Posts by Angela Wright

Emily Edwards19 said:This is absolutely gut-wrenching to read...😢 And I honestly believe that’s the case... unfortunately!

Unfortunately, the numbers don't lie in this situation. 😢

Did you end up stopping by your friend's place?

swiftgardener said:Thanks for this. People need to be constantly bombarded with data like this.
How are we even supposed to fix this broken system? We’ve got a massive shortage of doctors, an overwhelming surge of patients, outdated equipment that belongs in a museum, zero funding, and enough bureaucracy to drown a saint. On top of all that, the whole thing is completely fragmented—there's absolutely no coordination between hospitals, specialists, and primary care physicians. It's a mess.

People need to drive systemic change through grassroots civic engagement. Most folks just sit around their living rooms complaining about how things ought to be, but they never actually step up to do anything about it.

www.zanovidan.hr Get to work.

Alexander Lewis said:For those of you who have actually gone under the knife:
1. Was there any actual opportunity to discuss the specific technique they’d use to close the incision?
2. What kind of aftercare options were on the table? (Think Steri-Strips, silicone sheeting, subdermal sutures, compression garments, etc.)
3. Is it even realistic to request that the plastic surgeon handles the closure themselves?

1. No.
2. N/A.
3. No, that’s just not realistic given how short-staffed surgeons are everywhere right now. You wouldn't even have time to negotiate the details of the procedure.
Every surgeon is supposed to be properly trained to close an incision correctly.
About six years ago, I had laparoscopic surgery performed by my OB-GYN, and those incisions were closed with sutures. Today, they're practically invisible.
When I had an emergency delivery at the hospital, frankly, the way they handled the incision wasn't exactly top-tier. The stitches weren't visible, and I suspect they just glued the external cut shut. It was done by a resident, and even after seven months, parts of it are barely noticeable anymore.

Drew Castillo11 said:So, during our last night out, a few of us were sharing a bottle of Bacardi, and there was this addict hanging out with us who ended up vomiting right there. We didn't even realize he was an addict until after the fact. If he wasn't bleeding anywhere, what are the actual risks for other diseases and what should I be looking out for?

The biggest concern would be hepatitis, though that's a bit of a stretch.

You might pick up mono that way, but that doesn't have anything to do with him being an addict.

Emily Edwards19 said:Regarding the bolded part—maybe I misspoke, but she was at the hospital in Chicago seeing her primary doctor and an oncologist. They just handed her the meds and sent her home...🤷

She isn't even on any kind of treatment plan... damn... I guess we're all just waiting on a miracle or something!

The delay in getting her care is the real failure here.

Emily Edwards19 said:Thanks!
I honestly don't know what else to say without repeating myself...😢
And I feel terrible... I still can't quite wrap my head around it... the idea that this is happening to HER specifically...

Unfortunately, she isn't the first, last, or only person to be dealt a hand like this.
In America, about 1.9 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year. One in three Americans will face some form of malignancy in their lifetime. It’s not some rare anomaly; it’s just that people don't talk about it. There's this cultural tendency to treat a cancer diagnosis like a shameful secret, so people ignore it rather than fighting it. And because it's ignored, those who actually fall ill have to fight the disease and a broken healthcare system at the same time.

From what I can gather, she saw her primary care physician, who just sent her home with some painkillers. That is a massive oversight!
She’s an oncology patient with a potential tumor in the brain that requires active treatment. As long as there's any curative option available, they should be keeping her in the hospital under supervision. Right now, she isn't receiving any actual therapy at all. In a situation like this, standard painkillers are basically useless; the only things that will actually make a difference are Mannitol and Dexamethasone treatments. Anyone with a medical degree knows that

Emily Edwards19 said:She was at her doctor's office in Chicago today, and from what I can gather, they just handed her some heavy-duty painkillers and sent her home.
Her nephew tells me she can barely speak or even focus her eyes...
I'm going to see her tomorrow...
I don't know... this whole thing is spiraling out of control at lightning speed...😢

Is there actually a protocol for patients who are critically ill when doctors realize time is running out? Are they REQUIRED to tell them, or does it just depend on the individual physician? Could they have, for instance, just told her mother so she could decide whether or not to break the news?

