The Starting Point

Ten days post-diagnosis, and I've settled on a starting point. Before I talk about that though, some have wanted to know how the cancer was discovered in the first place. So I'll digress for a bit. (There's a good chance this may get a little TMI for some of you. Oh, well. Man up. It's the human body.)

I've had fluid-filled cysts in my breasts for several years. Been keeping track of them with yearly mammograms and ultrasounds. They've fluctuated in size with hormones and caffeine, but haven't been much of a bother. Although lots of women have them, they aren't "normal", so I've half-heartedly been trying to figure out a way to deflate them -- mostly from a Chinese Medicine standpoint because Western Medicine has no idea what to do about them.

One of the cysts seemed to be growing and changing in texture, so I had a mammogram and follow-up ultrasound. Turned out that particular cyst was fine, but there was an "architectural abnormality" in the other breast requiring a biopsy to see what it was made of. I somehow knew it would be cancer before I went in, so it was no great shock when the poor lady had to deliver the news. (Hers would sure be a rotten job, especially when I wouldn't cooperate with her treatment plans. She's sure I'm committing suicide.)

(If you don't like technical stuff, skip to the next paragraph.) I got the rest of the pathology report back a few days ago and the tumor's made of "ER+; PR+; HER2-" cells which means it's feeding on both estrogen and progesterone but does not have the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 that makes cancer more scary. Very treatable from a Western Medicine standpoint. Good news from my standpoint, too.

Okay, back to the starting point.

I've decided to combine a couple theories that make sense to me, and use my intuition to fill in the gaps.
    - "Cancer: Fight it with the Blood Type Diet" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo; and
    - "Healing the Gerson Way: Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases" by Charlotte Gerson

Some of you are probably familiar with "Eat Right for Your Type" that's been around since last century some time. I remember reading it years ago -- and deciding it was a bunch of hooey because (as type A), it recommends I be vegetarian. Me??? Who was raised on meat and potatoes??? I think not!

Well, turns out it's right. I do feel better when I don't eat red meat. Apparently we A-types don't have enough stomach acid to digest meat. Sigh.

But the fish thing? Nope. Uh-uh. No way. Can't do it. Not without half a jar of tartar sauce and a whole lemon. Guess I'll be taking fish oil supplements because fish is like #2 in the cancer fighting arsenal. Big sigh.

Okay, that's enough for this time. I'm going to incorporate pictures from here on, but I figured this time . . . yeah, not so much. Considering the subject matter, aren't you glad?