Posts by Angela Wright

Gary Torres7 said:My dad was diagnosed with a tumor near his tongue three years ago. Since then, he’s been going through radiation and chemo, but the tumor just keeps coming back every single year. His tongue is constantly swollen, making it impossible for him to eat. Has anyone dealt with something similar, and how did you manage it?

Unfortunately, using a nasogastric tube for feeding is really the only way to bypass the swallowing issues and the tongue itself. 😢

Kate Collins67 said:http://www.nytimes.com/article/dr-smith-on-maternity-care/779579/

And this right here is exactly why I never wanted to go into OB-GYN work...

The guy is being judged solely based on the opinions of two "post-war generals"—and let me tell you, if those two ever actually practiced medicine in the real world, they’ve probably buried more people through their own incompetence than anyone else...

I’m with you on this!
It absolutely infuriates me how that 닮oknik managed to completely scrub the media coverage regarding the death of a child belonging to people I personally know. The pregnancy was going perfectly—everything was a five out of five. They went to him specifically because he’s private practice, thinking they’d get that extra level of specialized, attentive care after struggling with conception. Then, the baby dies right after birth.
👎

neonmoose3 said:This is my first time actually posting on this thread, though I’ve been lurking here for a while, keeping an eye on things and giving props where they're due. I really believe there's a wealth of vital information in this community that people can tap into, and honestly, it's the kind of support and motivation a lot of folks desperately need right now.

I don't have anyone in my immediate family fighting this, but lately, it feels like I can’t turn around without hearing about some young person getting hit with a cancer diagnosis. Even looking at the data, it seems like the rates for things like carcinoma have skyrocketed over the last few years. It’s becoming impossible to ignore; everyone seems to know at least one person going through it. To give you an idea of how common this is hitting home for me: in just the last month, I’ve heard about three different people being diagnosed. And we aren't talking about the elderly—it's people my age, somewhere in their 30s, or even younger. Just today, I was meeting with a college student to coordinate making up some exams she missed because she’d been out of school for a year. Through our conversation, I found out she had been battling breast cancer. She’s already gone through one or two surgeries and finished radiation, and thankfully, it looks like she's doing okay for now.

Here’s my question: what do we actually know about what triggers cancer, melanoma, and the like? I’ve been talking to people who have already received a diagnosis, and some of them mentioned that their doctors pointed to stress as a major underlying factor.

Look, I can buy stress being a partial explanation, but blaming absolutely everything on stress feels like a massive stretch to me. Sure, I’ll concede that we’re all living under way more pressure now than we were twenty or thirty years ago. But if you ask me, there’s something else driving this massive spike in diagnoses over the last few years—something much deeper that we’re all being exposed to, whether we realize it or not.

What do you all think?

This topic is massive. If we already covered this at some point, my bad—just drop a link to that part of the thread so I can catch up.

If you want to get serious about understanding what actually sets these things off, you need to pick up David Servan Schreiber’s book, *Anti-Cancer*. He isn't just some academic lecturing from a distance, either; he actually went head-to-head with a brain tumor himself. Because he lived through it, his deep dive into the environmental and lifestyle triggers that kickstart cancer feels a lot more grounded in reality than your typical textbook.
Let’s be real here: every single one of us is walking around with cancer cells inside our bodies at any given moment. It’s just biology. Our immune system is the only thing standing between us and a diagnosis—it's the frontline defense responsible for spotting and nuking those rogue cells before they can gain a foothold. But when that system gets compromised—whether it's due to stress, poor lifestyle, or a laundry list of other factors hitting you all at once—that balance shifts. Once that shield drops, that's when things go south.
He went on about things like stress levels, lifestyle choices, and diet, too.
Take this study as an example: researchers looked at men living in rural parts of China who were essentially living off the land, far away from any industrial pollution or urban sprawl. These guys had incredibly high levels of prostate cancer cells present in their systems, yet the disease just wouldn't take hold. They were basically walking around with the seeds of the disease already planted, but nothing grew. Then, some of them moved to big cities—completely flipping their lifestyle and habits upside down—and within just a few years, the cancer finally kicked in.
He brought up the example of Denmark—if I recall correctly—which maintains its own national DNA database. They actually tracked adopted children whose biological parents were known to carry certain hereditary cancer markers. Now, they didn't necessarily prove that these kids developed the exact same types of malignancies as their birth parents, but they did find something just as telling: the children were developing the same cancers as their adoptive parents. It’s a perfect illustration of how lifestyle and environment play a role. By adopting the habits and daily routines of their caregivers, they essentially conditioned their bodies to be susceptible to common killers like breast, colon, lung, cervical, or prostate cancer.

