Posts by Angela Wright

swiftpanther102 said:Unfortunately, I’m joining the ranks here because this topic is clearly everyone's worst nightmare...

Three weeks ago, my Dad was diagnosed with lung and bronchial cancer. He went into the hospital for a bronchoscopy and a chest CT... they found minor metastases on his kidney and one vertebra. They just sent us off to an oncologist and a urologist to let them weigh in on the kidney situation. The oncologist said he’d go on palliative chemo, but the urologist thinks what he sees is small enough to be operable—though he also mentioned it might be pointless and we should just focus on fighting the stuff in the lungs. (He casually mentioned it would be smart to get a head CT to see if anything is going on up there... obviously, we’d be waiting months at the hospital, so we did it privately.) And yeah, there is a tiny growth in his head, but apparently, it isn't causing any issues right now... We were supposed to start chemo today, we brought all the paperwork, and then—get this—the oncologist tells us chemo is pointless if it weakens him too much, because once his immunity drops, there will be nothing we can do about the growth in his brain...
IT’S ENOUGH TO DRIVE YOU INSANE!!!.. If we hadn't done that CT privately, who would have even known???!!!
And so, we spend our time 68 miles driving back and forth to Cleveland for all these tests, something new every other day, and then today they hit us with this...
The oncologist recommended the Mayo Clinic for radiation, specifically Gamma Knife, based on what my sister heard from the neurosurgery department there. But there's no room for him; one doctor is on vacation, and the next won't be available for another 15 days. A lovely nurse suggested we just drop off all the medical records in the morning so the doctor can look them over and decide if he needs an MRI... !!!
He does need one, the doctor said... but in Cleveland, the wait times are massive, and doing it privately is incredibly expensive. So, they "kindly" pointed us toward the Mayo Clinic, saying it's a good shot—if they can treat the brain issue there, he could potentially continue with other types of radiation in Cleveland later, provided he handles the chemo well.
They're just running us in circles... Everyone in the family is at their breaking point, and I have two little ones at home (one is turning a year old, the other just turned three).

I don't even know how to feel anymore, where to look for advice, or who to turn to...
"I'm just stuck in a vacuum."
Just when we think there's a glimmer of hope, someone suggests it's all just noise and that we should just let him live out whatever time he has left...

swiftpanther102, hang in there for the Gamma Knife; 15 days isn't a huge deal considering how much it could help him.
Unfortunately, everything you're going through is part of the inevitable package deal that comes with a diagnosis in our healthcare system. There’s no sense in spiraling over it, because it just drains the energy you desperately need for the fight and for daily life. You have to accept these hurdles as unavoidable and just deal with things as they come. There really is no other way.
As for the disease itself and how it progresses, I think it’s been clear to all of you from the start—you’ve likely researched this online—what we're dealing with. It’s hard to talk about a "cure" here, but extending the quality of life is definitely possible, so you absolutely have to push for every single option to manage the situation.

stormyfalcon6 said:That was just an assumption. 😢 So what’s the move now? How do we make every single second count?

The priority right now is setting up palliative care—making sure she stays nourished, hydrated, comfortable, and clean, and most importantly, pain-free. Ideally, we’d want to manage all of this at home, where she can be surrounded by family and the comforts of her normal routine. I really hope her primary care physician is top-notch, because so much of this process is going to hinge on their guidance.

stormyfalcon6 said:We have zero good news over here. According to the doctor, things are looking even worse than they did before the surgery. 😢 They aren't going to give her any therapy because her Bilirubin levels are climbing. She’s headed back for more tests in ten days. Since it's rising due to what's happening with her liver, is there even any hope it will drop?! It was around 60 last week, and now it's hit 73. We also can't wrap our heads around why high Bilirubin interferes with chemo. What would actually happen if she went through with it?

