New Health Plan, Life at Mom's, More Spiritual Lessons

Fun card from my friend Jocelyn, my friends have been WONDERFUL!!

I've been home, and when I say home, I mean my Mom's house, from the hospital for almost two weeks now. It's been an interesting transition because a) I'm not in my own home b) I haven't lived with another person in a decade c) It's been longer than that since I've lived with my Mom d) We've had Home Health Care people (nurses, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc) in and out all week e) and my biggest accomplishment was I learned how to shower myself again (which I'm proud of).

My book stash

All in all, stressful, but BRILLIANT at the same time. Today is my 31st birthday and I'm so grateful for all the lessons I've learned this past year. I've been in the hospital three times; I spent the best weekend of my life at Kripalu with my mentor Gabrielle Bernstein and met my Spirit Junkie Sisters, who have supported me all the way. I also had the worst vacation of my life with my Spring trip to Oregon; dropped out of a Vipassana meditation retreat, got rained on at the beach, and lost in Portland. Visited the Harry Potter theme park, yipee! I suddenly have a new family; soon to be step Mom, 5 grown "brothers and sisters" and 2 young ones, and numerous uncles, aunts, etc. My Dad is happier than I've ever seen him. My cancer is dissolving and recent events provided me with a new Soul Sister. Overall, I am grateful and looking forward to homemade manicotti and some delicious chocolate cake concoction from  Eden Alley. I also hope to venture out once or twice this weekend; one to spent a lovey Sunday afternoon at a local ice cream parlour, Murray's with my new family. 

Delicious green smoothie, I call it the Kindness Smoothie (spinach, mint, cacao nibs, bee pollen, honey, banana, and a probiotic)

Having my Mom as a caretaker, I have a pretty dedicated health plan, which already is working. My blood pressure, which has been low for several months, is now normal. I can already do many things for myself that shock the physical/occupational therapists. One of the things on my list, CoQ10 has a testimonial from a guy who had an infraction rate (it's how much blood your heart is pumping through your veins) of 22% (mine is 20% and normal is 55-75%) and in six months went up to 50%! There are also similar stories of people doing this with something call Limu Juice, which has a special seaweed. In orange juice, it's not bad. I'm doing both, plus Hawthorn Berry for my heart. 

Written in a card by one of my Spirit Junkie Sisters

We've also started QiGong exercises, a Chinese technique that moves the Chi and has healed millions for the last thousand years or so. Very simple, slow exercises. I also have arm exercises to build up my strength and muscle and will be starting a simple yoga in the next week. I am also doing a healing technique called the Healing codes, which is similar to EFT in some ways, but more about shifting energy. I do it in combination to the Violet Flame, a healing prayer/meditation. 

Re-reading Spirit Junkie for the Wild Sisterhood book club

I'm excited to be healing, and look forward to having a fantastic birthday, and incredible summer at Kripalu. I also have done some writing, and have three pieces coming out in three different publications over the next month!! I will post more details when I have them. 

Also, don't forget I have two other blogs, Radical Self Love and Enlightened by Books. 

Gratitude and Love,

Shanna

Health, Life, 'etc.

I've been rather quiet for the last week and a half. Last Friday, February 17th, I posted how wonderful things were going. And they were. Friday I got up, had a lovely lunch with a friend, did a bit of shopping, and was preparing to drive to my Mom's to meet up for a movie when CRASH! I got in my car after hitting up Old Navy and suddenly I just crashed. I felt every ounce of energy just run out of my body and I could barely keep my eyes open. I called my Mom, sent my apologizes for the movie, and drove home. It was a 20 minute drive and I swear I didn't think I would make it. I finally got home, walked in the house, threw done my coat and crawled into bed. This was around 4pm in the afternoon. I woke up several hours later, and had some juice. I made it about an hour and crashed again. Several hours later, woke up for more juice, then crash. I have literally been sleeping since then.

Friday the 24th I broke my juice fast, had some roasted root veggies (along with some juice). Slept some more, had a little bit of Indian food, and Friday night I was up from 4:30 to almost 2am, the longest period of awakeness in over a week. I slept on and off through the night, getting up for coconut water, raw nuts, and juice a few times. Around 7am I could no longer sleep. so I got up, and went out to get some more juice and intended on hitting up Trader Joe's for some salads and good food to transition out of my juice feast. I got the juice, about half of what I normally had been doing, but was too tired to tackle Trader Joe's. I ended up having some  juice and fresh aloe and then went back to sleep. I woke up again early afternoon, and managed to stay up for 3-4 hours, took a short 1.5 hour nap, and had some more Indian food and watched Merlin and managed to stay up for another few hours. I then slept through most of Saturday night. Sunday morning I got up around 9:30, because my Dad called and said he and his posse (explain in a minute), were on the way. They spent about an hour or so with me, then I spent about another hour talking to my Mom on the phone. I went back to sleep for about two hours, and have been up ever since, although I suspect I'll be ready for bed once I finish this post as it's nearly Midnight. I am still fatigued, but doing much better, and tomorrow (Monday) my Mom and her friends are coming to clean and get some Trader Joe's for me.

So what happened?

1. I hate juicing with a fiery passion, but after getting out of the hospital, I knew I needed to give my body a break, get cleaned out, and let it focus on healing. Juicing takes all the work of digestion out, therefore allowing the body to focus on other things. So instead of doing it personally, we would buy juices from a local establishment, 80 oz, daily. While this seemed like a perfect solution, upon reflection I realize that while tasty, most of the juice were high in fruit and the vegetables used were sweeter veggies such as beets, carrots, cucumber, etc. There weren't a lot of dark leafy greens. So while it helped tremendously at first, after awhile my body felt like it was missing something, which it was.  
2. Also, initially my body was doing an awesome job moving "stuff" on out. However, this past week that has slowed, and I started having pain when going to the bathroom. Low and behold, I developed hemorrhoids! Ugh! I've never had them before, so it took me a few days to figure out what was wrong. I've been taking a couple different treatments for the last several days, but they are stubborn bastards and don't seem to want to go away. Besides intense pain, one of the effects of hemorrhoids is constipation. So I'm hoping the colon cleanse will help. It turns everything into pure liquid, so should be easier to release. But since I'm having problems in that area, my body has because a bit toxic, so I need to get stuff out!

