Tomorrow I go to see oncologist for first time after surgery removal of invasive ductal carcinoma (12mm) and finding cancer in the only lymph node they found. Had CT Scans and bone scan yesterday so get those results then too tomorrow. Question - has anyone on here tried any alternatives to chemotherapy? Any thoughts please I am very concerned as I'm 66 and unfortunately not a great genetic heakth background. AND IM AS SCARED AS HELL OF THE SIDE EFFECTSalso my cancer is HER2 negative but oestrogen & progesterone positive.

Hi, the ladies here are so awesome. I was very scared to come here but now that I am here, I actually found strength to be among you ladies. This is such a supportive place.If you click my username you can read my posts. I struggled with going for chemo, from the first and even worse with the last. I was very inclined to use only alternative but i could not find the courage esp when what I saw are only people online, but i have several friends who went through BC and went through conventional treatment, and they are alive around me, real people you know what I mean? I was very frightened of the side effects of chemo before it started. I was imagining the worst. I planned - I bought my wig - I cut my hair so short before chemo as I did not want to see my hair fall out - I went to the dentist to have a clean out (I have gum issues and I know chemo possibly will affect my gums and I may not be able to floss my teeth the same throughout chemo and may have gum bleeding issues...)... so I planned whatever I could before chemo started.I chose chemo in the end as I want to do what I could to be with my family years down the road. It helps to have supportive family members and friends. I found with all the support I have from them, it makes this journey easier. I am able to chat with friends any time I want and it's amazing how supportive they have been, especially when I was in emergency the hosp stay for chemo cycle 1 due to a throat infection and low grade fever, and had bad rashes in cycle 3. When unexpected things happened, the support you can get will make it easier.I almost quit chemo 4. The ladies here helped support me with advice and their stories. I know I still have to be the one who makes the decision. My husband and brother were able to speak sense into me and helped me decide that i would complete it. I think I have made the right decision. One step at a time. One day at a time.During chemo these few months, I made sure I get good nutrition to recover for the next cycle. I must say amazingly my appetite has been fantastic. Even though now (after the 4th cycle) my taste buds have been affected, I still get hungry easily and eat several small meals daily. I need to eat well to get well. My mum flew over to help look after me and my family. she's been my best friend. And I never once had nausea which was listed as a side effect. I realized every one may get different side effects listed. I had sore nails towards start of 4th cycle but two of my friends did not have that. Some have shivers and chills but i did not. One of them had bad nausea and poor appetite but I did not. One had bad tummy pain I did not. I had side effects that they did not have. I broke out in bad rash in 3rd cycle. All affected differently. So you may get some but not some. Make sure you take good care of yourself during the chemo period. Come in and ask and we will all help along if you are going to be prescribed chemo. :) When my breast surgeon came in after after my surgery and told me I needed 4 chemo and herceptin for 12 months, I broke into tears. But now I may even explore radiotherapy. One step at a time, I do not know how I manage to go through 4 hospital stays, numerous scans and so many blood tests, all the way from Adelaide where I was diagnosed to surgery chemo back in Melbourne...but I did. You will get through this too. I also complement chemo with good healthy diet full of organic produce. It makes me feel better eating organic to reduce the burden to my body. I am going to continue eating organic as much as i can.I find getting informed and prepared helped me, plus all the support I get helped tremendously. :)Sorry for the long post, typing as I go..time for bed. LOL. xxx

Hey Sandra, I know its incredibly overwhelming. There was a discussion recently of alternative treatment to chemo but there honestly isnt, not at this time as much as we all hope for something new. I use alternative therapies but only post chemo in recovery and in conjunction with medicine. I honestly would wait til you see your Oncologist as all plans are different so take it 1 step at a time. We're all here to talk anytime to encourage and support. Just remember no matter what you are going to ne OK very important. X Melinda