A rising Bilirubin level is a massive red flag that the liver is starting to fail. For chemotherapy to work, the liver needs to be strong enough to process and filter out all that toxic sludge. In her case, pushing chemo would be catastrophic—it would likely kill her on the spot. 😢 Unfortunately, Mom is in the terminal stage now, so palliative care and pain management are the only paths left. The goal is just to improve her quality of life and squeeze out every possible moment she has left. I'm just heartbroken. 😢

Andrew Cruz3 Asks:
Well, they ran some kind of tests at the ER, but unfortunately, I have no clue exactly what they were looking for. 🤷
A couple of months back, she spent a few days in the hospital for some checkups. They told her everything was looking fine, except for her liver, though they even noted that those results were actually quite satisfactory.
I get the feeling her doctor isn't expecting anything anymore and has just completely washed his hands of the whole situation. 🙂
They aren't giving her any kind of actual therapy. The last thing they did was discharge us with nothing but some Reglan and a vague explanation about gas in her abdomen.
When I called him during business hours, he just told me to head straight to the ER—that’s where they first mentioned the water issue to me.

Look, just take that ER paperwork straight to him. Be blunt. Tell him point-blank that you want him to focus entirely on palliative care. Ask him if he honestly believes continuing the current path makes any sense, and if he thinks it’s more professional to refer her to someone else who actually specializes in providing that kind of end-of-life support. Do it assertively—be direct, like a surgeon with a scalpel. Don't let an ounce of accusation creep into your voice; if you sound like you're blaming him, he'll shut down. If you stay calm and firm, he’ll be caught completely off guard. Most of these doctors just aren't used to being spoken to that way.
I’m going to be straight with you: you really should consider looking into placing Mom in a facility where she can get professional, specialized care. There are private assisted living centers out there that do an incredible job. I actually lost a close friend recently to a brain tumor at age 36, and during those final months, they were in a top-tier facility that made a world of difference. If you want, I can look into the exact names of the places I know and let you know.

stormyfalcon6 said:Look, you know I’ve already considered that. 😢 I’m incredibly sensitive right now because of everything going on with Mom, so I’m just trying to help her any way I can.
I won't bug you guys about it anymore. It really means a lot that you're here for me. 🙂

The best move is to just give her the facts and let her make her own calls. People like that can literally drain the life out of you if you let them. You've already dealt with enough regarding your own Mom; there's no reason to put yourself through that cycle all over again. She's your mother-in-law, not your mother.

stormyfalcon6 said:I’m thinking along the exact same lines as you guys. I lost my Mom in such a short window of time—she had stomach cancer. 😢 Now, it's my mother-in-law we're dealing with. She's really the biggest hurdle because she is incredibly pessimistic. We have the same exact conversations with her every single day, but we aren't making any headway. Personally, I believe that if God stepped in to help catch the pancreatic issue early on, and since the surgery went flawlessly, there's still hope that everything will turn out okay. It just takes an immense amount of mental fortitude to fight this kind of battle. My biggest fear is that her mindset will cause her to give up. Right after the surgery, she actually told me she knew exactly what was coming her way just so she wouldn't bother going through with it in the first place. 😢 Naturally, she turned down any kind of psychological counseling.

It doesn't necessarily mean she's weak. Sometimes having that kind of attitude toward the world is just a defense mechanism—you know, people love to play up the drama and act like they're defeated, even when deep down they actually want to fight and truly intend to. My Mom was exactly like that.

stormyfalcon6 said:Thanks! After that successful surgery, we really thought we were finally out of the woods and everything would go smoothly, but now...😢

Even if things aren't going exactly the way we planned, there’s absolutely no reason to lose hope or just throw in the towel. There is still so much work to be done, and there is still plenty of high-quality time left to squeeze out of this life—that needs to be the absolute priority right now. As for dwelling on hope or contemplating what comes after this life, we’ll all have plenty of time for that individually later on. While we are actually here, we need to focus on the challenges that life and God have placed directly in our path. You probably knew from the jump—maybe people didn't tell you straight, but I'm sure you did your own Google searches and found out—that dealing with ovarian cancer alongside a glioblastoma is about as brutal as a diagnosis gets because of how sneaky and aggressive it is. It takes an incredible amount of grit to face that reality and still find the strength to wake up and start a new day. Now that we're facing this new set of facts, we have to accept them and keep moving forward. There are no "healthier" or "smarter" versions of this situation waiting around the corner.