So as of now, I'm transition from juicing to solid foods again. I plan on having a superfood smoothie for breakfast, a nice salad for lunch, and something like a Buddha bowl, soup or gluten free pasta for dinner. I'm  going to get some grapes and raw nuts for snacking. This should keep me back in balance. 

Well, I have some life updates as well, but as this post is long enough already, I'll save them for my next post. 

Cancer Thrivers: Polly Noble

This is the third entry in my Cancer Thrivers Series. You can check out the first two entries here:


Cancer Thriver: Jess from the Wellness Warrior
Cancer Thriver: Cortney from Green Drink Diaries

Polly has an amazing story and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to share it with you today. 




I understand this is your second time with cancer; the first you followed the traditional methods. How did you feel when the cancer returned, and what made you decide to explore options outside of chemo? Most people don't even realize they have any, so how did you discover holistic healing?

Obviously being told the cancer had returned was disappointing as no-one ever wants to be told they have cancer, especially not twice in 4 years! But I took it as best I could and vowed to do as much as possible to make myself well again. I refused to let this cancer be my downfall. During my first diagnosis, I had read The Journey by Brandon Bays who healed herself naturally by healing emotional issues that had remained unresolved. This opened up to me a whole new world of alternative healing and the possibility of the body healing itself. From here, I just read and read more books on how the body was designed to heal so when I was diagnosed for the second time and coupled with the fact i had suffered very badly with side effects from conventional treatment such as chemo and radiotherapy, it was kind of a no brainer to try a more natural approach.

How did you family and friends respond to your choice to go the alternative route?

I sat my family down and said, “you may not like nor understand why or what I’m doing but I feel that this is for me to heal naturally. I don’t want to know if you disagree or have concerns - it’s not helpful for me to hear it so please keep it to yourself. I just need to know you love and support me” to which they agreed because they are amazing.

Did you work with a regular Oncologist or some form of holistic doctor? How do you feel you were treated?

I have had to become my own doctor! I am fortunate to have an oncologist who is very understanding and happy for me to do this my way. I have employed a team of practitioners from acupuncturists to energy healers to integrative doctors so that I have a support system available to me as and when i need them but ultimately it’s me that decides what to do and when which I encourage others to do. It’s so easy to give your power away to your doctor but it’s up to the person with cancer to take responsibility and do everything they can to help themselves heal or live with cancer peacefully.

Did you use any detox tools to help move the toxins out, such as enemas, skin brushing, foot bath, etc?

I do daily enemas, skin brushing, far infrared saunas (i bought one for my home), exercise to get the lymph system pumping as well as taking zeolite clay every morning.

Tell us more about the Cancer Journey book and your inspiration behind that?

I began writing The Cancer Journey-Positive Steps To Help Yourself Heal with 2 other people as part of a 21 day challenge to achieve the impossible! It took us a lot longer than 21 days as you can imagine but it was a wonderful springboard to creating a book that is helping many people. The Cancer Journey is a book I wish I had had when I was first diagnosed at 24. Its a very practical guide as to what someone with cancer can do to help themselves whatever route they choose to take - conventional or alternative. There is often a lot of information on diet and lifestyle that oncologists and doctors don’t tell you or simply just don’t know enough about which could actually make a huge difference between healing or not. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the healing program you are now implementing?

My healing program has 2 fundamental parts; detoxification and nourishment. I concentrate on flooding my body with much needed nutrients, vitamins & minerals and detoxing my body of toxins and any other matter, whether physical, emotional or mental - stuff I no longer need. In addition, I use meditation to help me calm my mind, put more attention on stillness and turn down the volume on the crazy fear-fueling thoughts that love to pop up and try to freak me out. I use vision boards, affirmations, exercise and juicy future goals to keep me inspired and motivated. All in all, everything I do is to help my body kickstart its natural healing mechanism which exists within all of us.

What is your status today? How are you feeling?

I feel great! The last scan i had, my doctor said was very encouraging as there had been no growth to any organs and no real change. So at least it’s not getting bigger.

What other books would you recommend for the newly diagnosed?

The fist thing I recommend someone do when they are diagnosed is to take inventory of their life and in particular their diet. Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is super important to reducing and improving the environment in which cancer loves to thrive. Crazy Sexy Diet by the awesome Kris Carr is a great start, Anti-cancer by Dr David Servan-Schreiber, The China Study by Colin Campbell, Healing with whole foods by Paul Pitchford and Healing The Gerson Way by Charlotte Gerson

What lead you to blog and create your own life coaching program?

I was a life coach before I became a holistic health coach so helping people live their best life has always been something I have wanted to do. With my interest and love of food and nutrition it made sense to combine the two to help people use food to improve their health as i feel this impacts every area of life if its out of balance.

Any other tips for newly diagnosed?

Don’t panic, get lots of different opinions and look at all options before making a decision. Whatever route you decide to go down whether that be alternative or conventional, there are always many options available to you. 

About Me..

Polly Noble is a holistic health coach,  raw food coach, inspirational speaker and co-author of "The Cancer Journey". She also writes for The Huffington Post, Passion Magazine and makes regular appearances on BBC Radio. Having been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in February 2010, aged 28, Polly embarked on a kick-cancer-butt mission to heal herself naturally using a more holistic natural approach.

