Posts by Angela Wright

Nancy Thomas18 said:Reading through all your posts about how hard you've fought—and seeing that some of you are still battling alongside your own families—it’s honestly draining my will to keep fighting too. This forum, and the other one, really mean a lot to me. To be blunt, I told myself the other day that I’m done with treatment. I have two chemo cycles left, but I’m just tapped out. I don't have the strength left, the money for the supporting meds, or the heart to keep going. My son has been by my side since day one, and he nearly lost it when I told him this. On top of that, I have four vials of Aloxi left; if anyone needs them, please DM me privately.

Don't mess with me.😲Stop talking such nonsense.🙂If you need actual support and real help, ASK FOR IT! We are here, and organizations like the National Organization for Rare Disorders exist specifically for people in your exact situation.
Look, people take out loans for absolute garbage, but you can at least go into debt for something that nobody will ever hold against you: your own health and your life. If you need a hand, speak up. We will organize a fundraiser or set up a dedicated account for you. Do not give up, ever! Once you get healthy, you'll have all the time in the world to work, make money, and pay it all back.
Honey, I know things are incredibly heavy right now, but you knew from the jump that this was going to be a brutal fight. You have a shot at getting better, so keep swinging. Think about everyone else who was given zero chance and fought anyway.

Nancy Hernandez43 said:Yesterday was a massive turning point with my mom. First, she went in to get her blood drawn. She had to shell out $28 for the tumor marker tests, but honestly, what’s money compared to the hope that these results actually show she's doing okay?

She doesn't talk about her fears or the pain; she just internalizes everything and suffers in silence. She won't even see a therapist because her "therapy" consists of cigarettes, piles of scribbled-on notebooks, and a few coffee dates with friends. Of course, all of this creates tension in our house, but it’s like nobody wants to confront her or warn her when she's making mistakes.

At her last check-up, the doctor warned my dad that it's time for a PET/CT scan since it's been a full year since the surgery. When he brought it up, Mom reacted by saying it wasn't necessary. My dad went ahead and scheduled the imaging in New York City behind her back, and once they visit the oncologist at Avian next week, they'll know if it was truly required. Even though she isn't saying much, you can see the terror in her eyes—and that PET scan needs to happen.

Before we left for New York City, I couldn't help myself; I tried to push through her defenses in a somewhat blunt way to understand why she keeps everything bottled up. It turns out, she isn't afraid of finding cancer again or facing another fight; she’s afraid of how people talk about cancer and how painful those stories are. When I asked why she stays silent, she gave me an answer I never expected. She told me she sees how hard we are all working for her, how much attention we're giving her to make it seem like she's dying, and it hurts her. She stays quiet because she doesn't want us to feel her fear of death or burden us with it. After talking for two hours, I realized just how incredibly difficult it is to be in the shoes of someone battling cancer, and it makes me admire all of you true fighters even more!

Anyway, the results came in today and everything is within normal limits, including the markers, and her hemoglobin is sitting at a fantastic 147! We both struggle with anemia, so it looks like she's at the absolute peak of her health right now! I told her to relax and talk things through with her dad, but she said she still doesn't feel ready to open up about everything crossing her mind. I also warned Dad to dial back the intensity so her anxiety levels might drop.

That's all from me. I really hope some sunshine and clarity find all you warriors soon! I'm thinking of you all! Hang in there.

