Survivors who have used only alternative treatments
Comments
-
From Luan's Link....
"Metastasis, or metastatic disease (sometimes abbreviated mets), is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part."
Two tumors in one breast is not considered metastatic, even if it is in the lymph nodes.
0 -
LtotheK, you have to ask the experts on this thread. I know nothing. All I know, are the explanations offered to me by the web. I research, research and research again.
So, according to the experts on this thread, I DON'T HAVE METASTATIC BREAST DISEASE !!!!
HOURRAH !!!!!
and as a bonus, just learned last night that my Grade 1 trumps a Grade 3 when it escapes the ducts, it's dangerous
DOUBLE HOURRAH !!!!
0 -
Luan, Sorry I opened this can of worms. Here is something elseI found.
0 -
Patzee9~
It appears that you have never used the Penguin Cold Caps.
You should not be allowed to bash someone that has...
0 -
It would be so nice to get over it and just move on. It is that sneaky beast that won't allow it.
0 -
In the annals of "constant obsessing" pot, let me introduce you to kettle.
0 -
1Athena1, Love the quote. It gave me quite a smile.
In all honesty I'm much like pip57 the sneaky beast won't allow it. Such as why are my CEA levels rising. Is it trying to go somewhere else? How can I move on having the tests run every 3 months.
0 -
Britchick, if you don't mind, I will choose to believe Wikipedia's explanation of what is and what is not and will have to add the issue to my list of research to do.
I might just ask my oncologist and/or BS, the REAL EXPERTS, thank you. What they say, I will believe, not some anonymous, what do you do for a living expert on this thread.
0 -
Kira, thank you, it says:
Metastatic breast cancer is a complex multi-step process involving the expansion of cancerous cells from the breast to other areas of the body. It is a serious complication of breast cancer, as metastatic disease in breast cancer is often fatal, with treatments mainly limited to palliation.
Breast cancer primarily metastasizes to the bone, lungs, regional lymph nodes, liver and to the brain, with the most common site being the bone.
SO PEOPLE, IF YOU DON'T MIND CHANGING THE SUBJECT, I HATE BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. THANK YOU !!!
0 -
You have to keep in mind that wikipedia is not a authoritative source. It contains errors.
0 -
So many terms for this thing called cancer. Here's something from advancedbc.org:
Sometimes you will see the term “distant metastases” used, which refers to cancer that has spread beyond the breast and surrounding tissue. The term “local recurrence,” refers to cancer coming back in the initial surgical area where a lumpectomy has been done. The term “regional metastases” refers to the spread of disease to the chest wall and surrounding tissue, the skin around the scar, and to the lymph nodes under the arm, in the center of the chest and up around the collar bone. Regional metastases often carry a more favorable prognosis than distant metastasis, and may be treated differently.
On this board, generally, we've mostly seen MBC used to describe disease with distant mets.
Edited to add information.
0 -
Luan,
Wikipedia is not a credible source. Sure, it is convenient..lol, I use it for quick reference, but you have to take everything there with a grain of salt. ANYONE can add to wiki definitions...and I've seen outright wrong information on it before. You may want to try a more reputable source...like the mayoclinic...http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stage-of-breast-cancer/BR00011
I am stage 3. I had positive nodes, and several places of DCIS in my MX side as well as the IDC. I do not have mets. I have seen over 8 Oncology professionals and none of them have ever referred to positive nodes as mets...and I even have LVI...the cancer grew out of the nodes into the tissue surrounding them.
I have read that whatever stage you get at original diagnosis is the one you keep forever. If for instance cancer is discovered in my liver tomorrow, I will be a stage 3a with mets....not a stage 4. I understand for the sake of brevity that lots of women say they're stage 4, but unless they were at original diagnosis, that is not entirely correct.
0 -
Luan, yes, but to further explain grade 1, stage 1 dcis trumps dcis grade 3, but it does not trump stage 1 grade 3. High grade 3 invasive cancer is much more aggressive than grade 1 invasive cancers. All cancer is worrisome, but invasive cancers are all dangerous.
My third dx was a grade 1, stage 1. However, I was more concerned about the dcis grade 3 cancers...(I was dx a few years earlier). The grade 1 cancer moves more like a slug eating away at our body where the grade 3 spreads like a wildfire.
