Posts by Angela Wright

Emily Martinez61 said:Angela Wright,

do you happen to know the exact way I should be taking Keytruda? I’ve been taking it right at the end of my meals—basically one bite of food, then one tablet of Keytruda with a gulp of water, repeating that five times. Then I finish off the rest of my meal. Is that alright? The instructions say to take it with food or at most within half an hour after eating.

I don't have any firsthand experience with this, but if that's what the official instructions specify, I assume you're doing just fine.

Steven Sullivan10 said:Hi everyone,

My dad had surgery two weeks ago for colon cancer. It turns out the cancer has spread to his liver, and the metastases aren't operable. Just two days after being discharged from the hospital, he was hit with excruciating pain and had to be readmitted. He developed an abscess because fluid started leaking from the liver metastases. They drained the fluid, but he’s still in unbearable pain. His blood work is mediocre right now. White cell counts and CRP levels indicate inflammation, though the antibiotics seem to be helping stabilize things slightly.
Has anyone dealt with a diagnosis like this before? What are the next steps?
Given the metastases, a transplant isn't really on the table, and I'm terrified he might be too weak for chemotherapy.
I found some info online regarding radiology at Mayo Clinic—has anyone here worked with them? Are they actually equipped to handle cases this severe?

I'm worried the disease has gained significant ground, especially considering the ascites and the fluid buildup. Once you perform a puncture, you essentially create more space for fluid to accumulate, which can lead to an even faster buildup. That's why doctors typically push paracentesis to the absolute limit of what the patient can tolerate while managing it with diuretics.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you can get him stabilized quickly so he can at least start on Avastin.

wearyskipper20, please accept my deepest condolences.
Don't let this experience turn you bitter. Instead, let it be a realization that whether we are good or bad, righteous or wicked, we are all just blood and bone under the skin. Biology doesn't care about our moral standing; it treats us all exactly the same. It’s just how the world works.
Let them rest in peace and move forward with your head held high. That is exactly what any mother would want for her child.

Justin Lopez11 said:Hello,

My mom has pancreatic cancer. I've attached the test results, and they aren't looking good at all. I'm hoping someone else on the forum can weigh in with their perspective.

Thanks in advance.

View on imgur
View on imgur

What is there even to say? 😥 It is what it is. You need to get that lung CT scan done and then just gear up for the fight—whatever God decides happens next.
When dealing with pancreatic cancer, especially at this stage where secondary issues have already cropped up, you're often just finding out because the disease is so incredibly sneaky. It hides until it's far too late.

Robin Diaz4 said:He won't touch beets because they trigger his gag reflex. Honestly, I get it—I'm the same way. He just sticks to berries instead. We usually eat bacon together. 🙂
The thing is, his white blood cell count hasn't been an issue from the jump, and his red blood cells are mostly fine; it's the platelets that are giving him trouble.

Platelets can be boosted via transfusion too, though doctors don't pull that lever very often because of the risk of nasty allergic reactions. They basically wait until the numbers bottom out before intervening.
For now, he should just stick to eating fruit, especially blueberries and blackberries.

quietbadger81 said:Reddit of course Ivanic, believe me, I'm done. Haven't touched the stuff in 9 months. But hey, who knows? Maybe one day, some New Year's party or a concert, I'll slip up. Honestly, life's way better just grabbing a couple of beers by the waterfront in San Diego..
I've talked to plenty of people about this—it happens all the time to folks who smoke weed after having a few drinks... even when the crew is solid, the music is killer, and the vibe is a perfect 10, I still end up spiraling into total darkness. Physically? I feel fine. No nausea, no sweating, no jitters—I moved past that stage ages ago. It’s the mental breakdown that hits out of nowhere. Just a sudden flood of dark thoughts... a complete brain storm of feeling useless and worthless.

And look, nobody can tell you with any certainty whether you will or won't.
My theory starts with the idea that you're suppressing something, which eventually hits a breaking point once you "relax," causing everything to surface.
Are you generally satisfied with yourself, your potential, your achievements, and the people around you?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 using Reddit

quietbadger81 said:I’ve never dealt with this before... It used to feel like such a massive high..
Now, I'm getting hit with so many negative thoughts all at once, I can't even put it into words..
It’s like these dark clouds are just constantly hanging over me. It sucks... I've never felt this low in my life. Every single move I make feels totally pointless and stupid to my brain..

