Posts by Angela Wright

Brenda Cooper3 said:I woke up this morning with some green phlegm after spending the entire night breathing through my mouth. Is anyone else dealing with this? O.o

That’s just sinus drainage hitting your throat. 🙂
It happens to me too.
I finally managed to fix my nighttime congestion using Afrin spray. It clears me out instantly and lasts pretty much the whole night. Sometimes I still wake up to the sound of my own snoring because my nose gets stuffed up again, so I have to use it one more time. Neti Pots just didn't do the trick for me.

I ended up getting knocked sideways by a massive migraine this past Saturday. It was so bad I actually left a sweat stain on the armchair where I was slumped over. I finally headed home around 1 PM and spent basically all of yesterday passed out. I’m feeling a bit more human today, though my nose is still running—just not as bad as yesterday. I’m still feeling pretty wiped out, even though I managed to power through half a workday. Once I got home, I whipped up an apple pie. Now, I’m just going to tuck in with a cup of hot honey tea, pop some Lekadol, take a shower, and crash👍

Biska Rulez🙏

Sarah Perez59 said:Update: She went in for a bone marrow biopsy—actually, it was to see if the lymphoma has spread.
She was crying and screaming from the pain; there’s just no such thing as anesthesia that works when they're digging into the bone. After the procedure, she had to lie there in the hospital for about two hours.
They ran a CT scan of her upper body, and now they have to do ultrasounds on her neck and heart.
I'm shaking... I am absolutely shaking... I'm terrified of what the results will show. It made me so happy to hear her lungs were clear, but now I'm spiraling into a panic over what else might be hiding in those reports.
It kills me to see her suffering like this when the real fight hasn't even truly begun. I have no idea what to expect once chemotherapy starts. I don't know what that looks like at all. It drives me crazy how some people bombard her with useless information, lecturing her on every single side effect chemo might cause. As if she needs to hear that right now. As if it's a choice.
She’s strong and she's holding it together, but she isn't made of stone. There’s no point in her knowing every possible worst-case scenario; it just leads to visualization, which turns into fear, panic, and anxiety—basically just more unnecessary stress...

But honestly, I didn't react the right way yesterday either...
She tried to open up to me about how she feels and what she's scared of—talking about how she might not be able to have kids one day, or losing her hair, and things like that... and I just shut down a bit. I think I tried to tell her it was pointless to worry about things we don't even know yet. I told her she needed to focus only on positive outcomes, that she'll recover 100%, and that she shouldn't even let bad thoughts cross her mind. And she just... recoiled. She just cut the conversation short.
And I walked away feeling like I failed her.

Can you remind us what this is about again? Is it Hodgkins?
A friend of mine beat Hodgkins when she was 16. They told her the same thing back then—that being able to get pregnant was uncertain. Well, she's been a mom for a year and a half now.😉
You have to follow the order of operations and deal with things as they come. You can't skip steps in life. Tomorrow is a long way off, and who knows what the future holds.

casualrider21 said:I need to just come out and say it...
Reading all these complaints about doctors—their competence, their lack of care, the way they treat people...😠
It makes my blood boil when I think about it all. These comments just fuel this burning desire I have to confront them personally, 🙂 to look them right in the eye and tell them they are the most pathetic, soul-crushing excuses for human beings I've ever encountered...😠
I know that won't bring my dad back, but man, would it give me some peace of mind.
If I had enough support behind me, I’d probably rally the entire city to rise up so we could drag the truth into the light and give those people exactly what they deserve. 😠
That said, there are exceptions. To the good ones out there: I tip my hat to you.🙏
Right now, my blood pressure is through the roof.

Stay strong, everyone, and fight—for yourselves and for the people you love...👍

Now my own nightmare continues with my mom... I'm waiting on her test results every single day, and maybe, just maybe, I'll finally be the one posting some good news. 🎉

Sending love. Hang in there!😘👋

Dear casualrider21, your reaction is totally understandable. But look, there are two sides to every coin. In our work at the Association, we actually collaborate quite a bit with physicians who have truly poured their hearts into this. They're constantly being hounded by hospital administration, the government, and Medicare with budget cuts and mindless bureaucracy. They're backed into a corner, their intelligence and expertise are insulted, and they aren't even allowed to practice medicine according to the Hippocratic Oath. They're essentially paralyzed, often facing the threat of being fired if they try to fix even one small thing.
Sure, there are terrible people in the profession, but most of them are just regular folks like us who are simply breaking under the pressure.
I am so incredibly sorry for everything you've been through, but this is all just the end result of a rotting system that starts at the very top. Doctors and patients are just tiny pieces of that massive chaos.

