Adventures in Sedona - Day 3

Hi all! Thanks again for being here. Just a side note (and I've included a disclaimer down below) this blog contains information that is from my own opinions, my own experiences and my own interpretations of information I've read and/or listened to and in no way is any sort of endorsement or advice of anything I'm doing, eating or describing. Remember, we all perceive things differently. :-) I have no medical background of any kind! It is for your own entertainment.

Day 3 - 156 lbs (I was 165 on Monday!) and AZ temp of 94° ... full sun. I just have so much to say I don't even know where to begin! Where do I begin? Well, for starters, the wellness center I'm at follows the Gerson Therapy (if you are unfamiliar, you may google it for more info but you'll hear more as I go). I don't believe it will be sustainable when I get home. I'm not trying to be negative, but there's a lot to it, and, well, I have a job I need to get back to :-). I am hoping to encorporate what I can into my day to day life and the medical director here will help by building a 3-6 month plan to help transition back home and get me through chemo. Full disclosure here: he doesn't think I should do chemo. To paraphrase, he said 'there's no hurry, chemo's not going anywhere. You can always wait. But you can't reverse the effects of chemo.' End paraphrase. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It did mess with my head a little, as no one WANTS to do chemo. And he was kind of giving me a way out. For now, it's chemo. And to be able to manage that chemo - these 3 weeks of detox includes the juicing, the diet, the therapies and treatments and overall rest. I know this: stress is killing me (literally - more on that later) and so is my diet, which, as of a few days ago, was horrendous.

Day 3 was a whole new set of experiences and education! Like ... next level. First thing in the morning - juice and supplements. Then, take vitals. I take my own temp, weight, pulse and blood pressure and record it in my personal log. I couldn't believe the weight I dropped! We are taking in a lot of potassium in the form of potatos (lots of potatos!) so I'm sure that's clearing out the sodium and water weight in my body. Crazy, right?

Next, breakfast. Each morning is the same - oatmeal, fruit and allspice. The fruit is typically raisins, apples, mangos, dates and apricots. No berries! I still need to find out more on that to satisfy my own curiosity. It's a great breakfast and I'm completely satisfied. No more pastries that go in the toaster and then topped with icing that comes in a little packet (trying not to use brand names 'cuz I don't know if I can but I know you know what I'm talking about!)

First treatment - the Bemer table for 15 minutes. B.E.M.E.R refers to - Bio: Electro: Magnetic: Energy: Regulation. It's harmless and I felt nothing. Some guests say they can sort of feel the pulsing but I don't. It's just a belt-like thing that lays over your mid-section. It's a great time for me to check email and clean out my Inbox. I'm so OCD about my damn inboxes! In my defense, my Personal and Business email probably averages up to a combined 80 emails in a 3-4 hour time frame. In a nutshell, BEMER is designed to improve circulation to the body’s natural self-regulating processes. Blood is the body’s universal means of transport. Oxygen, nutrients, chemical messengers (e.g. hormones) and immune cells etc. are all transported through our blood so it's important that it's circulating properly. So, sure, sounds good, I'll try it!

Next ... THE HYPERBARIC CHAMBER! (HBC) Sounded very Sci-Fi to me and all I saw was what looked like a giant propane tank that I had to get into! It is actually, a very well-known oxygen therapy that can help with many things in the body. Mayo Clinic has a good article describing the treatment as well as the pros and cons. The big thing is being able to handle pressure - like being in an airplane (but more) or deep sea diving. The ears will pop around 50 times in there. I can just take a big swallow in my mouth to clear it as that's what I do when I'm on a plane or travelling to higher elevations. There are other methods as well, but if you can't clear your ears when they pop, I wouldn't do it. Again, just my OPINION! :-) One of the cons is possible damage to the middle ear. I did not have any issues whatsoever. PLUS, it's pretty roomy in there. Multiple people can fit and it's not dark. I was able to work on my brain book and listen to an audiobook while in there. Oh, and I had an oxygen tube for extra oxygen! 1 Hour in the HBC. If you're curious about the brain book: https://a.co/d/1Aq8UND It's both easy and challenging!

My final treatment was the hardest. Infrared Heat Therapy aka Dry Sauna. I already know that saunas are super beneficial to the skin, joints and immune system. I'm lucky enough to have one! I did learn about other benefits as well (again, there's a Mayo Clinic article out there if you'd like more info). This sauna, however, is different. I didn't get a pic so I found this pic (below) on Adobe Stock where I have a paid subscription already so I can use it w/o copywright concerns LOL. CYA! Anyway, this is pretty much what it looked like. That sucker got up to 135° - it was A LOT! But I felt great afterwards.

In the afternoon, I headed out for a walk and took in some beauty. I was 2 mile trip round trip and it felt great. I didn't take a whole lot of pics but it was beautiful.

The wellness center has a lot of cool art

Breakfast! Oatmeal, fruit and allspice

The Hyperbaric Chamber

So cozy! :D

I didn't talk about this much but thought I'd throw this pic in ... that's my port. Guys, it is so weird having something implanted under the skin.

This is very much like the infrared sauna/heat therapy I did today.

Walked to this park today

View on my walk

Dinner! Vegetable soup, salad w/a vinagrette style dressing, carrots and a potato/pepper/onion mix.