Interview 72
She was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia after experiencing tiredness, itching, diarrhoea, a cough and breathlessness. She declined a bone marrow transplant and takes Glivec alongside a range of complementary approaches to support her body.
She was starting a new phase of her life after being divorced but felt inexplicably tired despite having eliminated all the stresses from her life. She thought she was unfit so got herself a personal trainer who told her she wasn’t trying hard enough. She had a variety of symptoms that she didn’t connect together at the time, including dry skin and rashes, diarrhoea, a cough and breathlessness. She attended her doctor’s practice on several occasions about different symptoms and was at one point told she had asthma and was given inhalers, although having experience of asthma in her family she was certain it was not that.
A friend suggested she try a different surgery, which she did and within days had a blood test done after which she was telephoned and asked to go to hospital. She asked why and was told she had chronic myeloid leukaemia. At the hospital she asked many questions including what her life expectancy would be without treatment, which was estimated at about two years. She was concerned to make the best treatment decisions for the sake of her five-year-old son. After having some of her white blood cells filtered off it was suggested she should have a bone marrow transplant but she was reluctant because of the risks involved, despite both her siblings being matches. She found out about a new drug called Glivec that was not yet available in England and managed to obtain it on the NHS and has taken 400 mg each night for the last six years. Once Glivec was approved by NICE she transferred to receiving it privately through her Bupa insurance.
She has combined her conventional treatment with a range of complementary approaches to support her body. These include yoga, Chi Kung and reflexology. She has also adapted her diet to exclude alcohol, dairy foods, pork, fried foods, parsnips, parsley and celery, and eats only organic food at home. She also takes a food supplement called IP6 with inositol made from rice that is claimed to enhance immunity and reduce cell proliferation.
When her second marriage broke down she became very stressed and some of her original symptoms recurred but she ended the relationship and put her body back on track through complementary means.