The Clinic

We're into week #2 of treatment here in Vienna.  The link to the clinic I attend is: http://www.hyperthermie.at/en/.  Their website explains a bit about hyperthermia and shows some pictures of Dr. Kleef and the equipment used for this modality.  In other blog posts, I'll explain some of the other therapies I am receiving.  I would say there is some improvement in pain in my sacrum/tailbone area, which is where last week's local treatment was focussed.  This week I have asked to aim the local hyperthermia and infrared treatments more at my left hip joint to further treat my pain.

The clinic is in a chic, trendy area of Vienna known as Hietzing (similar to Kensington in Calgary, but a bit fancier).  There is a large park and palace nearby, lots of shops, a traditional Viennese coffee house, streetcars, white Christmas lights, etc.  It's a lovely area to stroll through when my treatments finish early enough.

The clinic itself is new (they just moved in the week before we arrived) and decorated in great style...lots of white, high ceilings, chandeliers, great views and purple and white orchids in each room.  They are doing their best to create a wholistic healing environment to go along with the conventional and natural/alternative/complementary treatments.  The staff mostly wear white and consist of the Dr., a couple nurses, a doctor of traditional chinese medicine (I see her too), and reception/administration staff.  Everyone goes out of their way to make us feel warmly welcomed.

Thanks for your comments and emails.  We feel supported and encouraged by everyone.

God bless,
Shawna

Touristy Day

Being Saturday, I had no treatments booked so we played tourists and explored the Innerstadt (city centre).  We took the U-bahn (subway) there then checked out the Museum Quarter, a huge city block of various museums, including a kids' museum.  Alexis is signed up for a construction workshop there this coming week.  We walked (Dad pushed me in a wheelchair) to the Hofberg Palace, Stephansdom (gothic cathedral for which the city is most well-known), Mozart's house, opera house and finished at the Town Hall, which is lit up beautifully at night with a gorgeous clock tower.  At the base of the town hall is set up a huge Christmas market with dozens of wooden stalls lit up with lights and decorations, various wares (toys, glass ornaments, leather, etc.), hot drinks, local food treats and hundreds of people.  It's hard to describe in words, but the whole scene put us instantly into the Christmas spirit.

The buildings here are all architectural masterpieces.  The streets are spotlessly clean and are filled with people walking, shopping and socializing.  We have felt safe everywhere we go, even after dark, which is a good thing since it gets dark by 4:30pm.

Some edible treats we've enjoyed so far have been:  maroni (roasted chestnuts), pancakes, Viennese coffee, gluewein (hot drinks served at the street markets), hot dogs (more gourmet than what we get at home), sachertorte (layered chocolate cake with a layer of jam), homemade caramels, schnitzel and viennese stockpot soup.

We're taking some pictures, but you'll have to wait until we get home and put them in an album to see them (yes, I still do that the old-fashioned way).  No big changes to the treatment regime this week except the addition of a traditional chinese medicine practitioner and some natural anti-inflammatories, mostly for pain control.  Next weekend we plan to take the train to Baden, a nearby spa town.  Will post more soon...

God bless,
Shawna

P.S.  Some folks have asked for our mailing address.  Thoughtful, but just mail things to our home address in Calgary and we'll enjoy opening them there.  We will be changing apartments partway through our stay, so would hate for something to get mis-directed in the mail.

Week #1 in Vienna

Well, we made it to Vienna with no hitches last Friday.  Our apartment is cozy for 5 of us, but in a convenient location (close to transit and more importantly, a mall!).  We are mostly over our jetlag and have done a bit of exploring, getting well-acquainted with the subway system.  I met Dr. Kleef on Monday and started daily treatment right away with hyperthermia (local and whole-body, vitamin C IV's, site-specific immunotherapy for bone and liver using Staph A and E Coli inactive bacterial vaccines, IV bisphosphonate, artesunate, and ionized oxygen...you may want to google each one of these with the word "cancer" to find out more info).  My blood and tumour sample have been sent to a lab in Germany to find out which kind of low-dose chemotherapy will likely have the biggest effect on killing my specific cancer cells.  The results should be available early next week.  Overall, I'm pleased to be taking advantage of so many of the treatments I read about in the Moss Report, and it's a nice treat to get them all in one place rather than trying to juggle many different practitioners.  I haven't felt any effects yet, but it's too soon to tell.

