Posts by Joshua Garcia5

I watched the first three films purely for the narrative; everything was so perfectly woven together. I’ve never actually classified Saw as a horror movie per se, but I am definitely a huge fan.

It’s just that after the third installment, I stopped following the actual plot (though I've seen every sequel at least twice, and I still have gaps in my knowledge) and started watching more for the fresh concepts behind the traps and torture scenarios.😁

I remember watching the first one and thinking aloud how much I wouldn't want to cross paths with the person capable of designing those traps. By the end of the series, I found myself mentally brainstorming my own ideas.🤣

all in all, it’s an excellent series. The story might have been perfect if it had wrapped up with the third film, but hey—I don't regret watching the others. Personally, the third and fifth ones are my favorites.

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has been through this or has experience with it. My mom is currently switching her treatment plan from the AC protocol to AC-T, which means she’ll be starting four more cycles of Paclitaxel.

Could someone please tell me a bit more about this specific medication?

While I have your attention, I also wanted to ask about bone pain. She finished four cycles of her initial therapy and only felt mild discomfort then. Now, after just one cycle of this new regimen, she can barely walk and is in tears from the pain.

Are there any specific pills or teas that help? I heard somewhere that a glass of cold milk might assist—should we give that a try?

Sam Johnson7 said:Dear Sanja...

We all know about ginger—we’ve been drinking it since the very first round of chemo. In fact, the staff at our oncology ward were actually the ones who suggested we start using it right away.
I'll definitely give the rest a listen.

I am so sorry you're going through this; it really isn't easy. I’m doing my absolute best to stay by her side and be the strong one for her, but what happened yesterday was just heartbreaking to witness. I didn't let her see how much it affected me—I just held her hand through the whole thing—but man, it was unexpected. We were warned about nausea, but nothing prepared us for this.
I suppose that was actually to be expected.

Angela Wright said:Crushed flaxseeds soaked in warm water for half an hour (I just drink the strained liquid), some air-popped popcorn—you can pick up those little machines pretty cheap—and a Coca-Cola.
.

Alright, looks like we’re on the right track then. He's sipping on some ginger tea, snacking on popcorn, and even having a couple of sips of Coke. As for the oil—it's noted! Thanks. 🙂

She's been taking Reglan up until now, but honestly, it hasn't been doing much for her. Now, they've recommended Ondansetron—I think that's how you spell it, anyway.
Normabel is taking her meds, and she took some Peptoran yesterday, which really helped settle things down. She took it a bit earlier this evening, and thankfully, we didn't see a repeat of yesterday's struggle. She did do a little vomiting, but she's sleeping soundly now and everything seems fine.

vividsailor7 said:What kind of treatment is being administered?
As a first step, you can ask your primary care physician for a prescription for Regan.

She finished four cycles of the AC protocol as part of her adjuvant treatment. We met with the oncologist today to go over the latest tumor marker results. Her CEA was at 5.32 before chemo started, but after the fourth cycle, it has risen to 6.36.
My CA 15-3 went from 11.07 up to 15.3.

Based on these latest results—specifically the heart damage flagged by the ultrasound—and all that nausea he's been dealing with, his oncologist suggested switching from the AC protocol to an ACT protocol using Taxol. It’s not a done deal yet, though.

Sending strength to everyone navigating these kinds of difficult situations.

My mom underwent surgery for breast carcinoma on July 31st—they had to perform a total mastectomy. She’s been receiving chemo since August 29th. I don't have her latest medical reports on hand to type out everything right now, but I will once I do.

On October 31st, she finished her fourth cycle, and it has been by far the hardest one yet, especially tonight. She was doing more or less fine all day, then suddenly stood up, and she just couldn't stop vomiting for two straight hours.

She was in tears from the pain, crying out about how much her stomach hurt while simultaneously clutching her chest. My mother usually has an incredibly high pain tolerance, so seeing her like this today was truly devastating.

