Treating estrogen responsive cancer naturally
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Ladybird, all the more power to you, but I have to say that I in no way feel "grossly mutilated," although I have had a BMX.
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Dear Momine
I am so pleased to hear this. Yes, there are many +ve stories of women who have survived surgery - clearly you are one of them. I hope you're doing well on the Femara - I ended up with debilitating side effects which even my (ex) consultant hadn't even heard of and he was top man at the hospital he was at.
Stage 3B sounds a bit serious I have to say and for you, you have made the right decision. I've met women who have no sensation from their collar bone downwards and are happy about it. There are so many stories, I've had real bad luck with my first consultant and the AIs and I am once bitten, twice shy.
We must follow our own path, which is why exchanging views on this absolutely fantastic website is so very helpful. I may well end up with surgery, but not just yet I hope; not until I have actually made up my mind what end result I could live with.
BTW your avatar - is that the right word??? - your picture. Is it Dutch 16th century? It's very interesting and so small that I can't really see the detail. Could you let me know what it is? Presumably puddings on a plate made to look like breasts - interesting choice ;-)
Best wishes
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Momine I have read that too about the liver/gallbladder flush but a great many people swear by them and my doc is having me do them. I can't see as there is much difference for me but he'd had me on several cleanses already and I've been feeling great. The most unpleasant part for me was drinking the olive oil. It's good on a salad but not so good for drinking straight up.
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Just want to chime in about ultrasound ... My lobular tumor was barely detected in both mammo and ultrasound. The MRI was the only scan where it showed up clearly. Some have the opposite result. It's too bad there doesn't seem to be one definitive imaging test that will detect all the different types of breast cancer tumors within varying types of breast tissue.
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Piper, if your doc is having you do that, I really think you need to question the doc's judgment. All it does is force your intestinal system to make soap.
Ladybird, stage 2 is plenty serious too. I confess that I have never heard of any doctor being fine with skipping surgery in an early stage (stages 1-3) cancer. The avatar is a detail of a painting by Zurbaran (Spanish Baroque). The painting is of St. Agatha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_of_Sicily
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Thanks Momine.
I'm not skipping surgery as such, just prevaricating. As long as it doesn't grow, then he's happy to leave me as I am. No lymph nodes involved, no vascularity in the tumour itself, so basically, it's dormant.
I'll look up the picture :-)
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Momine
Just looked up Zurbaran etc. As I had feared, but was trying to be polite! A contempory of Velazquez - he's pretty amazing too! Poor Agatha was only 15 yrs old - and only lasted for another 5 years - maybe that's why the medical world reckons it a success if we all live 5 yrs beyond surgery!? Sorry for the cynicism, but the barbarism then is beyond belief. I just have to try to get it out of my head that that's what's still going on!
Best wishes.
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Momine, I don't mind when we respectfully disagree, but I don't think we should be criticizing one another's medical care, no matter what we think, b/c a good percentage of anyone's healing is their belief in their doctor and their medical care overall and I feel that I'm getting good care, if the way I feel is any evidence at all. Even if you're totally right and I'm totally wrong, I still don't think it's a good idea and I don't know what I think of this cleanse yet, but as I said, a great many people swear by it and have for a good many years--it's not just a fad.
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This is for ladybird-dancer
I couldn't send the private message.
Trust me i do is research and tamoxifen is good for estrogen positive cancer which I have 80% and 65% progesterone. Tamoxifen is given to pre menopause women and the other drug is for post menopause women. The doc told me all the info and I also told him a little as well. I'm a respiratory therapist and in the health field so I know about most diseases because I deal with them daily. Since I now have one I have looked into everything. He tell me what he think is best and I let him know what is okay with me just as you have with surgery the same thing. Every breast cancer is bad and they are treating us all the same. It's trail and error!!
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Two comments:
1) Chacun a son gout.........................Each to his own
2) Don't forget the placebo efffect.
If standing naked in Trafalgar Square with my knickers on my head would get rid of this cancer - I'l be off there right now!
We're all different, as is our flipping cancer. If it works for you, then.....................it works
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BosomBlues, my breast center upgraded to the 3D mammo machine the year I got my diagnostic screening after I felt the lump that turned out to be ILC. It showed only architectural distortion. But it raised a flag with the radiologist, who then ordered an MRI. The eight prior mammo's (not 3D) were "normal." The 3D technology does seem to be better at detecting, and I don't know the difference in radiation exposure.
Momine, I had no idea about your avatar. I always thought those were pears on the platter. I did not know about St. Agatha's plight. So much savagery in the name of god!
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Ladybird, Agatha did not have breast cancer.
Piper, I meant no offense, truly. What I posted is simple factual information. My impression was that medicos get questioned and criticized plenty around here. Again my apologies.
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Dear Momine - I realise she didn't have BC! I was merely extraopolating. It was just men and religion.
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Extrapolating is what I meant to write - damn these spell checkers. Ha!
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We're good Momine.
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Momine, your choice of avatar is just brilliant. It has lots of characteristics of an icon, inviting meditation on our breast/body/feminity/humanity issues. Thank you for explaining it.
