so we could go shopping afterwards.
As I was waiting to be called in for the last final paperwork prior to the colonoscopy, I was reading a pamphlet about colon cancer. It stated the fact; one in nineteen people have colon cancer. I commented to the nurse, “So, one in nineteen people have colon cancer?” “Oh no, I don’t think so, where did you hear that information?”She said. I said, “Right here in your brochure.” She thought that sounded a little high.
They put me into a sweet sleep, and the next thing I knew, I was back in the small room I started from, with the same nurse. This time my mom was sitting in a chair across from me. I asked the nurse how it went; she said I would have to wait until the doctor came back in. I didn’t like that answer and pressed in. “So, did they see anything in there?” I asked. “Well”, she said. “I’m not supposed to say anything but yes, they found a cancerous tumor.” About that time the doctor came in and I let him think he was the first one to tell me the news. He showed me pictures; he had taken just minutes before, of a bubbly, bumpy, yellowish growth in my intestines. He went on to tell me it was on the ascending colon, about the size of a fifty cent piece, and I wouldn’t need a bag. Imagine all that, in one sentence. Now, I didn’t know what the “ascending” part of the colon was, and I really didn’t want a bag. He said he would set me up with a surgeon, and asked if I have a preference? I said, “Yes, preferably a woman doctor with small hands”. He said he had just the one and was out the door. I asked my mom if she could see the pictures from over where she was sitting and she said yes, and we looked at them again. Then turning to the nurse, I said, “may-be one in every nineteen isn’t too far off.”
We didn’t go to the mall that day; we just went out to the car and cried. I called my husband to tell him of the news and texted all five of my sisters, my brother and my aunt and uncle, who were all waiting to hear the results.
The surgery was set up for July 13, 2010. Funny thing, I was only planning on going in for my colonoscopy that month. But here I was, at the hospital with the woman doctor and her small hands about to cut me open. Up until this time the only surgery I had was for my carpal tunnel, so this was big.
Two of my sisters came from out of town to be there for me, so in my room before they wheeled me out to surgery was, my husband, son, mom, two sisters and a friend, all gathered around to pray for me and see me off.
The doctor was able to perform the surgery with one very nice 2 inch incision above the belly button and 2 one inch lower incisions and one quarter inch. They took out, 14 inches of my large intestine, twenty-one lymph nodes, and my appendix. I felt swollen and in pain when I woke up from surgery, but it was over.
Not so fast, the surgeon called me about a week after getting out of the hospital to say that one of the twenty one lymph nodes had cancer in it, and I was categorized at “stage 3”. Before that call, I was feeling great, my energy was returning and I was really getting a hold of life. After hearing this news, I felt like the air had been just socked out of me. I really didn’t want any choices, and now she was suggesting chemotherapy. I thought to myself, I’m a hair dresser, how would that look, but seriously, I eat clean and I’m a vegetarian and I didn’t want to poison up my body with chemicals.
I made an appointment with an oncologist. Her choices were three different types of chemotherapy and I was to choose one, none of which sounded good to me. All with a list of side effects including death among other things, now I really had something to think about.
I prayed that the Lord would give me the right choice for my life. Within a few weeks I knew the answer; I would go for the natural approach, and started calling around for a naturopathic doctor in our area. Once I made the decision I had complete peace.
The word got out that I had chosen the natural approach rather than chemo, and all of a sudden people that had undergone chemo years ago, started coming up to me to say they were happy to hear of my decision. They would never do chemo again and would never suggest it to anyone.
My naturopathic did a panel of blood work to find my natural killer cells were extremely low, and went on to explain, that these are the cells that go out and protect us when cancer is attacking by boosting our immune system. These “NK Cells”, were more new words to me, and I was glad I didn’t choose chemo with an already low immune system. She started me on AHCC mushroom caps, which are just one of many supplements I take daily.
I’m also going to a nutritionist. He’s helped me get my pH balance up. Prior to knowing I had cancer, I just happen to check my pH and found it was at 5.5 and after reading about what a low pH means, anything under a 6.0 is very dangerous and can open you up to cancer. At our local herb shop they have a Kangen Water system and they let anyone who wants to, come in and get alkaline water without charge. So, I fill up my two 2 gallon water bottles every other week. I bought a nice little kit to check my alkaline level, which only takes 15 seconds. I now have a steady 6.75 pH level.
