Liver & Lipid Panels, New Lump?, The Not Knowing is . . . Wearing

TLDR (Too Long, Don't Read. In other words, here's a summary.): Found a snack, took long enough. I'll be eating broccoli twice daily for the rest of eternity. Why isn't Chris Beat Cancer's way helping? Or is it? Liver check--good. Lipid panel--surprising. New lump, trying not to worry. 

 

ALMONDS

I've been trying to think of what to have with me as a snack in case I'm somewhere, like at church, and need to eat something. I don't want to bring a salad, obviously. The juices are too risky to take places because they are so red with beet juice that I ONLY drink them over the kitchen sink or over a red placemat. We like Bob's Red Mill oat bars, but they're not organic. Hey, I could make my own. Found a recipe. Oats, banana, and almond butter. Hm, oats AND banana sounds like too many carbs for the bad cells who love sugar. Okay, I could just bring a tiny container with a spoonful of almond butter. Oh hey! I could bring almonds! You know, those things I put on my salad EVERY SINGLE DAY for the last 64 days. Derrr.

 

BROCCOLI

If I don't get some dental floss soon between these two teeth that always like to catch broccoli, I may scream. I'm never going to eat broccoli again. Except for later today. And tomorrow. And the next day andthenextdayandnextdayandnextandnextnextnext times a million repeating.

 

TURBO CANCER

I wish I could know exactly what's going on inside at all times! Some say the lump could be already-dead cells waiting to exit. If that's the case, maybe the Chris Beat Cancer route was already working for me. Wish I could know. I WANT to think his way works. Maybe it is working but if this is truly a turbo cancer, then a boost from Fenbendazole could only assist the process. 

 

LIVER CHECK & LIPID PANEL

Thursday we went to Kaiser for a blood draw to check how my liver is doing--wanted to get a baseline since starting the Fenben. This was a suggestion we found online since the doctor is not suggesting anything at all. Numbers are all good. I asked for a lipid panel while they're at it, wondering how my cholesterol is doing with this eating regimen of only raw veggies and veggie juice. I couldn't seem to lower it with the whole foods plant-based diet I was already doing, plus a few supplements. My body is a weirdo. Doesn't seem to respond to things like other people's do.

Interesting findings on the lipid panel: two components went in a bad direction (for lack of exercise), and one went in a really good direction (for diet).

• TOTAL CHOLESTEROL plummeted 63 points.
• TRIGLYCERIDES went up 22 points (lower is better). "Blood triglycerides can get higher when you: Don't get enough exercise. Eat foods that are high in fat and sugar. Drink too much alcohol." It's clear I'm not moving enough, because the other factors certainly don't apply.
• HDL (the good cholesterol, higher is better) went down 9 points. "Lifestyle choices also affect HDL levels. Smoking, carrying too many pounds, and lack of physical activity tend to lower HDL. So does a diet high in refined carbohydrates (white bread, sugars, etc.)." Physical activity again.
• LDL (the bad cholesterol, lower is better) went down 70 points and is now in the normal range. "Eating a lot of foods high in saturated fats raises “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat and dairy products. No more than 10% of your daily calories should come from saturated fats. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol, particularly in women, and raises LDL cholesterol."
  

NEW LUMP?

Had a little tiny scare Thursday that we're not going to worry about for now. There is slight discoloration that comes and goes on the skin where the lump is, looks like a very light bruise. It's not new, and not unusual for this condition. Thursday I noticed a smaller patch of discoloration under my arm in the lymph node area. I hadn't seen it before, but I don't really check under my arm much. I felt around at that spot and could feel something new, something small and hard about the size of a pea. That was alarming. I had Michael feel it. I was emotional and scared for a little bit. Michael asked if we should let the kids know for extra prayers. I said not yet. We don't want to keep things from them to "protect" them, but I didn't want to mention it yet. (I did tell them the next day.) Now that the emotion is passed, I'm not going to worry for now. Two things help me feel a little better about it: 1) I'm feeling better and better physically. I wouldn't be feeling stronger and more able if I were getting worse, right? I don't know if that's true but I'm holding onto that. 2) I had already asked for an ultrasound so we can compare measurements with the original ultrasound from when they first found the bad cells. That will be next week. I know they can't see things clearly with an ultrasound, but maybe they'll have an idea of what the "pea" is or isn't. We're concerned, of course, about every little thing I feel but we're keeping the concern as small as we can and putting it on a back shelf until next week at least. Michael asked if I could give all my worry to him. I told him I could once the emotion passed. Then I did. (Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about giving my cares to the Savior. This entire experience falls under that umbrella: just doing my best, then leaving the rest to Him and trusting the outcome.) Later I was a little teary again about it at bedtime--the not knowing which way I'm heading is . . . wearing . . . sometimes. I know there's only one thing to do. Keep trying. Dang it.