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Someone left me a message wanting to ask me some questions about Lyme and coinfections and they have cancer also. I really don't know anything about how this plays out.
For those of you that had Lyme and then got a cancer diagnosis...did all lyme treatment go on the back burner? Did chemo cause your lyme symptoms to worsen due to down regulation of your immune system? Does chemo kill Lyme and confections?
Did you eventually restart Lyme treatment?
If this happened to you, wow! This is a whole other scenario entirely. This must be hard to talk about but if you can give me a little information we can help this women.
Thank you!
-------------------- unsure445 Posts: 824 | From northeast | Registered: Jun 2008
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I had undiagnosed Lyme disease for at least 3 years BEFORE getting a breast cancer diagnosis. I had unrelenting fatigue, both physical and mental. I had profound cognitive difficulties and was unable to work. I was being treated for "chronic fatigue syndrome" at the time.
Fortunately, the cancer was early stage. Fortunately, I had clean lymph nodes. Fortunately, there was an "integrative" naturopathic doctor associated with the breast cancer center I went to. She helped me with supportive therapy, supplements, diet, exercise, and compassion.
I was treated with lumpectomy followed by 8 weeks of radiation therapy. I got through it better than I expected. I did have an increase in fatigue, so I rested more. I had no radiation burns or redness due to following naturopathic recommendations.
I was fortunate to not be required to have chemotherapy. It was offered as an option by my oncologist, we discussed it, and decided that the risks outweighed the benefits, in my case. Today, there are special tests available to match a person's breast cancer type either to specifically identified chemo, or it can possibly determine whether chemo will be helpful (statistically speaking). If it's about breast cancer, ask the oncologist about this.
I did have 5 years of hormonal therapy, in my case it was tamoxifen. After a few years, it put me into menopause.
Other supportive therapies that were very helpful to me included: Reiki treatments,acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, practicing Qigong, yoga, and meditation, reading uplifting materials, finding a fabulous support group.
I did not get the Lyme diagnosis for 2 more years after the breast cancer diagnosis. Then treatment began. I was very, very sick from the Lyme treatment, especially in the early years of it. In many ways, I felt much worse and sicker from the Lyme treatment, than from the cancer treatment...that's hard for me to say.
With cancer, I had so much support, a team of medical professionals focused on helping me through a frightening, insecure, and difficult time. I felt like they knew how to help me, treated me with respect, offered me choices, gave their recommendations.
With Lyme, I searched for 5 years, while very sick and dysfunctional, to find help and proper diagnosis and treatment. It was lonely and frustrating, my life was in limbo, people didn't understand, friends fell away.
So, to anyone effected by cancer: take heart. Find a great cancer treatment team. Understand your options. Get support. Do what you can for yourself, such as eating well, resting, and maybe some qigong or yoga...it is empowering.
Best wishes for hope and healing.
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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Thank you for telling me you story. You have been through and overcome so much. You sound like a very strong person!
I am not sure yet if the women who called me had cancer or Lyme first but this information will help for sure.
Frightening that the Lyme treatment was worse. People would never know this and Lyme patients deal with this very much alone. I recently broke my ankle and the pain is nothing compared to random, overwhelming pain I would have from Lyme disease.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post! I will be passing on your wisdom. Be well!
-------------------- unsure445 Posts: 824 | From northeast | Registered: Jun 2008
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yes I have too, saw one person with babesiosis, he had a swollen spleen, etc. he was dx'd with non hodgkins lymphoma, he had those night sweats, nodules, he was a landscaper, he didn't believe in the babs dx bec of his conventional MD, some wonderful onco, BUT the CHOPS -an old standard chemo for Hodgkins along with rituximab a monoclonal antibody helped him lots, he got rid of all the sweats, chills and nodules. I do think chemotherapy can be useful for babesia!!!!
Posts: 532 | From Texas | Registered: Oct 2004
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