Alternative Treatment

Kathy, 

I was diagnosed at stage III with 4/14 nodes positive back in 2004.  I had 8 rounds of dose-dense chemo, a bilateral mastectomy, radiation, and continued treatment with tamoxifen.  Despite all of that, my cancer returned in 2009 to lymph nodes above the supraclavicular chain.  Very limited mets, in one spot.  I opted for aggressive treatment for this 100% ER+ cancer recurrence (6 rounds of taxotere) and could feel the cancerous lymph nodes shrinking after one or two treatments.

Now, 30 months later, I'm still NED and have been since chemo.  

Please consider the good that chemo offers as well as the bad.

And remember, YOU make the choice after you consider all of the information offered you.  No one will think badly of you regarding your decision.

Susan 

Scootaloo:  If you read the thread, you would see that nobody did that.  If they did, I'm sure the moderators would step in and say something.  I am always careful to post that what I do for my benefit is for me alone and not a recommendation for anyone else.  Everyone should be their own advocate and do research about their treatment options.  Then they should make up their own minds about their treatment.  Just going along with what a doctor recommends and not doing any of your own research is not smart either.

Yes, Scoot, posting violence is scary. Especially to breast cancer patients.

Scootaloo - No one on any of the threads has offered me advice.  I am still researching and have not made any decisions yet re: chemo v. no chemo.  I have an appointment with a second opinion doctor tomorrow who is considered to be one of the top 1% med oncs in the country.  The girls were just referring me to authorized, legitimate medical reports based on clinical trials and helping to give me questions to ask him.  I am still undecided until I speak with him.  And I hope to come to my own conclusions very soon.  Thank you for your avid interest.

Yeah, threats of violence are always a  "joke." 

*eye roll*

And that's all I'm saying on that subject. 

Scootaloo, thanks for your concern, that's why I've referred Kathy to proper studies and encouraged her to do her own research.  Also I make a point of stressing that those who use chemo are to be admired.  No one can decide for us.  We have to take all the evidence we can find, consult our oncologist and go with our best option according to how we think and feel.  Many studies confirm that hormonals alone are as effective as chemo plus hormonals for ILC, but the standard of care is still to recommend chemo.  So it's entirely in the hands of Kathy, armed with as many facts as possible and her MO's advice.

Sorry Momine, I'm pretty dumb when it comes to knowing whether I'm patronising or breaking social conventions .  I'm a bit like Sheldon Cooper with some degree of autism (Asperger's) and try to explain carefully so I'm not misunderstood.  Is that what you mean?  I never ever mean to be rude of hurtful as that is against everything I stand for. If anyone wants to beat me up for being different then go ahead.  It's true, I'm pretty strange and find socialising in any form to be anxiety ridden and painful.  But I do have feelings and am battling depression and lack of self-esteem. Thank you for listening.

Time for bed.  I have a huge dental appointment tomorrow for a filling and a cap.

Kathy~

Please do not feel like you have caused anything.

It has been hard for people to agree or disagree on this site since before I signed on in '09.

Best of luck to you.

Ang, just so you know, I've put you on IGNORE

Kathy, please, don't play into their hands, that's exactly what they want, blame someone, make them feel bad, discredit them, pit us against each other, and they hope each and everyone of us will become so depressed and exhausted from their attacks that we will all leave BCO.  I got baited into another thread yesterday and had to suffer 3 whole pages of attacks.  I wrote a sister here who has recently left that this was it for me.  But you know what:  I'm gonna stay because I need sisters like you  

Don't let them win, stick with us, please ! 

ETA - plus don't ever ever feel you have to justify anything to anybody here 

Kathy, I'm not quite sure where you stand as I have not read through this thread. I agree with you in making an effort to not unnecessary getting into a heated battle over personal choices and opinions. I have left bco a few times due to rude and meanness. After awhile it gets tiring. But, I found myself coming back for help, encouragment and sometime to encourage others. One good thing about bco and similiar websites it is a place where we can talk about our bc concerns without troubling our families and friends. Even if others differ from us, they are a backboard where we can either vent or learn from.

Joy, no problem, just pointing out that it was not an accurate recap of my view. I come from a tribe of people with Asperger's traits and have quite a few myself, so I am certainly not about to beat you up on that account. Besides, I don't generally beat people up anyway.

Let's not invalidate anyone's feelings here.  That tagline is offensive and that is the way I feel. Everyone else on BCO has the sensibility to at the least spell it a$$ when expressing themselves. 

'It's just a waste of everybody's time, and pure bunkum" and you're perpetuating it.  

"This discussion reminds me when my tag line was "Stop Canada"............
the grief I took from that...........and I do find it a bit ironic that the gals that found that so offensive seem to be on the other side of the fence now..........
very interesting.........."

say what ? 

So you all intend to disrupt this peaceful conversation amongst like minded sisters even managing to scare newcomers away.  What gives ? 

I have been reading about DIM, a natural estrogen blocker. Many women on here are choosing this route, and I assume it is working?  I finally found what it is and read about it, my question is that if we ER+ women are supposed to avoid soy,then how is everyone taking this med that contains soy?  I would love to take it rather then Tamox or an AI, I have had enough.  I may go see a naturopath to get some answers and help.  I dont know why we have to suffer so much to protect our selves.  This med seems like the answer to so many of us but I still have some doubts.