Functional Doctor Appointment

[Ardie1970]

Hi Beautifuls!

I had my 1st visit with the functional guy yesterday. Let me first start by saying the guy I am seeing was a MD for years and switched to FM because he wanted to work more on prevention of disease than treating the symptoms. He now teaches at universities as well. My appointment was great. He mainly was getting all of my info. I will have some kind of test that digs deeper into what all is going on in my body besides hormones of course because those are obviously going to be down because of my treatment. Anyway, I gave him my history, what treatment I am on, etc. He is going to be delving into all of this and we will meet again in 6 weeks. As far as supplements and all, I will not know for another 6 weeks. He did say most people don’t come to him until they have exhausted all that medicine has to offer. He is reaching out to my oncologist as well. Overall I believe this is going to be an excellent complementary treatment to what I am doing. I will continue to keep you all updated.

[MyMiracle13]

Thanks. That sounds interesting. Is Functional Doctor another term for Integrative Oncologist? Will wait for your update after 6 weeks

[Ardie1970 in reply to MyMiracle13]

Functional medicine is a more individualized type of medicine focusing on each person individually. They look more closely at why you are sick than treating symptoms.

[IzzyZorro]

Bravo to you for finding a functional medicine doctor! My naturopathic oncologist is also an MD and I love the support and knowledge he brings with his experience. I have seen on YouTube some videos about functionanl medicine. Very informative!Good luck to you with your treatment!

[Ardie1970 in reply to IzzyZorro]

Same to you!

[Hidden]

That sounds very interesting and thorough and nice to have another way of looking at things. Do keep us informed of your progress.Clare

[blms]

Other than my onco team at Lombardi, I have been seeing a Chinese doctor and seen a functional meds guy, whom also was an MD from Georgetown before he went on his own. But, I haven't spent the time and money in past couple of years to see him with all the new developments. But, I am not intrigued once again, thanks to ARDIE1970.

[Beryl71]

I've not heard of a functional doctor before. It will be good to hear how it goes. X

[love2golfwell]

Sounds like a great visit. I am so glad he is reaching out to your oncologist so they can coordinate treatments. I think that will be very important moving forward. I would love to find that type of doctor here to work with my oncologist but I don't think she would be open to that. Anyway good luck and please keep us posted about what you learn.

[Ardie1970 in reply to love2golfwell]

I am not giving my oncologist any choice to be honest. Here is how I see it...we walk into their office, they love to remind us how there is no cure, and tell us the best we can hope is that we get you more time. Well, if that is all you have to offer fine, but, there are others out there who can offer other things that you are not.

[Hidden in reply to Ardie1970]

That's just how I feel, Ardie. While I really like and respect my oncologist she told me the first time we met that I could not be cured. So I have had no qualms with seeing an integrative doctor and including additional protocols to help me. He has helped me so much! I wish you well with your approach.

Sophie 💐

[love2golfwell in reply to Ardie1970]

Good for you! My oncologist has never said she can't cure me, she just keeps telling me this is a chronic disease like diabetes and that there are lots of treatment options to give me more years and she thinks I can do well for a long time. I know that there are some things that I may refuse to do if the meds I am on stop working if the new treatments do not give me a good quality of life. She does not believe supplements really work, but I keep reading articles and watching videos that say they can help. I am currently reading a book called Beating Cancer Through Nutrition that is for cancer patients who are being treated with standard medications, but would like to improve their chances of survival with healthy eating and supplements. I truly believe these things can help, too. I feel that knowledge is power and gives me a sense of more control of my illness so that is does not define me.

[Andibo in reply to love2golfwell]

My Oncologist sounds just like yours. She said to look at this disease as a chronic disease and we have to monitor and tweak as we go along. She is very collaborative and considers any and all information I bring to her.

[Ardie1970 in reply to love2golfwell]

That’s awesome...mine however remind me monthly there is no cure. No one has ever said anything about chronic, and certainly nothing about how long I have. I fired my first oncologist because she basically said 18 to 24 months and then 🤷🏻‍♀️. I think they are scared of my liver Mets. Anyway, I am kinda on my own. I am 51 and have a 10 year old. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I am responding well to their treatment and I feel really good. Very rarely do I have side effects.

[love2golfwell in reply to Ardie1970]

I am so sorry your doctor gave you time limit and I would have fired her, too. I have read many articles and some books that say that people who survive the longest have a list of all the things they have to live for. Wanting to be here for your child is definitely something to keep fighting for and doing whatever you can in addition to what your doctor recommends. I have two children in their 20's, a daughter who is married and a son who is in a wonderful relationship. I want to be here for his wedding and for grandchildren. So far I am doing well too with not many side effects. Stay strong and keep looking for the best treatments, both medical and natural. Hugs

[Ardie1970 in reply to love2golfwell]

I have 4 older kids too...this one is just our surprise! One is married with 2 kids and one on the way. I plan on going to MD Anderson after my next scans and will probably let them run my treatments and just get them done here in Boise. It is a fantastic city but small comparatively and I doubt very seriously they have ever really dealt with someone like me other than in training. They seem pretty stuck on what treatments to use that you get off the internet. Not a whole lot of thinking outside the box.

