Sales Pressure and Integrative Care
Hello friends,
I hope this finds you all doing well!
I decided to share one more story from the days following diagnosis because I hope it helps others if they face a similar situation.
INSURANCE CONVERSATION
If you read my first blog post, you may recall Tod and I met with the first surgeon one week after being given news of breast cancer. This surgeon had the full pathology report to share with us of Triple Negative Breast Carcinoma, Stage 2, and suggested the “trifecta” of neoadjuvant (pre-surgery aid) chemo for five months, then lumpectomy or mastectomy, then five weeks of daily radiation if I chose a lumpectomy vs. mastectomy.
What I didn’t share in that post was the conversation about chemo and insurance. The conversation began with me asking the surgeon about having surgery before chemo (instead of after like she prescribed) or fore-going chemo and only having surgery. She said the purpose of having chemotherapy before surgery is to reduce the size of the tumor before surgery to improve the outcomes of surgery.
She then stated that insurance would NOT pay for chemotherapy unless done BEFORE surgery. Really? We had never heard of that being the case for anyone else. She also suggested we select a chemotherapy oncologist by the following week to get the ball rolling.
SALES PRESSURE
We left that appointment in a daze. Not only was I in shock at the news of Invasive Ductile Breast Carcinoma - Triple Negative – the “most aggressive” type of breast cancer and the gut punch of potential treatments, but I also felt trapped with a prescription for treatment that did not make sense to me. To make matters worse, I felt pressured to begin chemotherapy quickly and not question 1) having chemo or 2) the order of treatments because (supposedly) insurance would not cover chemo if we chose surgery first.
Outwardly, I started to cry as inwardly my mind, heart, and emotions were struggling to process everything.
Anger set in when I realized what had happened. I felt like a customer pressured by a salesperson who says they must buy within a certain time period to receive all the benefits of a deal or lose out.
Because this presentation did not sit well with me, we got appointments at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for a second opinion. At MUSC, we met with a surgeon, chemo doctor, and radiation doctor and NONE of them mentioned anything about insurance paying for chemotherapy ONLY if it was performed before surgery. And none of these doctors pressured me to do anything. They simply presented their recommendations and my options.
Why would the first surgeon say I must do chemotherapy BEFORE surgery for insurance to pay for it and the MUSC doctors not mention that at all? Why, AFTER I had the lumpectomy, did my MUSC surgeon suggest chemo if insurance would not pay for it?
Whether the first surgeon’s motivation was monetary or a genuine belief that her prescription was the only or best option or a combination of both, I don’t know. What I do know is it was a fear-based tactic, and my acceptance of it would bring monetary gain for her employer and the shareholders involved – about $1,000,000 total if I chose chemo, surgery, and radiation.
I later learned from a practitioner in the same hospital system as the first surgeon that they are trained to encourage patients to move from diagnosis to treatment in NINE days. It’s a good sales and business model and a lucrative one, as well.
Thankfully, there are at least some variations in approach in the medical system, as I found out with a second opinion.
Yet, I experienced how broken the medical system is. Doctors have limited time slots with each patient, and their time is expected to be used for billable procedures, pharmaceuticals, and surgeries so they and their employer are paid by insurance.
Doctors and nurses are not trained in nutrition and alternatives and additions to the “standard of care” treatments that can benefit the patient.
The patient loses out on these beneficial treatments and, I would argue, may lose their life or quality of life prematurely. It seems like medical heresy to say that, but I don’t know what other conclusion can be drawn if the treatments cause so much damage that some people end up dying from a reoccurrence that could have been prevented or from complications standard of care treatments cause.
Cancer can be treated with natural means that “first, do no harm” as the Hippocratic oath states and achieve great results. Hopefully, this blog will help those diagnosed to understand the conventional treatment path alone is not their only option.
TREATMENT PATH OPTIONS
If you or someone you know is facing a diagnosis and making decisions, here are the different categories of treatment paths to consider:
1. Conventional/traditional/Standard of Care treatments only
2. Alternative/natural treatments only
3. Integrative care combining conventional and natural treatments
INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT
My choice has been integrative in that I chose surgery to remove the tumor and repurposed drugs and natural treatments to kill the circulating tumor cells and stem cells.
