Posts by wanderingharbor61

jadetinker42 said:Ugh, when is someone actually going to bring some light to this thread?😕

I catch myself wondering about that stuff sometimes too—but honestly, everything clicked for me once I saw that post from Elizabeth Gonzalez55 with all that good news!

My mom is fighting the exact same battle right now—honestly, I’m just crossing my fingers that she sees the same positive results you did.

So, I called up a friend the other day just to wish her a happy birthday—nothing crazy, just a quick check-in—and she hits me with this: "My mom has a tumor in her eye, we just found out." Just like that. Total bombshell. 😢Man, what can I even say... listening to her just takes me right back to those first few days when I found out about my mom's diagnosis. It was total shock—just pure disbelief and that gut-wrenching fear you can't really describe.
So, I’ve been told I need surgery over in Austria—well, let's just say an overseas specialist facility—and I'm trying to figure out what the deal is. I don't actually know the exact technical name of the diagnosis because, honestly, I wasn't exactly eager to dive into all those scary medical details—I just didn't want to deal with it—but something about melanoma in the eye was mentioned. Does anyone here have any insight on this? 🤷

shadowmason6 said:Sorry if this is a bit off-topic!
I feel like I read this somewhere else—I don't have the time to dig through everything right now—but according to some law, do we actually have a legal right to get copies of all the test results from the hospital?
The thing is, we finally made a decision and scheduled my mom's surgery at a different hospital... When they discharged her, she only got the discharge summary—which had the test results and doctor's notes filled out properly—but they wouldn't give us the originals. The nurse just said she couldn't. The CT scans are what I really need.

After a positive biopsy, 😢 Mom was referred to an oncologist, who needed to see her mammogram and ultrasound. She went back to the surgeon who performed the operation, and he handed everything over to her—even though everyone knows the hospital usually keeps all the paperwork.

Bottom line is, here in the States, everyone has the right to choose their own hospital or surgeon. Just keep pushing for those papers; it’s common sense for them to cooperate with you, and I really hope they do!

Hang in there, everyone!

I was hoping someone could share their experience with interferon treatment—my mom is really curious about it too. We were just talking about it, and I told her I’d post a question here on the forum! First off, we’re looking for info on side effects, and also whether this drug is covered by Medicare.

I’m honestly drowning in all this information—it's overwhelming. Does anyone know what’s actually worth taking to boost the immune system, maybe some herbal supplement to help alongside the therapy?
I’ve been reading up on noni, propolis, macrobiotics... and obviously, I get that she can't just take everything at once!
For now, we got her some freeze-dried royal jelly. She’s taking it twice a day and feels okay, but she’s super skeptical about anything "alternative"—she’s even thinking about quitting it altogether.

Any info or advice at all would be great!

shadowmason6, I'm so sorry to hear about the failed colonoscopy—hang in there!

Regarding the decision on how and where to get treated, just let Mom handle that. At the end of the day, it has to be her call!
That’s exactly how we handled it—we gathered all the facts, but for a few days, she wouldn't even talk about it. At one point, she even said she wanted to give up because she felt fine right now, and who knows what happens later... Of course, we weren't having any of that, so she decided to continue treatment back home!
As for what the whole thing will look like or what's waiting for us after the surgery—honestly, I have no clue🤷!

To everyone fighting this, and to the families and friends standing by them—stay strong🙂!

slyseal28 said:It feels like we’re all dealing with the same thing—that feeling where nobody in your immediate circle actually gets what you’re going through.

I’d just add that, honestly, it’s usually the people we barely know or have just met who step up the most. The ones we actually expected to be there? They just... vanished.

But whatever, don't even waste your energy worrying about them. There are plenty of good people out there standing by us. I’m seriously looking forward to when our association raises enough cash to throw a massive get-together so we can all finally meet in person. Sending love to everyone!

I'm with you on that—I see it every single day while dealing with my mom's illness. People we haven't seen in years suddenly pop up just to ask how she's doing or if they can help out 😍!

Elizabeth Gonzalez55, I am so incredibly happy you got those PET/CT results back today, and even happier that everything came back clean 🙂! That is huge news! Now you can finally focus on your baby! Best wishes!

I hadn't actually posted anything about Mom yet—I was just living in this limbo, waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed, the scans, all that...
But here's the update: the PET/CT showed some metastasis in one lymph node. They’re going to go in and remove it via surgery in about three weeks, and then it's straight into therapy.
Mom is doing okay, though. She’s staying positive, and ever since she found out there’s a surgical plan in place, those depressive slumps haven't been nearly as frequent.

Hang in there, everyone. We've got a fight ahead of us!

Linda Peterson37, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss 🙂!

