Doug Prouty's Battle for Health

Monday, October 29th

Neuropathy

The doctors and nurses throw the word neuropathy around as a common side effect for chemotherapy and due to cancerous tumors around the nerves. Diabetes maybe the most common cause, but it can also occur with herpes, HIV-AIDS, alchoholism, and exposure to nuerotoxins like chemotherapy. Essentially, it’s a loss of feeling in your legs, hands and/or feet. I have been dealing with it for some time, but I am not sure I will ever get comfortable with it.

It first appeared in my case back in the summer of 2005. I was on a chemo regimen called FOLFOX, which included the drug Oxiloplatin. This is a platinum-based drug that causes loss of feeling in your extremities. Once I got off the drug and asked the doctor when the numbness might go away, he said six months to a year. That was over two years ago and I still have very little feeling in my fingers and toes.

This recent run with Xeloda, also had a side effect of messing with my hands and feet. Not only did it bring pain but a red blistering as well. I have been off it over a month now and still have pain, numbness and skin trouble. This week when the nurse asked about any pain that I might be experiencing, I mentioned my hands and feet. She understood and said that nerve damage takes awhile to heal.

Nerve damage?! I hadn’t thought of it that way. Makes it sound worse for some reason.

The doctors and nurses are quick to offer a prescription to help you deal with the pain and discomfort. I just have a hard time accepting a prescription drug to counter the side effects of another drug. Sounds a little too cyclical and unhealthy to me. My comment is always the same. “Thanks but no thanks, I am on enough drugs.” In the meantime, I wait and anticipate the return of feelings in my hands and feet and a decrease in pain.

Doug on 10.29.07 @ 08:52 AM PST [link] [No Comments]

Thursday, October 25th

Phthalates – That New Car Smell

Phthalates are an additive that softens polyvinyl-chloride plastic. Phthalates are contained in everything from shower curtains to flooring to teething rings to cosmetics (to help with skin adhesion). In hospitals they are prevalent in plastic tubing (like the type I use with my oxygen) and IV bags (chemo). Any plastic that is soft and pliable most likely contains phthalates. As the plastic ages, phthalates will “sweat” into the air or they can come off on contact. That new car smell is the phthalates in the dashboard as they leave the plastic. This then results in it becoming hard and brittle.

The biggest concern with phthalates is their ability to disrupt hormonal systems, also known as endocrine disrupters. This is a particular concern within children. Amongst many studies, one from the Harvard School of Public Health showed alarmingly high amounts of phthalates in hospitalized babies. And according to many studies and announced by the National Toxicology Program, these exposures seriously affect the development of the male reproductive tract.

The European Union, which includes 27 countries and a huge economic base, is doing something about it. In 1999 they setup a temporary ban on six different phthalates in children’s toys and teethers intended to be mouthed by children. By 2007, they have permanently banned these from all children’s toys. Austria and Germany have taken it a step further and have limited their use in plastic that touches food. Other countries such as Mexico, Japan, Argentina and Canada have also initiated bans.

Ironically, the research and reports that led to the bans, came from the United States. Yet, currently, we have no limits on the use of phthalates in our plastics. So the same toy sold here and in Europe could, and does, have different toxicity levels. Being a country that is litigious, we wait for a class action lawsuit and evidence of 100% that these chemicals are dangerous, before action is taken. However, in 1971, NASA determined that these chemicals become more volatile in space and have banned them from an astronaut’s living environment ever since. As expected, there is strong corporate lobby resistance at the state and national level to any limits or bans on plastic additives.

Doug on 10.25.07 @ 11:34 AM PST [link] [2 Comments]

Wednesday, October 24th

Sedentary Hobbies

Besides a few unpleasant side effects from chemo these days, what frustrates me most is my lung capacity. I always seemed to be surprised by what little activity causes me to start breathing hard. Just getting dressed or loading something in the car forces me to stop and catch my breath. Today I tried to do a little yard work. Since last weekend marked the one-year anniversary of my half marathon, true vitality and capacity was not that far away. I look at my road bicycle hanging in the garage and wonder if I will ever “heal” enough to get back on it. It’s certainly remains a goal and a great motivator.

I love hobbies that involve projects. When I was young I used to work on cars. In our first house I added a master bedroom, bath and office on my own. The deck along side our current house continues to grow. And when I think of things I wish I had done, hand building a wooden kayak is high on my list. So being physically limited is not something I am used to.

So to fill some of my time, I have taken up a few sedentary hobbies. Over the last year, I have been customizing and rebuilding electric guitars. I have about six or seven of them and often one is in pieces on the dining room table. Now, finding different parts on eBay and soldering different wiring patterns have become my new challenge. The Internet continues to be a hobby as I read and post frequently.