She is passionate about using her journey on the cancer train to help others arm themselves with everything they need to know to create health and happiness and change their diet and lifestyle to make prevention their priority, whatever their health. Having studied and researched extensively not only through books but her studies at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, she wholeheartedly believes the body can be healed naturally and shares her insights & experience with you here. Polly's kick-ass attitude inspires and motivates people to weed out the toxic crap and get real with the good stuff! Polly's is co-author of "The Cancer Journey - Positive Steps To Help Yourself Heal" which is available from www.thecancerjourneybook.com or Amazon. She is also the subject of a documentary, following her throughout her healing journey.

Mission Statement...To inspire others to live a happier and healthier life and to do everything in their power to achieve this in every moment so they can live a life they love.

Mottos:

Go green, get clean

Become a green juice junkie! 

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What is the M.O.P.A. Machine?

As I continue to heal my body, one of the items I've been using is a frequency generator called the M.O.P.A. While this particular machine has only been around a short while, earlier versions date back to 1905. Some of you may have heard of a Rife machine; this is an advanced version of that. Essentially, the machine uses high level frequencies at a specific vibration that kills microbes in our cells. This would include parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. According to Cancer Tutor:

"The protocol utilizes a uniquely designed, wide-range 20 MHz frequency generator to deliver these specific resonant frequencies to the body. When an unwanted microorganism is exposed to its MOR, it oscillates to the point of being damaged or killed. Again, the best image to describe this resonating effect is that it is similar to how an opera singer (or a talented vocalist) can shatter a wine glass with the right pitched note carried by audio waves. It is understood that the microbes inside the cancer cells cause a cancer cell to remain cancerous. By killing the microbes inside the cancer cells; the cancer cells will revert into normal cells (as verified by numerous cancer researchers over the past 70 years). This is why the original Rife Machine had a "carrier frequency." The "carrier frequency" carries the frequency signal, which is designed to kill the microbes, through the cell membrane and inside the cancer cells. As just mentioned, if all of the microbes inside of a cancer cell are killed, the cancer cell will revert into a normal cell. This is the safest way to rid the body of cancer cells because there is no debris from dead cancer cells." 

 

I've been doing this machine for about six weeks now, and in that time I've seen the tumors in my neck shrink to about a quarter of the size. Tumors in my armpits have also shrunk, and while I can't see the tumors that and in my organs, I know some of the soreness and pressure I experienced is gone. This is an amazing machine and a great addition to any protocol. I will caution though that is is an ADDITION to your protocol. NEVER rely on just ONE thing to heal yourself. Combine a good diet, juicing/smoothies, proper supplements, EFT, etc. to heal. However, I know this machine has made a huge difference for me. Sadly, this isn't a more prevalent treatment because the FDA refuses to acknowledge it and has actually arrested people for claiming that it heals, even though scientific data dating back to the early 1900's has continuously proved that frequencies machines do heal disease. I can only hope that at some point, the holistic community will gain a greater voice, and the FDA will no longer be able to silence us. For now, do your homework, and remember, our bodies were designed to heal themselves.

Health Update

I cannot express how grateful I am to be home from the hospital. It's a beautiful thing to be in your own space. I've had some amazing helpers bring me food, play with Triton, and just send the most loving notes. My Mom has been incredible, even when I get cranky with her, keeping things clean, taking me places, etc. So how am I doing? Here are a few little tidbits:

• I did gain 7lbs in this last week since leaving the hospital, so we up'd my meds and I've started to lose that again. I can definitely tell it's working. Don't fret if we go out and I disappear for awhile; I didn't get lost in the bathroom, I'm just peeing like the Energizer Bunny....it just keeps going and going and going....
• The tumors in my armpits appear to be smaller, so yipee for that!
• I went to Trader Joes on my own today; drove myself, parked, walked the entire store on my own, carries the bags to my car, into the house, and unloaded all on my own. This is HUGE. I NEVER would have been able to do that a week ago. I'm getting stronger, walking better and have more energy
• I'm still sleeping bizarrely.  I sleep in the late afternoon/evening, then get up, and sometimes am up for hours in the night, and then sleep some more. I think I'm still screwed up from being in the hospital.
• I've been going visualization exercises to get my body to function properly. I already know this helped dissipate the tumor in m lung pressing on my trachea because I haven't felt it in months. I have no doubt I can use this to heal the rest of my body.
• I am going three times a week to do the MOPA machine, which sends electronic pulses through your body, killing microbes, which then kills cancer cells. I'm going to say this is contributing to my improved health. 
• My Cancer Protocols have changed some. I dropped the Budwig Diet, am focusing on the Cellect and working on creative ways to eat it. We just started doing some juicing, I'm doing the B17 (cancer killing vitamin) and several supplements for the heart including Niacin. 
• I haven't been doing the Vibe machine because stairs are still an issue, but we are looking to move it and that should help. I heard a few stories recently of people who shrank tumors within weeks by doing this, so I'm getting on it!
• Overall I am improving and looking forward to going to the Harry Potter theme park at the end of October! I KNOW I will be healed to the point that I will be able to fully appreciate the experience. 

