Vitamin C for my Basal Cell Carcinoma, Round 2

The border around my used-to-be scar looks great. My scar... now that's another story. I am using Vitamin C again.

I had that one scab right on the edge of my scar that I couldn't stop peeling off... Every time I dried my face I would look in the mirror and realize I took the scab off with my towel. Was my sore not healing because I couldn't prevent from peeling the scab off or was it because it was still a basal cell carcinoma? How can you tell? I figured that regardless, the Vitamin C again couldn't hurt!

I applied a strong solution (more Vitamin C than water) and the constantly-scabbing sore started bleeding like there was a blood clot trying to escape. Within the hour, it was scabbed over. And this time it was a huge scab! Dark red, almost black. I couldn't forget that it was there and therefore was able to remember to not touch it at all! I didn't even peel it off with the towel!

I was able to prevent myself from peeling off this scab for a whole two days! It fell off naturally. At first I thought it had done nothing. I still had the same small sore near my scar. 

About a day later, I realized it... My sore wasn't in the same spot... It used to be on the edge of the scar. There was nothing there anymore! The sore I had now, had moved. It was in the middle of my scar. While I was able to leave the scab on long enough for the original sore to heel, I had applied the Vitamin C at the perfect time to pull out the hidden basal cell carcinoma. 

If you remember from my earlier post, nothing had happened to the scar the first round of treatment. I think this was because the fresh scar tissue was acting like a shield. Originally I thought that the skin cancer was gone in that area... guess I was wrong... It went deeper.  So of course with this new discovery, I continued applying vitamin C.

I had to calm down the solution. Everytime I applied the solution with too much vitamin C the sore would bleed just like the first time and scab over. That's not the point. I want it to scab over, but not cause the bleeding for it to scab over. The point is to have the cancerous-goo scab over after pulling out of the skin and for the cancer to fall out.  

I had to create the solution correctly using only as much vitamin C as can disolve in the water. With this solution I see the progress or failure or whatever it is. The sore keeps getting bigger as the scar goes away. It has almost completely taken the place of the scar. The scar was literally acting as a shield for the deeper carcinoma. 

I kept getting discouraged because every time I look at it, the sore is a little bigger. However, both my mom and K, on separate occasions have told me that it is actually looking better. My mom even pointed out that I am still applying the solution to the same large area, but this time, it's only the small spot in the center that is reacting. The same original spot the dermatologist scraped off. And also the same spot the was guarded and wouldn't react to the first round of vitamin C treatment.

Will it heal? I'm not sure yet. It's taking more than one round of treatment. I think it will take more than two rounds. But I'm not going to the dermatologist till I'm done doing this treatment myself. I'll keep you posted on what I find!

One thing I do know... the pool has opened this weekend, and my hat collection is definitely about to grow :)

Raw Foods: Healthy Eating or Eating Disorder?

Did you hear about the latest eating disorder?!

Does eating healthy mean you have an eating disorder? Well according to some it is. Orthorexia is the obsession with eating healthy.

I know eating disorders are very serious and I do take them seriously, but I had to laugh when I saw this on yahoo.com. I mean how ironic! What incredible timing! It described in detail the way that I was eating!

After the first couple days of eating raw foods I was dropping weight. Dropping quickly! But how can I gain weight when I'm only eating raw fruits and vegetables?! That's why I didn't stay completely alkaline, I had to eat something else to keep the weight on. I was happy with my weight. If I lost any more weight I would look sick in my own opinion.

Plus, raw fruits and veggies gets boring. You can make it interesting for a while, but your body needs more! Proteins! Carbs! Salt! Sugar! BALANCE! After a couple days of almost all raw foods, I not only needed more for my body, I was craving it. Raw food is a great cleanse, just not a way of eating... For me at least.

Even after working other foods into my new more-alkaline diet, I could still manage to gain a few pounds, but that will come back slowly. I feel good. I feel healthy. I like my healthier decisions. And I'm no longer losing weight.

Raw foods are good for you but there is a lot more the body needs to be healthy! Anything taken to the extreme can be dangerous.

Raw foods work for some people. Check out the following links!
First there is Brad, founder of Brad's Raw Foods. How did raw foods help him turn his wellness around?
http://www.bradsrawchips.com/pages/meet-brad
And then there is Lauren, a Raw Chef and Plant Based Nutrition Wellness Coach. See how raw foods changed her life!
http://www.rawissexy.com/p/about.html

To read more about the delicate balance between staying healthy and turning healthy eating into an eating disorder, check out the following link to a TIME magazine article:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1963297,00.html

Going Alkaline to Starve out Basal Cell Carcinoma

Did you know that cancer cannot live in an alkaline environment? Yep! You guessed it! I went on an alkaline diet to work along side the exteriorly-applied vitamin C. That way I could starve out the cancer from the inside as well as kill it on the outside.

When I say diet though, I don't mean going on the stereotypical three week diet or however long those things are. I wasn't trying to lose weight or anything like that. I was very happy with my weight and my fitness. I was just not happy about my nutritional health. It's more like I was going through a dramatic cleanse as a start to a new diet completely: a healthy diet that I want to have for the rest of my life.

So here's what I did:

1. I cut out dairy.
2. I ate raw fruits and vegetables.
3. I cut out meat.
4. I ate more raw fruits and vegetables.
5. When I needed more calories, I ate brown rice, crackers, tortillas, whole wheat noodles and other carb foods.
6. I ate tons of raw fruits and vegetables.

Yes I was basically vegan. After a day, I realized I had to add in some carbs so I wouldn't drop too much weight. But after a week and a half, I HAD to eat some meat just to be sure I got some protein. I ate as alkaline as I could, but added the variety and balance into my diet as I felt needed.

I am now back to normal eating, I just try to make a lot healthier choices! Instead of my morning latte I either have lemon water, freshly made juice or iced green tea! For lunch, I eat salad, or I make dips for my tortilla chips, or on days like today, when I need some extra carbs, I have something like a quesadilla but I chop up some fresh peppers, onions and tomatoes to put on top.

Whatever I do, I am trying to eat lots of raw food. I make my exceptions throughout the week so that I get my other nutritional needs, but I figure, the more alkaline I can make make it, the better. Based on my skin issues, I think that might be the case for a while. But I would love to be able to possibly help prevent more basal cell carcinoma in the future.

The Martini Saying

So today is my birthday. I celebrated with the family early, since my parents are out of town on the day. But tonight, for my celebration, I went out with a couple good friends, and of course K, to the cheesecake factory. Martinis and cheesecake... at least that is exactly what I had!

I ordered a martini that hasn't been on the menu since before I was 21. I tried it because it's my mom's favorite... and although I've strayed, I've never found another flavor that compares: The key lime martini! It's amazing! The bartender always remembers how to make it!!! Nobody has ever said no! And, of course, I had an amazing piece of cheesecake... the leftovers will last for several days!

Anyway, as I was drinking my second martini, I wanted to be sure my friends knew "the saying." At least that's what I thought it was. I've realized over time that sometimes the "sayings" that I know (if I can say them right), aren't always a "sayings" that others know.

So for all of you, here it is, as my parents have told me since before I drank in public... or even before I was in high school:

"Martinis are like boobs. One is not enough. Three are too many!"