Hey Amanda Miller69 🙂, I wanted to send my deepest condolences 😢!

Michelle Wood3 said:I caught that segment and immediately thought of you.
You guys were actually pretty great during that short window they gave you 👍

I'm signing off on this—huge props to you ladies👍!

Hey everyone on this thread!

Melissa Kim45 said:Amanda Miller69, hang in there. 🙂

Nancy Thomas18, don't let them get to you! 🙂

Everyone—newcomers and veterans alike—just stay strong, you brave souls.👍

I'm with you all the way, wishing everyone tons of 🙂 and 😘!

Sandra Evans13 said:Thanks for getting back to me.
So far, Mom is doing great during recovery. She’s actually eating again—and she HAS AN APPETITE!!!
I’m shouting it from the rooftops because she hasn't eaten in five months... so this is a massive win and a huge boost for us right now... She started taking some Aloe vera gel, too. She should be getting her discharge papers from the hospital this Monday, then it's straight to chemo...
Hang in there, everyone...

God bless you, Sandra Evans13,
that's fantastic news—I'm so glad your mom is feeling better!

We definitely need more good news like this!

Sending my best to your mom and the whole family!

🙂 Hang in there!

Linda Peterson37 said:Hey everyone,
I’ve been spiraling into this weirdly dark headspace lately—it felt like maybe I shouldn't even post these thoughts here because I don't want to bring anyone else down—but there are a few things I really need to get off my chest...
...
and honestly, the more I dwell on it all, the heavier everything feels.
Sending love to you all.

Bog Lindsay,
I know exactly how you feel. Don't let the sadness win—sending strength to your whole crew, your family, and your friends who are standing by you, and especially sending so much 🙂 to your dad!

Look, I know it's easier said than done, but just focus on the people who are actually showing up for you in every sense of the word—and just tune out the ones who should be there but aren't...

As for us, we're hitting day ten since that brutal diagnosis. At first, my parents didn't even want to talk about it with us, let alone anyone else, but I can see them starting to open up now—we all just have to let it out somehow...

Some of our relatives and friends have been absolute rocks, offering help whenever it's needed, and we're seriously grateful for them—it means the world!

Back when Mom went in for surgery on that cyst (which we now know was actually a melanoma metastasis 😠), they told her it was just a routine procedure. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it or worry anyone, so we respected her call.

I actually kept some close family members in the dark for specific reasons—mostly because they tend to be pretty tactless and insensitive (I don't think she's *that* bad, but still...):
The second she found out, she came over asking how Mom was doing. I told her she was fine, thanks, but then she immediately started pivoting to stories about how someone else died, or how this guy passed away from it, or how there's a funeral tomorrow... blah blah blah.

I swear, I wanted to just scream at her to shut up. Mom was supposedly having a "routine" surgery, so what does any of that other stuff have to do with us?!
And I wanted to tell her thanks for the well wishes, too!

Now that we know the real diagnosis, I know this isn't the end of the road. Mom is incredibly tough. It's hard on her, but she isn't backing down, and we're all right here behind her to support her through this fight😍!

Hang in there, everyone. Best to you all.

Elizabeth Gonzalez55 said:Can you please tell me how you went about scheduling a PET/CT scan? Mostly I just want to know how long the waitlist is.

Elizabeth Gonzalez55, thanks for that massive info dump—really appreciate the encouraging words 🙂!

I spent today with my family and Mom is holding up pretty well. She was on the phone laughing with her sister, she even planted some flowers for me and worked in the garden... things are looking up a bit.

Regarding the PET/CT:
- There’s a specific protocol for referrals at www.mayoclinic.org/pet-ct, and apparently, a regular GP can't handle the paperwork—her oncologist didn't even realize that.
- We got an appointment date for the second half of May. If you don't have supplemental insurance, there's a co-pay through Medicare $433.
- Going private costs about 11 $0.00, but the appointment is also scheduled for late May.

We finally decided to just head over to Budapest instead. We sorted everything out today by talking it through and getting the paperwork ready—we've got an appointment there next week.
Now we could really use any insight from people who have been to Budapest for this kind of thing. Feel free to shoot me a DM!

Sending good vibes to everyone here. Hang in there!

Amanda Nelson54 said:My dad was treated at the local University Hospital under Dr. Soldic. Honestly, the guy knows his stuff—props to him—but the one thing I couldn't stand was how he delivers a prognosis. He’ll take the absolute worst-case scenario, make it sound even more grim, and then just throw it right in the patient's face. Then again, maybe it's better that way—getting hit with the brutal truth upfront instead of being coddled only to be let down later.

Regardless, as far as oncologists go, I'd definitely recommend him.

