So confused!!!

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browncat16
browncat16 Member Posts: 1
edited April 2015 in Just Diagnosed

I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The initial biopsy said that the lymph nodes were clean but when I recently had the lumpectomy to remove the 3.8 cm tumor they also removed 4 lymph nodes. 2 came back positive. I am scared of chemo because my mother did chemo when she had lymphoma and I saw what chemo did to her. She didn't make it. I also have an autoimmune condition called hashimotos. That makes things all of the more complicated because the hashimotos makes me weak and shaky and I react very badly to a lot of supplements and medications. I really want to go the natural route because that is what I believe but 4 of my kids are nurses and they don't believe in that route so it is hard. I really don't know what to do. I have to go for a pet scan next week to see if the positive lymph nodes have spread the cancer. I am just really discouraged.

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  • Sunflowercat
    Sunflowercat Member Posts: 177
    edited April 2015

    hi browncat and welcome. I'm sorry you find yourself here, but you will find lots of ladies to share their experiences and wisdom. Know this: the treatments today are not what they were years ago and prognosis is much better too. Your children are obviously very concerned about you and have your best interests in mind. The protocols for your treatment will depend on the type of breast cancer you have, the stage and grade. Feel free to get second opinions before making any decisions. Ask for statistics on standard and natural treatments. Talk with your cancer center nurse navigator (most have them now), go to a support group and talk with those ladies. They might have valuable insight on standard and natural treatment options. It will probably be good to hear/see first hand experiences. You can also search the forums here for threads on chemo, natural treatment and even managing your hashimotos. Just keep in mind, people generally only tend to post the negative, while those with positive experiences are busy living their lives.

    And of course it is totally natural to be scared and discouraged. That's just part of it. It gets better when you have a plan of attack.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited April 2015

    Welcome to BCO Browncat16. It is a hard time of life changing decisions that only you can make. Do you have the details of the type of BC as that will help with responses. We are sure your daughters are very worried about you and want the best result for you.

    A suggestion is to get all the technical information you can on your diagnosis, together with feedback of options from here and talk openly with your daughters about what you really want so everyone understands each other's viewpoint.

    We wish you all the best with this difficult time.

    The Mods

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