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Posts by steelfalcon15

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Jamie Rivera78 said:... However, I think you all, acting as an association, should also be promoting other types of treatments that show great success. Don't turn your back on alternatives and don't just go hunting for scammers. (Believe me, there are fewer crooks out there than in Big Pharma...)...

... Don't sit around waiting for a hundred clinical trials before you start talking about it. If you wait for that, you'll be waiting forever. Simply put, nobody wants to fund them...

Angela Wright said:... If you think we aren't doing enough, then START AN ASSOCIATION and push for—and work on—whatever it is you feel should be happening...

... meanwhile, I am still waiting for a response to the inquiry and request I’ve posted here several times quite a while ago—which is for people to identify themselves by name and provide relevant medical documentation from before and after an alternative treatment that actually helped them....

slyseal28 said:... Our association promotes alternative ways of healing—just not charlatan methods. My trust in medicine is deep, and as long as I have any sense left in my head, I will trust doctors first and foremost...

I agree with Angela; if you want change, start an association and get to work, because no one else is going to step up or throw money at this (Jamie Rivera78 made it very clear what the interests and PROFITS of pharmacists look like)😠

I’ve actually already discussed this (in writing) with slyseal28 and Angela, so they have a better idea of where I'm coming from. No one is going to run a hundred clinical trials for us, nor will any patient just volunteer to send over their medical records on their own (the exceptions will prove the rule, of course)! If we actually want to achieve something, we need to start moving now—so that we (the future patients who might end up facing these kinds of cancers) can actually benefit. It’s already too late for our mothers, grandmothers, and grandfathers!

So, the bottom line is that conventional medicine doesn't work every single time (though clearly, some people do recover), and alternative medicine doesn't always work either (yet again, some people are fully healed). I am CONVINCED that recovery is highly specific to the individual patient. We just need to figure out the pattern—whether it depends on gender, blood type, age, diet, location, lifestyle, and so on. Once we uncover those patterns, people will actually know WHICH therapy works for them, rather than wasting massive amounts of money on treatments with questionable results.
Why don't pharmaceutical companies demand these kinds of regulations—or better yet, why don't they publish them if they actually know about them? It’s pretty simple, really: it brings them much higher profits 😠 if EVERY single patient takes their medication, rather than just the 10% who we actually know will truly recover because of it. 😠 😠

I sincerely hope that we can find the strength and the willpower to take a stand against these profiteers and build something for our own better future—instead of just bickering here on the forum, we should unite and channel all that energy into something that actually helps us all and serves the greater good!
slyseal28 said:And what bothers me most is this claim: that cancer starts at the level of the mind! Good grief, people—it isn’t just the elderly who get sick after working for a hundred years and stressing over trivial nonsense! Kids get cancer, young people get it, old people get it! It has nothing to do with your mindset... If that were true, we could all just think ourselves healthy, couldn't we?

That was actually our very first comment right after we sat down to watch the show (as a family)... I mean, how do children develop cancer? They certainly aren't sitting around getting stressed out and worked up about life...
Jamie Rivera78 said:There's a show on PBS 2 today at 4:15 PM called Science Frontiers. The topic is LOTHAR HIRNEISE - CURING CANCER. Honestly, I think the information might be incredibly helpful for some people.

Did anyone catch the show??? Any thoughts?

Angela Wright, slyseal28—did you guys get a chance to check my PMs and emails? It’s actually quite similar to what they were discussing on Science Frontiers. Let me know how things are moving along...
Kimberly Roberts58 said:My younger brother passed away from a rare type of tumor about a year ago, and I still haven't quite gotten over it...

I am so incredibly sorry for the loss of your brother. 😢

The most meaningful thing you might be able to do to honor his memory—if you feel up to it, of course—is to share his story. Maybe write down what he was battling, how the diagnosis actually happened, the treatment path he took, and if you think an earlier discovery might have changed things. If there were those early symptoms—the ones that seemed small or insignificant at the time—writing them down could be so important. It might help someone else catch things sooner, potentially giving them the chance to recover, which means your brother's passing wouldn't feel quite so senseless...

If you’ve already shared some of this somewhere else, please, do post a link...
slyseal28 said:I'm not quite sure how the movie "Sicko" connects to big pharma... 😕 — it feels like the conversation took a bit of a turn there, didn't it?

Well, look, the point of the film is showing how those profit-driven vultures run the insurance companies—and frankly, I’m convinced that same breed of corporate greed drives the pharmaceutical giants too. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around how a single medication can cost half a million dollars!!! Are you seriously expected to sell your house or your entire life savings just to get well?!?! 😲 😲 😲 It's absolutely appalling!

