Fight

A few months ago I wrote about coming to terms with possibly having breast cancer.

I was "at peace" with whatever it was that was going to happen.

But was I?

Fast forward and a month after the breast lump discovery, I am being checked out for a lump in my throat, a large thyroid nodule (5.9cm x 5.2 cm x 3.6cm).

Um, what?

I was so confused at first. How could this happen? Again?

I again went through a series of tests. Ultrasound, blood work, fine need biopsy, more ultrasounds, another biopsy, then a genetic test.

The first biopsy came back as "suspicious for hurthle cells".

After reading so many things on Hurthle cells, I was terrified. Did I have thyroid cancer?

I read more and more and more. I ordered blood tests for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I got my cholesterol measured and my vitamin D, I got tested for Epstein Barr Virus (and my antibodies were VERY elevated).

My Dr. sent me out to an endocronoligist at Cleveland Clinic. There they did another ultrasound and another biopsy.

Biopsy came back as "suspicious for follicular neoplasm". Dr. suggested surgery to remove my thyroid.

I was devastated again, how could this be?

I read more. And more. Consuming 100's of journal article and several books. 

I made massive changes.

I quite coffee on February 17th, 2020. It's April 3rd and I am still sober.

I went on the Autoimmune Diet. No wheat, dairy, eggs, legumes, nighshades or fun. I basically ate chicken or salmon at every meal with a side of sweet potatoes and broccoli, kale, asparagus with olive oil and a few dashes of herbs and salt. That was it. After 2 weeks it felt pretty normal, and I felt energy returning to my body. The first 2 weeks were hard because of the coffee detox and the reistrictive diet, but I knew I needed to change something.

On March, 31st, 2022 I met with an endocrine surgeon to discuss options. She told me that my Afirma test (genetic test) came back benign, however, it didn't mean that the nodule was 100% cancer free. With such a large nodule, biopsies could miss pockets of cancerous tissues. The surgeon suggest lobectomy, which is currently scheduled for August 17th, 2022.

I am pursuing other options since my Afirma test came back as benign, a procedure called radiofrequency ablation. This procedure has only been used in the states since 2018 so it is very new and very few physicians do this. I am currently scheduled to speak with Dr. Forwith in Kentucky, and Dr. Nikaravanda from California in the next few weeks.

With all of this said, I am fighting. Before I was "at peace" with whatever would happen, but then I realized, I was being lazy and complacent. I had given up on myself. I was tired.

After feeling sorry for myself for a few weeks, I realized I wasn't ready to go just yet. I read a book called How to Starve Cancer  and also Radical Remission that changed the way I thought about cancer. If I had it, there was a very good chance I could "beat it". I began reading about alternative treatmeants and how people had beat the odds.

I have lots of room to improve still. I have lots of things to do and be and see. I am not ready to be done yet. I have so much more to do.

I've started a regimen of supplements. I stopped "working out" so heavily at the gym. I do low intensity yoga, resistance band training and calisthenics/body weight TRX. I am trying to listen to my body better, to recognize what it needs and how to treat it better. I began a supplement regimen with many anti-cancer elements and other supportive nutrients.

Yes, cancer is a disease, but its your body telling you that something isn't quite right. There is a disbalance somewhere. Something that you are doing is changing something inside. It's not your fault, no, but you can evolve and resolve the conflicts within your body. If we take time to be honest with ourselves, to truly listen to that inner voice, you will hear what you need to do.

Am I cancer free? I have no idea. But, I will fight.

After giving up coffee and reading about its effects on other systems, I realized that I was probably massively depleted in vitamins because of my constant peeing (like sometimes multiple times per hour!) Sure enough, B vitamins, my-inositol, and other water-soluble vitamins were being flushed out of my body at an alarming rate. I used to only be able to survive daily life because of coffee, now I know that it was part of the root cause of my struggles.

Since I started the new diet and anti-coffee life, I've lost about 10 pounds. This is significant because I have hovered around 155-160 for years. Today when I weighed myself, I was 148 pounds. I haven't weighed in that realm since....2012! And I lost this weight without even thinking or trying hard! I just ate my boring meals, did some yoga and walking and resistance bands (and to be fair, I never broke a sweat while working out, it was all super low intensity).  I've tried so hard to lose fat in the past 10 years, and always end up rebounding back to the 160ish mark. I'm hoping these changes are what my body needs and I can find my healthy weight sweet spot. I know in the past I weighed in the 130's pretty easily, but I do know I am more muscular now then I was back then, so I think the 140's is a good spot to be in.

Also my mind set is a little different. I've been taking SeaBeeDee and TeaAcheSea and it has been a huge game changer for me. It's helped me to be more calm and at ease. It helps me sleep better too. I do hope one day that this substance is available for everyone, as it has many amazing benefits.