VERY overwhelmed!
I have recently been diagnosed with IDC Stage 2 Grade 3, it is negative in my lymph nodes. Everything is so overwhelming, I had a EKG and EX-Rays yesterday and go into get my port tomorrow morning. I attend chemo class on Monday and start chemo on Tuesday. I am just very overwhelmed, I have friends that suggest that I go the herbal route, some say get a full mastectomy on both sides or go to Mexico.
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wildflowers59,
I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. We can all empathize as the early period of diagnosis, testing, treatment plans etc. is very overwhelming and for most of us, completely foreign.
Friends and family may have their own opinions, in terms of treatment, but unless they are oncologists or have solid backgrounds in medicine, your own oncologist will be your best resource. She/he will propose a treatment plan based on the particulars of your breast cancer. These are treatments that have strong scientific, clinically researched trials to back up their efficacy. They are far from perfect but they’ve come a long way in bc treatment and dealing with side effects.
I have been a member here for almost 13 years. I have seen stories, anecdotes, personal testimonials, blogs, etc. purporting all manner of “natural” cancer cure but all the stories in the world don’t equal data. Additionally, it is very possible that your friends don’t realize what a complex disease bc is with several different types and sub-types. Some of these herbal cures claim to treat many different types of cancer but this is likely a great exaggeration since different cancers behave differently and are treated very differently. Again, just stories out of Mexican clinics and… in the US, health insurance does not cover alternative treatments. They are completely out of pocket and very expensive. All of us wish there was a simple , side effect free treatment that would cure cancer. So far, I have seen no empirical evidence to support this in the world of alternative treatments.
My suggestion would be to listen to your oncologists treatment plan, ask questions, express concerns and go from there. This site skews heavily toward research based conventional medicine so I wouldn’t recommend it as a source for alternatives. However, I know that not everyone feels the need for evidence based treatment. If a lack of supporting evidence doesn’t bother you, then you will find no lack of alternative treatments and practitioners by Googling them. Good luck with your port installation and upcoming treatments.
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Thank you :)
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You are right that it is overwhelming and, quite frankly, terrifying. But remember that breast cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer and doctors are very, very good at treating it. If herbal cures worked, your doctor would be prescribing them; same with going to Mexico. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, went the herbal route for a very curable pancreatic cancer, and he passed away. He expressed regret for not following his doctor's advice.
If you are uncomfortable with your doctor's plan, you can seek a second opinion.
It's a whirlwind in the beginning but things do settle down. Chemo nurses are the BEST nurses and they will make sure everything is going smoothly. Your MO and her team will help with whatever side effects you are experiencing. You can do this!
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