Busy Bee

Just got home from my first hyperbaric oxygen treatment. It was AMAZING. I know the research out there pairing it with cancer killing can be very subjective but I don't care because it felt like an hour long meditation. What's good for the mind is what's good for the soul is what's good for the body. Below is the exact HC I used. 

The conference on Friday was fabulous. (In general, life has been superb.) Cheryl Broyels is an angel on Earth, witty, and gentle. I wish we were neighbors and could spend more time together. Tied in 1st place (next to Cheryl) is the ever impressive Dr Ben Williams. Holy cow is he a hilarious, intuitive, rogue cancer fighter. I respect and admire his no-holds-barred attitude when it comes to tumors, treatments, and doctors. He has such an honest view on life, I deeply enjoyed spending time with him! Again, if I could just be bookended in the neighborhood by those two, I would be a very, very happy girl!

At the conference there was also quite a bit of self promotion by doctors. I guess it comes with the territory, but nevertheless I was thrilled by the chance to attend the Chris Elliott Fund conference. It was a very small group of fighters and caregivers, and scanning through the crowd, seeing the various scars on the fighters' heads, gave me an unexpected feeling of belonging. Throughout the conference I had a baseline feeling of gratitude that I don't have a glioblastoma,  then, I kept oscillating between excitement (because of new knowledge), fear (the lack of new treatments), and regret (for not having worked harder to kill my tumor). 

Have you seen the tooth whitening commercial that states, "If you're not whitening, you're yellowing!" It's a very effective slogan. It always reminds me that if you're not researching and implementing new treatments to your protocol, you're missing out.

On Sunday I drove the car four blocks to PCC to pick up my buddy Jules from the bus (it was raining sheets). It was so fun!! If you look at the picture you'll notice that even my double chin was having a blast!  

While we cheered on the Seahawks (what a game), we sipped on our aptly named, Hawks Detox Smoothie...

...delish. 

Oxygen and Experts

You know when you meet someone, and spend a little time together, and you get that sense of kismet? Well, that's how I felt when I met Mackenzie, my colorist. And guess what she did...she clued me into an exciting conference happening tomorrow in Bellevue. The keynote speaker is Ben Williams, PhD, a rockstar in the brain cancer world. He's a man who cured his glioblastoma well over a decade ago by doing a variety of standard treatments, off label drugs, and supplements. There are, I believe, seven different speakers, and two different video chats (one with my new nutritionist Jeanne Wallace, PhD and the second with Dr Charles Cobb - the man doing the research with Valcyte). I'm very excited to learn about the most up-to-date drugs, treatments, and all-over care. The conference is an all day affair, starting at 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. The entire thing is free, and they even provide lunch (can't wait to see what they serve...my nutritional voice is skeptical, yet hopeful). Unfortunately, since it's happening on a Friday, Dan can't join me, but my parents got really excited and asked if they could drive over from Wenatchee and come with me. I guess it actually works out pretty well since my parents don't work on Fridays anyway, and it will give me an excuse to give them hugs. If you want to attend, check out the Chris Elliott Fund website, they are hosting. I just can't believe how fortunate I am that I get to attend this, and meet so many influential people in the brain cancer network. This. Is. Huge.

I'm so excited about this!!! It's going to be exhausting, and I'd better record a bunch of it or I'll forget most of it (maybe they'll have transcripts later?). I just love it when people send me information about brain tumor stuff, I am SO grateful. It's impossible to keep up-to-date on all the goings on. I feel like I have all these helpers, like an army. You guys are like my own brain tumor seals, or those super awesome reconnaissance peeps. That what's you guys are. Totally stealth. Totally amazing.

Also, I am very excited to share that I have my first hyperbaric oxygen session on Monday. I will have three consecutive sessions on three consecutive days, then the following day (Thursday) is my Dopa Pet scan and MRI scan down at UCLA. The oxygen therapy is very exciting. Cancer hates oxygen, so the more oxygen you take in, the more you starve the cancer. That's one of the reasons why walking, and meditation are so beneficial. Mentally, I'm looking at my sessions as lung massages. Very fun! Even Professor Seyfried touts the benefits of HOCs along with a low carb diet.

One Example of a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

Ok, I'm off on my walk to the blood lab again, apparently they didn't draw enough blood for all of my panels the other day. Ugh. More needles. Oh well, at least I don't have to pay for their mistake. Well, I guess my veins have to pay for it, but whatever. Not the end of the world, and I guess it forces me out for a walk, so maybe it's a good thing. :)