When It Rains It Pours

Walt has had a couple of pretty good days.  He even walked around Walmart with me for a few minutes today.  Yesterday was sad.  Amanda came with the kids and helped me clean house getting ready for company coming tomorrow.  I had had some sleepless nights because we were having some discussions about whether it was time to have our sweet little 15 year old yorkie put to sleep.  It was time.  She suffered with diabetes and was blind and deaf.  I just didn't want to see her suffer and it was taking a lot of time for her care.  I took her to the vet and they were really very kind and caring.  It was the right decision, but that doesn't make it any easier.  We will have very fond memories of the dog that actually nursed 3 kittens and shared her last meal with one of them.  Todie was a good dog.
We have had so many well wishes from friends and family.  Thanks to all for the cards, the visits, the phone calls.  It  helps Walt deal with all the hard stuff I am putting him through.  Poor guy had green beans and a mock coleslaw for dinner.  But..........I am making him peach ice cream for a treat.  Peaches and almond milk in the blender.
Again, thank you all for the prayers.  Our friend Judy told us she prays for us to have to have the peace of mind "than excels all thought".  What could be better than that.

Busy, busy, busy

I started a post yesterday, but got sidetracked.  Went to the hospital in the morning for a cat scan.  Walt's pulmonary doctor wants to see what the mass in his chest looks like.  We have an appointment with him on Monday.  Walt is still feeling pretty good.  We are continuing the diet.  We have spent a lot of time with family since my mother and stepfather got here Wed.  Went to my brothers restaurant that night for dinner.  We took Walt's dinner with us.  Yesterday we had breakfast at a restaurant with the folks.  Walt had two poached eggs and fruit.  Last night we went to dinner at Amanda's.  George BBQ'd.  I made roasted veggies and some pesto and salsa that Walt could eat with more raw veggies.  He is going to turn into a carrot cause that's his favorite.  He can see all this other food around him and have no problem at all not eating it because he feels so much better doing what he's doing.  His granddaughter even made a wonderful ice cream cake and he didn't even flinch.  What a guy.  Mom and grandpa Al are leaving today and taking Maddy with them for a visit.
Walt got to talk with his sister, Nona yesterday.  She is a cancer survivor and full of hope and positive attitude.  Wish she wasn't so far away in Florida.
Wanted to thank the car group that stopped by after service on Wed.  Walt so enjoyed the visit that he didn't even go take a nap.  He does love company.  Hoping all is well with all who are putting up with my ramblings.  As always, thanks for the prayers and the love.

A Little Crazy

So, yesterday I was told by someone near and dear to me that I might be a little obsessed.  Well, she was a little PMSed, but I did step back and she might have been a little right. I just want to do all I can to help Walt get better.  Neither one of us has our head buried in the sand.  We know this is bad, but if you have the ability to try to fix it wouldn't you try. I guess trying everything at once was the issue.  So, we have decided to just do a few things that have already made Walt feel better until we can get a real plan next Wednesday from the Naturopath.  Four times a day Walt takes a mixture of pure maple syrup (must be grade B) and baking soda (must be Arm & Hammer).  This is the only sugar he gets because sugar goes directly to the cancer cells and carries the baking soda which annihilates them. Makes sense, right?  Once a day he has to get down this terrible mixture of flax seed oil (must be the refrigerated kind with no residue) and cottage cheese (must be organic and low fat).  It has to be blended and it gets thick and tastes yucky. He does get to have fruit with it so that helps it go down.  This is part of an oil protein diet.  That's it.  Well, besides no meat, eating mostly raw foods and absolutely nothing processed.
We did get some beautifully home grown greens from friends yesterday.  Yum.  We had some for dinner last night.  Walt had a pretty good day yesterday.  He started to be a little uncomfortable in the late afternoon and we missed our meeting last night, but did listen on the phone.  Love that spiritual food.  It's a blessing to hear all of our friends commenting.  Today we are expecting a visit from my mother and stepfather from Redding.  I ran into a friend in the grocery store yesterday who has recently lost his wife.  He told me that distraction is a really good thing.  Visits from friends and family will be a good distraction.  Please keep my dear sweet Walt in your prayers and thank you all for that.

Good News & Bad News

So, this is not as easy as I thought.  Some things are just hard to share.  Not a fan of doom and gloom.  I'm more the Suzy Sunshine type.  Almost to a fault, I know.
Bad news:  Murphy is an aggressive critter and moving very fast.  Don't know much about his friend in the lung, but that is pretty much a moot point. Whatever we do to Murphy will take care of that guy too.
Good news: We are seeing a Naturopathic Physician in Ashland on July 3rd.  She was booked out until the 17th, but when I told them Walts story she found some time closer.  
We really need some help here.  We have been trying to figure the best course of natural treatment including diet and supplements, but there are a lot of different opinions out there.  This doctor in Ashland cured a friend of terminal breast cancer and is recommended highly by friends.  So until then we will still be doing a very strict routine of not eating the stuff that we know feeds cancer. 
More good news:  Found out very good friends from California are coming to visit.  They are the kind of friends that will be very helpful and encouraging.  Wait.........that sounds like all of our friends.  
Walt is very tired and weak, but still trying to keep up a good routine.  He will attend all of the meetings at the Kingdom Hall that he can and still fulfill his duties at the sound dept.  
I'm going to make him some dinner now.  He has a craving for carrots and butter (two things he is allowed).  Yea! 
Again, thank you for your prayers and the love that we can physically feel, even from afar.   

