4549 posts shown.
steelbadger83 said:Sleeping Beauty, hang in there—this too shall pass.
The start of this year absolutely kicked my teeth in. First I lost my dearest one, then Zoe, and then a close friend; all taken by those wicked diseases. I was fighting through chemo rounds, dealing with insurance headaches, and the crushing cost of medication. It felt like everything was sliding into total darkness, but I refused to cave.
It’s only been four months, and today I’m living life at full throttle—I feel like I'm doing 200 mph. I am overflowing with optimism, energy, and a genuine belief in the future.
Cancer actually refined me; it changed me. It gave me the chance to shift my entire perspective and realize that even when things are ugly, they have a certain beauty. Life is incredible, and at the end of the day, we are each solely responsible for our own existence, choosing our own path and how we live it.
My wish for all of you is that you first learn to accept the illnesses of your loved ones. Treat them as if they were healthy, and be the pillar they need while they navigate their own journeys of self-discovery. Cancer is essentially a shortcut to reaching the very core of one's being—it's faster, and if I'm being honest, maybe even easier in its own way. Some people succeed on this path and some don't—there are no guarantees—but anyone facing this illness has been handed a unique opportunity from God to grow spiritually, and their loved ones can play a vital role in supporting that growth.
You have no idea how much it brightened my day to see you back here; it’s been way too long.😍
Are you finished with your treatment?
Get your teeth checked out too... and I'm being dead serious here, no jokes.😳 A friend of mine spent five years constantly fighting ear infections, only to find out she had granulomas on two teeth. They looked perfectly fine on the surface, but the infection was buried deep in the roots.
Gargle some sage tea and rub some St. John's Wort oil on that hair loss.
Brenda Richardson33 said:Hey everyone.
More bad news... not only am I still struggling to wrap my head around my dad being gone, but now my paternal grandmother passed away too. I just can't handle this much grief hitting me all at once in such a short window...
I know she was old and this is just how life works, but everything about this just keeps reminding me of him...
😢
I am so sorry! It feels like you're stuck in one of those brutal seasons of life right now. But listen, there are new days ahead, and I promise they will bring more happiness. Give yourself the grace to grieve your loved ones properly. Everyone needs that time to process things in a healthy way. I really hope your friends and coworkers are being understanding with you.
It might be a good idea to treat yourself to a trip somewhere quiet near the water if you can afford it. An aunt of mine lives near the Mississippi River in Indianapolis, and she always says she’d never move from there because the Mississippi carries the sadness and pain away. They taught her as a kid to walk along the river because the water washes all that negativity downstream. When my mom got sick, we were staying with them in Indianapolis and spent so much time walking by the Mississippi and over near a small town in the Midwest by the Missouri River. During those days, I felt so much better.
Carol Sanchez2 said:Angela Wright, I haven't forgotten about taking Mom out to sit on a patio somewhere for some ice cream or cake. We’re going to make that happen in the next few days; even though these test results didn't exactly take a weight off our shoulders, we're going to enjoy ourselves while we still can.🙂
😘
Hey Ivančica, don't let this crush you.😳 Remember what the late Zazie used to say about how things are always fluctuating. Just because this one lab result looks bad doesn't mean the next one will follow suit. It’s actually a huge win that the doctor managed to clear everything out so effectively; now the chemotherapy will just step in to mop up any lingering cells. Your mom is going to be fine, you'll see.🙂
George Palmer7 said:Hang in there, everyone. What else can I say??
