Then and now

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Southwestern Regional Medical Center

I know I haven't posted in a while so I am going to try to bring everyone up to speed with this post.Since my surgery in April, I had been just going to work and spending time with my family, just like always. On August 1st , I got very lightheaded and nauseated while I was at work. I went to the emergency room. After several tests, I learned that I had two large tumors that were located in the chest cavity where parts of my lung was removed in my last surgery in April. On August 3rd, I met with my oncologist. He tearfully told me that there was nothing more he could do. He said that I had already taken the eight most powerful osteosarcoma drugs available.The tumors are two large for radiation, and the placement of the tumors made surgery impossible. He recommended that I sign up for Hospice. He also said that if I wanted to get a second opinion that he would completely understand. My oncologist, at UAB was always prepared and knowledgeable. He was my oncologist for 13 years and I feel blessed that that God allowed our paths to cross. The nurses in infusion there were always really nice and helpful. A few of them have become really great Christian friends, who call and check on me ( even as recently as last week).

Around this time, I noticed that my left hand was beginning to swell. It wasn't long before my left arm had become swollen, all the way up to the shoulder. It was three times its normal size. The weight of the arm was too much for my shoulder to bear. The only time I wasn't in pain, was if I was sitting with an arm rest or pillows under my arm. I did eventually get pain medicine to control the pain, but my arm continued to increase in size. My right ankle and foot were unusually swollen as well. For a couple weeks, I had to sleep in a chair.

After a few weeks, we decided that it wouldn't hurt to try and get a second opinion. We contacted the MD Anderson Cancer center in Texas. The earliest available opening was six weeks out. We agreed to get on their waiting list. We continued to research other cancer facilities. We ended up coming across the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, OK. We decided to give them a chance because they could see me within a weeks time. They offered to reimburse gas expenses or cover the cost of one plane ticket, and they offered heavily discounted hotel rates. The facility has rooms onsite and at a Hilton across the street. Patients without kids stayed onsite. For the initial visit, we had to stay in Tulsa for seven days. The facility appeared to be brand new. Unlike other medical facilities, you can tell they designed the facility with the patient in mind. Some of the larger medical facilities will have you walk back and forth, from one doctor to the next, until you feel like you have walked several miles. For most of my first day, I was placed in a room, and all of the doctors and specialists came to me. I was very impressed by that. Cancer Treatment Center of America (CTCA) believes in comprehensively fighting cancer. I was assigned a nutritionist, a naturalist (a doctor who looks for organic supplements of foods that would complement my treatment the most), a pain specialist (to make sure that I had all of the pain medication necessary), psychologist, pulmonary specialist, and oncologist.
The facility is also open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.


The Lobby at CTCA.

Another thing I like about CTCA, is that most of the staff I met spoke openly about God and prayer. When I met with the psychologist, our discussion quickly moved to Bible verses and God's forgiveness. By the time our meeting was over, I was very moved and clutching a Kleenex. Also on two separate occasions, I had two different x-ray technicians to offer to pray with me before the scan ( which I accepted). I also had at least five different patients share their testimonies of how great CTCA has been to them and how they should have began their treatment at CTCA from the very beginning. One lady I met called the facility "God house".

While meeting with the pulmonary specialist, I learned that my arm was swollen because one of the tumors was blocking the drainage vein for my arm. I was then able to schedule time with an onsite message therapist. The therapist showed my wife how perform lymphatic message therapy. This therapy is commonly used by breast cancer patients. This therapy allows the excess fluid to drain through the lymphatic system. In the first session, we could see immediate results. Within a few days of treatment by my wife, my arm, foot, and ankle were back to there normal size. I still receive therapy from time to time to prevent future swelling.

The facility is like a resort for cancer patients. They have a huge cafeteria where they prepare primarily healthy and organic foods. They prepared protein smoothies to order. You can add any fruit to it you like. The prices of the food are very inexpensive. The food was always fresh and very high quality. The cafeteria always had people flowing in and out. They also had what appeared to be a salon onsite where female cancer patients could go to be pampered (hair, nails, messages, etc).'They had onsite childcare available. There offered a number of other unexpected amenities available that I won't mention for the sake of time.


The salon is on the left and the clinic area is on the right.

After many tests , we met with the oncologist. The oncologist felt that he could control the cancer with chemotherapy. Based on conversation regarding my treatment, I got the feeling that he didn't have much experience dealing with my type of cancer. Against my better judgment, I agreed to begin chemotherapy at CTCA.

CTCA is a great place to receive treatment. I would recommend it to anyone. They are supposed to be breaking ground on a new CTCA facility in Atlanta next fall. Everyone there was very helpful.


As for me, I don't think CTCA is a very good fit for me at this time. Due to rarity of my cancer, its best that I see a sarcoma specialist like my old oncologist. I would like to work with a facility or oncologist who have seen thousands of osteosarcoma cases. I don't think CTCA have staff with that type exposure to type of cancer I have.

The last few weeks for me have consisted of dealing with chemotherapy side effects. This chemotherapy has had the worst side effects I've dealt with so far. Five days after chemo, I had to be admitted to the ER. I had shortness of breath, severe mouth sores (which made it very difficult for me to talk for several days), and low blood counts. I ended up having to get a blood transfusion. Since then I developed a severe skin rash and the standard loss of appetite, and other side effects I won't mention. Currently, I'm home resting waiting for the rest of the chemotherapy to leave my system. I haven't been to Tulsa since my initial visit. I feel blessed that I feel as good as I feel. At this point in my life, I think i would prefer letting my body heal and focus on spending quality time with loved ones than continuing chemotherapy. I am going to continue pray and continue to put my future in God's hands and try to stay in his will as I always have. He has never guided me wrong in the past.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. I really appreciate it.