The reason America ranks so high on cancer mortality lists isn't just biology—it’s a massive failure of awareness. People are terrified of the word "cancer," so instead of facing it, they just look the other way. It's easier to ignore a threat than to deal with it. You see it all the time: people completely dodge early detection screenings that could quite literally save their lives, choosing instead to wait until things get dire. By then, they aren't looking for prevention; they're scrambling for surgery or radiation. We don't invest enough in education or preventative care, and frankly, trying to treat advanced cases once symptoms actually show up is an absolute nightmare. For our healthcare system, treating late-stage tumors is obscenely expensive and incredibly difficult to sustain, especially when we aren't seeing any tangible results from how we handle it.
Our lifestyle is a total disaster. People are constantly being threatened by health issues because they’re just gorging themselves on processed garbage and industrial waste. We've drifted so far away from the way our ancestors lived—they grew their own food, stayed active, and didn't load up on sugar like we do today. It’s honestly no surprise when you look at why cancer rates are skyrocketing here in America.

feralridge3 said:Thanks for the kind words.

I’d trade all that pride for two hugs and a good cry on someone's shoulder any day. 😢

The doctors say I’m doing fine, but honestly, I’ve felt like absolute garbage for the last two weeks. Last Saturday, it hit me so hard I was completely bedridden. Everything was spinning. I couldn't even focus on reading because my eyes kept drifting to the right, and I had to crawl around clutching onto furniture just to stay upright. It feels exactly like how I felt after my first surgery, about a month into recovery.

I saw my GP today, mostly because my medical leave is running out, and they’re trying to convince me it’s just "weather sensitivity." 🤷
Sure, changes in barometric pressure bother me, but this sudden crash happened right after a cold snap—the kind of weather I usually handle perfectly fine. 🤷

Look, you have to realize that you've sustained actual trauma to your brain. You're going to be more sensitive to shifts than people who haven't been through what you have. Look at the woman behind you—she went through two craniotomies and having surgeons poking around her brain. Some people never walk steady again. In that sense, consider yourself lucky.
Sending you a hug, and if you need to cry until tomorrow, go for it. 😉we're all in this together

feralridge3 said:It’s a luxury having someone by your side—someone to act as a filter for all the noise and information coming at you.
Who knows, maybe if I actually had a support team, they would have told me how things really were, but I’ve had to handle every single bit of this on my own. 😢

So, you should be damn proud of yourself!🙏
Let this serve as living proof of just how much grit and courage you have. I don't have the slightest doubt that you're going to come out on top.🙂

copperraven53 said:I've got an appointment with my OBGYN tomorrow to hammer out all the details regarding the procedure.

So, if anyone following this thread has actually gone through this themselves, please chime in today. I'd love to hear your take. 🙂

Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and stays pain-free.
Definitely drop back in here later and let us know how it went.

Elizabeth Gonzalez55 said:There was this woman, I think her name was Vesna Vulovic, who actually survived a plane crash from 10,000 meters. I’m pretty sure she’d be the first person you’d look to if you were stuck on a plane that started falling apart.

Just to keep things civil, let me be clear: I am not presenting my own opinion regarding chemotherapy as a treatment option for melanoma. Instead, I am passing along information I received directly from these sources: Dr. Djokovic (Vineyard), Dr. Stanley (Oakland), Dr. Jordan (Rebre), Prof. Dr. Schadendorf (German Federal Cancer Research Center), and Prof. Dr. Morton (JWCI santa Monica, USA). They told me this to my face; there is no room for "misinterpretation" here.

Chemotherapy is typically used in the terminal stages as a palliative measure, and the response rate is only about 10-20%. And even then, a "response" usually just means buying a little more time—maybe up to six months. We aren't talking about a cure. I am referring to classic chemotherapy using DTIC. Maybe the situation you're describing is different and they are giving that guy something else, but I won't speculate on that. And let's get one thing straight—I never said chemo doesn't help anyone. I acknowledge there are cases where it works. Personally, I don't know a single one, though I certainly know about twenty people who are no longer with us.

