I may decide not to do chemo and radiation
Comments
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TB90,
I see that you had radiation, what about the hormone therapy was it not needed? I'm meeting with the Onco doc tomorrow and Starting the radiation therapy in two weeks. I'm having a hard time to say yes to the hormone part of my treatment. I've searched tons of sites to get rid of the "bad" chemicals around me and found many sites for a natural therapy instead of tamoxifen or the inhibitors including a Healthy diet and exercise. I understood the parabens but why throw out your lavender scent?..did they have parabens? Math life calculator says the hormone therapy will make a 12% recurrence vs a 17% recurrence without therapy. I'm still searching for that perfect balance.
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Granny72 check out poly mva and protocel. Protocel doesnt work on tumors, but poly mva does. Story of women on protocel thread. Check her out. Forget her name. Each product is awesome. You can't take some things with each. Heard awesome things. I take poly mva as one of the things I do. Noticed a difference in energy, appetite, and tumor reduction. Of just the ones I could see or feel. Wish you the best.
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Hi Golilly2: Tamoxifen does not provide enough of a benefit in my situation to warrant me accepting the possible side affects. But believe me, I agonized about that too
Lavender has a reputation of creating estrogen in our bodies. But be careful that you do not do what I did. I read and studied so much, that I became afraid to put anything in my mouth or anything on my body. I am now finding a more balanced approach and becoming much less fearful of everything. My RO had some great advice for me. We have to accept some risk as everything in life has risk. We jump in a car with air bags, anti-lock breaks, etc. yet there is always risk that we could still get hurt from a collision. But are we really prepared to wear a crash helmet too?! Prior to our dx of bc, we are all accepting risk everyday. Then suddenly even the smallest risk of a complication from a tx choice becomes overwhelming. I love it when others help me to see how bizarre things can quickly become. -
Thanks TB90 ....
I learned something new and now I need to research the lavender
Question ....I love my lavender oil for so many things.
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Well I think it it very constructive to recommend relieving stress sometimes you dont need statistics to back up the obvious. If you feel better keep doing it.
By the way golilly lavender has proven to give us many benefits. I always sleep with a
Sachet next to me.
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There is some evidence that lavander oil contains estrogen-like qualities. However, there is no real hard evidence either way.
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pip57....THANKS!! I just Love Lavander.....I will research it myself...Liz
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I have a couple of friends participating in a flax seed study to see how effective that is for reducing estrogen levels. (Apparently it has been tested in mice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12588699/ )
Obviously it will be awhile before the humanresults are in, but worth thinking about and asking your MO, particularly if you are refusing Tamoxifen or are unable to take it. Apparently it should be raw and ground ( 2-3 T) and taken thru diet rather than a supplement. Just something worth exploring.
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I, sure did not know that one.......I use Flax Seed In my Protein Drink in the Morning after the gym....Thanks....Liz
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regarding the cancer-math studies: they cettainly did something, so I'd like to know what if anything was a common aspect of those who survived, aside from the infusions, & likewise what were common things in those who didn't survive.
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Abigail, as far as I know, things like cancer math are based on large databases of patients and the information is typically limited to "age, stage, type, treatment" kind of info.
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regarding asprin: thousands die every year from taking asprin. stomach bleeding problems usually I recall. but there's a better option I'd think: wintergreen essential oil has more asillic acid than asprin. & inga: wuld you please tell us more about the "good" use of estrogenic substances & the "bad". is it various ways to use them or the substances themselves.
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regarding fats: coconut oil has cholesterol. not sure if that's omega 6. like Nature provides natural cures for evey disease endemic to an area, but you gotta use them. there;s enough knotweed & periwinkle here to provide enough resveritrol & chemo for all of us, but if I chew on a young knotweed leaf when they're young, I'm doing well. the supermarket is so much easier & not to say more social, & the internet more fun
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Abigail, if you are referring to the compound in aspirin, it is salicylic acid, not asillic (cannot find this substance on the internet so I assume it does not exist). Spelling counts in chemistry. Ethyl alcohol makes you happy/drunk/high, Methyl alcohol can kill you. Just one letter different.
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appreciate always a spelling (or grammar) lesson.
