Sending love to everyone who’s lost someone close.
Angela Wright's post actually prompted me to jump in here. I've been checking this thread pretty much religiously ever since my mom was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. Honestly, reading through this helped me wrap my head around the situation and figure out how to deal with all the chaos that comes with a diagnosis like this. Luckily, Mom is doing okay after her Whipple procedure. We caught the little bastard early on—apparently, because of the jaundice, you usually catch it before it's too late to even consider surgery. We were lucky enough to get her into the OR, though man, the recovery and the surgery itself were brutal. It wasn't just hard on her, either; our whole family was thrown into this sudden, confusing mess overnight. But she fought like a lioness to recover, while my sister and I were busy fighting battles on every other front just to make things a little easier for her.
I'm just happy today because Mom is holding up. In the end, we didn't need Kemo—we got two different medical opinions on that, and decided against it. Just regular checkups now, taking it one day at a time. 🙂
It took her some time to wrap her mind around how her body was going to function differently now, but overall, she’s doing good. At the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters. 🙂
Linda Morales66 said:Last night, around 10 PM—barely a month and a half after getting the official diagnosis—my mom passed away... just a few hours after I went to see her one last time to say goodbye.
Honestly, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I actually teared up reading this. I’ve been following your fight closely. Hang in there—stay strong, especially for the little one.🙂
I haven't posted much here, and honestly, I don't even know what to say right now. My mom had a CT today because her oncologist ordered it, and now we're just waiting on the follow-up to figure out our next move. Physically, she's doing relatively okay; if she could put on a few pounds, that wouldn't be a bad thing. Mentally... I don't know. She's acting brave, but I can tell she's constantly overthinking everything. But hey, she's doing alright for now, and that's the only thing that matters. We'll deal with the rest as it comes.
Thanks to everyone in this thread for selflessly offering help and comfort, and a huge thanks to Angela Wright. Her posts have helped me more times than I can count.
@ Raymond Jackson38, please accept my deepest condolences as well.😢
Angela Wright said:I honestly don't get how people pull that off. From what I know, it’s illegal to import any kind of medication or supplement from the States unless it's already registered here in the US.
The rules are strict for actual meds, but for vitamins or anything labeled a supplement, it’s usually not an issue. 🤷
We've been ordering stuff from the US for years because the prices here are insane. 😵 And we've never had a single problem. Occasionally we have to pay customs if we go over the limit, but that's about it. Given everything we deal with regarding health issues and trying to manage chronic conditions, we've ordered a ton of different stuff over the last few years. You can find the exact same things locally, but they're a rip-off. For example, this Solgar Beta Glucan sells here for more than double the price.
We even order specific American brands that aren't even available stateside, and again, zero issues. You just have to be smart about it—stick to reputable sites and trusted brands.
Regarding beta-glucan—we usually order my mom's from the US. I stick with Solgar because they seem legit. We get 60 capsules delivered for about $20, whereas here it's closer to $83 if I recall correctly.
That said, when you're buying stuff online, you really have to watch your back. There are plenty of scammers out there trying to sell junk.
We’ve had some bad luck ordering similar supplements for other health issues in the past, unfortunately.
Around here, prices start at $83 depending on which brand you pick, the concentration, and how much you're getting.
Blue, just stay brave and keep that positive mindset 🙂
My mom just went through a massive surgery last week. It was bile duct cancer—a brutal, eight-hour procedure followed by an ICU recovery that had us all on edge. Honestly, I think she’s still in the thick of it, but we're pushing through. If we can make it past 11 days in intensive care, I’m really hoping we’ll be in the clear soon. 🙂
Angela Wright said:Look, you’ve gotta face reality right away: they’re there to screw you over. They basically just Googled "how to act human" to get by. The bottom line is getting Mom surgery ASAP. At the end of the day, you only need the surgeon for the procedure; the oncologist handles everything else. Just accept that communication with people like that is going to be garbage and focus strictly on your own situation and solving the actual problem. There's no other way. I’m telling you this from experience, and I bet others here can back me up.
Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know. You're right. Dealing with my own health issues taught me plenty about how "compassionate" hospitals actually are. Honestly, anger is probably the only thing I have left because I'm just completely sick, and then I don't even know... I guess I'm just wasting my energy.🤷
We're trying so hard to keep her head above water, so it kills me when she hears stuff like this—especially three days before a surgery where she really needs to be calm.
Look, if there's any silver lining here, it’s that surgery is actually on the table to get that tumor out. She’s staying brave and keeping a positive attitude, though she might be a little in denial at times—I just hope that’s not just a front for everyone else. We need to push her to talk about what she’s feeling, whether it's with us or a counselor at the hospital if they have one available. She brought it up yesterday, so we need to see today if that procedure is a go. There's no other way: you just have to dig deep, find every ounce of strength you've got, and take it one day at a time. Right now, the main goal is making sure that surgery scheduled for next week goes perfectly and they get that tumor removed. 🙂
I start typing a post, delete it, start again, then delete it all over... My mom was just diagnosed with bile duct cancer. Between the flood of info, the medical jargon, and all the "what if" scenarios, my whole family is losing our minds. The plan is surgery next week to get the tumor out, but she called me today totally worked up. Apparently, during her latest consult, the surgeon was being "sensitive" about the surgical plan—he was acting as gentle as a newborn calf on ice. I’ve spent the entire day wrestling with how to get her out of the hospital (away from here) and move her back to the city, but it feels impossible. She doesn't want to go, and with her symptoms—the jaundice and the itching—we can't exactly bring her home and figure out the next steps there. I don't know. We’re trying so hard to stay positive and keep her spirits up, but then one sentence from a doctor sends her straight into a depression. We all know this is a massive surgery. We know there are risks, and we know even if it works, we have a long road ahead. But shouldn't the patient be calm heading into something this intense instead of being discouraged by the way things are handled? 🤷
This emotional rollercoaster is brutal. There are moments where I feel like this isn't actually happening to us... and then suddenly, I'm just paralyzed with fear.
