natural girls
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Deni, no, but the one thing I can tell you about Resveratrol is that Dr. Flechas (the iodine guy) said it has been known to interfere with iodine absorption, so I no longer take it. FYI...
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Yes, I remember you saying that earlier. Thanks. There was also discussion about it having phytoestrogenic properties and my not be good with cancer. I wanted to show my ND the study (of course I should have copied it at the time - but didn't!) but I don't remember where it was! I will do something further investigating...
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Thank you all so much for the well wishes. I'd left the house too early to see them yesterday, but it was a nice surprise to see so many of them when I quickly checked on everyone here last night. My surgery was easier than a piece of cake. Other than being in an OR, it wasn't any big deal. As many of you know, I think my PS is an absolute miracle worker, and, as usual, he exceeded my expectations in terms of the experience, and I'm sure the results will be equally as good.
As I was waiting for my PS to finish an earlier surgery, I strolled down to Reflections, a shop they have @ UCLA for cancer patients that carries nutritional products. (By the way, this is one of the reasons I chose and am so keen on UCLA -- their true integrative approach.) One product that caught my eye yesterday was a Full Body Cleanse, which looks like it's the one by Integrative Therapeutics. And I see they have I3C and Curcumin and other things many of us take. Here's a link, in case anyone needs a source or wants to know what brands they recommend:
http://www.simmsmanncenter.ucla.edu/reflections/section/nutrition.asp
Oh, and on resveratrol, with apologies to Spring who has crossed paths with and rightfully dislikes the nutrition advocate who wrote the following. http://www.youngagain.org/r7.html (
Sorry, Spring! I know he's a nutcase, but he does put forth an interesting theory about the origins of resveratrol, and I'm curious if anyone else thinks there could be truth in it. Deanna
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Deanna - so glad that all went well and that you are well enough to check in today! Hope the result is all that you expect it to be.
THanks for the resveratrol info!
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Hi ladies, a new day, a new page in the natural girls world. This was the day five years ago that I was dx'd. It's a milestone with mixed emotions. Glad to be here of course, yet, remembering how this day was, I felt my world had collapsed. That was the year of the white Christmas, which literally happens once in a century where I live, and the day after was the giant tsunami on the other side of the world. Seemed like everyone's world, not just mine, was turning on its head.
So, enough of that sentiment. Onward! Deanna, so glad your procedure went so well.
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Deanna! So happy everything went well for you!!
Althea, congratulations on your 5 years! such a milestone, I could "hear" your mixed emotions, its weird how an anniversary can drag you back to that awful time, as much as one tries not to go there, it just happens. I can remember, everything from that day for me, every taste, smell, you name it.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my beloved sisters!
L
ox
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SO glad it went so well, Deanna! Three cheers for your surgeon! And thanks for the article re: resveratrol. That's one I hadn't been convinced by but hadn't taken time to do the research. After reading that article, looks like resveratrol is case in point as to why it's not wise to blindly take whatever supplement of the week is being promoted unless there is sound science behind it.
And Althea - HUGE CONGRATS!!! Wonderful milestone!!
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Congratulations on your five years, althea. Even without the white Christmas, I am sure you would never be able to forget that day. Thank you for the article on resveratrol. I wasn't surprised at all, having heard about it from other sources as well.
And Deanna: Congratulations on your successful procedure. I did not realize that UCLA was integrative as well, but that's encouraging: integrative seems to be expanding. And that's what we want.
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Deanna, happy to hear things went well and thank you for the links. I was using a blueberry, resveratrol and green tea supplement but stopped using it while I researched more about the resveratrol.
Althea, congratulations to you. Yes, Onward!
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Althea - congratulations on reaching the 5 year landmark! That must be a huge relief. I know that will be a huge landmark for me. When I reach 5 years I will really feel like I have beaten this thing. I hope you feel that way too!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Time to enjoy family and friends and ring in a new, HEALTHY year!
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Yazmin ~ Yes, UCLA is surprisingly integrative -- maybe partly because of how multi-cultural they are??? In fact, they're extremely committed to teaching an integrative approach: http://www.ccim.med.ucla.edu/index.html
"It is important for doctors to learn, at an early stage in their careers, to treat patients in a more wholistic fashion, rather than as 'machines with broken parts." http://www.ccim.med.ucla.edu/centers/cancer.html
Looks like there might also be some good tips/links on this page that I just found:: http://www.canceralternatives.mednet.ucla.edu/tipsinfo.html
Althea, big (((HUGS))) to you on your 5 year anniversary, and prayers that you will have many, many more milestones to celebrate, which I'm sure you will! Deanna
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Happy Anniversary Althea!