Alexis turned 9 on Tuesday!  She and Will picked out some Viennese cake along with pizza (of course!) to celebrate.  While I was at the clinic, they went to the zoo.  Unfortunately, most of the animals were tucked away for the winter, so they went to a fancy hotel lobby to do the daily routine of home-schooling, which is going well.

My Mom and Dad are enjoying long walks to explore different parts of the city, as well as trying out the local coffees and wines.  I ordered wiener schnitzel for lunch today...tasty but likely not high on the "anti-cancer" diet!  Will has gone out running a bit, which is how he likes to check out new places.  All in all, we're settling in.

Check back next week...God bless you all in the meantime,

Shawna

The saga continues

Many of you have received Shawna's email, but here is the update for those of you who have not.

Hello to all our Family and Friends,

As you all know, the past year and a half has been slightly crazy in our household.  In June 2010, I (Shawna) was diagnosed with  pelvic bone metastases (spreading of my breast cancer).  It was stable for about a year with hormonal and naturopathic therapies.  Then in July of this year, Will had a severe, unexpected stroke while working in Victoria.  After 2 months in hospital, he was discharged home in September and has been working hard on his rehabilitation.  The main limitation is his left (dominant) arm and hand; he can move all parts of it but it takes such effort that the movement is not yet functional.  His mobility, cognition and speech are nearly back to normal, and he has thankfully been allowed to resume driving this week.

We were looking forward to some peace and breathing space with regards to health, but I guess that's not in the cards for now.  Since the summer, I have had considerably more pain and it was discovered in September that my cancer has spread further (pelvis, spine, ribs, skull, lung and liver).  I have had at least 3 fractures in my pelvis and a new one in my neck.  Although I have received great care and appropriate treatment at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, the doctors tell me that they have no cure to offer and are treating for symptom control only.

A year ago, I thought that if it came to this point, I would feel peaceful enough to let nature take its course.  But after Will's miraculour recovery, I have a new resolve to "choose life".  So I spent hours on the internet and contacted tons of people with claims to "cure cancer".  The best source of information turned out to be a "Moss Report" which is a summary of the science behind most of the treatments provided for cancer, both conventional and complementary/alternative.  After reading every word on each of the 500 pages (exhausting but interesting!) and praying hourly for wisdom, I have decided to go to Vienna, Austria to see a medical doctor (Dr. Kleef) who uses an integrative approach to cancer treatment.  You can google the following treatments if you're interested in what I may be receiving:  hyperthermia, mistletoe, artusenate, homeopathy, dendritic cell and autologous vaccines and other forms of immunotherapy such as Site Specific Immunotherapy and Coley's Toxins.

Our flight leaves tonight.  Will, Alexis, my Mom, Dad and I will be gone for 7 weeks (back January 5).  We are excited and hopeful.  Even Alexis has been really supportive and courageous, choosing to look forward to this adventure rather than focussing on what she'll miss at home.  While we're gone, we'll post weekly updates on a new blog:   

http://www.shawnapynten.blogspot.com/

You can stay in touch with us by commenting on the blog, or by email.  Please only call my cell if there's an emergency (my cell phone bill from my 2 weeks in Victoria was $700!!  I can't imagine what it would be for 2 months in Europe!).

Also, we just had some amazing family pictures done in Canmore by Lanny and Erika (TwoMannTent Photography) and I'll include their blog address for a sampling of our photos:

http://www.twomanntent.com/blog

While we're gone, we'd so appreciate your prayers for safe travels, fun times and healing for both me and Will.  Although our journey has been a struggle, we have never, not for one moment, felt unsupported by all of you.

Luke 1:37

For with God nothing will be impossible.