I said NO to radiation and NO to Chemo and am doing a Natural approach... has anyone else done this?

Hi Cindy, I read your message and felt I wanted to share some information with you.  First, I know this has to be your decision and that you must feel comfortable with your choice.  I truly believe doing all the things you mentioned are very important.  When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer I also went searching for answers and also followed some online cancer patients.  One person in particular gave some very enlightening  information about making decisions and choices.  Her name is Christina Newman and she has a video regarding alternative approaches.  The video is titled, Cancer, Me and Alternative Cancer treatments Vlog # 37.  Basically she said you should ask to speak with people that have the same type of cancer and if the alternative treatments were working.   Do  take  care and I do wish you all the best. 

My cousin Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer -- not sure how that was determined, as she did not go to doctors.  She always chose to deal with things naturally.  Her medical people were chiropractors, naturopaths, midwives, etc.  She never took medicine, not even aspirin.  She preferred to buy her food at farmers' markets (lives in the South) or raise it.  No meat. 

For the year she dealt with cancer, my cousin went the same route.  About the time she decided she needed to do something else, she began to have some big problems, including convulsions.  It was too late for her, and she was dead within a very few weeks.  She had just turned 44, and she left behind her husband and their four children, ages 12-20. 

I have nothing against chiropractors, etc., nor against vitamins.  I have done some of those things myself, but I mix it with the other AND appreciate medical people who acknowledge the good in these things. 

I am in touch (email and FB) with my cousin's daughters.  I occasionally will say how things are going for me (good), but they also know that I have gone on with life and have lived longer than their mom did.  I want them to be aware of this should any one of them be hit with the same disease -- things do not have to be for them what they were for their mom.

I say all of that to say that I tend to discourage people from excluding things like chemo and rads in their treatments.  BUT, I am not going to think any differently of you because of your choices.  We all make our decisions for our reasons, after looking at the big picture.  For me, I tackled this aggressively because I didn't want to have to do it again -- or have to always be on high alert.

Not sure this helps, but it does give you an example of someone who chose to try natural solutions at the start and its not working in her favor.

CindyHeadley said:

Thanks everyone. Yep, I'm

Thanks everyone. Yep, I'm trying to find people that have done alternative methods that's why I posted this. I know a few that are doing a more natural approach and they are doing well years later. I just thought I'd see if there where any here in this group doing an alternative method right now.

I disapprove of alternative medicine unless it's for simple things like quitting smoking or losing weight. I believe in science. I think the Internet is SO full of bogus stories with people trying to make money from sick people that you just can't believe anything anymore. I did every single thing (surgery, chemo, rads) the doctor ordered and am still here three years later. Unfortunately, many people who denied themselves treatment are not. I eat well and exercise, but I believe what saved me was the oncologists. If you rely on alternative methods, what you are doing is not getting treatment at all. I'm sure you disagree with me, but this is how I feel. I wish you good luck going forward however....

Hi! I understand it's your choice and I respect that completely. But I want to share that in 1999 while I was going thru chemo treatments another girl in my support group was very strong about the all natural approach. She used to talk my ear off telling how bad the chemo was for me and how she is healing her body with all the right natural stuff. She died a horrible death in less than a year. I felt so bad for her.

That's my only experience I know of in that area.

I could tell you the relevant stories but perhaps it is better that you realize the ones for whom it didn't work aren't around to tell theirs.

MrsBob said:

I wanted to also say...

Cindy, I also wanted to say, after rereading your post, that with you being triple positive I urge you to talk to your Onc about a hormone blocker such as Tamoxifen, arimidex, aromasin, etc. You need to make sure a microscopic cancer cell isn't going to feed, grow and cause you worse trouble later. 

After chemo and radiation I refused to take Tamoxifen because I didn't see the need (especially after having a hysterectomy. Well 12 years later and my lungs were full and I have a (dormant now) lesion on my spine which is still painful at times. Also a spot on my Iliac bone. Thank God Arimidex cleared up the lung mets (Xeloda didn't help at all). I was E/P positive but not positive for the her2nu (sp?) (and aggressive) kind. But now I am stage 4 bc mets. It's now a life long treatment for bc for me.

Just something to consider.

 

Oh Well....it sounds like you have decided not to listen to your doctors so there isn't much I could tell you really.  I'm Triple Negative so did not have the options available to you Positive Gals.  Hope you will reconsider our options while you still have them.