I want to take a moment to address something. I received an email (which I will respond to soon!) that suggested I had made a mistake going holistic and that I needed to give it up and go for the chemo to save myself. While I appreciate that this person is concerned for my welfare, I still believe that using chemicals to "heal" is a poor idea. I choose to address this because I think that she is not alone in wondering why I don't just do chemo. A few things a) At this particular moment my heart is not strong enough for treatment, we'd need to wait to build it up b) I have never been told that I could be "cured" by chemo, that is it a life extension, and likely cancer would return and I would have to go through this process, maybe several times c) I've seen what it does to people, and I'm not a fan d) My main issue with western medicine is that the doctors don't encourage you to make any life changes when diagnosed with cancer, in fact, they spend a lot of time making sure nothing has to change. Cancer came for a reason, and by not changing any aspect of my life, even if the chemo eliminate the tumors, there is a reason people always get them back. By doing things holistically I'm not only protecting my body long term from chemicals and not experiencing the harsh side effects of the drugs, but if forces me to change my lifestyle. I've had to improve my diet, face my fears, get in touch with my emotions, and I've learned how to be happy and am on the way to becoming truly joyful. I do not believe this would have happened if I had chosen the other path. For those concerned about stats, just because you don't hear about people healing themselves naturally, doesn't mean they aren't doing it. Big Pharma spends a lot of time shutting people up, many doctors who heal patients with natural medicines have to move to Europe or Mexico. I personally know people who have healed themselves, and follow blogs of several who have either a) completely healed or b) are healing from natural remedies. People are often talked into treatments out of fear, and I've always stuck to my beliefs. I appreciate any concern that certain community members may have, but know this, I WILL heal my body, and when I do I will truly be healed. No damaged nerves from chemo, no fretting over when things will return and if I'll survive the next round of treatment. I will be healthy and happy and well balanced and better off than I started. And this, is why I've chosen to go holistic. Feel free to email me if you wish to discuss this further. 

I'll wrap this with a little Love and Gratitude:

• I've been loving listening to holiday music this week, especially the fun songs like Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and Jingle Bells and also loving some of the rarer songs such as Carol of the Bells
• Conveniently Natural has delicious vegan food, home delivered, and I've enjoyed it thoroughly this week. Gratitude to Andrea for bringing me some and to the owners for dropping off some free samples. What a beautiful community we belong to!
• Trader Joes quiche is delicous!
• I am grateful for the comfort of my water bed, love it, always
• Gabby Bernstein's new book Spirit Junkie comes out in two weeks! Plus, Tori Amos has a new album out the next week AND I have a gift certificate for Best Buy from my Birthday, so freebie for me!
• I am grateful for the nicer weather and opportunity to chill on my back porch, watching Triton play in his pool, and chase squirrels in the yard
• She & Him are releasing a Christmas Album this year; I think I'm in geek heaven
• On Thursday's blog you'll see my pics for Fall TV; there is a TV show based on fairytales. So excited for that one. 
• I love sleeping with stuffed animals. I'll be sleeping with them when I'm married. They make me feel good. 
• Did I mention HARRY POTTER THEME PARK IN OCTOBER!!! Yeah, just a tad bit excited
• The symphony is doing Pops in the Park this weekend. Anyone want to go crazy early and get a close parking spot, have a picnic, chit chat and listen to some kickass music from Star Wars and Pirates of the Carribean? So much fun!
• Love naps, so refreshing.
• I am grateful for my parents and everything they do to support me. Love you Mom and Dad

Love and Gratitude,

Shanna

What I Need Help With: A Guide for Those Who Have Requested Info on Aiding Me on My Healing Journey

Asking for help. Doesn't it just make your skin crawl? I'm a superhero dammit! I was even given a Wonder Woman award at work for being such a power house and leader. The past seven years, until recently, I have taken myself to every cancer related appointment. I picked out my protocols, I told my parents the cliff notes version of what was going on to protect them from the doctors often harsh words, and I worked full time, sometimes more than 40 hours a week running my father's company. Then a few years ago I had serious fatigue issues. I couldn't make it to my appointment on my own so my parents took me. My organs were failing, and I had days, maybe weeks to live. Oops. Guess I should have slowed down a bit eh? I had a choice to make; let the cancer take me, or live, and allow others to aid me. I chose to live.  I became part-time at work, I slowed down a bit, I allowed my folks to attend some of my appointments and I healed. Over time as I felt better my do-it-yourself gene kicked in (really, it never went away) and what do you know, I got deathly ill again. This time, I don't think I have the option to fiddle around. It's heal or die  To my surprise, the community stepped up, without me saying a word. Suddenly, I had a Chip-In account, which as of today has over $800 in it. I had someone loan me a juicer, a Vibe machine; people I've never met have brought me food and volunteered to walk Triton and so much more. I've had to acknowledge that I simply cannot do it all on my own. Even with my parents help, it's been taking a toll on them as well. My Mom is clearly getting overwhelmed, and my Dad is on vacation right now to help him get it back together. We all need help. One of the community members suggested that I post a list, updating it frequently, of what I need. It seems many people would like to help, they just don't know how. So I'm adding a module to my blog, just under the Shanna Sandmoen's Healing Fund Chip-In link on the right hand side, that will be updated regularly with my needs. And friends, I am humbling myself to ask for help. I am incredibly grateful and moved by everything that has been done so far, and I KNOW that this time, I'm going all the way and I'm not stopping until I'm completely healed. And when that happens (which is a goal on my 31 Things Before I Turn 31), I am going to throw a huge bash, and you are all invited. Thank you for your support, and located below is my initial list and some links to previous posts regarding my cancer journey for those of you that are new to my situation.