I juice every other day for two days and drink two or three glasses of it throughout the day in between meals. I use a wonderful stainless steel juicer, by Brevelle. Juicing up kale, spinach, beet tops, etc… and love it. I also take a mix called “Green Vibrance”, which has 25 billion probiotics in it to feed my colon.
During my return visit to the surgeon asked her if she would point to the exact spot my cancer was removed from. She pointed to my right side just below my belt line. I told her that is right where I clamp my cell phone into my pants and then use my head set. My phone would get so hot up against my skin while I would be talking, I would take it out of my pants and carry it. She said she would keep this in mind. Actually I will always keep this in mind and never carry it clamped into my pants again.
It’s been a little over six months since the surgery, I feel great. I had my CEA blood test checked out a few weeks ago and found I’m at a 1.8, anything under 3 is normal. I know there are a lot of people keeping their eye on me to see what’s going to happen to the girl who went the nontraditional way of treatment. Actually, I don’t know anyone else personally, who has gone this route, but I feel so right about it and that’s what really matters.
I try to get the word out that there is life after cancer, but most of all to get your colonoscopy; this
really could have been prevented had I gone in sooner. As I was going through all this, I thought
of a slogan and had a shirt made to wear around whenever I’m in the mood. The slogan:
“NO BUTT’S ABOUT IT GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY”, with a nineteen point star representing, one in
every nineteen people coming though the door to get a colonoscopy may have cancer.
When the doctor came in and told me I had colon cancer, I was shocked, that me, a vegetarian, who reads labels and exercises regularly, should ever receive such an announcement after a colonoscopy, I will never know.
It all came about when my gynecologist asked if I had gone in for a colonoscopy yet, I was 57 at the time and had thought about it many times. It was June and I told her, with confidence, I would have it done in July, that way I could mentally get ready for the whole thing. She said, “Well, just in case you don’t, I’ll go ahead and do a fecal occult test”. A few days later her office was calling to tell me, no cause for alarm, but they did find a little blood in my stool and now I really did need a colonoscopy.
I did as she said and had no cause for alarm and made my appointment. Since we were going the thirty miles to the Surgery Center, in a much larger town which has a mall, I arranged for my mom to go with me instead of my husband, so we could go shopping afterwards.
As I was waiting to be called in for the last final paperwork prior to the colonoscopy, I was reading a pamphlet about colon cancer. It stated the fact; one in nineteen people have colon cancer. I commented to the nurse, “So, one in nineteen people have colon cancer?” “Oh no, I don’t think so, where did you hear that information?”She said. I said, “Right here in your brochure.” She thought that sounded a little high.
They put me into a sweet sleep, and the next thing I knew, I was back in the small room I started from, with the same nurse. This time my mom was sitting in a chair across from me. I asked the nurse how it went; she said I would have to wait until the doctor came back in. I didn’t like that answer and pressed in. “So, did they see anything in there?” I asked. “Well”, she said. “I’m not supposed to say anything but yes, they found a cancerous tumor.” About that time the doctor came in and I let him think he was the first one to tell me the news. He showed me pictures; he had taken just minutes before, of a bubbly, bumpy, yellowish growth in my intestines. He went on to tell me it was on the ascending colon, about the size of a fifty cent piece, and I wouldn’t need a bag. Imagine all that, in one sentence. Now, I didn’t know what the “ascending” part of the colon was, and I really didn’t want a bag. He said he would set me up with a surgeon, and asked if I have a preference? I said, “Yes, preferably a woman doctor with small hands”. He said he had just the one and was out the door. I asked my mom if she could see the pictures from over where she was sitting and she said yes, and we looked at them again. Then turning to the nurse, I said, “may-be one in every nineteen isn’t too far off.”
We didn’t go to the mall that day; we just went out to the car and cried. I called my husband to tell him of the news and texted all five of my sisters, my brother and my aunt and uncle, who were all waiting to hear the results.
