The Plan and Weekend Events

We met with Dr. Vazquez after we got the info on the supplements John is taking. He was happy with them and suggested we continue with them, that's good. To change things up right now would just add more chaos to our lives. He wants to add a Vit C supplement one month after treatment. Alivazatos patients can't have Vitamin C for 30-45 days after treatment. Something about the C interfering with the laetrile. He also wants to add some essential aminos to help with John's weight. He's lost 12 pounds in the six months we've been working on this. I knew he had lost weight, but didn't realize it was that much. Twelve pounds on him is a lot - you can see it one him, too. We need to work on getting his weight back. Unbelievably, his energy is through the roof. He's always running around doing something. Before we left, his big thing was a "brick" workout. It's a triathlon thing...he'd ride his bike around our 1/2 mile block a few times, then jump off and run around the block. He'd do it two or three times in a row. More of a workout than even I'd care to do! So, regardless of the weight loss, he's still as active as ever.

This weekend we're in San Diego visiting Carl's sister Lisa and her family. Carl's mom flew out with us and is staying with Lisa, so we're seeing her, too. Last night we met Matt Fitzgerald, a professional athlete and now I can say "friend," for dinner last night at Anthony's Fish Grotto. For those of you who know us, yes, we actually went to a fish restaurant for dinner. Carl was in his glory, eating real seabass while the kids and I had chicken. Well, that's what we were told it was, but ever since the Chicken Sandwich Incident when I was 8, I'm alwasy skeptical of, "Yes, it's chicken. Eat it up, you'll like it!!" Anyway, we did try Carl's seabass. It was alright - tasted like spongy chicken. I figure if it tastes like chicken, why not just eat chicken? It's a lot cheaper!! This morning, Lisa's husband, Rob, and I went for a 9-mile run. Felt alright til my femur popped out of the joint again. Six weeks off running and it's still not working right. Argh! I think we're going to the San Diego Fair this afternoon. Perfect - a 9-mile run and an afternoon of cotton candy. Love it! Tomorrow we're taking Carl on his Father's Day surprise. Sorry, can't reveal until tomorrow. He reads the posts. All I'll tell you is it's in La Jolla and you need a swimsuit...

John and Jacob are busy shooting bad guys out on the trampoline and playing pool. You know how they go together. It's very fun and satisfying watching the boys be boys. So, off to the shower now to get ready to go to the fair. The big question of the day: Pink or blue cotton candy??

Part II:Day 2

Second day and a good one. Okay, Carl is utterly freaking out about the forecast for La Crosse next week...in the 100's!! Rock on! I'm so excited! Bring. It. On!!!! Hey, Karri, Carl says to feel free to turn on the a.c. He's all worried about the heat taking over the house. I'm okay with a hot house - whatever you decide to do, just remember who shares the wine. (wink-wink)

Anyway, met with John's doc today. His blood all looks good - very relieved to hear that information. His live blood sample looks mch healthier than last time. Blood cells are free and moving around independently - not stacked, not depending on each other. He's got a little of an overproduction of yeast which is a little worrisome. Where would that come from? Most likely an overabundance of refined white sugar. Our bodies naturally produce yeast and refined white sugar helps the yeast to mulitply and stick around longer. We'll probably add a little more cocktail to the IV each day to get rid of it, but also really watch his candy intake for the next few months. We did let him have a little more than usual lately - amazing how his body reacts that crap. Dried blood shows a vitamin C deficiency, so we'll probably add on a vitamin C supplement. No big deal there, either. So, all in all, it's very, very good. All the labs look like the live cell therapy took and is doing well. Thank God, literally! Dr. Vasquez also gave us his blessing to go ahead with our hoped-for adventure to China. As long as John eats natural, organic food he should be good. Now I have to find an organic grocery store...So much to do...

