In the latest blood test May 6 my PSA was back up, to 4.18 from 4 months below 2. My doctor attributes this to my reducing the dosage of casodex (testosterone-blocking hormone therapy), experimenting with different levels to see if there is a low point. The standard dose is 1 pill daily, whereas I was taking 2 pills per week for a few weeks. The reason for the experiment was to see if side effects could be minimized. I have had sore chest and right side lower ribs, which the doctor ascribes to hormone imbalance and liver stress, respectively. Other than those I don’t have any symptoms and I feel normal and well overall. I did have a head cold for a week, quite unusual for me, and the doctor guessed that this may be a sign of immune system shifting which could be good.
In April I was blessed with another Qi Gong treatment from Dr. Sha, during a seminar he taught in Boulder. I felt increased vitality (several people made complimentary comments in the subsequent week), a new wave of clearing, and a great elevation in optimism. The kindness and generosity that Dr. Sha has provided through the whole adventure (this was my fourth treatment, the first being October 2010) is beyond description and central to my whole subjective sense of progress.
So the gist for this time frame is just continue the program, with modifications. I am taking a break from the casodex entirely and doing additional strategies for the liver, including homeopathics and herbal tonics, plus more frequent coffee enemas. I am also interrupting the usual regimen of supplements, based on the idea that too consistent usage may cause the cancer to adapt so that the remedies do not work as well. I have been doing exactly the same program for the past five months. For about three weeks I will back off on everything, while continuing the regular diet, some few supplements and ozone therapy. I have recently learned that ozone therapy and anti-oxidant supplements are not necessarily synergistically beneficial, so I am scrubbing the supplements list to keep the anti-inflammatories and suspend the anti-oxidants for a few weeks at least.
I am over 2.5 years since the first alarm was sounded in August 2010, and I think the 3 year mark will be a time for modest celebration, because 3 years is the median maximum longevity number used by the government for my particular configuration.
Thanks to everyone who is helping me, in the first wave and continuing into the present! I am so grateful for the support and for the whole process and I think of you all often. I am doing my best to contribute by interacting with other cancer adventurers; I receive inquiries pretty frequently now.
In due course I will update the one page summary mentioned in the last posting. Right now it still just goes through March 2013, but it has proven to be helpful in explaining the story and I will re-design it so it can cover longer time spans.