Early Stage Natural Girls!

NYC, glad to hear you are finishing up getting broiled If you have any serious blisters or sores, I highly, highly recommend getting the large gel bandages. I used those for 3-4 days and that took care of it.

I was not keen on tamox either. If you want, feel free to PM.

Yeah on finishing up the rads. Hopefully you will bounce back quickly. I was pretty much back to normal skin-wise in just a couple of weeks.

Recent Life Extension article promotes the benefits of a no starch veggie and high protein diet with healthy fats as a means to starve cancer cells.  I was on this diet for a year after my dx so hopefully it worked.  I still follow a modified version and admit to cheating now and then. 

Mini1:  I add protein powder to my green smoothies that I drink daily.  I use a very high quality of brown rice protein that I order from my Naturopathic Dr.  It's expensive but goes a long way.  Buying quality is important...the supplements from the large warehouse stores aren't very good.  That was proven to me when I couldn't get my vitamin D levels up by taking one of the Sam's Vit D supplements...when I switched to the same strength but a brand sold to me by my Naturopath, my levels jumped to normal in three months.

I  just finished reading about the carb restricted diet plus intermittent fasting in an article on Dr. Mercola's site.  I was actually doing this without realizing it because once I began restricting white carbs from my diet I didn't need to eat as often...amazing!  Sometimes I only ate two meals a day spaced as much as 9 hours apart with no between meal snacks. I lost a lot of weight around my middle but I kept losing weight where I didn't want to, so I added some carbs back into my diet and now of course I crave food more often.

Time to rethink my plan....

Hello Brave Ladies,

I love this forum! I am a 4-year survivor. I had a lumpectomy and then two subsequent re-excision surgeries for clear margins. I turned down chemo and radiation and did an overhaul to my lifestyle. I lost 40 pounds and feel great. I have been diligent about my lifestyle since my initial diagnosis. And have had all of the recommended follow up screenings (bloodwork, MRI, ultrasound and some mammos) but do not see a medical oncologist. Recently I was diagnosed with DCIS in the same breast as my initial cancer. A couple of opinions later, and it is pretty clear that this recent diagnosis is a result of leftover remnants from my initial surgery. To me, this is good news. With a Grade 3, stage 1 cancer, I truly believe that the exceptional care I take of myself has kept my healthy and the cancer from metastasizing. This could have been a lot worse news!

When I initially turned down chemo and radiation, the docs thought I was crazy. I spent a year going for high dose vitamin C drips twice a week. That was my chemo. Now, only 4 years later, my new surgeon actually understands what I did and even agreed that I gave myself more benefit by overhauling my lifestyle than I would have gotten from the chemo (2% absolute benefit - with all of the horrible side effects). And, he recognizes that over the last few years, more weight is put on nutrition and its importance than it was back then.

You are the brave warriors who are essentially the future. I believe that one day more emphasis will be placed on prevention and not just treating cancer that has already developed. Prevention is key.  Be strong and be well!

Mini - you are right. You got rid of the cancer. Now you have to do your best to keep it away. People cannot believe that I am able to cut out processed foods and sweets. But to me, I am saving my life, one green leaf at a time. Nothing is better for you than providing the best nutrition possible to your body. I wish it hadn't taken this experience to make me realize that and wake up! But I am a changed woman and a more enlightened one and happy to be here sith you all.

Mini - Lol! I think of that food as poison now too. I have no desire to eat it and am certain that if I did, I would not enjoy it the way I used to think I did in the past. You can absolutely retrain your taste buds. I have also retrained myself to cook differently. You can find a recipe for a healthy substitution for just about anything. Or substitute ingredients yourself. It is a commitment and a lifestyle but one that I have embraced whole heartedly. Do you have many raw food restaurants in Michigan? I wish there were more. Those are the most creative chefs around! I always have to go to NYC for raw foods. There aren't really any options in northern NJ where I live.

That is my kind of eating! Never thought I would say that 5 years ago, but it is the new normal. And, it is so delicious. I have made a lot of that stuff too. There is a great raw food restaurant in Manhattan called PureFood and Wine. It is expensive but every now and then I treat myself! More restaurants have popped up in NY but haven't made the leap over the Hudson to NJ. There are great raw cookbooks out there too. And, you can google just about any raw food recipe. I am not all raw either. Making the good stuff is very time consuming. But like you I eat as much organic as possible and no processed stuff.



Taking a pill for food? That would be no fun. It all tastes too good!

Hey Seester - Sorry you are part of the club where no one wants a membership.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I come to this forum for information and support because I chose to stay away from rads or chemo. I actually just made my decision to decline both.  I get to tell my oncologist on Thursday. Oh joy.

It's a very personal decision. I support and respect those who choose to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the cancer. And I support and respect those who refuse any kind of treatment - even surgery. It's your body, your choice.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Oh and I'm in the Bay Area too!! East bay.

I'm continuing my regimen of Curcumin, DIM, Vitamin D, and Vegan Omega 3 (allergic to fish). I may get back on the Rick Simpson Oil (cannabis), but I'm going to really need help developing tolerance. It's potent stuff, and I hate the high.

Diet wise, I'm going to eat as cleanly as I can and opt for organic fruits and veggies.  I'll be eating meats and cheeses that are organic and have no growth hormones added. I'm not going to give up my once a week treats, though. 

Stress reduction and yoga for exercise.

That's the plan. :-)

Meeting with Radiologist this week.

Leaning towards no radiaton.

All those SE's for an average 7 months longer. I don't think so. Maybe at some point I have to be more aggresive, but for me right now, the benefits don't outwigh the risks. And there is a quality of life issue as well.

Wow!! Finally a board that I can relate too~~~it is so hard to find a group that believes in what you do, or to even discuss this topic~~~Yay to the creator!!!!!

I found out I have DCIS Breast Cancer this past June~~~I went to two breast doctors~~~with both wanting the same protocol, which is what every standardized Doctor does.  I am one who always believed in natural ways first before trying the Standardized way.  DCIS cancer is in the Milk Duct which is non-spreadable.  So why not give it an Alternative way first.  I had a biopsy which I really didn't want to do and did not want the Metal clip in me but felt forced to do it.  It was the worst experience of my life.  There are other ways to do this.  They did a sterotactic one, spring loaded which I felt everything will not every do it this way again!!

After that experience, I decided to take another route before lumpectomy which everyone wants to do so fast.  Did you know it takes 1 to 5 years for an actual tumor to develop?  So I found a wonder NP doctor(from a book I read, who help a lady locally with her breast cancer it she is cancer free for 4 years now) who is helping me now before I make the surgery decision.  We have done Ultra Sound(which non of my doctors did), Thermography, blood cancer markers.  I recommend Thermography to everyone too.  I had over 26 mammos in my life time, way too many if you ask me.  I know a base is good to have though.  My NP doctors does IV treatments of C,DSMO,B's including B17(not all doctors will do one) I go every week for a treatment, did a series of 6 so far, and numbers coming down.  I repeat the other tests every 3 months.  I changed my diet long ago, I don't eat Meat(maybe chicken once a month hormone free), No dairy, No sugar.  Just recently started the Alkaline working on this which seems to be a little hard.  I take lots of supplements too.  I am also going to be adding glutathione to the IV.  Recommended IV or shots~~~I have done so much research and always read books.

Some things work and some don't everyones type of cancer is different and every body is different~~~~

Just like with Chemo/Radiation~~~sometimes it works and others it doesn't but to my Chemo doesn't give her body a chance to fight, kills just about everything~~~and your body needs to fight~~~I know for me, I will not have Chemo or Radiation 

Wishing everyone success here~~

Kathy