Posts by Susan Watson3

Just checking in, it's been a while... ❤️
My son is currently on his third round of chemo. We won't know the actual status of the tumor until next month.
As for the chemo itself... I wanted to share what we've been going through. He’s handling it surprisingly well, which is impressive because this stuff is brutal (doxorubicin, etoposide, Vincristine, dacarbazine... there's more).
To fight off nausea, he gets Ondansetron injections at the hospital before things even start.
At home, I just follow whatever the instructions say on the box.
I squeeze fresh juices every single day using whatever is on hand—apples, carrots, oranges, tangerines, pomegranate, blueberries, pears, lemon... basically anything that tastes decent. I also drop 12 drops of Vit D3 into the juice.
One probiotic capsule every day.
He has bacon and a boiled egg every day too.
I make beef or bone broth that simmers for at least five or six hours (I make a huge pot that lasts a few days) and I load it with root vegetables.
Oral hygiene is NON-NEGOTIABLE!!!!! Brushing with a soft toothbrush multiple times a day.
We use Rojazol gel for fungus and rinse with sage tea. When the fungus really gets out of hand, he takes Diflucan for a short bit.
When mouth sores show up... Anaftin, propolis, sage, flaxseed slime + sometimes I give him a Coke. We stumbled upon the Coke thing by accident, but it actually helps soothe the pain, so I give it to him.
I focus heavily on quality nutrition every day... fruit, veggies, soups, some meat but not too much... teas with honey, and sweets only occasionally.

Between chemo rounds, I also give him Native propolis. Hedera did some research on it, so I trust it. As for how much the propolis alone helps, I honestly don't know.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in science. I'm incredibly skeptical when it comes to alternative medicine.
It drives me crazy reading those nonsense posts online claiming some random herb can cure cancer in 15 days.
Every day, we try to get out into nature. Whenever he's feeling up to it, we'll walk through the woods or a field for thirty minutes to an hour.

crimsoncanyon3 said:Actually, this is good news. We're looking at a malignancy with about a 90% cure rate. Good luck with the treatment.

If you want some tips on managing the side effects, check this out: https://www.oncology.org/chemotherapy-side-effects

Thanks a lot. I'll go see what it says.👍

We finally got the diagnosis today.
Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Chemo starts this Friday. If anyone has tips on how to make the actual treatment easier—or what helps during recovery later on—I'm all ears.
Right now, I've got him on raw propolis, aronia berry juice, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a beet-carrot-apple blend.

crimsoncanyon3 said:I agree. Getting good sleep is easily one of the biggest factors when it comes to cancer risk.
The reality is that lifestyle choices are dragging down diagnoses, which explains why we're seeing more young patients lately. Then again, better diagnostics play a role too—we're catching things in younger people now that probably would've slipped under the radar back in the day. It makes the data look different even if the actual situation hasn't changed all that much.
When you look at the numbers, young people make up a tiny fraction of all cases. We've seen this stuff pop up in kids and young adults before—it’s definitely not anything new.

When I asked my professor how my son's tumor might have started, he told me it’s possible it actually began when he was just a baby or a toddler. Apparently, it happens during cell division—cells just decide to turn into cancer. He thinks we're dealing with connective tissue cells this time. He also mentioned that if my son had dealt with something like pneumonia earlier on, an X-ray might have caught it sooner.

My son had surgery today, performed by Anko Antabak. They basically had to open his chest; they couldn't get the whole thing out, but they managed to shrink the tumor. Now we're just waiting on the tissue samples to come back from testing...

I need to vent about my son, so here goes....
The third biopsy results are back, and the tumor tested negative for everything they could find...
For the first time, the doctor actually showed me just how massive this thing really is... his entire left lung is smothered by the tumor, major blood vessels are completely wrapped up in it, and it’s leaning right against his heart..... My little Superman is taking this incredibly bravely, but he's the only kid in America dealing with this specific type of tumor. Our specialist, Professor Luetic, says he's doing everything humanly possible.
They've pulled together an impressive team of experts to look after him..
But even with all that, we might end up looking for a lifesaver outside the US...
The hardest part is that I don't even know what this damn tumor is called, which means I have no idea which hospital in the world would actually be equipped to treat it. The only tiny bit of comfort is that it's benign.

.

William Taylor46 said:Is there anywhere in Chicago where you can get a private lymph node biopsy on the neck? Like an actual biopsy—removing the whole node, not just a fine needle aspiration.

I think you could probably get that done at a specialized surgical center out in the suburbs. Just give them a call and ask.

crimsoncanyon3 said:From what I can tell, nobody’s quite sure what kind of illness we're actually dealing with yet. Based on where it's sitting, it could be a thymus tumor.

So, I talked to the professor today and managed to calm down a little. We should have the results by the end of the week, then we'll know our next move...
The diagnosis is a tumor in the mediastinum. The first biopsy showed it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes. But the PET scan shows it's wrapped around major blood vessels and pressing against the heart, measuring about 10x15cm... making surgery pretty high-risk.
They did a second biopsy via puncture—the first one was a surgical incision through the chest muscle—along with another PET scan and some more blood work.
Anyway, thanks for the reply. I'm all ears for any advice you guys might have. 👍👍

crimsoncanyon3 said:I get why you're impatient, I really do. But honestly, nobody wants the wrong treatment. You absolutely have to wait for those biopsy results to see what you're actually dealing with before deciding on a game plan. That tumor didn't just sprout overnight, so waiting a few more days isn't going to change the outcome drastically.

Yeah, I know. I get it. It’s just this constant dread while waiting that’s the worst part...
But fine. Do you happen to know any specific cases or maybe a reliable site where I could dig deeper into this disease? I feel like I've hit a wall with what I've found so far...

Oh, right, forgot to mention... It’s about 4x6 inches. He hit all the major veins, leaned right against the heart, and moved up toward the larynx. ������

Can anyone point me in the right direction? My kid is 16, and they found a tumor in his mediastinum—upper chest area. The first biopsy came back benign since it hasn't hit the lymph nodes, but it’s too large to operate on right now. We did a second biopsy and we're just sitting here waiting for the results. I'm hitting a wall searching online because this specific type is incredibly rare—maybe 5-8% of all tumors, and even rarer in kids. So, if you have any advice at all, please... ANYTHING would help.
P.s. He's being treated by Dr. Bilic from Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and Dr. Luetic from Pediatric Surgery over at Rebro Hospital. They tell me I need to be patient while we wait for the labs... but yeah, patience isn't exactly my strong suit right now.

Finally!!!!!!!!!!