Here’s what’s happened since I wrote last month. I’m not a candidate for a thermal ablation because of the location of the tumor in my lung. It is very close to both the diaphragm and the spinal cord and both could get burned from the heat of a thermal ablation. The doctor recommends major surgery — large incision, cutting out part of my ribs to get to the lungs, and “scooping it out.” This would require a week in the hospital and 10 weeks recovery time.
I’ve taken time to think about this, meditate, and get in touch with my intuition. Because the tumor in my lung is very slow growing, and the growth has actually slowed down in the past year, I’m not in a hurry to subject my body to an invasive surgery.
I learned that Kelly Ann Turner did her PhD thesis last year on Spontaneous Remission of Cancer. She found that there are six “treatments” that may elicit spontaneous remissions. They are: (1) deepening one’s spirituality; (2) trusting in intuition regarding health decisions; (3) releasing negative and/or repressed emotions; (4) feeling love/joy/happiness; (5) changing one’s diet; and (6) taking herbal/vitamin supplements.
Already practicing #2, my intuition is that this is an opportunity for me to employ the six “treatments.” I put “treatments” in quotes because I think of a treatment as something someone does to me, and these are all inside jobs. They are all things I have to do for myself, that will improve my life whether they affect my tumor or not. So why not focus on these for six months? Then I’ll have another scan to see what the tumor is doing (if it’s still there).
As I’m working on these six “treatments,” I am going to write a weekly blog to let you know what I’m doing, what the challenges are, and what the gifts are. The blog will start in March so watch the March eNewsletter for information.
Some of you have asked what I have done to slow down the growth of the tumor in the past year, and I think it has been mostly diet and supplements (#5 and #6). I have been fortunate to be immersed in the Cancer-Fighting Kitchen workshop that Healing Journeys has been offering. The information is empowering and I have made many changes in my diet. I have also been working with Jeanne Wallace’s office, having recommended blood tests, and taking supplements she has recommended based on my test results. I will share more details in future blog posts.
Last week I went to Cabo San Lucas for a wonderful vacation with my friend, Patty, where I activated #1 and #4. Wonder if my health insurance will pay for this “treatment.”
Thank you for your prayers and good wishes. I feel so blessed to be able to share my healing journey with you. It feels like an answer to my prayer to “make me an instrument.”
Please leave a reply, or read comments left by others. Thank you!
In the spirit of healing,
Jan Adrian, MSW
Founder and Program Director
Thanks for your inspiration. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Hi Jan–I’ve been listening to Pema Chodron’s CD. I think it’s “When Things Fall Apart–Heart Advice for Difficult Times” and one thing she talked about has really stayed with me. She says when we meet our edge, if we can stay with it, things can change. She said the edge for her Aunt is if you move a lamp in her living room, but, obviously, it’s different for each of us–she said that because we get to a point that we feel we can’t bear, that’s when addictions come into play, some way to soften things. But that there is no birth without death. I’ve been going through a lot of difficulty for the last several months and I have found that this has been very helpful.