Over the past several years, I’ve watched as several friends have battled cancer. Fortunately, most of them have won the fight and are doing really well, but sadly, some of my dear friends did not make it. From talking with each of them and supporting them over the years, one thing that has struck me time and time again is the way cancer will affect your entire life even though the diagnosis is often limited to “just” one area of your body.
For example, ask any woman who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer if she feels like the cancer is just affecting one or both breasts, and my guess is she will probably tell you no. Cancer affects everything.
This is one reason why I think that offering choices whenever possible is so important to people who are fighting cancer. Hearing the diagnosis of “you have cancer” can make a person feel as if every ounce of control has just been taken away. So that’s why whenever possible, I feel that control should be given back to that patient.
Using breast cancer as an example, many patients undergo a combination of some type of surgery and then possibly radiation and/or chemotherapy and hormone therapy too. These conventional treatments have helped save the lives of millions of women over the years, and I’m grateful that they are around to help us.
At the same time, I don’t believe medicine, even the field of oncology, is a “one size fits all” type of field, so I always like hearing from patients how they were given some options and that their doctors worked closely with them to determine what plan of action would be best for them.
I also always love hearing about additional, more alternative treatments that patients use to help them heal. Things like naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, spiritual support, and other things of this nature have been shown time and time again to help many cancer patients get better. And in many cases, it seems like these types of breast cancer treatments are especially valuable in helping patients feel like they are getting back some type of control in their lives again. For example, even though your oncologist might recommend the type of surgery that a cancer patient will undergo, the patient can probably determine if acupuncture and/or laughter therapy is right for her, and feel like she is taking charge of at least some aspect of her health once again.
In reading about this topic online, I came across several medical facilities that offer breast cancer treatment options that include both traditional and complementary medicine. These places all seem to share one goal in common: making sure each patient is well-taken care of in her whole body, not just the area that is affected by cancer.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America have a detailed section on this issue on their website:
www.cancercenter.com/breast-cancer/treatments.cfm
And Fox Chase Cancer Center, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also has a section on their website that explains how “better treatment leads to better outcomes” for their patients:
www.fccc.edu/cancer/types/breast/treatment/index.html
The Mayo Clinic’s website also offers a great section about their comprehensive breast cancer treatment process:
www.mayoclinic.org/breast-cancer/
Have you or someone you know battled breast cancer? What were some of the things that your oncologist offered to help you feel like you were back in control again? What are some things that you wished had been offered to you that were not? I look forward to reading your stories and feedback!