Integrated doctor/oncologist in Victoria

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NickSD
NickSD Member Posts: 3
Hi all
This is my first time posting. 
I am looking for a doctor/oncologist who will support me during my breast cancer journey. 
I have recently returned from ten weeks in Bangkok having alternate treatments, I am still under the protocol of the clinic in Thailand and want to continue. I just need to find someone here that’s willing to work with me and my doctor in Thailand. 
So far I have not had any luck finding an oncologist who is willing to support different treatment methods. 
Can anyone on this amazing forum suggest anyone who may be suitable?
many thanks 
Nick

Comments

  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,585
    edited October 2022
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    Sorry to see you here, @NickSD, joining our exclusive club - where abouts are you in Vic?  City or regional/rural?  If you add your 'general area' (town or city) to your 'profile' we may be able to find members nearby who can help you with information & Breast Cancer services that you can access.

    Have you had surgery yet? Chemo? Rads? Would you like to talk about which BC variant you have & what's been done for you in Thailand at this point in time?

    Were you diagnosed in Australia?   I can understand why some would not want to be interacting with clinics overseas .... as not all overseas treatments may be recognised by mainstream Onc/Drs here ..... but definitely no harm in asking!

    Jump onto this post, to see some of the other areas within the forum that you may like to take part in ......  
    https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latest

    take care & all the best on your ongoing treatment x
  • Keeping_positive1
    Keeping_positive1 Member Posts: 555
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    Sorry you find yourself here.  May I ask why you want to continue with the protocol started in Thailand? 
  • Julez1958
    Julez1958 Member Posts: 1,125
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    Hi @NickSD
    It may be that the Doctors here are reluctant to work with Doctors in another country for legal  liability reasons.
    I am afraid I can’t help with any positive suggestions about connecting you with a practitioner in Melbourne but maybe others can.
    I wish you all the best in your journey.
  • NickSD
    NickSD Member Posts: 3
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    Hi all
    Thank you for your comments. 
    I live on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria and have been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, I have updated my profile.  
    Last week the results were positive from my recent MRI, CT and PET scans so I will continue with the treatment protocol I started in Thailand. 
    I’m feeling healthy and strong and want to continue feeling this way.
    Nick
  • June1952
    June1952 Member Posts: 1,831
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    Hello Nick
    Can you please tell us what treatments you started in Thailand and perhaps a bit about the original diagnosis ?
    💖
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,585
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    Hi @NickSD.  Thanks for that.  Wishing you well. 

    What treatment are you having done in Thailand that may not be done here?  

    We have members who use alternative treatments, tho usually in conjunction with worldwide standard treatments.

    Have you had surgery yet? Or are you having chemo/surgery/chemo .... or other treatments?