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Go Althea! Woot!
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
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Great that you are doing so well Deanna.
And Althea, 5 years.......wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Anom, not to pry, but would you mind sharing what benefits your husband receives from having blood taken? I recently found out that I have Thalassemia and my search for answers and how it affects BC is taking me in many directions. Sorry to hear he has this challenge.
Vivre wrote: The leeches do not sound like something I would ever be able to deal with, and the cupping thing is just not my cup of tea(pun intended)
Vivre, I'm disappointed. I was on a quest to find a 2 for the price of 1 cupping session we could take advantage of
. I know this was not your area of interest in particular but your post revived an earlier interest in blood therapy that I had neglected. I completely understand how adopting that type of therapy could be problematic for some. My mom worked in orthopedics so I often heard about leech and maggot therapy. Maybe that lends to my being more comfortable with itAnnieW wrote: I am curious, though, how blood-letting when you're already anemic will improve things. Physiologically, I mean.
AnnieW, I am checking into this due to my recent Thalassemia dx. It's confusing. Here is a few excerpts from an article at:
http://www.townsendletter.com/May2009/chelation0509.htm
Iron overload or acquired hemochromatosis may be a complication of chronic anemias such as thalassemia and sideroblastic anemia.
And : Excess iron can result in cell injury. Menstruation, bleeding due to injury, or bloodletting help to excrete excess iron. Other than that, humans do not excrete excess iron effectively.
Also: Serum ferritin is the measure of storage iron, and it needs to come down below 10. This is accomplished by therapeutic phlebotomies, which must be done regularly in a medical setting.
If any of you have access to your CBC's, give them a good once over. Mine have been slightly off for years but I never thought anything about it and none of my Docs ever mention it until recently.
Here is a small blurd on Thalssemia and Iron:
Thalassemia and iron metabolism are closely linked. Iron deficiency and mild forms of thalassemia (e.g., thalassemia trait) are often confused. Both are associated with mild to moderate anemia and microcytosis (small red cells). At the other end of the spectrum, severe forms of thalassemia frequently produce iron overload. Excess iron accumulates due to enhanced iron absorption produced by thalassemia, repeated blood transfusions or both. A number of questions are frequently asked regarding thalassemia and iron. http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/thaliron.html
PS73 wrote: The first site brought me to a weird satanic website or something. Then, I dug around and found that its an ayruvedic technique to cleanse the body of toxins. But re conventional meds, its used for iron issues. The part I don't understand is that if you have iron issues, it's going to be throughout your entire body, not just the part that they bloodlet - so I ask, what is the chemistry- is iron attracted to oxygen?
You make a very good point. There are weird sites out there for many unconventional treatments and it was important that you did not become distracted and kept searching. Here is a site that might interest you regarding Irontoxicity: http://www.irontoxicity.com/index.jsp
and: What is Iron? Iron is an important mineral. It is needed to help our red blood cells deliver oxygen to the rest of the body. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron.
http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/iron.aspSpringtime wrote: Does anybody know about this? I assumed once diagnosed with Breast Cancer, we could no longer donate our organs? (On drivers license here, for instance). That is the same with Blood then??
That was my understanding as well. I believe Dr. David Servan-Schreiber addressed this on my Anti-Cancer audio book The problem arises when the immune system of the recipient is suppressed so that transplanted organs are not rejected. We all know how a weak immune system allows cancer to grow. I can't locate my copy to verify but maybe someone can look into this. You can Google: Micrometasteses and Organ Donation and read http://www.revistanefrologia.com/mostrarfile.asp?ID=1229
Merilee wrote: How do we know we would not received cancer cells. Scary thought.
Very scary. I don't think I would even store blood to be used at a later time. JTOL but maybe it is best to try to get donor blood from the youngest members of our families. Although Sloan-Kettering says it's ok to donate blood under certain conditions, I am not comfortable with it
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/12746.cfm
Also refer to the above link on Micrometasteses and Organ Donation
Edited to say: If anyone can add information to the contrary please do. In retrospect, I am thinking that maybe S/K is correct and the problem only occurs when people are not aware that they have cancer not when they are survivors. I will contact them to ask this question.