Jamie Rivera78 said:Please, I am not exaggerating one bit.
It's not an all-access pass to health; nobody gets a guarantee they won't get sick. Generally speaking, people who live healthy lives face much lower cancer rates, regardless of their genetic hand. Prevention is always better than trying to fix a disaster after it hits.

Unfortunately, some tumors are simply impossible to prevent. But it raises a fundamental question about what "prevention" actually means—where does it stop being a beneficial proactive measure and start becoming what you call "reactive treatment"? Take mammograms, for example. They fall under the umbrella of prevention via early detection, yet they involve radiation exposure that can impact the thyroid; however, the math shows the benefits outweigh the risks. It’s a constant balancing act. I think the real issue here is a fundamental misunderstanding of these terms. We all know there are no guarantees, yet we struggle to truly accept that reality. There are statistics from clinical studies that provide a roadmap for how we navigate these domains. Anything beyond that is just speculation.

And just to set the record straight once more—reducing a specific risk doesn't automatically equate to a longer life! Every single day, whether we realize it or not, we are exposed to countless life-threatening risks. Arguing over whether one specific procedure extends or shortens a lifespan is a completely pointless line of reasoning.

stormyfalcon6, the issue is that the Metformin seems to have affected the liver, and since there’s a recurrence at the incision site, the ascites has flared up and pushed fluid into the pleura. They'll likely start a course of diuretics if they haven't already. I'm sure wanderingcobra76 will be able to explain the medical specifics better than I can.
It looks like the disease progressed quite rapidly over just three months, especially considering she was actually on therapy, but unfortunately, dealing with cancer is always this brutal.

stormyfalcon6 said:I’m asking for a huge favor here—if anyone actually understands these medical results, could you please explain what’s going on in plain English? We have an appointment with the doctor this Wednesday. It's crystal clear that things aren't looking good, but we're completely in the dark about what exactly is happening. 😢

The results show that, compared to the last scan, the disease has unfortunately progressed. I can't tell you exactly where or what specifically has changed because you didn't include the previous report. It mentions a recurrence, which basically means the tumor has popped back up in the exact spot where it was before—either it never truly left or they removed it and now it's back. On top of that, there are traces in the lymph nodes, and there’s fluid buildup in the abdomen and around the lungs. That’s never a good sign. 😢 Bottom line: the current therapy hasn't cut it, so we're moving on to the next line of treatment.
Look, this is just my two cents, and I’ll admit I’m speaking purely from a layman's perspective here. I’m pretty sure wanderingcobra76 will be able to give you a much more competent answer than I can.

Andrew Cruz3 said:Yeah, true,
I keep forgetting.

@Angela Wright/">@@Angela Wright

Thanks so much for the help and the kind words.
I know I just show up here hunting for answers, but like you already know—it’s been rough.

Thanks to everyone else too (wanderingcobra76 and the rest)

Don't mention it. Honestly, I haven't said anything particularly sweet to you, and I feel bad about that 😢. Sometimes I hesitate to tell people what I actually know because it feels like the blunt truth can hit them like a sledgehammer; people often aren't ready to face the very thing they're asking about. But then again, I look back at my own life—even though I struggled hard to swallow the reality of my own situation, I was ultimately grateful to hear the truth once I finally managed to uncover it.

Andrew Cruz3 said:I know we aren't supposed to talk about alternative medicine here, but I'm curious—what’s the consensus on Cannabis oil?

Am I going to cause myself some serious damage if I try it?
To be blunt, I'd give it a shot if there isn't hard evidence proving it's actually harmful (unlike some other things, like certain seeds)

@moderators

Look, I know I'm pushing the boundaries of the rules here, and feel free to hand out a penalty, but I want the information from this group. I don't want to go looking on alternative forums because I'm expecting a high-quality, expert-level response right here.