Hi For a lot of people the c word (chemo) is as scary if not scarier than the other c word (cancer). The side effects of chemo can be bad, there's no denying. But not always that bad. You won't know how you travel in chemo until you start. Unfortunately other people's experience may not be much of a guide. The important thing to remember is that many of us have gone through months of chemo, we are still here and many of us are cancer free. You are right to think of all the options available to you but please do consider the advice of your medical team, who want to give you the best options for recovery. I started chemo at 67, over 4 years ago, one lymph node was HER2 positive so treatment was managed as HER2 positive although the tumour was negative. 6 months chemo, 12 months herceptin and 5 years Femara (hormonal therapy). One year to go and I am done. I am working, living a normal life, travelling (off to Spain next month) and that's why I did it all. So I could still have a life. Yes, I have a few side effects. No, they don't stop much. Not every one has ideal results, and some people have very difficult long term problems. But I keep the possible alternatives in mind! Keep asking questions as that's the best way to feel confident about your decisions. Best wishes.

Thank tou. Have a friend with lymphoma cancer. Did chemo first time, chemo & stem cell second time, and this time did minerals and alkaline diet. And cancer's gone. He says he won't ever do chemo again. He'd rather die!

sandramji this story is all well and good, some people do go into spontaneous remission . There is also a book out where this woman ate raw fruit and vegetables only and survived. Yes there are true stories out there. Would I do it instead of chemo NO! Why? There is not enough factual data to back up alternative claims. I choose to live. I do not dismiss alternative claims however the majority of people I meet or read about survive cancer doing radiotherapy and chemo. We have antibiotics,injections to stop whooping cough, measles etc We have surgery blood transfusion. See natural methods are all well and good but sometimes they are not enough. There really is no need to fear chemo..... I had side effects..I went to emergency twice...i did have some problemsA year on I am cancer free. Would I do it again YES!

Chemotherapy or natural? | BCNA Online Network

23 Replies

brightspace
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8 years ago
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Hi again
I am er /pr pos and Her2 neg
Er and prog positive means our type of cancer can be treated with AI or anti hormone drugs. So if post meno this is the standard therapy for 5 to 10 years?i have had minimal side effects..minr joint pain in winte r so going ok
As you have had IDC and lymph node involvement the protocol is usually rads/chemo

I am post meno so on Letrozole it prevents the production of estrogen which is also produced in fat cells (reduce weight if you can).

Her negative means our cancer is slow in growing or better than
her2 positive which is faster growing.

While stats percentages are for the most part used to predicate can cer return ..to be vigilate with post treatment checks is more important
In aust mammograms are done every two years ..mine showed up in that time frame..in uk every five years they are thinking og of 3 years But costs prevent changes
I had dcis no node involvement and mastectomy..protocol states no treatment just mamo ultrasound checks dvery 6 months for five years.
4 years later I had ct scan for spleen and showed lung nodules.as low tumour burden..to reappear this is rare for dcus (99.99 perctage not usally !)
So er positive for me means that the cancer mets has reduced in size after 6 mths ..lots of new treatments available
Talk again B
sandramj
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8 years ago
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Thanks Bright. It's like learning a second language, AFTER landing in that country. The more I read the more I need to learn. There's so much info and yes I agree there's so much more than just what the medical team can do for us. I'm doing guided meditations every day, living positively as possible, eating well, exercising and letting go of stuff that isn't a REAL necessity. I agree no one is CANCER FREE FOREVER, unfortunately.
brightspace
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8 years ago
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Hi Sandramj..sometimes stats and percentages can confuse the big picture.
Quality of life is important ..be kind to yourself..enjoy family n friends have a good diet .improve mind matters
some of our treatments can effect us more than the cancer itself so your mo is recommending dont do chemo yet
while we have been diagonised and gone through treatment there is always the possibility of the c returning.I personally do not agree with the phrase ..cancer free..use by some when they have finished treatment .
What we have to be are strong people who are realistic and vigilant about having had cancer and it could reappear. Some are lucky and some not so.
We are very lucky to have access to the best of treatment available to us
Goodluck with your treatment
Continue to post
Huggs Bright
sandramj
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8 years ago
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Thanks Aine. Yep before BC I presumed treatment was 99.9% and presumed that when it came back the people hadn't done EVERYTHING or it was another cancer somewhere else. It's a shock when oncologist explains the % of it not returning is not ever 99.9%. We, the general public do not know that!
AineG
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8 years ago
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Hi sandramj, so I'm not alone in thinking that the surgery & treatment would the answer, it is a shock to the system when you find it's not 100% foolproof, but I guess if it was no-one would ever have a recurrence, so I guess in hindsight it makes sense. Hormone responsive with a low Ki67 is a good out come tho,. and if only one node affected that's great!

