chemotheropy and Radiation are worse than cancer in my Opinion

[plank white]

I havent been posting a whole Lot for the last few days because Ive been at the Hospital with my Mother she was diagnosed with cancer 1 year ago and has been battling it ever since .

Things I have noticed

1. Even with the cancer she has seemed fine , productive and energetic up until her first chemotheropy

2. every time she went to chemotheropy she came back in worse shape than she left

2. Before she had the chemotheropy she was basically Living with cancer, after chemotheropy she is depressed imobile and see's herself as dying from cancer.

3. she has lost so much weight since her last chemotheropy that she cant walk anymore and is so week she cant hardly lift a fork to eat .

4, This week after all the chemotheropy they tell her that ,chemotheropy isnt working and basically tell us all to make peace with her and prepare for death .

My questions .

1. How long could she have lived with cancer if it hadnt been for the chemotheropy draining her life bit by bit.

2. Do these people really think we are just gonna make "Peace" and let her die without fighting everyway possible .

The last week she has been at the Hospice section in the Hospital and has been so drugged up on Morphine and other drugs we thought she was losing her mind , well wedsday of last week she lifted her self up and asked if i would take her outside for some fresh air and was really alert and looking good , so I asked the nurse to please bring me a wheel chair they looked a little bother'd that I asked and just after I got her situated in the chair they gave her another shot of Morphine "She wasnt complaing about pain and was in the best spirits I had seen her in all week " but as soon as we start to head out of the elevator the Morphine kicked in and she went back to drooling on herself again.

Now im not saying they were or were not in the wrong for that stunt but that really bothered me and I knew that if I could get my mom away from there then we could work on trying to get her better by ourselfs .

So i took the liberty of reading up about cancer patients who Have fought cancer without chemotheropy and found great information like this http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/juicers.html In which folks use juicers to basically get the fresh juices from fruits and vegetables inorder to make the digestion of the good Vitamins much easier especially for someone in my mothers shape who can hardly swallow a few bites of food without feeling completely exausted .

Well we finally got her back home Monday afternoon today is wednesday and she seems to be a completely different person .

She is alert and talkative , she doesnt seem so depressed and after two days of drinking juices from fresh vegetables she seems to have more strength .

Today alone she was able to walk herself to the restroom and also got to walk outside with me for fresh air "This may not seem like alot" but it is alot better than where she was one week ago.

Will she beat cancer ? I dont know I pray for her everyday and she hasnt given up hope

But I do know this much If things keep going at the rate they are she will be able to move around alot better and become her old self again so even If she Eventually Passes away from cancer I can now"Just two days after leaving the hospital" say that she seems to have shifted back towards "Living " with cancer rather Than dying from it !

I do know she would not be in the shape she is in "So much weight lost , Hair lost, etc." without chemotheropy and Radiation which it turns out didnt help anyway . If I could change the past I wouldve put her on a "juicing regiment" then . Im shure chemotheropy has helped some folks but in my experience It killed my stepfather and has nearly killed my mother . and for me personally If I ever get Cancer I will not do chemotheropy.

For anybody interested here is a documentary about Dr. Gerson and how he went about curing folks from cancer in the past with healthy fruits and veggies Dont get me wrong I love meat and always have but If you or someone you know is in a similar position as my Mother and feel that there is no way out you may want to have a look and check it out

[Dolomite_supafly]

I am so sorry to hear this.

I think the biggest thing she needs to do is not give up hope. Once you give up hope then you become depressed and the rest of your life, in turn, turns to crap. Also, being active, both pysically and mentally, will help her live the rest of her life as enjoyable as she can. A lot can be said for natural unprocessed foods. I, along with my wife, have been eating a lot of fresh foods lately and it makes you feel like a new person.

I think you did good for getting her out of the hospital. I have a friend who has cancer and he sits at home, drinks his coffe in the morning like always and is enjoying his life. They told him they could give him an extra month or two if they did a bunch of treatments and surgery. I think he said it best when he asked what kind of month or two would they be. He said he would rather have a great year than a crappy 14 months. And he is right, they might extend his life by a few months but he will loose much more than that during the treatments.

Now you guys can spend as much time together as you want and enjoy life. That is better than sitting in a hospital feeling like crap and with the constant reminder of why you are there.

Dolomite

[LI0NSFAN]

I have seen results from both options, My Father in law beat stage 4 colon cancer and a family friend is now fighting stage 3 colon cancer. My father in law went the chemo route and it ALMOST killed him. After he made it through he found out that one of the chemical ins chemo gave him all the side effects and only increased his survival rate 2%. We all wish the doctors would have told him that before he started, he would have not used that one drug. He made it through and is doing great 5 years later, he has had 5 all clear scans so it looks like he is cancer free. The family friend that had stage 3 colon cancer went the Gerson route. She juiced every day and watched her PH levels all the time. She went back to the doctors for a scan 6mo after starting the Gerson plan. They told her not only did the cancer not go away it has spread. She still did not want chemo and continued the juicing and PH checking and it has been a year and she is now in hospice and is not expected to make it to Halloween. She looks healthy and is very alert but her body is shutting down one organ at a time. I think that both options are viable but not in all cases. I think that doing both might be the best bet, My father in law wishes that he would have done the Gerson in conjunction with chemo minus that one chemical. If anyone in my family get diagnosed I will strongly suggest doing both.

