Day Ten - Panic!

Church in Old Town

3 Hot Chicks @ Fred's

Luscious Latina Ladies making tortillas the old fashioned way

Okay, so I'm not really panicking, but I realized that tomorrow is the half-way mark. Ahhh! I'm not ready to go! I want more time here! I am enjoying everything so much I don't want it to end!

Today was my appointment with Dr. Castillo. We reviewed my blood work from Tuesday. I have made improvements already. He said my blood chemistry was perfect. My RBC (Red Blood Cell Count) was better. The first test showed 4.09 million today it was 4.3 million. Additionally my phosphorus was normal & my sedimentation rate went from 17% down to 14%, which indicates the inflammation in my body is decreasing. My WBC (White Blood Cell Count) is still elevated, in fact it is higher than the first test, but he wasn't worried.

I have also had a headache for the past two days - a bad one. I was beginning to get a little worried, as I seem to have quite a few of them lately. When I told him where the pain was, he assured me that it was only muscular. Phew! Looks like it's time to get back to the yoga again! I did a 25-minute session this morning, so I guess I have the perfect excuse to keep consistent with it now!

I will see Dr. Castillo on the 10th of November, just before I leave. I am looking forward to the progress I will make in the next 12 days! Oh, just to keep you in the loop, the lump in my neck currently looks the same to me, however, the pressure in my chest has disappeared in the last few days, so hopefully this is an indication that the mass in my chest is dissipating! Whoo hoo! Prayers answered!

As for the rest of the day, well, it was a blast! We were quite a group this morning. We filled 3 vans heading across the border, with some of us going to the Bio Medic clinic, Dr. Hitt's office & Dr. Castillo's clinic. Bio Medic is a big fancy place - $42,000/month, focusing on the Hoxsey Tonic & Dr. Hitt focuses mainly on Ozone treatments. I haven't been inside either clinics, but everyone attending the clinics is very friendly & open. It's such a wonderful atmosphere. Here you have a group of people facing life threatening illnesses & we're all laughing & sharing stories of people we've met before us or what happened yesterday. It's great!

Today I met a lady from Calgary. We only met briefly before I had to go for my appointment, but I am anxious to speak with her again, as she only arrived a day or so ago. I also met a fellow from LA, who is accompanying his brother here. Sadly his brother is riddled with cancer. While he recovered from bladder cancer, it came back & spread throughout his body. A particular tumor was pushing against his femur, causing him great pain to walk. His doctor was treating him for arthritis. That's it. So here he is, in a wheelchair, unable to walk, unable to wear shoes because everything is so swollen. It's very sad. I hope & pray that Dr. Castillo can work yet another miracle & help him to recover. Ed, the brother of the gentleman with cancer, has a Yorkie puppy, so we enjoyed a long chat about our 'little girls'. I'm sure we'll be good friends by the end of my stay.

I also met a man from Utah. He is perhaps 40 years old. He has had 5 heart attacks & 7 stents put in. They can not figure out what keeps causing his arteries to clog. My first question was, 'Do you watch your diet?' He said he went vegetarian, vegan, raw, nothing helped him. Wow! It will be an interesting week getting to know these incredible people. Count your blessings folks, count every single one of them!

After I returned to the hotel, I had a little play with Valentina & Laura & I left for supper with her friend's cousin, Joanne. We took the trolley & bus (after dark!) to Old Town. It really is Old Town! They have old store fronts & it looks like the yesteryears... Jeff would love it! In fact, I'm sure he'd really love Joanne too! :o) We enjoyed a nice Mexican meal at Fred's & great conversation. Joanne is a Nutritionist & is finishing her Masters to be a Dietician. She is from California & looks a little like a young Jane Seymour. She is running a 1/2 marathon in 2 weeks. Wow! What a gal!

Laura & I braved the trolley & bus home @ 2300. I was a little worried & my tummy did a few 'whooshes', but we made it safe & sound. A cab was $50 & I was too cheap to pay that much when I already had my day pass for the trolley. We observed a few shady characters & talked about our plan of attack just in case... I realized that the agressive side of me would most likely get me in trouble... "Sorry Honey, you picked the wrong chick. I'm bankrupt & I have cancer. I came here to get healthy & live a long life, so be darned if it's gonna end with your sorry a** taking it. What would your mother say?! Shame on you! Get yourself a real job & learn a little respect for a sister!" Yes, I thought about it for awhile. Luckily I didn't have to try it out! Strangely enough, I felt safer staying out all night on the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia than I did in San Diego! Go figure!

I am glad we rode the trolley today, as I feel a lot more comfortable riding the trolley during the day to a few more of San Diego's sights. Valentina & I can be tourists on our own now! Which brings me to my sad part of today. It is Laura's last day. She flies home tomorrow & I will miss her terribly. She has been so much fun! We have enjoyed a lot of good times & I can remember the last time I laughed so much. She's a beautiful person & how lucky for me to find such a bright shining star in light of all the messy-ness of dealing with cancer. Enjoy your girls & Henk when you get home, meanwhile, I'll be here, humming that tune... 'Tell Laura I looooooooove her....' or something like that... :o)

Okay, I must get to bed... It's late & I have had troubles getting up the past few mornings! We have a time change this weekend & that will make it even tougher! Love & hugs to you & thanks for checking in! I have also adjusted the comments section, so anyone can comment. I apologize if you tried to comment, but couldn't. I love to hear feedback, so comment as much or as often as you like!

xxxx

Jill & Valentina