Patzee, I agree, none of us needs to obsess over cancer to the point it consumes us. BUT...BCO is a support group for those who are working through their dx, treatment, and emotionally coming to terms with cancer. Everyone here wants to fight it one way or another. I admire those who are disciplined enough to go to greath lengths to stay healthy and cancer prevention. If someone here is just beginning the cancer journey then they will naturally be consumed by it. Those who are in the middle of the bc journey need support, and those at the end, definately need all the arms they can get. I don't share with my friends about cancer outside the websites. The only reason to come now is because I made a few connections to people that I have come to care about...and because I'll forever be doing what I can to avoid another recurrence.
Patzee, be gentle with your words. Humans are all fragile.
0 -
Luan... Out of respect for Luan I deleted this post about mets. I said nothing to hurt her, but I believe she has been so misunderstood and hurt that I don't want to add to this by discussing it further. Because Luan ask us not to discuss mets further, I think we all should delete our post regarding her mets.
(((hugs to Luan)))
0 -
patzee .....so you are the board police now?
What gives you the right to be so arrogant?
What are you doing on this site if you are so 'over it'?
0 -
I come to these boards to learn and share. It is a public forum, not a private meeting. Therefore, I'm afraid the gloves are off regarding lines of questioning. I think it's in all of our interest to question every single part of this journey!
For instance, let me add that grade 3 clearly has shades of grey. My oncotype showed that my grade 3, which is normally highly-aggressive is actually a low risk of distant recurrence.
Does that make me feel safe? No. Do I think chemo is awesome? No. Do I think the medical establishment has all the answers? No.
We are all questioning, pushing, and trying to help each other out. We are building a better repository of information for all.
0 -
My diagnosis on my medical chart reads:
Cancer of the female breast, infiltrating ductal; Cancer metastatic to lymph nodes.
So I can see how someone would easily get confused. However, when the metastasis is only to regional lymph nodes common practice in not to call that metastatic disease. Especially when the assumption is that surgery has removed both the cancer in the breast and in the lymph nodes.
Technically Luan is right, but being technically right does not mean you shouldn't conform to common practice of the group you are participating in. That only causes communication problems.
0 -
"I think it's in all of our interest to question every single part of this journey!"
Well said, LtotheK. That sentiment is often considered treason around here so my hat is off to you. Questioning is at the heart of a fact-based journey so we can't afford to take anybody's word for anything. We can look up the information in authoritative sources.
I'm always stunned when somebody says, "ask your oncologist." Does the person telling me this know my oncologist? No. Do they know if her information is accurate? No.
0 -
Mets refers to distant metastasis. Technically those of us with positive nodes had "metastatic" bc to the nodes, but that really isn't mets. A second tumor within the breast is a second primary and not mets at all. Luann, the fabulous news is that you don't have mets. The women on thse boards with mets have cancer in other parts of their bodies and put it in their tag lines so they can seek support from each other. You, fortunately, do not belong in that group.
0 -
Good grief
0 -
It is my understanding that it is used in pathology in place of the word "spread." So in that sense, yes Luan is correct.
However, that is not the way the word is used here or in the staging process.
The problem (and I could be wrong) is that it "appears" Luan is making fast and loose with the standard accepted definition (once she was made aware she didn't change her tag) and it is offensive to women who really have mets.
It smacks of drama, and I dunno, good old fashioned dishonesty.
0 -
TonLee, you are plain cruel
0 -
Luan,
I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be cruel.
I do think it's important for you to understand how it looks....especially since that obviously isn't your intent.
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
0 -
patzee, I believe the date of the apocalypse is OCT. 21, 2011 now, not Dec. Unless you know something Harold Camping doesn't. Which wouldn't take much. Have you run into JBinOK on the boards? I think you all would enjoy one another. She doesn't understand why people use discussion boards either and is often on the boards telling us we spend to much time here.
0 -
They can compare notes.
0 -
We've heard Pompeed's message many times now. She's "just not buying into it."
I don't think many of us are either, Patzee. We're just past stating the obvious at this point. Defeatism gets tedious. You've been all over the boards with it for months now under more than one name. I am very sorry for your pain, but the attention grabbing won't lessen it.
Didn't the world end some time last month - or was it earlier this month?
0 -
That was a trial run Athena. It's due to rerun on October 21, 2011.
0 -
Oh, how disappointing. Now we'll have to put up with the doomsayers for several more months.
0 -
Given that I am a woman who is nearly 59 and I hope, mature in my thoughts and actions most of the time (except when I listen to heavy metal and have a few wines), I find it hard to understand the rantings of a woman who is supposedly older than me.
0 -
There are more Canadians on the Bruins team than there were on the Canucks. So for me it was a win-win situation.
0
