Let the Games Begin!!!

Today I will begin a new phase of my treatment. I will start the Dendritic Cell Vaccine/Immunology. To say that I am excited about this would be a huge understatement.

Here is the description of the Dendritic Cell Treatment:

Dendritic cell vaccine - this autogolous vaccine (vaccine from patient’s own blood) isolates the dendritic cells which are then cultured in a lab and trained to identify cancer cells. This process stimulates the immune system and NK cells to destroy cancer cells.

You can Google this treatment, also. It has undergone clinical trials in the US and has been awaiting its final approval from the FDA for over a year. (Snide comment)

Up to this point, we have been strengthening the bones and building up the immune system, but this is where the work and the fun begin. My treatment will not include chemo, so overall; I should feel pretty decent through this. I will continue Hyperthermia each day this week and then go to 3 times per week starting next week. Next week we will add some of the other treatments to the regimen, in addition to continuing immune system strengthening.

There is a man here with Colo-Rectal cancer that was told that there was nothing else that could be done for him by his oncologist. He has been here for 8 weeks. Yesterday, Dr. Munoz informed him that his tumors have shrunk by 30%-40% on the CT Scan and continue to show improvement. He will get to go home to continue treatment and come back in 2 months for a follow up. His main discomfort is the scar tissue that built up from his radiation treatments, which were ineffective. (Snide Comment #2)

Please understand, I do not disapprove of conventional treatment. Chemo, surgery, and radiation have its very important place in the treatment of cancer. I believe that these are radical treatments that must be exercised with the utmost care. Cancer is almost universally regarded as a breakdown of your immune system at some point in your life. It can be caused by many things, including genetics. The way to improve your odds and quality of life is to sustain your immune system and use these harsh treatments sparingly. Some well-meaning doctors follow the cookbook, and forget the simple fact that we can’t cure cancer, yet. But the human body, in optimal condition, defeats it every single day, in every human body. Enough ranting, sorry…

----Last thing. I want everyone that reads this blog to know that I appreciate your concern for me and my family. This experience has shown me what a blessing my life truly has been. Even some that I do not know as well have taken the time from their lives to make sure that everything that is needed has been taken care of. Friends that I had fallen out of touch with have reached out to me with the care and concern of close friends that I thought that I had lost. I have learned valuable lessons from this trial. Lessons that have forever changed my life and perspective. I only have you to thank for this. I hope you get the feelings of a good deed performed, because all of you have truly inspired and bolstered my family in a very difficult time.

My love for each and every one of you!
Brian.