I would be incredibly grateful if you could produce that guy's medical records for me—but no rush, maybe in three years. While you're at it, feel free to include a brief description of his quality of life during that therapy. Because in the last three years, my husband has gotten married, had two kids (the second one should arrive in about two weeks, God willing), graduated from Georgia Tech, and changed two jobs. Every Saturday he’s out hiking, staying active, and traveling. There is no "before and after" with alternative therapy; it’s a continuous lifestyle we have maintained since the diagnosis and will continue for the rest of his life.

I will never claim—nor will I ever—that he is cured. The cancer is in him, and it is simply waiting for its moment. It would be incredibly arrogant of me to talk about a "cure." That is why I always say he is doing well right now. I thank God every morning. I don't make long-term plans. I am painfully aware that everything could go downhill tomorrow. But I hope, and I believe.

That's the bottom line. I'm done arguing about this.

I can put you in touch with a physician if you want to get more accurate information.

However, you were very definitive in your post when you claimed there is no help to be found except for Dr. Smith. You only just mentioned that this information came from a doctor. Yes, their experience tells them this is a recurrent disease. The statistics say so too, but those statistics also include the percentage of people who never relapse. I wouldn't be quite so exclusive in my view.
As for alternative medicine, how can you be certain it's actually helping your husband? Of course, it isn't weighing on you because he feels better, but how can you be so sure without any scientific evidence to prove he isn't just experiencing that 40% placebo effect? How can you then state so decisively that it will help someone else and recommend it to them? On what authority?
People have recommended all sorts of things to me, including that specific doctor, and I walked away feeling nothing but disappointment.
In my eyes, anyone who cannot back up their work with relevant scientific studies is a charlatan, and everyone diving into that world is just a predator in a murky pool where they might end up getting shot by their own gun.
This is just my experience.

People can be absolute bottom-feeders. And honestly, you can divide them into left, right, or centrist. 😳

I’d strongly suggest any doctors reading this pick up David Servan-Schreiber's "against cancer." He does a killer job describing that gut-punch feeling when you suddenly find yourself crawling into pajamas while still holding a university professorship. I imagine the shock hits you lot even harder than it does us mere mortals. 😳

Elizabeth Gonzalez55 said:Look, my husband was treated for melanoma at that Institute via surgery, and they didn't help him one bit. He turned down chemo because it’s pointless—it’s been proven ineffective, and it just wrecks your body, tanking any remaining chance for other treatments.

Melanoma is a nasty beast, and generally speaking, the prognosis is grim, especially since based on what you're saying, the disease has already progressed. You need to reach out to Dr. Alexandra Smith smith@gmail.comaleksandar.soltysik@zg.t-com.hr, 01/4923 500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01/4923 500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. He is the only one in this country who can actually make a difference. He has all the data and can facilitate referrals abroad for experimental therapies.

My husband (diagnosed at 19, he's 27 now) has been symptom-free for three years following treatment in Germany combined with constant alternative therapy. I'm telling you, given that the prognosis was roughly six months of life, surviving three years with his specific diagnosis is nothing short of incredible. We’re still counting the healthy days, and we're hoping for months and years to follow!

It’s incredibly tough, but it’s possible...

Good luck.

I couldn't disagree more if you think chemo doesn't work for anyone. To be specific, I have direct information from a doctor we collaborate with regarding a young man with melanoma whose tumors completely regressed thanks to chemo.
Furthermore, I think everyone here would be extremely grateful if you actually backed up those claims with her husband's pre- and post-alternative therapy lab results.

feralridge3 said:I think a lot of people just refuse to face the truth because they’re terrified of what comes next.
Question for you: did the doctor actually tell you—or your mother—exactly what kind of tumor it is and what the prognosis looks like?
I know everything is written in the reports, but remember me, a total mess, just a year and a half ago. 🙄

This week I was in Washington, D.C. three times: an MRI, a neurosurgeon, and an oncologist. Results are fine; next checkup in six months. 🙂
One day, I was riding in a medical transport with this guy, maybe 60 years old, who was struggling to speak clearly. I asked him what was going on, and he said it’s a brain tumor. I asked which kind, and he had no clue. He's heading in for radiation and chemo; I asked which chemo, and he said Temozolomide... and that was that. 😢 I asked if he’d even looked into the disease himself; he said no, and he wouldn't, because staying positive is what matters most.

