Wardell Fights, Overcomes Stage 4 Breast Cancer

I am really, really, really happy that she is well. That said, I twitched several times while reading the article from the vaguely misleading statements scattered throughout.

She had abraxane, zometa & avastin from 2009-2011. How is that "mainly alternative" with a small amount of chemo?

Actually she did say that at the end ziggy, but I missed the part about abraxane, zometa, and avstin Melissa.  

Piper, all I find is that she nixed an "additional round" of chemo (obviously on top of what she had already received).

Inspirational story CP. Thanks for posting. Very glad to hear this news. Maybe eastern and western should get together and stop bickering like children and denigrating one another and start saving some lives.

I'm with you lightandwind, and I certainly did rush thru reading that article!  Must have read the 1st and last paragraph lol.

Love her story! She had western treatment modes until October 2013. So about four years!  She also had tons of support, which counts for a lot. Wishing her more of the same... 

Curveball, I do not know stats, but it may technically be true in the following sense (hypothetical):

Patient develops stage 4 cancer. Let's say the patient has extensive mets, including lungs and liver. There are large tumors in the lung, and they make breathing really hard. So, palliative chemo is given to shrink them and make the patient more comfortable. If you don't shrink the tumors, they will eventually obstruct breathing and the patient will die, but the chemo shrinks them and patient carries on for a bit. But the liver is not doing well, in part because liver function is already impaired by mets, and can't recover from the round of chemo. Patient dies of liver failure. 

It is just that when people throw out this kind of thing, it can easily sound like chemo kills all the time and that even people at stage 1-3 have a greater chance of dying from chemo than from the cancer, which of course is not true. What is meant is that people who die with stage 4 cancer often technically die from treatment complications and not directly from the cancer.

Thanks Momine, what if the chemo doesn't cause regression of the cancer as was intended though? For instance, many women report no or very little shrinkage in tumors after certain chemos, particularly after TAC. Sometimes people experience progression rather than regression following chemo. If this is the case, what is someone to do? Are they wrong for incorporating some alternative treatment and believing the evidence based research that supports it?  If stable on chemo, is it wrong to take researched based supplements in addition to try to experience some regression instead of just stability?

What if someone is too ill to take the chemo? or they can't tolerate hormonals? or have watched loved ones and friends die mercilessly following chemo? or they don't want to spend the last of their very long lives on chemo? or they have other very personal reasons...How is it right for someone to judge and ridicule another person with this disease for taking another course of action?

What constitutes as evidence is always up to the interpreter. So why is it necessary to gang up and ridicule others not following your same path? Why limit ourselves and our choices out of stubborn righteousness and idiocracy? You nor I know what will happen as a result of any choice.

Why should anyone be challenged and ridiculed for their choices when everyone is just doing their best? Everyone dealing with this disease deserves sensitivity and compassion. Why do people using alternatives have to do all the research and post it, supporting their choices for other people who just want to criticize them and ridicule them for it? 

Why do we have to divide ourselves into separate camps when we basically are all in this together?

I didn't see any judging or ridiculing of Ms Wardell on this thread. I think the article is perhaps somewhat slanted in tone, and could have used some more or better editing (for example, the names of some of the medications are misspelled) but that's a criticism of the reporter's writing skills, not of people who use complementary treatments.

Momine, in the spirit of reasonable discussion, I was wondering if you or anyone else can answer why "anyone" would ridicule someone who's tx choices are different, challenge someone to support their treatment choices, or judge another person facing the same disease, or if you or anyone else could answer any of my other questions that I've already posted.

Curveball, I just don't see how standard and alternative can ever merge as a collaborative entity when the patients themselves keep them separate and there is such judgement, and ridicule towards alternative treatment and the people using it.

I feel bad for the people that have to keep experiencing that from other people on these boards.

I think the article provides the opportunity to envision a world without the separation and have a reasonable discussion about it. Start by understanding and getting past the barriers, so we can  address them and begin to see things more eye to eye.  If I am ever diagnosed w/ stage 4, hearing of her success, I would consider having what she's having.

So does anyone want to answer any of my questions?

Ziggy, I am speaking generally here. Threads such as the vain thread are polluted with unkind, ridiculing  comments towards the alt thread and other bco members and their choices. Several times someone has come to the alt threads to challenge someone to support their alternative choices. People who aren't open to alternative choices completely occupied the alternative thread at one time, demanding others post evidence to their choices. The alt people are all huddled up in the corner trying to get some support and instead they get the opposite by someone challenging them and their treatment.  This has occurred on these boards in some fashion or another for as long as I can remember. Has it not? I find it both interesting and bothersome that it keeps happening. I'm curious about it as well as hurt by it.

So, now, I've explained myself, 2 times so I'm just going to wait to see if anyone can give me a reasonable response to any of my questions. 

Sunflowers, I thought the community rules regarding other members, included making them feel welcome, remaining respectful, and that bullying on these boards was not allowed. The alt thread has it's own rules too, but some of you still come there to insist people post support for their choices, because you can't seem to let them do what they can to stay alive in peace. 

I don't like it and I will not ignore it. 

No matter how much evidence is posted, this continues. 

If you don't like my posts, you don't have to respond. Am I writing anything that might be hurtful to another human being? Am I ganging up with others to laugh hysterically about another sick member? 

btw- This is the complimentary AND holistic forum. I have used standard
treatment w/ supportive therapies so therefore I have had complimentary
treatment. "Holistic medicine is a term used to describe
therapies that attempt to treat the patient as a whole person."

Don't you think it's interesting that this keeps happening? I guess you don't want to answer my questions? huh?