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Thanks for those, Carole. My mind was totally on iron-deficiency anemias, and you wouldn't want to reduce blood volume with that. But with other anemias, perhaps so. Iron overload can be a dangerous thing, certainly.
From the ACS website (I tried to post the section, but got too much HTML crap) it seems to be up to a certain blood donation center's director as to when a cancer survivor can donate blood. Blood cancer survivors can't, apparently, but we should be able to at some point when we are no longer receiving treatment. But there seems to be no standard here...The thought is that a cancer cell in blood cannot survive a healthy immune system and regenerate to the point of building a tumor. Think of how many people donate blood...if it takes maybe six years for me to feel a mass that alerts me to be tested, then I actually had cancer during the time I was oblivious and donating blood.
Lots to chew on here.
Anne
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Thank you for the well wishes! I just love our group of natural girls. This thread has been moving and grooving for months and we get along so well. I just love that. If my road to recovery had been more rapid, I wouldn't know even half of what I've learned over the last two years when I pretty much threw in the towel on my local doctors with disgust. Even though I complain about being tired so much, I am in soooo much better shape today than I was 2 years ago. My bone don't ache anymore, I ditched the nausea that plagued me for 2+ years, and as far as I know, I don't have any recurrence.
My last appointment with my onc was june of last year. If I'd had a tumor sticking out the top of my head, I'm not sure the nursing staff would have noticed. I think the onc would've noticed, but sometimes I wondered if even the onc knew what metastatic disease is. My first time around, I was completely inexperienced as a patient. The benefit of a slow recovery is learning what my options are, and there's a lot of them. I'm not totally sure what I'd do in the face of a recurrence, knock on wood, but I do know that I'd leave town to do battle next time!
Deanna, it's so encouraging to hear of a major medical facility with an integrative approach. I'm reading a library book now with an interesting chapter on chiropractors. The AMA has a history of being actively hostile toward chiropractors. During WWII, chiropractors were not allowed to participate in military care, which meant more civilians at home ended up being treated by chiropractors during wartime. The result was a high level of satisfaction among patients, and it was through patient demand for chirorpractic care that it gained in popularity. There's more chiropractors today than ever, and the AMA finally disbanded its committee on quackery, aimed toward discrediting chiropractors, in the early 90s. We still have a long way to go.
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Althea-congrats on your cancervasary! You really have a reason to celebrate all the blessings of Christmas. I need to go back and check the Survival of the Sickest book because it mentioned that giving anemic people iron is exactly the opposite of what they should get, but I have been so busy with Christmas, no time to read.
Efflor-I still plan to ask my ND about the whole cupping thing when I see him next month. He is going to run my blood/urine tests too.
I am totally sold on chiros. In fact, they are the only doctors I use now because they have helped me to feel better. They can do everything a regular doc can except prescibe drugs, and since I do not want ANY drugs, I do not need the other docs. I have used 3 different chiros and like them all for different reasons. And I also like that they do not send you for all kinds of expensive tests. They start with the basics and work from there. My chiros are the reason I feel so great, and all the great women who here, who like me are obsessed with learning as much as possible and sharing it. I love the twists and turns our discussions take. You gals are all very special to me and I hope you will all try to come to the prevention convention so we can meet once and for all!
And I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, a Happy Hannuka, and a blessed and healthy new year!
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Hello Ladies,
Deanna-I am sooo glad that it is over and that you are doing good and happy with the results
.Althea-CONGRATS! I can't wait to get where you are. Great accomplishment
.I received a call this A.M. from my onco re: my lab draw yesterday. He said that my CA15 was an 8. I was very Happy with that result. I know that these markers are not all that accurate, but this number is a lot better than what it was when I first started.
OK ALL, I am going to be spending most of my day baking for our extended family Christmas celebration. I hope all of you and yours have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and please be safe. Will check back in soon. Love and Hugs to all.
Jenny.
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althea, funny you should write: "......If I'd had a tumor sticking out the top of my head, I'm not sure the nursing staff would have noticed". It is a fact that oncologists are not usually the first physicians to find tumors: GYNs, dentists, general practitioners, ENTs, Gastro-Enterologists, are more likely to find them first, for obvious reasons.
