Ovarian Cancer Meets Alternative Medicine - Part 3

Ovarian Cancer Stories - Part 3

What to do?  WHAT TO DO?

Ovarian Cancer Alternative Treatment?

For the previous 25 years or so, I had been playing with natural stones and their healing properties, was a regular recipient of therapeutic massage, studied numerology, astrology, Native American Animal Medicine, had been introduced to Louise Hay and the idea that sometimes dis-ease occurred as the result of emotional wounds left untreated.  I had a very limited understanding of the different types of alternative medicine.  I believed what little I did know regarding alternative therapies.  I was on a journey to see how all the pieces of Kim fit together, and if alternative therapies might work for me.

For the last couple of years, I had been seeing advertisements on television for different types of alternative medicine available through a cancer treatment facility. The ads said that this particular facility considered body, mind and spirit in their treatment of cancer. Their regimen included western medicine, eastern philosophies, Reiki, massage, and meditation.  Their ad said they incorporated many alternative therapies and used several different types of alternative medicine; their list went on and on!

Unfortunately for me, catastrophic student insurance does not cover such facilities and alternative medicine treatments were unavailable to me through their facility.  So, if I wanted to explore alternative health medicine options and alternative therapies I was on my own. I was no longer interested in exploring different types of alternative medicine, or in merely dabbling with alternative therapies; I now had a mission.

Well, as I said, the prognosis for stage 3c ovarian cancer is not a good one. Based on what I read about ovarian cancer, the one and only time I looked it up online, it said there was a 70% chance my cancer could come back within 5 years. I'm only 48, I'm not done with school, I'm not ready for this; YIKES! I chose to close the computer and pretend I never happened upon that little nugget of not so helpful information.

So, while I was being a mom, fighting cancer for my life, healing from my surgeries, undergoing chemo, fighting my insurance company for my medical coverage, and finishing my degree, I also started an intensive, self directed crash course on alternative health medicine.  I found myself reading and studying many types of alternative health medicine and alternative therapies.  I was searching for anything and everything that would help improve my chances.

We live in the information age, and there is no shortage of available information.  I found ‘stuff’ on alternative health medicine, alternative medicine treatments, alternative therapies and list upon list of different types of alternative medicine.

The problem I ran into was in trying to figure out the answer to all the questions that kept popping up.  Questions like: what types of alternative medicine was pertinent to my brand of cancer; where should I go to identify which alternative therapies were right for me; what is the difference between alternative health medicine and alternative therapies; if I choose to partake in alternative medicine treatments, will it negatively affect my traditional treatment; how much information do I really need; is this path the right path, the best path, or even a helpful path.

Ugh, so much information!  How do I even begin to sort and sift my way through all of this stuff?

Follow this link to read my ovarian cancer survivors story in its entirety.