I'm wondering how I can best support her when this happens again? When things take a turn like this, she can't eat or even drink anything; she loses all her strength, breaks down in tears, and the vomiting just won't let up. Is there any way to make this easier for her?
Has anyone here gone through something similar who might suggest specific medications or teas to help prevent this?

Angela Wright said:From what I’ve seen:
When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, it acted like a massive filter for everyone in my life. It stripped away the masks. People I actually expected to show some empathy offered nothing but empty pats on the back, while folks I barely even considered part of my inner circle turned out to be incredible pillars of support.
In America, a cancer diagnosis is treated like this huge, terrifying taboo—it’s as if you or someone close to you suddenly became an alien. Most people just don't want to, can't handle, or simply don't know how to deal with it, so they end up spouting total nonsense, even when they think they're being helpful.

A close friend of mine told me the exact same thing after she lost her mother to leukemia.

She mentioned how some of her closest friends just stopped calling altogether. Then, weeks later, they'd resurface with the excuse that they "didn't know what to say" and felt awkward reaching out.
It really does make you feel like an alien; instead of getting support, you end up being isolated. I honestly don't get it. Cancer isn't contagious and it isn't something to be ashamed of. It's hard to believe so many people can't do better than falling back on those tired, hollow clichés.

Thanks again to everyone for all the responses. 🙂

To be honest, I’m not expecting anything from them. I actually mentioned that I don't want to talk about it constantly, because if I do, I start feeling like I'm exaggerating or being dramatic when I really shouldn't be.

Like boldwalker12 said, I try my best to laugh things off with them, or I'll head out with my boyfriend just to get my mind off everything... But there are moments where, while we're chatting about $667 or plans for the weekend, I wish someone would just check in on me—ask how I'm holding up or how I'm truly doing.

I'm not looking for pity, and I certainly don't want them to carry the weight of this problem for me. I just want to be asked how I am. Some days I'll tell them I'm fine, and other days I might open up a bit more.

But I agree, it's a tricky situation. Maybe they're just trying to give me space and not pester me. I think I'll try being more direct and let them know that avoiding the subject doesn't actually help, even if a little conversation here and there wouldn't hurt.

I really just wanted to see how others handle that social etiquette of saying "everything will be fine." Have you ever felt like you were "overdosing" on a certain sentiment? Like a movie you watched way too many times, or a song you played on repeat until you eventually couldn't stand the sound of it anymore?

*this comparison comes from a woman who described her discomfort similarly after everyone told her before her surgery, "It's just a standard procedure, like getting a tooth pulled."

I'm not going to write a novel just to avoid sounding repetitive, so I'll keep this brief.

First off, thanks to everyone providing some actual, sensible responses.

Like I mentioned before, I get that people fall into certain patterns of speech—I’ve even caught myself saying those exact things. But what I’m trying to get at is how I feel when someone tells me about something like an ingrown toenail for two weeks straight, and my response is essentially, "I'm here if you need anything, just call me."

Let's be honest: there isn't much anyone can say to actually make a heavy situation easier. That's just the truth. But they don't have to make it worse, either. There is a massive middle ground between telling someone "everything is going to go wrong" and blindly insisting "it'll all be fine."

A friend of mine was incredibly blunt with me once; she said she was more terrified of what the doctors might do than how her mom would handle the diagnosis. To me, that felt like a real, honest answer. It didn't necessarily make things easier or harder because I already knew the reality of the situation, but at least she showed she actually cared.
Of course, I’m not going to call my friends every single day and pester them 24/7 about my life. But if someone says, "She has breast cancer, and we don't know what comes next," a valid response could be, "Damn, I am so sorry. I'm here if you need me." It shouldn't be, "Don't worry, it'll be fine."😁 I can ask how they found out, when it happened, what the next steps are, or if surgery is on the table—anything just to show that I'm actually paying attention to what they're going through.

