Anyone else out there choosing 100% Alternative?
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Ferret, are you not considering getting the tumor removed?0 -
So, ferret, you have no clue about whether you are estrogen, progesterone, or Her+? Do you have a clue regarding the grade or size of the tumor? All this dictates treatment.0 -
I have a large tumor but can't afford all of the tests. If I were in a 1st world country,I would be able to. The size is about 3inches under the nipple area,it's mostly above the nipple. I have no insurance and can't afford it. ( if I got on welfare and food stamps the govt might help but my parents taught us to work)
I'm going completely alternative,no biopsy,used thermograms for diagnoses. Part of me wants to go to India for tumor removal...and I need to work on getting the visa to do so. I have my passport already but India requires visas.0 -
Ferret, I have a friend who had absolutely no money and no job. She had all her cancer test; biopsies, surgery, etc. paid for thru the government.0 -
Ferret, just curious how you can afford a trip to India and out-of-pocket costs for alternative treatment, but cannot get a simple surgery. I went to India last December and do consider it a third world country. It, of course, has a lot of fascinating history, but also, unfortunately, much corruption and dire poverty. It would not be my first choice for medical treatment.0 -
Kay, I understand where you're coming from. Abigail is a babbling, usually incoherent, pathetic interloper. She obviously does not belong on a bc message board, but somehow wandered onto our site and is trying to make it her internet "home." But she does have a mean streak, and it came out today in spades. It is also very offensive for an uninformed poser to lecture people about their treatment protocols. May have made things worse with this rant, but that's how I feel.0 -
Ferret - where do you live? Are you in Asia? I'm sorry that free medical is not available to you.
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Ferret, thermograms are contradicted for the diagnosis of breast cancer. With all due respect, with no biopsy you don't know that you have cancer. You could have any number of benign things in your breast, but the only way to diagnose it is with cells under a slide.
Every state in the US has a free breast cancer & cervical cancer diagnostic & treatment program for uninsured and/or low income women.0 -
Hi Yorkimom, I have not checked out the prices yet for the lumpectomy plus travel to India,but know several people who paid far less for their medical treatment plus the travel costs for them,their wives and 1month recovery time. Both had heart surgery. One had insurance but his share of the bill was higher. Both guys said their care was awesome,as were their hospital rooms and places where they stayed out of hospital for aftercare. If the cost is less than what I would pay under insurance,plus I get to go to a place I have wanted to go since I was 8 in the deal.
There's also Ayurveda here in houston. If the tumor doesn't go down more in the next week or so,I may try one of their practicioners here.
As far as the herbs go,chemo can run 5,000 and up,and usually happens more than once a month,so at 10,000.if I had 80%insurance( which is common)2,000 out of pocket if I had the cheapest chemo. That's not counting the Onc appointments. My boyfriend has prostrate cancer,his last hospital stay was well over 35,000 for 6 days.
I did email one of the medical tourism companies for prices. Once you apply for a visa,you only have a limited time to make your trip. So I don't want to apply for it till I get my ducks in a row. I don't know if this is an obtion for me or not.
I drive a very old car,I don't eat out,( not a lot I can eat at a restaurant now anyway)have not gone to a movie in months. I also don't have the latest Iphone or computer. I don't buy the newest furniture,and our carpet came with the house,it's old too. Our dryer is dead as well.
However when I found out that a round of chemo can run 5,000 and up..my Freind is going thru chemo,she's miserable,and even with cobra insurance,she can't pay the bills. ( lots of fundraisers are going on for her)
I'm in the state of Texas,no free med care for us... I have been told if I were an illegal I could get it,(but I'm not sure I believe that). The stare will not do Obamacare since we have a GOP gov who only thinks the rich are entitled to care. I did go to the Obamacare phone line and apply for what assistance I can get but even if I get it,I'm not willing to wait for months do do something.
