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Thank you for your response on my question of to operate or not in case of cancer.
Dr Stoll, you say you would NOT have the surgery - I would be very interested in your reasons for this. Do you believe there is a risk of spread? And would you personally NOT operate ANY cancer or just breast?
In Reply to: Regarding cancer surgery posted by Andrea on August 03, 2003 at 20:15:47:
Thanks, Andrea.
One has to make an INFORMED choice.
If I had testicular cancer I would have radiation therapy along with the natural therapies. If I had Hodgekin's Lymphoma (stage I or II) I would have surgery followed by irradiation--again along with the natural therapies. If I had prostate cancer, I would have hormonal therapy along with the natural therapies, etc. For breast cancer, I would never have definitive surgery. I would have a biopsy to determine the cell type and then base any conventional therapy on the cell type--along with the natural therapies.
As you can see, this is a very complex question that really takes a caring (and advanced) professional to determine.
Hope this helps.
Walt
In Reply to: Choosing the varied approach to cancers. Archive. posted by Walt Stoll on August 04, 2003 at 08:09:54:
Or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. This was diagnosed through an open biopsy where they had to do a needle location because there was no palpable lump, just some microcalcifications.
The biopsy was performed and unfortunately did not come up with clean margins. At that point, I felt that the recommended lumpectomy was appropriate, since we'd disturbed the site via the biopsy! I have the comedo type (the more aggressive DCIS). Still I would not have agreed to a mastectomy.
The lumpectomy came up with 10 mm of clean margin all around, which didn't surprise me, since she took out a huge lump of tissue.
Now they want me to have radiation and Arimidex.
What's your take on that? I am not clear why radiation should help if they feel they've got all of it out. It was still at a cellular level as opposed to being an actual tumor or mass.
I'm planning on visiting my old natural doctor back home, since there aren't any here in KY, but you know that! He's sent an order for the blood tests he'll want, and I'll feel better after hearing what he has to say, but would like your opinion on it too, Walt.
Thanks
~~~8>
In Reply to: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by labrat on August 04, 2003 at 11:23:39:
I'll be sending positive thoughts your way, labrat! Take care. You will beat this.
Wishing you the best,
Nutmeg
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by Nutmeg on August 04, 2003 at 11:39:45:
I appreciate your good wishes. This type of cancer has something like 95 - 100% cure rate (for what that's worth), especially if found as early as mine was. Anyway, I look at it more like living with it rather than beating it. All I can do is hone my wellness efforts and try to make informed choices from now on (no more mammograms for me - thermography from now on.)
My mother was diagnosed with BC in 1975 or so and had a radical mastectomy, which is what they did back then. She refused chemo and radiation. She will be 78 this January, and now has bone cancer that spread from way back then. Although she's gone the conventional route this time, she's a trooper and an inspiration to those who know her and has been a great role model for me as far as how to deal with this.
I feel lucky all in all!
~~~8>
In Reply to: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by labrat on August 04, 2003 at 11:23:39:
Hi Labrat,
Thinking of you and hoping that all will go well. Sounds like you caught it early so hopefully the resolution will be simple.
Best wishes,
Happygal
In Reply to: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by labrat on August 04, 2003 at 11:23:39:
Hi, Labrat.
I think the rule here is to not "put all your eggs in one basket". If this were me, I would do the irradiation and the Arimidex--------ALONG with serious wellness and considering something like Macrobiotics for a year.
Let us know how you do.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 2003 at 07:56:09:
I agree about not having my eggs in one basket. I just wasn't too sure about the radiation. I have trouble understanding how it helps. I'm hoping the natural medicine doc will be able to augment all of this with some good supplements.
I am afraid that macrobiotics would leave me weak since it is basically a vegetarian plan, and I am a hunter gatherer who needs to eat a goodly amount of meat. Whole foods will have to do, but I was already eating that way for the most part. Now it will be for the whole part!
What I had left behind recently was the SR and exercise. Of course, I'll be implementing the exercise as soon as I heal (already started back up with SR).
Thanks for the input, Walt...I really appreciate it.
~~~8>
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by Happygal on August 04, 2003 at 20:37:26:
Thanks Happy Gal. You are a strong one to get good wishes from!
