Positive thinking. I have long considered myself to have a disposition for being generally happy. While I may not be smiling ear to ear – my cheeks start to hurt when I smile too much – it has always been an internal state I strive to be in. I learned to control this state by using a casual passive meditation process with my breathing. For me, just thinking about breathing can calm and realign everything I am thinking about. I breathe slow and deep, thinking about every ounce of air filling my lungs. I imagine my lungs oxygenating my blood and traveling up to my head, where my mind is in entirely in control of the perception of my world around me. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mind releases a bit of dopamine each time I take a breath. I truly enjoy every single one.
I was referred to Dr. Mitchell Gaynor by a friend’s doctor as a top choice for creating and handling my treatment plan, my first meeting with Dr. Gaynor was on September 30th. Please read more on his website, he has an incredible practice. This treatment plan would start the cleanup process for what remains of my tumor cells. I’ve learned Dr. Gaynor is the type of doctor that had at one point reached the absolute top of his medical field, and then said to himself “there’s gotta be more areas for improvement”. He didn’t stop. Making his own meditation CDs (on iTunes!), having his own speaker systems built that produce specific inaudible frequencies that the brain still perceives and responds to, understanding in detail that diet – what you put into your body on a daily basis – has a huge effect on your healing. These are just some of the examples of how he builds a whole mind and body treatment plan to keep you in the best of health. I was extremely excited to have found him. His caring and kindness were obvious from the start.
More than just holistic practices, I will be starting what i’m calling a tag-team cleanup of radiation and oral chemotherapy. I actually have an appointment with my Radiation Oncologist, Gabriella Wernicke, M.D. in just 2 hours. The tentative schedule is 6 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week, while at the same time taking 42 days straight of Temodar. I’ve been told the side effects will be minimal, and I am an extremely hearty person. Post-radiation therapy there will be another 6-12 months of oral chemotherapy for 5-day periods of each of those months.
A few days after meeting with Dr. Gaynor he called me and asked if I wanted to go meet Henry S. Friedman, MD, Deputy Director, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. Why yes, I do indeed want to meet him. Check out this 60 Minutes episode about him!
More about my visit with Henry in my next post, and if you’re reading this Henry, Hello!!