What I’m about to tell you probably doesn't belong in this thread (moderators, please forgive this outburst, it won't happen again), but it’s deeply connected to my favorite subject: doctors. My sister (45 years old) suffers from severe discopathy; her nerves are pinched everywhere. A year ago, they repaired a ruptured disc, but they told her she needs another surgery to decompress the nerves and clear out certain channels. Not only is the procedure incredibly delicate, but they also told her that even if everything goes perfectly, her mobility will be permanently reduced to about 60%. She'll be pain-free, sure, but she'll never be "better"—her condition is incurable. Since she was facing that reality, she decided to head to Chicago to see a legendary neurosurgeon. This guy comes to our city once a week to perform consultations, and he collects massive amounts of cash under the table, even though everything is officially filed under the local trauma hospital. In January 2007, he tells her, "Just come down to Chicago and we'll take care of it." When my sister asks how, he says, "Call this specific number and we'll give you all the details." She calls—it’s a cell phone!!—and a woman answers... his wife! What a bizarre way to run a hospital. He just needs her to get all the tests done so the anesthesiologist can review them, and if everything looks good, she can head to Chicago within a month. So, she rushes to pay for all the tests (usually there's a six-month waiting list) and sends them off to Chicago. But when she follows up, they say, "Oh, we can't right now, we're swamped, call us back in 15 days." She waits, fidgeting, and finally hits that 15-day mark. She calls... and they say, "Actually, no, we can't do it now, we'll contact you next week." Next week rolls around and passes, and there's total silence. She decides to call again, and they give her the usual: "Yeah, yeah, we know, we're fully booked, but it'll definitely be at the end of the month" (and it's already February). She packs her heavy winter coats and warm clothes, bags packed, just waiting for the chance to go to Chicago. When the time finally comes, she calls, but... "Ah, you know, your test results have expired, you have to redo everything." But—but!—she argues, "You specifically told me it would be..." and they respond, "If you aren't satisfied, feel free to find another hospital!!!" Not to mention the constant fighting with the disability commission and all the bureaucratic nonsense in the meantime. I won't drone on, but it's just one endless loop of calling, being told "you're in line for 15 days," then "not now, maybe in two weeks"... and this dragged on until May 1st!!!!! Then they finally said: "It'll be May 11th for sure. If not the 11th, then the 15th. Definitely!" My sister packs her summer dresses and light clothes, grabs her bags, and heads toward the hospital hoping to finally put this behind her. The 11th comes, then the 12th... nothing. The 15th passes, the 16th passes... nothing. Then she starts calling, but the cell phone is turned off. She tries today, she tries tomorrow, it's always off. In the meantime, she's been hunting for leads everywhere until she finally gets a contact for a woman from San Francisco who had undergone surgery with this "famous expert" just a month prior. She calls her, and the woman tells her: "They played me the exact same way for three months. It wasn't until I realized they were just stalling until I paid that I figured it out. Once I paid (how or how much, it doesn't matter now), they told me to get my tests done. It took 20 days to get them finished, I sent them over, and two days later, I was under the doctor's knife!!!!!!"
I've vented a lot, but I had to tell someone. This is how they treat someone living with an incurable semi-disability. 🙂 Seriously, things need to change here. Moderators: I know, I know, I won't bring stuff like this up here anymore.
This absolutely belongs in this thread because this is a story most seriously ill people have to endure.
Pure horror and madness!😱
My advice to anyone facing this exact scenario is pretty simple: if you already know you're going to have to shell out the cash anyway, just head abroad for the surgery. At least then you'll actually know what you're paying for, you can be sure everything is being done legally, and you won't be stuck sitting around waiting indefinitely.
brightgardener8 said:Reading this makes me want to throw up...😢
Look, brightgardener8, let me tell you something: when you're dealing with cancer, there is no such thing as "right" or "wrong." People just fight the way they know how to fight. If there were a single "correct" way to handle this, cancer would be cured with a simple round of antibiotics. Sometimes you have to follow your gut—that raw, animal instinct telling you what might actually help. For instance, back when my mom was sick, I came across Propolis a few times and just brushed it off. But then, when that same annoying commercial popped up on my screen for the hundredth time, I figured maybe God was trying to send me a sign, and since that day, my mom's been on Propolis. Doctors mostly spit on things like that, treating them like they're useless, but I’m still giving it to her, and who knows how much better things would be if I hadn't?
Find something to hold onto and grip it tight. Believe in it if it feels right to you, regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. Faith can pull someone back from the brink!😘
brightgardener8 said:When I asked about people dropping off the forum the other day, I definitely wasn't expecting this massive wave of bad news... Is there anyone with a positive update out there????
Angela Wright, hang in there. Can you tell me if your mom was staying at the hospital or at home while she was undergoing the Temodal and radiation combo? And were you giving her any of those supplements we discussed (Propolis, Noni...) during that period? To make matters worse, they told me today that we aren't allowed to give my mom anything—specifically, I asked about Beta-glucan. Now I'm just sitting here wondering what the hell we're supposed to do... ugh.
