My Cancer Story
My Cancer Story
The prehistory
Prehistory part 1
Skepticism is born
I am a trained nurse. And although it has been a few years since I have worked as such, I have felt a professional interest in keeping myself informed. Including with regard to types of treatment in connection with cancer.
This led me to the cancer association Tidslerne, whose Facebook group I became a member of. Here I became acquainted with the association Fookid, which deals with the COC Protocol. This also has a Facebook group for members, which I joined.
The years of reading about all the rather debilitating side effects and late effects that traditional treatment could have left me extremely skeptical of the public's conventional offerings for cancer patients.
Prehistory part 2
Declining trust in doctors
Around 2013 I became aware of an increasing degree of fatigue. This developed so that for a long period I lived my life in bed, where I ate all my meals and from where I could barely see that I had to brush my teeth a few times a day.
At long last, it was established that I had a low metabolism and I received various not very effective treatments, until I finally managed to get a medicine that made a significant difference.
During this process, I saw different doctors commenting on metabolic treatment in a way that must be against better knowledge - otherwise, they have seriously little knowledge of metabolic disorders. I will not go into the monstrosities that I and others have experienced along the way. Just finding that the trust in doctors I still had intact suffered a serious break. I became very aware that the legal conditions for the stand mean that they do not dare to have their own opinion. They simply repeat what the Treatment Guidelines attribute in connection with a given disorder. So you can't even count on them to recommend something that they themselves believe in and would go through if they were in the patient's place. I stopped trusting doctors that I don't know very well.
Prehistory part 3
Stress
It was a stressful time. A close family member became increasingly helpless and I was the next of kin. At the same time, I had a few other family members who ideally had something to say about my efforts and bossed me around to a completely unheard of degree. Why didn't I speak up? It wasn't easy. I felt squeezed between everyone involved and just wanted to do the best I could without an undue amount of strife. It was obviously a particularly stressful period.
It has been documented in several studies that stress weakens the immune system. Cancer cells form continuously in the body. But it is of no consequence, because we have our glorious white blood cells to tirelessly clean up and out. Of course, I cannot document that there is a connection, but during the mentioned period I felt more and more often that I could not keep up with the pressure. I was about to capitulate quite a few times. But someone was completely dependent on me, so that wasn't really an option.
New symptom
I rested on the sofa and felt a tenderness in the left breast. I have felt many times in the past that I must have made a serious mistake. So often, in fact, that I have become phlegmatic about symptoms. It has been a false alarm each time. Apart from a hopelessly low metabolism, I am relatively healthy and fit despite my now 75 years.
When I went to sleep I found that I was still sore when I lay on my side. Therefore, I decided to call my own doctor to be seen. I wasn't worried - not at all. The next morning I called. I mentioned that it was not urgent. The secretary gave me an appointment the following day, Wednesday, 20.12.23.
The usual…
My wonderful doctor felt the tender knot. It was almost gone and no longer sore. On the other hand, there was another small knot that we could both feel - among an unmanageable number of knots in the chest.
She thinks I should have it checked just to be safe. I went home. Two days later, Friday, 22.12. I received a summons for clinical mammography at a private clinic on 27 December, as the public authorities obviously did not think they could meet the investigation deadline.
I had a mammogram and then an ultrasound scan. During the latter, the doctor found occasion to take 2 core needle biopsies. I was convinced that it was non-specific inflammation. So it wasn't something that worried me.
Gentofte summoned me to a doctor's appointment on Friday, 06.01.24. In the meantime, I had informed those closest to me, including a friend who works with Reikihealing. She insisted on doing a Situation Healing for the doctor's interview.
To be continued...
1st consultation
The meeting, Gentofte
When I came in with my husband for the doctor's interview, in addition to Gentofte Hospital's doctor, there was also a general practitioner in some form of continuing education present, which I agreed to (do you have a choice, by the way?). We sat down and the female doctor started to mention that she would strongly recommend that I stop the estriol vagitories! I said I came to get answers to my biopsy. She came forward with her advice regarding hormones. I had to admit that I was unable to hear let alone understand what she was saying until I knew my biopsy answer.
Then it came. Cancer. And an aggressive type that was not hormone sensitive. After this, the doctor started talking about treatment with chemo and radiation, to make the cancerous lump smaller, so that I could have a breast-conserving operation.
