![]() Facing Breast Cancer with Homeopathy and Humor My Mother’s Courageous Story Sophia Tesch, Yahoo Contributor Network Oct 8, 2011 I'd just seen the play Unbeatable, at the Phoenix Theater, it was an amazing story about a woman fighting for her life against Breast Cancer. So it seemed a bit surreal to me a few months later when my mother and I had a phone conversation and she told me they found "something" during her routine mammogram. That something turned out to be Stage 1 Breast Cancer. It was as if God knew we would be going through this as a family and gave me a ninety-minute training session in theatrical form. The play gave me some insights that became very valuable as my family and I attempted to be there for my mother during this battle for her life. Over the next nine months, my mother began her treatment. She went through many emotions. At first it was "This can't be happening." which transitioned to "How did this happen?" to "Who is responsible for this happening?" to "Oh shit this is happening!", and finally, "This happened, what are we going to do about it now?" When my mother wanted to know "Why?" because, she's a very analytical person, she went through an inventory of everything she may have done "wrong". She had hormone replacement therapy, could that have been the cause? She eats a fairly healthy diet, goes for walks for exercise, and took homeopathic supplements every morning. She doesn't smoke, drink or eat overly fatty foods. She felt that all of this due diligence should have bought her some sense of security. The fact is she had done nothing wrong. But Cancer didn't care. Chemotherapy treatments began just a week after the diagnosis came through. The doctors were amazed how well mother did. My mother took homeopathic remedies since the early 1990's and continued to supplement the Western medicines given to her with some Eastern herbal assistance. She took garlic capsules to help prevent discoloration of her nails which is a common side effect of chemo therapy. She took calcium to keep her bones strong and 1,000 IU of Vitamin D in addition to multi-vitamins and Immulox spray to keep her immune system up the spray prevented secondary infection from occurring in her mouth and gums . She took a natural laxative to help with the constipation that accompanies chemo and CoQ10 tablets to help combat "chemo brain" and fatigue.Cell Food, rebuilt her cells from chemo, and arnica pellets taken under her tongue, while she placedarnica lotion on her legs which helped keep down the swelling and heal faster after her lumpectomy. She wore sea bands on her wrists; they are elastic, covered with fabric that had a hard plastic nub on them. They are found in travel stores and at some drugstores, they are usually used to combat motion sickness. My mother used them as an acupressure that helped prevent nausea caused by the treatment. The doctors were impressed by how quickly my mother healed and took to the treatment. All of these remedies were helpful, but they were unable to prevent the inevitable hair loss that goes with chemo. This was one of the hardest things for my mother to go through. She and her hair dresser, who was also a Cancer survivor, went through the process ceremoniously. My mother was unable to get her usual perm and color, something she treated herself to once every few months and that may have been one of the most difficult realities of her recovery. She was able to go and choose two wigs from a local group who offered wigs to Cancer patients but in Arizona the wigs were hot and uncomfortable to wear. She tried scarves but they always seemed to slip. She was frustrated as she tried to figure out what to do. Then my mother, with her usual style, found some felt beanie hats in bright happy colors and decorated them with broaches of various patterns and designs. It was a good solution and with this problem solved she went on to face the rest of her ordeal. We gave her even more love during those trying months. My mother kept a great attitude and sense of humor through the whole process, which may have been her greatest tool against the Cancer that was foolish enough to invade her. When the text came through on my phone two days ago, "Mammogram clear 2 years cancer free!", a warm feeling of relief and joy filled my heart. It has been two years and nine months since the day my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It has been one year since my paternal grandmother lost a very sudden battle with Breast Cancer, within four months it was over-- Cancer won. After hearing about my grandmother I called for an appointment to get a mammogram, being forty years old it was on my to do list, but I didn't consider it a priority. My mammogram came back clear which was a relief. Prevention is the key, if there is a battle to be won get into the battle right away and take the Cancer out while it's weak if you can. Don't allow it to take hold. My mother is a very strong and courageous lady. I am so thankful and blessed to have her around to be my mother for many more years to come. For more information about Breast Cancer visit: Cancer Hope Network http://cancerhopenetwork.org/index.php?page=gehttp://cancerhopenetwork.org/index.php?page=getmatchedtmatched Breast Cancer Support http://www.bcsupport.org/
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