To start the story from the beginning go here.
Gradually, I began to allow myself to eat foods that were prepared by other people that may not be entirely organic or include chicken, beef, or other meats. I definitely had an internal battle to overcome each time I ate outside of my house, but it became less difficult with time. I still worked to keep my diet at home clean and continued making the recipes that I was familiar with and were within my repertoire.
In February of 2017 Jeremy accepted a job in Boston, Massachusetts. He moved there a few days before Valentine’s Day and I stayed behind with the kids so they could finish the school year and we could get the house ready to sell. We moved in June of 2017. The house we were moving into needed a lot of work done before we could move in completely. When we arrived, we had two bedrooms to sleep in, one and a half working bathrooms, and a table and two chairs set up in one room downstairs. The process of moving into a house without a working kitchen caused me a great deal of anxiety. We bought a toaster oven and a mini fridge for our basic food needs. But I didn’t even have a kitchen sink to work with. This was my breaking point with orthorexia. I had to be okay with eating out at fast food restaurants and prepared meals for the foreseeable future. Jeremy was working on the kitchen with a contractor and they were spending all of his free time working on it, but we didn’t have a date when I could use the kitchen. Also, all of our belongings, including my kitchen appliances and tools, were in transit from Arizona and we were told they wouldn’t arrive for at least a month.
I had been to the W Clinic one last time before the move to get my last set of scans, blood work and IV nutrient infusion. The results all showed that I was still in good health and had no signs of cancer. This provided with me with some relief and assurance that I would be okay to drop my standards of clean eating for awhile–at least until I had a working kitchen and all of my kitchen gear. I took the kids to Wendy’s a few times, and bought some muffins from the bakery at the local grocery store. I found a Whole Foods within a few miles and went there for soups and other prepared dishes. I found a Costco and bought some meals that I could warm up in our toaster oven. I had to stop looking at the ingredients in favor of finding a less expensive way to feed a family of seven with only a toaster oven. I even ordered pizza a few times. I felt like I hit a low in my health journey. But I also felt free in a way. I didn’t know a single person in the area and I know they didn’t know me or my miraculous healing of cancer through healthy eating. No one cared that I ate a few slices of greasy pizza. No one knew my stance on sugar. It was liberating.
As I began eating foods that were previously ‘forbidden,’ I began to notice how I felt after eating particular foods. Greasy foods made me feel heavy and lethargic. Too much meat left a heavy feeling also. Sugary foods made me feel a little sick to my stomach. And milk and ice cream made my inner ear itch. While it was exciting to not feel restricted in my eating habits, I felt less inclined towards these foods because their after effects became less appealing. I learned to pay attention to my body when eating foods rather than the labels I had designated to certain foods. It was a gradual retraining of my thought processes to unlearn ideas of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food. I learned that I could have some desserts, but in moderation. I could eat meat, but sparingly. I could eat some non-organic food as long as it was from the “clean fifteen.” (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/)
Although the cancer was gone, I still have the MTHFR mutation that limits my body’s ability to remove toxins from my body. I take a daily supplement to help mitigate the effects of the mutation, but it does not compensate 100% so I still need to try to eat organic foods, especially foods that are more contaminated by pesticides such as apples and berries. I do have to be mindful of the food I eat, just not obsessive.
Since moving to Massachusetts, I have told several people of my story of healing from cancer. I have framed the story as being guided by God on my journey to find the treatment that healed me, which is true, instead of proclaiming the evils of sugar, the corruption of the FDA and Big Pharma. I no longer believe that is real. Maybe there are some nefarious actions by a few individuals. But I believe that for the most part, everyone there has altruistic motivations and are trying to find ways to alleviate the effects and sufferings related to disease. I still talk to a few people every now and then who have cancer and feel like conventional medicine has failed them and they have no other options. Some are receptive to my suggestions, others are not. There have even been one or two that have healed themselves by doing what I did, and those cases are the ones that have motivated me to continue to share my story with others.
After four and a half years of living in Massachusetts I finally made an appointment to see an oncologist. I tried to find a naturopathic medical doctor, but they are not licensed in the state. I found a couple of MDs that treat cancer and MTHFR holistically, but they are not covered by our health insurance and they have very long waiting lists. Since my health is not in danger I did not feel that it was imperative to spend the money out of pocket on these doctors. I finally decided just to get a referral from a primary care doctor to see a conventional oncologist. It had been several years since I had had a scan of my abdomen and pelvis and an x-ray of my lungs to check for tumors. I hadn’t had any concerning pains or symptoms that led me to believe that I may have a recurrence, but cancer is tricky. I wanted to do my due diligence and be tested to set my mind at ease.
I went in to the appointment with my big folder of papers detailing my cancer history: the operative report, pathology report, blood tests, MRI and CT scans, x-ray results. It was a huge stack–about half an inch thick. The assistant took a quick glance at them and then left the room to make copies of all of it. The oncologist came in a few minutes later after reviewing my case and some of the papers. She looked over the pathology report a second time and asked me a few questions about my treatment. She wanted to confirm that I didn’t do chemotherapy. After I told her that I didn’t, she followed up by asking about what treatments I did do. I told her about my diet, the IV vitamin C infusions, and the MTHFR mutation. I asked if I should get an abdominal MRI to check for any growths. She said that based on my pathology report that my tumors were high grade tumors, which at the time they were found was a bad thing. It meant that they would grow quickly and aggressively. But unlike low grade tumors, the likelihood of recurrence past two years is very low. She suggested annual chest x-rays and follow-up appointments just as a precaution. She did not seem concerned about recurrence. She proceeded to do a physical exam during which she asked, “has anyone written about you? Because you are a miracle.” As an experienced oncologist, she doesn’t see stories like mine. I was thrilled, yet humbled.
To continue the story go here.