Monday, June 29, 2015

The Real Deal

Good news, and not so good news. Good news first.

The Actinic Keratosis is looking great! Flat, no more sandpaper feel, and not raised at all anymore. It is still a bit pink, but since it has been exposed to acidic Apple Cider Vinegar five times a day for the past three and a half weeks, it is to be expected. I am still debating the use of hydrogen peroxide on the spot.

The not so good news is the report on my chest scar from the removal of the Basal Cell Carcninoma (BCC) on April 3, and the additional BCC on the side of my face.

My chest is still painful on the site of the cut (which was made, according to my husband who watched the procedure, with a laser-like instrument, as opposed to a steel or other knife). It hurts when I stretch, breathe in deeply, cross my arms in front of me, or wake up lying on my side and return to an upright, vertical position. It hurts when I touch it gently within a one inch perimeter of the cut.

It looks like I will be having another surgery. :-(

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Seeing Progress

As I have been seeing progress with the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) treatment for the past two weeks, I decided to keep at it for another two, as another homeopathic pursuer recommended. My hand does look a little gross, with the scab and flaky skin, but it is definitely progress, as the skin underneath is smooth and pink.

This is very exciting for me, and I hope that the scab will have disappeared by the beginning of next week. As I may have mentioned before, for the first two weeks, I was applying Nerium ND Night cream on my hand and face, found at www.AMMOforSkin.nerium.com. While I do not know for certain whether or not it made a difference, the night cream is an awesome, age-fighting cream that I love.

The face photo below shows a much less scabby area, with the Basal Cell Carcinoma visibly reduced. Praying (and working) for healing, especially since my chest, where the BCC was removed surgically over two months ago, still hurts. Applying Arnica gel now, as the grapeseed oil does not appear to relieve any pain.

As a reminder - cover your skin with sunscreen, a hat or clothing!

 

Friday, June 12, 2015

Don't Pay to Suffer

As I look at my crusty, scabbed hand, I think, “That looks great,” and mean it. I would much prefer to have a scab on my hand, created by a natural ingredient,  that will take away my cancer, than a large scar. By applying organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s),  five times a day for nearly two weeks, my hand is showing the elimination of an Actinic Keratosis (pre-cancerous) spot.  The same goes for the spot on the side of my face that is an actual Basal Cell Carcinoma, that it is red and crusty.

The scar on my chest, where I had a thumbnail-sized (on the top of the skin) BCC removed on April 3, is still tender to the touch as I daily massage in grapeseed oil. It still hurts when I wake up in the morning after laying on my side or stomach. It looks good, but doesn’t feel good. The hand mark looks bad, but feels fine, after a few seconds of tingling when applying the ACV.

Before you decide to have surgery for a cancerous or pre-cancerous spot on your body, consider using an alternative, homeopathic  method. I’ll keep you posted on my results and any treatments. It sure beats the alternative of pain and suffering at the high cost of time and money. 



Monday, June 8, 2015

Smelling like a vegetable

My husband commented the other day, "You smell like a vegetable." Not the most romantic observation, but probably appropriate concerning the consistent smell of vinegar on me and in the discarded applicators in our bathroom. Regardless, I hope and pray that the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) solution of five applications per day to the sites on my face and hand is working and that the Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Actinic Keratosis (AK) are shrinking.

Day 8 - At this point, the area on my face where the BCC exists is becoming very dry and crusty (photos below), so I used Mary Kay Microdermabrasion (http://www.marykay.com/katesansom/en-US/Pages/default.aspx?lcov=1) from Kate Sansom, and it seemed to smooth it out a bit. I intend to use it on the site every other day until the end of the procedure.

A few notes to include on the process:
1) I have revised my ACV application to using a Q-tip instead of a cotton ball. The cotton ball uses so much, yet does not seep much onto the skin.
2) I spent some time at a community pool on Saturday afternoon. While I started out with 50 spf sunscreen and band-aids and sunglasses, all were washed off or taken off by then end of the two hour period during which I was in and out of the sun and a chlorinated pool.
3) About twice a day, possibly morning and evening, the spot is covered with some sort of lotion, whether a sunscreen or a night cream.
3) As a part of the "healing" quest, I am seeing a chiropractor, (http://drlewisbeecave.com/), exercising daily, and trying to be as healthy an eater as possible. This includes reduced sugars, meat and refined carbs. I will admit that I have not been "perfect" in my quest, although I have certainly cleaned up my act, eating tiny tomatoes and organic spinach sauteed in olive oil and organic chicken served over mushrooms, onions, white wine and rice for dinner, and vegetarian enchiladas for lunch.
4) My skin care includes the awesome skincare line. Nerium, (http://nerium.com/shop/ammoforskin), which is a botanical recipe, originally formulated to address cancer, that brings out the impurities to heal your skin.

Three weeks left - to a homeopathic solution to BCCs and AKs.




Thursday, June 4, 2015

In Addition to Vinegar ...

The initial purpose of this blog is to follow the progress proposed on homeopathic sites for treating a BCC (basal cell carcinoma) with organic apple cider vinegar, but other methods are being employed as well.

As I have read online, in books and at a recent presentation at Elite Fitness (http://drlewisbeecave.com/) called "Holy Hormones!" factors in our environment and our food may cause cancer to develop. The time it would take to address every item would be much to lengthy for this blog, but I will mention a few here that I am taking steps to avoid now.