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I started chemo on 813/14 but now I am considering bailing. I dreamt it killed me and each time is worse what are the long term effects. I think I should have researched more but when the doc says chance of reoccurance with all my factors put in out me at 60% or higher chance of reoccurrance I just said do it. The nausea meds don't help me. Nothing takes the headaches away I'm tired fatigued. I have had heart racing, shooting pains in my breast. Along with overall feeling of yuck. My friend has made me brownies from her medical marajuana they help some but I find sometimes it is delayed for two hours and don't like feeling stoned either. I am not sure what options there are if not chemo and I have who friends who said their radiation was worse.
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Lumpy, how many chemo treatments are you scheduled for? You must have had 3 by now, correct?
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my sister's best friend got diagnosed in 2011. my sister helped her at one point with the infusion. my sister said her friend couldn't talk & my sister hated to see her like that. as far as I know no reoccurance (to date)
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lumpy3, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so poorly. I did not have chemo myself, so I can't comment on that, but it wanted to say that the shooting pain in your breast is very likely due to the lumpectomy instead of the chemo. I am coming up on two years out from my first lumpectomy surgery, and I still feel some zings on occasion. This is all normal from what I've learned.
I know there's a "big Pharma" version of medical marijuana for nausea called marinol, I believe? Apparently it doesn't make you feel high. Also, you're in a state with legal MMJ, right? There might be an option to get some with low THC so you don't get high but instead get the anti-nausea benefit.
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I have done 4 rounds of AandC now scheduled for 12 rounds of Taxol
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thanks Gemini4 Im just not sure what my next step should be .
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The zinging is from surgery. I found radiation to be a piece of cake compared to chemo. But I am wondering why they are having you do the Taxol if you are going to take an anti-hormonal? I ask because I had the exact same stats as yours and did 4 rounds of AC followed by 5 years of Arimidex.
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Ask your doctor to give the statistical chances of recurrence for you with and without the Taxol. That information can help you make your decision.
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Am new to BC, dx a few weeks ago w/4 tumors in my left breast. Seeing a Moffitt Cancer Center (the only NCI affiliated hospital in FL) surgeon on Wednesday.
All this talk about natural etc...and that's all good. (My diet has been by GoPhoto.it V9.0" style="border: none !important; display: inline-block !important; text-indent: 0px !important; float: none !important; font-weight: bold !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important; background: transparent !important;">refined
for years.)Please see an immunologist and have your Natural Killer cells checked as well as a complete immune panel.
IF that is all normal, (including your T cells and cytokine panel) all the natural foods in the world aren't going to by GoPhoto.it V9.0" in_hover="" in_hdr="" style="border: none !important; display: inline-block !important; text-indent: 0px !important; float: none !important; font-weight: bold !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important; background: transparent !important;">improve your immune system
. IF your immune system is in perfect working order then I would reconsider chemo and RADS.I would encourage every woman with BC to visit an immunologist immediately and get a baseline on all your levels and then follow those levels during and after chemo.
Best...
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Lumpy: I did the 4xAC, 12xtaxol and radiation. Just wanted to say I found the taxol to be a LOT easier than the AC, which was rough for sure. I had terrible nausea on the AC and none on the taxol. Most people find the weekly taxol easier to deal with than the AC (there is a weekly taxol thread ). The radiation was a breeze compared to the chemo, although it's a challenge to go every day. I had no skin problems with the radiation apart from itching. I found that most people on this board have had the same experience of radiation being easier than chemo, and the taxol being easier than AC. It's a long, long, challenging road for sure, but just wanted to give you an opinion from someone who has gone through it.
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OceanSky, for what it's worth... I just finished my year of the same treatment rec to you. I ragged the puck searching for other options.. Once you put your head down and forge through those 12 weeks, the most difficult time behind you ( everyone is different...but most likely:/) Put it this way, if there were another way I would have found it...dr's in family, yoga and eating clean freak, Cancer doesn't care. Good news though the treatments for HER+ have made this a good version of a bad thing. I would be happy to talk with you and share any specific questions you might have... I respect your decision going forward whatever it may be. PM if you want to talk/email etc.. Best of luck.
