For anyone following my health journey (ie #lovecanceraway and #cancercyborg), I apologize for the delay in this update from the last PSA test result I received this past Tuesday. First, a little background. My highest PSA to date has been 122. (Normal varies with age but 4 or below is close enough.) On July 8th, it dropped by 37% to 77. This past Tuesday’s was 113.

And I made that mean a lot. Even though I had mapped out the various scenarios and what actions I would take if it was the same, lower, or higher. What I didn’t account for was the “automatic and mechanical mind/identity.” So, I spent close to a full day upset as hell that the test had gone up.

Fortunately, I’ve had sufficient training (especially from my Landmark work) not to stay stuck in the morass. What came out of that process is the title of this blog. I declared the test result was a setback in my intention to return to full health and vitality so it calls for a reset.

After all, one of the contexts in which I’m holding this situation is that it’s all an experiment. I mean, I’ve held all my life as an experiment in whether I can live true to my Divinely Inspired Life Purpose, so this is more of the same. And yes, the stakes appear higher than before. This is the hand the Big U decided was next for my transformation. So be it.

Reset Time

As I mentioned, I had already mapped out what adjustments I would take if the test result came back higher than the previous one. Here are the adjustments I’m making:

  1. I’ve placed myself back on Casodex. Also, known as Bicalutamide. It’s used to treat prostate cancer. This medication works by blocking the action of male hormones in the prostate, slowing the growth of cancer cells.
  2. Re-examine my nutritional approach. Nutrition is a big part of the alternative or complementary approach to cancer treatment, and it’s also one with much confusion and contradictory information. Thus, the need to try different approaches until finding what works for my body and the condition I’m dealing with.

The immediate action from this second one is to back off on the fruit and fresh fruit juice. While I had found ample reputable resources that claimed that fresh fruit has plenty of nutrients to counter the accompanying glucose, that doesn’t appear to be the case in my situation.

A second approach that I’m continuing to research and learn about it using a Keto diet to help starve the cancer. This approach is too complicated to get into on this post. Maybe more to follow.

The Longer View of the Complementary Approach

As I’ve continued this journey, I’ve at times used various words to describe the path I’m taking including alternative, holistic, metabolic, and natural. The one I’ve recently started using is complementary. Here’s why. My approach isn’t an either/or approach, but more of a both/and one. I’m not against modern, allopathic medicine. Not by a long shot. Most of my own education as a vet has been in that approach.

Already early on this journey, I’ve called upon allopathic medicine in the following ways:

  1. PSA tests
  2. Visits with my PHP who referred me to a urologist
  3. A biopsy of the prostate gland to confirm the diagnosis
  4. A full-body and pelvic T3 MRI scan.

This last one, the T3 MRI is cutting edge science which unfortunately our current health insurance system doesn’t cover. (Go figure.)

So, I’ve called upon allopathic medicine quite a bit for the diagnosis. Where we part company is in the recommended treatments which seems overly harsh, damaging and dangerous, with one possible exception which I’ll cover in a moment.

At this point, I’m exploring the various complementary and less invasive approaches. I want to give my body with the help of its immune system every opportunity to heal itself. However, still on the table of options is this other approach called TULSA.

The TULSA Procedure is a minimally invasive procedure that uses directional ultrasound to produce very high temperatures to ablate targeted prostate tissue. The procedure is performed in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suite and uses the TULSA-PRO® system to ablate prostate tissue.

And of course, like many things in life, this approach has one significant downside. Do you want to guess what that is? Well, it’s also NOT covered by health insurance/Medicare. The procedure runs about $35,000 to $40,000 dollars.

And with all that, it’s still a possibility. Everything I’m currently doing will only improve my chances and shorten my recovery time if it turns out I need to go the TULSA route.

My somewhat flexible timeline at this point is to give the complementary approach until mid to late October to show significant healing. I’m in regular communication with the Busch Center about this which is where I had my T3-MRIs performed and would likely be where the TULSA treatment would be performed as well.

Speaking of which, if you’ve read this far, please keep Kathy Busch, Dr. Busch’s wife, and an integral part of their practice in your thoughts and prayers. I found out yesterday that she’s been in the hospital being treated for COVID.

The Journey Continues

You can find additional posts about my journey HERE.

Help Me Love My Cancer Away

Would you be open to contributing to my fundraiser? A donation of any amount would truly help me recover from this health challenge and continue to be a loving “granddude” for Logan.

To help simply click the link to their GoFundMe campaign below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lovecanceraway

If you prefer contributing another way (check, Paypal, Venmo, etc.), go to: https://wbradfordswift.com/contribute/

If you could also share these two fundraiser links with your friends, it would mean so much. The more people who hear about this challenging situation, the better.

If you’re a science fiction and/or fantasy fan, check out my 28 books. Purchasing one or more of my books will not only help me treat my cancer, but it will also inspire me to keep writing during this trying time. Here are a few places to go:

My personal online book store  Enter coupon code NewReader2021 to save 15% on your purchase,

My Books2Read author’s page for Orrin Jason Bradford books

My Books2Read author’s page for W. Bradford Swift books  

With love,

Brad

Help SF author, W. Bradford Swift love his cancer away. click the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lovecanceraway Or donate by check, Paypal, Venmo: https://wbradfordswift.com/contribute/ Click To Tweet