It's never good to be cut. I found out today that it's infected! Now I will be fighting off an infection with antibiotics and a yeast infection too!! Not the end of the world, but it will slow the healing process, and unfortunately I think it will leave the breast more deformed than it would have been...
I still feel lucky! Like you said, we caught it early and so hope that in the big scheme of things, it will stay under control until I die of other causes!!
~~~8>
In Reply to: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by labrat on August 04, 2003 at 11:23:39:
Hi labby.
The docs "ordering up" the radiation are doing a knee-jerk recommendation.
Why not stick it to you? Another hunderd bucks while you are busy worrying
should go unnoticed. It's not like it is going to help, as you well know.
This is one of those instances where you knowledge is in direct contradiction
to "what the doctor ordered" and will be a test of how well you can resist
the urge to go along with what the doctor says simply because it will
make you feel better.
-Gregory-
In Reply to: Why they want radiation done posted by Gregory on August 05, 2003 at 10:01:42:
That was my knee jerk reaction too. But the surgeon came up with a good arguement for the treatments saying that there was something like a 50% reduction in reocurrance for those who underwent the radiation treatment compared to those who did not. That's why I was asking Walt for his opinion on the radiation, and also why I am going to see my other doctor- to ask his opinion on it too. It doesn't make me feel better to do what they say - on the contrary, I'm very suspicious of what they say! I need to be careful not to dismiss it just because of my suspicions.
We have an appointment to discuss all of this with a radiologist (who of course will be biased) later this week, but I have some time to decide because they won't start the treatments until my wound is healed (and I won't let them start it until I get an opinion from Dr. Hauser on the subject)...and at the rate I'm going that's gonna be awhile!
It's truly hard to know the best route. I don't want to dismiss ANYTHING out of hand, but want to know why and how something might help. It's a bugger that's for sure!
Thanks for your comments, Gregory. I know I can count on you to point out whatever need to be pointed out! :-)
~~~8>
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by labrat on August 05, 2003 at 09:28:57:
Hi Labrat,
The world would be a better place if everyone had such a positive attitude as you. I'm sending healing prayers your way.
Best wishes,
Happygal
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by Happygal on August 05, 2003 at 12:18:30:
nmi
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 2003 at 07:56:09:
Doctor Stoll
I am curious as to why labrat has been diagnosed with breast cancer, when she seems to be one of the people who is very good at following the three stools. I would think that those following your advice, are less likely to get cancer. could it be from all the meat labrat ate?
labrat, i hope i dont offend you by asking this question, but i am interested to hear what the reason may be for someone who put as much effort into health as you do.
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS (Walt) posted by Interest on August 08, 2003 at 05:39:28:
Just like you, I thought the same thing when I first learned of labrat's story (once again, labrat, you have my best wishes!), namely, it might have something to do with her meat-based diet.
But then I also realized that there are sooooo many factors that can cause cancer, ranging from genetic to environmental... meat may or may not be a leading factor. As to the real cause(s), we'll probably never know for sure.
I think labrat's practice of wellness might have prevented her from having this problem at an even earlier time, or in a more servere manifestation. So I still believe practicing wellness is the only possible solution to health problems. What else can we do?
In Reply to: Re: Walt, I was recently diagnosed with DCIS (Walt) posted by Interest on August 08, 2003 at 05:39:28:
Thanks, Interest.
Wellness will not make us live forever. At worst, it will improve the years we have but we all will eventually die. At best it will prevent things like cancer and the other chronic conditions we discuss on this BB every day so we can die in bed from old age.
Consider the risk of lung cancer in smokers vs non-smokers: I do not know the exact rates of risk--anyone can look them up at the library. However, let us say that 2 packs a day, for 40 years, of smoking increases one's risk of lung cancer by 400%. That translates to 40 times the risk. Sounds bad, doesn't it?
However if the risk in non-smokers is 20 per 100,000 this means that the risk in heavy smokers is only 800 per 100,000. This means that 99,200 out of 100,000 heavy smokers do not get cancer of the lung. Now how bad does it sound?
Bing is correct. We are at a really primitive stage of our understanding of what causes cancer. With current knowledge, we can only begin to reduce our risk. We do know, for certain, that a healthy lifestyle will reduce our risk and even reverse some cases of cancer. Next year we will know more. As Bing says: What choice do we have at this stage?
Walt
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