Nancy Hernandez43, those are wonderful news😍. Your mom needs time. Just give her as much love and support as possible. Tell her she has the right to be honest about what's bothering her and let her set the rules for how everyone behaves. She has that right.
I remember about ten years ago, my mom went through a very depressive episode. The company was struggling, she hit menopause, and life was just hitting her from every angle; she just couldn't face it or deal with things head-on. Her cousin’s wife, who happens to be a doctor, took her to see a very well-known specialist for autogenic training. Back then, people wouldn't have gone to her, just like your mom might not go now. But it gave her confidence; it helped her realize that you don't have to be "crazy" to see a professional—sometimes you just need a blueprint to start tackling the mounting problems in your life. It truly helped her, and those were some of the best ten years of my mother's life.
Maybe your mom needs a starting point too, even though she's in a completely new situation.
Hang in there. I'm sending big hugs to both you and her. Cherish each other. You have all the time in the world on your side. I hope it stays that way for as long as possible.🙂

mistyridge5 said:but I have to add, sometimes that uncertainty regarding huge amounts...
I’m fully aware of my own limits—what I can handle and how much I can take. I understand the waiting game and the constant anticipation, yet there's still this part of me that just wants to seize control of everything right this second...

That’s exactly why you need that higher perspective. Deep down, we’re always going to be those small, vulnerable little chicks, exposed and unprotected by nature. We feel the fear, and we are fragile, but we also carry this massive, untapped strength and an incredible capacity to adapt. The key to the room where that power lives is Confrontation. Confrontation is nothing more and nothing less than an act of pure will.

Mistyridge, let's keep moving.👍

slylynx76 said:Hey everyone!

I’ve been scrolling through your posts for a few days now. Honestly, the sheer amount of love, sincerity, and compassion radiating from these words is staggering. You guys have really moved me...

I’m facing an issue myself and could really use some advice or recommendations.
It involves my father. He just tested positive for occult blood. His doctor scheduled him for a gastroscopy next week, followed by a colonoscopy just two days later.
From what I’ve gathered about occult bleeding, it’s almost always linked to colon cancer.
Has anyone here dealt with a positive occult blood test where it turned out *not* to be something malignant? What does this test actually signify? Should I be panicking right now? How am I supposed to handle this?

Thanks in advance

I’m not an expert on occult bleeding, but I do know that bleeding doesn't automatically equal cancer. More often than not, it's just hemorrhoids.
How should you handle it? Live one day at a time. Don't try to sprint ahead into the future, because that just drains your emotional battery and kills you prematurely—besides, things rarely turn out exactly how we imagine they will. Right now, you're essentially operating in the dark, but everything being done is meant to clear the fog and find the truth. Once you actually get the results, if there is indeed a problem, you deal with it THEN. At that point, you can look at all the options and start tackling the issue head-on. That is the only healthy, logical way to approach life, especially when it comes to medical scares.
Life offers zero guarantees and zero certainty. We just create these little illusions of security so we can carry the weight of existence without collapsing. The sooner you realize that and accept it, the easier it will be to face even the worst scenarios life throws your way.

Carol Brooks41 said:I don't think birth control pills cause fetal abnormalities.
They're just standard hormones that already exist in the body; I have no idea why they would trigger any kind of issues.

It is entirely possible for developmental degeneration to occur during the early stages of pregnancy, particularly if you're dealing with an extremely high hormonal dose.

quietangler89 said:So she actually went through with the pregnancy despite being on birth control when she conceived?
Was the baby healthy, without any issues?

The baby is perfectly healthy and absolutely adorable😍. Honestly, the bigger concern was the chemo and radiation doses she had to endure during her illness about 12 years ago. From the very moment she found out she was pregnant, she was under constant medical supervision to make sure everything was developing exactly as it should.

quietpilot87 said:I have a quick question, and I hope I’m asking this in the right place.
As some of you might know, my mother just finished a year of intense chemotherapy. The good news is the lung cancer is gone, but her body is completely wiped out and incredibly fragile right now.
On top of the physical toll, she opened up to me today about how mentally vulnerable she feels—more than ever—and how terrified she still is. 😢I assume that's normal, but it isn't easy to deal with.

