Coming home soon

YES!  Being excited is okay!  This is GREAT stuff, here!  Based on her tumor markers, she has improved a lot. The very bad part is that she just can't get that pain under control.  I'm happy she will be coming home soon.  Hopefully, nerve blockers or SOMETHING can help her. 

She says that if she can figure out how to continue her treatments at home, she should be able to keep the cancer from metastasizing and if the IGRT was successful, the tumors in her lung should shrink like crazy. It takes a long time for adenocarcinoma to react to radiation so it could be months before we can tell if it was successful.


She is flying home next Saturday, February 13th. 

Uwe and Cristal, I think I accidentally deleted your message.  Thank you for your well wishes.  You can read Jackie's posts at:  www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackiewilks. 

Until next time...
 
 
 
 
 
 

So.

I have found myself in a conversation with someone who (understandably) thoroughly questions this entire process with Dr. Moon.  Okay, actually is adamant that this process is a fraud. 

The last thing I want to do is be a commercial for Goodgene.  I will be one when mom has been helped.  There are moments while I was there that took me aback - like what happened with Jackie's fiducials.  But you know what?  Mom had surgery in the US that was profoundly terrible.  Can anybody say they have never experienced a problem with US healthcare, doctors or hospitals?  Like I said before, no one (and no country) has this healthcare business right.

I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WORKS!  God help me, I pray that it does.

What does success mean?  Does it mean that 100% have to be "cured" of cancer?  25%?  10%?

Dr. Moon is working on opening a lab in Houston.  Obviously, continued research is key.  Mom is getting IGRT treatments (along with other treatments) in South Korea.  So, I feel comfortable with her there.  She is being treated, at least, there. 

As I previously wrote, not all who have come have survived.  There are those, however, that have.  Why?  Why them and not others?  What if you only get an extra year before your cancer comes back?  Is the money and time worth it?   Here is some reality:

 I spoke to the wife of a patient who died.  She said this:
"I would suggest doing everything in your power to get your mother to Dr. Moon. I have met with two people who went there. However, they were very straight forward and said that of the 20 people being treated at the same time as them, they are the only 2 still alive. They did say, though, that even the people who died were so happy when they died. They weren't in pain, they didn't die of some drawn out disease, it was in their sleep. I wish that was how my husband had died. Just going along and then died in his sleep instead of the steady decrease in his ability to do things, including see. I know that this man's treatments are expensive, but he does a fantastic job. He does stem cells, dendritic cell therapy, cyberknife... What you need to know about dendritic cell therapy is that it uses your white blood cells to attack your cancer. So if you have a low white blood cell count, depleted bone marrow, etc... they can not do the treatment for you. That is another problem with Tye going there. He had so much chemo that his body just stopped creating white blood cells and his count was very low".

And the son of a patient who died:
"Dr. Moon's treatments went very well for my mom. It knocked the lung cancer down by 30~40% according to the before and after tests we did. Unfortunately we were unaware that the cancer had spread to her brain prior to us leaving for Korea & the treatments we did specifically targeted her lungs. When we got back to California they found the brain cancer and did a series of whole brain radiation treatments. She's resting comfortably now but the brain cancer seems to be pretty advanced and she's not responding much to the radiation.  I wish I had a better story for you but what we originally went to Korea for was accomplished and from what I hear from the other families that were out there with us they've been successful too".

I reached out to some folks and some have reached out to me.  I am keeping my eye on those who are still out there, living their lives... praying for them too. 

False hope and blind faith is not what should take anyone to a country they know nothing about.  Have informed hope and thoughtful faith. Do your research!

Right now, we'll have to wait and see.  Mom, myself and her doctors are anxious to see her results.  As promised, I will share them.

~

Day Twenty-Three

Hello out there.  Well... mom woke up with a fever, stabbing back pain and overall achiness.  Thankfully, after that 500 ML aspirin, her fever broke and felt a bit better.  It was an easy day at the clinic as mom just received stem cells and protein.  Unfortunately, we were notified that the radiation machine had some kind of problem and that her's and Dawn's appointments today were cancelled.  It's possible it will be working again tomorrow or Friday.  So, mom and I took a taxi straight to the movie theatre and watched Avatar (in English with Korean subtitles).  Good movie.  Now we're going to lay low for the rest of the evening.  Mom won't lay down.  She thinks she'll fall asleep if she does (I know... a good idea) but she doesn't want to risk a sleepness night so she'll wait awhile longer.  It's a good night for Tylenol PM.

Day Fourteen

The snow is really coming down today. Poor Erica slipped and fell outside of Mario Tower on the way in and ended up in an ambulance to the hospital for an x-ray. Hopefully, nothing was broken. Joe (her husband, a patient) sure needs her.


