August 8, 2016.
Clinic Day 1. What a couple of weeks it has been. Since the time that I had my scan we have consulted with the clinic in Mexico and had the most kick ass, epic fundraiser ever. So many wonderful people came out to support Ava, Carl and I in getting my treatments in Mexico. We have so much gratitude for being surrounded by so much love.
Krista and I arrived in San Diego at dinner time last night. A driver from the clinic picked us up and took us across the border to Tijuana. We are staying in a quaint town called Rosarito. As we pulled up to the condo, we can’t help but notice that there is a heavy metal concert in the square across the street. We go for a walk to find a quick bite to eat before we get ready for our first day at the clinic. The concert goes on until 10PM. One thing is for sure, this is not Germany. I look at Krista, terrified at what I have gotten us into. “We are giving this a week. If it doesn’t get better, we are on a plane to Germany”, I say.
Once I arrive at the clinic, I am immediately hooked up to the first of many IVs.Ten to be exact. Vitamin C, DMSO, B17, Samyr to name a few. This is intense and it will be part of my daily routine. Next up, I meet with the psychologist. Interesting…not sure if I need this support or not. To be honest, I feel pretty good mentally. I am not sitting around crying every day. I am ready to fight and be fierce. I am not naïve about my situation just optimistic and prepared and this particular session feels like Psych 101. I’m already past it.
One of the main focuses at this clinic is the diet. It’s vegan. Yeah, you heard me. If you know me, you know that this will be my biggest battle. I am not even close to vegetarian. The more that I read and learn, the more that I need to make changes to my diet. For breakfast they serve us eggs with vegan toast. They are trying to ease me in by allowing the eggs. Hehe.
After breakfast, I am off to have a massage. I could get used to this place quite easily. The importance of the massage is to activate the central nervous system. We need to wake the body up and get it to start doing what it is supposed to be doing.
Next up is a meeting with the nutritionist while we are having lunch which consists of tofu soup and vegetarian sushi. The poor woman is trying to get a handle on my eating habits, which are pathetic to say the least. She is giving me ideas of what to eat and how to properly prepare food to maximize the nutrients. Instantly, I am overwhelmed and start to cry. I cannot wrap my head around how I am going to manage all of this info when I am at home and fending for myself. It’s easy being vegan when you have a great chef preparing everything for you. I am pretty much screwed.
Krista and I meet with 2 of the 4 doctors from the clinic. We are giving them a full history of my cancer diagnosis. Dr. G looks perplexed. He tells me that the physical person he is looking at does not match my medical records. He is interested in how healthy I am and yet I have a lot of cancer in my body. It doesn’t make sense. Dr. R is furiously taking notes. He is German but mumbling his notes in Spanish. Dr. G is going to review my file again. He looks optimistic. He can treat the cancer straight away. I don’t have any other health concerns that he needs to deal with first. The prognosis looks good.
What an interesting start to the next four weeks.
- Kim
photo: Krista McKeachie