[Guest jkb4c]

Plank, I'm really sorry to hear about your mother as well. I work in Oncology and while every situation is different, I'd be glad to address your two questions from health care standpoint.

1. How long could she have lived with cancer if it hadnt been for the chemotheropy draining her life bit by bit.

This is dependent on her specific cancer and how far progressed it was when they began treatment. We often have patients battling through chemotherapy side effects that otherwise would have been only mildly sick at the time due to their cancer; However, without the intervention of the chemotherapy or radiation, their condition would have progressed to a much worse condition quite rapidly. This is one of the major quality-of-life issues we deal with every day. Is it better to live a few months without the nausea and other side effects of chemotherapy, or several years (or more) with the sickness caused by the treatment? No doctor can make that decision for you.

2. Do these people really think we are just gonna make "Peace" and let her die without fighting everyway possible .

In oncology, we see many, many sick people every day, and it is easy (for the nursing staff especially, with constant contact with patients) to develop a mindset that values the peace of passing away over the constant difficulty of fighting cancer, especially at the end stages of the disease.

The "juicing" to assist in cancer treatment is somewhat controversial in the medical field, as you can imagine. I am of the opinion that modern medicine is going to be the best bet in almost all cases, but diet changes (and ensuring with your oncologist that these diet changes will not cause any further issue) in combination with the recommended treatment could be the best of both worlds.

In any case, it's great to hear that she is enjoying her time at home. Sometimes a hot shower in your own bathroom and having a good attitude can be the best medicine of all.

Edited August 22, 2012 by jkb4c

[klamb5]

I worked in the funeral business for a while and my daugher does now .I use to wonder which was worse cancer or cure, saw some go quick some slow. Some chose to fight some not and I think alot has to do with the human spirit some just dont give in some want to go. But the biggest thing I came away with was there no money in a cure for in its a big business. God gave us all we need to survive and the man made stuff is wants hurts us the most as the saying goes it aint natural.But in the end people need to do what they feel is best for them.

[tnhawk]

My wife was given six months of chemo in 1998. Initially she would feel better after a treatment but the side effects grew stronger each month. After completing the chemo she has been cancer free 14 years.

Edited August 22, 2012 by tnhawk

[RobertNashville]

I'm truly sorry for what you are going through. My Dad, who was very lucky, beat lung cancer after they removed half of one lung and did chemo and radiation. He was a heavy smoker his entire life. He remained cancer free for another 10 years until other problems eventually caught up with him.

There have been other people in my life who didn't have chemo/radiation and seemed to do just fine for longer than physicians said they would.

I can only conclude that the best the person with cancer can do is to listen to the doctors, friends, weigh the options and the consequences and make the best choice for them.

[dlm37015]

i have a friend looking at this and he is on the fence as do it or not

[Rowdy]

What I take away from this is if the veggie diet may cure the cancer we need to stay on it to prevent cancer.

[JohnC]

I would get her to start taking a lot of vitamins and things that will boost her immune system as well as a really healthy diet.

You got my best wishes and prayers, that she makes a full recovery.

[Jonnin]

Chemo is rough --- its a heavy handed attempt to kill the cancer faster than it kills the patient. Radiation is not much better.

Untreated agressive cancer can kill someone in a few months. less agressive cancers can be ignored for decades. There is no answer to how long someone might live untreated until the cancer "goes agressive" --- but once it does, its usually over. If they find it before it gets a foothold and kill it (with chemo, radiation, or a knife) people have excellent odds of survival. Once it hits the lymph nodes or GI tract, odds are not so good.

Once the patient gives up, things tend to go badly. Mental state and attitude have been shown to work wonders..... try to encourage her.

I am sorry to hear about her condition and hope things improve.

[Guest nysos]

As some have mentioned, state of mind is everything. A persons state of mind has a big effects on their body. Keeping a positive outlook, and staying as mentally/physically active as possible can make a significant difference. I agree the chemo has its purposes, but as rough as it is you have to weigh what is more important. I know for one if chemo only gave me the option of living a few extra months, I would opt to not do the chemo if I was feeling ok.

Make sure to live life, don't just try and survive it.

[enfield]

I agree with the OP - chemotherapy is barbaric. I've seen its work, and from what I can see, it makes the patient welcome death.

I also have a friend who's survived 7 years with untreated pancreatic cancer.

Makes you wonder . . .

Edited August 23, 2012 by enfield