There is such a thing as hemp seed oil, which is perfectly legal and available at any local pharmacy. That's considered a dietary supplement since it's packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
As for illegal cannabis oil or using marijuana for medical purposes in general, there's a massive amount of research confirming its effectiveness for specific conditions and diagnoses. However, since it isn't legally regulated for medical use here in the States, there is absolutely no way to ensure proper titration or dosage control. Taking it illegally without any oversight could easily result in more harm than good.

Andrew Cruz3 said:I took her advice and headed to the ER with Mom on Monday.
The fluid is still 😠
They drained 5 liters of water from her and told me they can't take any more.
She seemed fine regarding the bloating until this afternoon.
Now she’s swollen up again 😢

I honestly expected the doctors to say the swelling would last longer before it built back up, not this fast.

Does anyone know anything about this?
Does it mean there isn't much time left if the fluid accumulates this quickly?
How often is it safe to drain this fluid, and what does it actually do to the body?

It breaks my heart that we were right.😢
Fluid buildup is a major red flag for kidney and liver failure; unfortunately, it points toward the terminal stage of the disease.😢 Every time they perform a puncture, they just create a new space for more fluid to collect, so draining it is really just a short-term fix. I hope she was put on a dehydration therapy since they sent her home—which, if you ask me, was totally unjustified. She belongs in the hospital because she clearly needs higher IV doses of diuretics and constant monitoring of electrolytes, which get flushed out through urination. Another option is what wanderingcobra76 mentioned: inserting a catheter to continuously drain the accumulated fluid. All of this requires hospitalization. To be blunt, in my experience, doctors rarely bother with the palliative side of things for pragmatic reasons. Since she is in the terminal phase, they simply don't see the point in focusing on her, so you're going to have to push. Mom has every right to every single extra moment she can get with you all! Try to find a contact at the hospital to make sure they look after her, because based on how things have gone so far, they won't do it unless you force their hand.
How much longer this will last is incredibly hard to say; it all hinges on how strong her heart is to withstand the strain, but I fear there isn't much time left—that's usually how it goes.😢
I am so deeply sorry; I know exactly how heavy this feels. If I were in your shoes, my primary focus would be ensuring she has the best palliative care available—making sure she gets her diuretics, stays nourished, hydrated, comfortable, and most importantly, pain-free. Above all else, ensure she is surrounded by people who love her unconditionally. Family and a loving environment are what she needs now to find the strength to hold on. Make the most of every second you have together, as much as circumstances allow.
Hang in there.

Jacob Stewart2 said:Since you asked, I actually think it was totally unnecessary for her to go public with it in the first place.
One could argue whether she did it out of some "higher" calling, like trying to raise awareness among women—suggesting that if Angelin Jolie did it, then it must be some sort of standard.
Or maybe she did it because she's a total ego maniac who craves the spotlight, all while handing over her private life and simultaneously judging the media for digging into her privacy.

I don't know, and frankly, I don't care.

However, since she went ahead and shared that famous percentage with the public, now I am curious about the basis her doctors used to reach that conclusion.
If she was going to make it public knowledge, she could have provided the full picture. A complete report.

Personally, I would have survived just fine if I hadn't heard that info, but since she published it herself and the media keeps bombarding me with it, I have every right to keep looking for more details.

I don't see why people are attacking me. I'm just interested because that percentage is extremely high. That's it.

And regarding the "I wouldn't do it..." part—listen, everyone is entitled to their own choice. I'm not the type to judge anyone's stance, even if I happen to think they're wrong.

Sorry if my post felt like an attack; that wasn't my intention 😁. I get why you're curious, but I don't get why you're digging so hard when it's obvious we're missing most of the context. Whether she told the whole story or not, whether the media caught everything or missed pieces, or if she's holding back details for a future book—all of that affects how you interpret the situation. That's why I don't understand your selective interest in certain bits and not others, because every missing detail changes the equation.

