Suzanne - oncotype DX test denied!

[Guest guest]

You are making perfect sense. The insurance ccmpanies are penny wise

and pound foolish. It is my understanding that chemo costs some where

in the range of 6,000 a pop. You should have seen what I had to go

through to get a FISH test to verify my Her2 status. The onc was

reluctent to have it done as it cost 400 dollars. He wasn't reluctant

to recommend the chemo though! My percentages for chemo were the same

as yours and I passed. I will give the onc credit, he did not

recommend Herceptin, though I was positive for Her2, as congestive

heart failure runs in the family. That and the AC chemo could have

been a disaster as far as I was concerned. When I can get a guarantee

that the treatments are " better " than the disease, I might give tham a

go. Am currently feeling pretty good and seeing a naturopath. Would

your doc know of any in upstate NY that would do the vit. C treatment?

Good luck.

Ruth

> >

> > Hey Y'all,

> >

> > I grew up on the theories of Linus ing (My Dr. Dad was a big

> fan). I'm still leery of IV

> > Vitamin C for these reasons:

> > 1. If you max out on C (like 10,000 mgs daily), you'll give

> yourself scurvy when you quit.

> > 2. Don't assume that only the " good " cells are getting the benefit

> of the therapy.

> > 3. During radiation, it is a good idea to back of off major doses

> of antioxidants as the radiation

> > is hoping to create free radicals in the cancer cells to wipe them

> out. Healthy tissue can survive

> > for an eight week period without antioxidants, but - hopefully -

> the cancer cells won't.

> >

> > If I were going to do it all again, and I hope never to have to

> test this theory, I would

> > concentrate on bio-available antioxidants found in food/juices. I

> don't think we've improved upon

> > the GI tract's ability to absorb and use vitamins. Make every bite

> as nutritious as you can. I

> > drank lots of organic pomegranate juice, and organic vegetable

> juice during chemo treatment. I had

> > dose dense therapy, 4 A/C, 4 Taxol. I had no side effects to the

> chemo, and didn't even need the

> > Neulasta for the last three Taxol treatments.

> >

> > But, it is your body and you have the right to do whatever you

> please with it. It might be fun to

> > query the doctor as to the specific benefits of IV therapy as

> opposed to simply ingesting large

> > doses of C. Coming from a large medical family, I love it when

> patients ask detailed questions and

> > get detailed answers. Remember, the doctor is your employee

> (please don't let this hack off any

> > doctors on the list, but we are all familiar with the " I am the

> great big Doctor and you are the

> > itty bitty patient " syndrome).

> >

> > Take care,

> > R.

> >

> > Ruffing

> > Grade 3, Stage IIIA, ER/PR+, HER2 neg, 4.9 cm and 5 nodes positive

> > Chemo and radiation completed 9/28/06

> > Mastectomy, no reconstruction

> >

> >

> >

> >

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>