My thanks to Fid, mraligator, Meribe, Gossy29, Steini, Supertramp, Outlander(complimenting the information you gave me some time ago) and Marketing Man.
Haha Fid, I was not joking with my comments but I certainly agree with the thoughts expressed in your post. The reason I invested in IMU is because I am confident it will eventually free my wife, kids and grandkids from any financial hardship. Another reason is the chance to learn about cancer from the very skilled posters on the IMU HC threads.
However my attempt to summarise my situation omitted to tell you that since having the 8 weeks combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, all the blood tests, CatScans, gastroscopes and biopsies, that I have on a regular basis, have shown no presence of the cancer, thanks to Capecitabine.
After my first surgery to remove the stomach the cancer returned quite quickly and my medical oncologist is convinced I need to continue taking Capecitabine forever. I should add that he is not yet conviced about the benefits of Immunotherapy. My radiotherapy oncologist seemed to think otherwise though. I have been extremely lucky to have brilliant oncologists and a very gifted surgeon to treat me. I can say that the medical attention I received from everyone has been first class.
But to get back to the point, I am alive now because of the daily chemotherapy. Unfortunately the side effects are considerable. It has affected every one of my senses............ vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell. It has also adversely affected just about every aspect of my health. I have gone from a 80kg strong person, who filled in his very large below ground swimming pool with a shovel and wheelbarrow at the age of 80, to a 54 kg "weakling" with many physical limitations. The only upside is obesity will never be a problem for me! (I find it helps to be funny sometimes!). My oncologist will not say I am cured or in remission......... he simply says I have had a Complete Response (CR) to treatment and he wont remove my chemo infusion port either ........just in case it is needed again.
But I will never give in and get a lot of purpose out of life. I have never suffered depression since being diagnosed 4 years ago.......... I am much too busy for that. Daily workouts on an exercise bike and treadmill, meditation (not religious) and DIY projects around the home keep me fully occupied.. My wife has been a great help. She is recovering from a second bout of breast cancer so we help each other with our treatments. With us It really is a case of 1+1 = 3, or maybe 4!
What a blessing it would be if the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy could be replaced by Yuman's remedies.
Thanks again to you all for youir kind thoughts.
I am off to have a can of Guinness before dinner. My oncologist said to have a drink if it makes me happy. It sure does!
Sorry for being so long winded and not being able to address all your comments.
cheers
Learner