Best,

Thanks so much for the info, 😘, because if you had asked me about this on April 2nd, I wouldn't have known a single thing about it!

But hey, that's life—just gotta keep moving forward.

I was on the phone with my mom tonight, and she sounds good and is holding up well, which really cheered me up!

She saw a dermatologist who didn't find any suspicious spots, but since the diagnosis is metastatic melanoma, we're still waiting on the PET/CT results...

Sending love to everyone here—hang in there 🙂!

I totally blanked on asking—has anyone here actually gone through with a Second opinion yet? I'm curious what your experience was like.

THNS

Elizabeth Gonzalez55 sent you a PM. Sending love!

Linda Peterson37 I read your post—honestly, it’s great. It’s so important that your dad hasn't lost his sense of humor through all this. Keeping a positive attitude is huge, especially when things get heavy like this.

Sandra Evans13 I see you're also new here, just like me, and dealing with a total rollercoaster of emotions. Look, no matter how we feel, while our loved ones are fighting this awful disease, we just have to keep moving forward—there isn't any other way to do it.

Can anyone recommend a good oncologist in the Washington, D.C. area? We want to know who to call if we need someone.

Sending my best to everyone. Hang in there!

Angela Wright🙂🙏🙏 🙏,

Thank you so much—I am honestly losing my mind with worry here. My mom just got her diagnosis two days ago: metastatic melanoma, and well... you get the idea.

Back on March 13th, she had surgery to remove a cyst and an enlarged lymph node near her breast, which was sent off for biopsy. That's where the result I mentioned above comes from. Before that—actually, looking back now, I can't quite wrap my head around it—

about two years ago, she had this ulcer halfway between her shoulder and breast that got inflamed. Her doctor drained it then... but recently it flared up again. She took some antibiotics and they tried to handle it outpatient. Before that, there was a puncture; the results were negative, but after doing ultrasounds and a mammogram, they found that cyst which they recommended removing.

After the surgery, we spent two weeks living in this blissful state of ignorance, and then—total shock. 😲...

It’s not just that it’s cancer (though nobody in my immediate family has even said the word out loud yet—the extended family doesn't know anything because Mom refuses to tell them)—it’s melanoma, and it’s already metastasized.

I'm trying to help however I can, but I'm terrified. I'm constantly scouring the internet for info. As for the men in the family, they aren't much help beyond driving us around; they're basically paralyzed by fear and have no clue 🤷 how to even act...

For anyone who has been through a PET/CT scan: what paperwork do I need to bring? Is it mandatory to have an oncologist's opinion on a specific form, and what's the average wait time?

Best to everyone. To those fighting: hang in there and don't lose hope. And to the loved ones caring for them: I wish you all the patience and strength in the world to get through this and see a recovery.

Hey everyone,

Does anyone happen to know what the wait times are looking like at Mount Sinai?

Thanks!

silentowl7, for heaven's sake!
Question for you and everyone else here: if I put something like $667 on my Amex Gold, 😁 what's the damage—meaning, what kind of fee am I looking at?

Also, if I pull $667 using my Blue card this month—say, $20—and the statement doesn't even close until the 8th of next month, how much is the fee, and does interest start ticking from the second I grab the cash from the ATM?

Even though I’ve got a mountain of Amex cards sitting in my drawer, I've never actually done this, so I have zero clue how it works.🤷

TXNS 😉!

Douglas Miller50 said:Yeah, they definitely need subtitles since Mexican is a foreign language here.

🙂

Obviously they need subtitles—it's about time someone actually realized that👍!

David Nelson92 said:Look, you have card issuers—specifically American Express. If you’re holding an American Express charge card, you can just call them up and request a cash advance. You tell them what you need, and within maybe five to ten minutes, you’re good to hit up the bank. You get the cash the same day, which is basically instant if you don't want to wait. The catch? If you’ve been dodging your bills, they aren't going to approve the credit. From what I've heard, you need to be a solid, on-time payer for at least six to nine months first.

That’s why I stick with American Express.

I’m with you on all counts—I’ve had nothing but good experiences with American Express. Don't fall for those predatory high-interest loans!
🙂

Hey there, fellow Warner Bros. fans!

Look, the movie itself—the first one, anyway—isn't actually terrible, but let’s be real: you can't even put it in the same league as the books.

The books are the gold standard, period. I’m actually sitting here re-reading them for the millionth time. Back when they first came out, I actually read the first two in English because I couldn't wait around forever for the American translations to hit the shelves.
I have to say though, the American versions are top-tier 👍 and stay incredibly true to the source material—even those weird, newly coined terms they use for certain characters or spells are spot on.

Honestly, I’ll say it: the books almost always blow the movies out of the water!
🙂