Although I had been quite convinced that it was non-specific inflammation and therefore nothing serious, I was already completely clear before the meeting that I would not have to go through chemotherapy, and the resulting risk of ending up in bed with the - from the low metabolism - well-known fatigue. It was simply no life. I value quality over quantity. And I can freely allow myself that, since I have no minor children to whom I am obligated. Regarding rays I was not so clear at the time.
Therefore, it was easy for me to explain that shrinking the knot was out of the question, as I did not want chemo. Furthermore, I expressed surprise at having to stop with estiool vagitories when the nodule was not hormone sensitive. The doctor replied that it was just to be safe...
I then asked for an operation time. I could see that the GP heard me - and probably understood me too. Anyway, she was clearly good at reading people. Who knows if she helped influence what happened next?
It was therefore not immediately possible to be signed up for surgery. The doctor thought I was in some kind of shock. And by the way, it would be at least a few weeks before I could even be scheduled for an operation. All samples also had to be in place first.
The nurse
I (and my husband) now had to talk to a nurse about how the process would be.
The nurse found that my blood pressure was too high (it's usually too low) - to which I had to answer: What do you expect? I have just been told that I have serious cancer!
She could see that. The nurse then took the opportunity to try to get my husband to join the team against the decision to refuse aftercare. Probably on a theory that if pushed hard enough, I would capitulate and adjust. It did not succeed...
In the meantime, the two doctors came back and said that I would be taken to a conference next Tuesday, where they would find the best solution for me. I pointed out that it was important that she made it clear that I did not want chemo, so it was not an option that they needed to deal with.
They left the room, but reappeared shortly after. To my great joy, the doctor now offered that I could be operated on next Friday - i.e. a week later.
Huh. That day I had an agreement with the Probate Court. And that kind of thing is not something you can just change. It is actually very difficult to get in touch with them. So I had to ask if it was in any way possible with another day close to Friday. They came back a moment later and offered me surgery on Thursday. So 6 days from then.
I must say that I experienced it as absolutely fantastic good treatment and service. So I'm really impressed.
To be continued...
The operation
Starting up
Now the nurse got busy. Blood samples were missing. A tube had to be inserted into the chest. Something radioactive had to be injected that could reveal the location of something called the sentinel lymph node. This would make it easier for the surgeon to locate it so that it could be removed (without removing more lymph nodes than absolutely necessary) during surgery. Another ultrasound scan had to be done as confusion had arisen as to where exactly the nodule was located. And finally, I had to go to another doctor's appointment, as there were still no answers to all the tests.
Everything was planned and I then had to attend the above examinations and interventions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday I had to have surgery.
At the additional doctor's interview, where there was an answer to whether it was triple-negative breast cancer, it was the same female doctor (and also the same nurse – really well organised). My Reiki-healing friend had again arranged for a Situation Healing.
The conversation went so well. The doctor was extremely accommodating. She told me about her own friend, who had also just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and who had to be operated on by the same surgeon as me. It was almost cozy and we gave each other a hug when I left.
Operation
Thursday, 11.01. I met for breast-conserving surgery. It went pretty much as expected. The surgeon came and spoke to me before I was brought in for surgery (really good style – and also safe). Microscopy was done of the removed node while I was still anaesthetized. There was not enough distance for fast tissue, so one more bite was taken. But for good reasons I didn't notice anything.
To be continued...
The decision and the meeting
The decision
As soon as I got home from the 1st doctor's appointment, I decided that I wanted the COC Protocol. I therefore ordered Jane Mc Lelland's book, How to starve cancer without starving yourself, and also booked an appointment with Trude Simonsen, the Livlægerne in Kolding, who would also guide me in diet and nutritional supplements. I was still a bit undecided about radiotherapy. Just wanted to wait for the meeting with the oncologists.
3rd meeting, Gentofte
In connection with all the many agreements, I also entered into approx. 3 weeks after the operation, I had time for another doctor's meeting, where I had to get answers to the microscopy and be informed about the progress of the operation.
Before that, I could read on Sundhedsplatformen that all cancerous tissue had allegedly been removed. It was still an aggressive type, yet it was a great relief to read. That's why I didn't think a Situation Healing was necessary this time.
I went back in to the doctor I had embraced 3 weeks earlier. But where had the presence gone? It was the same person, yet a complete stranger and decidedly distancing woman I met. I got my answer. Asked for some terms from the microscopy. She didn't know anything about that. And did not mine to investigate it.