What I Need Help With/Things I Need

1. Pre-made Meals. I can always used pre-made meals. Whether it's your own delightful home cooking, something from Whole Foods, Nature's Pantry, Conveniently Natural, etc. it helps a lot to know I always have something on hand and most things can be frozen if I get an overload. Note: I am allergic to fennel, tumeric and simply detest mushrooms. Otherwise, as long as it's vegetarian, I'll probably like it. 
2. Dog Walking. I have a 140lbs great dane/newfound named Triton who loves to go for walks, run around the backyard, and have his belly rubbed. If you are a strong brave soul, he would love to hang with you. 
3. Laundry: I have a laundry room in the basement. Sadly, I no longer have the strength to carry the basket up and down the stairs. I usually always have things to wash, as I have to wear my giant clothes right now because of the fluid issue. 
4. Light Housework: My Mom does what she can, as does my Dad, but Triton sheds a lot, so dog hair piles up quickly, dishes need to be loaded/unloaded frequently, and of course there is the bathroom. 
5. Juicing and Smoothies: I'm just learning to juice, and I do green smoothies. Some days I don't have the strength to make them. I'm always open to help juicing and creating delicious smoothies. 
6. Rides to Appointments: I have healing appointments in Lee's Summit 3-4 times a week. My Mom has been driving back and forth to take me to appointments and it's taking a toll emotionally and on her gas mileage. Any help, even just one direction or the other would be greatly appreciated.
7. Mow Lawn: My lawn hasn't been mowed....well I'm not sure when, early summer. I don't own a lawnmower, but if anyone is up for it, Triton probably would appreciate it. 
8. Afternoon Social Outings: Ok, so this is not really help, but it can get incredibly boring being stuck at home all the time, and as I'm limited to my driving/walking right now, I would LOVE to occasionally get out in the afternoons and go to a local coffee shop for an hour or so and just have some good conversation. One More Cup, Mud Pie and Coffee Girls are all great places that offer local, organic and vegetarian/vegan options. Entertain me please :) 
9. Dog Food:  Triton needs a 50lb of organic dog food, they sell brands at Petsmart, Petco, and even some grocery stores. I can reimburse or provide money upfront, I simply don't have the strength to get and carry the bag in and out of the store and pour it into his bin.
10. Raw Cacao Powder: I'm almost out, and I use it to flavor my rather disgusting daily mineral lifesaving powder I drink. This is one item that I can't get at any place near me, so I'm afraid I might run out before I get a chance to get to Whole Foods. If anyone is going to the store this week, I'll reimburse you the cost if you pick me up a bag and drop it off.

And of course, any donations to Shanna Sandmoen's Healing Fund are very welcome.

Those are immediate needs, as I said I will put up a sidebar and update. Other things that come up would be going to the grocery store, I can sometimes walk the store, but I can't carry bags. Triton needs food every 4 weeks or so, I almost always need Kleenex, obviously certain toiletries, and whatever random things that might come up. Again, GRATEFUL. You are all beautiful, thank you.

Love and Gratitude,

Shanna

P.S. Here are some links to my cancer journey

• My Cancer Journey
• Cancer Update
• My Cancer Protocols Explained
• My Trip to the Hospital or Adventures of the Fluid Monster
• The Fluid Monster Returns to the Hospital

The Fluid Monster Returns to the Hospital

In my last post My Trip to the Hospital or Adventures of the Fluid Monster I discussed spending a few days in the hospital. Well, Friday night my Dad took me back to the Emergency Room, where it seemed I had gained 12 more lbs since my discharge on Tuesday! Yikes! I was admitted into the hospital for a longer care period this time. They hooked me up to an IV drip of the diuretics, started some heart medication, and basically monitored my progress. Thankfully, I seemed to have lost quite a bit of the fluid. Unfortunately, I don't have an exact amount as each scale seems to be wildly different. However, I can walk fairly normally now, though I still have a bit of swelling in my feet and legs, and my abdomen and butt are considerably smaller. There is still probably an extra 20lbs, but I am hoping it continues to drain off. I was released on Wednesday, with a list of prescriptions for getting me to pee like crazy and strengthen my heart. I am so glad to be home! Now I can finally get my program in gear, in conjunction with what the hospital gave me. I am weighing myself daily to make sure I am shrinking and not blowing up again, plus I'm restricting some of my liquids.

I want to take a moment to say how GRATEFUL I am to all the beautiful people who stopped by my hospital room or called. Being in the hospital is about as boring as it gets, and your visits/calls really lifted my spirits. I am also grateful for the package from Gabby, Zoe, and Elisa, you ladies are so lovely!  Thank you. I am also blown away by the continued donations to Shanna Sandmoen's Healing Fund. I feel so blessed. This is such an aid to my family and I appreciate every cent.

This weekend I have a lovely group of ladies from St.Louis and Columbia coming to visit. It will be a beautiful weekend of Eden Alley carryout, chick flicks, girl talk, etc.

My Trip to the Hospital or Adventures of the Fluid Monster

This past week I started filling up with fluid. I had had some fluid on my abdomen, gained 15lbs over several weeks, but last week I gained another 20lbs of fluid that has filled my legs, feet, abdomen and butt. Basically, I'm a cross between Santa Claus and the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, with hobbit feet, and a Beyonce booty. Monday I called my doctors office as the fluid had gotten so bad I could barely move myself around and started having breathing issues. They told me to go to the ER. My Mom took me up to St. Luke's East in Lee's Summit and we only had to wait 20 minutes in the ER before being admitted. That started five hours of extensive testing including blood and urine tests, chest x-ray, cardio angiogram, EKG, etc. After that, I was admitted into the hospital. What a swanky room! I swear it was bigger than my living room, with two flat screen TV's, a futon, bookcases, several chairs, etc. I guess if you have to stay in the hospital, do it in style, right. And while the hospital was not my favorite vacation destination, I was impressed at how attentive the staff was.

Monday night and Tuesday I went through more tests, including sonograms and an echo cardiogram. Essentially they determined that the fluid in my body was in my tissue and could not be drained. I found this very upsetting as I hoped to get some relief. They also believe that the cause of the fluid is that my veins are not holding fluid and leaking into my tissue. This is because of the stress of the tumors on my body and the fact that I'm not producing enough hemoglobin and protein cells. I also have congestive heart failure and my heart is operating at 15% efficiency. They also noticed that I was breathing through the right lung, but in the left I only had air coming through the back of the lung. I was discharged Tuesday night, with a prescription for diuretics. At this point all they can offer is to monitor my heart closely and hope that the fluid starts to come off.

