Radiation Causes Scar Tissue -- Resolution? Note: On July 3, 2004, Bonnie has been in the Hospice Program for more than one week, feeling better every day. I'll be writing more about the wonders of the Hospice Program for CURE -- you are out of the clutches of doctors and more particularly out of the rigidity of "standard protocols" where some arrogant doctor TELLS you what your treatment should be. The below image of Bonnie was pretty much at the bottom of her "deathlike condition" from which we are now looking for a "restoration to a previous condition of health" -- exactly the purpose of a brand new web site, first published on our thirtieth wedding anniversary -- The International Academy Of Anabiology.
The Hospice people have no axe to grind! You can die! That is expected. But, you can be cured also! That is also OK with the Hospice people. By law they are not allowed to give you any treatments leading to cure, but only to make you comfortable and out of pain. So, Bonnie had not been able to swallow for a couple months. Figure, for yourself, what it must be like to not even be able to swallow your own spit for several weeks. Bonnie could spit, but she could not swallow spit. If she tried, she coughed it up. So, when the pain of chemo therapy and radiation had receded with time, she found that she "felt good" and "felt normal." The cancer doctors would undoubtedly be warning her, "Well, you would expect to feel better after stopping treatment for a month, but there is every likelihood that the cancer is still alive, and getting ready to become large and active again. The best remedy, now, is more radiation and chemotherapy." Those were exactly the words of the Oncology doctor who, when Bonnie refused his firmly urged further treatments, "dismissed her as a patient." (I have that letter and will publish it one day!) Within his warped reality Bonnie was refusing the very care which was "required." The Hospice gives you the freedom from the pressures of the standard care doctors. But, making this short, Bonnie "felt good" except that she couldn't swallow. This did not, itself, cause "pain" but it was certainly causing "discomfort." The difference is important.
Here is the remarkable value to her of being married to a guy like me! I still supported her decision -- no matter what it might be, but she was still willing to learn more data! I figured out, with no special study, that the swallowing could be caused by scar tissue, left over from radiation -- the scar tissue would not be "dangerous" as living cancer cells, but it would be dangerous as a "mass" of stuff that could easily cause blockage. So, the magic of the web, and search engines, is that I simply entered the search phrase, "cancer radiation scar tissue," and immediately found the very references which backed up my thinking. Those references are HERE, on this page, below. Now, what do you do with this information? The Hospice will not provide treatment intended to cure. But, perhaps the Hospice would facilitate treatment designed to remove discomfort. This means that YOU can be the doctor, take your time, with no pressures from "real doctors" and find what you think is a remedy, then you have the fascinating problem of figuring a strategy of getting out of the Hospice program temporarily, and back into the "regular insurance" category and THEN finding a "real doctor" who will agree with your diagnosis and find a way around the "standard protocol" that stifles true health care -- find a way to do the test, or even the treatment, that you think might be the solution. In this case the data on this page establishes the method of finding out whether some blockage might be caused by live cancer masses, or by nonviable scar tissue (not any danger as cancer). That is a PET scan -- rather expensive. Once you can determine (Pet Scan and CAT Scan) that there is a blockage, not caused by cancer, but by scar tissue, your job would be to convince the insurance company that you should get those tests (first) and then some simple surgery to cut away some non-cancerous mass and open the blockage. It is also possible that a "standard" endoscopy could check out the nature of the blockage, remove it (standard care for endoscopy) or use a "balloon expansion" technique (also standard care with the endoscopy) or even put in a "stent" (more standard endoscopy care). Why didn't several "protocol-rigid doctors think of this? The answer is in the question -- they are locked into a rigid protocol -- as is, unfortunately, the insurance company. The solution to Bonnie's "discomfort" then, would be the scans to prove (or disprove) that the blockage is caused by scar tissue, and the surgery (or endoscopy) needed to remove enough of the scar tissue to allow the blockage to reduce, and swallowing to reoccur. This is indeed a modern medical miracle where the care-giver, or the patient, has the freedom (in the Hospice) to look for alternatives, and the time to find a method, within the insurance and standard system, for treatment that will CURE! If Bonnie had been left in the clutches of rigid-thinking cancer doctors, they would not approve this path because they are bound by the protocol that the ONLY way of treating cancer is with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Surgery is not part of that protocol as long as you don't get "enough" of the radiation and chemo to kill you! So, have I saved Bonnie's life? We'll see. I write this BEFORE I explore further how to get the tests covered by insurance, and the possible surgery, likewise, either while inside the Hospice, or by leaving the Hospice to return to "standard treatment" under OUR terms. Is this not a fascinating insight into the medical world!! On Other Pages: Mention of Scar Tissue in long National Cancer Institute advice on "after treatment." and HERE What are some investigational therapies for Barrett's esophagus? Scars and Treatment Marks Data Scar Tissue Surgery Doesn't Seem to Help Chronic Abdominal Pain Repair Scar Tissue from Pure HerbsLARYNGECTOMY FAQ'S
On THIS page: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to differentiate between cancer and scar tissue
Source
For Patients
Radiation Oncology: Treating Cancer
Peer Review Status: Internally Reviewed by Cancer Center Staff |
|
With radioactive implants, radiation sources are placed directly into the tumor or into a body cavity next to the tumor. This technique delivers a high dose to the tumor with minimal irradiation of adjacent healthy tissues. Implants are often used for treating cancers of the eye, cervix, uterus, vagina, prostate, or head and neck. |
|
|
Radioactive implants are usually performed in the operating room. Following the procedure, the patient is taken to the Radiation Oncology Clinic for x-rays to be used for dose computation. In some situations, the radioactive sources are left in place permanently and the radioactivity dies out on its own. In other situations, the sources are removed after a few days. Most patients are required to stay in the hospital while the implant is in place, and they can have only limited contact with visitors during this period. |
|
|
A variety of radioactive sources are used for implants at UIHC. These include cesium-137 tubes and needles, iridium-192 catheters, gold-198 seeds, phosphorus-32, iodine-125 seeds, and strontium-90. Special techniques available at UIHC include afterloading methods for interstitial implants, intracavitary implants for bronchial and biliary cancers, and stereotactic implants for brain tumors. |
|
Special Treatment Techniques
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has a variety of special techniques that are not generally available in most cancer centers.