If it starts hurting you, stop taking it. End of story.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 using Reddit

quietbadger81 said:Been smoking for 4 years now, with maybe some 2-month breaks here and there. Lately, I’ve been doing it way less... mostly because it just feels terrible.
When I first started, man, everything was awesome. Life was great, I believed everything everyone told me... just constant laughs, hanging out, good times...

- We all know the downsides of weed exist, no doubt about it.
The real issue is how it trashes your confidence. You feel insecure, worthless, like nothing matters. Just pure dark thoughts, anxiety, and feeling totally incapable.
Everything you say sounds stupid or pointless. You can't even look anyone in the eye because you feel like you're acting like an idiot, just stuck in this mental fog. And the worst part? Every negative thing people say around you feels like it's directed right at you in your own obsessed head.
It's not me personally, though—I don't usually struggle with self-esteem or any of that stuff...
But once you're high, you just want to avoid everyone. It's hard to describe, but you look at yourself and feel pathetic. You feel worthless, dumb, useless... like a total parasite.
Even when I'm smoking with people, I start hating them. Like, I just can't stand them. You feel like they're superior to you, like you're some lower species that's just there to be laughed at.
How do you guys describe feeling like this?

Misanthropy. It’s what happens as you age and pile up responsibilities you should have been tackling—especially working on yourself. Instead, you just mask and neutralize everything with a high. That’s why weed works for creatives but absolutely trashes anyone who stays stagnant.
Look, when it hits you like that, you need to focus on yourself, your interests, and your personal growth.
I don't know if I'm nailing the diagnosis for your specific situation, but think about that angle.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 using Reddit

driftingbear20 said:Don't take this the wrong way, but I absolutely hate being in this thread.
Honestly, I hate that any of us even have to be here. I wish this community didn't need to exist, but when things get heavy—and they get very heavy—you all provide such incredible support and comfort.

Two months ago, my mother-in-law had surgery to remove a massive 10kg tumor from her abdomen.
They had to remove her uterus, ovaries, and most critically, her right kidney.

Supposedly, everything started with the kidney.

The oncologist hasn't prescribed anything yet. And that’s where my doubts start creeping in... how can you have a tumor that size, pull it out, and not be put on any kind of therapy? Especially nowadays, when we have smart drugs like Sutent available?

If anyone knows anything more about this drug or how to get access to it, please speak up. It feels incredibly strange to me that she wasn't prescribed it. From what I've been reading, if there's any lingering metastasis, this stuff wipes it out without touching the healthy cells.

After a mass that large, what kind of oncologist would actually dare to gamble and say there aren't any remaining metastases left behind?

Are there certain patients who just can't be prescribed Sutent for various reasons? I honestly don't know...

I'm wishing all of us so much strength, and I hope as many cases as possible end with a positive outcome.

The real question is: what specific type of tumor are we talking about? Sutent is typically prescribed for metastatic renal carcinoma. If it's a sarcoma that originated in the kidney, then no, it wouldn't be used.
Right now, I'm working with very little information to go on. It would be a huge help if you could share the pathology report.
Given the sheer size of the tumor, it sounds like it might not be high-grade malignancy—meaning it might be slow-growing. In my experience, massive tumors are often benign in nature.

Terry Lopez18, please accept my deepest and most sincere condolences. Given everything, he passed in the best way possible—just like my own mother did. May he rest in peace, and I truly hope you find some peace in your heart so you can get through his funeral with the dignity and courage he deserves. You said your goodbyes in the most beautiful way, and believe me, he knew you were there and he heard you. Lay him to rest, then move forward with your head held high, honoring both him and yourself. This experience has shaped you into a stronger, better person, primarily for your own sake. It’s changed you forever, and in time, you’ll realize just how much.
Sending love. ❤

wearyskipper20 said:She’s swollen all over her torso and around her leg joints. Even the slightest touch from a finger causes her pain. For the last few days, she's had constant diarrhea, which is strange since she isn't eating anything. We've been giving her Seldar capsules. A while back, she dealt with constipation for an entire week and was having constant abdominal pain. Is it possible that this is all just catching up to her now?