I am kicking my healing plan into high gear as this is the only way to combat this at the moment. I need to release some of this fluid, which will take pressure off the heart and lungs. Right now I'm taking a mineral/vitamin compound called Cellect that should give my cells the tools they need to start creating proper cells, building amino acids, which will strengthen my body. I am also taking vitamin B17, which eats cancer cells, drinking green smoothies, using an frequency machine that kills the microbes in cells, essentially killing cancer cells, and much more. I am determined to turn this around. I am grateful for all the support that I have received so far.

A friend of mine who also healed herself holistically has created a Chip-In account for my family. Doing everything holistically is extremely expensive; insurance does not cover any of my holistic treatments. If you feel moved to donate go to Shanna Sandmoen's Healing Fund

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Cancer Tips For the Newly Diagnosed

People often contact me when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. It's such a frightful time initially, most people simple don't know what to do, and just step in line with whatever the doctor tells them. I have put together a list of tips that should be helpful to newly diagnosed patients, regardless of the method of treatment you chose to go through.

1. Your cancer did not appear overnight. That's right, you did not wake up one day and have cancer, it's been slowly growing in your system for years, YEARS, before you or your doctor discovered it. What does this mean? It means that there is no need to rush into a treatment plan. While you might not want to wait months or years, you have a few weeks to explore your options, get multiple opinions and do some resesearch before diving into a plan. Your doctor will likely attempt to immediately drag you into the chemo room, but hold fast little cancer patient. Take some time to discover what treatment options feel right for you. 
2. Get more than one opinion. I've talked to people who had one oncologist insist they needed a port, another both chemo and raditation and another wanted to try localized chemo treatments, no port, all for the SAME cancer. It's also important to realize you will be working very closely with this person, so having an oncologist that is supportive and informative is very important. And if you are interested in incorporating holistic methods, or going holistic all the way, see a Naturopath as well. In fact, if you have more than one in your area, shop them too. They will also likely have different treatment suggestions. 
3. Read this blog entry: What Your Oncologist Never Told You About Cancer before letting them cut into you.
4. Before starting chemotherapy, read Chris Beat Cancer's excellent blog entry: Why I Didn't Do Chemo. Great source of information.
5. Chemo and radiation are extremely hard on the body and can make you feel very sick. Ginger is great tool for battling the nausea. You can get them as chewable tablets, buy fresh ginger or pills. Personally when my stomach is upset I think slowly chewing the pills helps a lot. I have a friend that swears by this for enduring chemo treatments. Also, chemo can cause a lot of nerve pain and damage. Acupuncture is a great tool for healing this. Set up your appointments directly after your chemo treatment, therefore you won't be spending the night in agonizing pain. 
6. Become a nutrition expert. It's so important to support your body during cancer treatments. Cancer feeds on an acidic state and loves sugar. Green smoothies are an easy way to get started. Check out Victoria Boutenko's book "Green for Life" and the "Green Smoothie Revolution." Crazy Sexy Cancer chica Kris Carr recently released a wonderful book called "Crazy Sexy Diet." This book gives you a step by step process for transforming your diet. She's a kickass cancer warrior and I highly recommend all of her books. 
7. Shake Your Booty. I realize that fatigue is a big issue for a lot of cancer patients, but the more you move your body, the better you will feel and the faster you will heal. Your lymphatic system does not have it's own pump, it only moves when you move. When it gets sluggish, toxins can re-enter the bloodstream, making you feel sick. One of the best ways for cancer patients to exercise is the rebounder. This mini-trampoline is fun and easy and 10 minutes on it is worth 30 minutes of walking. It gets the lymph pumping and for those with little energy, do 5 minutes multiple times a day. Keep that lymph moving. Yoga is also a great tool. It helps with your breathing, flexibility, stress levels, etc. 
8. Detox, Detox, Detox. It's so important to move those toxins out of your body. If they don't come out, they will just be recycled back into your bloodstream, yikes! Dry Skin Brushing, neti pot, enema's, parasite cleanse, colonics; these are all great tools. Read more about them on my blog entry: Detox Your World
9. Not every treatment works the same on everyone. I have tried many different treatments during my cancer journey and some have had amazing results, and others not so much. However, some of the things that didn't work for me did wonders for others. Each person is different and the best way is to do something, and get frequent blood tests to see if the treatment is having an effect. Holistic remedies can be expensive, so there is no point wasting money on something that is having no affect. Also, if it's not having an affect, you definitely want to find something new that will benefit you.
10. Read other cancer blogs. Here is a list of wonderful blogs that are written by people healing themselves from cancer: Chris Beat Cancer, Polly's Path to Health and Happiness, Crazy Sexy Life Blog, The Wellness Warrior, and Walkstrong.
11. Take Care of Your Emotional Health. I believe that cancer is an imbalance not only of the physical body, but the emotional and spiritual as well. Plus, a lot of emotions can come up when diagnosed. Healing modalities such as EFT (emotional freedom technique), Reiki, meditation, affirmations, etc. can be a great help. Louise Hay is a wonderful woman who healed her cancer using daily affirmations. She has a great book called "You Can Heal Your Life" that I highly recommend. 
12. Read this blog post: Let Your Ladies Hang Free: Why I Stopped Wearing a Bra.
13. Educate Yourself. Read anything and everything you can on healing. There are a ton of resources out there and more coming out all the time. I've created an Amazon module at the bottom of this post with my recommendations of cancer healing books. Check it out!
14. Get social. People who are not going through cancer treatments are often sympathetic, but don't always understand everything we are going through. Crazy Sexy Life is a social networking site run by Kris Carr that has over 23,000 members, all healing from cancer. Many of these people are combining converntional medicines with holistic rememdies. There are many "Groovy Groups" for supporting people going through cleanses, specific cancers, people new to yoga and meditation, recipes, etc. Great resource for support. 
15. Buy This DVD. Cancer is Curable Now. An amazing look at the cancer industry and how you can heal now, without chemo or radiation. Watch it before you decide on a treatment plan.
16. Read the incredible story of Jane VanBenthusen, who healed herself from cervical cancer after being told there was no cure. Read her story here: Jane VanBenthusen

This is really a starter guide. Dive into this, then if you have further questions or want more information, feel free to email me or leave a comment on this blog post. I wish you the best in your cancer journey. Click here to read about my personal cancer journey. 

