Over the last few days, since my CA-125 bloodtest, I’ve been wondering about the result. Not stressing, more like being very curious.
Yesterday was doctor’s appointment. He wanted to know about my camino hike and said what a tremendous accomplishment that was. Then he showed me the paper with result, which was high. Another few points added to the fear scale.
I said, “Oh this just shows that there is more sugar in my blood.”
He just smiled but didn’t reply. Checked my lungs, which were clear. He noticed my weight and said I’d lost 8 pounds since May. I said I would hope so as I’d just walked nearly 500 miles. But, back to discussion as to what treatment.
I told him I did not want chemo. Should be the very last choice. He said that in his opinion I should have surgery. When I reminded him that the Denver specialist we consulted did not want to touch me without chemo, he assured me that we could find someone else. He was concerned about possible “seed pods” in the abdomen. He explained that P.E.T can’t “see” those and if they’d turned cancerous, I would be in a difficult place. Only through surgery could they look around and see other areas. Of course, this surgery would not be without dangers. The same is true, though, with Cyberknife or any other.
I asked if he would go “outside the box” with me and help me with alternate treatments. I still have about $500 worth of Iscador and other holistic meds I’d brought from Germany, and which have to be injected but ONLY by a Physician. He said he knew of 2 holistic docs in Ridgway. I said O.K. we’ll wait until P.E.T results and then I need to do something quickly. He said: “Inge, you really need to. This is cancer we’re dealing with.”
I told him that chemo had not done too well for my friend Phyllis, who died while I was on the camino. Different cancer but same effect, as for so many.
My blood pressure was up but I’d imagine it was due to anxiety. After my walk, it had dropped 10 points.
I’m scared but want to have ONE more chance before pumping poision or radiation inside and kill off half my cells and then experience those side effects. Once this is done, any holistic approach would be extremely difficult to remedy the situation. Of course, holistic means also very expensive.
I am still researching for places which have a different approach. There are quite a few choices.
I needed to breath and I needed to walk. I made a quick salad, a small sandwich, took a bottle of water, grabbed my poles, and drove up to the Black Canyon.
We’d had a week of rain, snow, gray and I couldn’t walk a lot. I drove in and parked my car. Snow-covered brush and canyon walls. Beautiful view, sun, and only a gentle breeze. I was the only person. I took my day pack, which was astoundingly light, my poles, and walked. I noticed soon that where I would’ve been slowing down or was out of breath, previously, after all, this is 10,000 feet. I just plowed through. It felt so good to just walk. Then, the familiar click-clack of my poles. Stillness, peace. I saw tracks in the snow from all sorts of wildlife. Rabbits and large tracks, probably elk.
I thought back to just a couple of months ago, when I walked and wondered what the camino would be like. Now, I was back looking around and noticing how similar the view and the absence of noise. I’d also noticed that I clipped that 1.3 miles in under 25 minutes.
I stopped at the picnic bench, brushed off the snow and had my lunch , I looked around and enjoyed the peacefulness. I walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The Gunnison river was like a small glittering ribbon. The walls of the canyon looked like they had been dusted with powedered sugar. It is so very beautiful there.
I didn’t come home with any answers to the decision I have to make but it sure made me more peaceful. I won’t be able to go up there when it snows again as I won’t have the proper boots and the terrain will be too difficult to walk. But, there are plenty of nice trails close to town.
Now, meanwhile, waiting for P.E.T scan and those results. That’s the BIGGIE.