Fighting Breast Cancer

I can barely believe this myself, but after just one round of chemotherapy that dry, hacking, annoying cough that I’ve have been suffering with has been reduced by about 70%!!!  I can actually speak on the telephone!  I’m so happy!

This is so encouraging, that I’m actually looking forward to my next chemo.  When I say that, I don’t mean that I’m looking forward to feeling sick and losing my hair.  I’m looking forward to continuing on with my treatment and getting this over with as soon as possible.  I am now completely confident that I made the correct decision in choosing this method of treatment and not something alternative.

I’ve had many loving friends come to me with suggestions of various treatments since my diagnosis.  They tell me about people who were sick with cancer and tried everything from grape seed extract to Laetrile with great success.  I was told numerous stories about how chemotherapy and radiation are terrible treatments because they are so damaging to the body.  I have been given links to many websites that promise natural cures and tell of horror stories regarding western medicine’s answer to cancer treatment.

The problem that I have to tell these caring friends is that with regards to my situation, my cancer is way too advanced to take any chances.  I believe that the people giving their testimonials to these alternative treatments are true and valid.  I’m sure that these treatments did work for them.  But, what kind of cancer did they have?  What kind of immune systems did they have before starting this?  How many times has this treatment been successful?  Just how effective is it?  See, unless these treatments have been fully tested and investigated, how do we know that they will work for me: a 30-year-old woman named Karen with Stage 4 breast cancer, who has mets to her lymph nodes, lungs and bones?

Don’t get me wrong:  I don’t mind combining my western treatment with some holistic treatments (as long they don’t interfere with my chemo/radiation.)  In fact, I’ve been considering going to an accupuncture clinic and I take lots of fish oil and cancer-fighting-mushroom supplements.  As for the website links that people send me, I’ve stopped going to them.  I’ve stopped googling the internet regarding breast cancer all together.  There is so much information out there, most of it doom and gloom.  I see what it does to my husband (it makes him nuts and drives him to drink.)  I don’t need anything to cause more stress in my life and waiver my confidence to beat this.

So, now that I’m confident that Dr. N may actually know what he’s doing (ha ha–I’m totally kidding, Dr. N.  I never doubted you for a second!) I’m happy to continue on.

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