As far as the thermogram goes I had one in June,said keep an eye on it and come back in 3 months but at that time it was not cancer,3 months later it showed as cancer. It is far bigger than it was in June. My doc believes when you cut the tumor to take a biopsy,you create the hole for the cancer to spread. I could see getting a lumpectomy then testing it AFTER it's out of my boob.
So far it's shrunk one inch,but become firmer.
Unless you have a dr already getting the blood tests done is not possible since you need a doc to draw the blood. Then you send it to a lab. The kits r free,it's a vial and a shipping container.0 -
Ferret, sounds like you're pretty poor and in one of the cruelest states in this country. Very sorry about that. But, as others have mentioned you at least need to have a biopsy before you do anything else. Please don't buy a ticket to India before you even know if it's cancer!0 -
and Ferret - if it is cancer please try and at least get it cut out - this is so wrong that someone would be denied treatment just because of the state they live in. Move to Australia - we do have free hospitals here. Or Canada would be closer.
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i'm in Texas and currently getting charity care through a county hospital and am not on Medicaid.
Texas certainly does get Obamacare and the premium subsidies - you are incorrect. Go to the website.
Again, like all states, Texas has the breast and cervical cancer program. Here is the link:0 -
Yorkiemom, do you live in Texas? I've been here all my life. We are not cruel, we are fiscally responsible as our State constitution requires a balanced budget. Are you in a state that has to try to absorb millions of poor immigrants? Did you know almost every one of the babies born to them automatically qualifies for Medicaid, WIC and other programs? Makes it pretty hard to stretch the dollars.0 -
Melissa, I was raised in Texas, but left more than 20 years ago. I'm now in a state that is not much better. No, we probably don't have as many immigrants, which is why Rick Perry should have signed on to the Medicaid expansion. The citizens of Texas are not cruel, but the people who govern it are, imho. I have great insurance with my husband's job, so nothing changes much for us wherever we are. I am concerned for those who find themselves without insurance, and so hoping that the ACA (Obamacare) picks up most of that slack.0 -
If you live in Texas and are poor you will not get medicaid as Texas has decided not to expand their medicaid program. As 100% of the cost of the expanded program is picked up by the federal government (in the first three years) I think it is cruel of the Texas goverment to make such a decision. I have read that up tp 25% of Texans are not covered by insurance. That is wrong, just wrong.0 -
I'm going to be worse off because the only option available to me will give me very poor choice of facilities and doctors.
Yeah, Perry. Can't stand him...
But I worked in health insurance for many years and I greatly fear that ACA is going to be disastrous.0 -
People with BC do not go untreated because of lack of insurance. Period. Every state has options.
Ferret - visit any major hospital and speak with one of their social workers. They will help you find the help you need. No need to go to India.0 -
hi Yorkimom,
poor is when you don't have a roof over your head and are missing meals.. I have a roof over my head,good (now healthy food) and a car. That's far more than many on Earth have. However I don't have extra for insurance. Even people who sell their houses to pay for cancer treatment will go bankrupt. Wish Laetrile,and DMSO chemo were legal in the US.0 -
I grew up in Houston. MD Anderson is in Houston and it's one of the best cancer centers in the United States. I have not lived in Houston for many years so I don't know what the protocol is or if MD Anderson has programs for low to no income individuals. At the very least you might want to give them a call, if I were in your position, I would.0 -
Ferret, there is a federal program that covers breast cancer. Talk to someone at MD Anderson or other reputable cancer hospital about what your options are for getting help. The info you have is incomplete and, I suspect, erroneous.0 -
Ok wow. I came to this site because my daughter is an RPN who practices in holistic medicine. In addition, my best buddy forever totally believes in it. She brought me 4 quarts of a tea that is supposed to help reduce cancer cells and free radicals. Tastes like dirt. Lol.
Anyway, i am too me to believe in just one therapy - sorry - and so I've had a biopsy and will be having surgery, but along the way, i am also drinking tea and trying hard to maintain a healthy regimen.
Ferret, I'm sorry to hear about the insurance laws in Texas, but i find it hard to believe they would totally dismiss you so i think there are still some avenues you may not have checked? The other ladies have suggested several. I think one or another may be able to help.
