Holistic approach success story please

Steph198615
Steph198615 Member Posts: 1 New Member
edited March 3 in Newly diagnosed
Hi everyone I recently started my battle against HER2+ breast cancer in the left breast and I have had a very difficult time with chemo as I have found out the very hard way that I am now allergic to both drugs and have had in 5weeks of treatment 3trips to ER.... My oncologist still wants to push through the chemo and is looking at a desensitized approach which I am not comfortable with. I am ok with the targeted therapy which I wish to continue but without chemo. I was hoping to find someone with. Similar experience who could shat their success story going the holistic way with stage 2 Her 2+, it has not spread to the lymphs and I had 7 tumors to start with I am now down to 3 which are half the size they were prior starting treatment. So I have had 4 rounds of chemo + targeted therapy to date. I have hoping someone can share their holistic approach with me as I have decided to stop chemio.
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  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,312 ✭
    I am SO sorry to see you joining us here, @Steph198615 .... and you've had a rough trot already with the 3 trips to ER :(   

    May I ask ... Was it high temps and/or diarrhoea/nausea that caused the hospital trips?   With your tumors reducing from 7 to 3 (which are now half the original size too).... the treatment, whilst rough on your body, seems to be working, hence (I am guessing) the Onc wanting to push thru the ongoing treatments! 

    Doing Chemo is never easy ....  Do you have a Breast Cancer Nurse that you can chat to about managing the nasty side effects that you are having - or even arrange a meeting with your Onc.  The Chemo Nurses are usually pretty good at getting control of the diarrhoea/nausea ....

    Always check with your Onc before making any changes to your meds - even if they are 'over the counter' meds, as things 'may' interact badly with your current treatment.  e.g. Just recently, it has been discovered that taking more Vit B 6 than recommended can cause neuropathy in hands & feet that may lead to falls etc (Vit B6 is in many vitamin supplements, so people may be taking more than is good for them - it is even in Magnesium tablets! So the 'fine print' needs to be read closely to avoid an overdose!)

    We have a dedicated Triple Positive PRIVATE group that you may like to join, so you can read the others' stories and pose more direct questions to them - in total privacy - they are a great bunch of ladies.  Just go here & click 'join':
    https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/31-triple-positive-breast-cancer-tpbc

    This post has some great info in it:
    https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/comment/224919#Comment_224919

    Gentle exercise (if you are up to it) may also help .... check out this post 
    https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/comment/221085#Comment_221085

    take care & all the best xx
  • Afraser
    Afraser Member Posts: 4,472 ✭
    Dear @Steph198615

    As @Arpie says, it’s a rough trot. Many of us have experienced at least one trip
    to the emergency ward, and it’s not fun. Although it’s a salutary reminder that some people face weeks, even months in hospital for their treatment. 

    I did surgery first then six months of chemo - all detectable traces of cancer, including a lymph node, were removed first, chemo was to
    mop up anything not detected. I would not have minded some indicator of whether the chemo was actually working or not. You know that it is and your doctor is trying to make the treatment a bit easier to bear. Might you not try just a little longer? 

    Success with purely holistic treatment is hard to come by - in many cases, the grunt work was done first by conventional medical procedures. And sadly, as we know, some stories are just that - stories, not based on fact. Cancer treatment is tough - it’s getting better but it’s hard. We do
    it because, more than anything else, it works. We all have to choose our own way but all of us want to walk this way just once. Best wishes whatever you decide. 
  • Mez_BCNA
    Mez_BCNA Administrator, Staff, Member, Moderator Posts: 1,194 ✭

    @Steph198615 sorry to hear of the challenges you have face in your treatment so far, it must be extremely difficult. In addition to the very helpful support above, you may like to access information from BCNA on the topic of integrative health:

    Complementary and alternative therapies, understand the difference

    (Webcast) Integrative Health – complementary therapies enhancing wellness for people affected by breast cancer

    Cancer Council also have a helpful document that explains the terms complementary and alternative that are often used interchangeably, however are very different:

    Is it safe to use alternative therapies for cancer treatment?

    Talk openly with your treating team about any of your concerns to navigate how best to support you.


  • Tri
    Tri Member Posts: 303 ✭
    hi @Steph198615
    I am really very sorry to read about your rocky experience so far- that is no fun at all. 
    However it is great that you and your oncologist can discuss different ways to proceed.
    I’m a person who’s been treated for HER2+ left breast cancer, I finished my last dose about 10 months ago. 
    Apologies I didn’t take the “holistic” approach…  but as my oncologist tweaked my treatment to address a few ups and downs I am happy to share my experience. Hope it helps.
    My reaction was to the chemo drug called DoceTaxel common in HER2+ treatment. I had “burns” to the skin on my feet, hands and face, neuropathy and a few others discomforts and temperatures that saw me in Emergency a couple of times on Saturday nights. So mine were not really in the same category of “allergic” reaction as those people whose heart, or other vital functions, have been seriously affected by HER2+ treatments. 
    I agree with @a@arpie - it’s worth asking the question in the Triple Positive specific discussion group https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/31-triple-positive-breast-cancer-tpbc 
    When I had issues after two treatments the TCHP (DoceTaxel, Traztuzumab (aka Herceptin), Carboplatin, Pertuzumab (aka Perjeta)) dose was reduced by 10% and later, after the fourth treatment, I was offered a switch to smaller weekly doses of TCHP (instead of one big dose every three weeks). I stayed with the big dose every three weeks, I felt like I knew what to expect and because I only had two doses to go the “end” was in sight for that type of chemo. 
    After surgery I had radiation therapy.
    I was hoping to have Herceptin only (the immunotherapy) for the last 11 doses after surgery but in my case I was recommended to have a chemo/Herceptin compound (a much more manageable chemo).
    Everyone is different, I am conscious I had unwelcome reactions, but they were not toxic or “allergic”. I placed a lot of weight on wanting to beat down any elusive cancer cells repeatedly, as much as I could tolerate, with chemo and radiation therapy during the “active” treatment. Even though there’s no guarantees, I thought it could reduce the likelihood of recurrence and having to repeat the process in a few years. I’m also hormone receptor positive, so like many people on the network I am also now taking aromatase inhibitors to reduce the likelihood of hormone related recurrence. 
    I feel very grateful to all the people involved in drug trials that have helped give us a better understanding of the benefits (or not), because now that my very tailored and targeted treatment is behind me, my recovery and effort to restore after treatment has, so far been very positive. 
    Sending you lots of positive energy and vibes in solidarity- I know these decisions weigh heavily - wishing you the calm space that helps us all with our choices and good on you for thinking things through and putting the question out there.



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