After receiving confirmation that this, indeed, was MY pathology report and I, in fact, did have cancer in my right breast, the research and phone calls began in earnest. This was real. When my brain is swimming in questions and I lack knowledge, I immediately seek it out (books, videos, Googling, input from trusted friends). My husband is also a great researcher, so our days and nights in those first few weeks were consumed with watching myriad YouTube videos, reading a half-dozen books (thanks to Amazon Prime), and speaking with close friends who had experienced at least some of what I was about to experience.
Was cut-burn-poison the only treatment option? What about alternatives and complementary treatments? Could I increase my chances of survival by doing twice as much. [Did I just write that word “survival”?]
The more I studied, the more confused I became. Occasionally, the sources contradicted each other, depending on the how I phrased my query. I spoke to Girlfriends#1, who had a lumpectomy, no chemo, and 4 weeks of radiation 6 months prior to my diagnosis. And then I gathered input from Girlfriend#2, who had a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation 20 years ago. Although their type and stage of breast cancer was different than mine, their experiences still provided insights into how they managed through various treatments, side-effects, and recommendations for oncologists, surgeons, and facilities. Even with all that info, there was so much more to distill before my next steps.
I’m retired now, but my career was in the field of technology (selling, marketing, strategic planning). For decades, my method for turning confusion into actionable data to analyze was to create a spreadsheet. That’s just nerd-talk for making a list with columns and rows. My first Excel sheet contained:
- Questions for my surgeon (how soon, surgical options, risks, after-effects)
- Questions for my functional GP, since he would be more open to complementary treatments and supplements (how to protect my gut microbiome, options to reduce side effects while not diminishing the oncology treatments)
- Online research from reputable cancer organizations (possible treatments complementary to cut-burn-poison)
- Helpful supplements
- Dietary suggestions – what to eat/not eat (my oncologist didn’t have strong advice on this topic other than the standard of care answer every US physician gives regardless of medical issue…”eat Mediterranean diet”)
- What to measure throughout the treatments (more on this separate chart later)
I slept better after aggregating all this info into one spot. My questions would at least be a bit more coherent.
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8
My Next Steps 