We did a little shopping today, after John's treatments. Went to the Arts and Crafts Market. Wowza. These people are amazingly talented. There was a ton of wood, metal, pottery and garden art. We spent two hours there and got lost twice. The shopkeepers were a little annoying, but not nearly as bad as Revolutionary Blvd from last time. I could've stood in those shops for hours marveling over the art. Found a fantastic new "fuel belt." A fuel belt is a belt I wear on long runs that has mini-water bottles so I can stay hydrated and energized on a long run (like more than 2 hours). In Mexico, they have leather fuel belts that allow a runner to carry Bud Lite, Miller Lite or Schlitz. In a big can, too! Awesome! These Mexicans know how to run! I had to laugh out loud when I saw them hanging from the ceiling.

It's nice to have a kitchen in our house. This gives us the option of making meals here instead of eating things like cactus and quinoa (which is actually pretty good, minus the cactus) or mushroom pizza (as in a gi-normous mushroom with quinoa and cheese). We've had some good meals the last couple of days, too. Chicken and veggies, potatoes and veggies, lentil soup...all yummy when someone else makes it. When I make it at home, it's more like, "Hello? Domino's?" For whatever reason, it doesn't taste the same.

Until tomorrow...

We're Here!

Part II: Day 1

We arrived last night around 7 p.m. at the clinic. It looks the same, but the city has a different feel. Is it us? Being more settled and familiar, knowing what to expect? Or is the city more vibrant, alive and almost happier? Not sure which one. Our driver, Victor, said the state has taken over the city, there is a lot less violence and many of the cartel have been captured. He said one guy ran from "la policia federal," had facial surgery and when he was captured, they had to do DNA tests on him to make sure it was really him. I still say that kind of stuff happens in movies, but according to Victor, it happens right here, in the city we're in right now. So, I'm not sure why it feels different this time around - maybe a little of both.

The trip here was mostly uneventful. I got my brand new, ten-dollar bottle of friggin' lotion taken from me at security. I had just bought the bottle when we left for the airport, it was less than two hours old. Honest to God, those damn terrorists. I tell ya...I was not happy about it at all. The TSA big-head said it was because I could have some explosive in there that could disable the plane, therefore it was a security threat. Andrea says, "Mom, he's a cop. You have to listen to him." I was too quick to point out he was actually not a cop, just TSA. He lovingly dumped my lotion in the garbage and asked me to move a long. Seems to me that someone is just a little high on his horse. Hope he falls...into a big vat of Aveeno, ten-dollar lotion.

We are staying in "the house" while at the clinic. It's a little different than the apartment, I'd show you pictures, but I stupidly assumed the camera cord was actually in the camera case when in reality it's still in the AV drawer in the table in the living room at home. Therefore, I cannot download any pictures until I get a new cord. Maybe when we get to San Diego this weekend, I can find one. Anyway, the house has three bedrooms, kitchen, living room and bathroom. We have two emergency exits (back doors). It's nice. Andrea and Carl like it, John wants the apartment, but he's not one for change. The more consistency in his world, the better. He'll get over it, I'm sure.

John had his first treatment this morning...he also had blood drawn and he handled it way better than our newest friend, Larry. Larry is 72 years old (a year younger than last year; a real, live Benjamin Button in our midst). See, when he was talking with Secorra (the secretary), they were discussing their ages. They were both born in 1937 but Secorra was 72, whereas Larry insisted he was 73. Some time deep in the night, he woke up really contemplating this mystery. Since it was just plaguing him, he got up, got out the calculator and did the math (see, Ron, I'm not the only math-idiot around). He lost a year at midnight! This place really does produce miralces!

Anyway, John was much braver in his blood draw and catheter placement than Larry. Yes, both needed hands to hold, but John didn't whine or become pale. He watched Elias' needle placement with hawk-like eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when it was in and done. He did great! His ears, cheeks, knees and elbows turned bright red during treatment - a sign his body was accepting all the vitamins and minerals well.

Andrea is bored stiff. I'm contemplating letting her hang in San Diego with her cousin, Rachel for a few days. We'll see. I think being bored may be good for her. Plus, trying new things is always good for anyone. She's going to have to get used to new and unusual things if we go to China.

