It's the People That Count!

(more Tijuana photos by Liz here)

I'm completely loving the scene here in Tijuana! (or "TJ", as everyone here refers to it*) We're actually in Playas de Tijuana, separated from the rest of the city by a major highway and a mountain range -- so there's no problem with drug violence anywhere near here.

The scene at the beach across the street is wonderful. On nice days, it's filled with people -- all Mexicans, and all completely relaxed and having fun. We're only four blocks from San Diego, but it's an utterly different universe. The fresh air and the happy giggling is completely invigorating, and endlessly entertaining. We were lucky enough to be invited into a local home for Easter, and we had a blast.

Inside the clinic, I am thanking my lucky stars several times a day that I ended up here after all my searching. The difference is the people! Besides being complete sweethearts, both the doctors and nurses have plenty of time to be attentive and caring, as there are only four patients staying in the clinic at any one time. Both of the other sonodynamic therapy options that I investigated (in China and the UK) were outpatient, so I wouldn't have received anywhere near this level of care. On my first day here, the doctors discovered a urinary tract infection that I hadn't even known about, and it's now completely gone.

The nurses take my vital signs and check in on me round the clock. They've also been helping train Liz to administre the two shots (Goldenseal + vitamins, and antigen vaccine) that I'll continue once I return home. Most importantly, we've been well-trained in what will be necessary to continue the therapies (both sonodynamic + supplements) once we return to Berkeley. No other place I checked into has such a well-planned approach to follow-up care.

I'll put myself through eight more weeks of treatment at home, and then get a bone scan on schedule in mid-July (which I do every six months). That will give me a progress report on how I'm doing, and let me know how well the therapies have worked.

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* Given that the reference to Tijuana as "TJ" is universal...and considering how sleazy a reputation Tijuana has...I can't believe that anyone actually ended up naming a television show "T.J. Hooker"! Somewhere in Hollywood, an executive producer is still chuckling to themselves.

a third possible treatment: IPT

I spoke with Dr. Dean at the Euro-Med Center in Scottsdale today about a treatment that I've become interested in checking out: insulin potentiation therapy (IPT).

Here's a great description of it:
http://www.euro-med.us/cancer-treatment/insulin-potentiation-therapy.cfm

short version: cancer cells LOVE glucose. In IPT therapy, you're given insulin, which lowers your blood sugar...all your cancer cells start crying out for more glucose! At that point you get a lot of glucose COMBINED with low-dose chemotherapy. The great advantage of this technique over standard chemotherapy is that it's a small enough dose that it does no harm to your immune system.

I'm trying to find someone that will give me a valid comparison between this treatment and the Chinese sonodynamic treatment I'm also investigating. Both treatments can often (though not always) take patients all the way to remission -- but even with remissions, you have to go back in for periodic re-treatments. I'm prepared for that; my understanding is that cancer is a chronic condition that I'll live with for the rest of my life. It would be a lot easier to return frequently to an IPT clinic in the States than the SDT clinic in China!

Update 3/8:

After researching the IPT therapy further, it looks like it's much more appropriate for early stage cancers. I'm going to keep looking for another multi-therapy clinic in the US so that it will be easy to travel to. I'll be investigating the various Mexican clinics -- Ralph Moss has written a report evaluating the various treatments in the major clinics there, which will be helpful.