I absolutely demolished some BBQ sliders with onions and some seriously killer spicy pepper spread for lunch. It basically acted like a natural decongestant—my nose is wide open and I’m feeling that total sensory overload effect. Now, I’ve gotta swing by a friend's place for a quick round of shots or some cheap tequila to steady the ship, since I promised I'd show up, and then it's straight to bed.👍
I'll let you know how the aftermath looks.

I feel for you, truly and deeply... from the bottom of my heart. I've been dealing with the exact same thing for a few days now and I am absolutely losing my mind.😠

briskheron21 said:🙂 But here's the thing—it isn't your typical scar. There’s no actual disruption or texture change in the skin itself. The skin feels perfectly normal... It's just this tiny spot, maybe half a centimeter across, where the pigment is completely gone. I honestly have no clue if there's even a way to get the color back.

Maybe try one of those scar removal creams. If you head into a CVS or Walgreens, they'll point you toward something.

briskheron21 said:When I was a kid, I had chickenpox, and I guess because I picked at them, I ended up with these little depigmented spots where the skin didn't regain its color. I've got maybe five or six of these white dots scattered around my body. I'm wondering if there's any way to actually get the pigmentation back in those spots.

Sure, you could go under the knife with plastic surgery, just like any other scar. 😉
My mom used to always tell me, "Don't you dare pick at them, Mario!" 😁

Emily Martinez17 said:The mystery is solved: it's mono.

Man, what a mess.😢
Just take it easy and get some rest so things don't spiral out of control.

cosmicmaker30 said:Just kidding about putting a splint on a thumb... I don't even know if they make thumb splints... lol... honestly though, the doctor’s recommendation to buddy-tape it to the next finger is perfectly fine. If the person can't force themselves to actually rest their foot, then a splint isn't going to do much anyway....
As for the pain, just take some Advil or Aleve...

There are actual splints available, you just only put part of your foot in them😛. My suggestion about using a walking boot is purely based on experience—my aunt smashed her pinky toe against a doorframe this summer and ended up with a minor fracture. They just taped it to the toe next to it because she promised her doctor she'd take it easy, but she couldn't stay still and ended up limping around for three months. A boot actually forces you to stay off it.

Douglas Morgan3 said:Hey again... just got back from the doctor... and of course, my regular physician wasn't there. Instead, I get some temp who basically tells me, "Oh, you should've come earlier, we can't do anything now." Then they tell me to just go home, rest it, and immobilize my thumb by taping it to my other finger.... WTF? What am I even paying health insurance premiums for? Does anyone know if I can just show up at the ER with these test results so a specialist can actually take a look and give a real opinion, or am I stuck needing a referral from my doctor first? Thanks again....

Honestly, immobilization and rest are pretty much your only options here. If the pain is getting to you, just pop some Voltaren or something similar. What you really need to do is get a splint so you're actually forced to stop using it. If you actually take care of it, the fracture will heal way faster.
Head over to the ER at Mount Sinai and tell them what's going on. Get them to put you in a splint.

Emily Martinez17 said:I was there.🙂Yeah, I am. My doctor basically has zero clue what we’re dealing with here, so she just sent me off to get bloodwork done. Now I’m stuck playing the waiting game until Tuesday to see the results. Honestly, I could just wither away by then.😢

Man, I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of mess that would cause.😳Just wait until the bloodwork comes back to see what's actually going on. You’re probably dealing with an infection. In the meantime, just take some Advil to take the edge off while you wait for those results.
Don't go spiraling into a useless panic. Just stay put, relax at home, and let everyone else fuss over you for a change. Honestly, just lean into it and enjoy the attention—it’s not exactly something that happens every day.👍

Sarah Perez59 said:Update - I've scheduled an appointment over at ExxonMobil to run some orthomolecular diagnostics. Our Association pooled enough funds to cover this screening since it’s pretty pricey - $1133
I'm really pinning my hopes on this test providing enough insight so my friend can tailor her diet and supplements properly. The goal is to bolster her system before she starts chemo.
Regarding her situation, honestly, people are what get under my skin the most. They just treat her like she's already a walking corpse, and it's frankly appalling. She's finding it incredibly hard to deal with. I find myself constantly telling everyone to just act normal, like she’s perfectly healthy. Aside from that, she’s going to pull through—we have to believe that, especially since there hasn't been any metastasis and her actual chances for recovery are excellent. It’s vital that she stays positive too; we can't have her becoming the pessimist here.
I am terrified of how the chemo is going to hit her. Is the hair loss really unavoidable???
I think it's going to take a massive psychological toll on her... 😢
She has stunning hair, and it's always been her pride and joy. Losing it is going to be devastating...
Just awful...

Has anyone heard anything about Calivita? No one has gotten back to me yet...
I was thinking of trying their syrup to see if it might help ease some of the chemo side effects...

