Abrupt change of course

I guess it's time for another update.  I had the second bisphosphonate infusion this week (bone strengthening drug), a different, older drug this time called Aredia.  Very little in the way of side effects, so that's good.  These will continue ongoing, once every four or five weeks for probably two years.

But it's been a tumultuous few days, as I discovered from a source I really respect (Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez) that the ketogenic diet I was pinning all my hopes on for chasing away the myeloma, really doesn't work as a cancer cure.  It was like a bucket of cold water over my head.  I feel like I got on a train heading one direction and picking up a good speed and then it just slammed on the brakes and had to reverse course.  I had put SO much energy and planning into that diet, and was 2/3 onto it.  It isn't easy to change your food around.

Here is a link to Dr. Gonzalez talking about it, and his article.  Darn.  (well my first reaaction was more like s***, but I'm too polite to say that here) 

One good thing that did come out of that experiment, however, was how much I like eating low-carb.  You feel so much more energy and clear headed, and my blood glucose came down about 10 points to a really good number, so anyone with blood sugar issues, take note.  Paleo is the way to go and I will hopefully be sticking as closely to that way of eating as possible (not as strict as ketogenic, but still low carb, slightly higher protein).  Dr. Gonzalez also recommends myeloma patients should eat more meat, not less, so that fits well with the Paleo way of eating.

So in a matter of a very few days I've had to come to the realization that it's most likely drug therapies for me in the very near future.  Having read SO many books about the dangers of chemotherapy and the benefits of natural treatments, this is hard for me to get my thinking around, that this is now the thing that will ultimately cure me.  The myeloma drugs aren't considered chemo per se, so that's one good thing, at least.  I don't have to associate them with the "evil" chemotherapy.  [apologies to anyone who has been helped by chemo drugs]  And everyone who has done them and come out the other side (complete remission) as well as my doctor, says it is very important to tackle this beast early rather than letting it get out of control.  Which it is starting to do for me.

Between now and the next blood draw (not for six more weeks) I'm trying a "hail Mary" pass of a last couple of natural therapies:  Dr. Gonzalez' pancreatic enzymes in the high amounts he prescribes for all his patients, as well as the Black Seed Oil cancer protocol.  If those have any effect whatsoever, we may have to recalculate course yet again and continue that path, but it's looking increasingly likely that the myeloma drugs will be in my future.

I had a very encouraging talk with a friend of an old friend in Miami who also has/d myeloma, and she went the drug route at first (taking Thalidomide to wipe it out, believe it or not), and she said you basically have to use the best of both worlds.  Tackle it quickly using the heavy drugs, then use the natural therapies to build yourself back up and keep it at bay.  She has been in Complete Remission (the gold prize) for over 14 years now.  So it looks like that, for now, will be the plan.  Unless there is some miracle with the enzymes and Black Seed Oil.