So, I agree that most people default to those clichés because they either want to change the subject quickly or they simply don't know how to handle intense emotions.
I’m not looking for a handout, nor am I expecting anyone to fly in the best surgeon from Mayo Clinic for me, but until I heard their problems, I wouldn't have judged them as being "pitiful." You can just move on.
Sure, sometimes people panic over nothing, and I’ve definitely told people to calm down and that things will work out. But at the very least, I listened to the problem first before offering any input.

It's that specific phrase that gets under my skin, mostly because it was thrown at me repeatedly by the very people I expected to support me.

Hi everyone

I've found myself dealing with a situation that is incredibly difficult to navigate, and even though my friends are supportive, they just don't seem to get it.
Let me explain the situation first, and then I'll address the title.

I chose this specific format because it feels more serious than the others.
I'm writing this because of what my mother is currently going through.
After battling four different incurable illnesses, she’s now facing a fifth. In my eyes, it's the worst one yet: breast cancer.
The doctors say they have to remove her entire left breast. That's "for now," at least.
I realize she isn't alone and that countless women have faced much worse, but it hits differently when you're dealing with someone who has been struggling with depression for years. She's already seen four different psychiatrists who basically gave up on her, telling us, "Psychiatrists are for people who don't understand why they are depressed. You already know why, so there isn't much more we can do." Dealing with a diagnosis like this on top of that mental health struggle makes everything so much harder.

Now, for the reason behind my title.
My friends have always been there for me, just as I've been there for them. But honestly, right now, I can't stand being close to them. One after another, they all tell me, "Don't worry, everything is going to be okay." I know they mean well. I truly do. But I simply cannot handle the empty gestures and the constant "it'll be fine" anymore. And no, I'm not blaming them, I'm not pushing them away, and I'm certainly not accusing them of anything. I'm also not looking for pity. I just want to know: have you ever been in a position where you thought, "If I hear 'everything will be okay' one more time..."?

Again, I understand how hard it is to navigate these moments and why people resort to these optimistic monologues. But really, out of all the ways you could show support, is it truly the best approach to have ten different people all tell you "it'll be fine"?

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt a flash of anger the moment you heard "it'll be okay" in response to your crisis? How did you deal with it? Did you ever tell people how you actually felt about that "magical" little phrase?

Steven Miller56 said:Wait. How does a period know what day of the week it is?
😕 😬
I don't get it—why can't I just take the Monday pill if my period shows up on Thursday? What's the actual difference?

And yeah, let's say I do it the way you suggested; what happens to the pills I skipped? Do I just take them once I finish the last one in the pack?

It isn’t that you aren't capable; it’s just that using a blister pack makes it much easier to track exactly which pill you took and ensures you're staying on schedule with every dose.

OT:

I’ve been on Trinovum for three years now. It works perfectly for me, so that isn't the issue.

I wanted to ask someone with more experience about this. The protocol for Trinovum is supposed to be nine months on, then three months off. In my case, I did three months on and then stayed off for almost six. Then, I started taking them again over the summer, but had to stop in September because I needed to undergo some medical testing. Is it actually dangerous for your body to cycle on and off like that—taking them briefly, stopping, and then starting up again?

Of course, I don't intend to keep going like this. I have an appointment with my gynecologist coming up soon, and I'll be asking for a new prescription so I can take them properly, exactly as they were meant to be taken. Or should I just give my system a break from all these shocks for a while? 😁

Thanks. 🙂

Does anyone happen to know where I could pick up some small glow-in-the-dark pillows? Not the full-sized ones, just those little accent pillows that usually feature cartoon characters and glow with that fluorescent finish...

rowdytrucker72 said:exorcist:when the mom is telling the kid a story by the stairs and suddenly the kid comes crawling backward on all fours..😲 😱

Oh yeah, I totally jumped on this one. Definitely one of the best cinematic moments. 😱

Besides that, there's that part in drag me to Hell where she wakes up and turns around, and then the old woman is right next to her and flies out of her... super weird. 😲