Most recently I have taken up watercolor painting. I have done a little drawing in the past but never painting. So I enrolled in an adult education class that meets every Wednesday from 9am to noon. There are 30+ in the class and many of them have been coming to the same class for years. I am the baby in skills and age as my fellow classmates are all senior citizens. I am happy with my first attempts but I have lot to learn. My paintings you see here are of my favorite subject, Europe. The first is Grinzing, which is a little wine producing region in Vienna, Austria. Jeanette and I lived just down the street from there for several years. The second you will recognize as Venice. This is the view of St. George’s Island from the steps of the Doge’s Palace at Piazza San Marco.

So, though I am no longer out running, cycling or swimming, I am seeking activities that will keep my interest and keep me learning.

Doug on 10.24.07 @ 07:55 AM PST [link] [3 Comments]

Monday, October 22nd

My Support Group

Last week, while I was sitting in my chemo chair at Alta Bates Medical Center, the nurse asked her usual round of questions. I guess they have a standard survey form because I answered them the week before as well. She looks over the results of my blood lab work and asks questions like, how severe my side effects are, if I have pain, am I eating well, etc. One of the final questions is, “How is your mental status?” Instead of answering right away like the other questions, this one caused me to laugh. Quickly realizing that she might interpret the laugh as one from a deranged mind, I tried to clarify. “I guess I am doing OK for someone with advanced stage cancer and sitting through their third round of chemo in a little over two years.”

She went on to ask if I was involved in a support group or was getting counseling. I told her I was never much for support groups. When Jeanette and I first found out that our daughter was autistic, we attended a few groups with other parents. It never turned out to be much support and more of a chance for parents to express their anger and disappointment. Not the kind of vibrations we were looking for. A couple of years ago I attended a few sessions for cancer sufferers at the local cancer support facility. Though some talked of alternative things they were seeking, others mostly complained about symptoms, side effects, medical coverage and doctors. Not for me.

So the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this blog and all of you who read it are my support group. Here, I get the chance to share what I am going through and you get to give feedback. It is therapeutic for me, giving me an outlet that is really beneficial. So I want to thank all of you for reading this and staying with me. Your support means more than you know.

I have a lot of experience with online communities and I know that only about 10% or less of the group regularly respond or give feedback. When I am face to face with people, I realize how many people are reading and following my progress. This blog’s address has been shared by many and is also found through Google searches. So I know that I am lucky enough to have a large group of family and friends out there staying connected and supporting my family and me.

Thank you! smile
Doug on 10.22.07 @ 09:09 AM PST [link] [14 Comments]

Wednesday, October 17th

Chlorella

Chlorella is yet another supplement that I have decided to add to my daily fist-full. You can find it in health stores in capsule, powder or liquid extract form. Fairly new to pulic use, it actually arrived on the planet over 2.5 billion years ago, and was the first plant with a well-defined nucleus. It still exists as single cell algae. It grows in freshwater and has a chlorophyll value of 28.9g/kg, making it the highest chlorophyll content of any known plant on earth. It is also high in enzymes, vitamins (C, B1, B2, B6, B12, K, niacin, folic acid, lipoic acid, and biotin) and minerals (phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iodine, magnesium, iron and copper). Studies show it has the ability to activate macrophages that scavenge and digest cancer cells and showing anti-tumor properties when fed to mice.

Of the common three algae (chlorella, spirulina and blue-green) and the two cereal grasses (wheat and barley), chlorella is considered to be superior for health benefits. Commercially, chlorella is grown in mineral-rich mountain spring water without pesticides or other contaminates. What follows is a list of benefits from taking chlorella.

* Detoxifies the body by cleansing heavy metals as well as the blood stream, liver, kidneys, and bowel
* Improves digestive system by promoting friendly flora
* Improves focus
* Packed with antioxidants
* Promotes a healthy pH balance
* Increases production of interferon
* Stimulates production of red blood cells
* Increases oxygen to your body's cells and brain
* Stimulates tissue repair
* Benefits the heart by cutting cholesterol, improving artery elasticity and removing toxins

According to what I have read, “there is no other green plant under the Sun that is more beneficial to the human body than Chlorella.”

Doug on 10.17.07 @ 04:47 PM PST [link] [1 Comment]

Monday, October 15th

Back to Drip Chemo

So here I sit in a nice comfortable easy chair. A remote control adjustment and a call button next to me that will bring a nurse on demand. I have my laptop and my iPod to keep me distracted. Meanwhile I sit and get infusions into my chest of the chemotherapy drugs Irinotecan, Avastin, 5FU, and leucovoran. This is the standard drug protocol for advanced colon cancer. I was on the same regiment for two months back in March 2006 when I quit and headed south of the border to check into a clinic in Mexico.

After a year and a half of resisting chemo, I have decided to give it another try. Tumors have progressed so much that this seems to be my only option to try and arrest things. Though I am only given about a 30% chance of results that are positive, at this point it is worth a try. Depending on your oncologist, it doesn’t always seem to be that you have a choice.

The drugs did hit me hard. I had my infusion on Thursday and was pretty tired over the weekend. I am hoping that I start to feel better as the week progresses.