If you ask me, this is a massive failure on her doctor's part. They clearly know she’s an oncology patient and that her recent scans showed brain changes, especially now that these neurological symptoms are so blatant. A doctor has a duty to send someone like that straight to the ER for urgent neurological workup. Even if she is likely in the terminal stage, sending her home with nothing but pills for the pain isn't just unprofessional—it's unethical. When dealing with terminal patients, the entire goal should be ensuring quality of life for whatever time remains. That means palliative oncology care, such as using Dexamethasone to manage edema or palliative radiation to slow tumor growth if surgery isn't an option.
A physician is obligated to inform the patient of their Exact condition. If the patient is unconscious or otherwise unable to process that information, they are required to disclose it to the family members.

Emily Edwards19 said:My friend isn't doing well...😢
She cut her beach trip short and headed back home two days early because these headaches are just brutal. She hasn't even stepped foot outside the house for a couple of days. The last time I tried calling her, she couldn't even pick up the phone, so I ended up having to talk to her mom instead... It’s honestly terrifying. It feels like everything with her just spirals out of control so incredibly fast.😢

😢
She needs to get to the ER's neurology department immediately. I’m genuinely worried that the metastases might have spread to her brain. She needs an urgent CT scan right away, and if there's any swelling, she absolutely has to start anti-edema therapy. If they don't get ahead of it, that high intracranial pressure could easily trigger a coma.

stormycanyon18 said:Oh, they messed up big time. They didn't perform a proper biopsy; instead, they misdiagnosed a 22-year-old with planocellular tracheal carcinoma. No biopsy was done, and they just flat-out told him there was no hope for recovery. By the second day after the "diagnosis," they already had him on chemotherapy, hoping for some miracle where the cancer would vanish within a week. Then, a few months later, everything just spiraled downward. After a million tests—some successful and others turning into absolute nightmares, like when they punctured his large intestine resulting in an effusion, followed by surgery, and so on—a doctor at Mayo Clinic finally landed on the actual diagnosis: carcinoid syndrome. This was something that could have been managed normally with the right treatment. She actually sat down with my parents and said, "I honestly don't know how to tell you this, but in your son's case, a terrible mistake was made..." and this all happened at Jordan!
A few doctors at that same Jordan facility started questioning the diagnosis because of the facts: my brother never smoked, and that specific type of cancer typically only shows up in hardened smokers over the age of 60. In the end, it was too late for anything; he passed away from a common cold because he had lost over 90 pounds and that final surgery just finished him off. The doctors decided to run a puncture right after breakfast and, predictably, it ended exactly how you'd expect.
He was only 22 and was a perfect human being. Now he’s gone. And we will never be able to accept the reality that he could still be here with us if just one single idiot had known how to do their job!

Horrific!😲 😢I know of another suspicious case where a biopsy wasn't handled correctly either, leading to brain radiation for what was later determined to be an ischemic insult rather than a tumor.
Has anyone ever actually sued a hospital or a doctor for making a mistake like this? I realize it's not much comfort and it won't bring back a lost life, but at least it might prevent that specific person from repeating the same blunder and causing another family to endure this kind of tragedy.

stormycanyon18 said:Well, she was at the facility in Jordan, but they definitely aren't the experts I make them out to be—they actually ruined my brother's life there 16 years ago with a wrong diagnosis. Does anyone know who we could reach out to instead?

I’m sorry you went through that, but look, Jordan is a specialized hospital for pulmonary issues; when it comes to lungs, the odds of them missing a diagnosis are basically zero. Just look at a colleague of mine—her mom had microcellular lung cancer, and they treated her perfectly; she’s in remission right now. It really just comes down to the individual case.
You need to sit down and start Googling clinics abroad or see if there's a specialized institution nearby, maybe check if there's an active clinical trial for a new lung cancer drug. But you have to have every single detail and the exact diagnosis ready, because there is a massive difference between something like adenocarcinoma and microcellular cancer.
Over here, you can ask Dr. Radić for some advice, but you absolutely have to provide the exact medical report, otherwise he won't be able to say much.
Regarding clinical trials and how to find them, check here

