Yeah, count me in too, unfortunately... this thread is basically everyone's worst nightmare.
Three weeks ago, Dad got hit with a lung and bronchial cancer diagnosis. He was stuck in the hospital for a bronchoscopy and a chest CT... they found some small metastases on his kidney and one vertebra. They just tossed us back and forth between an oncologist and a urologist to figure out what to do about the kidney situation. The oncologist said we should go the palliative chemo route, but the urologist thinks what he sees is small enough to be operable—though he also muttered that it might not even make sense to bother since the fight should really be focused on the lungs. (He casually mentioned it’d be smart to get a head CT to see if anything is going on up there... obviously, we’d be waiting months at the hospital for that, so we ended up paying for it privately...) And yeah, turns out there is a tiny growth in his head, but apparently, it’s not causing issues right now. Fast forward to today: we were supposed to start chemo. We show up with all the paperwork, and suddenly the oncologist tells us chemo is pointless if it weakens him this much, because once his immune system tanks, they won't be able to touch the stuff in his brain. IT'S ENOUGH TO DRIVE YOU INSANE!!!.. If we hadn't done that CT privately, who would have ever known???!!! So now we're just driving back and forth to 68 miles Cleveland for all these tests, something new every other day, and then today they drop this on us.. The oncologist suggested the Mayo Clinic for radiation, maybe Gamma Knife, based on what I gathered from talking to my sister (she was over in neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic)... But there's no room for him. One doctor is on vacation, and the next one can't take him for another 15 days. Then some lovely nurse tells us we should at least drop off all the medical records in the morning so the doctor can look them over and decide if he needs an MRI. !!! If he needs it, he needs it, the doctor said... but in Cleveland, getting that done takes way too much time that he just doesn't have, and doing it privately is insanely expensive. So they "kindly" sent us toward the Mayo Clinic, saying it's a good shot—if they can handle the brain issue there, he might be able to continue with other types of radiation back in Cleveland, provided he handles the chemo okay. And so, they just keep running us in circles... The whole family is at a breaking point, and I've got two little ones at home (one's turning one soon, the other just turned three).
I don't even know how to feel anymore. I don't know where to look for advice or who to turn to.. "It feels like I'm just drifting in a vacuum." Just when we think there's a glimmer of hope, someone suggests it's all just a mess and that maybe we should just let him live out whatever time he has left..
Donna Chase12 said:Since I know you deal with E. coli every once in a while, it might be a smart move to get a Pap smear just to make sure it hasn't migrated up there too... basically, my doctor suggested I get one last week, because there's a chance my partner has it too and keeps passing it back to me every time I clear it... (if the test comes back clean, at least I can stop worrying)
Well, if you have a partner and this keeps coming back, it probably wouldn't hurt to get that swab done...
I don't know... honestly, feels like I've got it under control (cranberry juice is my lifesaver). I'll probably just run a urine culture... that'll tell me if it's actually hanging around. It's been a minute since I had to check, but I haven't really needed to lately.
Susan Brooks48 said:Oh, I forgot—maybe you should get your liver enzymes and pancreatic stuff checked out? Could be gallbladder issues too.
Back about four months ago, my labs showed slightly elevated liver enzymes—just a routine checkup after being on Jasmine birth control for six months—so I quit them immediately. I really need to go back for follow-up testing now.🙄
ALT 44 (10-36) GGT 60 (9-35)
The doctor told me I didn't need any actual medication, just to stop taking the pills.
Since we’re already talking about this... during those annual checkups, they usually just run a Pap smear. If everything comes back looking totally fine, nobody ever really asks to do any other swabs or whatever. I can't even remember the exact percentage for how accurate a Pap test actually is, but you know what I mean... What should someone do if they've literally never had anything done besides the Pap? I'm a little lost here, so I figured I'd just ask.🤷
Look, it’s not even about anything being scary... I’m telling you, my real issue is trying to track those back teeth... And being at the dentist (they were messing with one of my molars)... man, it was brutal... my stomach was just constantly turning.🤣
loneotter24 said:Hey, I dealt with the exact same thing about two months back. I tried going on this super strict diet for a week—just tea and dry toast. It worked for a bit, but then everything came crashing back three weeks ago. So, I finally decided to get some actual testing done. Turns out, my blood work showed H. pylori levels at three times the normal limit. My doctor put me on three different types of antibiotics. I just finished the whole round yesterday and honestly? Nothing worked. Now I’m looking into getting a gastroscopy scheduled so we can actually figure out what's going on inside. My take? Get a gastroscopy. Forget those little pills they give you to dull the symptoms; they just let you ignore the real issue while it lingers. 😁 It might also be worth doing a breath test for H. pylori instead of just relying on blood work, since that's usually more reliable. Check out this thread http://forum.us/showthread.php?t=202599 Cheers, hope this helps a little.