Well, I need to get a move on. We're making spaghetti for dinner (because the dining room is serving mushrooms and cheese for dinner - even thinking about it makes me gag) and the noodles just finished boiling. So, more tomorrow.

Adios!

Here We Go Again

Monday, June 15 we leave again for Tijuana. This time, all four of us will be traveling to the clinic. We're flying out of Minneapolis this time. Saved a lot of money on airfare! Carl's mom, Bonnie, will be flying out with us and staying in San Deigo with Carl's sister, Lisa and her family.

John and I are happy to go back - it'll be nice to see Elias and the crew. Personally, I'm not looking forward to the food, especially at this level of Ironman training. My metabolism is high right now and eating a leaf of catcus just doesn't cut it! Carl's feeling nervous about the violence - I told him we'd walk the three blocks up the grocery store and stock our house-apartment, but he's not too keen on that idea. I'm confident that once he gets there, he'll see it's relatively safe and all will be fine. The only thing that makes me nervous is Anj's long, blond hair. It'll make her stand out, so the rule for her will be a required baseball cap if/when we leave the clinic. I'm sure she'd be fine without it, but Momma Bear is feeling a little protective.

We have a few fun activities planned to make the trip a little like a vacation - going to visit my "pacer-sister", Kristine and her family, maybe hit a Padres game, spend afternoons at Lisa's house, a little bit of site-seeing in TJ (Revolutionary Boulevard) and a special Father's Day activity which I am not at liberty to discuss right now, should the Dad read this before we go! Of course, we'll blog about it afterward.

The focus, however, for this visit, is continuing John's upward health. He has done soooooooo good since our first visit. Unbelievably good. A sort of "pinch me, I can't believe it" kind of good. Every single day, he's pooping. Never, well, I mean prior to Dec 29, has he done that. I've even toyed with the idea of considering he might be healed! I think after the year anniversary, I might entertain that idea more, but right now, it's just dancing in my head. We cannot get over how well he's doing. He continues to stay true to his Aliviazato's diet. It's tough to be 11 and eat like that, but he educates others sometimes and feels good about what he's doing. When he has sleep overs, he bring his own food, he packs his own lunch everyday (but not for much longer!) and only pouts sometimes when he can't have something. He's so great! I guess I'm just blown away by the fact we fought so hard for 10 years to get him better with little success. All the horrible tests he's been through, time, money, etc. We spend one month in TJ at this clinic and he comes back fine and continues to be fine. As an interesting experiement, we submitted all his TJ treatments to insurance (we were wondering if they'd cover any of it, to save some money). We got the EOB back from insurance with a little letter that said, among other things, "...upon review of his case, we feel contemporary medicine can alleviate the issue at hand." Well, those of you who know me, I just about had a cow when I read that stupid statement. It still raised my heartrate and blood pressure just typing it. What bunch of idiots insurance people are (if you are one, no personal offense, I'm speaking in general terms and since this is my blog, I can type whatever I want). So, I will just leave it at "Ha! Little do they know...oh, so little!!!"

So, please stay tuned for updates on his treatment. I'm so anxious to know his "numbers." His first day he'll have blood work and a inspection of his live and dead blood cells to see how healthy his body is. We'll compare it to the info from the last visit and see how the live cell therapy worked/is working. I'm all about the data, so I'm really looking forward to the comparison.

As always, thanks for reading, thanks for caring and most of all, thanks for your support. Keep us in your prayers as we travel and change up our lives for two weeks. Please keep the other patients at the clinic in your prayers, too.

In Memory

We lost two dear friends from the clinic. John and I take comfort in knowing they're resting peacefully in the arms of Jesus, without anymore pain and suffering. Until the day we see them again in heaven, the memories of our conversations, games and fun times will stay with us.



Joe Reaser, Altus, OK

Also gone: Bev Edmison, Sparta, WI

45 Post Treatment

We've hit the Big 45-day mark! John is super-thrilled!