So the morning started later than usual. Mom got a 15 minute stem cell drip and then a 45 minute protein drip. I had been standing by, writing "need to know"'s, for any new patient planning on coming, on my netbook that I will add to the blog. I wasn't able to get into the room that has the Internet cable to say goodnight to my littlest one on Skype but, it's okay... I called and hubby had me on speakerphone with her. Hearing her is better than not seeing her.  It melts my heart to hear her say "Hi, Momma".

We understand that Dr. Moon is going to the States through 1/10/10 to continue working on opening a lab in Houston and hopefully a clinic in possibly the Bahamas or Mexico. That may take quite a while though to come to fruition. I know they've been trying to open a clinic closer to the States for more than a year.

It's about 1:20 pm now. Everyone else went back to the hotel about 45 minutes ago. I'm going to wait until Joe finishes his treatment and take a taxi back to the hotel with him. Hopefully, Erica will get back to the hotel soon safe, sound and unbroken. I understand that the hospital is not the best place in the world. Your bed is basically a gurney with a sheet over it. The privacy curtain is just around your "bed" so not any real space for anyone to even visit you. You need to bring your own soap, towels, etc.

So, here I sit in a room next to Joe writing this and listening to Minnie Driver on my netbook. Yes, she sings and her voice is incredibly beautiful. Take a listen to her album called Seastories. It has become my South Korean soundtrack.

Here are some snow shots from today...

Day Twelve

It's Saturday here so it was to the clinic at 8:30 am.  As it was snowing, getting into the building was interesting but we made it.  Mom got the 45 minute protein drip and one of those rump shots (she had it out of my view so I didn't ask) but it had to have been either the CK or the vaccine. 

For lunch, we decided to have real Korean food for a change, so we ventured downstains to Yura.  I really wish I had taken my camera.  We both ordered the Bulgogi Kettle (which is a marinated beef mixed with mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, etc.).  It was really very good.  They start you off with a salad, which had some kind of super cold relishy dressing.  Then they bring out the kimchi, cold bean sprouts, some kind of fish, what looked like small oysters and some kind of slimy mushroom sprouts (all in separate little bowls).  I tried everything except the small oysters.  It was all pretty good except the fish thing.  Ugh.  Mom only tried the cold bean sprouts and a piece of kimchi.  Then they brought out the Bulgogi with a side of (I think it was Jasmine) rice. This was obviously a lot of food for just two people but we did the best we could to eat what we could.                                               

This wasn't our table but lunch sort of looked something like this (the Bulgogi is in the middle).

Then they brought out a cold plum tea after the meal.  Mind you, all this they brought when all we ordered from the menu were "two Bulgogi Kettles, please".

We thought it would be nice to go the movie theatre across the street, just to do something different.  So, after we go back into the hotel room, I put my jacket back on and went across the bridge to buy tickets (it is reserved seating so wanted to be sure we pre-bought tickets).  I could not believe how crowded it was!  I actually had to take a number to buy the tickets.  Anyway, there were only two movies in English (with Korean subtitles)... Avatar and Sherlock Holmes.  After flipping a coin, we ended up with Sherlock Holmes.  Entertaining movie. 

Tomorrow, if mom is still up for it and it's not completely freezing outside, we'll take the shuttle over to Itaewon for a little shopping.  Will let you know how that goes!  How to ask "how much" in Korean:  Olma Imnika.

Day Six

Happy Sunday!  It was back to Home Plus again.  I think they're going to give me a job pretty soon.  You will notice the cheese slices, Campbells soup and Skippy peanut butter.  American food is expensive!  The soup was about 2,500 won per can and the pb almost 7,000 won.  I only buy items that have either a recognizable label or has some kind of writing in English.  Otherwise, it's a free-for-all of what could be ANYTHING.  By the way, there is no labeling for anything "diet".  If you buy diet coke, it says "light coke" on the label.

This morning I got my WBC stimulator shot from the wife of one of the other patients.  This is her second time here so very familiar with everything including the ole' needle.  Her name is Erica and is such an incredibly nice woman.  I will probably constantly write about the patients and their families.  I suppose that when you, or the one you are with, are going through such an illness... you naturally bond with those in a similar situation.  Everyone sort of looks out for each other.  But then, that's really the way it should be - isn't it?

No clinic visit today, just another amazingly cold day.  So, we're laying low until we go back to Goodgene in the morning.  Mom is in a lot of pain in the rib area.  The coughing only makes it worse.  She's had to cut back on the medication for nerve pain until the shipment for the next round gets here.  Hopefully, it will come tomorrow so she can start taking more again which should help.

I'm eyeing a piece of popcorn from two days ago, against the wall, under the little eating table in our room.  I'm on a mission to see when the maid will vacuum it up.  These are the little things in life that make a quiet day inside worth while.  Until tomorrow...  Anneyong Kayseo!