    take care
  • Keeping_positive1
    Keeping_positive1 Member Posts: 555
    edited October 2022
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    @NickSD why would the treatment protocol be different in Thailand? Is it superior to the protocol in Australia for triple negative breast cancer? 
  • June1952
    June1952 Member Posts: 1,831
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    @Keeping_positive1, @NickSD said, "I have recently returned from ten weeks in Bangkok having alternate treatments" -  these treatments are not what we know as 'mainstream' treatments.
    I guess we are all aware of people having alternative treatments but @NickSD has not said where and when she was diagnosed nor what actual treatments she is referring to.
    When she is on again she may enlighten us.
  • NickSD
    NickSD Member Posts: 3
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    Sorry for the delay in replying. 
    I was diagnosed in February 2022. The oncologist I saw initially said it wasn’t an aggressive cancer and indicated I had about four months before having to start any treatment. The treatment would have been chemo, operation, with possible radiation to follow. 
    I was terrified of having full on chemo, I’d seen friends suffer terribly, I also know that some people don’t have serious side effects but I just felt in my heart that I wouldn’t cope well. I wanted to see if I could treat myself using alternate treatments such as completely changing my diet to an organic mostly raw plant based diet. No alcohol, sugar, wheat, dairy, coffee. 
    I was having daily infrared saunas, hyperbaric sessions three times a week plus various prana and sound healings, tapping, meditation, visualisation etc……
    I had a CT scan done in June, it turned out the cancer was aggressive! By this time the cancer had spread to various parts of my body. 
    I had found a clinic in Thailand offering low dose chemo (10% of normal dose) which when combined with other good stuff like curcamin, Quercetin……..produces excellent results.  
    Having treatment in this way doesn’t kill all the good cells, I could maintain my immunity and live my best life. The treatment in Thailand was tailored specifically for me.  
    I spent ten weeks in Thailand, the results continue to be positive. I am still under the guidance of my doctor in Thailand, I am taking the oral versions of what I had intravenously in Thailand. As I need to maintain an supply of oral medication I need to find a doctor/oncologist here that is open to alternate treatments along with western medicine and will work with my doctor in Thailand and support me.  
    I am feeling strong and healthy and want to continue feeling this way 😀
  • Cath62
    Cath62 Member Posts: 1,279
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    Glad you are feeling well @NickSD . What do you mean when you say the results are positive? Has your cancer gone or reduced?  We are all on our own journey and decide our treatment path. Best wishes for your future. 
  • FLClover
    FLClover Member Posts: 1,536
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    That sounds excellent @NickSD!! I love the idea of mixing conventional with alternative medicine. I think it’s better than the chemo used elsewhere, which literally kills all the good cells as you said, and leaves people with lowered immunity and other ailments for life, which significantly reduces the quality of life. I hope you can continue in this way and inspire others to do the same. Keep us updated 🍀♥️.
  • Keeping_positive1
    Keeping_positive1 Member Posts: 555
    edited October 2022
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    I am going to try to be very careful in what I say here on this topic, however I must speak up.  A friend's daughter who was a naturopath and got diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer was adamant she wasn't going to do the recommended treatment the oncologists were suggesting in Australia, which included chemo.  She went off to a healing place in a third world country and came back with all sorts of lotions and potions.  Then finally when treatment wasn't working came and did the chemo in Australia, but it was too late.  Unfortunately if the herbs and spices she attested to maintaining great health had worked, she wouldn't have got cancer in the first place. 

    Eating well is a good thing for us all, but it will not kill off cancer cells, and triple negative cancer is not to be messed with!

    I really hope I haven't caused you any further concern, but seriously please listen to the oncologists when it comes to cancer, and not to the naturopaths! 

    I tried to warn my friend that his daughter should listen to the oncologists when he first told me about his daughter's diagnosis, but he insisted she is smart and knows what she is doing.  My fear was she was a naturopath and was going to treat cancer her way, and that is exactly what she went ahead and did!  But too late, then gave in and had the chemo that was recommended to her in the first place.

    Wishing you well and please get some expert advice.   


  • June1952
    June1952 Member Posts: 1,831
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    @Keeping_positive1 , you are entitled to give your opinion.  The fact that few people responded to the request may mean that few have taken the alternative route.  Your friend took a different herbal treatment which she believed in.
    The treatment regime which @NickSD has been having is quite aggressive, time consuming and expensive but if she believes it will work then maybe it will.  I was saddened to read that the cancer has spread to other parts of her body and I think that is an indication it is not doing what she hoped.
    People make their own decisions based on their beliefs and unfortunately all decisions have consequences.  We then have to live with those consequences.
  • Tomobun
    Tomobun Member Posts: 16
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    @NickSD, I totally understand how you feel. I was terrified when I was told that I had to do chemotherapy, especially when I found out that I had to take Doxorubicin. It's a strong type of chemo. My oncologist sent me to do a heart scan. This made me even more scared.
    But I also researched academic studies (not just Google) on what I can do to keep myself fit and healthy during and after chemotherapy.
    I just finished Doxorubicin. All my blood counts are within the normal range I'm still fit and healthy. 
    It took me a while to accept that I have this health condition. But it's only a health condition. You can maintain your health. BCNA forum helped me heaps. I love this forum because all these lovely people give us real information. You are not the only one.
    Keep strong. there is so much information out there.  You can research and take that information when you talk to a doctor. I hope you can find a doctor who you feel that he/she is genuinely helping you. 
    All the best.