Forty-five days past treatment means some foods can start to be added back into John's diet. Yesterday, he had his first apple since Dec 26. He was so excited!! He absolutely loves apples, so to have them taken away was hard. One of the keys to Alivizatos is to follow the diet which entails low-acid foods. Anything with acid is off-limits. That means no citrus, dairy, flesh-meats, etc. Also not allowed (and should never be in ANY food consumption) is conventional (white, bleached) flour, sugar (white or brown), pop, etc. All that stuff only contributes to a myriad of health issues: auto-immune, cancer, emotional issues, acne, lethargy, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc., etc. The list goes on. Anyway, John's been gorging on vegetables, whole grain rice, quality bread (we use Ezekial 4:9, after the Scripture verse where Jesus explains how to make bread), melons, raw nuts (not peanuts - too much natural bacteria) and sometimes I'll make organic treats like sunbutter cookies or popcorn. He drinks only water. He does a great job - when he has a sleep over, he takes his own food for snacks and breakfast. All the kids and parents have been really great about it, too.

But now, apples and other citrus can be added to our choice list. Wow! Apples, grapes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons....where to start?!

www.alivizatos.com

Update

It's been over a month that we've been home. The joy and excitement of being home lasted about two weeks. It was so great to get back into our lives, seeing our friends, co-workers, my students, getting phone calls from well-wishers. John loved sharing his story with his classmates and anyone else who would listen, like people in line at Target or the 800# callers who got through (regardless of being on the no-call list). It was a good two weeks. We loved the quiet, we loved hearing English again, no gunfire, John loved not having an IV in his arm. I loved showering in my own bathroom! We both really liked having American water back - Mexican water seemed dirty, whether you were bathing in it or drinking it. There was constant sand in it, but here, we got our constant snow back. It was all good. Then, reality hit. Work: every day. Making dinner: every day. Paying bills: too often. You know what I mean...
Live is surely back to normal now. We are both wishing to go back - not only for the warmth, but for the nutritious meals that neither of us had to cook or clean up. John's body, on the other hand, is not back to normal which is good, good, good!! He continues to poop everyday - some days he's blessed and gets to go twice! We continue to give praise to God that He got us to Mexico - all the details that had to fall into place happened only by the grace of Him. John is doing so well and we are so proud of him. We got back at the end of January and his 11th birthday was only 2 weeks later. He is on a strict diet, called Aliviazatos, which is not very 11-year-old-birthday friendly. He decided to celebrate with his friends at High Roller Skating Rink. They serve pizza, slushies and pop to all the kids. John could have none of it. The amazing, wonderful thing about it, though, was John was cool with it. Kids in 5th grade still bring treats to their classmates...John decided to share one of the things he can eat with his classmates. He brought SunButter Cookies to school for his class. What a kid! He's working really hard to make sure the live cells regenerate in the best conditions possible. Have I mentioned how proud we are of him?
So, other than the strong reminder of how much John and I hate winter, we are very glad to be back. We are so thankful John continues to do well. The clinic truly does God's work and saves lives. It's so incredibly sad to hear people are dying from cancer, suffering from illnesses when they DON'T NEED TO!!! To anyone reading this who is chronically ill or knows someone who is, you don't have to be sick. You don't. You need to gather a lot of money, make a phone call and get plane tickets. It's easy. And don't roll your eyes about the money issue. If doctors here are doing such a great job for you, why are you still sick or in pain? Just think of the money as all the money you would spend for the rest of your life trying to feel better. Now you take all that money, pool it into one lump sum and off to Mexico you go. Feeling better already, aren't you? You should cuz you don't need to be sick or feel awful or be in pain or whatever your deal is. You don't. Still don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe Dr. Rodriquez - one of the clinic founders. He's coming to La Crosse on May 23 from 9-12. He's speaking about the clinic and all it's services for free at the Radisson. If you want more info, please contact me. If you don't know how to, leave a message on the blog and I'll get in touch with you.
In the meantime, be healthy. Take charge of your health care, question your doctor, demand results that keep you safe and keep you healthy.
Until next posting...