I’ve been scrolling through this entire thread—there is so much courage in here. I just hope we find enough strength and everything else we need to get through this.🙂
Look, honey, I’m not even sure she’d actually want that, even if it looks pretty tempting on paper. 🙂
Honestly? It feels like a total slap in the face to all of us dealing with this crap right now. 🤷
I caught her on a segment with Stanković the other day and I actually had to walk out of the room halfway through. There were moments where I felt genuinely embarrassed just being an American woman at the same time as her. But hey, people voted for her, right? She isn't some outlier with weird ideas—she represents what a lot of people are choosing, and that’s what really sucks. 😢
Anyway, I won't go off on a tangent anymore; that's not what we're here for. 😉
Look, >, I’m not claiming to be some saint compared to you or anyone else on this board. Maybe I’ve just realized I need to watch my tone a bit more carefully if I want to stay out of trouble here 😉 . I don't think you're actually being malicious, but I totally get why Livada reacted the way she did 😉 . Honestly, I wouldn't wish even ten pounds of extra weight on her. When you step back and look at your life versus hers, you're winning by a landslide—simply because you're actually happy, regardless of the chaos . The only thing left to feel for her is pity. Everything else? That's on her conscience . Take care of yourself and hold onto that tiny bit of peace you have 🙂. Nothing else is worth the stress . Livada, I’m saying the exact same thing to you 😘
I remember once seeing a woman on here say that some acquaintance of hers deserved whatever tragedy hit her just because of how she acted. It honestly sickened me to see one woman wish that kind of thing on another, regardless of what she’d done. I wondered what kind of mindset you have to possess to even think that, let alone type it out. But look, this is a public forum; we can't see facial expressions or real-time reactions, we only see the words on the screen. That’s why it’s smart to think twice before hitting post—we don't all process things the same way. What might seem like a harmless jab to you feels like nothing but a nasty comment from one woman to another to me, especially since you only know people on MiM through their writing. 🤷
A smarter woman would have just said: God forbid she ever has to go through what I went through, and may she have an easy life with zero problems.
That’s exactly what I wished for that user mentioned earlier, and I hope that's what actually happened. 😉
I’m not the type to talk behind people's backs, so I’ll just be direct about how I saw and felt this situation. MiM wrote something—likely without thinking it through—that wasn't exactly classy. My guess? She was just angry and phrased it clumsily, which made the whole context look bad.
Furthermore, Anthony Watson35, I don't think there's any point in fanning the flames, and that's exactly what you're doing right now, which I'm not a fan of. 😉
Man, I remember when $27 was insanely overpriced... 🤣 Anyway, I grab their pastries for parties at my place all the time when I can't be bothered to bake, and they’re honestly killer... plus their cakes are amazing. Honestly, $37 per pound isn't even that bad if I'm grabbing a couple of pounds. If I ever get the bright idea to get married again, one look at current prices would definitely talk me out of it. 😬
These blueberries are way too sweet 😉 but they aren't cheap either. Last time I picked some up, it was $37 kg... and I bet wedding catering prices are just as insane these days I mean, seriously, how much has the price per pound of dessert gone up since my wedding 🤔
Not sure what the price is these days, but when I ordered about a year and a half ago, it was $20... It takes some time for them to get the delivery sorted out... basically, they bring over the cookies you need, all packed up exactly how you agreed. When they came to my place, they had everything pre-portioned onto paper plates based on what I asked for, and just left the rest sitting on the table. There were even a few extra pounds tucked away in a refill box.... Honestly, they're great because they're super flexible with everything you want to work out... plus, the cookies are killer.
Man, I felt like such a pain asking about the deposit, but in the end, she was just like, "Don't even worry about it..." We figured out we had some mutual friends in common, so maybe that’s why she wasn't pushing for the cash.
Lido carries them—well, they used to, but I’d bet they still do. They’re from that M&M bakery... their cakes and pastries are incredible, though they aren't exactly cheap. I think Little Lola had one of their cakes recently and was absolutely obsessed. Just curious though, why would you think Lido (the diner) makes cakes? Or were you thinking of a different Lido?
Small batch cookie place—everything there is top-tier (I’ve probably asked this a hundred times already, so just search if you want). I used to grab them all the time and they never missed. Tom and Ana supposedly kill it too... I haven't tried them myself, but I’ve heard nothing but good things from basically everyone I know. I can't speak to the first place, and I'm not sure about the Lido spot either. Is that like the Lido Diner? Because the diner actually stocks M&M cookies...