That's why I have become convinced that one should only "have" an oncologist in the face of an advancing cancer. Perhaps one needs an extra 3 years of living to see a teenage daughter off to college or getting married? In such cases, perhaps (just perhaps) the permanent chemotherapies that oncology can offer might be worth the effort. Even so, I remain convinced that one should strive to get an integrative oncologist, who would be able to understand that survival, for many, is only one side of the complex equation; quality-of-life (such as being able to enjoy family time) is another big part of the same equation. [I have a colleague who has been at Stage IV for almost 7 years now and left her oncologist because he insisted upon her cancelling her family vacation in Italy, which was falling at the same time as one of her permanent chemo infusions. She chose the memory-building family vacation over that one chemo infusion. That was 2 years ago, and she is still doing fine].
"Seeing" an oncologist under any other circumstance, one is more likely to undergo scores of carcinogenic radiation screenings and be put on some "little pill for prevention," with all the dreadful possible side-effects that we know. That's why I am happy to have found the Cancer Treatment Center of America, where they can accept to "keep an eye on me" without screening obsessively, and, more importantly, without feeling that they have to put me on some little pill for prevention, at all cost.
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Yazmin, what a heartwarming story to hear about your colleague. So happy to hear stories about people who don't let the cancer rule their life!
I recently met a patient in the Labor & Delivery area where I work and she got pregnant AFTER being diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and before having any surgery or treatment. She must have been in some form of denial because she didn't even have the surgery until 6 months after being diagnosed. She had masectomy and lymph node removal done when she was 3 months pregnant. She refused to abort the baby and refused any chemo during the pregnancy, which the doctors wanted to start once she got to about 6 months of pregnancy. Even though she was taking a risk by putting everything off for so long, she is 43 and I cheered her decision because I'm sure the chemo and probably hormonal therapy that is sure to follow would have probably put her into menopause with no chance of ever having that 2nd baby. And she said she will decide after the baby about what treatments she wants to do.
Althea, congrats on your 5 years. Did you take any pharmeceuticals at all? Or did you just do alternatives the whole time?
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I wish my community had integrative options. Supposedly, my mom's doctor is integrative. He calls his practice the 'Wellness and Longevity Center'. He moved into new offices many years ago and opened a cafe next door with lots of healthy lunch items, trendy juices and even fresh squeezed carrot juice but their juicer is so darn loud I doubt anyone ever orders it a second time. Well, guess what.... he closed the health food cafe and opened a pharmacy. Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi plays in my head every time I think of it. (paved paradise and put up a parking lot)
rguiff, I took tamoxifen for 26 months. I had an appt with my onc in early Jan last year and then on the MLK weekend, I had a stomach flu. So I didn't take the tamoxifen. Why take a pill that won't stay down, I reckoned. The flu came and went quickly, but for the tamox, 2 days turned into a week, into a month, into 6 months. Then it was time to see the onc again and I was nervous about fessing up to not taking the tamox. There a different nurse yet again. Hadn't seen the same nurse twice in many visits, and each one seemed to annoy me at rate commensurate with my bp readings that kept slowly rising each time. Sure enough, she asked me about my prescriptions right in the middle of my bp reading. The onc was concerned about my bp reading, but practically yawned when I told him I stopped taking tamoxifen.
The only pills I take now are supplements.
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Wow Althea! Amazing they went down without a fight. Iv'e read a few other stories like yours which validates my decision not to take the Tamox. My MedOnc wants me on Tamox at all costs, even if it kills me, literally.
Did he try to get you back on something else? I mentioned in another post that my MedOnc is pushing Tamox so hard, she suggested giving me Coumadin to address my concerns about blood clots. She has intially suggested Arimidex with Loupron and when I balked then suggested 2 years Tamox with Coumadin and after that Arimidex for 3 years no Lupron. She prescribes according to my objections not according to my needs.