In the meantime, maybe look up Essiac on the internet. Also know as Native Indian Tea. In addition, there are several dietary changes that might help. I have papers, and dieticians suggestions as well if you are really interested. Just im me and I'll forward them. BUT holistic doesnt mean ignore all other avenues, it implies that you treat the whole body with whatever you can. Sometimes it's supplements, sometimes its surgery.
As my daughter says 'i wouldn't treat a broken leg with herbs, and i wouldn't fight cancer with just a healthy diet'.
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The thing is, regardless of what avenue one chooses to go alternative, conventional or a combination there needs to be a diagnosis and you can only get a diagnosis through conventional means. A thermogram is not sufficient, ferret1 you need to find out what type and grade you have if it is indeed cancer. Also, since you haven't had a biopsy you don't even know if its malignant. I know I'm butting in and not minding my own business but I think you need some more information. While I'm not minding my own business, the other thing I don't understand is you said if I lived in a first world country. Houston is a first world country, talking about going to India when you have the best Cancer Center in the United States doesn't make any sense. No one says you have to get your treatment there if you choose 100 percent alternative but you can certainly get the top of the line diagnosis there.0 -
hi planetbannanas, I say we are not in a first world country because all of the other first world places have single payer health care. I know of far to many Americans who have gone without care or who have sold homes to pay for healthcare. Others have declared bankruptcy. No one in England,Scotland,Canada or Sweden has to do that..we just think we are first world. Did you know there are areas less than 5 miles away from Houston where the houses have NO running water? Far too many of us live in isolation. We tend to see suburbia as the norm. We go from our jobs,to our houses in our cars.
Healthcare in India is far far cheaper. One of our relatives got MRSA and VRE from a hospital here in Houston. Needless to say,that was not fun. Both are diseases that come from either hospitals or convalescent homes. I may ask about help at St Marks in Pasadena. They are clean and have GREAT nurses. I can not say enough good about those people!
And your not butting in. It's ok to ask.0 -
I know what you're talking about, and my mother is from a European socialist country so I'm familiar with what you are saying. However, I would gently suggest and with respect that it is time that you focus on what is going to help you, and leave the concern about global health care to the side for the moment. There may be a way you could at least get a diagnosis that will lead you down a path that you are comfortable with, but it starts with a diagnosis.
Its too long of a story and not appropriate to tell here but I spent a lot of time in the Wards of Houston. For those that don't know, when you saw the results from Hurricane Katrina the neighborhoods look the same. anyway, my point is it's easy to get sidetracked because it can be a distraction. My comments are meant in kindness and I wish you the best in whatever path you decide0 -
I wouldn't normally comment here, but I'm going to & I hope it's understood that my comments are only made out of concern. Ferret, please do yourself a huge favor and get a biopsy. Even if you could go to India, they're not going to give you a lumpectomy without a biopsy. Hospitals in India don't practice alternative care : "The chances of surviving cancer in a low-income or middle-income country are much worse than in the UK or USA, says Gathani (of India)." The most overwhelming reason for this is that women seek medical care extremely late, says Goura Kishore Rath, professor of radiation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Poor awareness of breast cancer, or the inability to access care is one reason. Another major reason is the importance still given to alternative medicine in India. Many women turn first to Ayurveda, homoeopathy, or worse, “traditional healers who practise mumbo-jumbo”, says Kannan." Secondly, India is in the middle of a breast cancer explosion, they don't have the facilities to treat their own people much less Americans who wish to exploit their cheaper surgeries. Thermography is at BEST comparable to a mammogram and neither can diagnose whether you have cancer or not. Whoever told you that you had cancer was lying to you - he or she can not make that call without a biopsy. As far as a biopsy creating a hole to allow the cancer through? Really? Cancer cells divide - they actually generally divide more quickly than most other cells. They divide whether you have a biopsy or not. It's not like when people have biopsies and the cancer is invasive it became invasive because of the biopsy - the biopsy just occurred.
