June 2, 2009
Bonnie had her first IV yesterday and it went very well. Her blood work came back from Monday and she is at 11. Which is also GREAT news. That means since her release from the hospital 10 days ago her ‘numbers’ have gone verses down – we are grateful for this. While the ‘itching’ has not gone completely away, it is much much better.
For the most part it appears we’ll (she) will have the IV’s on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sat. So that means were down to 102 treatments left! No doubt 8 months is a long time. We’ll get into a routine and before you know if we’ll be having one major party in the new year – we may have to move the Super Bowl to another weekend.
We are grateful for God’s faithfulness which is most evident in your love, prayers, and support.
May 2009
Until three months ago (February 2009), Bonnie (50) was doing incredibly well (a three time ovarian cancer survivor) health wise. She was feeling great, and for the past two years she was walking 45 minutes a day.
This past February 13, Bonnie had a severe allergic reaction to a very common antibiotic (z-pack). She was very fatigued, unable to sleep, restless, and lots of itching, and evidently having some internal bleeding. Mid May Bonnie saw her allergist in hopes of finding something she was allergic to. Hence, her allergist ordered some blood work in hopes of identifying the itching.
On May 16th at 7:30 AM we received a call indicating that her hemoglobin was 4.9, and we were instructed to take her into ER ASAP. They admitted her, gave her 7 units of blood throughout the week and ran numerous tests. They installed a stint for the bile duct. While being cancer free for over 8 years (the last 8 years using alternative medicine), a cat scan revealed that the cancer had returned. Bonnie returned home from the hospital on Saturday, May 23rd.
The ‘mass’ that we have been watching for several years, behind her liver, is the spot where she is losing blood. To remove it surgically, is too ‘invasive’ (so two specialists tell us). There is also some cancer on her small intestine. After investigating several doctors we have decided to stick with alternative medicine since that had worked for Bonnie for so many years. This time the protocol will consist of Bonnie receiving three IV’s each week and additional supplements for approximately eight months.
The question most everyone is asking is what’s the cost of this treatment? We anticipate the cost will range between $2,400 and $3,000 (maybe more depending on supplements) per month. While chemo would have been covered by our health insurance carrier we feel sticking with what has worked in the past is in the best interest of Bonnie.
We are grateful the doctor’s office is less than 20 minutes from the house. Each IV will take up to 2 hours to administer. Her doctor is also evaluating Bonnie’s current regimen of supplements and will be providing overall care and direction on what supplements to continue, change, or stop while she is doing the IVs. The doctor was very pleased to see what Bonnie had been doing and very pleased to see how well Bonnie’s general health was.
As many of you know, we still have significant debt from what she is currently doing (most of the interest free charge cards are now interest bearing). While the naturopathic approach (Alternative medicine) has not been covered by insurance we do not regret our decision nine years ago to partner with both traditional and alternative approached to healing. We are currently investigating some creative financial options concerning our home with hopes of either reducing current medical debt or paying for her new treatments.
Be in prayer for wisdom, healing, hope and provision’s as we move forward.
For details on how to donate to assist with the health care for Bonnie click here.