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Efflorescing...I was on Arimidex for about 5 months resulting in depression and rage (lovely SEs). I weaned myself off and when I went for a follow up with my oncologist and told him I had stopped. He did suggest things like anti-depressants (no thank you very much) or switching to Femera. He gave me a script for Femera just in case I changed my mind and wanted to give it a try, but he said the decision is entirely yours and you have to be comfortable with it. Everyone has to make the decision on what type of treatment they want based on what feels right for them. I just know that when I decided, enough was enough and I stopped the Arimidex it was like this great weight was lifted from my shoulders. I know I have made the right decision for me.
IMHO, you need to listen to your heart and your gut. Sure weigh the options and suggestions your doctor makes but in the end it is your body, your life and only you have the right to determine what makes sense for you.
Carol
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Just popping in to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hannuka, Happy New Year to all people of all faiths.
I wish us all clear scans and health for the coming year. Althea, congrats on the canerversary. Each day is an accomplishment.
I miss Florida Lady and all of her references to various articles. She is missed on this forum.
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Just wanted to let everyone know I changed my ID name here from Pill to RunswithScissors.
(Because, apparently, as a natural girl, my treatment choices are so "reckless"! LOL.)
I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Festivus! hehehe
(for those of you with short memories, that was from Cosmos Kramer on Seinfeld... )
I've already started dwelling a bit on the New Year, renewal, and goals for treating my body better than ever. I'd love to hear if you are planning BC/natural girl related resolutions...
I'm still working mine out but I'll post about soon!
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motheroffoursons: Lovely of you to stop by and wish everybody Happy Celebration. Really very thoughtful. Same to you and your family.
Welcome, then, runswithscissors. Happy Festivus to you also, and all the best to Pill.
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Dear Natural Girls;
Hello- I am new here. I was diagnosed a few months ago (end of August), and have lots going on. I am usually very calm and positive, but I do still sometimes wake up terrified (ductal, invasive, estrogen positive, HER neg.). They want a full mastectomy because the 'precancerous' area is so widespread, and because the cancerous ducts are close together- they suspect they are part of one larger networked cancerous blob.
Well, I see things very differently and I want full recovery without anything from the traditional western approach to tumors and cancer. I had precancerous dysplasia in my cervix for several years back in college- and now am completely normal- due to de-stressing and taking mineral supplements- especially magnesium and zinc.
I am now radically changing my diet, fasting, exercising, (pilates and walking, for now) and doing acupuncture and taking remedies that my homeopath chose for me. I have been going to an acupuncturist for over 10 years, so it is not new to me. I had to give up my beloved potato chip fetish. I am eating the core with the seeds when I eat an apple, and am getting used to it. I have been taking zeolite for about a month now and here is what is happening:
The cist on my left ovary that they also found, which had a nasty discharge and was forcing my uterus to bend backwards, and which pushed against my digestive tract making all sorts of unpleasantness, I am happy to report, is surely now gone because I have just in the last few days noticed the icky discharge has disappeared- I had been suffering from this for over two years, mind you-). Hurray! It is giving me great hope that what I am doing is on the right track. I see the cist and the breast cancer as 100% related- they both have to do with the wobbliness of my female hormones in the later phase of peri-menopause (I am 51). I also see the cancer as a result of exposure to toxins and stress, and the condition is not the same as the cancer- the cancer is a result of the condition, which I am addressing with a full frontal assault (no pun intended!)
I just have to do something with an approach that I can trust; and I simply don't feel good about or trust doctors who literally try to make me feel afraid, or try to take out my sentinel lymph node to 'see' if it has cancer- ugh! That seems like drowning a woman to 'see' if she was a witch!
I asked them to do a CT and they see that it has no cancer there...no spread at all.... and I said now we will have no more radiation exposure in testing. No more mammograms or CT scans for me. I am going to the surgeon (again- the first time left me in shock after what they said they wanted to do) and a plastic surgeon, next week, just to get a more detailed account of what they would want to do, and right afterwards am getting a breast MRI- with that I can determine if the thing is spreading, growing, shrinking staying the same or disappearing. I'll keep you posted...
I want to be here to get encouragement and support and to also encourage and support others who wish for as much natural healing and medicine as they feel comfortable with.
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peacehealer - first let me say Welcome to the natural girls thread, you will love it here. The wonderful women on this thread are so supportive. I don't post very often but I do read this thread faithfully.
Keep the faith!
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peacehealer, you will get tons of support and encouragement here!!! Sounds like you are off to a great start.
Peace and Love and Merry Christmas to all,
Patty
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