My mom stayed home for most of it, maybe just the first couple of days of radiation and chemo, and I kept giving her Noni and Propolis even then (early on, we even managed it through the feeding tube). Look, don't go expecting a green light from the doctors when it comes to alternative stuff, because you're probably not going to get one. Some doctors are skeptical because if things actually improve, they won't be able to pinpoint the exact cause; others claim it might be counterproductive, and some just flat-out don't believe in anything outside their textbooks.
My advice?
Keep doing what you feel is right and ignore them!👍
Melissa Kim45 said:Beyond tomorrow, everything just feels like deep space to me.
Thanks for that line! I’ve actually shared that advice on this site more times than I can count, but honestly, I’ve been a little too forgetful about actually following my own advice. Really though, God works in mysterious ways, and since He's the only one who knows how all these pieces will eventually fit together for something good, maybe it’s better just to stop resisting and not miss out on the blessing.
slyseal28
Kudos to you! It looks solid, though I did stumble upon a few things that might be off. I’ll shoot you a private message with an example—it might not even be an actual mistake, but you should probably double-check it just in case. I know how much this helps you; starting this thread has been a huge help for me too.
I think we’ve set something massive in motion—maybe something so monumental that we don't even fully grasp the scale of it yet.👍 The mere thought of it makes my skin crawl.😍
neonhawk132 said:I’ve had my dog for about four months now. He has incredibly thick fur, and while he sheds a little bit, nothing crazy—it seems totally normal. I make sure he stays up to date on all his vaccinations and parasite treatments.
I'm starting to worry about whether swallowing dog hair is actually dangerous. Is there any real risk there?
Thanks...
Dog hair is generally less of an issue than cat hair. Honestly, unless you're already dealing with symptoms like sneezing, itchy skin, or watery eyes, there isn't much to fear regarding more serious side effects.
Just checking in to give you guys an update on how things are going on my end. Honestly? It’s pretty grim. Mom is getting weaker by the day, and Dad is becoming increasingly hostile toward me. He’s basically lost all touch with reality and common sense. He actually "forced" me to go out and find a job because apparently, "no one in our extended family of this generation lives off their parents' backs..." I stared at him in pure disbelief; if the situation weren't so dire, I would have thought he was joking. He claims he can't handle the finances anymore—that he's spending more than he's bringing in—but I have absolutely no clue where the money is going since he handles all the shopping and bills. When I asked him how we were supposed to manage Mom's care, he just said he'll take his vacation first, and while he's away, he'll find someone to look after her (since he's financially 😕 ). So, I found a job immediately at a local pet grooming salon. I'll be bathing and grooming dogs from 9 to 5, which means I won't be home between 8 AM and 6 PM. I finished my first day already, and let me tell you, it is exhausting work. I tried talking to him again, explaining that I won't be around most of the day, and asking who is going to cook, clean, and manage the house... and you'll never guess what he said.
I'll be working for about $1333 months, and then I'll be handing over my entire paycheck—plus whatever extra allowance Dad provides—to some stranger who will sit with Mom for maybe five hours a day. This person won't provide even half the care I gave her, and there's no way to monitor how they treat her. At the end of the day, I'll come home, clean Mom up, finish everything the caregiver neglected, cook for the next day, do the laundry, mop the floors, walk the dog, and somehow act like the happy, smiling daughter my father expects me to be and the perfect girlfriend my boyfriend deserves.
What I wrote above is just the condensed version of the nonsense I've had to endure from my father over the last week. Everything from being called spoiled to being told that because he's the man and my father, I have to do exactly what he says 🙂 . The absolute kicker was when he claimed his biggest mistake was not knowing how to "talk" to me properly when I was younger 👍 :klap:👍 .
In truth, he’s actually lifted a massive weight off my shoulders, even if he doesn't realize it 🙏 . For the past few days, every single time Mom's condition worsens—every pressure sore, every urinary tract infection, every swollen or infected eye, every bout of hemorrhaging—it’s all on his conscience now. I don't even mention these things to anyone; I just fix them. My hands are clean. I did everything humanly possible for my mother and for him, and I was fully prepared to keep doing so until her very last breath, sacrificing my precious time in the process. He just spat on that. He stripped her of the best care possible in this world, thinking he has the right to take away our final moments together. But I guess that's just part of the package when you deal with sacrifice and unconditional love.
