Posts by Angela Wright

If things start taking a turn for the worse while on Avastin, then the drug isn't indicated anymore; at that point, the side effects outweigh any potential benefits, and there’s simply no reason to keep pushing it.
There are other treatment paths available, and one such option is the smart drug Erbitux, which shows excellent efficacy in patients carrying the wild-type cell mutation—something you can confirm through a k-ras test on a tissue sample.
There is absolutely no legal way to obtain a medication like that without a valid prescription.
Your best bet is to seek out a second opinion from a private oncologist.

darkcrane14 said:I went in for my checkup today—I'm just entering week five—and they couldn't pick up a heartbeat. Is that actually normal? My doctor tells me it’s just too early, but honestly, I can't help feeling like she's just saying that to keep me from panicking.

Regarding the other issue, it turns out I have a retroplacental hematoma. I've been doing some reading on it, and they put me on some medication. I'm wondering if anyone else here has dealt with this exact thing? How did it turn out for you?

It's perfectly fine; it's still way too early, just like I told you right away. You might see a shadow on the ultrasound, but the heartbeat isn't detectable yet. I assume you'll be heading back for another scan in about ten days.
A hematoma can be a real pain because there's always a risk of it affecting the pregnancy, but with the right medication, it's usually kept well under control. It'll pass. The main thing is that the bleeding stops.
Try to take it easy and cut back on your activities. Even though people say it doesn't make much difference in these first few months, it's better to be safe.
Huge congratulations to you! 🎉

Elizabeth Rodriguez34 said:some women maintain a normal flow during pregnancy, but an OBGYN definitely needs to step in and figure out what's actually going on

Women can experience all sorts of bleeding due to pathological issues like a hematoma, but let’s be clear: that isn't a period. A menstrual cycle is driven by hormones that simply aren't being produced by the ovaries while you're pregnant. Period bleeding happens because the uterine lining sheds to prep for a potential fertilization and implantation process.
Biologically speaking, calling this a "period" is total nonsense.

What we're likely looking at here is implantation bleeding, which occurs when the embryo embeds itself into the endometrium. The pregnancy is likely in its very earliest stages—around week four—so an ultrasound might still be inconclusive, but a blood test for beta hCG will give you the definitive answer.
If I were in your shoes, I’d hold off on the ultrasound for at least another week and just monitor whether those beta levels are doubling as they should.

You're probably getting hung up on the bureaucratic red tape. They have their own reasons for doing this, which are purely internal administrative matters.

Send an official written request to get copies of the documentation under a formal release agreement.

Look, I don’t have time for fluff. Let’s just get straight to the point. kaže:
My sister just had a C-section at 9:25 PM. The very next morning, some nurse has the nerve to ask her if she needs anything to brush her teeth with, and my sister just looks her dead in the eye and says, "Mila, what exactly were you planning on giving me?"... because honestly, at that point, she might as well have offered up a kidney. 🙄 When she asked him to grab a nightgown from the bag under the bed, he just snapped back, "Why would I bother when you’re all making such a fuss?" Honestly, what can you even say to that? It's just massive. 👎 For the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, my sister finally laid out the cold, hard truth. She’s working in absolutely brutal conditions. I actually spent more than 100 days total praying to the Holy Spirit on two separate occasions, and seeing it firsthand, I can confirm things are just as bad as she says. I’ve been through two C-sections myself, plus a week of intensive care, and honestly? They treated me like royalty. Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of kindness and a kind word to get people to understand where you're coming from—it can go a long way in getting them to make much bigger concessions.

Look, when the pain gets truly unbearable, people start looking for anything—even heroin, unfortunately. It’s obvious to me that she can handle what she’s dealing with right now.

Not at all.
But look, you can actually do something helpful for both yourself and your brother here.
Just drop her off at the facility and tell them it’s just a temporary stay until a permanent spot opens up at Dover... and then you just drive her back and forth, the same way she’s always been there for you. Once she realizes how much better she feels, she won't even bring up Dover again.

Angela Johnson28 said:Thanks for the advice!
She’s got home health care, so I’ll ask them about an oxygen concentrator—nobody mentioned that to me. Right now, she’s relying on breathing injections to get by.
Can anyone recommend a good facility? Ideally somewhere in Washington, D.C. with decent conditions and quality care.

I don't have any firsthand experience, but I know there are plenty of threads on the health forums regarding facilities like that. Try plugging some keywords into the search bar.

As for the oxygenator, you should probably have a pulmonologist make the initial recommendation and then fine-tune the oxygen dosage. It isn't exactly a straightforward process.