Know this: The number one step in a medical con job is to convince people that they have some ailment that they don't actually have. That's number one. If they can convince 100 people that they have cancer & in reality only 10 people do, then 90 people will be convinced that they were 'cured' of the cancer that they never had in the first place after being bilked out of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of unnecessary treatments & the so called 'doctor' will be able to post 'testimonials' on their websites.0 -
I am very intrigued by this thread. It goes far beyond alternative medicine to politics, health care policy and social commentary.
Single-payer healthcare will not create better access- In fact as hospitals close and physicians leave practice, access will be impacted in other ways. Taking a broken system and fixing it with another broken system is worrisome at best.
There are federally funded programs and pieces of legislation which are applicable in Texas as they have not seceded from the union the last time I checked (talking about it though)
Local resources frequently provide care on a sliding scale including free routine cancer screenings.
ferret-I am sorry to hear you have relatives that had drug-resistant infections. MRSA and VRE can be hospital, long-term care and community acquired- in some parts of the world community acquired cases are much higher than those from healthcare settings.
All that said- I am not sure how all this pertains to getting a good handle on your health status so you can make decisions based on facts. I can't find any peer-reviewed scientific literature supporting thermography for breast cancer diagnosis. I read about it pertaining to breast "health" and I also read it costs $350 dollars. I support anyone who wants to pursue alternative treatments and therapies but I will not accept that this choice is motivated by the US healthcare system or the state of texas0 -
Up here in Canada, there was a crack down on clinics offering thermography as breast screening. At most it detects heat signatures close to skin...whether benign or malignant. One cannot be diagnosed bt thermography, mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI. Something may show certain features associated with malignancy, but that is not a diagnosis. If someone told you, ferret, that your thermogram showed malignancy they are just plain negligent. I am going to very safely assume whomever told you this is not a radiologist, a payhologist, or even an oncologist.
I do not know why it matters that Canada has universal healthcare. I am very glad I do not have to worry about cost of healthcare, but it is still not a perfect system and it does not make sense as to why you would not take further steps to explore your options in Houston because others have socialized medicine. You are NOT in a third world country no mattter how you feel about the healthcare and when you first posted I thought you were by some of your comments! I agree with those who suggested you contact a social worker/nurse navigator at MD Anderson. MelissaDallas also provided you with helpful information, as a Texan who also seems to have income limitations.
Also, to be blunt: if you worried about infection and so forth, I don't see how going to India is going to help.0 -
Planetbananas, please don't take this the wrong way, but there are no socialist countries in Europe. Prior to the 90s, you could reasonably have referred to East Germany and the Soviet Bloc countries as socialist, but that has now changed. I grew up in Denmark, which has a single payer health system, but it is most definitely not a socialist country. Pet peeve, sorry.
Ferret, I agree that you need to get your tushy down to MDAnderson, explain the situation to them (ask for a social worker, they have them, I am sure) and go from there. I am not keen on the US health care system either, but some of the big cancer centers really are very good. Also, there is a special program to cover women with breast cancer, a federal one, so please don't jeopardize your health for no good reason.0 -
Divecat, even further OT, but your comment about infection and India made me giggle, for the following reason. My kid was born in NYC. I had health insurance, but not very good insurance, and in 20/20 hindsight, I think they put me on the "cheap" floor, where they also had the crack heads giving birth (not a figure of speech).
My mom flew in to be there. My mom has been to India several times over the years, traveling all over by train. She knows India fairly well.
So first mom arrived in JFK, which was undergoing yet another major rehab/expansion, so it was a chaotic building site. Then she took a cab, which was of course driven by a Sikh. She gets to the hospital, which it is totally filthy. Virtually all the nurses and other staff are recent immigrants from the 3rd world. To all of which my mom finally observes, "I got it! This place reminds me of Delhi!"0 -
As a US citizen you can't travel to India without being inoculated for a variety of diseases. So, I'm not sure I would hold India up as an example of clean anything!0