If you think you're unhappy, just remember there's always someone out there having a worse time than you. That's the only thought keeping my frustration and misery at bay right now. 🙂
Ronald Campbell said:Thanks so much for getting back to me! So, what ended up happening with your friend? Did things get sorted out? And if you don't mind asking, could you tell me what she actually had? I want to see if my symptoms match up. I’m not a smoker, but maybe it’s something else I could be dealing with. Honestly, by the time I finally get an appointment at the dermatologist, I’ll probably have lost my mind from worrying—plus, my current doctor is completely useless;(
She developed some kind of cyst because she always held her cigarette in that exact spot, and she has this habit of pressing it against her lips when she inhales. Her test results weren't exactly great in the end, but don't let that stress you out right now. She managed to get it resolved. Look, it could be a million different things, and since you mentioned you don't smoke, your best bet is to go straight to a specialist and just get some real answers.
Ronald Campbell said:Hello, I have a quick question.
I've had this thing on my upper lip for about two months now. It looks somewhat like a pimple, but it isn't. The color is close to my natural lip tone, maybe a little reddish, and it's pretty small, though I can feel it when I run my tongue against it. On top of that, I noticed some tiny white dots—maybe four or five—near the edges of this "growth" and somewhere in the middle of my lip. It’s completely painless. Since it hasn't gone away on its own after all this time, I naturally got freaked out and asked my doctor about it, but she just took a look and told me it's nothing and will pass. Honestly, she didn't seem to take me very seriously. Anyway, does anyone have any idea what this could be or what my next step should be? Maybe see a dermatologist?
Are you a smoker?
If you are, get a referral for a dermatologist or a surgeon to have them take a look. Based on how you described it, it reminds me of something an acquaintance of mine had that turned out to be caused by smoking.
Kyle Nelson2 said:look, I’m no doctor, but...
The amount of radioactive fallout—stuff like Cesium-137—leaked during the Chernobyl disaster was definitely no joke... however, they say the radiation released from all those various nuclear tests back in the 50s and 60s was allegedly 100 to 1,000 times higher than what happened at Chernobyl. So yeah, there's plenty of fuel for that argument.
...hmm, true, even if our own experts refuse to pin the spike in cancer rates on it.🙄
Personally, I think the real danger lies in the depleted uranium warheads used by NATO and the U.S., which have been scattered all over Canada right next door to us, along with the unused ones dumped somewhere in the Adriatic. I recently watched a documentary where some Canadian Mexicans were describing how half their village died within a single year from lymphoma, leukemia, and other cancers following the depleted uranium bombings. It’s all way too close for comfort.
crimsonfox102 said:I wouldn't say they're right... My father-in-law was never a sickly man. We live out in the country and grow our own food, and whenever he went for a KKS checkup, his doctor would tell him his results looked like those of a young boy... I know he suffered immensely during the displacement because he couldn't get back to his own yard (for context, my father-in-law was a mason, so he was always moving; even on the day he had his first seizure, he was walking out to the field just to see if the clover had grown enough for mowing...).
He almost never smoked...
But there are just too many people getting hit by malignant diseases; my personal take is that it's all a lingering consequence of the war, regardless of whether people were right in the combat zone or further away. Life moves at 100 mph! I grew up in the city, but when I got married and moved to the countryside after the peaceful reintegration, the elders used to talk about how they actually had time for daily, weekly, and annual vacations. They ate less meat, stayed more active, drank more water, and spent more time socializing and laughing. But us today???? We don't even have time for ourselves, let alone anyone else, and then when terrible things happen, we wonder where we went wrong??? We've become selfish and egocentric... when our loved ones fall ill, we pray to God that they live as long as possible, not necessarily for them, but so we can accept them however they are just so *we* feel okay—so we don't feel lonely. But what about the one suffering beside us? Does that person really want such a life, having their soul and body drained by pain??? And who is that "other" person anyway??? The most important thing is that they are alive, because we feel better just seeing them next to us, no matter what... Where did the humanity, the sensitivity, and the faith go—the belief that there is something better out there somewhere and that this life is just a bridge??? As long as they are living, we have to be their support, but when that moment of waking comes, we have to let them go peacefully; they've earned it...
I remember my mother telling me that back in 1971, her brother died from a brain tumor, and Grandma cried for him constantly for months, visiting his grave until one day she had a strange dream. She said she saw a crowd of young men walking carefree through a beautiful expanse, but my late uncle was the only one dragging a heavy bucket full of water. He told her, "Mother, those are your tears; you won't let me rest in peace..." From that moment on, Grandma started truly living again...