Today at the oncology clinic waiting area, it wasn't even 8:00 AM yet, and we were all just sitting there waiting for the nurse to let us in—a young woman with her mom and two women with their sick husbands. Everyone is going in for radiation or taking Temozolomide. I asked the young woman if she knew her specific tumor type; she didn't know, and she didn't want to know. I told her I've been fighting this evil for two years and could share some info, but they showed zero interest. They were too busy having intense discussions about their current status and radiation schedules... so I just backed off. 🤷

Afterward, I wondered if I should have dropped the hammer—told them they likely have the worst kind of brain tumor and they need to get informed so they can build a "defense." 🤷
Or if I should have just minded my own business. 🤷

My scans are clear, but walking out of oncology today, I felt like I was dying tomorrow. That place is soul-crushing. There was a kid there, maybe three years old, and people just waiting for radiation... the atmosphere is so grim. Once I finished my appointments, I practically ran out thinking, *thank God I've been clear for six months.*

My mom was told exactly what she has, but at our request, they left out the specifics regarding the prognosis—the hard numbers. We basically "packaged" the news for her ourselves. We didn't want to risk them delivering it in that clinical, blunt way that often crushes a patient right at the start. It's the hardest part of this whole ordeal, but it's necessary if you want to prepare properly and face the illness head-on. In the end, she sat down at the computer and started Googling it herself anyway.

What you mentioned about people is actually a pattern in our culture, this strange mental block. People prefer ignorance; they skip the systematic screenings that could catch a tumor while it's still operable (which is usually how the most common ones hit Americans). Even when they do get sick, they don't want to know anything because they figure they shouldn't have to deal with the burden—the doctor will handle it for them. It's totally wrong. Everyone expects instant solutions for every life problem, including cancer. They act like someone else should be solving their problems for them.
That approach gets you nowhere, especially with cancer. Honestly, it's one of the reasons why cancer mortality rates are so high in America. We rank near the top in Europe!
Obviously, a patient shouldn't have to shoulder all the administrative and bureaucratic bullshit that comes with a diagnosis (family, friends, or patient advocacy groups can handle that part), but as for the disease itself and all its details,When it comes to your treatment, you need to know every single detail like the back of your hand. Generally speaking, everyone who has managed to beat the odds and pull themselves out of a nightmare scenario had that exact kind of hands-on relationship with their situation.

ruggedscout91 said:I’m actually glad they’re closing the maternity ward in Makarska.
Now, gynecologists who used to squeeze in appointments between deliveries and juggle other patients will finally have enough time to perform a decent ultrasound. Maybe then women won't have to rush to the major hospitals in New York just to deal with benign issues that were missed.

Furthermore, the "midwife system" is standard practice all over the world; it’s an entirely different concept from a full-scale maternity ward.
For any mothers who aren't aware, you can always head in earlier to ensure you arrive on time. It is much safer to go to a proper hospital equipped with operating rooms where complications can actually be handled. In these makeshift clinics, anything could happen.
Milinovic: American healthcare = 1 : 1. 😍

I can't speak for Makarska, but the conditions in Sinj were absolutely abysmal. From that perspective, Milinovic might have a point. What really gets under my skin, though, is the fact that he's a liar. He admitted himself that there was a commission report from four years ago stating the working conditions were substandard. Those conditions haven't been good since the 90s—so we're talking much longer than just four years, and I'm sure there are even older reports buried somewhere. He claims he doesn't want to take responsibility if something goes wrong... give me a break.😳 But how did he take responsibility for everything over the last four years then?😳 Instead of closing the ward four years ago when he had the chance, now he's suddenly playing the card about his heritage and how much he cares about his people. 🤮 This liar's sudden concern for tradition is nothing but a convenient excuse to save the government some money.☕
As for the women, you can get from Sinj to the main city center in about 30 minutes via the highway. If things get critical, medevac helicopters are constantly flying in from all over the place. That system has been well-established for a long time, especially for transporting people from the coastal islands.

Gary King2 said:I’ll start by introducing myself as Alice, so first off, hey everyone!!

