TREATMENT AT THE HERZOG CLINIC

In July and August I spent 3 weeks at this private clinic in Bad Salzhausen, a little spa village about an hour northeast of Frankfurt. The clinic offers integrative oncology, which involves conventional medical approaches alongside hyperthermia (heat) treatment - the hyperthermia not only damages tumour cells but also makes chemo more effective. I had regional hyperthermia every other day, which involved lying down under a plastic plate directing short radio waves into the liver - it heats the internal tissue but not the skin, and felt pleasantly warm, a bit like a hot water bottle and quite relaxing. The clinic also uses other new technologies like oxygen and ozone therapy (which help to inhibit tumour growth) and magnetic field therapy (which improves metabolism), and naturopathic treatments including intravenous infusions of vitamin B, vitamin C, and homeopathic remedies to stimulate the immune system and improve detoxification. I also had regular reflexology and back massages, which was lovely.


In order to make the infusions easier I had a port fitted - this is a permanent device implanted under the skin a couple of inches below the collarbone, which is connected to a catheter in one of the veins so that when the skin is pierced by a special needle infusions can be given, or blood samples taken, very easily. There's a small bump visible under the skin but it's fairly unobtrusive. The device was inserted under local anaesthetic at the hospital in the nearby town of Giessen, and although I was a bit sore and bruised for a few days after, it's healed up nicely and the scar is beginning to fade. And it's great having no more needle bruises in my wrists and arms!


In terms of chemo, the improvements seen in the spring were levelling off, and the toxicity was building up (usually people only have 6-8 cycles, whereas I'd had 9), so Dr Herzog decided to change tactics. I therefore had a procedure called chemoembolisation, where chemotherapy drugs are injected directly into the liver via the hepatic artery, and are kept in place by a temporary blocking of the artery so that they work on the tumour cells as long as possible. The advantages of this method are that a higher concentration of drugs can be used; they are targeted directly onto tumour cells; and because they're not circulated around the whole body (as happens with systemic chemo) the side-effects on the immune system (and the gut, and the hair follicles, and the other organs) are far lower. The procedure was carried out at Frankfurt University Hospital under local anaesthetic, and I was able to watch the large-screen monitor showing all the blood vessels, which I found fascinating (and helpfully distracting!). I was kept under observation for several hours afterwards, and felt pretty rough for  the rest of the day, but recovered quickly - helped by a lot of detoxing infusions. 


I felt very good on this combination of treatments, and returned to the UK feeling significantly healthier and more energetic. My morale was also lifted hugely by my hair beginning to grow again, meaning that I could have the thin wispy ends cut off and a new short style - it may be vanity but it's much easier to feel good when you look better!