Total Body Irradiation (TBI)
|
UIHC has one of the nation's few dedicated facilities for performing total body irradiation. TBI is used to prepare patients for bone marrow transplants, an important new method of treating patients with leukemias and lymphomas. |
|
CT-Simulation
|
A CT-simulator is a computerized tomography scanner specifically designed for treatment planning. It is a very precise technique for defining the target volume. The UIHC was one of the first institutions in the country to obtain this machine. Iowa recently hosted an international conference on CT-simulation to discuss its clinical applications. |
|
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
|
Stereotactic radiosurgery is used to treat arteriovenous malformations and small brain tumors. With this technique, the position of the tumor is determined relative to a stereotactic ring fixed to the patient's head. This information is used to direct a finely collimated beam of x-rays onto the tumor from many directions. This technique is a good alternative to surgery in many clinical situations. |
|
Three Dimensional (3-D) Treatment Planning
|
The Radiation Oncology Division has developed an innovative 3-D treatment planning system in collaboration with the University of Iowa Image Analysis Laboratory. This system uses ultrafast computers to display both the tumor and the dose distribution 3-dimensionally in relation to patient's anatomy. |
|
Intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT)
|
With IORT, the tumor is irradiated with electrons through an open surgical wound. The advantage is that surrounding normal organs can be completely spared from irradiation. University Hospitals has the only IORT unit in the state. |
|
Hyperthermia
|
UIHC also has the only hyperthermia facility in the state. Hyperthermia is usually used in combination with conventional irradiation because heat enhances the effect of radiation on tumors. Although it is most effective when combined with radiation therapy, it can also be used as the only treatment modality. |
|
Brain Tumor Implants
|
Radioactive implants appear to be a very effective method of treating highly malignant brain tumors. With this technique, small radioactive Iodine-125 seeds are placed into the cancer by the neurosurgeon. The UIHC participates in this program with seven other major medical centers throughout the United States. |
|
|
|
Iodine-125 Eye Plaques The radiation oncologists and ophthalmologists at UIHC use Iodine-125 plaques to treat ocular melanomas. With this technique, the plaque is applied to the surface of the eye next to the tumor for four to six days. This offers an alternative to surgical removal of the eye and preserves vision in the majority of patients. LEFT: Iodine-125 eye plaques used for the treatment of melanomas of the eye. |
All contents copyright © 1992-2004 the Author(s) and The University of Iowa. All rights reserved.
http://www.vh.org/adult/patient/cancercenter/radiation/treatments.html
Cancer, Radiation, and Chemical Sensitivity
I had cancer about 20 years ago, as a result of being an x-ray technician with a broken machine. After 20 years of total recovery and no trace of cancer, I began experiencing shortness of breath. To make a long story short, it was a good thing I got to the emergency room at the local hospital. In the matter of minutes, I could not breathe. Thank God there were people at the hospital that knew what they were doing. In two minutes, I would have expired completely. A total of six minutes was my window. I crashed and they revived me. Well, I have come to find out that scar tissue was blocking my air tube. Thank God again, that my significant other would not let them take my voice box . The surgeon wanted to take it and the doctors were sure my cancer had returned. After several biopsies they found the cancer had not returned. The scar tissue was created from 37-radiation treatments which formed over the years and finally blocked my wind pipe.
Here I sit, waiting to see what they propose to do. I have a trachea tube to breathe. It's been a long haul, I missed the New Year. I went into the hospital the 30th of December, 2002, and woke up January 10th, 2003. I did not remember what had happened to me. While in the ICU, the nurses found I was allergic to silk tape. I have been home for three weeks and my arm is still riddled with red, blotchy bruises, which are much better than the blisters that I had at first. I did not realize until I stumbled across the web site that people were allergic to so many different things.
I wish I could help other people think positive who are very ill. I got a third chance at life 20-years ago. I was told I would never speak again. Well, I showed them. Last year, I was in a horrific car accident and they cut me out of my car, which was my second chance. Here I'm at another chance to start over. Someone up stairs has a plan for me ... hee, hee, hee.
|
This web site is a breath of fresh air in a world of pollution.
This web site is Copyright © 2004 by Karl Loren. Permission is granted to download, copy, distribute and use as long as the copyright notice remains attached to such use and the intended meaning is not altered.
The "Case Manager" for Bonnie's Hospice experience was more than willing to
validate all the alternative treatments I poured on, after Bonnie left the world
of "standard treatment" and got going on intensive use of all the alternative
treatments I could think of.
So, despite the fact that Bonnie felt good, was gaining weight, her inability
to swallow kept her thinking that death was preferable to a life of being fed
through a tube in her belly! She was quite serious about dieing -- and
indicating, strongly, that she would rather die than to go through life on a
feeding tube!
