Part 2: Building a Healing Team

Well I have been traveling on my journey of discovery for two weeks now. Much of the time was spent in research. One of the problems with the Internet is the vast ocean of information, only some of which is useful. We have been doing research for the past several days and have been making calls to ask for resources and sorting through the information available.

I am going to get a second opinion, which requires that I get specific medical records from the VA. It helps that they have computerized records, but it has taken time and effort, and I still don’t have exactly what I need.

I am also trying to decide how much effort to put into my business at this time because I want to care for myself but also keep my business going. For the most part I have chosen to let my clients know what is going on with me, especially since I have to change meeting times to work around medical appointments.

When I allow myself to take time to reflect, I can feel all kinds of feelings, especially fear… I have been reading articles and a book about cancer and have discovered that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men. The other statistic that amazed me was that one in six men over age 50 get prostate cancer. Wow, that’s a lot!

I am choosing to reach out to friends and family, and they are responding in amazing ways. This is counter to my old inclination, which was to be stoic and not let people know what is happening. I have discovered that some of my friends have had prostate cancer, and they are encouraging about what can happen as a result of surgery.

The two major obstacles I had to overcome this past week were my bone scan and CT scan, both of which are designed to discover if the cancer has spread to other sites near the prostate.

A bone scan requires that one be given a shot of some mildly radioactive material that serves as a contrast to the bones and has an affinity for bones that are either injured or have acquired cancer cells. Then you lie under a scanning system that maps your entire skeleton. Well, no cancer, but LOL, they did discover that a soccer injury I had from a game 10 days before was actually a broken finger. As a result, I got an X-ray and was splinted.

While I was at the VA emergency room for my finger, I left my iPhone in the waiting room. When I realized what had happened, I went to find it, but it was gone. I went home and enabled Find My iPhone. Guess what… it works! I was able to trace it to an apartment complex and to the right apartment. When I was approaching the apartment, a woman came out saw me with my iPad and said, “Are you looking for your phone?” She claimed that she had tried to turn it in at the VA but wasn’t able to do so. I remember seeing her there, and I knew she was lying, but I was just happy to get my phone back.

I have engaged the services of a medical advocate whose job is to support me in my journey by making sure that the treatment choices I make are appropriate and done well. He can also do additional research about new and innovative treatments. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a team—a support system—when you’re attempting a major healing.

I want to tell you about my meeting with Dr. Dougherty, the head of radiological oncology. What a wonderful soul… she was so present and so heart centered that I was able to discuss my fears my concerns, and she listened. She picked up how important lifestyle concerns are to me. At some point in the interview she said it was her job to be on my team, and her position on the team was either to be providing a specific treatment or to support me in whatever treatment I chose. That was exactly what I was looking for. She also saw my choice to connect with the medical advocate as very positive. All too often doctors feel criticized if you want an advocate, but she was open to it.

I decided to go to San Francisco this next weekend and attend a reunion of health-certified NLP graduates. I’m going because the organizer, Tim Hallbon, said he would like to work on me as a demonstration of how to work with a serious health challenge. Tim is one of my mentors and a friend, and I have strong connections with the NLP community, so this is ideal. I’m beginning to feel more positive about how I will manage this health challenge, especially sense I really do believe I’m beginning to have a team.

It is really hard to navigate the current health care system. It even seems overwhelming to the people who work there. I was trying to get a copy of the slides from my biopsy, and it took me three days to even get to the right department to find out that I would have to jump through several hoops to have them sent to a doctor for a second opinion.

I have been meditating and listening to music sent to me by my friend Deborah Wilson, who works with angels and healing music. I also went with my wife and brother-in-law to attend a six-hour meditation process with a remarkable healer, Kingi Kumara, who works with quantum healing.

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About Terry: Terry Hickey, M.S., is a Certified NLP Professional Coach, Business Trainer and Consultant, a Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the co-owner of NLP Advantage Group. Originator of the Belief Breakthrough Method™, Terry specializes in teaching coaches and entrepreneurs how to rapidly resolve limiting beliefs about wealth and success. His tips and strategies can help you launch yourself into the future you want… NOW. http://terryhickey.com/