The placebo effect is very real, and makes me think of Lourdes and similar shrines. So many go there with real expectation of cure, but the result is typically more a psycho/spiritual healing rather than a physical effect. I happen to be a big fan of that kind of wholistic healing, with or without (hopefuly with!) a bodily healing. As some of you have noted, I consider stress reduction to be a significant factor in our health. Acceptance and perspective are difficult to reach, but can have a huge effect on how someone with a major health problem addresses life, friends, family.
Ladybird-Dancer, dormant is certainly where we want any and all of our nasty little cancer cells to be. While I'm the queen of prevarication, I'm in awe of your comfort. Me? I'd be there with calipers, measuring my tumor every other day. Well, I see you're three years out--maybe by now I'd have dropped down to weekly!
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Dear Brookside
Love your sense of humour ;-)
It's the ultra sound that tells me it's dormant - i.e. no vascularity and my thermogram pattern has radically changed for the good just recently too. I do, however have permanent underlying anxiety - oh yes, I am human!!! I had a crappy consultant for two and a half years but have now got someone who, dare I say it????...........actually cares!!!! He knows I've been through the mill with appalling threats from my previous hospital, my new guy is simply lovely and sees me every month - so, every month I get a bit wound up until he does an U/S and proves that all is heading in the right direction, but so far so good.
I know a few women who have had no orthodox treatment at all and are well even tho' they have tumours, so it fills me with hope. In comparison with them I'm being completely orthodox! Horses for courses etc.
Best wishes
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Hi Ladybird,
This is simply out of curiosity, and I mean no offense. Did you have a lymph node biopsy? If not, how do you know if it is or isn't in your lymph nodes?
How is the tamoxifen treating you? I'm about to start up again with it.
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Hi Lojo
No offence taken :-)
My consultant can see on the US and it also shows up on an MRI that I am lucky enough to have clear lymph nodes.
Having been terrified of taking the Tamoxifen, it actually suits me quite well - certainly better than the AIs which were just appalling. Initially I was losing my balance - apparently normal (!) that eased and has gone away. I think I may get the odd hot flush, but so insignificant I'm still not entirely sure if that's what's happening or not. I am post-menopause anyway, but you are young, so I don't know if that changes things for you.
HTH
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Ladybird, I do not mean to be a downer, but I had ILC and on U/S, MRI and CT, my nodes were clean. On the pathology report, however, they were not.
May I ask why you chose hormonal therapy over surgery?
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Simple - I don't want my breast cut off! They were the choices I was given at the time, one or the other.
I can only listen to my consultant and take advice from him re: my lymph nodes, but I hear you. I'll ask his opinion when I next see him.
Best wishes.
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Also, Momine, don't forget that we all have cancer cells throughout our bodies, even apparently "healthy" people..........maybe that's what you had?
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Also you were stage 2B.........i.e. lymph nodes affected with a tumour of 5cms
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I wish I had taken hormonal therapy before surgery even though it was never mentioned as an option, but in retrospect this is what I would have done - I am still so not ok with being one breasted, I hate it and never feel normal
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Lily55,
You didn't have reconstruction? If not why not?
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Ladybird, ok, I see. No, I did not have a few cancer cells. I had 7 lymph nodes full of cancer.
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Hello any fellow DIM users. My question is 'Has your hot flashes reduced while on DIM?'. Ive noticed my night sweats and hot flashes are a lot (I mean a lot) less since I've been taking it. My DIM has I3C in it also. Ive had my Ovaries removed and trying to watch what I eat, I also drink herbal teas to clean the liver, colon and kidneys twice a day. I still haven't lost the extra weight or increased my energy levels but it means alot to reduce the hot flashes and night sweats. I also take fish oil to help reduce them also. I'd like to hear from others what benefits they see from it.
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Dear Lily
So sorry you feel so bad about things at the moment. No wonder you feel bad. Have a look at the forum I started: "How do you choose which reconstruction to have?" There is a lot of info on there. I am looking at Fat Grafting or Implants at the moment. I have shied away from massive scars all over the body possibly leading to numbness throughout.
Have a look at my forum and see if that helps you, and get back to me.
Best wishes.
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Oh yea I posted a couple days ago about doing a cleanse, well I've nixed that idea for now. My Fathers cancer is back and its one Dr after another Dr and I just need to focus on him now with all the strength I can muster. I'm sure there is another topic out there for those of us that haven't even reached a year yet in diagnosis that has a loved one fighting another type of cancer. If you know it please share. Thanks for being here. 😇
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Thank you for your responses re reconstruction - I wanted immediate recon but was refused it, any recon i have to pay for myself and did two fat transfers so far but second one failed with massive infection so I am about to start again in two months......emotionally its exhausting but for me there is no choice as I hate being like this so much and surgeon says i can only have fat transfer now after last infection as no room for anything else, I am sure the way I was treated re recon (until i met this plastic surgeon who restores my faith in doctors) helped traumatise me.......
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