Time for an update on Dave

So far, our Snowfall total, maybe two inches, :)

Happy New Year! Dave’s latest PSA had a nice drop down to 3.35 ng/ml (from a high of 961 ng/ml 4 yrs ago). For him, it seems our slow, consistent, steady detox and nutrition support are winning the race. The drug he has been on for four years, he slowly reduced and is now off the Xtandi (a hormone-lowering drug). On the 6th, he had oral surgery for a necrotic area of jawbone that was not healing properly. The best news is how he responded. The surgeon said after removing the dead bone, there was wonderful blood flow behind it, and she believes it will now finally heal. Today, he feels great, and it was the easiest of his dental surgeries.

My question is, what caused this jawbone issue? Bone issues were Dave’s first concern in 2008. Back then, it was odd that he was showing bone density issues. He was told that he could not even take a boat ride because if he hit a wave, it may break his spine and was prescribed Fosamax. About a year later, he changed primary physicians and he shared, “it is a woman’s issue,” and he suspected it may not be an issue at all for a man, citing, “we don’t know what bone density a man should have because it hasn’t been studied, and this may be normal for Dave”. But he continued Fosamax. For three years, Dave was on Fosamax, and when I realized he was still taking the drug, I questioned his doctor. At that time, it was meant to be used one year on and one year off. Was it a change in doctors, or was this an oversight? This is the person we had trusted with Dave’s medical care.

When Dave was experiencing bone metastasis in 2021, they began giving him Xgeva injections. I trust Dave to go to his own appointments and manage his own care. Unfortunately, jawbone deterioration is common with these bone density drugs, and both dentists treating him agreed that this drug caused his necrosis. Sadly, Big Harma strikes again (yes, I did that on purpose). When we read about these drugs, we assume we will not be challenged with the side effects. And when the dental surgeon said, “I see this all the time…”  I think about how many women are dealing with these challenges because they were prescribed these drugs rather than bioidentical hormone therapies and being taught bone-building diets, lowering stress loads, resistance training, and lifestyle changes.

Over the past year, Dave has been undergoing airway opening with dental appliances. Choosing to do so is causing constant inflammation in his body. He has been a champ about it all, but that continual irritation may not be helpful to someone already immunocompromised. The argument for the cavitation surgery and the airway opening is that these are underlying conditions that contributed to the cancers he developed in his body. The narrow airway led him to develop the elderly neck hump. Isn’t it amazing that his spinal structure changed to accommodate easier breathing? Before I convinced him to get a sleep study, he snored. Remember, he was a Registered Respiratory Therapist and never thought he had sleep apnea. Has anyone else had to record their significant other at night to prove how loud and how big of a problem the snoring was? Yes, he had to have proof! He was also having multiple non-breathing events each night. That surprised him. Clearing these infections may give him an opportunity to truly heal. Opening his airway should help him breathe normally and will also allow his body structure to normalize. His biological dentist is monitoring any changes in his body. We felt the benefits of these non-traditional surgeries were strategic for his overall health and wellness.

I think we need to be reminded of how incredible our bodies truly are. Never forget your body is a temporary home to your soul and spirit. It is amazing how much abuse it can handle until the toxic burden has reached a maximum, when it begins to spill and poison, collecting into your most weakened areas because it can no longer tuck away toxins. I think the disease process is a slow burn. Our bodies are incredible at caring for us, and unfortunately, we take advantage of them. We need to forgive ourselves for our own abuse and love ourselves back into wellness.

I know one thing for sure: we all have an expiration date. 2026 will mark some major changes. We will be working with some new doctors, changing protocols, and trusting the miracle of our bodies. But living as happily and healthily as we can, staying in balance, strengthening our faith, stabilizing our emotions, and building our bodies is our priority. We thank you for your love and prayers and wish you wellness. We send you love and prayers in return. Peace be with all of us.