Mine sounds very similar to yours, I had stage 2b grade 2 IDC with a few dcis on the other side. Hormone responsive with low Ki67 (5%) given the area affected I had a double mastectomy and radio, and am now on aromatise inhibitors, cos I'm still in my forties I have an ovarian inhibitor once a month to allow me to take the extremasine. 8 months on, it's been great, once you are through all the early treatment the hormone is just a daily tablet, and life starts to get back to normal. believe it or not you stop worrying about recurrence - at least you stop worrying as much, about recurrence once you get to the other side of all of this.

the others are right, research just released shows that 75% of all cancers are random.

Good luck with the journey, sounds like you have a good team and a great plan.
Aine
primek
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8 years ago
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Fantastic news. I know that a low proliferation rate (ie slow growing) don't get much benefit from chemo and that sometimes is shown in pathology in a test called Ki 67. Mine was really high (like 68%)...as it was a her2 positive but other types can vary a lot.

Sounds like a good treatment plan and at least now you know what will happen. Take care. Kath x
Afraser
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8 years ago
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Sandra
Recent reports seem to support the notion that whatever causes cancer may not be to do with your lifestyle or family history exclusively. Like you, I have no family history of any cancer, was healthy, had breastfed, had my breasts checked etc etc. That's why ALL women are encouraged to have mammograms regularly. Current stats I think are that 75% of women who get breast cancer are post menopausal. That seems a significant stat to me but we are still not clear on what it means. Herceptin is considered to be effective for HER2 positive cancer - it's usually a three weekly infusion for 12 months. I had no side effects from it at all. I did get an arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) during chemo. My newly acquired cardiologist did not think that my health or age made this at all likely, BUT that a combination of surgery (mastectomy), chemo (my side effects were limited but it still has an impact on your body) and age combined might be enough to tip the balance. I am fine and the condition is quite manageable but I have no actual heart disease (it's the electronic circuit of the heart that's gone a bit daffy). So that MIGHT be why your oncologist is being cautious.
melclarity
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8 years ago
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Hi Sandra,

Unfortunately alot of what he says is correct, the stats are like 90% of Breast Cancer is NOT genetic completely random. Makes zero difference, if you breast fed or didn't , took the pill or didn't, ate a healthy diet or exercised regularly. Zip!! They've tried to find common denominators but there aren't any...clutching at straws. They only SUGGEST post treatment to eat a healthy diet and exercise as you would with any illness to help any risk of recurrence, but let me tell you again...none of that comes into it at all. My Oncologist told me that there is no guarantee even if I do chemo...

Sandra, I had aggressive treatment in 2011 Lumpectomy DCIS High Grade wasnt even IDC but made to do radiotherapy 6 weeks!!! and TAmoxifen for 4yrs...inspite of all of that it still came back in 2015 in my scar tissue that were pedantically wide and clear originally. 2.5cm Stage 2 Grade 3 aggressive a recurrence hmmm. How?? my Specialists cannot answer it. So ER+ only BRCA Gene negative did Chemo 4.5 months and Arimidex since...because of recurrence so as to not gamble again they suggested a mastectomy/diep flap recon which Im 6 weeks post. Pathology from the breast was NEGATIVE. Latest statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation state that Tamoxifen doesnt work in 1/3 of cases, to which my Oncologist recently said, Im guessing thats what happened to you...

