As ‘The Little One’ continues to show signs of regaining his strength, we decided to take a detour and visit Dr. Mo this past Saturday. Who is Dr. Mo you might ask…well Dr. Mo specializes in eastern medicine, specifically acupuncture. We visited Dr. Mo earlier this year for treatments of sciatica and after four treatments we were pleasantly surprised at the relief ‘The Little One’ received from the acupuncture. ‘Why not consult with Dr. MO’, we both asked each other this past week. 
While we will not know for a least another month what effect the radiation and chemotherapy has had on the tumor; we know very well that the chemo and radiation has ravished his body, zapped his strength and pretty much turned his life upside down. Traditional medicine, while proper seems to have a wait and see attitude during this ‘down time’ before the next PET scan.
This attitude was confirmed during my phone consultations with the oncologist and primary care doctor this past week. The nurse for the oncologist told me over the phone that ‘The doctor normally does not call patients back’…my response to that was simply…’That is odd, don’t you think?’ The primary care doctor referred me back to the oncologist…(they share the same office!). My response to the primary care doctor was just a tad more direct…”In the patients best interest, one of you needs to be taking the lead in the decision-making.’
That comment rang a bell with me. The ones who need to take the lead in the decision making are the patient and the caregiver. While we are all striving for excellency, when it comes right down to it, we are the captions of our own ship. Authority while respected, is not all-knowing. There is a reason that medicine is a science. There are no two bodies alike!
We both know what we are facing with this disease, sometimes you just have to think outside the box. 
What do we expect to gain from Dr. MO? Alternatives, options, hope…just as we expected to gain from the traditional forms of medicine. Yet not to pursue all options available to us, does not give life a chance. We both saw the results of the acupuncture in March and April of this past year…why not give it a chance? 
In life…there are plenty alternatives, there are plenty of options, and there is plenty of hope…we just have to engage these options ourselves….rather than waiting for that call to be returned.
The Purple Jacket 