My mom use to say that “No news was good news”. That may have been true decades ago when it was so much of an effort to hand-write, stamp, address and mail out a letter just to say that you were doing fine. But in these days of blogs and tweets it isn’t necessarily so.
For me to find the time to write anything, it must be done after Lennie is fast asleep and I actually have enough energy left. The days have dragged by as Lennie counts not just the days, but the hours until his next appointment with Master Lee, the Shaolin Monk/Chinese doctor that we found in Mississauga. FINALLY after all these months of chronic diarrhea, and weight loss, his health is turning around. His appetite is picking up and he is able to eat more solid and substantial foods. We have a colonoscopy booked for next week, but we decided to cancel it as his healing bowels do not need the upset of the preparation.
Next week will be truly exiting though as we have an appointment with a doctor who does PDT which stands for Photodynamic Therapy. This innovative treatment for cancer has been around for about 15 years although most people have not heard of it.
Photodynamic therapy or PDT is a treatment that uses special substances known as photosensitizing agents, along with light to kill cancer cells. These substances can be taken intravenously, sub-lingual or topically (depending on the area that is being treated) and only work after they have been activated by a special light. But PDT has limitations; it can only treat areas where light can reach. This means it is mainly used to treat problems on or just under the skin, or in the lining of internal organs, such as your throat or colon. The treatment only works at the area that is exposed to light. This is why PDT can’t be used to treat cancers that have spread to many places. Also, the photo-sensitizing agents leave people very sensitive to light for about 1 month, so special precautions must be taken in the sunlight.
Right now an engineer that I found through my late doctor and friend is making a probe that will be inserted into Lennie’s rectum at the exact tumor site. We have been waiting for this probe for about a year now and should have great success with The PDT as you can literally see cancer cells turning color and dying off right before your eyes!
We feel truly blessed that so many ‘healers’ have been put in our path along this journey to guide our way.
Vehementer vive, valde ama,
Kathryn