This weekend is brought to you by "The Big C" and the word phlegm—a word whose spelling I've always enjoyed. I do not enjoy horking it up all day, however. Time for bed.
UPDATE March 13: The coughing and phlegm have almost entirely subsided. I am much less exhausted than I was yesterday, though I am still pretty tired. Most annoying, in all my hacking, I pulled muscles on both sides of my ribcage and in both shoulder blades. I feel like I was tossed into a CFL football game. I hope I didn't actually crack any bones.
There are a couple of encouraging notes, however. First, I've been able to sleep on my left side, which I've always preferred, but which I've been unable to do for weeks, because of mysterious pains which also seem to have dissipated. Second, a teeny, tiny part of my voice seems to be coming back, the first sign in almost three weeks that I might regain the ability to speak.
I won't make any bets: my body has been a mess these past few days, and who knows what it will do tonight or tomorrow, but at least there are a few good signs. Now we need some damn spring weather.
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I'd say what we're getting right now is classic Vancouver damn spring weather, no?
Well, yeah, but the occasional chunk of warm sunshine would enable me to get outside for a spell without making me feel worse.
Shocked and sad you aren't feeling well Derek. I was doing research on switching blog platforms MT vs WP when I stumbled on you post from a year ago, on the topic. Have been through breast cancer twice stage 111 the first time then a limited recurrence in '09.
I don't know if this can help with where you are on your healing journey, but my friend's husband had stage 4 and it was cleared using this less toxic but highly effective low dose chemo IPT. This is the treatment I used the second time I had cancer and now doing well.
Experiences with Low dose Insulin Potentiated Chemotherapy IPT
https://www.mylifeasart.com/2009/10/12/first-ipt-first-chemo/
Where I had my treatment:
https://www.ipthealing.com/pages/ourpractice.html
Recent post on my experiences with using intuition in my healing journey
https://www.mylifeasart.com/2011/02/24/cancer-alternative-treatments-and-crying-for-a-vision/
If you have any questions or need anything let me.
Your in my prayers,
Karen
The winter shows no sign of letting up...
Karen, I'm not on a "healing journey" anymore, more a "dying journey." I'm only still classified as Stage 4 because there is no Stage 5. But there's cancer throughout both my lungs, along my spine, and likely elsewhere since my last CT scan. I have to focus on being as comfortable and functional as possible for however long I have—which I estimate, based on how things are progressing, is less than a year.
While likely different from the insulin-potentiated chemo you're talking about, I was at one point discussing with my cancer team an upcoming clinical Phase 1 trial of an insulin-related therapy. Unfortunately, I have also been an insulin-dependent diabetic for 20 years, so such treatments would be inappropriate for me, and likely rather dangerous even to try.
IPT in the form that you and your friend's husband used also does not have very good research evidence behind it, despite having been around for almost 25 years now, with the usual positive anecdotes (like yours). Research is proceeding on using insulin and insulin production pathways to disrupt cancer cell growth, but it is (as I mentioned) at a very early stage. Rather too late for me, in any case.
But that's okay! I've come to accept it, as we all must eventually. 42 years or so may not be a long life, but for me it's been a good one.
I can't believe you're dying..this is the process of dying as it unfolds.
Late to this, but I also had the grossest nastiest hacking chest assault or other but not on top of cancer and I felt like the world's biggest wreck. Anyway, glad at least the hacking is over!