stormycanyon18 said:Hey everyone,
A colleague's mom has been battling lung cancer for a year now. She’s cycled through four different types of chemo plus a round of those so-called "smart drugs," but there hasn't been any improvement whatsoever. Back in July, they did a CT scan and couldn't find any metastases. One entire lung is hit, while the other is clear. She’s running a constant fever and is completely wiped out from the last round of chemo; she’s currently hospitalized, basically just sitting there waiting for the end. The doctors are just managing her symptoms and calling it a day because she's too weak for any more intensive therapy.
She won't go under the knife because she isn't a surgical candidate—two lymph nodes are already involved. So, here's my question: how can you just leave a woman to die without doing anything at all? There has to be something else worth trying, hello, this makes zero sense! I keep pushing my colleague to get copies of her mother's medical records so we can blast them out to specialists and hunt down ten different opinions if necessary, but nothing. The poor woman is in such a bad headspace that she's just waiting for death to arrive. Is there any help out there? Just a reminder, we're in Indianapolis, where it feels like the easiest thing for people to do is just give up; apparently, there aren't enough bright minds around here to step in and make a difference. To me, as someone who isn't exactly a genius, this is insanity.

Where was she being treated?
If she wasn't in Washington, D.C., or Jordan, you absolutely have to seek a second opinion right there!
Otherwise, I am with you 100%. There are centers of excellence in this world for specific diagnoses; there are clinical trials, and you should definitely be reaching out to those institutions.
But unfortunately, lung cancer is incredibly common, and it’s far too frequent that in smaller towns, they claim all options are exhausted, while somewhere else, they’d say they aren't. But that doesn't mean you stop fighting and looking for a way forward.

placidscout87 said:...''alpha and omega'' regarding medications used under conditions covering the exact same or similar protocols currently active in the USA. They don't even recognize variations of Andol over there because their specific protocols don't account for them. Regardless, the fact remains that a drug is a drug, even if Americans don't recognize it as one
Even so, they sell it online for $900 a bottle— and call it a medication]

Even though the moderator made it crystal clear that this conversation is dead and buried, my nature won't let me resist the urge to snap back at you, even if it costs me a ban.🙂
The nonsense you’ve spewed here is just a pathetic jumble of expressions and analogies that lack any shred of logic, insight, or actual knowledge.
There is an organization called the WHO, which includes members from all over Europe, the USA, and the rest of the developed world. They operate under the exact same strict and clearly defined rules; so, when something is approved in America or Europe based on those standards, it's recognized globally. Treatment protocols are built for a specific indication using products backed by RELEVANT studies. Andol has been on the market for a hundred years and comes in its own generic versions. In fact, the formula for Andol is so universally known that it isn't even worth the effort to produce a generic version.
Nowadays, any random person can claim something is a "medication" just because the general public is uninformed, essentially giving themselves permission to fleece people for a quick buck—which is obviously and transparently your goal here (it's easy to see, considering your post history is obsessed with this single topic and your username screams ego).
You can buy just about anything on the internet. Thank Bog that our country is actually quite strict when it comes to importing unregistered drugs into the USA. Anyone foolish enough to go underground to buy that kind of garbage deserves every side effect that hits them.
Just stop it, please.🙂

Emily Edwards19 said:It confuses me how they can say "THEN"—if there's no treatment because it isn't working—that you should just stay home and wait...😢
how exactly are those scraps supposed to help?😢

There’s a whole field called palliative medicine designed specifically for patients in the terminal stages of an illness. We're talking about people for whom curative medicine has exhausted every single option; the goal here is to ensure a high quality of life and manage pain as long as possible.

