I was originally diagnosed with cancer when I was in my 30s, back in 2004. The type of cancer was very aggressive — it was inflammatory breast disease.
My doctor wanted to immediately cut off both breasts and put me through chemotherapy and radiation. I didn’t want to do any of that.
Instead, I listened to my own instincts.
The doctors had given me 6 months to live. I did some research, and at that time, if you were diagnosed with inflammatory breast disease, you had only a 15% chance of surviving 18 months.
Instead of rushing to do treatments that had such low survival rates, I focused on changing my life to optimize my chances. I tested my markers each month. For a few months, my markers were stable. My lifestyle changes helped. Then the markers started to rise.
So I agreed to do chemo and radiation, but I discussed treatment options with my doctor. There was one type of chemo that was new and I told him I’d like to try it.
Chemo was hard on my body. I was bedridden for part of it, and became very dehydrated. I honestly think I would not have survived if I hadn’t taken the time to strengthen my body.
The cancer remained in remission for 13 years. This is apparently remarkable for anyone with that type of aggressive cancer.
When I had a ductal carcinoma after 13 years, I had a mastectomy. Then, in April of 2021, I was diagnosed with metastatic brain, lung, and liver cancer. Again, I was given 6 months to live.
Again, I have beaten the odds, partly by listening to my own instincts.
I got a call from a total stranger (who I now consider a friend) a few months after my diagnosis. He told me about research he’d done about using fish oil to fight cancer.
I started adding the supplements he recommended to my diet.
I also did additional research and based on both the data I found and my own intuition, I added dietary changes that I felt would help me.
The last few times I’ve met with my oncologists, they have expressed a happy surprise — they didn’t expect me to live as long as I have. Now they are telling me I could live for years, not weeks.
During this time, I have pushed for the treatment I think would be best for me. My doctors know they will be asked questions and I only agree to what feels right for me.
Even if it’s a placebo effect, feeling empowered helps me.
For example, I pushed my oncologist to try immunotherapy as adjuvant therapy instead of just doing straight chemo. I’d read about it, talked to friends of mine who were retired doctors, and meditated and prayed.
My oncologist was initially skeptical, but she’s been very happy with how well I’ve responded to the treatment.
Recently they have pushed me to do a test that I feel concerned about — so I am going to ask them to put it off until I feel comfortable — assuming at some future point I do.
I also continue with my lifestyle changes. I believe that these have increased my odds. But, even if it’s just a placebo effect — so what?
I think all too often people don’t trust themselves. I think women in particular do this — they will go out with a guy despite feeling that something is off or tolerate bad treatment at work instead of listening to their gut telling them to leave.
This doesn’t mean that, with medical conditions, we just go with our guts. But listening to our intuition and using our concerns to ask questions, find out more information, and form a plan based on being in a calm place, vs. being in a place of fear or anger, might help us find better solutions.
Will this strategy work for me?
Well, we’ll see. If I’m still around in a few years, we’ll know my strategy worked.
I am fighting stage IV cancer. If you can help with medical bills, I would really appreciate it. Or if you enjoy my writing and would like to buy me a cup of coffee, that’s great too. Maybe someday I can return the favor.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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