    I remember Steve McQueen doing 'Alternative' treatments....didn't work out for hiim.  I remember Jackie Kennedy giving up on her chemo....but those are just the famous people.  My sister in law didn't do the chemo for almost a year because of finances.....she died at the age of only 56.   Cancer is not just a bad cold.....it is a DEADLY DISEASE.....it is sneaky, slippery and EVIL and needs to be FOUGHT AND FOUGHT WITH ALL YOU HAVE IN YOU....  I am a Blessed Survivor..... I send you Prayers for Stength and Courage and respect your decision but would urge you to reconsider.   Glo

Cindy- yes! This can totally be done. I was dx in Sept 2012 with stage 4 dcis, triple positive. I did agree to four doses of A/C chemo but it did not work. My tumor continued to grow and metastasized while on chemo. By the time I was finished with chemo I had grown 2 cup sizes and my tumor was bigger than my head. After double mastectomy, I felt led to refuse further chemo and radiation and was told I would be dead in six months if I didn't do them. Actually had the doc tell me that i should be ashamed of myself that I was going to make my children grow up without a mother. It was awful. HE was awful. Finally had to tell the onc that he would have to take  it up with God if he really felt like arguing with someone, because I felt He was telling me not to do the chemo and radiation. Then he  hung up on me.   

So, then I switched  to a raw vegan diet and lost about 35 lbs in 60 days. I read the China Study and also I followed some of the advice on www.chrisbeatcancer.com and was able to not only put my cancer into remission (all tumor markers into normal range, plus no evidence of disease on imaging) in the first 45 days, but I also got rid of the following: plantar fasciitis, clinical depression, eczema, chronic fatigue, lifelong migraines, obesity, and gastric issues that had been plaguing me for decades.

I had about 8 months of bliss and figured the cancer was gone for good and went right back to eating junk. Cancer came back along with a lot of stress and now it's mets in the liver, lymph, and bone. Went to a naturopathic  clinic in AZ and got rid of the lymph involvement and also the liver tumors. Now I'm just dealing with bone mets. They are extensive and painful, but as long as I can keep it out of vital organs, I'm good. 

Kudos to you for picking a non-toxic, healthy route. These other lovely ladies on here are wonderful, but I really felt strongly that it didn't make sense for me to poison my body to get it well. Have you heard of Ann Cameron, the childrens author? I am following her 'protocol' of juicing carrots and am having very very good results. My pH just now was 7.0!  Steady for almost two weeks now.

I wish you well and just joined after I read your note. I wanted to let you know you are not alone and it is a fantastic, healing path!

Jenni

There is another good website called breastcancer.org that I think you would benefit from as far as what you are looking for. They have a category called Alternative Medicine.  https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/121

button2 said:

Success?

How can cancer returning after 8 months be considered a success story?

Hello, button2-

Surely you know women or men who have had treatment and been declared cancer free, just to have it return to distant sites  or in the  other breast. You know how when you are first diagnosed, everyone  you tell has a story about their aunt, sister, neighbor, cousin  right? Many of these stories do not have happy endings. Many of them describe a woman hanging on to the 'good' breast only to have cancer show  up in it years after treatment for the other one. It's a fine line that oncologists must walk, knowing that their treatments are carcinogenic, but can also kill some cancers.

Success is relative. For me, success is first and foremost being strong in my faith. As a Christian, this whole cancer thing is a win-win, no matter how the story unfolds. Being in the system as long as  I have been, I've realized that conventional, modern medicine believes that the worst thing that can happen to the patient is that the patient dies. My husband and I do not agree with this. We feel that the worst thing that can happen is  the patient is put through years of agony and disablement by the treatment and then dies anyway. So we are avoiding the torture aspect and moving straight to the healing. After that, not polluting my body, remaining active, and living in a way that helps others see the light of the Lord.... these are little successes.

Aside from that though, when a doctor told me I'd be dead 2 1/2 years ago, and not only am I not dead, but I am vibrant and  thriving, well I call that a success, too. I feel a huge measure  of favor and success in not being permanently disabled by the small amount  of conventional treatment I did receive before I knew better. Now that  I know my body can heal itself, because I have seen it do just this already once  before, I know I will not only be successful in getting rid of this cancer, again, but I know how to keep it from returning.

Now, I do know lots of women who have had tremendous, lasting effects, positive solutions to their cancers using conventional methods  and I am thrilled for them! I don't want this to seem like a battle against chemo, radiation ,& surgery. Every person needs to choose  their own path, the  one  that will work with their body, their life, their family. I just know that my body did not react well to those same methods, chemo in particular.

Also, in case anyone else  is paying close attention, cinnamonsmile noticed that DCIS cannot be stage 4.... in my original reply to this message, I noted that I was dcis stage 4. Well, I'm gonna pull my charts and double check that. Many aspects of my dx and biopsy were mishandled, so I will have to reread the stuff that happened early on in this journey. Sorry for the confusion and discrepancy, but I'll sort  that out soon.

Hope that helps clarify my success for you, button2. Thanks for asking.

Jenni