Nancy Nelson63 said:I'm 15 years old and I have tons of stretch marks on my chest from growing so fast. Almond oil didn't do anything for me, and the marks themselves have already turned white. I was wondering if anyone else has gone through this and how you got rid of them? I read that aloe vera works, and maybe egg whites too...

Look, let's be real: once they're there, you aren't getting rid of them unless you go under the knife for cosmetic surgery. That's just biology. However, you can definitely stop more from popping up by keeping your skin hydrated. You need to drink plenty of water and stay on top of using moisturizers and lotions. Personally, when I dealt with stretch marks on my stomach during pregnancy, using Lushov Therapy bars made a massive difference.

wiredotter75 said:Just figured I’d jump in here. Angela Wright knows me from the forums, and I know her too. I’m currently grinding through month 41 of dealing with colon cancer and peritoneal metastases, including 3 out of 6 lymph nodes, and so on and so forth—I won't bore you with the medical minutiae. After finishing my first line of chemo, things stayed steady for 36 months, but then we hit a progression on the FOLFIRI + Avastin combo. Now I’m on my second—and potentially last—round of FOLFOX. My latest CT scan showed a slight regression, but for the first time, there are discrete signs of ascites—fluid buildup. That hits hard because I know what that usually signals: terminal status. But I have to ask, has anyone actually lived with ascites for another six months or even a year? Also, regarding Flobian capsules for digestion and bowel issues—is anyone taking them? I need some relief; I’m dealing with constant, heavy diarrhea (partly from the chemo, partly because a meter of my small intestine was removed). Nothing seems to touch it—probiotics, all that stuff—nothing works, though Pepto-Bismol helps occasionally. To make matters worse, I caught a virus and I've been coughing for seven days straight without any relief. I took a dose of Amoxicillin and my fever hit 101.5°F; the fever is gone now, but the cough is relentless. Does anyone have an alternative for a cough? Sinupred syrup did absolutely nothing for me. I’m at a loss for what to take, especially since the coughing gets brutal at night when my temperature creeps back up to 98.4°F. I feel like crap, and I need to be in peak shape by next Wednesday for my 55th chemo session (consisting of 49 rounds of FOLFIRI + Avastin and 5 rounds of FOLFOX). Peace to everyone..

Vedro, I’m so sorry things have taken a turn, but it’s really good to see you back here. Hang in there; honestly, I think you can break all the records because you're one hell of a person.🙂
Check out that herbal pharmacy over by the market near the high school, right by the Maersk building on Tolstoy Street. They should have Syrup. It isn't expensive, and it might help since it coats the mucous membranes and should soothe that cough irritation. You can probably find plenty of other smart remedies there, so it's worth a look.

Jacob Stewart2 said:🙏 Thanks for such a detailed response.

Basically, isn't it just standard procedure for them to tell her, with pretty high certainty, that if she doesn't go through with the surgery, she's looking at breast cancer?

Those DNA testing companies are actually pretty interesting; I definitely need to do a bit of digging on them. If you have a link, shoot it over.

Don't you find it a bit strange to assume a woman might have skipped over her detailed medical history before a procedure? What exactly was she supposed to report—every single cyst or fibroadenoma she’s ever had? How would she even begin to calculate her own statistical probability? These risk factors aren't just pulled out of thin air because one person had a bad experience; they are derived from decades of rigorous longitudinal studies that establish these benchmarks and data points. If you actually bother to search PubMed, you'll find an absolute goldmine of information on just about anything.