IF I had chosen to receive chemotherapy or radiation, I would have also integrated alternative and natural therapies, supplements, and treatments that are specifically used to enhance the effectiveness of chemo and radiation, potentially reduce the dosage and damage, and mitigate the side effects. Among the many options, I would consider:
Cleansing the body of toxins and strengthening of the immune system before starting treatment or surgery
Fasting before, during, and after chemo treatments
Circulating Tumor Cell Sensitivity testing for chemo and natural agents (RGCC) (to know what will work best for you)
Chronobiological (determines the best time of day for administration) and Metronomic (low-dose) chemotherapy
Ultraviolet blood irradiation (increased immune response and red blood cell production, reduces pain and infection)
High dose Vitamin C before chemo and radiation (improves response to treatment and helps the body heal faster)
IV Mistletoe extract (activates defense cells and programmed cell death in cancer cells, blocks new blood supply to cancer cells, reduces fatigue and nausea, improves appetite, sleep, and energy, and more)
Targeted supplements, repurposed drugs, dietary choices, and exercise
Functional medicine practitioners provide some of these therapies. I recommend seeking out the help of a doctor or practitioner who will help you address root issues and select natural treatments to help you heal. I did #1, #6, #7, and #8.
My growing library collection includes books by integrative doctors or practitioners who began practicing as M.D.s and later added functional medicine (root cause) treatments and immune-building practices because they saw better results with the conventional and alternative treatments combined vs. traditional treatments alone. Many of these doctors experienced a personal or family health crisis that highly motivated them to look outside the box. These doctors have decades of experience and research that validate the efficacy of alternative modalities.
From the many doctor interviews that I have listened to and research articles and books I have read, it is clear that if a person does conventional treatments, they will fare better if they also integrate modalities that support the body and immune system, preferably starting before surgery or conventional treatments begin.
GET IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
I realize not everyone will take the same route as me. However, I want to encourage all patients to research natural and integrative additions or alternatives to conventional care that give their bodies the best chance to heal and respond to conventional treatments and overcome the collateral damage they bring.
I hope patients will listen to interviews of survivors who are thriving after employing natural and integrative treatments, even after a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
I hope patients will read books, articles, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
I hope patients will get second opinions.
I hope patients will ask good questions, such as “How much difference will chemotherapy make for life expectancy?” For me, that difference was only 6-8% for 5-, 10-, and 15-year life expectancies. For other chemotherapy plans, it is only 2-3%! That’s a lot of damage to the body for a small reward.
I hope patients will ask the same question about radiation to find out what data the oncologist has for the patient’s type of cancer, age range, and sex regarding life expectancy and reoccurrence. Surprisingly, radiation can decrease the likelihood of local reoccurrence but does not affect survival.
I hope patients will weigh the risk/reward ratio before deciding if a treatment is worthwhile. Radiation and chemo can be beneficial in reducing the size of a tumor and relieving pressure and pain. Radiation and chemo are carcinogens themselves, meaning they can cause cancer and reoccurrence.
We need to know our options and get in the driver’s seat.
If you or someone you love has been given a diagnosis or reoccurrence, please share with them my recently updated “What Has Helped Me Most” PDF and the research articles regarding chemotherapy and surgery on my Resources page. I have listed some books and podcasts if you desire to learn more. I’m grateful for all the things I have learned. I’m happy to share other things I’ve learned and resources I have collected that are not on that list, as well. Feel free to contact me.
God is not limited by any decision. People take different paths, and there are great outcomes reported in a variety of approaches. I have a long prayer list of people who are going through cancer treatments, and I support them in each of their journeys. HE is our Healer!
HIDDEN TREASURES: Inner Fight
One of the hidden treasures of this journey has been lessons learned on “Fighting Cancer.”
This phrase is repeated often, putting a cancer patient in warrior mode.
Is cancer my enemy? Not really. Those cancer cells are MY cells that became unhealthy because of ME. They became mutated because I have made poor choices over time and not addressed the root causes of my poor health. Rather than “fighting” those cancer cells in my body, I want to take care of my body to get a healthy immune system in place that naturally prevents or kills cancer cells.
I recognize that it is the evil one called the devil who I fight. In a sinful, fallen world, there is sickness and disease, which he intends to use to kill, steal, and destroy.
How do I “fight” cancer? I fight by putting on the armor of God. I fight by doing all I know to do to help my body heal as God intended. I’m grateful for the inner fight that has risen in me. Fighting takes faith. Fighting takes effort. You cannot stand down and fight.
Whatever your battle is, you can do the same!
Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
John 10:7-10 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Health update: I recently received results from my third Signatera tumor DNA circulating tumor cell test and a fourth CA 27.29 breast cancer antigen test, and they are Negative and Normal, respectively. Yay! I’m continuing the journey to whole health, currently working on building up the good gut bacteria with probiotics, balancing vitamin levels, and enjoying life!
