Embracing the Journey: Part 1

Healing is a process.
Healing takes time and effort.

I remember so clearly just wanting to zap something into Ryan’s body and he be free of cancer so we could move on with life, leave it behind and in a way, forget it. Needless to say that was definitely not part of our story. While the conventional/allopathic world of medicine has had some breakthroughs with lymphomas as there are proven cure rates for several types, Follicular Lymphoma is one that remains to be on the non-curable side as the cancer always comes back and ends in 99% death rate at a future time. Ryan’s story started with advanced cancer as he had cancer from the neck all the way to the groin with a basketball sized cluster in his abdomen. He also presented with a right collapsed lung due to a pleural effusion and metastasis in the spleen and bone marrow at diagnosis. Anyone familiar with our story knows that within a few months of diagnosis the oncologist gave Ryan 2 months to live (December 2015).

Since Ryan’s hopeful PET Scan December of 2016 we have continued on the healing journey. While we knew that it was great news, we were also very keenly aware of Follicular Lymphoma’s reputation. We both knew there was still work to do. Ryan’s body may have shown no detectable cancer by scan, but we knew there was still a lot going on in Ryan’s body. And, just because a scan doesn’t show lumps or bumps, there can still be cancer in the background. Ryan’s lungs were still not fully clear as 9 months of bilateral pleural effusions had taken a toll on the ability to breathe normally. We knew his belly had made major headway but a little bit of ascites was still lingering around; so small that it was not worth attempting to drain thru a paracentesis. Since the small amount of fluid was still there it was another sign that the body had more healing to do. We knew his liver had taken major hits as it grew twice its size at certain times as well as many months of edema, ascites and pain which combined are signs of impending liver failure. Months later I read thru all the CT Scans and twice multiple lesions were mentioned (but never confirmed as cancer – it was not discussed with us). We knew Ryan’s muscle mass had gone to essentially nothing as a 50 pound weight loss for a 170lb, 5’11” man is rather unhealthy and the rebuilding process was going to take a while. We knew that even though Ryan felt amazingly well in spite of everything it was still going to be a process to heal. A beaten body doesn’t simply bounce back as if nothing has happened. Continued healing is a process, and for some a rather long process.

During the month of December 2016 I took the time to listen to eye opening audios that shaped the way of how I now look at deficiencies and multi-factorial root causes. Ryan’s issues are definitely multi-factorial which we are still uncovering. To this day I am continuing to learn and dig deeper, and every time I realize more and more how amazing and complex our bodies truly are. I also realize how little we all really know about the human body and the effects of everything around us from water, air, food and so much more. In addition, the ties between our emotions and how our cells respond to these emotions blows my mind. The way energy, both negative and positive, works thru our body either creating longer life or cutting healthy cell life is amazing. For me, researching how the body works is something I desire to continue.

When I look at healing physically it is like a puzzle. All the pieces are there but there is no picture to guide you. It takes time to put all the pieces together. Ryan was 35 years old at diagnosis and cancer had been developing for at least 3-4 years, some say a decade. By the time we started to even get a glimpse of what healing looks like his body was on the brink of death. For us, this is a journey and it may be a long journey. For others their journey may be much shorter. Either way, it doesn’t matter because our journey is ours and everyone has their own journeys to walk thru.

This is a journey we have come to embrace. 

So where is Ryan now?

(Here is part one of three covering Ryan’s health. For now I’ll catch up December 2016 thru April 2017. If I cover May thru July now it would sooooo long! Do you really want a long novel for this blogpost? I think not 🙂 . . . the next blog will update from May to current.)

In December 2016 we celebrated while keeping a modified healing plan of supplements, therapies and treatments (all alternative). This included many pills, tinctures, IV therapies, detoxification and a continued high percentage plant based diet.

Mid-January quickly came and Ryan started working out at our local gym. He started weight training and general aerobic exercise . . . in March a hernia developed. A hernia. Talk about a setback. We researched all our options. We asked friends on Facebook. We inquired, we searched. By late April the hernia had grown and Ryan ended up at the ER because it became strangulated. After pain meds were administered the hernia was able to go back in and surgery was imminent.  Ugh, yes a big fat ugh! Five days later Ryan had double inguinal hernia surgery. It was a setback, a huge setback. Ryan went from being active, in the sun and thriving to laying in bed. It was a longer than usual hard recovery and to top it off his immune system was attacked by the plethora of drugs administered in surgery: antibiotics, pain meds, anesthesia, anti-nausea meds and who knows what else. I understand that all those drugs are part of what one signs up for when electing surgery. However, the studies showing the potential side effects of all of these drugs especially for someone with Ryan’s prior history should not be underestimated. Ryan’s labs went out of whack and in the following months we had to work really hard to get them to start stabilizing.

May came with many more surprises as Ryan continued to recover from the double hernia surgery . . . stay tuned. I promise Part 2 to Ryan’s health updates will be uploaded within 7 days. 🙂 .  . . ha! Less than 7 days later I have realized this will become a 3 part series! Stay tuned!

 

(Hints on next week’s topics: dental issues, toxic air, nagalese testing, CTC counts, nutrient testing and more.)

~Caroline Luelf
Life Loved,
Live Free . . .
Because YOLO!