I’m new here, both to this forum in general and specifically to this thread. I don't have much free time—honestly, I'm typing this while at work—but I've scrolled through some posts and I have to say, I'm impressed by what I've read. At the same time, I want to offer my sincere sympathy and support to all the members and their families.

I stumbled upon this forum by accident while searching for information about cancer, hoping to find some way to help my loved ones.
Basically, out of nowhere about six months ago, I found out my cousin has cancer. Even though saying "cancer" sounds incredibly heavy, along with the disease itself, I'm not an expert and I'm still learning the differences between various tumors and melanoma, so please forgive me if I miss the mark on any terminology. He's 29, the same age as me; we've been close since we were kids, and now that he needs help more than ever, I'm trying to provide it in the best way possible, which is why I decided to post this inquiry.

I have limited information on his illness right now. All I know is that he had a mole on his leg that accidentally got ripped off during a soccer game. Even though it kept bleeding slightly, he didn't bother seeing a doctor, thinking it was pointless—a hellish mistake that turned out to be the root of everything. After some time, things took a turn for the worse; once his immune system dropped and his bloodwork showed something was wrong, he was rushed from the hospital in Indianapolis to Washington, D.C., to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where they diagnosed him with a malignant tumor that has spread to his stomach and lungs. After finishing his first round of chemo (I don't know which kind, just that it was five IV bags over five days), it supposedly receded from his lungs, but stayed in his stomach and spread to his head. In the meantime, he contracted hepatitis at the hospital in Indianapolis, and he suffered paralysis on the right side of his body because he was given an IV in the hallway due to massive negligence, which only made his condition worse.

I didn't think it was necessary to go into his entire medical history, but I'll find out more and report back. Primarily, I wanted to ask about people's experiences with that specific hospital or institute, as I haven't noticed anyone mentioning them here. Also, what kind of supplements should he be taking to boost his immune system? He lost 20 pounds in three months, and the oncologists haven't prescribed anything for it. On his own initiative, he's taking pills to try and stimulate his appetite.

And one more thing I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: he has swollen lymph nodes all over his body, some as large as a fist, and nobody is doing anything about it. Shouldn't they be surgically removed if they can't be managed otherwise?

I don't know how clear this description makes his situation, but I'm just looking for a general idea of the best next steps.
Thanks in advance for the help!!

Personally, I haven't heard great things about the cancer institute except when dealing with these kinds of recurring tumors.
It sounds like your cousin has malignant melanoma that has metastasized throughout his body and into his lymph nodes. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good. 😢
Based on my experience dealing with my mother's illness, and the experiences of members in my advocacy group, you really have to know your own disease inside and out and stay on top of every detail. Our healthcare system functions catastrophically; instead of cases being handled by interdisciplinary teams, everything falls onto the shoulders of a single oncologist. Because of the sheer pressure and volume of patients, they don't have the time to deeply investigate every individual case. They just stick to protocols blindly, and if those don't work, they usually won't bother looking for alternative protocols that have shown success in studies or searching for clinical trials he could join.
That’s why it is absolutely vital for the patient—provided they have the strength—to start digging into this research themselves. Ideally, they should have a close friend or a family member stepping up to do the heavy lifting for them. You need flawless logistics to pull this off. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen a person's actual survival hang entirely on that level of preparation.

Nathan Wilson86 said:I’m jumping in here to join this group. Reading through these posts, my heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones—it’s heavy stuff. At the same time, I’ve found little glimmers of hope in some of your stories, though I have to be honest: I’m holding onto hope for my mother, but that hope feels like it’s starting to flicker.

My mom is 62. About 15 years ago, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, which led to a hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries. She was hospitalized back then due to massive hemorrhaging, and that’s when they discovered she was severely anemic and had an enlarged heart caused by untreated high blood pressure.

If you know anyone who refuses to listen to a doctor until everything falls apart, she’s exactly that type.

Back in 2004, she was diagnosed with left breast cancer—it actually started as a persistent skin ulcer on the breast that just wouldn't heal. They performed a mastectomy, and she went through chemo and radiation. Since then, she’s been on Tamoxifen, though they recently switched her to Aromasin tablets. For the longest time, her checkups were routine and everything looked fine; her markers always hovered around 7.

