Waiting Period Before Action

My mother had her abnormal mam and ultra sound in mid march and we have been to the surgeon. He scheduled her for a biopsy which was just done last week and then this week we meet with the oncologist then back to the surgeon. No surgery has been scheduled. He told her that the chemo wouldn't be done until after the surgery and now we are being told that the oncologist may want further testing to see if the cancer has spread. SO my question is what is the normal timeline for action?  She feels as though they are wasting time she already knows they are doing the masectomy. She said this is worse than getting the news she has cancer is waiting for something to be done.

I agree that the waiting is the worst.  I have a week to go before my double mastectomy, and I am going nuts.  What is most helpful to me is trying to "get ready" in practical ways.  Getting out tops that button down the front and ironing them so they'll feel nice, moving things I use all the time down from top cabinets so I'll be able to reach them, doing cleaning that I won't be able to do for a while, preparing my garden so it will easy to plant my seasonal stuff, and stuff like that.  I may be OVER preparing, but it is helping me to cope with the wait. 

Hi:

It is not uncommon for the total diagnosis and decision making process to take several weeks.  It certainly can seem like a lifetime when you are newly diagnosed and wondering what the future hold. It seems like every minutes means a greater chance that you won't be able to beat the thing.  Fortunately, most cancers are not fast growing and a few weeks will not likely make much difference.  But there are several things your mom can be doing to prepare herself and her body for the battle, in fact things that will begin that battle right now. 

!.  She must boost her immune system as it is the body's main way of destroying the abnormal cells that are produced in our body everyday.  That is how we keep from getting a cancer mass, our immune system destroys the abnormal cell before it multiplies.  When we get cancer it is often because our body/immune system was not able to destroy the cells faster than they were multiplying.  Medicinal mushroom supplements are a great place to start.  Shop around as the prices vary a lot from site to site. 

2.  Exercise daily, outside if at all possible.  Sunlight will cause the skin to produce Vitamin D, a critical element in the fight against cancer.  (No sunscreen for at least 15 minutes each day as sunscreen blocks the ability of the body to make Vitamin D from the sun's rays.)

3. Sleeping in total darkness, at least 8 hours a night, so the body can produce melatonin.  Melatonin is a critical hormone which the body uses to fight cancer.  You can take supplements also.  But using a sleep mask will help block out all the light in our modern environment.

4. Eat NO refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white flour, white pasta, cake, etc, etc.  Whole grain products must be used in moderation, fresh vegetables or lightly cooked vegetables are the best.  Fresh fruit in moderation.  Avoid fruit juice as they are so high in fructose which the body converts quickly to glucose.  Cancer cells have to have glucose to survive and all the highly refined foods mentioned above release glucose into the body in large amounts, very quickly which gives a real boost to the cancer cells.  Read more about it on the net, there are many sources.

5. Deal with any emotional stress or trauma from the past or present.  This is critical.  If you are a believer in a higher power, prayer is essential.  If you don't believe, check into it more as you may find truth there that you didn't recognize before.

6.  Start taking supplements to restore and build up your body's reserves.  No matter whether you are going the conventional route, conventional plus alternative, or  just alternative methods, your body needs to be strengthened for the fight.  There are many excellent sites out there on alternative or adjunctive treatments.  LifeExtention.com has a great section of breast cancer covering breast physiology, diagnosis, conventional and alternative treatments.  But there are others as well. 

7. Start taking some fish oil, Cod Liver Oil is one of the best - it now comes in flavored types so it doesn't taste bad.  Don't get the deodorized as in the process of taking the odor out they take out many of the good properties.  Be sure and get one that certifies that there are not contaminants like mercury.  Norwegian source is best, but brand is not critical, in my opinion.  I always shop around for whatever is most affordable.  I was a total vegetarian, ate nothing that was produced by anything that had a "face or a mother" but finally realized from all my research that I had to start taking the Cod Liver Oil.  I had had to take it as a child because I had Rickets (lived in the forest in the mountains and did not get enough sunlight to make Vitamin D so my bones were weak and I was extremely bowlegged!).  I had the bad memory of the taste.  But this new stuff doesn't take bad although it still feels like Cod Liver Oil going down.  If you can take pills and have the money, you can buy it in soft-gels.  I gag with pills, so the oil is best for me and it fits my budget (Social Security) better.

8. Learn to enjoy life in the here and now.  None of us knows if we will be here tomorrow.  There are many ways that we can die, cancer is just one of them.  Live, Laugh, Love.  Laughter truly does do good like a medicine as stated in Proverbs.

Well, there are many other things I could say, but I think I had certainly said enough for now.  Do not despair!.  There are many choices and you and your Mom can start the battle right now, you DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT ON THE DOCTORS!  (I was a family doctor myself before being disabled by a car accident, so believe me, I know that doctor's are just humans like the rest of us and none of us humans are infallible.)

God bless you and your family.  You will be in my prayers.

AKT

(I have a breast mass and have chosen not to have conventional treatment.  I am using a large number of supplements that boost the immune system and others that help destroy cancer/abnormal cells.  I have spent hundreds of hours on the net researching.  I am living with my cancer and we are in a stalemate for now and I can live with that.  I believe with time, my body will gain on the cancer, but if it doesn't I am prepared for that as well.  I am at peace in my body and my life.)

ginnybisho:

Please read my previous post about things you can do to prepare your body and mind for the battle/healing process.  Even surgery is very hard on the immune system, causes it to be depressed.  So build it up.  There are many supplements that you can take before and while recovering from surgery.  There are many that you can even take while having chemo and radiation that will help protect the immune and the body from the damage caused by the treatments.  Please research this and see what I am talking about.  More people survive cancer that use supplements to assist their body in the battle than those who don't.  If you choose to go the conventional route, go at it from all sides.  At least you will have spent some money you might have spent in some other way, at most you may save your life or give yourself a longer or more time with a better quality of life.

 God bless.

AKT 

When I was preparing for surgery I was going through a nasty divorce at the same time.  Almost 3 months had passed from diagnosis to surgery.  So needless to say, my mind was in a real bad place.  I found a great support group through the local hospital and found a guided imagery tape to help people prepare for surgery.  I might have gotten it from the Am. Cancer Society.  If you have not contacted them already, I would suggest you do because they have a neverending supply of resources available to you.  My biggest fear was that I wasn't even going to make it through surgery and by listening to that tape and practicing the imagery suggested, I was actually cracking jokes with the surgeon when they wheeled me into the operating room.  And prayer has helped me get through it all. 

Dear AKT,

Thank you for the wonderful advice!!!  My onc. tends to talk only about therapies with which he is familiar: chemo and the various pharmaceuticals that mitigate side effects.  Early on in my visits, I wanted so much more from him..., in  particular, to be given a more active role in my healing.  I sought and found an oncologist who practices integrative medicine.  She supports western medical treatment but her scope of inquiry and her knowledge base is much broader and she offers a healing path that complements the standard treatments.  She actually deluged me with information and I had to be selective.  But the addition of this doctor to my team, as well as the contacts she provided, has empowered me tremendously.

 As I near the end of the traditional treatment, I believe there is an even greater need to move into the alternative therapies as there is little that the doctors can do between no sign of disease and the evidence of tumors/lesions on scans.  I think your advice, AKT, applies beautifully to this stage of healing, too.  You are so correct about maintaining the strength of the immune system and caring for one's emotional wellbeing. 

I am glad you wrote in your suggestions.  Sending you love, laughter and strength.