I have become very anxious & apprehensive in the presence of doctors considering all that I had been through. I was treated for cancer in 2005; they started chemotherapy first due to the size of the the turmor (6.5 cm+). Chemo went from January 2 to April 13. I was still sick after chemo: constantly throwing up. I had my mastectomy on May 12. Shortly after the mastectomy, I started having a nonstop headache & continued to throw up. After 3 months, they figured out the chemo drugs poisoned my gallbladder (it was functioning at 15%); they removed [the] gallbladder on July 20. I was sick as as dog w/pain nausea, headache, an inability to eat, and on & on. In October, the oncologist hospitalized me with fever and dehydration and rehospitalized two additional times in November. The hospital then disclosed at the initial stay in October that I had MRSA (an infection you keep for the rest of your life & one that will constantly tax my immune system). The bacteria was at the expander site.
To this date, I don’t have a breast. And worst of all when the doctors couldn’t figure out why I was sick, they asked me to see a psychologist. I did, I saw two and both said: I was fine & that as soon as I got over this illness, life should resume back to normal. I have little faith in conventional doctors and THANK THE DEAR LORD each day for bringing Dr. Bowmen & and my other caretakers (Kitty & Sherry) at Harford Holistic Center to me. Obviously your grant made that possible for me. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH.
The center looks at me as a whole, they address all my issues & Dr. Bowmen has the experience of being conventional (M.D.) & holistic so I can get the best of both worlds. She takes the natural approach (herbal, etc…) in treatment, which is less obtrusive to the body. I have no side effects from any of the supplements/medecines/herbs that I take; IT’S GREAT!
In April, I’m hoping I can get a breast. My only option now is to have fat & skin removed from another site (w/4 surgeries at the breast site, there’s no more skin available for stretching). I’m scared to death because when I get weak, this MRSA takes over. So, I’ll need to be stronger that ever. I know I have no guarantees; however, I feel with a stronger system, I’ll be better prepared to handle anything. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THIS OPTION.
In closing I can’t tell you how grateful I am to this opportunity being available to me. I have life again and hope! I’m 43 and thought life was over and it’s not – a new chapter is just beginning!
Victoria