It sounds like fluid is building up in her abdomen—what doctors call ascites. She likely needs diuretic therapy and definitely needs to replenish her electrolytes. That loss of electrolytes could also be why she’s acting disoriented. Your mother needs palliative care at this stage. You should reach out to her primary doctor to request a home health visit so they can arrange for nursing assistance.
If she starts having any trouble breathing, get her to the ER immediately so they can drain the fluid.

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Reddit

wearyskipper20 said:Thanks for getting back to me so fast. Honestly, I’m worried that chemotherapy might be a lost cause at this stage—it feels like the treatment could be too aggressive and actually kill her faster. I should have mentioned that she’s started losing weight significantly. She’s also talking nonsense and claiming people she hasn't seen in years have been visiting her.
She’s accusing us of hiding her pain meds when they’re sitting right next to her, and it just keeps going. My gut tells me the illness has reached her brain. 😢

At this point, our only goal is palliative care—just keeping her comfortable and managing the pain as best we can.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's neurological. It could easily be elevated bilirubin levels, or perhaps the medication you're administering is affecting her mental state—especially if you've had to increase her dosage. Is she being treated with an IV line?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J5 via Reddit

wearyskipper20 said:Listen, everyone, I want to wish you all strength in your fight against this brutal, sneaky disease.
Fourteen months ago, my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to her liver. After a successful surgery on her colon, she had to undergo liver surgery too. There were three small metastases left on the liver.
After that, she went through eight rounds of chemo. By the third round, two of those spots had vanished, leaving just one large 3mm lesion. Mom was feeling proud, brave, and hopeful. Following the eighth round, that same spot shrank down to 2mm.
Her immune system bounced back, her appetite returned, and she gained 7 kg—everything seemed to be looking up. Then, the oncologist switched her to oral chemo. She called them "maintenance pills."

That’s when everything fell apart.
Two doses into the pill regimen, and my mother started suffering from agonizing pain in her gut and near her liver. She lost her appetite and her weight plummeted. It’s been three months since then. Today, Mom just lies in bed, barely able to swallow two or three tablespoons of soup a day while enduring unbearable pain. Right now, she’s on 75mg patches and taking Sevredol and Zotramid for the pain. My dad and I are absolutely shattered; watching her like this is torture. She’s dropped 15 kg in three months. For the last three months, she’s only slept about an hour a night; the rest of the time, she’s just moaning in pain.

We finally managed to get her to a CT scan last week. The results show massive progression. Almost everything is overtaken by metastases. Yesterday, my father and I met with the surgeon who operated on her liver.
He told us there’s nothing more that can be done. He squeezed our hands and told us she has about a month left to live. 😢

If you ask me, those damn maintenance pills are to blame for everything. 4x500mg a day. They wrecked her immune system and fueled the cancer. Even the oncologists were baffled by how fast things took a turn for the worse. They even had the nerve to ask if she was taking the right pills—as if she’s stupid enough not to know what she’s swallowing. She took exactly what those hacks at the oncology clinic prescribed. And after all that, they have the audacity to say they might need to send her to Mayo Clinic just to check if she’s allergic to the medication. Honestly, screw them all.

Can anyone tell me if it’s actually possible for these pills to cause such a sudden, violent decline? Did the doctors mess up the treatment plan?
Does anyone have experience with what to give a patient when even the patches aren't cutting it anymore? I know there are 100mg patches available, but I doubt that will make any real difference.
How do we get access to liquid morphine?

Sorry if I’m dumping this on you all, but I just needed to tell someone. 😢

Good luck to everyone in your own battles. Hang in there.

Ask the oncologist if it's possible to move her back to the previous line of therapy, because that's what actually worked. I assume she hit a Relapse because of the Xelod.
One thing that keeps bothering me is that the 3mm metastasis wasn't surgically removed.
Unfortunately, dealing with metastatic disease is exactly what I mentioned before—it’s about squeezing out whatever quality of life is left. You stop thinking about remission. Treatment at this stage is basically Russian roulette or shooting into the fog.
You absolutely need to seek a second opinion. Look into seeing a private oncologist like Dr. Cepulic.
Regarding the pain, go to a pain management clinic so the anesthesiologists can titrate a specific cocktail of meds to stabilize her, and so they can teach you how to administer a dose as needed.

