August 2023 Update

Hi all,
I figured this is a good time to give an update on what’s been going on. First, I’m still here and God has a plan for my future. I’m doing well now, but it has been one of the roughest years. To recap, my former cancer center changed the monoclonal antibody I was taking after 5.5 years and never told me. They neglected to share this information with the oncologist I was seeing so for 11 months I was being given a completely different monoclonal antibody than I was told. The nurses and the provider kept calling it Herceptin, but in reality, is was Kanjinti. The other names for the two drugs are Trastuzumab and Trastuzumab-anna. Notice that the two drugs are spelled the same, except that the second has those four letters after it. It’s a completely different drug from a different creature’s cell line. They are not the same, and I was reacting horribly to the biosimilar they placed me on, but I didn’t know that was the issue. I developed scalp lesions from that drug and all Rocky Mountain Cancer Center said was, “We are sorry, but legally we didn’t do anything wrong.” We pharmacists are now allowed to fill your medication with a biosimilar and they do not have to tell you or your doctor. This is legal in the USA, and we can thank the FDA for this.

Since that time, the cancer was still present in the left anterior fifth rib. I managed to keep it confined to that location only. I was told to have my rib removed, but upon further investigation, I did not want to go that route. Whenever a surgeon opens you up, touches and handles various tissues, and uses multiple instruments with the potential to spread or reseed cancer, I would rather not go that route. I asked about more targeted radiation as a possible option with just a few sessions and was denied. We appealed but were denied again. I finally asked my company’s insurance liaison who was denying me, and she informed me that a general doc with no cancer experience made these decisions. We then hired a radiation oncologist, and he said my case was totally suitable.

Please know this was carefully thought out. I waited on this for almost 15 months, but the cancer had been on my right ventricle of the heart in the fifth rib, directly over my primary lower ascending artery and over the lung. jI did the five sessions which had no scatter and were highly targeted. I also requested hyperbaric oxygen therapy and have since had 35 rounds. I also managed to talk my radiation oncologist into ordering more just to be sure, and another 30 rounds were approved. Radiation can cause tissue necrosis and hyperbaric therapy is used to reverse this condition, but the patient needs to ask for it. The doctors don’t even think about it until they know there is extensive damage and it’s too late. At the hospital, each 90-minute session runs roughly $4400 per treatment. I have asked this doctor if he would use my case as a case study as I’d like to add some bio hacks. I’ll either do it with his permission or I just won’t share what I take beforehand, but if you use citrulline, arginine, niacin, or NAD, they vasodilate your blood vessels, thus further allowing oxygenation to deep tissues that may not receive enough. Cancer loves low-oxygen environments to grow, expand, and metastasize so the more oxygenation to a cancerous region, the better. The initial fatigue was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I’d be walking and my legs felt like wet spaghetti noodles ready to give out underneath me at any moment. The scalp lesions have significantly decreased since being placed back on the original Trastuzumab, which is comforting to know.

I’m still in school, just starting my dissertation which will take a year. I also started Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University and in roughly 2-3 years, I’ll be all done and can work with cancer patients who are seeking help with conventional and holistic or alternative approaches. I favor the natural ways, but as I’ve dealt with hard-to-treat cases, sometimes you need the big guns when nothing else works. In fact, more people do better long term when they blend both treatment modalities. The key is making sure you don’t do too much radiation, chemo, immune therapy, and surgery which overtaxes the body and often leads to more harm than good.

As a nurse, I’ve figured out some of the balancing act and what works, and how much is too much. I was told originally that I’d only be able to do 30 rounds of standard radiation, but I absolutely refused. That radiation is horrific because of the scatter and its lack of long-term effectiveness. The peer-reviewed data showed 0 percent survivability at five years while the procedure I did had significant improvements with 46 percent survivability at the five-year mark. When I said something to the doctor, she informed me that insurance companies push for patients to get 30 rounds of subpar radiation as it’s significantly cheaper, but they assume you can do both. You can’t. It’s one or the other. I pushed for the one that is more effective in the data and was denied twice but I kept pushing for that one only. I refused chemo and surgery. I am noticing a trend in radiology and that is that they are pushing for cheaper versions and types but today, there is really no reason to get 30 rounds of radiation. The peer-reviewed data is very clear. This form is devastating to the body and in the long run, it creates significant scatter, which harms the organs and tissues that may not have adequate coverage.

The reason I was switched to a biosimilar was due to the cost. Right now, my insurance pays $13k for one 30-minute infusion when using the original biologic drug, but the biosimilar is $5k cheaper. I am now back on the original monoclonal antibody that never should have been switched. Much of what I endured was unnecessary and could have been avoided had we been told that I was on a completely different monoclonal.

Now I am continuing to work at school and volunteer at kids’ coops. I feel much better each day. I also switched the cannabis ratios and it’s made a vast improvement in sleep and overall mood, disposition, and physical health. Without fail, at least 3-4 times per week I receive a text, call, or email seeking more information on what can be done for stage IV cancer treatment. My dissertation will be about cannabis and nutritional use among biohackers in the cancer space who optimize their bodies and overall health. I created and designed it this way so that I can also glean more information on what others are successfully using. I still take at least 50 supplements daily and they appear to be helping.

I want to thank you all for your prayers and support over the years. I’ve tangibly felt and perceived them. This is a really scary diagnosis and like the apostle Paul, I will have this thorn until I leave this world for heaven, but God has been so good to me as I receive new insight, find amazing research, investigate case studies, take online classes on supplements and using repurposed medications (for instance every single day, I take either Mebendazole, Ivermectin (the only known drug that kills cancer stem cells), and Fenbendazole. Each of these is antiparasitic or antiworm, but they also kill cancer cells, just like THC.

God has given me peace and hope that I will get through this ordeal. I look forward to working with patients who are not given any counseling, cannabis information, nutritional protocols, integrative health information, health coaching, and clinical mental health counseling in dealing with a terminal diagnosis. The Lord has shown me that I don’t need to be afraid, as I really see there are numerous approaches and therapies out there. The key is locating them and determining what will work best for me and for others. Everyone is unique so we really should have individualized cancer treatment care plans that don’t just look at pharmaceutical medications, surgery, and radiotherapy approaches. We need to incorporate numerous holistic approaches as adjuvants to be used alongside and reduce the harsh and heavy burden that conventional treatment exacts on the body. In addition to infra-red sauna use, we are also doing cold plunges and ice showers to help stimulate the body’s ability to recover, heal, and reduce inflammation.

Thanks for following along and for all your prayers over the years.
Blessings,
Allison