Quick History of My Illness

What follows is a brief history of my illness. While it may seem rather long to some of you, trust me, this is the short version of the tale.

In late February of 2007 my wife, Julie, went into the hospital for hip replacement surgery. At about that same time I noticed that I was having difficulty swallowing. Since I had been completely healthy up to that time, I didn't think too much about it and put it down to a problem with gall bladder. After doing some research on the Internet I tried various remedies like taking vinegar several times a day ( I don't recommend it), eating lots of citrus, and taking some pretty vile concoctions. My problems with swallowing became worse. I began to lose weight as well -- first 10, then 20 pounds.

In April I went to my family physician who prescribed Protonix, which is an antacid. I took this faithfully for several weeks, and food seemed to go down a bit better. However, the situation wasn't improving very much, and by May I scheduled an endoscopy. For those of you who don't know what this is, and I didn't either, the doctor sticks a tube down your throat and looks around the esophagus and stomach. She found some abnormal growths at the junction of the esophagus and stomach and took a biopsy, which turned out to be cancerous. I received the phone call while we were out on our boat with Elizabeth, Jayson, Ashley and Dan. Needless to say the trip back home was rather somber.

The search then began for the best treatment team. We went to many doctors: oncologists, radiologists and surgeons. Several people highly recommended Dr. Ellis in Gloucester for oncology, and we were very impressed with him. He was extremely positive, and seemed to have a real interest in me as a person, not just as a medical specimen. He also has a wonderful treatment staff, and even pays for massage therapy, nutritional counseling and music therapy as part of the treatment.

By early June I had lost 30 pounds. We began chemotherapy (cisplatin and 5FU) and radiation. A round of chemotherapy consisted of receiving the cisplatin intravenously for about five hours, then having a bag and pump attached to me for five days which fed me 5FU. At the same time I began a series of 28 radiation treatments, which were five days per week. For all this we had to drive to Gloucester from our home, which is a trip of about an hour each way.

The combination of the chemo and radiation really put me on my rear end. There were days when I could hardly leave the living room couch, and a walk from our front door to the garage would leave me exhausted for hours. I took four naps a day and slept for ten hours at night. Cisplatin has a platinum base, so food tasted very metallic, and I had no appetite whatsoever. Basically I was a vegetable for three weeks after each chemo treatment.

I also became very dizzy, so that almost every time I got on my feet I would need to steady myself for ten seconds or so to keep from falling. In addition, I developed a rapid heart rate. Several times each week my heart would suddenly jump to around 160 beats per minute. Medication was successful in bringing the rate down after an hour or two, but later it would jump back up again. Radiation was more subtle in a way, but the cumulative effect was also to make me very tired. Three weeks after the chemo I began to feel better again, but then the next round would begin in week four.

At the end of August I was finished with both chemo and radiation. I was scheduled for surgery on Sept. 11 at Johns Hopkins with one of the finest oncological surgeons in the country, Dr. Stephen Yang. The surgery was slated to remove most of my stomach and almost all of my esophagus, then reattach the remains. If there wasn't enough left to reattach, he was to remove part of my large intestine and refashion it into a partial esophagus. (It didn't sound very good to me either, but that was an option.) All the PET and CAT scans to that point had showed no cancer except for the stomach and esophagus, so we were very optimistic that the surgery would be successful.

Unfortunately, when Dr. Yang opened me up from sternum to navel he found some cancer around an artery where it forks to go to the liver, so the cancer had metasticized. He felt that it was too dangerous to operate at that point and closed me back up, though he did remove my gall bladder because of some gall stones. This was, of course, a major disappointment at the time.

After five days in the hospital I was released and went back to Dr. Ellis about two weeks later. He said that basically there was no hope for me medically beyond a "miracle." Those in my situation live on average of twelve to fourteen months. He felt that the cancer was resistant to the chemotherapy I had been on, and that I could not have any more radiation because it would be too hard on my body. He did suggest a new chemotherapy drug, taxotere, but was clear in saying that at best it would delay the inevitable and would not be a cure. However, most people do not have severe side effects from taxotere, so we felt it might be worth a try.

Taxotere is given intravenously as well, and it takes about three hours to receive a dose. I also took steroids for three days to deal with nausea, which is one of the main side effects. The steroids made me very hyper, and I slept very little for five days or so. Then I crashed and became very lethargic again -- maybe not quite as bad as with the cisplatin, but not very energetic. Up until this point I still had kept my hair through all the chemotherapy, but a week after beginning taxotere my hair began to come out in handfuls, and after three days I gave up and shaved my head. The side effects from taxotere for me were almost as bad as with cisplatin. The regimen for taxotere was to have a dose once every three weeks, and I figured that about sixteen out of every twenty-one days would be miserable. This was to go on for thirty weeks.

After that first experience on the new chemotherapy I decided to stop chemotherapy altogether. I felt that my quality of life was truly suffering and that if I only have a brief time left, I want to be feeling as well as possible for as long as possible. At the same time I began to investigate a naturalistic approach of herbs and supplements more fully. We did a lot of research on the Internet and otherwise, and also had a lot of help from family and friends, in trying to determine a completely new approach.

My sister, Beth, set up a phone consultation for me with a Dr. Templeman, whom she knows through her association with Xango, a health drink. Dr. Templeman suggested a product called The Amazon Factor. After doing a bunch more research, we decided to follow this regimen. As part of this protocol I also now am following a mostly vegan diet (for which there is some very good evidence in a book called The China Factor).

At this point I am glad that I have ended the chemotherapy and begun a more natural approach. My understanding now is that chemotherapy may or may not destroy cancer cells (it didn't seem to affect mine), but it will certainly destroy the immune system. Natural therapies build the immune system to fight these cells. Dr. Ellis was completely understanding of my decision, and I will continue to see him every six weeks or so.

As of now I feel very well. My weight is down a total of 40 pounds but has been stable for three months. I am recovering from the chemo, radiation, and surgery, and feel my strength and stamina are 60 - 70% of what they used to be before all this began. I am able to see clients again, work around the house and yard, and essentially live a pretty normal life. I do have a bald head, but have grown used to that and may even keep it when my hair grows back. I take about 45 capsules a day with The Amazon Factor protocol, but that is certainly manageable. My mental outlook is strong and positive most of the time. I am determined to live and infest the planet for several more years.

Through all of this I have been enormously grateful and blessed by the love and support of my family and friends. Julie has been an incredible source of strength and help, and I have grown to admire her even more as she gives unselfishly each day. Our relationship has grown immeasurably through this ordeal. Daughters Elizabeth and Ashley and their husbands, Jayson and Dan, have been wonderfully caring and attentive. I value our relationships more than ever. Elizabeth presented us with our first grandchild, Ian James, on July 19 of this year -- if that isn't incentive for living I don't know what is. I am proud and humbled to have him named after me. My parents, Art and Marion Seder, have been hugely generous, positive and loving as always in what must be very difficult times for them. Sisters Susan and Beth and their husbands, David and Joe, have been incredibly supportive and giving of their time and resources. I have received many cards, calls, and emails from friends too. I value each of you.

While this year has not been easy, I believe that the struggle we have been through has made me a better person in many ways. Some people don't believe me when I say it, but on balance I am thankful for this disease and what it has taught me. I wish I could have learned these lessons in an easier way, but those of you who know me know how hardheaded I can be, so perhaps all this was necessary somehow to get through the concrete.