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Reddit

ruggedfox11 said:We kicked off our fifth round of chemo yesterday.
The side effects hit like a freight train immediately—nausea started the same day, then vomiting through the night. Even the Reglan and Pepcid aren't touching it anymore.
Any ideas what's going on?

Try some popcorn popped on hot air, or maybe soaked flaxseed in warm water—let it sit, strain it, and drink the mucilage. Or just stick to Coca-Cola and ginger... honestly, what works for one person might do absolutely nothing for another.

Sent from my smartphone using Reddit

Robin Diaz4 said:Just checking in—Dad starts his last cycle before the CT scan next week. For now, the primary tumor is "stable," and the metastases are actually shrinking compared to before. I’m just lost on what happens after this fourth round of chemo. Do they move to a second line of treatment? I don't really get how the process works, because there's no way this is going to disappear completely, and Dad is having a harder and harder time handling the platinum treatments.

Sent from my B1-770 using Reddit

Chemo has a long tail. When you're dealing with a metastatic diagnosis, anything that isn't active disease progression is generally considered a win by the medical team. They’ll monitor how things evolve and weigh the possibility of surgical interventions or other moves. If things take a turn for the worse, they pivot to a second line of defense immediately.
The hard truth about metastatic cancer is that when things start sliding backward, you have to face that reality as fast as possible, no matter how much it sucks. Nobody ever tells you the real strategy here: the goal isn't "finding a cure" or "achieving remission"—it's "extending quality of life."
Which means:
Now is the absolute best time to start looking into clinical trials!

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Reddit

silvertrucker73 said:My dad was diagnosed with cancer. It’s stomach cancer with metastases in the liver and abdominal lymph nodes—all tumors are up to 2cm. He just finished his third round of chemo, but the MRI showed disease progression; everything got worse. Basically, the chemo didn't work at all. They’ve switched his medication, and they're starting from scratch next week. Does anyone here have experience with this specific type of cancer or cases where chemo fails to respond? He's 60 and still full of energy and positivity.
Through all three cycles, he hasn't had any side effects—none. No pain, nothing. He feels like the healthiest man in the world.

The tough reality here is that by the time your father's illness was caught, it had already spread significantly through distant metastases. When a disease reaches this stage, treatment generally shifts toward trying to halt the progression and squeezing out as much high-quality time as possible.
Clearly, that first combination of drugs wasn't a winner in that regard, so let's hope this next line of defense shows more efficacy.
I also strongly suggest looking into clinical trials he might be eligible for. To be perfectly blunt, I don't know what the realistic odds for remission are with the current standard therapies available. In some of my recent posts, I talked about how to search for these studies and included links explaining the process.
Unfortunately, because the stage is advanced and there are distant metastases, the chances of total remission decrease. Focus exclusively on extending the quality of his life; if you do that, who knows? Weeks can turn into months, and months can turn into years. You live one day at a time—don't look further ahead than tomorrow's lunch. It’s a blessing that he’s so full of life, so let him live it fully within the limits of this situation. Protect his dignity and let him do everything that has brought him joy up until now, and make sure you join him in that.

Sent from my smartphone using Reddit

ruggedfox11 said:The CTA results just came in:

LDH dropped down to 203 from nearly 290.

I’m confused... what exactly is the omentum? The first CTA report didn't mention any lymph nodes except for the one in the abdomen, and now that isn't mentioned at all. Is it the same one?

And those stupid little nodules in the lungs haven't moved an inch. Not even a tiny bit. Could that be something else entirely? Does the fact they haven't moved mean those cells inside the lung have developed some kind of resistance? Or is it something else—like scarring or inflammation?

What can they actually do about that adenoma?

I’m going to try being a bit "mathematical" here: if you calculate dimensions as length x width x height (depth), it looks like it shrank significantly in length, but by about 2 cm in both width and depth.

What should I ask his doctor tomorrow? We're heading into round five of chemo.

And he is being a total nightmare right now; we've been bickering over nothing for two days straight.

The omentum is the fatty layer that protects your abdominal organs.
Don't think of tumors as these perfectly shaped, solid objects. You have to look at the total volume they occupy.
Look, the results are great—it's regressing, and that is the only thing that matters. Don't lose sleep over the rest of it.
As for the nodules, yeah, they can stay enlarged from old infections you had ages ago, and they just stay that way.
There it is: one battle won, now we move forward. Just stay calm, steady, and don't let the nerves get to you. Great job handling this!