All you can do is, whats best for you at the time and be guided by your Specialists. Im thankful to be 18 months clear and on my way...but after 6yrs of being blindsighted as in never been sick at all apart from what treatment has done is a very harsh mental reality for us all. I've learned alot and some things I would do differently.

Onward we go and you absolutely will get through it all and move on. Hugs Melinda xo
au0rei
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8 years ago
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Hi Sandra, I am not sure why the chemo % is so low for your case. Maybe it's the cell type? 80% of all diagnosed BC are hormone +ve and HER2-ve like yours. And I would say 11mm is awesome news, it's not bigger which is great you found it early. I can't offer any advice, but for my case which is hormone neg and her2 pos, 2.5cm tumour and 3 lymph nodes clear, the % i got for chemo was much much higher but I can't remember the figure now (cos I don't want to be too affected by the statistics). For me, apparently Herceptin treatment is of greatest significance, even higher than chemo. xxx
sandramj
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8 years ago
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Please excuse this if it is annoying cos its a copy & paste of the latest from my other discussion.
Well finally some GOOD news for the first time AND from the oncologist - I met Dr [removed by moderator] yesterday - He had received by CT SCAN &NBONE SCAN results - 'NO FURTHER CANCER" found. Yay!
He explained the statistics for my breast cancer as follows:-
As the cancer had invaded the one lymph node they removed - carcinoma lump was size 11mm, Grade II,
100% both Oestrogen & Progesterone POSITIVE and Her2 Negative that it was the best result I could get meaning it could be treated very well with hormone therapy and has suggested Aromatase Inhibitors for ten years, together with radiation starting four weeks after surgery for 6 weeks. H said the surgery alone reduced my chances of getting cancer back in the next 10 years to 20%. Using the radiation and the hormone therapy reduces the risk further to 13%. Then if he added chemotherapy (TC - Taxotere & Cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks for e weeks it would reduce my chances a further 2-3%. However given my family history of heart disease and meds I take already for it, a large scarring on. my left lung from a previous clot on the lung, and my history with depression he felt he wouldn't suggest I do the chemotherapy as the chance of it doing more damage than good is 1-2% therefore reducing the best outcome would be 1-2% further decrease in chances taking it to 11-12%. He didn't think that small percentage reduction was worth the risk, particularly with my heart and prior health issues.
I thought that once you had surgery, radiation, hormone therapy and chemo it was like a 99% CURE of cancer. But its not at all. Even if I were younger and healthy and had all the treatments he said is available its still only a 90% chance it wont come back somewhere else. Is it just me who did not realise this? Its a glass half full and glass half empty to a degree in my thinking but the reality is NOTHING is even 98%. 🙁.
Id love feedback on this. Im beginning to think I had NO CLUE about breast cancer and treatment at all. I thought if I had no family history, had breastfed three kids, had regular mammograms, I was 99.9% sure of NOT getting breast cancer. But the surgeon tells me over 90% of his patients with BC had no family history, beast fed and had regular mammograms. So why does the average person think this??? Media??? SO, the mammograms should be done annually really FOR EVERYONE OVER ?? SAY 25?
Next question about ER2 negative. Anyone else here have positive both hormones and Negative Her2 - whatever that is. Ive tried to read about it and what treatments are used but I just got more confused.
I am intersted in YOUR thoughts on these numbers as I am 95% sure Im going with the radiation and hormone therapy and back into healthy living, food, exercise, meditations relaxation etc. But id like others point of view as sometimes it seems obvious but being in the BC forest now for 5 weeks I can't see the trees, just a green fog.....
Thanks in advance.
Sandra