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There are those you simply do not consider chemo. In my case, it was not recommended, but there is always a chance of recurrence. My husband recently had a melanoma removed. And now we are in the mode of learning what our alternative options look like for now. I have found the most helpful Youtubes to be those of the Gerson therapy, Dr Gonzales interviews, and www.chrisbeatcancer.com. While each one has slightly unique features, there are many similarities that correspond with a posting above regarding the book, Radical Remissions. There is a definite place in the discussion for non-chemo options. My hope is that those of us interested in this option gain full info, not partial, as we are all up against it with hard choices in this life. Grace to you.
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Hello naturalhealing:
I am faced with a similar situation and am just getting involved with these forum discussions.
I'm curious what you decided to do in the end, which route for treatment and the thinking that led to your decision. I am stage 2b/3; mastectomy of the right breast; 13 lymph nodes removed of which 4 or 5 were positive. My oncologist said that bc of the lymph nodes I have to go thru chemo. I had my first treatment last week and have serious doubts about whether this is the best option to heal and prevent cancer from returning. Chemo took me to a very dark place.
Any light you can shed would be deeply appreciated.
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I made the decision not to have either chemo or radiation, though my docs and oncologist were opposed, saying I had taken away 2 of the 3 legs of treatment. It's a personal decision, and I don't think you will find a single medical professional who will support that decision unless there are medical reasons involved. (Trying to state my side of this without upsetting others, who have made other decisions, for their own good reasons ...) If you would rather not put toxins or known carcinogens in your body, be prepared to be told all kinds of horror stories by well meaning doctors. (they told me I had very little chance of living longer than 6 months) Be prepared to be misunderstood by friends and family in addition to medical professionals. (they thought I had a death wish)
It has been 6 months since my surgery, now, and 6 weeks since the final implant exchange surgery. I didn't take any pain medication afterward either surgery, preferring to feel what was going on so I could tell when I was getting better, knowing that would help keep me from overdoing it. I'm doing well, healthy as can be and getting my strength back. I'm not saying this is the way for everyone or anyone else, but for me, this was the right choice.
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Calico wrote:
I made the decision not to have either chemo or radiation, though my docs and oncologist were opposed, saying I had taken away 2 of the 3 legs of treatment. It's a personal decision, and I don't think you will find a single medical professional who will support that decision unless there are medical reasons involved. (Trying to state my side of this without upsetting others, who have made other decisions, for their own good reasons ...) If you would rather not put toxins or known carcinogens in your body, be prepared to be told all kinds of horror stories by well meaning doctors. (they told me I had very little chance of living longer than 6 months) Be prepared to be misunderstood by friends and family in addition to medical professionals. (they thought I had a death wish)
I could have written this, word for word. It's absolutely true - been there, done that.
I have not read every page of this thread - got discouraged after the first few pages seeing certain posters who are saying things similar to what Calico warned us to expect and stating their views that people MUST HAVE chemo just because their doctors say so. Funny how those posters don't mind coming into the Alternative forum and stating their views without trying to be diplomatic, whereas everyone who treats alternatively is walking on eggshells and not trying to upset others who've made other choices.
I don't like seeing some people being almost rude to you (in the early pages of the thread) when you are dealing with the most difficult decision you'll ever have to make.
I am stage 4 and even so cannot bring myself to try chemo. Granted my chemo was taken off the table when they learned my cancer is ER+/PR+ and my onc told me that as long as the cancer stays out of my liver I don't have to take chemo. I am using cannabis oil and hoping to be able to at least manage my cancer with it. A cure would be great but I'm not greedy. My onc said I can take Tamoxifen. But Tx IS chemo in its own way, and it can have serious side effects later.
I've heard people say that they're not going to worry about a small chance of a secondary cancer later because if they die now by refusing conventional treatment they won't be here to worry about it, and they want to be here.
I want to be here too! Do I want to have a life sentence worrying if I'll get cancer years later? Not really. I'm a worrier - probably what gave me the cancer. I would never be able to stop thinking about it.
And for those who get the "rare" secondary cancer years later, they won't feel it's rare. It won't matter that the SE they got is rare - they got it. I don't want to be them because I would be too angry at anyone who assured me those SE's were rare. Rare doesn't mean non-existent.
I think that you are wise to give it thought and not rush into a decision...and it's a big decision!
My thoughts and best wishes to you, whatever you decide to do
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