Laurel Pollock

July 2016

When I first noticed a problem, it was around Christmas of 2013. I had a stomachache and I saw an acupuncturist for what I thought were digestive issues. The stomachache only got worse; I never dreamed it would be cancer.

My acupuncturist knew something was terribly wrong, and told me I should have it checked out by a medical doctor. I cried to him on the phone, and told him I have always treated myself with naturopathic medicines (my general practitioner is a naturopathic doctor) or acupuncture and vitamins. I believed strongly in preventative medicine, and still do.

I am a former dancer, and worked in Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Needless to say, I was in good shape physically, and continued to exercise regularly after I “retired” at the ripe old age of 30! However, I did have major stress in my life: my husband, who was formerly a union musician, had multiple illnesses and was hospitalized in November of that year with dementia, COPD, diabetes and pneumonia. I was holding down a teaching job while visiting him at the hospital daily. I was not paying attention to my own health.

By February, I couldn’t stand the discomfort any more, and finally asked my brother to take me to the emergency room. There, I was diagnosed with cancer and referred to an oncologist. I looked like I was pregnant with twins and felt really gross. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I knew it was something. They immediately admitted me to the hospital and drained my abdomen of four quarts of fluid. After the draining procedure, I was 14 pounds lighter – not a good way to lose weight!

The oncologist told me that I was already Stage IV, although later it turned out that I was stage III. In the hospital that month, I decided I wanted to live, and I was going to beat it, in spite of what they told me. My tumor markers were sky-high, around 1400. Now, they are around 6 or 7.

Our son, who was 25 at the time, took family leave in order to take care of my husband and me. I was not able to handle any paperwork myself, or do housework (including making my own bed) – on doctor’s orders. My son convinced me to get a consultation from my N.D., who referred me to a gynecologic oncologist; that gyn onc performed a complete hysterectomy and helped save my life.

My husband was home but not able to be supportive as his dementia prevented him from understanding my situation. That in itself was a continuous stressor for me. I always had my attention on his welfare, and it took my family several months to convince me to put him in Adult Foster Care.

My family’s arguments were persuasive; they finally convinced me that I needed to take care of myself first, or else. Meanwhile, I was going through several rounds of chemo, which as we know, is brutal and the effects are cumulative and nasty. I was completely bed-ridden for several months, not to mention drug-addled and otherwise out of it. I had “chemo brain” – where you can’t remember the simplest things. This was temporary, fortunately. I wrote things down, and kept a journal, and tried little memory games with myself. Sometimes I couldn’t remember what I did last week, and sometimes I could.

To make matters worse, I was just finished with my sixth round of chemo and had stopped getting treatment, when I broke a hip. I think it was because the chemo had weakened my bones. I had surgery, went to rehab, had home physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) then outpatient PT and saw a physical trainer.

I found that it’s really important to keep a positive attitude always, no matter what. Get rid of all negativity in your universe, including that of others. I loved to prove people who thought I was going to succumb wrong.

Fortunately, my oncologist didn’t mind the fact that I wanted to use complementary medicine (including Camas Prairie Tea and health food). I learned to be kind to myself – not to expect ‘normalcy’ or perfection for at least a year. When I wasn’t throwing up, I ate healthy food, especially high protein and low sugar. I drank water with no ice, and my secret weapon was Camas Prairie Tea. Chinese tradition has it right; minds do affect bodies!

My husband passed away about 7 months ago. All the women in my family have been permanently affected by my illness; my nieces all have gone through genetic testing, and when my sister had problems with her ovaries, even though benign, her doctors decided to give her a full hysterectomy. Better that than the alternative.

So, that’s my “sad” story. Now, I have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life! One of the things I’d like to do is to share my story with anyone who is interested, and to underline the importance of ALWAYS thinking positively. Maybe it’ll inspire others to never take anyone’s word, especially when the news is terrible! You CAN change your life, or at least make it better.