The surgery was set up for July 13, 2010. Funny thing, I was only planning on going in for my colonoscopy that month. But here I was, at the hospital with the woman doctor and her small hands about to cut me open. Up until this time the only surgery I had was for my carpal tunnel, so this was big.
Two of my sisters came from out of town to be there for me, so in my room before they wheeled me out to surgery was, my husband, son, mom, two sisters and a friend, all gathered around to pray for me and see me off.
The doctor was able to perform the surgery with one very nice 2 inch incision above the belly button and 2 one inch lower incisions and one quarter inch. They took out, 14 inches of my large intestine, twenty-one lymph nodes, and my appendix. I felt swollen and in pain when I woke up from surgery, but it was over.
Not so fast, the surgeon called me about a week after getting out of the hospital to say that one of the twenty one lymph nodes had cancer in it, and I was categorized at “stage 3”. Before that call, I was feeling great, my energy was returning and I was really getting a hold of life. After hearing this news, I felt like the air had been just socked out of me. I really didn’t want any choices, and now she was suggesting chemotherapy. I thought to myself, I’m a hair dresser, how would that look, but seriously, I eat clean and I’m a vegetarian and I didn’t want to poison up my body with chemicals.
I made an appointment with an oncologist. Her choices were three different types of chemotherapy and I was to choose one, none of which sounded good to me. All with a list of side effects including death among other things, now I really had something to think about.
I prayed that the Lord would give me the right choice for my life. Within a few weeks I knew the answer; I would go for the natural approach, and started calling around for a naturopathic doctor in our area. Once I made the decision I had complete peace.
The word got out that I had chosen the natural approach rather than chemo, and all of a sudden people that had undergone chemo years ago, started coming up to me to say they were happy to hear of my decision. They would never do chemo again and would never suggest it to anyone.
My naturopathic did a panel of blood work to find my natural killer cells were extremely low, and went on to explain, that these are the cells that go out and protect us when cancer is attacking by boosting our immune system. These “NK Cells”, were more new words to me, and I was glad I didn’t choose chemo with an already low immune system. She started me on AHCC mushroom caps, which are just one of many supplements I take daily.
I’m also going to a nutritionist. He’s helped me get my pH balance up. Prior to knowing I had cancer, I just happen to check my pH and found it was at 5.5 and after reading about what a low pH means, anything under a 6.0 is very dangerous and can open you up to cancer. At our local herb shop they have a Kangen Water system and they let anyone who wants to, come in and get alkaline water without charge. So, I fill up my two 2 gallon water bottles every other week. I bought a nice little kit to check my alkaline level, which only takes 15 seconds. I now have a steady 6.75 pH level.
I juice every other day for two days and drink two or three glasses of it throughout the day in between meals. I use a wonderful stainless steel juicer, by Brevelle. Juicing up kale, spinach, beet tops, etc… and love it. I also take a mix called “Green Vibrance”, which has 25 billion probiotics in it to feed my colon.
During my return visit to the surgeon asked her if she would point to the exact spot my cancer was removed from. She pointed to my right side just below my belt line. I told her that is right where I clamp my cell phone into my pants and then use my head set. My phone would get so hot up against my skin while I would be talking, I would take it out of my pants and carry it. She said she would keep this in mind. Actually I will always keep this in mind and never carry it clamped into my pants again.
It’s been a little over six months since the surgery, I feel great. I had my CEA blood test checked out a few weeks ago and found I’m at a 1.8, anything under 3 is normal. I know there are a lot of people keeping their eye on me to see what’s going to happen to the girl who went the nontraditional way of treatment. Actually, I don’t know anyone else personally, who has gone this route, but I feel so right about it and that’s what really matters.
I try to get the word out that there is life after cancer, but most of all to get your colonoscopy; this
really could have been prevented had I gone in sooner. As I was going through all this, I thought
of a slogan and had a shirt made to wear around whenever I’m in the mood. The slogan:
“NO BUTT’S ABOUT IT GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY”, with a nineteen point star representing, one in
every nineteen people coming though the door to get a colonoscopy may have cancer.
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