New Meds and New Treatment

Tuesday I had a standing appointment with my pulmonologist. He attempted another thoracentesis to drain the fluid from the left pleural space but was only able to get about 1/4 to a 1/3 if a liter. I've adapted too well to only having one fully functional lung. I'd prefer to get back to two of them as soon as possible. Shallow breathing is overrated...if anyone is rating such things.

My medication, osimertinib (Tigresso), arrived late on Wednesday (yesterday). I took my first dose this morning. I also started my first hyperbaric oxygen treatment yesterday. There is a lot of research out there on the positive benefits of this therapy, not just for cancer. For those unfamiliar, the treatment is quite simple. I got into a sealed airtight chamber which is then pressurized to about 1.3x atmospheres. While inside this chamber I was breathing oxygen from a mask which was about 97% oxygen. With the higher level of oxygen I’m breathing and the increased pressure, the body absorbs way more oxygen than under normal conditions. This hyper-oxygenates the body. It has been shown to improve healing, post-operative recovery, radiation healing, and much more.

It has also been shown to be an adjuvent therapy both with ketogenic diet but also helpful with cancer. One theory is that cancer cells thrive in a hypoxic (low oxygen) environment and they also make energy primarily from fermentation instead of using oxygen like normal cells. Increasing the oxygen throughout the body, may interfere with these disease processes preferred by cancer as well as speed healing in damaged areas.

I had an initial consult with the radiology oncologist. She supported my decision to wait a bit on the Gamma Knife radiation treatment and look at the MRI in a couple months. She also mentioned that the medication I’m on has a good track record in the brain. She is also making a referral to a naturopathic oncologist which I was happy about.

I continue to do well on the ketogenic diet and testing my blood glucose and blood ketone levels every morning. My GKI readings fluctuate between 2.0-3.5. This is in the therapeutic range, but I am hoping to get below 2.0. My wife has higher ketone levels than me and we are eating the exact same diet. I wonder if the cancer is interfering with my bodies ability to generate ketones. I have no idea, but I plan to stay the course.

I will keep everyone updated. Thank you all.

-Jeremy