>Based on everything, I shouldn't be pregnant... Maybe just grab a pregnancy test just to be safe 🙂 You never truly know.
granitewolf6 said:I’d love to hear what you would actually consider "proof" that it doesn't work. For instance, if you give someone some homeopathic remedy—whether they know it or not—and nothing happens, would you call that proof of failure? And if not, then why?
The whole argument for homeopathy feels a lot like those old superstitions you hear from a grandmother out in the Midwest. Not my grandma, mind you—she's too sharp for that—but a friend's grandma.
That old lady used to say that whenever an owl hooted, "something bad was coming." And her reasoning? Well, she said the owl hooted the night she broke her leg, and it hooted again the night the neighbor's sister passed away. So, in her mind, an owl hooting means trouble is on the way.
But honestly, if an owl hoots every single night, it’s a statistical certainty that eventually, someone is going to pass away on one of those nights. That's all there is to it.
Whatever... just spit three times over your left shoulder (or was it right? 🤔) and hope for the best...😁 😁 😁 I mean, that's basically why this thread even exists. It's not like I'm out here popping homeopathic pills myself (I did try some stuff for PMS once 🙂), but I have heard stories about people finding relief with it. Now, whether it's 🤷 placebo or whatever... something is happening... I'm not an expert or anything, so I'm not trying to start a huge debate here.🤣
I don't know, man... I feel like I'm actually turning a corner day by day. Fingers crossed things stay this way for a few more days. If they don't, I’ll probably head in to see the doctor. Hopefully, that's the right call.🤷 Those tests mentioned above... ugh. A gastroscopy... man, yikes.🤣
I’ve been reading up on the evidence... look, you’re entitled to your own take...🤷
Think about it like this: if you give meds to kids without them knowing, or if you test stuff on animals and see how they react... why isn't that considered proof? 🙄
What’s the harm in letting her (the OP who started all this) give it a shot? It won't hurt her, and even if it turns out to be just a placebo effect... honestly, who cares, as long as she actually hits her goal.😁 👍
I've got some Gastall and Pepto-Bismol lying around—the old folks over here go through them like candy because of those ulcers—but I’m worried if I take them, I’ll just mask the symptoms and mess up the diagnosis... That's really what's eating at me. How long should I wait for things to settle down before I actually go see a doctor? It feels kind of silly to make an appointment if it turns out to be nothing. Don't touch my chocolate😉
I stayed away from it for the first couple of days, which meant I couldn't even have my coffee... But I'm feeling much better now (just one cup a day with some Nescafé and milk). I’ve never been one to overdo it, but my blood pressure runs low, so waking up in the morning is always a bit of a struggle.☕
I don't really knock it back every single day—it’s more of an occasional thing for me. If I start feeling a bit off, then I'll really lean into it... but honestly, it's working fine so far. Even just grabbing a Vindi Vital cranberry juice works wonders. Or if I'm out at a coffee shop, I'll just order a cranberry juice instead of whatever soda I used to go for...
Those little instant powder packets (one dose per sachet) are super handy. You can just toss a packet in your bag for work or, you know... wherever you happen to be wandering. Just one or two a day is plenty (two max). Mix it up with about half a cup of water—doesn't matter if it's cold or not—and you're good to go.
Joshua Robinson3 said:Homeopathy's successes are basically just pure placebo effect. ☕
Give me a break... I mean, they basically proved your theory wrong already—just look at how it works with kids and animals. If you can even wrap your head around an explanation like that.🙄
So, about a week ago, I basically emptied my entire soul into the Toilet... even the water I tried to sip while sprinting toward the bathroom wouldn't stay down. It was like my body decided to replay that dinner I had 2 or 3 hours prior, except everything ended up looking bright yellow by the end. After things settled down, I managed to eat an apple and finally crashed. Tomorrow's plan is mostly broth and tea... I've slowly started eating normally again, but I’m still getting these occasional dull aches in my stomach or right under my ribs. Plus, there's this weird sensation in my throat—like there's a lump there or I just need to swallow one more time. My digestion seems fine, though... it's been 7 days now. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the food itself since everyone else ate the exact same thing.
And honestly, there's no way I could be pregnant... I thought about heading to the doctor, but then I figured maybe my stomach is just totally wrecked from all that vomiting. 🙏 What do you guys think?