[love2golfwell in reply to Ardie1970]

You are blessed to have a big family and grandchildren, too! I think that is a good plan to go to MD Andersen. Have heard good things about them. I know doctors have a standard of care plan, but every patient is so different not just with subtypes but also with body types, other health issues, etc. I don't believe in a one size fits all way of thinking. Also, I really think that oncologists should have training in nutrition and natural treatments as a complement to traditional medicine to make them more well rounded. Best of luck to you!

[Iwasborntodothis in reply to Ardie1970]

My sister lives six years with stage four inflammatory BC and she saw her boys through milestones like high school - we were never given a timeline and she was not even given any of the new meds we have available to us. My doctor will not give a timeline unless you need it for an insurance pay out. I think your plan and attitude will take you a long way as will your mama bear instinct 🙏❤️

[mariootsi]

Please keep us updated!

[mariootsi]

I have been talking to an integrative doc, but not happy with him. I'm going to look into functional medicine. The only problem is the Medicare won't pay for it!

[Ardie1970 in reply to mariootsi]

I am so sick of insurance deciding what treatment we can receive.

[mariootsi in reply to Ardie1970]

I know! They won't cover acupuncture either, which my integrative doc suggested. I had acupuncture when I was working and it helped so much. Now I can't afford it!

[Ardie1970 in reply to mariootsi]

I went to my first session yesterday. We have a non-profit here that charges $20 a session and you get discounts if you buy a certain number. I really enjoyed it.

[mariootsi in reply to Ardie1970]

Oh I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. I'm going to look into financial help to pay for visits! Didn't even think of checking for help.

[Ardie1970 in reply to mariootsi]

My functional guy sent me there. I wouldn’t have known without him.

[love2golfwell in reply to Ardie1970]

Me, too! I think it would be great if they would cover some more natural treatments that may help us and not cause undue side effects.

[8576]

What could possibly be wrong with eating healthy and giving you a good feeling. I am not sure about supplements. We need to be careful that they don't interact badly with the Cancer meds. Also, that they truly have helped many people not just a few. Sandra's juicing, in combination with her meds, seems to be working for her.

Cheers, June S.

[love2golfwell in reply to 8576]

I have found that my oncologist is more interested in the proven science of medicine. Although she thinks it is good that I try to eat healthy and exercise, whenever I try to ask about supplements I can tell she does not believe in them. I know there are things that can interact with Ibrance but when I asked Pfizer people they only said no grapefruit, pomegranate and seville oranges. They never said there would be interactions with anything else.

[8576]

This tread is so interesting. I am having the same problem. My oncologist only wants to prescribe what he has been taught. I think they can't go outside the box because they are only licensed to stick to the regular protocol. I am at a crossroads again having to decide on a meds change. Of course, we don't agree on how to proceed. I am going to try to get a second opinion again from my wise older oncologist. She is one' smart cookie'. I am not going to follow what my current oncologist is prescribing. I am on Verzenio 100mgs. twice a day which I am tolerating very well. He wants to go to 150mgs. and add in Tamoxifen. While I understand the thinking behind this Tamoxifen has caused the wall of my uterus to thicken noticeably and while I had a painful biopsy the first time and it showed no problems it is happening again. He wants to continue anyway and keep checking, in hopes it doesn't produce disease which Tamoxifen can do.He isn't saying it but maybe my chances are slim to non anyhow so he wants to throw everything in the mix he can to improve my chances.

Decisions. Decisions. Thank heavens for Health Unlocked.

Cheers, June S.

[8576]

Oh Sandra, thanks for the wonderful encouragement. Did me a world of good. I did ask if there wasn't something else to combine with Verzenio and he said no, because I had progression on all of them. Mind you I never felt we gave them a fair chance but you know how that goes.

He also rejected the idea of waiting for the next scan in favour of increasing the dosage. And he felt waiting for the next scan to add in the Tamoxifen would be to late if there was progression. Not sure I would agree.

Yes, I am the Captain for sure. You know we are on the same page when it comes to quality of time over quanity of time.

I was expecting my oncologists would be the Captains but they can't take chances or go outside the rules. They only give advice and then leave it up to the patient.

I will let you all know what the second opinion says.

Cheers, June S.

[IzzyZorro]

I will be curious to see what supplements he puts you on. This is such a journey and it sounds like you and I may be on a similar path. I have my regular oncologist who is in support of the naturopathic oncologist, fortunately. Best wishes to you as you continue your healing journey!