On July 1st, my whole world was rocked when my husband broke his femur, merely walking up the stairs. In the emergency room we discovered that he had blood cancer that was eating his bones. The biggest bone in his body shattered merely by walking up the stairs.
How could this happen to my handsome, strong, athletic husband on my watch? We eat well, he plays ice hockey twice a week, walks our German Shepherd puppy and plays golf. He doesn’t smoke and has cut down on alcoholic consumption almost entirely. How could this happen? I cannot underestimate the fear and overwhelm. I’ve coached people on how to go from fearful and overwhelmed to empowered, yet found myself feeling like my whole world was crumbling.
I have studied functional medicine for years now and am so fortunate to have studied and worked with some of the best mentors and have amazing colleagues and friends and family that I cannot thank enough.
So we took action. We started doing functional medicine testing to determine where there were hidden stressors. We found them in his gut and his urine and blood testing. He was very high in mold mycotoxins from both water-damaged buildings and grains. His mycotoxins were suppressing his bone marrow, cytotoxic, carcinogenic, killing healthy bone marrow. His gut was leaky with no mucous-forming bacteria and very low secretory IgA, or healthy immunoglobulins. He had an extreme food sensitivity to chocolate…something he ate every single day. He has a stressful job and we both have a tendency to procrastinate. There were indeed some healing opportunities for both of us.
So what did we do?
I frantically started calling and scheduling consultations with mentors. I read suggested books on multiple myeloma. We researched options. We were afraid to jump into the standard of care, and we were afraid not to. If you have been here, then I know that you deeply understand this feeling.
We decided to take an integrative approach in multiple phases, giving us an opportunity to change course if needed. The first challenge was a multi-hour surgery, placing a titanium rod from Doug’s knee to his femur head and another rod at the femur head to stabilize the bone and leg. This was followed by 3 weeks at Reston Hospital Inpatient Rehabilitation, for which we are so grateful. Once home, we had more physical rehabilitation, doctor’s appointments and supportive care for two weeks. A dear friend came to help us and so did our children and my sister and family. We made the courageous decision to go outside the country for cancer care from where I am writing this blog.
Doug said, “If I do this right, I could take this opportunity to get in the best shape of my life.”
Within 10 days of treatment, his markers started to improve, including his Beta2Microglobulin, a prognostic marker, is now in the low reference range. This alone feels miraculous to me!
Doug’s days are busy working on rebuilding his health with organic fresh food, nutrients and supplements, whole body work, holistic dentistry, mind-body therapists and treatments to support his immune system to include autologous immunotherapy (something not yet offered in the US). His only negative symptom in 3 weeks was some fatigue. This also feels amazing to me. No nausea, no vomiting, no hair loss!
My twin sister is home and renovated the moldy shower while our nephew is staying with our puppy. We have soooo very much to be grateful for. Thank you friends and colleagues for food and for taking over and supporting our groups and clients.
Doug will tell you that our experience here was beyond his expectations. One thing he did not expect was the power of the community. He kept saying, “There are a lot of people here worse off than I am”. Yet we witnessed people leaving feeling and looking so much better with positive testing and CT scans. Doug was in a wheelchair for the first couple of days here, then moved to a walker and now will walk out with only a cane.
What I have noticed are comments like, “I cannot wait to go home for coffee and donuts.” And, or the desire to stay connected and the concern about how to take these healthy habits home with them. I feel the same as the latter. We have been in a bubble of self-care and positivity for three weeks. I was so completely exhausted upon arrival that it took me two weeks to feel like I could begin to function normally again. I just started climbing the seven flights of stairs to our room and taking advantage of the fitness center and the walk overlooking the ocean.
We come home tomorrow and one thing I know for sure is how valuable our services are and:
• The need for regular functional medicine testing for root cause analysis and healing.
• The need for a healthy diet and lifestyle change.
• The need for clarity of meaning in your life.
• The need for healthy community and relationships.
• The need to be able to ask for and receive help when needed.
I am ready, able, and needing to get back to work. I have always loved Labor Day. It is not only a much-needed day of rest but can also be used as a day of reflection.
Fall, for me, is also about new beginnings, planting the seeds for future growth. The kids are back in school, giving parents more time to focus on themselves.
If you are ready to sow some seeds of health, then please join me next Wednesday for my Live Young with Lisa Metabolic Reset Program. We will be able to avoid the consequences of the winter flu season and feel and look fabulous before the holidays.
Please pass this email and invitation along to others who may benefit.