Doug on 10.15.07 @ 08:12 AM PST [link]

Sunday, October 7th

Independence

I have never been surrounded by so much love and have felt so alone.

I just spent all of Friday with Jeanette and Nick in Monterey at the aquarium and various wharf locations. What a great day with two of the three people I love the most. Then yesterday was a full day at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival listening to great live music and hanging out with my best friends.

I know people want to do for me whatever they can. Many aren’t sure what they can do, and I am not really sure either. Maybe that will become apparent as time passes. I had a realization over the past couple of days that I am most likely dying of this disease, and I am discovering that death and dying is a lonely thing. In the end you are alone with the act. There also important decisions to make that are really your own. If my lungs keep going south, will I die of suffocation? Does that mean I lay in a bed heavily sedated with morphine and an oxygen mask strapped to my face? I am not sure I want my son and daughter to see and remember me that way. It seems, more and more, how I am remembered is important to me.

I also don’t think I want to die at home. I would hate to have Jeanette and the kids be reminded of my death or my final days whenever they look at the bed or bedroom. In the end, I would prefer to be thought of as a guardian angel on the shoulder than a ghost in the house.

Doug on 10.07.07 @ 11:12 AM PST [link]

Thursday, October 4th

Good News – Bad News

I just returned from a doctor’s appointment to discuss the results of my latest scans and to talk about future treatment. I know that the tumors in my lungs have progressed, as I am unable to do much without oxygen support. So it was no real surprise when my doctor stated that it was her main concern. Because of this progression, it is concluded that the chemotherapy drug I have been on, 5FU (xeloda), is not effective. Again, no surprise as it was the main drug in my first round of chemo when, during treatment, my colon cancer spread to my lungs and spine. Still, I have been living life ignoring these facts and it is always a tough hit when it is laid out in front of you.

The good news is that there are no other tumors in any other organs. One of my last CT scans showed some small unknowns in my liver so I feared for the worst on this recent scan. At least I am thankful for that news.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am not a big fan of chemotherapy. I have had my share and done enough research to be disappointed in the results we get. Considering the mental, financial and time commitment we have made as a nation, it seems we should be seeing better results than 2 to 3% success. That said, I have spent a lot of my own resources in finding and using alternative options. Since those have not seemed to stave off this disease, I will give conventional medicine another try. On Thursday I go into intravenous chemotherapy with the drugs Camptosar and Avastin. Camptosar made me very nauseous and sick when I first had it. So I am a little reluctant. So armed with lots of anti-nausea drugs, I will give it another try.

Challenging my doctor to give me her feelings about how successful we may be, she gave me about a 30% chance of success with these drugs. She has seen Avastin successfully reduce tumors in her patients. My past oncologist thought Avastin was working a year and a half ago when I chose to quit that second round of chemo and head for Mexico for treatment.

So today brought a few tears and a little ray of hope.

Doug on 10.04.07 @ 01:46 PM PST [link]

Monday, October 1st

Some Like It Hot

The Egyptians treated tumors with heat back in 5,000 BC. The great ancient physician Parmenides said, "Give me a chance to create a fever and I will cure any disease.” Nobel Prize Winners, Dr. A. Lwoff, Dr. Werner Zabel, and Dr. Josef Issels, recommend and use fever therapies extensively. Dr. Josef Issels, one of the leading cancer specialists in the world, has said, "Artificially induced fever has the greatest potential in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer." It seems that Hyperthermia hits cancer cells in three ways:

1. Removing accumulations of stored toxic chemicals that cause cancer
2. Improving circulation so that tissues are both nourished with oxygen and flushed of acidic metabolic wastes
3. Weakening or even killing cancer cells that have a lower tolerance for heat than healthy cells.

Famous cancer specialist Dr. Werner Zabel told this following true story, which illustrates the cancer-preventive and cancer-healing effect of artificially induced fever:
“Not far from Rome, Italy, there were huge swampy areas called the Pontine Swamps. These swamps were excellent breeding grounds for malaria mosquitoes, and the whole area was affected by malaria. Then, by government action, the Pontine Swamps were drained and dried out. As a result malaria completely disappeared. But Italian medical researchers made a remarkable observation. While earlier the whole malaria-infected area was completely free from cancer, now, one generation later, it had the same prevalence of cancer as the rest of Italy. The scientists concluded that the frequent fever attacks common in malaria stimulated the body's own defenses so that cancer could not develop.”

Not only is this then an effective cancer treatment, but also it often reduces pain that allows for better quality of life. In my case, it eases nerve pain that shoots down my arms. I try and take a hot bath each night. If you lay submerged for 45 minutes or so, the body temperature rises to that of the tub’s water. A bath at around 100 to 103 degrees will be sufficient to simulate a body fever that will help increase circulation and fight the cancer cells.

Doug on 10.01.07 @ 04:47 PM PST [link]

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Doug's Battle for Health

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