That said, based on my own experience, I strongly suggest getting all your documentation translated and seeking a second opinion from a legitimate global center of excellence. Unfortunately, doctors here in the States aren't always up to speed on everything, nor do they have the funding or the infrastructure to implement certain methods or protocols that are already standard practice elsewhere. For instance, Fighter's husband had an incredibly rare form of sarcoma, and once local options were completely tapped out, Fighter's reached out to the Dan Farber institute in the USA for a second opinion. They actually came back with six different potential paths, one of which involved joining a clinical trial. Sadly, they couldn't make the study work in time, but the point remains: a door might still be open if you know where to look.

vividsailor7 said:They might be able to restart treatment. It’s possible. The most important thing is to hold onto hope. If you find out anything new about the condition or if something doesn't make sense, please feel free to ask—I’ll try my best to explain things to you.

vividsailor7, you are such a breath of fresh air😍 on this thread, where people are basically searching for doctors with a magnifying glass. I started this discussion a while back, but so far, we've only had a handful of experts show up. The last person who popped in was just there to insult the intelligence of everyone dealing with this.😢
Huge respect to you 🙏 and I really hope you can still find ten minutes a week to check the latest posts and offer your insight and support.
Make sure to swing by www.webmd.com because we could really use some help over there too.

Elizabeth Sanchez60 said:Morning! Has anyone here gone through uterine polyp removal at Mayo Clinic? I’ve been told I need a hysteroscopy. Can someone walk me through what to actually expect? Like, do I need to go in early the day before, can I head home just a few hours after the procedure, should I bring pajamas or anything like that? Help me out!

THANKS!!!

Post this in the women's health forum.

placidscout87 said:Unfortunately, parts of this aren't true. Vidatox is an actual medication, officially registered as such, which means clinical trials were actually conducted. It’s been proven to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and analgesic effects. It’s been in use for about 20 years, following 15 years of clinical testing. During that time, beyond just improving the quality of life for patients dealing with cancer pathologies, there have been documented cases of remission—specifically involving breast, uterine, and brain cancers.
The only official website for this drug is: http://www.labiofam.cu/congreso-internacional
where you can actually see how the drug affects cancer cells.

Best regards

The only thing I see on that page is a pile of registration forms for a convention and some news claiming they have evidence that scorpion venom—from an edemic Cuban species—works on uterine cancer cell cultures, which is what Mileva already posted about. And let's be clear: that is an in vitro study. Even someone who hasn't seen a DivX movie would realize that's a massive distinction. So, there's really no point in preaching or lamenting here. Based on that, we don't have anything to get worked up about. ☕
What exactly is "registered" remains a total mystery.
In modern, verified medicine, the alpha and omega of competence is finding information on MEDLINE, which is the world's premier database for registered drugs (and if you want a drug registered for a specific indication, there is a very specific process I laid out in my previous post). That is an undeniable fact.
If anyone wants to convince themselves, here is the link—just type Vidatox into the search bar yourselves.

Sophia Young11 said:Hey everyone,
I’m posting here because I’m sure a lot of people read this board, and I’m hoping someone might have some answers. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Look, I won't get into my whole personal backstory right now because, honestly, it doesn't change the facts. What I really need is insight from anyone who has dealt with—or is currently dealing with—bone tumors. Even if it's a milder case, please reach out.
I’ve already scoured the internet, and while there isn't a ton of info out there, I don't need anyone sending me links to the same basic articles. I’m sure everyone going through this has done their homework, but we all hit that wall where the generic medical descriptions just aren't enough. What I’m looking for here is the human side—real, first-hand experiences. How did you decide it was time for testing? When did you realize something was actually wrong? (For instance, I had a lump on my leg for over a year before the pressure finally became noticeable). I want to know about the pain—how would you describe it? I'm trying to figure out where my own pain sits on a scale compared to others, how frequent it is, and when it started ramping up. Also, does the tumor spread to other organs or different bones? I’ve noticed a similar ache in my right forearm, so I’m trying to check things before I spiral into a full-blown panic, haha. Any direct information at all is welcome.

Thanks again to everyone willing to share and help fill these gaps in my knowledge. I also hope that by starting this thread, we can create a resource that helps others facing the same thing.