A few years back, she suffered heart failure. She was rushed to the ER and spent a couple of weeks in the hospital before being cleared to go home. Around that same time, she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, so she’s been taking Glucophage ever since.

About nine months ago, she had a gallbladder attack. It wasn't too bad, managed with diet and antibiotics, and the doctors decided against surgery to remove the stones.

Then, about three months ago, while prepping for a routine oncology appointment, we did the standard labs. Out of nowhere, her markers spiked to 538. We were so naive we actually thought there might have been a mix-up at the lab. Then an ultrasound picked up a "spot" on her liver.
When we saw the oncologist, she told us it was a recurrence. The report mentioned an abscess that didn't need evacuation. The medical board decided to put her on Taxol—twelve weekly sessions. So far, she’s handling the treatment reasonably well without massive nausea, though she lost her hair and dealt with some uncontrollable nasal drainage for a couple of weeks.
The oncologist noted that both subjectively and objectively she’s doing better and tolerating the drugs well, so they decided to push forward. She’s currently on her 14th cycle.
During those twelve weeks, we checked her markers again at week six, and they had climbed to 575. However, just a couple of weeks ago, they dropped down to 350.
Throughout the treatment, the doctor initially noted an abscess, then shifted to mentioning ascites, which seems to be receding. Her immune system is okay, though she’s slightly anemic. Physically, she is visibly and steadily weakening. After chemo, she hits a wall, but she usually bounces back after a few days.

Last week, her sedimentation rate shot up, so the doctor decided to skip a week of Taxol. This week, her blood work looks better and it was time for the next round, but she couldn't even make it to the hospital. She’s in significant pain in the liver/gallbladder area, similar to what she felt during her gallbladder attack. The doctor told us to give her pain management and bring her in on Monday once she’s stabilized. He also mentioned it might be shingles(?).

I heard from some other women at the oncology clinic that they’ve dealt with similar intermittent gallbladder/liver pain and that they drank black tea.

Has anyone gone through anything similar or seen a disease progression like this?
What should I do?

Dear Alice,
just speaking from a layperson's perspective based on what I know, I think they made a huge mistake by not removing those stones, especially after she already had an attack.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and from what I’ve personally heard from oncologists, those gallstones you’ve been dealing with for years—the ones causing constant, simmering inflammation—can absolutely spiral into something much more sinister, like cancer.
I’m dropping this link to an association forum where they are discussing this exact issue. Just scroll down to the last four posts on the page. You'll find people talking about it, including an oncologist's take (Dr. Jasna Radić at Washington, D.C. General Hospital).
And as for that bit about shingles from one doctor? Honestly, all I can say is that it’s incredibly moronic, especially since it’s common knowledge she has breast cancer (though it's still unclear if we're talking about carcinoma, melanoma, or what specifically?) and those long-standing gallstones.
Sometimes I truly feel like I picked the wrong profession, considering the sheer number of incompetent doctors I've encountered over the last five years.☕

Ethan Wilson73 said:I've been struggling with breathing issues for about 8 or 9 months now. I saw a homeopath, Dr. Sadiković, who claimed this isn't an organic issue but rather some kind of energetic "blockage" in my gallbladder. I've been on his therapy for about 15 days. On top of that, I deal with constant nasal congestion and a burning sensation on my tongue. I manage the nose with Afrin and other drops—I know you aren't supposed to use them long-term, but I can't breathe through my mouth because of my tongue! The tongue sensation fluctuates. I had Candida before, though I haven't done official testing lately; I just did some self-checks. My blood work is fine, except my ALT is slightly elevated (around 60, when the limit is 45) and my LDL is lower than the standard range (1.2 vs the usual 3.2–4.8), though my HDL is okay. Doctors say it’s fine. Total cholesterol is around 3.0, but triglycerides are right at the upper limit, and my ultrasound showed a slightly fatty liver. I donated blood back in 2005, 2006, and 2007, so that should be fine (last sexual encounter was in 2001)... I don't smoke (quit 3 years ago) and I don't drink. Everything was steady until this morning when I ran a low fever of 99.5°F and started dealing with diarrhea and nausea (probably a virus). However, out of about ten bouts of diarrhea over two days, twice there was bright red blood, like it had just been released. I've scheduled a colonoscopy and will get the results tomorrow... Has anyone here dealt with something similar or have advice?
sorry for the long post, but this is really wearing me down.. Thanks in advance everyone🙂

Look, go see an allergist and stop listening to Sadiković and those other frauds who think they can unblock chakras by themselves.😳 You probably trashed your stomach lining with whatever homeopathic nonsense he fed you.
And find a new primary care doctor, because clearly, yours doesn't know how to manage your case if they're letting you wander around aimlessly like this.
Go ahead with the colonoscopy. Honestly, I don't think it's anything catastrophic; it's more likely that the frequent diarrhea just caused some hemorrhoids to flare up.