What Your Oncologist Never Told You About Cancer

Recently I received the book Cancer: Step Outside the Box by Ty Bollinger as a gift. This fascinating book details many physical reasons for cancer, discusses the horrors committed by the cancer industry and offers many suggested holistic treatments for curing the body of cancer. One of the sections that really captured my attention discussed the difference between tumors and cancer in the body. First, you need to know that cancer thrives in a low oxygen, acidic state. Which is why it's so important to increase oxygen levels in the body and eat an alkaline diet; this will starve the cancer cells. What is interesting is that we have always been led to believe that the tumors are made completely of cancer cells. This is not true. In fact, cancer cells cannot form tissue. Cancer cells reside inside the tissue. In fact, the size of tumors in the body is not an indicator of how your body is dealing with cancer, and eliminating the tumors, does not in fact, guarantee you eliminate the cancer. It is the spreading of cancer cells themselves, that kills cancer patients, not tumor growth.

Ty explains in detail the process of cell growth, but here's the condensed version. Cells use oxygen to metabolize and create their process. When the cell does not receive enough oxygen, it reverts to an inefficient process, one that cancer cells take advantage of to stabilize. When this starts to happen, the mitosis process can also be affected, meaning cells that are supposed to die off, stick around, creating excess cells in the body aka tumors. Again, these cells are not cancerous in themselves, they simply are a byproduct of our body's system not functioning properly. Essentially, these are dead cells.

Ty states, "A cancer cell is described as being undifferentiated. What this means is that a cancer cell has no useful function. As a result, a cancer cell cannot become part of the tumor tissue itself, since tumor tissue mist be composed entirely of healthy cells. The cancer cells just sit inside the tumor tissue, doing nothing except multiplying and refusing to die. However, what kills cancer patients is the spreading of their cancer cells. This is exactly why biopsies are so dangerous! Cutting the tissue can release the cancer cells into the bloodstream, thus enabling them to travel throughout the body! When the cancer spreads through the body, eventually there are enough cancer cells to kill a person."

In the book he quotes several scientists, all of which acknowledge that most disease, include cancer, stems from a lack of oxygen at the cellular level. 

By maintaining a PH of 7.35, your body will have the tools it needs to produce healthy cells, and eliminate unhealthy cells, including the dead cells. There are many tools out there, including eating a diet with lots of green leafy veggies. The more alkaline your food, the better off your body will be. Ty includes several treatment options in his books. It's important to note that Ty is NOT a doctor, simply a man who has lost many loved ones to cancer, and has taken the time to do a LOT of research and compile it in a format that is easy to understand for the lay person.

One American dies of cancer every minute. That's half a million people each year. Being diagnosed with cancer can be scary, but you do have options. One important thing to realize is that your cancer did not just appear overnight, it's been hanging out for awhile, you just discovered it. Meaning, in general, you have time to review your options. There is absolutely no reason to rush into any treatment plan, unless it's a rare situation, such as a tumor is closing off your windpipe or something. Most of the time though, it's worth taking a few weeks to discuss your options. There are tons of books out there, and even if you do go the conventional route, different oncologists may recommend various treatment programs. Get more than one opinion, three is best, read as many books as possible, and ask the Universe to guide you to what is right for you. Cancer does not have to be a death sentence, merely a journey, a lesson to move your forward in life.

Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World

Changing any aspect of our current lifestyle is exciting, scary, stressful and challenging.  Having a strong support system is very important when going through any new process.  Often times though, society does not respond positively to our new change.  Co-workers, friends, family usually have their own opinion of your decision, and sometimes it can be disheartening.  However, it's important to remember that in most case, this resistance comes from a place of love.  Generally, the people in our lives want us to be happy and healthy.  New vegetarians often receive a lot of resistance, and negative feedback when first making the dietary change.  Remember, it's not you with the issue, it's them.  Getting defensive or putting others on the defense will only make the situation worse.  Here are some tips for dealing and creating a positive relationship with your non-vegetarian peers. 

1. It's Not You, It's Them.  Meaning, you are are not responsible for how others respond to your lifestyle choice.  Be confident in your decision, but don't get defensive or snide when criticized.  In most cases people either simply do not understand your choice, are concerned about you getting all the proper nutrients, are concerned about how difficult it will make life for you, and more important how difficult your decision will make life for THEM.  Also, sometimes people feel like they are being judged, like they are the bad guy for continuing to consume meat products.  Be understanding, don't take it personally, and communicate with them.  Share that you made this choice for weight loss, health reasons, ethics, etc. 

2. Let Them Come To You.  It's easy in the beginning to be so excited about your new venture, and how it makes you feel, to become a pusher.  A lot of new vegetarians want to share all the new amazing benefits, talk about the ill treatment of animals ad naseum, lecture people on what's "really" in the food, etc.  While it's tempting to do this, and while all this information may be true, people do not like to be pushed.  The more you push, the more they will resist and the more difficult things will be in your relationship.  Let them come to you.  Once they see that your skin is clearing up, you are loosing weight, your veggie risotto looks fab compared to what they ordered, people will come to you and ask "What is it that you've been doing, you look fantastic!"  This gives you the opening to share your new vegan ideals in an open and friendly manner, where the person will be more receptive to what you have to say.

