TREATMENT UPDATE

After my jaunt to Cologne, the rest of my stay at the Herzog clinic went very well. I've uploaded some pictures to give you a flavour of the treatments there:

Local hyperthermia was for an hour every day, with a heating plate positioned over the liver, alternately from the front  and the side. I had oxygen at the same time, via a tube in my nostrils, to enhance cell functioning.

There were also daily intravenous infusions of vitamins and various naturopathic remedies, to stimulate the immune system and to help cells detox from the chemo - you can see the bottle hung on the stand. 


Although sometimes the heat became a bit uncomfortable, mostly I found the hyperthermia very relaxing, and I generally spent the time listening to music on my iPod.

Twice a week I had ozone therapy - this involves taking about 50 ml of blood into a small container, adding ozone, and shaking (like a cocktail shaker!) to mix it into the blood. This oxygenates the blood (you can see it turn from dark red to bright scarlet), and it is then released back into the vein. Higher oxygen levels in the body inhibit tumour growth and improve the respiration of healthy cells.

Magnetic field therapy was three times a week, and consisted of lying with a cylinder positioned around the tumour area, within which a magnetic current circulates for 20 minutes. The aim of this is to improve metabolic functioning, reduce over-acidity of cells, and stimulate healing. The effect is subtle but produces a feeling of calm alertness and well-being.

I haven't included photos of the back massages or reflexology (you know what those look like), or the chemoembolisation (I reckon that a picture of a catheter being inserted into my groin would be too much information!) The chemoembolisation went well and the feedback from the surgeon was again encouraging, with a little more tumour shrinkage and indications that the tumour is less aggressive. As I understand it, there's generally a ceiling effect for how much improvement this kind of chemo can bring about, but it's certainly buying time and quality of life at the moment. My next treatment will be in early January.


In between all the treatments it was lovely to catch up with old friends Linda (from my first visit in July) and Hilary (whose stays coincided with mine in September and October as well), plus making new friends including Cathy from the USA and her husband Dick (who are both professional musicians, and I loved hearing about the world of pro symphony orchestras). As well as meeting a range of really nice people, the clinic is somewhere where I feel "normal", where people aren't freaked out by cancer and don't mind talking about the grittier stuff, and where there's a great deal of camaraderie and support. It's a self-contained little world there, and although I find the transitions between the clinic and my London life quite challenging at times, it always feels safe and reassuring to be there. And, hard though it might be to imagine, we do also have fun sometimes! 

Cathy and Dick in the dining room

Linda and I with Manuela, one of the nurses

With Linda and Hilary