She mentioned feeling pain and tingling in her arm twice today, along with some tingling in her jaw (kind of like that sensation you get after getting a shot at the dentist). It could be the nerves reacting, but she's terrified it's a precursor to a heart attack. It's true that chemo can take a toll on the heart, but I'm wondering if it really could have been a pre-infarction state? 🤷 Or maybe it was just some kind of panic attack? 🤷

It's possible, but honestly, I think it's more likely she just panicked, which then spiraled and made everything feel worse. She should definitely go in for a quick check-up just to be safe. Otherwise, when those sudden panic attacks hit, taking a small dose of Xanax can help; it relaxes the muscles without totally numbing your brain.
It would also do her a world of good to spend time with people who actually understand what it means to live with the reality that cancer could come back. Once she faces that head-on and learns how to carry that weight, she won't feel like the sky is falling every single time. 👍
Man, I dream about the day we finally get a dedicated space for the National Organization for Rare Disorders and support groups for people going through this. 🙂

Carol Brooks41 said:I know we're off-topic here, but do you happen to know if she showed any signs of hyperthyroidism?

Yeah. It was textbook: hand tremors, racing heart, a visible swelling in her neck... She knew something was up, but she was taking birth control for entirely different reasons. After surviving lymphoma, doctors told her she’d likely never be able to have children because her natural cycle was completely shot—she was basically relying on those pills just to stay functional rather than for protection. And then, against all odds, a miracle happened.
Bottom line: when you're getting bloodwork done for hormones before starting a pill regimen, it wouldn't hurt to have them check your thyroid levels too.

Carol Brooks41 said:Sure, but when you actually talk to most of them, they end up pregnant anyway because there's always a little bit of failure in the system.
As for withdrawal or the pill, I already laid out my thoughts regarding cases where everything goes perfectly—meaning the pills are taken right on schedule without any health complications, and the withdrawal is timed correctly.
It’s obvious that once you start making mistakes, all the theoretical effectiveness just goes out the window.

That point about getting used to the pill is true, though I can't say for sure if it's actual physiological adaptation or something else—but it seems to apply once you hit 35 or even later.
In those older age brackets, doctors suggest switching to different contraceptive methods specifically because the pill might lose its efficacy.
But honestly, I have no clue why that happens.

The issue isn't really about whether they work, it's about the increased risk of breast cancer. There used to be a lot of hypotheses about them being harmful, but according to every gynecologist I've spoken to (four of them, to be exact), those theories have been debunked. Some have even told me you can stay on them right up until menopause without an issue. Still, after I have my baby, I plan on getting an IUD. I have several reasons for that, the biggest being my endometriosis, and the fact that the hormones released over three years will eventually make my periods disappear. Then there's the financial side of things; you can get an IUD covered by Medicare, so you don't have to stress about the cost for the next three years.

A friend of mine actually managed to get pregnant while she was on Cilest because of her hyperthyroidism. Basically, if you’re dealing with a major hormonal imbalance—like those thyroid issues—and you aren't strictly sticking to the pill every single day, there's definitely a chance it won't work.

Ashley Green53 said:My husband just had an abdominal ultrasound, and they found this hypoechoic, oval-shaped mass right in front of the pancreas—about 20x8 mm. The radiologist thinks it’s likely a lymph node. His blood work showed a slightly elevated ESR at 40 and a marginally low hemoglobin of 132, but everything else looks pretty standard. He isn't feeling any pain or showing any other symptoms. An immunologist actually referred him for this follow-up after looking into some joint and arm pain he’d been having, though all those tests came back normal. What exactly is a lymph node, and how is it treated? We haven't been able to find much useful information online about this specific finding. He's got a follow-up appointment scheduled in a month.

Someone already covered this topic in a thread over here. I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter lately about these biopsy results, and honestly, there’s a massive amount of misinformation floating around. It feels like everyone with an internet connection thinks they’re a specialist, throwing around terms they don't fully grasp. Let me be incredibly clear: if you’re looking at a pathology report and seeing "Non-Hodgkin" or reading about a specific "Lymph node," do not—and I mean do not—try to self-diagnose based on a random thread online. It’s not just unhelpful; it’s dangerous. Medical science isn't a guessing game played out in comment sections. I see people jumping to conclusions before they’ve even sat down with their oncologist. You can't compare one person's situation to another's. Every case is its own unique puzzle. One person might have a specific type of NHL, while someone else's diagnosis could be entirely different, even if the symptoms look similar on the surface. Comparing them is like comparing apples to engines; there's simply no common ground. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, talk to your doctor. If you want a second opinion, go to a major medical center like the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins. Don't rely on the collective anxiety of a forum. Be smart about this.