Melissa Castillo said:She went through surgery, then chemo, then radiation. I think I phrased it poorly in a few posts above; I mentioned the start and end of treatment, implying chemo was happening in between.

Overall, she handled everything like a total champ, and we all did our absolute best to make things easier for her and provide maximum support. She followed the playbook to a T—she was in surgery just a week after that grim mammogram, stays active with regular exercise, eats right, went straight through her chemo sessions without any breaks, and didn't vomit once. She spent two weeks at the Mayo Clinic oncology ward, and everything went exactly according to the doctors' expectations... Right when things finally seemed to stabilize (clearly just an illusion), it’s all starting over again. She told me she was hoping for at least 4 or 5 years of peace—assuming she stayed consistent with her meds—rather than having everything come crashing back this fast.
Just the thought of the fear haunting her, even though she tries so hard to mask it, is driving me insane. It's far too early for me to lose her.

Are we talking chemotherapy or hormone therapy? People usually mix those two up.
What specifically was she taking? Can you double-check?
In our support group, we've seen cases where women with invasive tumors that were hormone-dependent—sometimes in both breasts—were treated with surgery alone, followed by hormone therapy and radiation, which, from what we know, isn't the standard protocol.
That's why I asked which hospital she's at, just in case they're at the same clinic.

rustymaker5 said:Thanks to Angela Wright and brisksurfer for the support. 🙂
I know the theory behind how I should be handling this, but the execution is failing me... I need to stop spiraling into self-pity, but honestly, it feels like I’m just watching this play out from the sidelines, like it’s some movie happening to someone else rather than my actual life...
The hardest part is that my husband won't communicate with our daughter at all, and with me, it's only when I practically force him to speak... It feels like he’s just ignoring us, acting as if we’re the enemy or somehow responsible for why he's in this state. But then, the second someone drops by—especially his sister—he completely transforms. He's chatty, he's engaged, he's even laughing... man, I have no idea what's going through his head, and when I try to ask him why he acts this way, he just hits me with some sarcastic remark....😢
A friend told me it's because he feels guilty toward us and that he loves us.... please, he was never the type to wear his heart on his sleeve; he's always kept everything bottled up, and now it's just been amplified... it's like living with a stone in the house...

Look, I don't want to be overly dramatic—everyone has their own battles to fight—but it helps to vent like this. Otherwise, I just feel abandoned and isolated, and there isn't really anyone else I can talk to... people tend to steer clear of getting involved in situations like this... and I don't blame them.

Try to psych yourself up to sit down with him for a real, raw conversation. Make it clear that you are ready to turn a new leaf and leave the circumstances that led to this mess in the past. Tell him straight up that whether he likes it or not, he can't get through this without your support. Remind him that you are his wife and that these trials are the ultimate test of a marriage's strength. Let him know you are willing to fight for him, but he has to start fighting for himself. Shutting down and pushing the family away isn't a solution; it just makes life harder for everyone—him, you, and the kid—and there's no reason to make things more difficult than they already are.
Lay all your cards on the table and let him decide how he wants to move forward.
He needs to make a choice for himself.
Good luck.

Melissa Castillo said:Of course all the official details will come from the doctors—they’re running a whole battery of tests and consultations right now. But I’m too far removed from the situation to be able to stick my nose fully into the middle of it. Right now, I’m just getting bits and pieces over the phone, which honestly just feeds the anxiety. We’re supposed to meet up in a few days, and I’m anxious to see her, obviously.

The work is being done at the local hospital, and if necessary, she’ll be transferred to a major medical center in a big city like Chicago or New York. It’s hormonal and invasive; I don't know the exact dimensions, but it required a full mastectomy and the removal of a third of the lymph nodes.