Anyway, arguing about it all is probably a lost cause at this point—let's focus on something more productive, like how to recover quickly or, better yet, how to actually help people close to us. I have an idea for helping folks that might be a little tricky to pull off, but I really don't feel like typing out the whole thing on a public forum. Angela Wright, slyseal28, if either of you are interested, shoot me a private message...
Angela Wright, have you had a chance to watch that Michael Moore documentary, "Sicko"? If you haven't seen it yet—and I really think you should—do let me know via PM... I'd be more than happy to send a copy your way.
brisksurfer said:...I was listening to a story yesterday about those poor souls whose lives the government is cruelly gambling with—denying them medication simply because it’s too expensive (Sutent)😲...honestly, I don't even know what to say... it's just terrifying! 😠

I'm not actually angry at the government... in fact, I'm perfectly fine with seeing my payroll taxes go up if it means pulling our healthcare system out of this mess and ensuring medical care stays free for everyone! What really gets under my skin is the sheer fact that this one drug costs HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!!! 😠 😠 😠 We really ought to implement some kind of international law where no single medication can be priced above a reasonable limit—and anyone who breaks that law should be prosecuted like the high-level criminals they are! It is absolutely mind-boggling that pharmaceutical companies rake in billions of dollars by profiting off human health and actual lives!!! 😠 😠
Kimberly Bishop91 and slyjackal38—please accept my deepest sympathies. I truly hope that one day these kinds of illnesses can be treated just like the flu—maybe with a single course of tablets (or something similar)...

Angela Wright said:I’m talking about supplements that doctors usually don't recommend because they consider them a waste of money...

She’s currently taking colostrum and propolis... we'll definitely look into those other immune-boosting options you mentioned... thanks for the advice!

Angela Wright said:Regarding private oncology clinics in Miami...
... it isn't strictly necessary to travel to Washington, D.C. just for a second opinion. Don't put your mom through unnecessary stress if you don't have to.

My mom has already visited two private practices in Miami, and honestly, she hasn't learned anything new or particularly smarter from them. I really hate the idea of dragging her around, but she's willing to go (and I'm more than happy to drive her) to NYC if it's what needs to happen.
Angela Wright said:Based on what I've just read... it looks like my mom's condition is hitting its peak right now.😢

🙂 🙂

Angela Wright said:Is your mom taking anything specific to help boost her immune system?

She’s been taking ProSure lately—though, before that, she was cycling through all sorts of different immune support supplements (all based on what her doctor suggested, of course)...

Angela Wright said:Still, if I were in your shoes—and I truly mean this—I’d suggest gathering every single one of your mom's medical records and taking her to see an independent oncologist for a second opinion. It might feel like a lot of extra legwork, but sometimes a fresh set of eyes is exactly what you need to feel certain about the path forward.

It’s been a struggle trying to get anyone in Miami to take this seriously—these are the results from the breast cancer team over at the Mayo Clinic—and honestly, I feel like my only hope might be finding someone in Washington, D.C. That’s why I’m posting here, really... I'm just hoping that maybe an expert might stumble upon this forum and offer some kind of useful advice on what our next move should be.
I have a question regarding my mother—she’s 53 years old. Her most recent oncology reports from the breast cancer team, dated January 14, 2009, state:

Diagnosis: Metastatic breast cancer. Supraclavicular and bone metastases present.

Surgical History (date, type): In 2003, she had an inflamed tumor in her left breast, clinically staged as T4 N2 M0. She underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy following the FEC protocol for 6 cycles, followed by surgery—a mastectomy and likely axillary dissection (back in 2004).
Pathology: Grade II invasive ductal carcinoma, involving the entire breast. Axillary nodes: 5/9.
ER 100%, PR+, HER2+++

Received regional radiation therapy.
Following that, she was on hormone therapy—Tamoxifen from May 2004 until May 2007, at which point Tamoxifen was switched to Tamoxifen (due to endometrial hyperplasia).
In November 2007, imaging showed lymph node involvement on the right side.
Per the medical team's decision, she received 12 weeks of Paclitaxel combined with Herceptin.
Since May 2008, she has been taking Xeloda along with Herceptin. She completed 6 cycles of Xeloda.

In September 2008, she developed back pain, and an MRI revealed metastatic changes in the bones.
She received palliative radiation at TH9, 10, and 11, and was also given Aredia.
There was also progression in the right supraclavicular lymph nodes, along with rising levels in the CEA and Ca 15.3 tumor markers.
Xeloda treatment was discontinued, and Cisplatin was added to the regimen; she completed one cycle.

Starting in October 2008, she was on a two-month therapy regimen, receiving IV cycles (the last one being December 5, 2008).
By late December, the right breast began swelling again, showing progression in the right supraclavicular area and a conglomerate of lymph nodes in the right axilla.
Fine needle aspiration confirmed metastatic adenocarcinoma in the axilla. The breast biopsy itself was negative.

TREATMENT PLAN:
- Chemotherapy following the AC protocol, with cardiac monitoring via ultrasound.
Follow-up required: Chest X-ray, lab work, and tumor marker levels.

-- end of medical report --

I am looking for some advice or perhaps just a little guidance—from what I can gather, the report recommends chemotherapy using the "AC" cocktail, which I believe consists of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide along with Paclitaxel (at least, that's what I've read online). Apparently, these carry pretty heavy side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, hand-foot syndrome, and even potential heart issues—heart failure being a serious concern... 😲 😲 (again, this is just what I found through my own searching). My mother is already struggling quite a bit with these treatments—she’s been on various cytostatics and hormones since 2004, and frankly, the results seem to be getting weaker as time goes on, especially now that we're seeing new nodules and progressing metastases.

I AM EXTREMELY WORRIED! Does anyone have any advice? Perhaps tips on how to make the therapy more tolerable, or if there might be alternative treatments that yield better outcomes? Thank you!