Angela Johnson28 said:I am absolutely terrified. My mom is doing poorly—breast cancer that has spread to her lungs, so she’s struggling to breathe. I’m trying to be realistic, but I am scared out of my mind because I'm caring for her all alone in our apartment. Thankfully, she isn't fully aware of how bad things are; she's just been lying there immobile for quite a while following a stroke.
I'm not exactly a medical expert—would it be better if she were in a hospital setting??
Please, I need advice. Her doctor hasn't been much help at all.

In my opinion, you really need to look into inpatient care or a hospice facility. Unless you have some actual training in palliative care, trying to manage this level of illness on your own is an uphill battle you aren't equipped for.
Also, if your doctor hasn't already ordered home health nursing, demand it. Under the Patient Bill of Rights, your mother is entitled to daily nursing visits for about 45 minutes.
You should also ask the doctor about a palliative medical home health team.
She’s going to need an oxygen concentrator. You can often get one through insurance, but a pulmonologist has to write the formal recommendation first. And now you have the hurdle of actually getting an appointment with a pulmonologist...
...to put it bluntly, providing proper home care for a patient in this condition requires an exhausting amount of running around and constant effort—effort that would be provided immediately in a specialized facility. If there is any way at all, try to scrape together the funds for professional placement. Your mother is terminally ill, and the priority should be ensuring that whatever time she has left is spent with dignity.
Hang in there.

You’ve got a whole PDF dedicated to nutrition and weight loss right here:

And here is some advice from a housewife who actually sorted her life out:
Stop overthinking everything and just tackle the problem head-on. It's like when I'm working on my own character—physical traits are just surface level; you can't get anywhere if you don't deal with the core issue that's actually eating at you. No one is going to motivate you until you get fed up to your back teeth and decide to go all in. Good luck.

Honestly, my gut tells me this guy is about to bail.
Though I'm just as stunned by the reality that any low-level script kiddie can hack your account these days.

I’m curious to see how many more of these skeletons are going to fall out of the closet. It’s high time the "pathology" department actually started doing its job.😉

Nancy Hernandez43 said:Thanks!

Honestly, it’s hard to find the tears for a fighter like her. Back on October 9th, we were all together at Avian. That was the first time she actually opened up about what the doctor told her—basically saying "medicine has done all it can." By October 19th, she had already decided to get a nephrostomy installed to prevent kidney atrophy, while simultaneously arranging a consultation and a potential surgery at Avian (the one they hadn't originally recommended). She fought in every sense of the word.

She taught us that life can be absolute garbage, and because of that, you have to live it with everything you've got. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was aggressive and brutal; she managed to navigate every stage of the illness alongside her doctors with total grace, right up until the very end.

I think it’s more accurate to say that shitty things happen in life, but if you have people you love and who love you back—especially if you just need a little more time to experience that kind of connection—then you fight and you live life to the fullest.
We are all just fragile butterfly wings; the only difference is the style of flight we choose for ourselves.
May she rest in eternal peace!

Kimberly Booth said:Sadly, my sister lost her fight; she passed away on September 11th.

I am so sorry. Please accept my deepest condolences.😢

Benjamin Grant6, please accept my deepest and most sincere condolences.
Your mother truly was a miracle. She is a living testament to how, even when faced with the bleakest prognoses and the harshest diagnoses, a well-coordinated oncological approach and solid medical care can grant someone significant, meaningful time. I am certain that over these eight years, you all cherished the most precious moments, focusing on those vital little things and core life values. Every goodbye is agonizing, especially one that feels far too soon, but if we view our existence within the vast context of the universe, we are merely a flicker. In the end, quality is what truly matters, not just quantity.
May she rest in peace, happy, and may you find peace in your heart to move forward with happiness, knowing you did everything possible and that she gained so much from your care. Let her rest easy.
Thank you for reaching out.

Dana Martin87 said:He went in for his checkup, and they basically told him he just needs to get things back on track manually. It sounds absolutely terrifying, but here we are...
The oncologist couldn't give him any definitive answers yet because she needs to rerun the CT scan and blood work, since his last results were all the way back from August. She mentioned that based on those old numbers, she’d probably just prescribe pills, but she needs fresh data first. Oh, and she also told him he needs to pull some strings to speed up that CT appointment. Good grief...

At least the woman is being upfront about it. I hope you guys can handle that conversation privately.

Dana Martin87 said:We’re making some headway. Dad actually gained 8 pounds after the surgery, and he’s seeing the oncologist tomorrow, so we should finally have a timeline for when chemo starts.
The stoma is giving him a bit of trouble, though—it’s protruding by a few centimeters. The home health nurse panicked a little, but Dad says the doctors told him anything up to 10 cm is perfectly fine.

Given how much the risk of infection spikes during chemo, it might be a smart move to have a surgeon take a look at that stoma before the treatment actually kicks off.

