rapidseal49 said:I figured it was about time I jumped into the conversation and shared my own thoughts on this...
It feels like we’ve been stuck in this agonizing cycle for five months now, and it honestly looks like we're approaching the end—the worst part of it all.
My cousin, born in '84, is facing a very difficult illness. I want to lay out the timeline of everything that has happened.
When he was around 14 or 15 years old, he dealt with some kind of intestinal issue—specifically an illness involving the colon. If I recall correctly, it’s the same condition that Denis Latin struggled with, something related to a perforation of the intestinal wall or a similar complication.
Following his treatment and the surgery to remove part of his colon,
He went right back to his regular routine, sticking strictly to his prescribed medications and maintaining a rigorous diet—cutting out alcohol, processed meats like deli slices or prosciutto, and anything overly spicy. He did all this because his doctor told him back then—which sounds absolutely terrifying in hindsight—that he had the perfect physiological foundation for developing cancer.
Unfortunately, at that point in time, nobody—not him and certainly not his family—really understood the gravity of the situation.
Everything was going smoothly until last December, when my cousin started complaining about some back pain. It didn't seem like much at first, but after spending days bouncing between hospitals in two different cities, he finally got a diagnosis at a major medical center in Chicago. It turns out there are metastases on his spine, which have left him unable to walk and are causing him constant pain.
After undergoing two surgeries, having three moles removed—with silicone implants put in their place—and enduring four or five rounds of radiation... they told me the metastases on my spine had been cleared. Or at least, that was the belief at the time.
But honestly, that was the moment when we really should have been able to pinpoint exactly where the epicenter was located.
Following the recent PET scan, the results showed a primary tumor measuring about 1.5 cm located right at the junction where the small intestine meets the large intestine, along with two small lung metastases, both roughly 1.2 mm in size.
The decision has finally been made to move forward with chemotherapy. It was a difficult call, though, because her liver function is currently so poor that the doctors were extremely hesitant to even start. They were genuinely worried her body might not be able to withstand the treatment.
He’s currently undergoing his fourth round out of the six total therapy sessions that were prescribed. On top of that, he's taking some medication to support his liver function, and they've just added some bone density treatments to his regimen as well.
It’s possible that his spinal metastases may have progressed while he was undergoing chemotherapy—is he experiencing any neck pain at the moment?
Things are looking pretty grim right now, and I have to admit, I’m starting to lose a bit of hope.
I still have a few questions I'd like to pose:
I honestly find myself wondering: why didn't he just go through with the surgery to remove the lesion?
It still isn't working, and honestly, the mental toll on the whole family has been devastating. I think most of you probably understand what we’re dealing with once the chemotherapy kicks in—the constant nausea, the digestive issues, the migraines... it just wears everyone down.
How can we best support him through this?
And as if the misfortune wasn't bad enough, they go on to prove that...
His mother was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and now she’s starting her treatment process as well...
Is there any hope left?
Hi everyone, please excuse me if I start drifting a bit off-topic here.
Well, it’s been quite a while since I last posted anything here, so I figured I would just go back and quote my own previous words...
The agony just keeps on going...
After enduring several months of chemotherapy and dealing with the absolute nightmare of side effects—the constant vomiting, those brutal headaches, and especially the digestive issues where he was running to the bathroom up to ten times a day—things have been incredibly difficult.
Things were only getting worse...
He’s lost nearly 110 pounds, he looks so much weaker now, and he's still having to rely on crutches just to get around...
I have to be completely honest here and admit that, at no point, did he actually follow the one thing his doctor insisted on: his diet.
It seems his struggle with Chronov began during his teenage years, all stemming from poor nutritional habits. Because he was strictly forbidden from consuming alcohol, meat, or other specific foods, he ended up developing cancer—largely because he failed to follow those dietary restrictions even just a tiny fraction of the time. At this point, due to that history of poor nutrition, it looks like he won't be able to recover.
I know that this disease is an absolute thief—it takes everything from you—but I can't help feeling (and it’s easy to play the expert after the fact) that there was so much more that could have been done.
I used to bring him books on nutrition and spend quite a bit of time talking through the details of macrobiotic diets and similar lifestyles. Since I maintain a very healthy diet myself and stay active with sports, I felt like I had some actual insight to offer, but none of it seemed to make an impact.
He just went through the chemotherapy sessions, and that was really it...
Today... his doctor decided to pull the plug on his treatment...
I think everyone here knows exactly what that implies............................😢
