If you're just now tuning in, I had been contemplating stopping my radiation treatments for several reasons:
1. They can't get my pain and other symptoms under control.
2. I found descrepencies in my records about the number of treatments I was supposed to actually be getting.
3. I was misled about the dosage being turned down after I would up in the hospital for a feeding tube.
4. A mistake was made in a prescription.
5. I just didn't trust them anymore.
Of course the opinions of what I should/shouldn't do were split down the middle. I had many people tell me I should stop and stop immediately because people have died before from too mach radiation, the treatment seems to be much worse than the disease itself, and I needed to get another opinion/switch doctors, etc.
There were others though, telling me to stick with it, it was only a few more, if I stopped now, the previous 25 and everything done up to this point would be a wast of time. I had several high risk factors, etc. etc.
I prayed and prayed and every time I would come to a decision, something or someone would come along and blow me out of the water and I'd be right back to now knowing what to do.
So I decided to go back to square 1--when I first found what turned out to be the cancer.
I first felt this knot around December 2013. I had it checked out the next month by a popular Trussville doctor (if you would like her name, please private message me) only to be told it was nothing to worry about. It was just a swollen lymph node from being sick over the winter (which I hadn't been sick and I told her that) that would most likely go down in a few months. It didn't.
A few months later, I went to the new MedHelp on Chalkville Mountain Road. Again, I was told the same thing but this time I did get a prescription of useless antibiotics.
A few months after that, I'd begun seeing Melanie Miller at Birmingham Integrative. Her third son was in my class when I was still teaching preschool at Trussville FUMC and I'd always liked her. But I knew being an integrative doctor, she was more likely to lean torward that "healy feely" stuff that I don't much care for. But then someone told me she gives you the choice--meds or holistic so I made and appointment to establish care, She started by trying to help me get my weigh under control, sleep issues, etc. But then on one visit I told her about the knot. She couldn't feel it herself which she said is not uncommon. We can always feel things from the inside more than from the outside but she ordered an ultrasound anyway. A week later I had the ultrasound and the technician said there was something there I needed to get looked at further. So then I was referred to Dr .Jebeles at Southern ENT. He did a scan which came back clean and a biopsy which came back benign but he still wanted me to see a specialist at UAB, Dr. Carroll an otolaryngologist. Dr. Carroll, recommended that the tumor, though small and benign come on out because it would only get bigger and the bigger they get the more difficult they are to remove because they start to obstruct facial nerves. So I said, let's do it.
A few weeks later, during surgery, he thought it didn't look right and had it sent to the lab for preliminary results. The lab guys all agreed--it looked like cancer. So while still under anethesia--not knowing any of this--Dr. Carroll removed a larger margin of tissue and some additional lymph nodes. I was told all of this when I woke up and as you can imagine, it was quite upsetting. I prayed for the next two weeks that they were wrong but they were right. Malignant Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma an uncommon form of malignant neoplasm that arises within secretory glands, most commonly the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck. It was a good thing I had went ahead and head the surgery, that I'd pressed until I found someone to actually look at it instead of ASSUMING they already knew it wasn't anything major. It was a good thing that I actually found Melanie Miller.
And so today I went back to her to tell her everything and get her opinion about what I should do. Knowing that she practices western medicine but isn't a disciple--in other words, she knows its limitations. I knew she wouldn't be gung ho to sell me on the radiation. I knew she would be honest with me if there were alternatives or if I was putting my body through too much.
She pulled up all the path reports and told me I should try to finish. She said there were things she could do to help me get through it if I need to and would be more than willing to help but since I had made it this far, she really felt it would be in my best interest to finish. That was all I needed to hear.
I went for my 26th treatment today. I got refills on meds (and that's a whole other blog, my opinion about pharmacies and insurance plans! ugh!) and came home to rest. I'm marking off the days and planning my "rign the bell" party because it's getting close!
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