Anyone completely refuse surgery/conventional treatment?

I think that most of us feel some sympathy for abigail48. She is an older woman who lives alone and tends to her health issues by herself. Many of us wish she would get help from medical professionals, but you can lead a horse to water, but can't force it to drink.... She might be best off posting on her own thread about how to treat an ulcerated breast. I think that there are more authoritative voices on this thread like piper's dream, who interacts with medical professionals but who still eschews standard treatment protocols.

as i've said several times if my posts upset you please don;t read them and especially the younger among us my methods are probably not appropriate, I've heard that this trouble grows more slowly with an older person, and peaches? not a mamogram that might cause cancer, just discomfort, but radiation including x rays, I'v e know n about this since before hiroshima.my parents had a good friend who was a radiologist and he told us not to use the floroscopes then in every shoe store, I loved to see the bones in my feet but I stoped when he said the machines were dangerous, and they've not been in shoe stores now for generations

The trouble with fluoroscopes is that unlike regular X-rays & mammograms—which last about a second—the exposure is as long as the person doing the viewing wants it to be. I had a very prescient pediatrician who didn’t believe in using them (even for diagnostic purposes), and insisted my tonsils be surgically removed rather than burned away by X-ray as was all the rage back then. I wonder how many boomer-and-older thyroid cancer patients had fluoroscopes or x-ray tonsillectomies when they were kids. Those shoe store fluoroscopes were banned by the late 1950s, I think. Because of scoliosis, I had to have a fluoroscope locate my epidural space for the anesthesia for my two TKRs (for the first one, I damn near hit the ceiling when the needle hit a nerve instead, so the anesthesiology resident had to call in the radiologist to bring in the portable fluoroscope—probably much lower-dose today than 60 yrs. ago). Because I must get twice-yearly mammos, my dentist has gone to an every-two-years rather than annual X-ray schedule.

ChiSandy,

Excuse me for mixing up Herceptin and an AI. I didn't do it on purpose and I have done a TON of research on this disease ever since I was diagnosed with it so please don't accuse me of "not having my facts straight" because believe me I do. I was merely asking if DIM (which is said to be a natural form of an AI) works like one because I was considering taking the natural form of an AI even though I'm not in menopause and know AIs are given to women in menopause.

We are supposed to be here bringing each other up and supporting and encouraging each other, but the last few posts from you have been just the opposite. Women come here for support and for encouragement and empathy from people who have walked or are walking in their shoes, they don't come here to here rancor amongst its members.

Abigail has been both receiving and giving advice in the five years she has been here. The problem is that she refuses to follow up on most of the advice given to her, and refuses to be seen by a doctor. She also tells people how to treat their BC naturally.

Abigail,

That was me. You did indeed say you had AIDS twice. You mentioned that your mother had a tree, kumquat or loquat, and you ate them and was cured. When I have time I will search for that old post. I have great sympathy for your plight and it is clear that you need something, but as someone who really has bc, I have limited tolerance for you, or anyone, seeking that "something" from women who really have a confirmed disease. I am not being unkind or inconsiderate but perhaps, by asking us to extend sympathy to someone without bc, you are. I realize that you are almost 80. I'm no spring chicken myself, by age should not excuse irresponsible posts and misrepresenting yourself as a bc patient. I too call it like I see it

not asking for sympathy just reporting

Dear members,

We are taking the liberty of closing this particular thread for the time being. We feel as though it has gone off topic and the risk of continued disputes between members does not benefit anyone. We appreciate your understanding of this decision. The Mods