What else should we be bracing for? What's actually coming her way?
Are the nauseasies absolutely brutal right from the very first round?

Print out this brochure and hand it to her.
Everyone else, please forward the PDF via email.
Everyone is welcome to join the Association "New Day" if they want advice on how to interact with her or if they want to learn a bit more about what she's fighting.

Emily Martinez17 said:Hey everyone! For about a week now, I've been feeling this pain on my left side just under the ribs. It really hits whenever I try to take a deep breath or if I sneeze... plus, my left back and left tonsil are acting up too. Has anyone else dealt with stuff like this? Any idea what might be going on? Thanks in advance!🙂

Well, have you actually seen a doctor yet?

Douglas Morgan3 said:Hey, hey there... so, here's the deal. About a month ago, I was down at the beach and managed to wreck my right big toe... haha... honestly, I have no idea how I did it. It hurt like hell, but I didn't want to go to the doctor because it was only my second day of vacation, and you know how it is—you don't want to spend your time off in an urgent care clinic. It bruised up pretty bad and walking was a struggle, but after three days, things started feeling a bit better. When I got back home to Chicago, I still didn't see anyone because I figured I just stubbed it harder than usual and it was just a bad bruise. But now, over a month later, I’ve realized I can't really bend the toe, and if I bump it against something—like hitting my foot against a table leg—it hurts like absolute mother of hell... boooooliiiiiiiiiiiiiii... so I finally went to the doctor to get some imaging done. The radiologist's report says, and I quote: "Standard X-rays show a fracture in the area of the proximal phalanx head without displacement of the fragments, with callus formation present. The fracture line is still visible. Obscured." Can someone please tell me what's going to happen to me? My buddies are freaking out, telling me that if it healed crooked, I might need surgery to reset the bone and all that. Does anyone actually understand what this report means? Thanks in advance.

Well, it clearly states right there in your report that there is no displacement. You should probably be in a splint and using crutches until this clears up; that's really the only way to force yourself to actually rest the foot and stop aggravating it.

quietraven0 said:Angela Wright,
we got some paperwork, but our primary care doctor was actually a temp covering for someone else, so she didn't really know much beyond saying it’s a voucher for a discount. Is that what you’re talking about, or something else?

I honestly can't say. Just read whatever is printed on it. Some wigs are totally covered, while the slightly higher-end ones require a small out-of-pocket payment, but we're talking maybe $67 extra.
If you happen to be in New York City, there's a fantastic wig shop Downtown that accepts those vouchers.

quietraven0 said:feralridge3,

So, how’s the hair situation looking on your end? Has it started growing back yet?
I know some people think obsessing over hair is trivial—that it's just cosmetic—but honestly, if I were in those shoes, I’d be struggling too. Even if there isn't any physical pain, the mental toll can really weigh you down. But we'll adapt; every setback usually leads to something better, so that's the mindset we have to maintain.

Her hair is going to grow back much thicker and stronger, and there's a good chance it might even curl up more than before.

quietraven0 said:My mom started losing her hair this morning. Even though we talked about it and tried to mentally prepare, seeing it actually happen hit her really hard. Honestly, I'm torn—maybe it’s better to just shave it all off right now? I don't know what the smartest move is. I'm planning on getting her a wig, but does anyone have advice on what to look for when shopping? Also, what kind of price range are we talking about here?

She might be able to get a wig for free through insurance as a medical necessity. Just ask her oncologist.

Help out Bozi

Sarah Morgan7 said:I’m jumping into this discussion because my family is currently walking through a nightmare. My dad just underwent colon surgery where they had to install an ostomy bag, and now we’re staring down the barrel of a long recovery. To make matters worse, the doctors told my mom and me today that the cancer has already metastasized to his liver and the abdominal cavity. It’s non-operable—basically, the cancer has already spread too far to cut it out. We received the heavy news today, though my dad doesn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation yet; honestly, it might be better that way for now. He had a nagging feeling something was wrong for a while, but he kept putting off the diagnostic tests, and now we're left dealing with the consequences of that delay. My mom and I are absolutely devastated. When I went to see him at the Mayo Clinic earlier, I could barely look at him for more than a few seconds without breaking down. I know the prognosis isn't great, but I have to ask: in a case like this, can chemotherapy actually do anything to halt the progression or at least slow it down significantly? Before the surgery, he actually felt relatively okay, aside from some digestive issues that were the first red flags.
I’m honestly terrified of the absolute agony my father might have to endure, and the sheer weight of what we’ll all go through right alongside him.
God, give us strength! 🙂

I need some help here. Get on... www.zanovidan.hr.
Sign in to the forum. You’ve got an entire thread dedicated to colon cancer here, packed with everyone else's firsthand experiences.