God isn't merciless; He always does what is best for us and our loved ones, even if we often fail to understand it...
I second everything you just said🙏. I actually got chills reading this because it felt like someone was reading my mind. Honestly, it’s not even surprising, because everything you wrote is simply fact.
I know exactly where the problem lay with my mom. She did things that caused her internal strife; she worked for 25 years in an office located right above a factory floor, she had a hard time coping with the war, and she was generally a very volatile and explosive person who struggled to handle any kind of stress and reacted too intensely to every little thing. Those were definitely her main drivers; as for what acted as the trigger, I don't know. Illness arises as a complex set of conflicts on a mental, physical, or spiritual level, and then the damage manifests itself in one way or another. In reality, which specific disease you catch and what it affects is essentially irrelevant. What matters is working on the underlying causes. That is a vital life lesson and something positive I've taken from the tragedy of my mother's passing—something I will strive to live by. If, despite my best efforts, I do get sick, I'll know that at least I lived a quality life and that the cause was external.
Amanda Williams64 said:Give honey locust tea a shot (honey locust herb). It’s great for reducing swelling and helping with lymph buildup. You can pick some up at any local herbalist shop (around $3.75)
Thanks, we'll give that a go too, though it seems like those tinctures we got from the local herbalist are actually doing the trick anyway.👍
crimsonfox102 said:May 10, 2007. MALIGNANT GLIOBLASTOMA TOOK ANOTHER LIFE
My heart goes out to crimsonfox102😢
If I remember correctly, things moved incredibly fast—almost at a gallop. 😳 As painful as this is, it wasn't an endless ordeal, and I truly hope you realize how much suffering was actually spared.
For my own mom, it’ll be two years since her diagnosis this July, if she makes it that far. Honestly, there isn't a single day that goes by where I don't wonder what exactly is still keeping her going.😳
Let it be some small comfort to know that you did everything humanly possible for him and stayed by his side until the very end, ensuring he fell asleep surrounded by nothing but love and warmth from his closest family. 😘
vividowl10 said:My dad has been prescribed Estracyt, which is supposedly some kind of cocktail blending hormones and chemo.
He’s dealing with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. He can still move around, and he’s managing the pain with two Roadeons and some Tylenol.
Can anyone tell me what kind of side effects I should look out for with this combo?
I'm really worried about how his body will handle this, especially since he's only weighing about 110 lbs. They just gave him Zomet for the first 28 days to give him a chance to stabilize, since Ibuprofen has already done a number on his stomach.
Thanks so much
I did a quick Google search and found everything you'd need to know right here on http://www.drugs.com/cons/estracyt.html. It's all in English, but I figured that wouldn't be an issue for you.
Emily Fisher26 said:First off, I couldn't even watch that for more than ten seconds, and honestly, I have no clue if this is even healthy. Angela Wright, you already saw my other posts about my health issues, but this? This is a hard pass. I remember seeing some documentary claiming that an annual enema is perfectly fine—apparently, some indigenous tribes do it and live to be a hundred—but this specific thing?...............................😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 absolutely not!
What "issues"?🤣 Look, she definitely has issues, just nothing to do with this.🙄
And those photos... look, I'm no biologist, but that looks exactly like the worms they used to keep in jars of formaldehyde in science class, though obviously, that's a different situation with a totally different treatment.
Come on, people, this has to be a troll.😛
I find it impossible to believe it could be anything else.😳
Next time you find yourself stuck eating something that’s going to wreck your stomach, just carry some activated charcoal with you—you can grab the powder or tablets at any CVS or Walgreens. Just mix it with a glass of water, swallow it down, and it’ll soak up all those toxins so you can clear your system later without the drama.👍 Charcoal is completely tasteless and odorless, too.
Right now, if you want quick results, try some Pepto-Bismol or maybe some smooth move tea, but do yourself a favor and stay home all day because once that urge hits, it’s coming on fast and heavy.😁
Kimberly Brooks29 said:Look, this didn't just pop into my head out of thin air. I know people who have actually done it, and they felt amazing afterward. I just wanted to hear some firsthand accounts from people who've been through it myself.
Listen, if you're so incredibly convinced that it’s such a great idea, why on earth are you even here asking for advice and opinions?🙄 Just go ahead and do it, and may God smile upon you later.👍 👍 👍