Thanks a third time. 🙂

Listen, the distinction between a benign and a malignant tumor is massive. If it’s malignant, we’re talking about osteosarcoma (assuming it’s a primary tumor and not a metastasis from something like a lung carcinoma), which unfortunately tends to spread to other parts of the body.
Sarcomas in general, including osteosarcoma, are quite rare. There are organizations like the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
that support people dealing with rare cancers. On their sites, you can find plenty of resources, and they often have forums where you can post specific questions.
Hopefully, that gives you a little direction.
Best,🙂

LINK

If you search PubMed, you won't find a single paper on Thalidomide (FDA-approved drug). You’ll see some mentions regarding the cytostatic effects of scorpion venom, but nothing involving the specific components used in Thalidomide. All the research connecting scorpion venom to cancer has been conducted *in vitro*—meaning strictly on cell cultures. While cell cultures provide a useful starting point, they don't mean a thing without *in vivo* testing. Plenty of substances show cytostatic properties in a petri dish only to prove lethally toxic when introduced to a living organism. That’s why any potential drug undergoes a rigorous progression: first testing on cells, then on small mammals like rodents, moving up to primates, and finally reaching human clinical trials (conducted with fully informed consent, obviously). Despite how much we share with animals, metabolic differences are massive. A prime example is Thalidomide, which was completely harmless in rodent models but ended up causing a tragedy for thousands of pregnant women.

So, my take is this: scorpion venom has shown cytostatic activity in a lab setting, which is interesting, sure, but it’s nowhere near being considered a pharmaceutical preparation, let alone a legitimate cancer treatment. Even the Cuban government has distanced itself from it.http://havanajournal.com/culture/ent...ent-from-cuba/

Here is a solid article by someone who actually makes sense: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...2/ai_n6160489/
Summary:
According to statements from the directors of health regulation and the national quality control agencies, some laboratory research has been performed on Thalidomide. These studies are classified as preclinical and were not conducted on humans. From what I gather, the pharmacological and toxicological studies were done on animal models. These are standard initial phases used to determine toxicity and pharmacological behavior. However, the Cuban health authorities insist they have not approved the production or use of Thalidomide because they lack any evidence regarding its safety or efficacy in treating human disease.
It would be incredibly foolish to pin all your hopes on Thalidomide or any other unapproved cancer therapy instead of sticking to treatments that have actually proven their effectiveness.
At the end of the day, trying this on yourself is anything but common sense.

With that in mind, I think the moderators should feel free to move this discussion over to the alternative medicine section.

placidscout87 said:Hey everyone,

Has anyone ever heard of the Cuban Medicine Vidatox? Has anyone here actually used it?

If you look on MEDLINE (the medical research database scientists use), there isn't a SINGLE article regarding Escozul (Vidatox). There’s some chatter about the cytostatic effects of scorpion venom, but nothing specifically concerning the components found in Escozul. Most of the studies involving scorpion venom and cancer have been conducted *in vitro*—meaning just in cell cultures. While cell cultures provide a decent starting point, they mean absolutely nothing without *in vivo* testing. Plenty of substances show cytostatic properties in a petri dish only to prove far too toxic once they enter a living organism. That’s why any potential medication undergoes a strict progression: first tested on cells, then on small mammals like rodents, followed by primates, and finally on humans during clinical trials (conducted with informed consent, obviously, not by force). Despite how much we share with animals, metabolic differences are massive. A perfect example is Thalidomide, which was completely harmless in rodent models but ended up causing tragedy for thousands of pregnant women.

So, my take is this: scorpion venom has shown cytostatic activity in cell cultures, which is interesting enough, but it is nowhere near sufficient to be considered a pharmaceutical preparation, let alone a legitimate cancer treatment. Even the Cuban government has distanced itself from it.http://havanajournal.com/culture/ent...ent-from-cuba/

Here is a solid article from someone who makes a lot of sense: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...2/ai_n6160489/
Translation:
According to statements from the director of the health regulation and consumer protection bureau and the national agency for medicinal quality control, certain laboratory investigations into Escozul have been performed. These studies are classified as preclinical and were not conducted on humans. From what I gather, various pharmacological and toxicological studies were carried out on animals. These are standard initial testing phases used to determine if a substance is harmful and to observe its pharmacological behavior. However, the Cuban health authorities insist they have not approved the production or use of Escozul because they lack any evidence regarding its safety or efficacy in treating human disease.
It would be incredibly foolish to pin all your hopes on Escozul or any other unapproved cancer therapy instead of utilizing treatments that have actually proven their effectiveness.
In any case, trying this on yourself is a far cry from common sense.