Today on "life in the fast lane," there's supposed to be a fighter appearing around 4:30 PM on the main network. She’ll be discussing her association, the astronomical costs of medication, and the various hurdles we're all forced to jump through.
I need a huge favor—URGENTLY looking for anyone who can record this, whether you can grab it digitally or just via an old-school recording device. The guy who was slated to handle this got caught up in an emergency and won't be able to pull it off, and we didn't bother setting up a backup.

I’ll owe anyone who can help us out big time.🙏

Adam Myers22 said:My father passed away two days ago after suffering through fifteen brutal months. I want to thank everyone for their posts, especially Angela Wright.

Please accept my deepest condolences. It breaks my heart to hear how much he had to endure; nobody deserves to go through that kind of pain.😢

Nancy Hernandez43 said:That's good to know. We used to just pick stuff up at the local CVS, but my mom hasn't been drinking native propolis for about four months now. She just takes it whenever she feels like she needs it.

What a waste. For what it's worth, my mother was slamming high doses of it while she was going through chemo and radiation—we're talking 15 capsules a day, basically three rounds of five. Later on, we scaled it back to three rounds of three.

Kimberly Bishop91 said:Thanks so much for all the advice and comments... Angela Wright, if you don't mind me asking, which brand of native propolis were you using? I'm curious about the manufacturer. And Frank Taylor4, thanks in advance if you could look into whether it's actually available here in Chicago.?

It's from Heder. Honestly, your best bet is to order straight from them because it's way cheaper that way $3.25. We used to grab six bottles at a time and they’d always throw in a free one.

Kimberly Bishop91 said:The whole point is to boost the immune system so they can handle chemo a bit better... so yeah, sharing experiences and comments is helpful... unless they want to try something actually effective?

When you're looking at all these immunostimulants and antioxidants, it’s honestly a minefield. My take? You really need to pick a lane—find what people actually swear by and stick to it consistently. Otherwise, we're just chasing shadows here. In our case, we relied on Noni and raw propolis until the very end. My mom was dealing with an incurable diagnosis, but because of how we handled things, her quality of life stayed as high as it possibly could under the circumstances. She passed away without a single wound or infection from the disease itself; she actually beat the odds three times over. Even though she was completely immobile—essentially quadriplegic for over a year—she never succumbed to infections. It's far too common for people to die from secondary infections before the cancer even gets to them. If the body stays strong, it can actually endure chemotherapy and fight back without being wiped out by opportunistic infections.
Bottom line: choose something backed by actual, relevant studies—not something claiming to be a "miracle cure" for cancer. Such a thing doesn't exist, and it's painfully obvious that there are plenty of charlatans out there looking to exploit people.

Anyway, since I started navigating this whole mess and paying attention to what people are actually using, I've noticed the most common stuff in the US includes:
Homemade Aloe Vera, Noni, raw propolis, Immunomax, Beta glucan, medicinal mushroom extracts, and shark cartilage supplements. For teas, definitely green tea, Taheebo, and valerian, which is great for various tumor types while also protecting against bladder infections. Diet-wise, Mediterranean cuisine and macrobiotics are the gold standards.

