Alternative treatment

Oh Kimbers,  so sorry that you have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  The hard things are if you are left waiting and your mind is left to think and rethink.

The goal of treatment for breast cancer is surgery.  I don’t know of any type of breast cancer where surgery is not performed.  There are other modalities used in treatment like chemotherapy, radiation, hormone blocker therapy and immunotherapy.  Each person’s treatment is individualized so until more information is known about your tumor you will have to wait a little longer.  
Did they tell you why you needed a mastectomy?  Did they mention lumpectomy?  
 I am sending you hugs and give the nurse a call and tell her you have questions and are very concerned.  Take care and keep us posted.

Hi Kimbers

I am so sorry to hear that you have been given this news & left hanging. I received a pack the day of the diagnosis. However, they can't give you lots of information until they learn more about your type of cancer through biopsy results & then results from  surgery. It's incredible, you think breast cancer is just that but then you learn that there are so many different types & factors to take into account. Was the biopsy positive for hormones,  Her 2, triple negative as examples? The waiting to find all this out can be very difficult, I felt at times like I was losing my mind! I used this forum, spoke to the nurses at Macmillan & wrote all my questions down for every hospital appointment. Don't feel like you have to be a passive player in all this & use whatever support you can. Wishing you all the very best on this journey xx

Hi Kimbers.  I've just joined.  This site is really confusing but came across your message.  What happened to you in the end?  I'm in the same situation now - with absolutely awful treatment from the medical establishment. I too am looking into alternatives now, but probably completely out of the mainstream.  I'm so disheartened by the experience.  Let me know how you did and what happened - if you feel you want to of course.  Very best wishes and I hope things turned out ok. 

I’m really sorry you’re having such a bad experience with your team. I’d strongly suggest you call MacMillan for some guidance on how you can tackle it. Treatments out of the mainstream do not work, please talk to MacMillan about this too. I hope you can get the issue with your team resolved. All the best x

Hi SallyM 

I am sorry you are having a difficult experience with the medical establishment. There is support available. You should have been assigned a breast care nurse or cancer nurse specialist. They would be a good place to start. Your hospital should also have a patient liaison advisory service (PALS). Their contact info should be visible on your hospital’s website. And as Anna12345 says, you can contact MacMillan’s nurses. The contact number is below. 

As for alternatives to medical treatment, there really aren’t any. Complementary therapies might help you alongside medical treatment but only when your medical team agree they don’t conflict in any way. Your best way forward is to try to resolve the issues you are having with your medical teams  

Wishing you all the best.