Shutterbug's Blog

Finally , I feel ALIVE .
After almost 3 and half years , I actually feel I am alive and kicking.
Its been 3.5 yrs since my diagnosis and I had been walking around like a dead person carrying out daily chores, going to work , going for checkups , doing my best for my son.
I shunned going to parties, family functions, shopping , movies .
The recent results of my Bone marrow test changed it all. Currently my M Spike is zero and Plasma cells are less than 1%. My Oncologist very happily shared the good news with us.
I suddenly began to feel light ,  everything around seems much brighter. i now feel like going to parties and weddings and other public events.
Attended a couple of events this week and i noticed the calm and peace within. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and watching other beautifully dressed people.
I now feel like shopping for nice clothes and jewellery 🙂

There is a confident person inside of me now.

Came across this wonderful informative website and wanted to share.

http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/

Has lots of information on various alternative treatments and several success stories as well.

Mr Bollinger , the creator of this website has done an excellent job of compiling useful information from various sources.

It is a well known fact that the current chemo drugs have a lot of side effects. The treatment is not holistic . Most doctors do not prescribe any alternative/natural treatments along with chemo.

Thankfully with Internet and lots of wonderful people sharing their success stories , a lot of information is now accessible .

But let us also forward this information to the underprivileged people who do not have access to this information.

For 3 years after my Autologous Stem Cell Transplant , i was on Thalidomide. My doctor changed the prescription 3 months ago due to a relapse.

While changing the medication , the doctor said ‘Sorry, let’s be prepared for another round of SCT after 3 months from now ‘
We were sad on hearing the news but also glad that we had an option for another round of SCT.

I am on Lenalidamide since 3 months. For 2 months i was using 10 mg . The counts were dropping , especially TLC count, and hence my doc decided to reduce the dosage to 5 mg.

During the third month i developed a persistent dry cough . The symptoms didn’t go away in spite of using anti allergic tabs and Antibiotics. Moreover the cough worsened. The insides of the throat were swollen , it was painful too.
I used to gargle using warm salt water, did steam inhalation , applied ‘Zinda tilismath'(a unani tincture) inside the throat but none helped.

Over the last two years I had been exploring alternative treatments like Ayurveda on the Internet. I also had been researching on various immunity boosting foods.

I zeroed in on Garlic and started consuming a couple of pods in the morning and evening. To my surprise i noticed that the symptoms reduced and my throat was quite comfortable as long i took the pods.

At the end of the 3rd cycle of Lenalidamide , i went for the routine blood and urine investigations ie CBP, LFT , RFT.
Me and my hubby were surprised to see that the TLC count had improved . The globulin level too remained at the same level as last month.

Met my doctor along with the reports and he too was surprised when he compared the current report with the previous month’s report.
He asked me if i changed ‘something’ . I smiled and said ‘yes’ 🙂 I am consuming garlic.

He said the situation is not alarming and we can continue the same medication for another month.
I was excited on getting an extension of one month. I decided i will continue to use garlic during this cycle too.
I am confident that the counts will stabilize and reach the normal range.

The smell of raw Garlic is unbearable, it is very spicy and makes the breath smell very bad.

Procedure i use to consume Garlic :
crush 2 pods . I use a small mortal and thistle.
Leave it for a minute.
Now add the crushed garlic to curd/yogurt ( 4-5 tsp) .
Mix it well and consume .

Here are some tips to get rid of bad breath because of garlic 🙂

11 Tips on How to Get Rid of Garlic Breath

Like most kids, it was in High school that I first learnt about DNA , during the Biology class . We learnt about the structure of a ‘cell’ , the various components of a ‘cell’ and also about the functions of these components. Most of us know that the most important part of a cell is its ‘DNA’ . That it contains the ‘code/program (set of instructions)’ which controls how a cell should behave. Due to various known/unknown reasons the code/program in the DNA gets corrupted. There have been several scientific studies which claim that the DNA of a cell can be reprogrammed. Ayurvedic experts too vouch for the fact that it is possible through Meditation. I now wish to refresh my knowledge about the cell and its contents . I wish to meditate on the cells in my Bone marrow and try to reprogram them, because the ‘program’ in my DNA is misbehaving. My plasma cells (one of the various types of cells in the blood) are going bonkers. They don’t do their job nor do they die. Whereas a normal healthy cell carries out its function ,multiplies and dies . These junk cells remain in the blood stream and block the filters in the kidneys.The job of kidneys is to filter blood by removing dead and toxic impurities/cells in the blood. In order to refresh my knowledge about cells , I spent some time reading a bit about them on the Internet. Here is a picture of the contents of a cell.

The various ‘cells’ which comprise our body are usually taken for granted . A cell is a microcosm in itself. The ‘cell’ in turn contains several organelles like mitochondria , Golgi apparatus , Ribosomes , Lysosomes  etc. Each of these components carries out a specific function within the cell.  The functionality of the cell is mind boggling. A ‘cell’ also has a ‘Nucleus’ which contains ‘chromosomes’. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell. Each of the chromosomes in a pair is received from each of the parents. It is these chromosomes which contain the DNA of the cell.

“The nucleus is a highly specialized organelle that serves as the information and administrative center of the cell. This organelle has two major functions. It stores the cell’s hereditary material, or DNA, and it coordinates the cell’s activities, which include intermediary metabolism, growth, protein synthesis, and reproduction (cell division). “

The DNA is a double helix structure which comprises several ‘genes’.It is these genes which in turn contain the code which determines how various cells in various organs and various parts of the body should function.

Now that the image of a cell and its details are imprinted on my mind , it would be easier to visualize and talk to it while I meditate and try to reprogram them. I had read that one has to visualize the DNA to be glowing with bluish light during Meditation. So, the prerequisite to doing this is to know how to Meditate. Will write about this in another post.

Let’s rewind back to Jan 2012 .

11 Jan 2012 : The day I was discharged from the hospital after undergoing Autologous Stem Cell  Transplant for Multiple Myeloma.

The last 3 years have been full of ups and downs wrt the condition of my health. Had to deal with several infections (skin, eye , throat , stomach ) one after the other .

I had been using Thalix (Thalidomide ) for the last 3 years. Started with 50mg and increased to 100mg.

Side effects of this medication are muscle cramps in the calf’s and near the ribs , infection around the toe nails and numbness in the hands and feet (neuropathy)

All the other supplements namely Iron, B12, calcium ,antioxidant,  an immuno modulator (ayurvedic capsule advised by my doctor) ,  kept me propped up .

I had to do my bit to keep my Creatinine levels low by avoiding high Potassium foods (advised by my doctor) . A renal diet was ideal and i did my best to stick to it.

I had to go for a check up every 6 months where a ‘Bone marrow aspiration’ was carried out at the sternum and tested .

Last year i had to take 2 cycles of Bortozomib.

Life goes on….