When things go sideways within your own family, that whole "I wouldn't do that if I were in their shoes" attitude just doesn't fly. It’s easy to play judge from the sidelines, but once you're actually in the thick of it, those judgments lose their teeth. You watch the agony unfold, feeling that crushing sense of despair because you’re completely powerless to do anything about it. And then, in the end, you find yourself sincerely wishing for the suffering to stop—even for the person you love most in this world, the one you can't imagine living without.And that absolutely changes everything when you look at it from a different perspective.
God forbid I ever end up like that, but honestly, screw that nonsense. That thing is a pure slab of meat, and thank God Glumičić and his crew can work absolute miracles. 😉 This is deeply personal territory, and it’s the kind of decision that requires serious, sober reflection before anyone makes a move. If you're working with a top-tier physician you can actually trust, there’s really no room for impulsive choices or those shady lobbyist schemes you see where companies just push silicone breast implants on people.

Jamie Rivera78 said:That’s exactly my point. The cause is different, sure, but the end goal is identical: don't get cancer in your organs.
Sure, you can't mess with your genetic code, but living healthy is the best defense for pretty much everything.
I'll say it again: there isn't a shred of evidence that this "brave move" by Angelin actually extended her life one bit.

Look, I think it's a bit premature to jump to conclusions about Angelin's brave choice when we don't have the full picture of her medical history. My guess? She might have already been dealing with things like fibroadenomas that could turn malignant. Regardless, given the genotype for breast and ovarian cancer, she did exactly what any smart, informed woman would do—especially one who has already lost someone to this disease. You need some serious guts to pull that off. It's similar to what Christina Appelgate (Kelly Bundy) did; she dealt with breast cancer and opted to have the healthy tissue removed just to mitigate the chance of a recurrence, especially after watching her own mother suffer through it. Women can't afford to play dumb, and like Angie so aptly put it—if we have a way to lower the risk, we take it. So, she didn't necessarily "extend" her life, she mitigated the risk, which, if nothing else hits her, can certainly impact both longevity and quality of life. Talking about guarantees in life is pointless because they don't exist. We all know that when a glass jar falls out a window, it usually shatters—unless, by some stroke of luck, it lands on a soft cushion that just happened to be sitting right there... too many "ifs" if you actually value your life. 😉

Melissa Martinez5 said:The symptoms started showing up—coughing, trouble swallowing, fever, and shortness of breath...
His primary care doctor spent two months treating him for a simple sore throat... eventually, she gave him a referral to the hospital, and the second he walked through those doors, they knew exactly what they were dealing with...

We haven't seen his doctor in quite a while... whenever he has appointments, the doctor isn't there, so we just keep missing each other...
What the doctor told us after the surgery was that he might be able to eat soft foods soon, maybe even harder stuff, but honestly, it all depends on how his recovery goes... It’s been a significant amount of time since then, and he's still relying on a nasal feeding tube to get his nutrition...
I figured there might be someone else in this group going through the exact same thing...

For any experiences or advice you can trust, check out here: http://www.larynx-hr.org/america-za...tranica-4.html

Andrew Cruz3 said:The doctor insists it's just gas, not fluid. To me, it looks exactly like that.
It feels hard, like a balloon being blown up. Rock hard.

Now,
I’m not sure if an enlarged liver can cause this much bloating.
The doctor isn't ordering any tests, which makes me feel like he was already expecting this exact scenario. He’s solely focused on whether my bowel movements are regular; once I confirm everything is normal, he just tells me to call immediately if things stop moving. 😕

In a situation like this, any diagnosis made without actual testing is just pure guesswork and completely unprofessional. If we're talking about fluid buildup, the abdomen gets rock hard because liquid is accumulating in the peritoneal cavity, and from there, it can leak into the pleural or pericardial spaces—and that's when things turn critical. I already told you what I would do if this were happening to someone close to me. Sunday is actually the perfect day for this, because if you head to the ER, they'll run the tests the doctor skipped.
Since he explicitly said to contact him if bowel movements stop, he clearly left the door open for other possibilities, but it seems easier for him to avoid investigating right now than to send someone home to suffer—especially since he has targets to meet, if you catch my drift regarding his mindset. Tell me, are you perhaps at a major research hospital? They tend to manage patients that way.