I hate chemo, anyone here Stage IV?

Renae, I just thought I'd stop and bump your thread for you, as postings can be especially slow over the weekend.    Deanna

Hi Renae, I am stage IV from the beginning back in March of 2009.  I have been doing chemo and luckily have handled it well.  I am, however, interested in starting more natural treatments as well.  I am overwhelmed with the amount of information out there regarding all the different types of alternative treatments.  I am just trying to make sense of it all and try to pick something that will help me.  I am going to try to have an open mind about the natural treatments.  We shall see.....

Linda

Hi Nancy.  I took all three natural treatments in pill form.  It was so easy.  I took 3 pills of the broccoli sprouts a day...and 3 pills of the turmeric spice a day.  I also took 6 raw cannabis pills a day.  They all are very highly concentrated so actual cooking with them would not do the job.  My 3 broccoli sprout pills equals eating 3 pounds of broccoli a day.  I could never do that.  You can get the broccoli sprouts and the turmeric spice in health food stores or online.  I get them at "Puritans Pride"  online.  Each of the turmeric pills were 500 mg....so I was taking 1500 mg. a day.   Now I am on a maintenance dose of 2 of each a day.

I am stage 4. I was stage 2 in 2004, then the mets were discovered in summer of 2012. In 04 I did chemo and had surgery. Did not need rads and took tamox for 2 weeks then refused to take it anymore. Since the mets were found I have taken letrozole and xgeva, and changed my diet to basically fruits and vegetable and nuts, and try not to eat anything from a box or can except Uncle Sam cereal. I take a lot of supplements that changes once in awhile based on my ongoing research. Its very time consuming and confusing to try to figure out which alternatives are worth trying and which supplements to take. One thing I try to always be aware of is to do things that help the body detox. Many different foods are helpful with the natural process of ridding toxins so I try to focus on those and make sure I'm going number 2 a lot lol! Right now I'm taking essiac tea every morning (just the original 4 herbs) and hot water with lemon every night, which is good for the liver. I watched dr Oz the other day and he said that everyone should take 100 mg ubiquinol, which is CoQ10. I need to get some of that. I think the best price on that is Costco. Its kind of pricey but significantly less there. I hope this is helpful. I appreciate all the info the other ladies gave. I especially keep my eye on Jenn from Michigan to see what she does, as she has been NED a long time. I think exercise is really important, maybe even more so than diet and supplements. I didn't do a scientific study or anything, but when I take notice to people who are NED, I always notice they are physically active people.

Joey can you tell me more about cannabis please? 

I have not gone more than two days without exercise since starting treatment 5 1/2 years ago. It's my alternative/complementary treatment plan along with eating at least 8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. So far it has worked for me. I tried aspirin but it dried my mouth. Exercise is anti-inflammatory among other things. With the amount of fruits and vegetables I take I probably have more than my daily dose of salicylates as well. Apart from aspirin, my onc once recommended melatonin. It is anti-estrogenic supposedly. I didn't like its effect on me either.  I just make sure to get 7-8 hours sleep a day and have minimum ambient light where I sleep so as not to interfere with my body's production of melatonin.

I've been Stage IV for 2 years. Still doing very well, but have been on 6 different AIs since 2009. The TAC chemo didn't do any good. I don't ever want to take chemo again, but onc is now recommending Xeloda; I'm reluctant to start on it as I've been plagued with nearly every SE ever mentioned for each of the AIs I've taken. I have every confidence that the infamous Hands-Feet Syndrome will be next. I added self-treatment with Rick Simpson Oil (CBD-enriched Cannabis extract oil) in early August '13, but haven't told my onc yet. Waiting for reports from next round of labs and scans before I tell her... in November '13.

The oil has been a difficult treatment regimen for me, as I live by myself and work full time. I would love to compare notes with ANYONE who has experience doing the entire RSO treatment. Anyone out there???

I know the following are hormone therapies: Armidex, Aromasin, Tamoxifen, Fareston, Faslodex & Letrozole most have other names. I think that Armidex, Aromasin & Femara are the only AI's. I am definitely not an expert. I just wanted to see how many there are just in case I need them some day. Exbrnxgrl, which one were you using? Jennifer, Did you have surgery? or did your tumor resolve with the chemotherapy? HLB, Thank you for making that comment about exercise. I will definitely keep it up. Have a great evening!

musiclover,

I have been on Anastrozole (Arimidex) for two years. This is the only tx I've been on.

Caryn

Hi Jennifer, I see you are NED and you seem to be doing great, that's marvelous. I was just dx and I could use some advice, you must have had surgery? or did your tumor resolve with the chemotherapy? Everyone's situation is different but I just don't see how I will ever get to NED if I don't have the tumors removed but I believe that is what my doctors are planning for me. I know I need to have faith in my Onc (I am at a very good cancer center) but all of this has me so scared. I believe that he plans on maintaining the cancer and I have 2nd & 3rd opinions which say the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I am not looking for surgery if I don't need it. Also, what Dx are you taking to maintain you cancer now? Thanks for your insight.

Renae64, I just want to mention to really everyone, that it states on the American Cancer Society website to not take Turmeric(Curcumin) when on Chemotherapy and/or Radiation Therapy. Of course, you should check with your drs to make sure they approve everything you are taking. I am currently finding out from my Onc if it is ok to take Artemisinin while I am on Hormone Therapy. Artemisinin looks very interesting. Best of luck to you.

yes, 15 sessions. It was daily, mon-fri for three weeks. The lovely bride is my younger dd at her wedding this past June. The other lovely lady is me. Looking at it, no one would believe I have stage IV bc.

Hi Renae64,

Stave IV here... right out of the gate. I did Chemo for 8 rounds and the tumors are still there, however they're smaller and inactive now. No surgery or rads because the doctor did not think it was necessary at this point. I am happy for that actually. I will be on Herceptin and Perjeta for the rest of my life as it currently stands. My Onc says I am doing great so far and I am doing my best to keep it that way. I am working very hard to get myself into NED status and so working the complimentary route!