Everyday Environmental toxins:

Phthalates - a component that helps make ingredients into a consistency that is not too brittle or flimsy, and adds or detracts from the scent - in items such as laundry detergent, deodorant,sunscreens, cosmetics, hair products, and perfumes. Avoid "fragrance" on the label.
Parabens - serve as antimicrobials and preservatives, and are found in lotions, shampoo and other personal care items. Avoid "methyl-, propyl-, iso- or butyl- paraben" on the label.

These two are the major offenders that are termed "xenoestrogens." This term, translated, means foreign, or fake estrogens, which, when connected with the body's system, causes a lack of ability of the body to use true estrogen. Hormones are an entirely new discussion, and scientists are not in complete agreement as to how much exposure can interrupt the endocrine system of an individual. The main thing is that they are in all sorts of daily products that we use, and in a large scale testing by the Centers for Disease Control, parabens, phthalates and the chemicals they create through metabolism were found in almost every person tested (http://tinyurl.com/kdg735a).

My point is, that I am being more observant of these xenoestrogens to further remove the risk of cancer. You can find products that promote their freedom from the ingredients. Food is full of additional "no no's" for cancer-free living, which I will address in due time.

The paraben and phthlate-free products, Bragg ACV and Nexcare tape, are below. :-)


Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Hand and Head

In addition to the BCC (basal cell carcinoma) that I am fighting (AMMO) in a homeopathic-like way, I am also treating another skin spot on my hand with the same method (photo below).

When I went to see my dermatologist the first time for the body check for skin cancer, I forgot to mention a little spot on my hand that would blister, dry and show skin peeling. It would also turn red when in the sun. I became more aware of it, and put on sunscreen on my hands daily, but I have yet to have it diagnosed, or even noticed, by the doctor.

This spot, which, according to my internet research, appears to be actinic keratosis, is also being treated with the apple cider vinegar. I have to be very careful when I go outside to not allow it to be exposed to the sun, which tends to increase the irritation.


The latest update on treatment is that I still apply a wet cotton ball, saturated with apple cider vinegar, to both locations, five times per day. I have also included a more intense treatment, soaking a trimmed, non-stick pad with the vinegar and placing on my face and hand with the wonderful NEXCARE Sensitive Skin, Low Trauma Tape with pain-free removal. This is the BEST tape, latex-free, yet holds securely. I put it on before I go to bed and remove it when I start my day.

Also since I have started the routine, I have not been putting any sunscreen or make up on the spots, something I did previously. I am very careful to protect the areas, by wearing sunglasses and a visor, and placing a cloth over my hand when I walk or take out the dog. 

Both areas sting briefly when I apply the vinegar, but it is mild, short-lived, and much more bearable than a deep cut with stitches. I'm praying for success!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

1, 2, 3 Reasons

Day 2 of alternative, homeopathic Basal Cell Carcinoma treatment - apple cider vinegar.

So what led me to pursue homeopathic treatment for a very common cancer that can become very ugly, especially on one's face?

First of all, I do not tolerate medicine very well, so that puts me in the category of "doctor hesitance," since most doctors either like to 1) prescribe drugs to fix a symptom, 2) prescribe drugs to poison the sickness and eliminate it, or 3) they like to cut. This is not to say that I do not like or trust doctors, but having worked with various components of the healthcare field for many years, I understand the industry somewhat.

Secondly, I do not enjoy pain. That does not mean that I am not a tough cookie that has endured much unpleasant pain, but merely that because of reason #1, that I do not like and do not tolerate well, pain killers (prescribed drugs).

Third, after three biopsies, infection in two of the biopsies, several doctor visits, the pain and shock of the four-inch surgical wound from the first removal, allergic reaction to tape to cover wound, pain in movement from wound, continued pain now from merely laying on my side at the wound site, the cost of tape, pads and topical treatment, the cost of the doctor visits and the surgery itself ... it wasn't worth it.

I am in more pain now than I was before I had the removal of some little spot that the doctor said could become worse, Of course, with the procedure he did, he said it could come back. And this time, it was the same size, only on my face. No thank you. Below is a photo of the chest BCC removal wound day two.

I promise to include additional AMMO (that's my initials - Alecia MM Ormsby and also represents ammunition - a fighting chance) for Cancer - to beat it - in future postings.





Monday, June 1, 2015

AMMO for Cancer

Cancer sucks.
Or does it?
For what is cancer?

Many disjointed views of cancer exist, but which is correct is yet to be firmly established. Depending on who is speaking or writing about it; it can be described as a disease or merely an individual's bodily reaction to a specific toxin.

Having been diagnosed with the most common kind of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, this spring, I was made aware through my physicians, and by my research, that we don't know a whole lot about those little BCCs. Or rather, we do know a lot, but who is correct about the matter is not at this point determined.

On my chest, my face and my back are where the three spots were found, Three miserable biopsies later, I scheduled the removal of the chest spot. First mistake. Ouch.

I will post more details about the biopsies and surgery later, but today, I started the first homeopathic treatment of the spot on my face. Internet research turned up that organic apple cider vinegar, applied 5x per day for two weeks, then hydrogen peroxide, again, 5x for two weeks, will remove the spot.

More details and photos will be posted soon. Photo below shows the spot just above my left eye, with the photo taken on 6/1/15 before the first treatment. I hope to post a picture at the beginning of each week.

My advice to you right now, if you have been diagnosed with a BCC - if you don't like spending thousands of dollars on a lot of pain, follow what happens here and wait on the surgery. Maybe start t he process yourself.