3. Volunteer to Bring a Dish to Family Gatherings.  One of the reasons people resist your change to vegetarianism is that they have no clue what to feed you when you come over.  Help them out, bring a dish, and for goodness sake, not a simple salad.  Bring a nut loaf, risotto, vegetarian casserole, etc.  Show them there is more to being a vegetarian as lettuce, and at the same time you will relieve their stress over what to feed you.

4. Throw a Smoothie Party.  Instead of a wine and cheese affair, have a smoothie party!! I had a friend who did this a few years ago and it was a great deal of fun.  We had martini glasses, and she made 5-6 different green and superfood smoothies throughout the night.  It was a great way to sample different smoothie flavors and gossip and have some girly time.  She also invited someone who sold Superfood products who talked for a little bit and promoted their products.  It was kind of like going to a product party in that respect as well.  Have fun with it, be creative! Check out this site for some incredible recipe ideas: Green Smoothies

5. Join a Local Meetup Group.  The best way to feel comfortable in your new lifestyle is to find other vegetarians to share with.  Meetup is a great place to find local vegetarian, vegan, healthy living and raw food groups.  Just put in your zip code and it will show you a list of active groups in your area.  Making vegetarian friends is very helpful in feeling good about your path and sticking to it. 

6. Have a Vegan Potluck.  Invite your friends over for a potluck and game night.  Ask everyone to bring a vegan dish and encourage them to get creative and have fun with it!  Veg Web is a great site where users post their own recipes, people can comment and rate them, and usually there are pictures.  Send out an evite, include this link, and make it a fun experience.  Potlucks are a great way to try new things and people usually feel pretty good about the success of their dish. 

7. Bring Vegan Treats to the Workplace.  Make some fun cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, etc.  Pass them out at work (don't tell people they are vegan), let them oooh and awww over your creation, then let them in on the secret.  Desserts are a great way to win people over and get them to appreciate your lifestyle.

8. Communicate With Your Waiter.  Chances are, you will still be expected to go to restaurants that may not be too veg friendly in social situations.  Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.  In this day and age, restaurants have to be accommodating.  Think about all the people with food allergies, celiac's disease, lactose intolerant, etc.  Restaurants are used to receiving special requests.  I've read a few vegetarian and raw food books where the author suggested creating food cards, listing every ingredient you will eat.  It sounds silly, but sometimes it is easier than attempting to explain your diet to someone not trained to understand veganism.  Simply hand the card to the waiter, and ask the chef to create something for you based on your list.  You could also ask for a salad, and have them put every single vegetable at their disposal in it.  Most of the time restaurants have very basic salads, and often times chicken is the main ingredient.  However, if you peruse the menu, you will find that many of the meals will contain vegetables not found in the salad.  You can get a pretty amazing salad this way.  One time, on vacation, my Dad and I went to a chain restaurant, and we explained to the waiter that I had cancer and was on a very special diet with vegetables (raw or steamed) and some grains.  The chef made me an amazing veggie risotto dish, and ladies and gentlemen, that restaurant did not have anything like that on the menu. 

9. Take a Cooking Class with a Family Member.  Who's the cook in your family?  Ask them if they would be willing to attend a vegetarian cooking class with you.  Again, a lot of the resistance you may find from family is their fear that they won't be able to accommodate you.  This is a fun way to help ease their fear and will give you two something to do together.

10. Make Dinner for Your Family.  Holiday's are tricky times for vegetarians.  How about inviting your family over for a pre-holiday meal?  Make them a fabulous dinner that will show them that you are being responsible and properly balancing your meal, that what you are eating is tasty and healthy.  This will bring them into your new world and ease some of the fears they may have about your new lifestyle. 

11. Take Your Family/Friends to a Vegetarian Restaurant.  There are a lot of fantastic vegetarian restaurants out there, and usually they create creative meals that also appeal to meat eaters.  My favorite restaurant in Kansas City is Eden Alley, a wonderful cozy little place that offers a variety of vegetarian meals.  I've been taking my friends and family there for years and everyone always loves it. 

12.  Start a Blog.  Blog about your journey.  Share with people why you made the decision, the challenges you have faced, the benefits you've seen, the facts and figures, recipes, etc.  Bring people into your world. 

As you start to blossom, look and feel better and gain confidence in your decision, people will be more open and supportive.  Follow some or all of these tips and I guarantee you will win your friends and family over in no time.  Don't expect them to follow in your footsteps, that is not the goal.  The goal is to be supported and surrounded by positive influences.  Good luck on your vegetarian journey!

Bounce Your Way To Fantastic Health!

I made a promise to myself this month that I would spend at least 10 minutes each day on my rebounder (mini-trampoline).  The rebounder is a great tool for exercise, creating balance, and it's fun!  Bouncing on the rebounder moves the lymphatic system, the only system in our bodies that does not have it's own pump.  When the lymphatic system becomes stagnant, it can create a slew of health issues.  Rebounding is also one of the most oxygen efficient exercises and it's low impact, so the likelihood of being injured is rare, compared to other forms of exercise.  The rebounder is great for everyone, but especially those fighting disease.  A lot of times disease can create fatigue, making exercise difficult or even painful.  With the rebounder, you can still get many of the same benefits simply by walking slowly or bouncing lightly in place.  This still moves the lymph and improves oxygen flow.  Over time, doing this at least 10 minutes each day, you will notice more energy, strength, endurance, and feelings of joy.  The rebounder has been proven to aid people with depression, because it gets the endorphins flowing and reduces stress.  The rebounder also increases the metabolism and is a great tool for reducing cellulite. 

Check out some of these great articles for more information on rebounding and where to order:
Health Benefits of Rebounding
How to Get Rid of Cellulite Through Rebounding
How to Choose the Right Rebounder For You



You can do this while watching TV or listening to music.  I also recommend doing it with your affirmations.  It's so empowering to shout out your daily affirmations, "I am worthy", "I am love", "I am healthy" "I am beautiful".  Try it out and let me know what you think!  Do you rebound?