im thinking of stopping my radiation on my breast?

Question

i think the risk are too high,,i had surgery the lump is gone.
im thinking of trying the herbal way to health,,my breast is in too much pain and i still have 5 weeks to go.im all ready so tired
i think they are giving me too high of dose the onocolgist at our breslin center are rude the doctor ignore's me on pain..i asked if i could take asprin and the stupid doctor wont even answer a simple question. they all have a horrible bedside manner..i quit

Answer 1

Do not stop. But definately talk to your doctors. If they don't want to listen to you, threaten to go to the AMA (American Medical Association) and lodge a complaint against them. They are supposed to HELP you, not HARM you. Once you mention the AMA, I'll bet they change their tune. Try it please. Good luck and my prayers are with you.

Answer 2

Change docs, ANYTHING, but DON'T quit. I had colon cancer. I had chemo first, 25 rounds of radiation, surgery, then 10 more rounds of radiation. I went thru the chemo just fine. The radiation didn't start affecting me until about the 8th round. I had a treatment 5 days a week for 5 weeks. I am 5'8" tall and got down to 108 lbs. when I had my surgery. It was all I could do to get dressed in the mornings I was so tired. Ask your doc to write you a script for ProSure, made by the makers of EnSure. It's expensive but it WILL help. Also ask for script vitamins. They are loaded with iron, which will help with the tirdness. I wanted to just give up so many times, but I wanted to live more than I wanted to die so I hung in there. I'm glad I did. This coming Jan. I will be cancer-free for 5 years and that is when they say you are officially cured. My husband passed away 2 mos. before I was diagnosed and I had NO ONE to help me do anything. Had to ride public transportation about 35 miles one way to Nashville every day for my treatments, but I made it. And darlin', if I can do all of that I know you can. I'm kind of a couch potato anyway, and I considered that a lot to go thru even if you felt good, let alone being as sick as I was!!!!! So hang in there, have faith, and if you believe in the Lord ask him to help you thru all of this. He or for those that believe in some sort of higher power, sure helped me thru. Tough it out, I promise you, you will be glad you did a year from now, when you are sitting on your puter having a good time like I am right now!!!!!!! Good luck and don't be a quitter!!!!!

Answer 3

NO, YOU DON'T QUIT...not as long as there is hope for complete cure. Yes, it's painful...very. Don't just ask for medication for pain, demand it. You have patient rights...use them. Doctors and all other health care professionals can be rude and arrogant...some of the rudest are some of the best...I'm not defending that, but they're job is to save your life! If I had the choice between a "nice" doctor or one who knew their stuff, give me the "jerk" every time! Call the Doctor's office every half hour starting tomorrow morning, and request something for pain. If you don't like that one, go to the Emergency Room and tell them you need something for pain...believe me, they'll get an answer from your Doctor! You can do this! I promise!

Answer 4

Don't quit ! Stand up for yourself, make the doc listen to you. Talk to his nurse, find another doctor. My Oncologist downplays everything. I was pretty healthy before breast cancer, but this dude always acts like none of the sideaffects have anything to do with the treatment. The nurse seems to know better or is just more compassionate. I am sure you have a regular doc. Go talk to him/her is everything else fails. I had to resort to that route before and I got the meds I needed. Don't give up. Make sure you get all the treatment so this darn cancer doesn't get a chance.

Answer 5

First, tell the doctor how rude he is being... remember you are paying his salary (even arrogant doctors need a reality check sometimes) be honest... Sometimes Dr's don't realize how rude they are because they are so busy. If the doctors won't give you the time of day seek another clinic or get a referal to a physiatrist
who specializes in physical rehabilitation and will help manage your pain. Finish your radiation, you want to make sure it is completely gone so you don't go through this again.

Answer 6

I'm sorry that you are having a bad experience with your oncologist. If you really feel as though you can't continue, then quit. I know when they did the diagnosis on my mom they removed her breast but they Did not give her radiation treatments. Her cancer returned and came back with a vengeance. I pray that you will make the right decision. I've heard that a herbal remedy does work.

Answer 7

Please don't give up just because you have extremely rude doctors, can you go to another oncologist or out patient cancer hospital or clinic for a second opinion on the amount of radiation you are having?

The lump is gone you said, but have you been declared cancer free? Please think very, very carefully about this, you don't want to regret it when the cancer returns and god forbid you lose your life.

Please look at other options before you quit the radiation.

I wish you the very best of luck, and hope you recover quickly no matter what you decide.

Answer 8

I underwent 6 rounds of chemo and 30 days radiation for breast cancer two years ago. The pain that I had from radiation was because of the burn, but they gave me aquaphor to help keep the skin moist. You can take Tylenol for discomfort, at least that is what I was told.

If your oncologist won't listen to you, please try talking to your primary care dr. It gets so frustrating to have to see so many doctors, but please don't give up! Perhaps they can give you a break so you can heal up a bit more and then resume treatment., my best friend was able to do that with her treatment.

Another good friend gave up on chemo and tried the "holistic" route. She died two years ago last month at the age of 50.

Answer 9

Sounds like you need to get a second opinion, and a different doctor, one who will listen and answer your questions. Your treatment plan depends on the type and severity of your cancer. Don't quit, keep going, and good luck.

Answer 10

I'm sure I'll get a lot of "thumbs-downs" for this one, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion, so... here's mine.

Regardless of what anyone says... your doctors, oncologists, family, friends, people here on Yahoo! Answers...

IT'S YOUR BODY.

We all get one... what we do with it is our choice. No one else's. No one else can make that decision for you. You know your body better than anyone else. But, above all else... KNOW YOUR OPTIONS. Know the benefits and risks of every decision you make. Don't rely on doctors to tell what they are. Educate yourself... I promise, it will be the most empowering thing you'll ever do.

With that said, I offer you this link, and sincerely hope that it helps you take the first steps to self-enlightenment.

http://www.newstarget.com/011701.html

It's called "Beating cancer -- how to take charge of your cancer cure and outlive the lies of the cancer industry," and it's some of the most interesting reading I've ever come across.

But bear in mind... above all... it's YOUR DECISION.

Take care.