An important survival mechanism in our family is humor. We laugh a lot and have a lot of fun. So when the doctor declared that I was now healthy, and in the same sentence once again recommended chemo and radiotherapy, I couldn't help but ask if they had now started giving chemo to the healthy. She didn't think that was funny...
Strange experience after the completely unique beautiful and committed treatment I had received until then. Well - it was pretty much the same now. But I thought about it and my husband had the same experience.
Suddenly it struck me that the mentioned Situation Healing had not been done. I can't help but think that must be the difference.
Livlægerne (The life doctors), in Kolding, Denmark
At the beginning of February I was in Kolding and received a nice, if somewhat concerned, reception from Trude. She emphasized that it was an aggressive type of cancer and that I have to be quite strict with my Protocol. I had brought a detailed plan, which I, among other things, had received help and inspiration in the Facebook group Fookid for members. This was corrected and adapted here.
I was prescribed everything that the heart (of a cancer patient) could desire from medicine. And instructions on dietary restrictions and beneficial supplements.
In future, this must be followed up with blood tests and new prescriptions every 3 months. But it can be done via email and sent test answers.
To be continued...
Effectuation
The oncologists
A few days after my consultation with Livlægerne in Kolding, I had a consultation with the oncologists at Rigshospitalet. They were very nice and nice people who did everything in their power, first to answer my long list of questions, and then to convince me that it would be pretty irresponsible not to accept chemotherapy and radiation therapy .
Here I asked for statistics. And a program (Predict) was then brought up which could calculate how much it would increase my chances of surviving 5 years if I accepted the offered chemotherapy – tumor type, size, spread, age etc. taken into account.
I have to confess that I had a hard time not pulling on the smiley face when it turned out to increase my survival by a few percent. So maybe I would survive. But with a fairly high degree of certainty, I would in return save myself a sea of side effects and late effects - because I have a slightly delicate and fragile body. Also, since I have pretty hopeless veins (blood vessels) that get destroyed when anything other than saline is injected into them, and I already struggle with fatigue, this made the oncologist give up on chemo. In return, another blow was struck for the Rays.
The agreement was that I would have a week to think about it and would then be contacted by the oncologist, who by the way had reviewed the completely peripheral and quite temporary side effects and late effects I could risk. Nothing to count.
It was difficult for me to recognize these very few and insignificant side effects the oncologists thought I could risk when I compared them with what I read about in various groups on Facebook.
A week later the doctor called and I declined. He then spoke really urgently and for a long time to make me change my mind, so I chose to take another few days to think about it.
When I presented my once again wobbly decision-making process to the close family (who are virtually all within the health sector), there was expressed understanding and largely agreement that it was too risky to accept the rays. No one can know if the cancer will come back. But it was overwhelmingly likely that I would have a poor quality of life if I received radiation and thus the, for my part, almost certain consequences in the form of damage to the lungs, heart and restricted movement in the shoulder and arm. Possibly also with a reduced immune system.
Stopping radiation when/if side effects appear may be too late, as it is a well-known problem that radiation damage comes with a delay and, moreover, can appear up to several years after the end of treatment.
Dietary change
Already from the Fookid group, I was aware that it was important to avoid dairy products as much as possible (I still miss cheese). Also eliminate sugar (it was bad) and preferably eat plant products and to a lesser extent fish, shellfish and poultry. Alcohol was also a no go (my limoncello was smoking). The importance of these restrictions was further highlighted during the visit to Livlægerne.
Everything else
My understanding that it was necessary to go all out - not least when I opted out of the beaten path - meant that I received 21 consecutive daily Reiki treatments from my friend. In addition, I bought a couple of books on Tapping, which helped quite effectively with e.g. anxiety, which I could experience especially in the beginning when I went to sleep. I also acquired a handful of crystal bracelets with different stones, each supposedly having a special effect on the wearer.
Just as I embarked on different types of breathing exercises.
It was my goal to go for a walk in nature daily. On that occasion, I practice gratitude. And so far it has succeeded, except for the days when it is something close to cloudburst.
Support
To my great joy, I have experienced overwhelming support from both my close family and my friends. My choices have been understood. And I have received help in every way. What a love there is to be found.
Links to the above measures (All Danish exept Jane McLellands Homepage)
Hvordan udsulter man kræft uden at sulte sig selv (af Jane McLelland)
Fookid-gruppen (Facebook)
Kosttilskud (I mostly take them all)
Jeg har kræft (Facebookgroup, Danish)
❤
This is not a recommendation. Seek competent guidance.