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Reddit

Paul Bennett8 said:Greetings from Mayo Clinic! 🙂

Alright, so I'm 36. Back in 2015, I had surgery at Magdalena for an ascending aortic aneurysm—it was about 7cm—and they put in artificial valves while they were at it. Honestly, the recovery sucked, so I won't even get into it.
Once I finally got back on my feet, I started doing private checkups every three months. On that very first one, they caught an abdominal aortic aneurysm during an ultrasound (about 10cm long and 35mm wide). Fast forward to an ultrasound scan at a hospital in Warsaw, where they actually found an aortic dissection right before the bifurcation (scan was April 26th, results came in May 3rd). I set an appointment with my GP for May 5th, but he sent me over to Warsaw for an MSCT, and then they referred me to Mayo Clinic. After I basically talked my way out of emergency surgery—mostly because since that April 26th scan, I'd been driving all over the Midwest, from Ilok to Warsaw to Indianapolis, without feeling a single thing—they admitted me to the ward. They ran an emergency MSCT (angiography?) of the whole artery and found a dissection running the entire length of the abdominal aorta, though it’s somehow spiraling, so everything is still getting plenty of blood flow and there aren't any other issues yet. Now, they say they're keeping me through the weekend and letting me head home tomorrow, Monday... then I have to figure out my next steps with the clinic at Magdalena. The weird part is I haven't had any of those typical pains you read about with dissections. I guess the only thing was around October last year, when I felt like I was having a stroke—woke up at 5 AM with a massive headache and some serious brain fog, but it cleared up after a few hours (I went to the hospital for every test imaginable and everything came back fine). Then for the next two months, I just dealt with intense, frequent headaches, and that was it.
Any thoughts, comments, or advice? Thanks.

My late uncle had the exact same issue—a tear running the full length from his stomach up toward his heart. It happened while he was pulling a boat out of the water; the pain hit him like a freight train. Since nobody could patch it up via ST, they sent him to NYC to Dubrava, where Dr. Biocin barely agreed to operate on him. In the end, they stabilized him, even if it wasn't a perfect fix along the whole length, and he got another 15 good years out of life. He eventually passed away from old age, realistically speaking.
I don't know if Dr. Biocin is still practicing or where he's located, but if you can track him down, I’d highly recommend begging him for his take on this.
Look, you are essentially a walking time bomb. They weren't being dramatic by rushing you into emergency surgery. With a situation like this, your aorta could rupture at any second, and you could drop dead instantly—whether you're walking down the street or straining in the bathroom. When it came to my uncle, the medical board was literally debating whether to transport him by car, plane, or helicopter because the risk was so high.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

gentlenomad43 said:My mom has wounds on her abdomen and groin—the doctors say it's Non-Hodgkin lymphoma breaking through the surface—and her primary care physician said they need to be cleaned because they've become infected, but the hospital refuses to do it. Can anyone recommend a private surgeon who could handle this? I think a surgeon cleaned something similar for her once.

Thanks in advance for any help

You want to know how you get this done? You walk into that hospital, demand they actually do their jobs, and you don't leave until they do. She’s their patient, and dealing with stuff like this is exactly what hospitals are for. If they won't budge, call the news stations or demand a written explanation as to why they're refusing to provide medical care to my mother. Look, if being reasonable doesn't work, you have to go nuclear. In my experience, that's the only thing that ever gets results.

Sent from my SM-J510FN using Reddit

Matthew Bishop44 said:I just had an EEG done and everything came back within normal limits, so I guess epilepsy is off the table for now. The closest thing I could find online was "brain zaps," but those usually happen when people are tapering off anxiety meds or antidepressants, which isn't my situation. I'm currently working through things with my neurologist because I've been dealing with these constant, almost daily headaches, and I still need to get an MRI—though my last one back in 2009 was totally fine. My cervical spine is a complete mess, so honestly, all signs point toward that being the culprit. But the way I suddenly pass out—literally dropping into REM sleep in a millisecond—feels like some kind of glitch in the body-brain connection. I don't know how else to describe it than a literal electric shock to the head.

Talk to your neurologist about getting an overnight sleep study EEG if you haven't already, especially since this sensation happens right as you're drifting off.

Sent from my iPhone using Reddit