Tired but happy

We have returned from our short trip to McCloud, Ca.  This will probably be the last for awhile, at least until Walt gains some more strength.  He's very tired and in the bed sleeping.  We enjoyed our family reunion and Walt was able to spend some much needed time sitting in the sun soaking up some vitamin D.  We loved being able to see my dad who will be 87 in a couple of months.  He could run circles around both Walt and myself.  My stepmother, Lois did a wonderful job of organizing the event and we really had a good time talking with everyone about our lives, past and present.  The biggest challenge was the food.   The cancer diet is very limiting and it will get better as time goes by and we get use to it.  Today we met about 20 from the group at a restaurant in Shasta City and we ate a late breakfast. Walt was really happy to have a wonderful scrambled egg thing with a little fruit.  Last nights dinner was hard because we had to order salad (again!) and have oil and vinegar for dressing.  Creamy ranch dressing people don't love oil & vinegar.
I was reminded by a dear friend who posted to the last entry what my spiritual mother, Mary, use to say.  "Happiness shared is doubled & pain shared is cut in half."  This is why I will share.  Thank you all for listening and especially for the prayers.  The love has made Walt feel so good.
We see the doctor in the morning so hopefully we will have some more answers.  I will post more when we know more.

The fun begins

It's 3am something and I have been up since 2 something.  Too much milling around in my brain.  We are leaving in the morning for a small trip that has been planned for a long time.  Family reunion in McCloud, Ca., a couple of hours from here.  We will spend a couple of days with my dad and my step mother.  They both love Walt so much and are happy to be able to see him for a little while.  Because we are trying to kill Murphy and friend (ideas for a name for his pal?) with or without food it has been a struggle for me to come up with travel ideas.  Last night I fed Walt pesto pizza.  He hated it.  The pesto was good.  Basil, spinach, walnuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese, but the fake pizza crust got to him.  I actually liked it, but poor guy just wants everything to taste like it's suppose too.  You can't make almond flour and flax flour taste like white flour.  So I will have to come up with some stronger toppings to mask the taste and texture of those evil little rounds that are just suppose to be the vehicle for wonderfulness.  On top of that we can only use coconut oil or olive oil.  Those both have very strong flavors.  I made little biscuits that were suppose to be for sandwiches but they taste like very bland cookies.  So last night I made some more but put in some Stevia and made them smaller.  Walt says they are still bland and yucky.  I think it's his taste buds.  I am doing the same diet he is and I like them.  I just made some cheese crisps for the picnic tomorrow (oh, today) that he will be able to dunk into guacamole.  Just little piles of cheddar cheese melted in the microwave and they come out like little crackers.
Okay, I'm going to try to get a few winks before the day is really on.  Thanks for letting me ramble on.  This will be my therapy I think.  And thank you to everyone who responded.  Your thoughts and prayers are so encouraging.  We have heard from friends and family that we haven't seen or talked to in forever and it's like no time has passed at all.  We love you all and thank you again, especially for your prayers.

Murphy's Law

Murphy is the name of Walt's cancerous tumor.  I plagiarized something I read about Murphy's Law.  This tumor was discovered after nothing else could possibly go wrong.  Killing it won't make all things right again, but it will make things better.  Hence, Murphy "you are on your way out".
This all started months ago.  Walt had a pain in his chest that prompted the heart doctor to do an angiogram.  Heart looked pretty good, mild narrowing of the arteries but nothing to be concerned with.  It prompted other doctors to get an upper gi.  Results: Mild hiatal hernia, mild acid reflux.  Take antacids and eat mild food.  Still the pain was terrible and getting worse.  Because Walt has good insurance we decided to take matters into our own hands.  We made an appointment with a specialist.  The gastroenterologist ordered an endoscopy (scope down the throat).  Surprise!  Big tumor in his esophagus.  Walt says "I told you there was something wrong."  
The doctor said he took a biopsy but he knows it is cancer.  They won't know what to do until they do further tests to see what is involved.  So back to Medford for a cat scan.  
We haven't heard any results yet, but that's okay with us because we know the plan of action and it won't change no matter what the doctors say.
We have decided to run Murphy out of town with nutrition.  Doing lots of research and have come up with a plan.  We are learning what cancer feeds on; mostly sugar and some proteins. And what can help Walt's immune system beat that cancer up.  At this time he doesn't plan on surgery or chemo or radiation.  
We found out on Monday and today is Friday.  Walt is not eating any sugar and very few carbs.  We have lots of experimenting to do, but if anyone has a doubt that what you eat doesn't affect your insides here's some proof.  Walt is an insulin dependent diabetic.  He checks his blood sugar often during a day and adjusts his insulin accordingly.  He has needed no insulin for 2 days because his blood sugar is perfect. 
Just heard from the GI doctor.  He says Murphy is adenocarcinoma esophageal cancer. The most common cancer.  He says that Murphy has a friend in the right lung.  He can't tell where it started or if they are independent or if one metastasized.  They won't even consider surgery, but that's okay because we wouldn't either.  
This is all very bad, sad news and I am sorry to be the bearer.  We will be seeing our primary care doctor on Monday and the pulmonary doctor on the first.    This will be our means of communication for now.  I will post updates as much as possible.  
We ask that you please give us the best support that you possibly can and that would be prayer.    
We have not made it this far with Walt's health issues without help from our god, Jehovah.  
Thank you all.