Modern medicine

lkchapman

To all the courageous women on this board.
I know that there are some on this board who have chosen to forgo modern medicine for alternative treatments. Some even going so far as to imply that modern treatment is not effective and in some instances harmful. The tone of some of these posts sounds a little sanctimonious to my ears and almost seems to ridicule the choice to take chemotherapy and radiation.
I think this is leading some of the ladies here to begin to second guess the choices we have made about our treatment and worse yet, to dissuade others from lifesaving treatment. The fact that a few people have managed to survive without chemotherapy doesn't translate into the cancer population as a whole. Most people with aggressive forms of uterine cancer who do not get adjuvant therapy do recur.
The plain fact of the matter is, we have been dealt a truly killer disease and if we had been born in a different era, most of us would be dead if we had not availed ourselves of these therapies. Especially those of us who had late stage disease at initial diagnosis.
The fact that we are still on this earth can, in a large part, be attributed to the fact that we have modern medicine on our side.
I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings with this post. I'm sure that the intention of the posters was not to offend.
Maybe, I'm feeling a little defensive.

May God bless you all!
Laura

daisy366

Amen
Laura, I almost missed your thread and agree with you totally.

"There but for the grace of God, go I". None of us will ever REALLY know what or why something did or didn't work. I say, be prudent and take ALL of what God has to offer - traditional medicine AND other treatments - not either or. Advising to not get treatment is a dangerous road. We all need to make our individual choices and reserve judgement.

Peace and Blessings to all on this journey. Mary Ann

Rewriter

daisy366 said:

Amen
Laura, I almost missed your thread and agree with you totally.

"There but for the grace of God, go I". None of us will ever REALLY know what or why something did or didn't work. I say, be prudent and take ALL of what God has to offer - traditional medicine AND other treatments - not either or. Advising to not get treatment is a dangerous road. We all need to make our individual choices and reserve judgement.

Peace and Blessings to all on this journey. Mary Ann

Individual Choices
Yes, Laura; I completely agree with you. Each case, and each person, is unique; and our treatment decisions should be supported. We should try to refrain from judging each other and creating an environment where the women here begin to second guess themselves.

I chose to have chemotherapy and brachytherapy for UPSC because my oncologist was able to give me statistics on the number of women with my stage/grade who were "cured" with this treatment. I thank God for the studies at Yale that developed a chemo/radiation protocol that significantly improved survival for people with UPSC.

Now, 2.5 years after the end of treatment, I have moved on to complementary therapies. I've changed my diet and started an intense exercise program. I feel great. This is MY way to ensure that I remain well.

upsofloating

There definitely are
There definitely are differing opinions, balancing western/modern treatment protocols with alternative/integrative therapies. However I do think it is important that these diverse perspectives have a forum to be discussed. My doctors have categorically dismissed all but their traditional tools but that does not dissuade me from embracing them. But without a doubt I would not be comfortable dismissing traditional treatment and putting 'all my eggs in one basket' of alternative therapies. Dr Servan-Schreiber fully promotes combining the best of both sides and I truly believe in addressing the combo as best as I can. More options can make it more difficult tob choose best route, but being aware of options is important as well. Bottom line though, is it is very important to respect all individuals choices regardless of our own opinions. Having confidence in one's choices puts one in the best mindset for best possible outcome. So important to share our thoughts, promote discussion, but never criticize anyone's choice.
Just my 2 cents.
Stay well.
Annie

california_artist

upsofloating said:

There definitely are
There definitely are differing opinions, balancing western/modern treatment protocols with alternative/integrative therapies. However I do think it is important that these diverse perspectives have a forum to be discussed. My doctors have categorically dismissed all but their traditional tools but that does not dissuade me from embracing them. But without a doubt I would not be comfortable dismissing traditional treatment and putting 'all my eggs in one basket' of alternative therapies. Dr Servan-Schreiber fully promotes combining the best of both sides and I truly believe in addressing the combo as best as I can. More options can make it more difficult tob choose best route, but being aware of options is important as well. Bottom line though, is it is very important to respect all individuals choices regardless of our own opinions. Having confidence in one's choices puts one in the best mindset for best possible outcome. So important to share our thoughts, promote discussion, but never criticize anyone's choice.
Just my 2 cents.
Stay well.
Annie

Annie
Love your openness of heart and spirit. Anyone can use a few pennies worth of thought.

We are not lemmings. We are all individuals with varying needs and goals. What was it that robot said????

INPUT. NEED INPUT.

Amen to that. : ~ )

Love and kisses,

Guess who.

Just kidding. Isn't it always me,

Claudia

You always make me happy. Thank you.