It's CANCER post #19 What was your exp w/ breast biopsy/cancer treatment? - Page 5

[PGTlatte]

I am very glad for you. I hope your treatment goes smoothly and that you have all the support you need.

Originally Posted by abomgardner417

Just a quick update - All my scans were normal! No evidence of cancer anywhere except the boob! And, the best part for me, what I was hoping to hear more than anything else - no breast cancer gene! :

[Amila]

I am SO happy for you. i have been following your thread and praying for you! I had a breast cancer scare and i really am happy you will be ok

[Calm]

Sorry I'm late to the thread. I see things are good now. I would like to help you make sure it doesn't come back. You may like to read my page on cancer, it is necessary to understand the type of treatment you'll need. It may be unlike any other information about cancer you've ever read.

My page.

The treatment part (at the end of the article) is not complete by a long shot. And I need to make changes throughout. If you are interested, let me know.

Cancer is a systemic problem gone local, NOT a local problem that becomes systemic. You must treat your system.

[rabbitmum]

I just read this whole thread now. I was happy to finally see that it is only that one lump you need to get rid of!

I was diagnosed with cervical cancer (stage 2B) 10 months ago and had to go through eight weeks of radiation and chemo. It was tough, but somehow it all went surprisingly well, better than I imagined beforehand! I'm not saying it was easy, but one day passed at a time, and I thought to myself "Well, this day wasn't so bad!", and in the end it was over and I started feeling better again.

I feel that the shock of getting the diagnosis, and the stress of waiting for test results and scans, were the hardest parts of it. I remember the doctor who told me it was cancer (he could see it, and was sure even before he had taken the biopsies) said: "Remember, you are going to get well!" and that really helped me. Whenever I was struggling, I forced myself to think to myself: "I'm going to get well, I'm going to get well, I'm going to get well..." and it helped me get through it.

I used acupuncture to help with the nausea and generally strengthen my system, and I felt that worked rather well. It could be worth looking into for you too. I did use anti-nausea medicines too, in case you wondered - lots!

I had problems eating but found that I could usually at least manage pro-biotic drinking yoghurt and bananas. Broth with soft meat balls also worked well. My senses of taste and smell went all awry, and I was worried they would never be the same again, but they have come back just fine.

I didn't lose my hair (because of the type of chemo), but I know a couple of others who have had breast cancer and lost their hair, and they both got thick, curly hair when it grew back!

This first year after the treatment I am having check-ups every three months, and everything has been fine. It has been a gradual process, but now I don't worry much anymore, there can be many days between every time I even remember that I had cancer.

So hang in there! The time before you actually start the treatment is the worst. Soon you will be in the process of getting well, and in a short while you are going to be - and feel like - a healthy, beautiful woman again!

[Doodlebugsmom]

I'm glad you posted with good news today!

I just wanted to tell you that my neighbor who is a good friend and fellow mama, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma a couple of months ago. She just had her 3rd (of 6) chemo treatments, and it's really going well. She shaved her head soon after her first treatment, as her hair was starting to come out in clumps. She looks awesome with no hair! Seriously! She's been feeling great other than a couple days of slight nausea following each treatment. She also has some anxiety that is created by the prednisone she has to take following each treatment. She went for some Reiki before her most recent treatment, and says it made a HUGE difference. (She's not a real energy-work type of person either.) She will continue getting the Reiki treatments throughout the duration of her chemo.

I know from time to time she gets really scared, but things are going much better than she anticipated. It isn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be.

Good luck!

[gabbyraja]

I want to resurrect this old thread to thank Pat, and others. I just posted looking for this exact sort of info for my mil. She is of the "do whatever a doctor tells you to do" generation, so I believe she will half-heartedly take my advice (for which she has asked) and will take the chemo and whatever else an invasive dr tells her to do. I will do what I can, keep my fingers crossed for her, and be here to comfort (and bolster the stressed health of) my dh and kids.

But, I believe my mother will someday deal with this. She has done just terrible things to her body in her life, and was diagnosed w/IBS in her twenties and told she just had to avoid a certain list of foods. Her health has steadily declined since.

Since moving in with me 1 yr ago she quite smoking, started eating TFs and taking the supplements I recommend, and doing what she can to combat her fibro and adrenal fatigue. She already has almost eliminated her Parkinson's-like shaking and improved her immunity in the past year. We're income-challenged and she's unable to work due to her health, so it's a slow process. Thanks to Pat we've got our water kefir and kombucha, though. But her strides are slower than anyone's and she's very resistant to giving up her vices: Alleve for her chronic pain (her poor liver!), grapefruit seed extract on a daily basis, junk/fast food, a box of wine every 3 days or so (I make her good probiotic wine, and 5 gallons of mead at a time when I can afford the honey, but I can't make it fast enough ), etc. I expect something like cancer, or maybe a stroke or something, to shock her hard enough to make her make the last BIG changes. Luckily she honestly thinks I'm the smartest person she knows, and she SAYS she would trust me more than any doctor any day. Probably because of the amazing strides she's made herself and those she's seen in the kids and me. Most of the patting on the back really belongs to Pat, and Panserbjorne, tanyalynn, mtn_mama, and the many other incredibly wise women on this forum.

So, a big THANK YOU, and an invitation to please come back and post any updates from the OP, or any further info on alternative and integrative treatments that didn't get shared or has been uncovered since.