It surprises me that they didn't jump straight into chemo immediately following surgery for an invasive type... but then again, I'm just a layman.
In any case, if it were me, I would absolutely insist on getting a second opinion from an independent facility.

Melissa Castillo said:It started out looking like breast cancer with metastatic axillary lymph nodes, but yesterday they confirmed liver metastases too. The main question I'm wrestling with is why surgery is being bypassed—does that mean it’s progressed too far to be operable? I'm assuming chemo is the move now. It's a heavy blow.

Look, you can only get a straight answer to that from a doctor. Ask them directly! And for heaven's sake, get a second opinion.
Where is the treatment happening, and what is the exact tumor type? We need specifics—is it HER2+, how invasive is it, etc.? Also, how big was the primary tumor originally?

Melissa Castillo said:Can anyone help me make sense of this?

It’s been a year and a half since the surgery and a year since radiation wrapped up, but now metastases have shown up. My oncologist is recommending chemotherapy. Now comes the tricky part: is surgery being avoided because things have hit a critical stage and they're moving toward radical measures, or is the situation actually "easier," meaning they're opting for a less invasive approach instead of major surgery? Is that a good sign or a bad one? I honestly don't know what to think. Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

That depends entirely on the specifics.
In my experience, the goal is always to cut out everything possible through surgery, but chemo becomes an absolute necessity regardless.

ruggedscout91 said:It’s easy to live in a major metropolitan area.
But when you spend some time on the Mediterranean Coast, you realize there aren't many miracles to be found. Along the entire coast, there are no socialized GPs or other specialists, like dentists for instance. You pay dearly for every single test, and they don't even give you a receipt. General practitioners only make house calls when someone is on their deathbed, and even then, maybe not. Especially in small towns.
I can't even remember—and I have both standard and supplemental insurance—ever using my health coverage (aside from this surgery) without having to pay the full amount out of pocket.
Living here feels like being in a foreign country. I've heard that people in Washington, D.C., and residents of larger cities have it much easier: everything is practically on their doorstep (we travel 50-62 miles miles just to get by), they enjoy concerts and exhibitions, and they can head to the plaza for New Year's. Here on the coast, we are stuck in the middle of nowhere, living in isolation. Even Miami, since the current administration took over, has turned into one large, isolated village filled with unemployed people.

Everything operates without any external oversight regarding institutions or doctors. You are entirely dependent on the whims of whoever happens to be providing the service at that moment. Even the local pharmacy in our small town lacks basic necessities: they don't carry antidotes for any kind of poison. They don't even have an antidote for the coumarin used in rat poison, let alone snake antivenom.
Outsiders end up driving to 31 miles just to find something essential when something happens to their children. And since there are several large hotels in town, a place with a permanent population of 3,000 swells to fifteen times that size during the season.

We have no choice here. Everything is centralized in Washington, D.C. Yet we are taxed at the exact same rates for every business. It’s as if we were in the capital. In reality, everything is more expensive for us. We are forced to rely exclusively on private providers because there are no social services to speak of.

Look, there are always exceptions—people who grind through absolutely catastrophic conditions. My cousin is one of them. She’s a GP working out on a remote island near a small town in the West, and she doesn't just sit in an office all day. She spends her shifts trekking through the rural backcountry on house calls, visiting every elderly patient in the area before she can even think about heading home. She lives in Miami, so after she finishes seeing everyone, she’s often pulling into her driveway after 10:00 PM. To make matters worse, she’s a single mom. And don't even get me started on how the local busybodies try to dictate her schedule, her working conditions, and where she’s allowed to practice. The locals actually decided that instead of maintaining the clinic, they should build a music school right above it. They started construction, but then the first heavy rain hit, causing massive flooding that basically trashed the medical facility. As a result, they shoved her into the Chief’s office for six months just to have a place to work. Can you imagine trying to treat someone with a serious injury while sitting in a cramped administrative office? It’s ridiculous.
Every time I think about that crumbling plaster falling off the walls and those rotting window frames, I honestly feel like punching my own dentist. She runs her practice over in this upscale neighborhood, but she’s constantly whining about how much she's lacking—meanwhile, she’s only shown up to visit her own mother twice during her entire three-year, four-month battle with glioblastoma.