A Cancer Survivor Story: Choose One Doctor
Dr. Nicholas Gonzales is an immunologist trained at Sloane Kettering; he is one is one of the few doctors having success with pancreatic cancer and other zero percent survival cases. One of the rules I got from Dr. Nicholas Gonzales was to stay with one treatment protocol and doctor for a specific amount of time and be careful of jumping from one doctor to the next.
When it comes to cancer you can get panicked if you think something isn’t working instead of drawing no conclusions. If you are going to do an alternative protocol or even a conventional one, set a certain goal as to how long you are going to give it and what you except to achieve. For instance, “I will give this herbal protocol 6 weeks and I want to see at least a fifty percent reduction of the tumor.” Then when that goal is met you set a new one and if it’s not met-then you re-evaluate and explore other options.
In my healing journey this was the exact approach I created. I decided to give the herbal program 3 months with Donnie Yance. As long as I didn’t see any dramatic change for the worse. Of course, in certain protocols this can happen-things gets worse before they get better-but they are usually short-lived. I questioned Donnie very candidly about his belief that he could cure my cancer-he felt he could.
I have seen clients with seriousness illnesses jump from one protocol to the other and this really doesn’t serve you. But when it comes to a life threatening illness you, of course, get scared-you don’t want to die, you don’t want to be in more pain so you get caught up in your fears. And sometimes those fears can be sparked or fueled by people who are close to you, who might not believe totally in what you are doing, who are naturally scared of losing you. Take this as an oprtunitity to work on your boundaries with friends and family and examine if you are really communicating your needs to them without making them wrong.
When you decide to undertake a protocol, do it 100%! Alternative protocols in general have certain diet requirements-follow them as best you can to the letter. In retrospect, despite my diligence around diet, I think I could have done better. I could have ratcheted it up another notch. Like going on all juice and raw food diet. But there are many different approaches to diet. I would strongly suggest finding an alternative doctor that has specific ideas about diet and specific written diet plans they want you to follow. If they don’t you might question their thoroughness.
And also, a note on diet, even if you buy organic food, I would go the extra step and clean it with hydrogen peroxide or Clorox. Organic food can become contamaintated on its way to market. You will find more about this cleaning protocol in the book, Living Better Longer, about the work of Dr. Hazel Parcels.
In conclusion, stay with one doctor for a set amount of time, set goals and when they are met or not met, then re-evaluate. Don’t get caught up in the conversation of how you are doing. Written goals can support this not happening. Of course, if the cancer takes a dramatic wrong turn, then that’s time to re-evaluate.
Stay objective but always in your intuition. And learn to know when it’s your intuition and not your fears. This is part of the healing. Every small or large challenge emotionally is another chance to heal. How you are going about healing is a healing in of itself.
4 Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Bladder Cancer
When diagnosed with bladder cancer, you may feel overwhelmed or even powerless. Not knowing what will happen can cause anyone anxiety, which is why knowledge is power. Staying informed will help you and your family beat bladder cancer. You can start by asking your doctor these four questions.
Did you get a second opinion?
Since bladder cancer is done through a pathology test, it is a good idea to have the report sent to another doctor or hospital for a second opinion. You need to be 100% certain that the cancer is indeed bladder cancer. Just because the bladder is where the cancer was found, does not mean that is where it started. Different cancers require different treatments, so your doctor should get a second opinion on his diagnosis.
What are my treatment options?
Not all oncologists offer all treatment options. This is very important to know and is often quite shocking to find out. There are research treatments, clinical trials, and new therapies that not all oncologists provide. So it is important to find the right oncologist for you and your condition.
How many patients have you treated with this type of cancer?
This question may make you feel a little uncomfortable asking, but it is a legitimate question. If the treatment option is new, then you have a right to know that. Asking the doctor about the success rates they have seen with the various treatments they have administered, will often give you a better idea than national statistics.
If you are not happy with the doctor’s answer, then you can find another doctor who is better equipped to administer a particular treatment. Just because your first oncologist isn’t familiar with a treatment doesn’t mean that the treatment doesn’t exist or that other oncologists won’t perform them.
Will you show me the studies that back up the treatment?
Every cancer treatment option will be backed up by clinical studies. The doctor should be able to give you the research that backs up their method of treatment. Since most bladder cancer treatments involve toxic chemicals, it is very important to know that the medicine itself won’t kill you and to know what all of the potential side-effects will be.
Everyone is different and everyone handles medication differently. However, that should not stop you from asking for the research that supports the treatment options recommended.
Information:
The Internet is full of information on bladder cancer. You can find clinical information through websites like the American Cancer Society or the Mayo Clinic. Then there are support groups and survivors sharing stories. Finding a doctor is even made easier with DoctorFinders.