Austin Chavez76 said:I guess strep throat always comes with a fever or at least a chill. It’s been bothering my throat for a week now—it's better, but swallowing still hurts. I went to the doctor and he told me there was no fever or anything, just a virus, but then he gave me an antibiotic anyway and sent a swab to the lab. Like, don't take the meds because it's probably just a virus? So, okay... I didn't start the antibiotics, and then today he calls me saying, hey, the results are back and you actually have bacteria in your throat, so start the meds. But how am I feeling fine without a fever or anything? Is that really strep or something else? I mean, he tested me, but besides this pain and trouble swallowing for a week, what other signs are there? Could it be strep without a fever? Or what kind of bacteria is he talking about?

It's totally possible to have strep without a fever. It basically sets up camp and waits for the right conditions to strike...
You should get an ASO blood test, also known as the anti-streptolysin O titer. Group A Streptococcus is one of the most common bacterial infections found in people here in the States.
Streptolysin O is an extracellular product of the strep bacteria that triggers the body to produce antibodies, which we measure to confirm and track a strep infection. Basically, if those antibodies show up in your bloodwork, it means the strep bacteria is present and caused them to form.

Jamie Edwards32 said:So, I just got my bloodwork back and everything looks fine—mostly. My lymph nodes are a little swollen. Specifically, there’s one in the lateral chain about 19x4mm, and then another one in the right jugular chain measuring roughly 22x6mm. On the left side, they aren't really anything to worry about, just sitting at about 11x3mm. I also went ahead and did the toxoplasmosis serology, which came back negative, and my chest X-ray was clear. Even my dental X-rays looked good too. The only "good" news, I guess, is that I saw an ENT specialist. He told me my tonsils have some pus buildup—basically chronic tonsillitis—and said I probably need them pulled. He didn't say it was an emergency or anything, but he mentioned that when you have tonsillitis, the lymph nodes above the Adam's apple tend to swell up. That makes me wonder, though... do they always stay in that specific spot, or can they show up in the middle of the neck? Because I've got another one sitting right behind my neck, too. The radiologist did tell me that according to the ultrasound, the nodes still have their normal shape, they're distinct, and they actually move around when you touch them.

Look, buddy, just get those tonsils out and you'll be fine. Your tonsils are basically just lymph nodes themselves, and yours are clearly struggling. The rest of your nodes are reacting because your body is dealing with an active inflammatory process; they're working overtime trying to pump out antibodies to kill off the bacteria. You need to boost your immune system. There are plenty of great herbalists out there in the States—maybe find a local specialist who knows their stuff. They can give you some natural remedies to get you back on track. Plus, there is a massive variety of supplements available on the market here. People have talked about this extensively on various forums before.

brightviper16 said:Basically, women who have a desire for anal sex—whether they realize it or not—but don't have an outlet for it, end up suffering from psychogenic anal pruritus. It happens when they can't bring themselves to ask a partner, if they aren't close enough yet, or if there's just too much fighting and a lack of trust in the relationship... it all builds up.

It can manifest as anything from a few "mini flare-ups" over a couple of days to this absolutely maddening itching that doctors can't find a physical cause for. You see it more often in women holding high-pressure jobs, people dealing with chronic stress, those going through long periods of sexual abstinence, or anyone stuck in a relationship where their sexual needs just aren't being met.

If she's actually in a relationship, then psychotherapy really needs to involve both partners to work...

What a load of nonsense.🤣

Tell me, is this strictly a female thing or does it happen to men too? I'm guessing if you're gay, you'd deal with the exact same issues.🤷

Amy Gray75 said:Hi there,

I could really use some advice.
My mom is going through chemo right now, and she's lost her hair. We bought her a wig, but honestly, she feels much more like herself when she wears scarves.
Does anyone know where I can pick up some 100% cotton scarves here in Washington, D.C.?

Thanks in advance..

I’ve always been a bit of a creative soul, so what I did was use a batik dyeing technique to make some triangular headscarves—basically a little first-aid kit for her confidence—that she wore throughout the process. In my experience, you'll get the best results if you just buy high-quality cotton fabric yourself, cut it to the specific dimensions you need, and hem the edges. You can also find turbans at most wig shops. My own mother actually preferred wearing those over a wig any day.