Douglas Flores91 said:Why didn't they just jump straight to the smart drugs? 🤷

It just wasn't indicated. A huge number of these biological smart drugs aren't even cleared for use until the disease has already metastasized. I get that there’s a connection to clinical trials and the FDA registration process, but I still don't wrap my head around the logic here. If a drug is proven to target a specific cell type during the metastatic stage, why wouldn't it work the exact same way when the disease is still in its early stages? It feels nonsensical that every single phase of the disease has to be proven separately.

amberorca40 said:Hey, I just skimmed your post—are you seriously claiming you dropped 24 pounds in a month and a half?
First off, losing weight that fast isn't medically sound or healthy. Unless you’ve completely overhauled your diet from the ground up and started hitting the gym or getting active, you’re just setting yourself up for the inevitable yo-yo effect where the weight comes right back.
I’m speaking from experience here. Because of some hormonal issues, I packed on 30 pounds that I had to shed fast. Once my thyroid medication finally kicked in and my hormones leveled out, I went through three different nutritionists before finding one who actually built a meal plan around my reality—specifically, the fact that I’m a terrible cook. We had to tailor everything to ensure I was getting enough protein, carbs, and healthy fats distributed correctly.
Buying stuff like Amway or Slim Jim is a total waste of money. You need to split your meals into smaller portions, stay within your caloric needs, and most importantly, get moving physically.
A medically safe and sustainable weight loss rate is between 2 and 4 pounds per month, max.

For context, from January to September last year, I hit the gym four times a week following a program focused heavily on cardio and HIIT. No fad diets involved—just proper nutrition. I lost those 30 pounds over 8 months, averaging just under 4 pounds a month.
Right now, my body fat is sitting slightly above 25%. To actually see abs, you'd need to be under 10%.

What I did cut out were sodas, sweets, deli meats, sausages, and junk food. I stuck to whole grain bread, limiting myself to about 100-150 grams a day. For milk, I went with the 0.5% fat version.
My diet was mostly protein—tuna, fish, chicken—along with brown rice and pasta, all measured out strictly. I had a few fruit snacks in between, keeping in mind that an average piece of fruit is roughly 40 calories.
You can find calorie and nutritional charts online for pretty much any food or ingredient.

Look, losing 11 pounds right now feels great, but let me ask you: how long is this going to last if you don't change your actual lifestyle? It shouldn't be about "going on a diet"; it's about learning how to eat healthily. And by the way, eating clean is significantly more expensive than standard grocery shopping.

Later

Since I kept my original post very brief, you've totally misinterpreted how I achieved my results.
The truth is, I was on 1200 calories, tailored specifically to my height with nutrients carefully balanced, paired with a daily goal of 10,000 steps. That’s what led to the weight loss.
As for the Slim Jim, I never claimed I lost weight because of it; it just helped manage my cravings when I needed something sweet. Plus, since it's made of fiber like psyllium (which I tried first, but found too bland), it swells in water and helps you feel full.
A huge chunk of what I lost was actually water weight—probably at least 10 pounds.
Basically, after two weeks on this regimen, I felt significantly better both physically (my sacroiliitis cleared up) and mentally, which is a massive factor in staying motivated to make the changes you're talking about.
I lost the weight in July. It's now October, and I haven't gained a single pound back. I am extremely mindful of what and how much I eat, and the app I recommended actually helped reprogram my mindset regarding meal planning. I still use my pedometer every single day.😉The root of my issues was an addiction to carbs, which I’ve managed to get under control—at least for now—and I'm sticking to it.
Regardless, when you're dealing with serious weight struggles and losing pounds the wrong way, I actually think it's a decent starting point; the health risks of rapid weight loss are far less threatening than carrying around every extra pound. Of course, that's assuming we play this smart moving forward and avoid that dreaded yo-yo effect.
To wrap up what Body Halleck was getting at: it really just boils down to simple math. Reducing your calorie intake relative to what you burn is the only logical way to go.
Check out the app; it'll make my whole concept much easier to grasp 😉

@kbszeljko
I can’t recommend this app enough:https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...d=com.wsl.noom
It was a total game-changer for me. I dropped 11 kg in just six weeks by strictly managing my calorie intake, tracking everything I ate, and staying active with a step counter. You just plug in your target weight, and the app does all the heavy lifting by calculating your specific caloric needs automatically.
About ten days in, I cut out almost all carbs, sticking mostly to fruits and veggies—though I kept some legumes in there—and only eating bran when I needed grains.
The reality is, you’ll probably realize how much of a sugar addict you actually are. Those first ten days can be brutal with cravings, but it’s honestly incredible how much better you feel once you ditch the refined sugars. Your energy levels skyrocket and your mental clarity just sharpens up significantly.
When those cravings hit, having a Slim Jim on hand really helped pull me through, so they definitely serve a purpose there.
Good luck to your wife. 🙂