Best friend's Cancer & my 'alternative therapies' worries

[54isanopendoor]

My dearest oldest friend, who has been my unofficial Adopted Mother for 35 years, has breast cancer. She has had surgical removal of the (small single) tumour & been offered radiotherapy: she's declined & plans on using alternative therapies to support her return to health. That is her right of course. If anyone in the world can research & use alt. th. correctly it is her (she has huge knowledge).

But, inside I'm screaming. My Partner & my Mother both died of cancer last year.
Both within weeks of Dx & both within weeks of each other. It was brutal.
This is NOT about me I know but I am so worried about her approach.

She sent me the email just yesterday. I have ordered her some flowers (she loved the ones I sent last month when she was having the operation so I'm using the same Co to send a bunch each month for the next 3 months). I was thinking of ordering the 12m subscription (i'm broke but they gave her a lot of pleasure & i'd do anything for her) but then I sat in floods in front of the order form wondering if I was 'tempting fate' & other such silly rubbish like that.

I know that my 'I'd do anything for her' includes supporting her health choices (& that's simply correct anyway, it's her life & her body after all!) but I'm worried.

She plans on using Floressence, mistletoe therapy, medicinal fungi & indole-3-carbinol. Does anyone know much about these therapies please?

I hope it's okay to ask this here & this is not triggering for anyone who reads it.

Age 75 there’s no way I’d put myself thru radio and tamoxifen. That’s not to say there will be any benefit at all from her alternative therapies, but I think she’s right to focus on quality of life. Be there with her to enjoy it.

@whathappenedtosummer23 thank you. I respect her decision completely. My worry was that she said she was considering radiotherapy & drugs but the Oncologist upset her so much she decided to come off the list. That worried me.

@user1471453601 thank you x. I hope you are well now x

@exexpat thank you. re 'muddled': I can only report what she has told me.
I understand, from a numer of helpful posters on this thread, that what sounded like a worrisome choice directed by the fact she's clearly upset re the Oncologist, might be a rational choice anyway. I will of course support her in any way I can.
I hope she is speaking to some national cancer charities too. I'll suggest it. Thanks.

Agreed

I think that's disgusting what the oncologist said to her. I would ask to see another oncologist. Also breast care nurses can take time to talk things through with her properly.

I also think her decision is reasonable.

She had a very early stage (limited to breast - no lymph node involvement) oestrogen receptive cancer. That is the best scenario out of all the different breast cancers apart from not having cancer.

If her breast cancer had been an aggressive type like Her2+ or triple negative, or inflammatory then she would have needed chemo and far more conventional treatment to survive past a couple of years max.

So, she's unlucky to get cancer, but very lucky getting that type (oestrogen) and stage (only in the breast).

(I had over a year of aggressive treatment for Her2 breast cancer: chemo, radio, etc etc)