Posts by stormytinker4

Angela Wright said:Look, Vilko, I’m not just making things up; I’m speaking in context here. If you weren't just flying by the seat of your pants and actually read the fine print, you'd see that I've been arguing for days that using baking soda, papaya, aspirin, or Sutent can't be called conventional treatment for a hump if none of those have undergone clinical trials specifically for that purpose. By that logic, using Sutent—which is a standard FDA-approved drug for metastatic kidney cancer—would be considered "alternative" medicine for treating a hump, simply because it hasn't been studied for that specific use.
And dismissing someone else's perspective just because I haven't personally battled cancer? Claiming my experience and knowledge—gained through my mother's illness and my work with a local cancer non-profit—doesn't count is just plain rude. Honestly, with all the years you've lived and everything you've seen, you should know better than to show such a total lack of empathy or tact toward others.

Good grief, I really can't deal with this anymore. 🙂
stormytinker4, this goes for you too. Maybe try reading the actual studies first to see what they specifically cover. 😉 Start with some basic research on Wikipedia—just look at the third section: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_Paw I was genuinely trying my best to explain how the process works before something gets integrated into mainstream medicine. It’s a shame you chose not to understand.

I read the studies ages ago—not those ones, but all of them! You should probably start from the basics and follow the links I provided... You spend the whole time arguing with me without having clicked a single link I sent! How can you even debate this? It's like criticizing a movie without actually watching it. And you're giving me a Wikipedia link? 😁... Is that really a relevant source? And I have no idea what you mean by section three... does it say somewhere that papaya is the same thing as paw paw? Let me try one more time to clarify: Papaya is *Carica papaya*, while Paw Paw is *Asimina triloba*. An apple is an apple, a pear is a pear. I hope you finally see the difference and realize that Paw Paw and papaya aren't even remotely similar, let alone the same plant.
You mention how you gained your expertise through your mother's suffering and helping patients, but then you dismiss everyone else's experience as mere hearsay? You don't hold a monopoly on pain, agony, or the desire to help. I went through this with my father, and I'm still going through it, just like many people here. After I provide you with actual, relevant sources—not Wikipedia!!—so you can educate yourself, you give me a Wikipedia link and insist that paw paw and papaya are identical. 😁 ...Education isn't your exclusive right; regular people like us spend our lives learning things, too. 🙂 ...Personally, I wouldn't dream of jumping into a debate about something I wasn't informed on, yet you seem perfectly fine telling everyone else how they should suffer, how they should learn, what they should read, and so on. That's the difference between us. I only join discussions when I'm reasonably well-informed. As you can see, I don't just throw advice around just because my dad had lung cancer or because I currently volunteer with cancer patients. Respect to you for everything you do and the help you provide, truly, but I'll say it again: you don't own the right to know. Other people have experience, knowledge, and a drive to help, so please, just let someone else post something that might actually help someone without snapping at them and calling it "hearsay" or "nonsense." Isn't that supposed to be the point of this forum? To help patients through advice, links, and shared experiences? I think I've said my piece. I hate that I even have to write this, but I have to, because it's not that you're wrong, but...Not even close! I'm officially checking out of this thread, but here’s a bit of friendly advice: maybe try actually reading up on the topic you're arguing about... and please, let's aim for something a little more substantial than just a quick Wikipedia skim.

Angela Wright said:Sorry for being such a pain. I figured from what you wrote that you actually knew your way around this stuff since you've dealt with it firsthand, so I assumed it wouldn't be an issue for you. 🙂

Looking at the links you posted, most of these—aside from the first one—are in vitro studies. We’re talking pre-clinical work that eventually needs to move to in vivo testing and actual human clinical trials before anyone can claim potential efficacy. In that sense, we aren't talking about a cure for cancer yet. The data here suggests that certain isolated compounds show an effect on leukemia cells or ovarian cancer in mice, for example. Unfortunately, there's a massive pattern in science where a study shows great promise in mice but falls completely flat in humans, or performs worse than what’s already on the market, which causes investment to dry up instantly. So, my point from my previous posts remains the same. Papaya is a healthy fruit and a potent antioxidant, much like garlic, aloe, or propolis. All of these plants have shown effectiveness in petri dish studies. But claiming that a specific compound, encapsulated at a particular concentration and dose, can serve as a medical treatment for a specific type of carcinoma in a clinical setting? We just can't say that. Not yet.
Papaya isn't going to hurt you—it’s healthy, plain and simple. But claiming it can cure cancer? That feels like a bit of a stretch, if you ask me.🤷

Angela Wright, I honestly don't get why you're asking me for links if you aren't even going to bother reading them. 😢 I honestly thought you were genuinely interested in learning something new, but looking at the mountain of links I sent over, it’s clear you haven't cracked a single one. If you're hunting for clinical trials involving humans, you'll find them on the exact same sites I already shared. Like I said before, I don't have the bandwidth to hand-deliver specific URLs to you; you can certainly do your own digging. And honestly, saying Paw Paw is like papaya? That’s like saying a potato is an apple. It makes no sense. The first link I provided covers everything you need to know about that plant. Comparing it to papaya just muddies the water and confuses people—there is zero connection between the two. Furthermore, I never once claimed that Paw Paw cures cancer. I was simply sharing the experiences of people close to me who use it alongside the Budwig protocol. In my view, any positive experience worth mentioning should be passed along to those fighting cancer. With the resources I've already provided, anyone truly interested will put in the work to Google it and learn more about Paw Paw on their own.

Angela Wright said:stormytinker4, since you clearly know way more about this than I do, could you please help me separate the in vitro studies from the in vivo and clinical human trials specifically regarding cancer? There are just too many listed above, and there’s no way I can sift through them all in the tiny window of time I have—plus, I think I see everything from medical data to earwax removal shampoos in here.
Thanks!
On the subject of being informed—not everything you find online is accurate or actually relevant. I assume we can agree on that.

Happy to help, but honestly, I'm just as pressed for time as you are. When I was digging into this, I read everything I could get my hands on. Here are a few key links; you'll mostly find the in vitro and in vivo studies there, though you can also order or buy full papers if you want to dive deep.
As for finding information, it's all about knowing where and how to look. If someone really needs to know, they pick it up fast. For me, forums like this one are still the best resource. I spend a lot of time reading other boards where you can learn directly from people's actual experiences...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8371627

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/909798

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7764028

There are a million links out there regarding Paw Paw research—in vitro, in vivo, human trials, etc. You just need to Google it a bit more deeply. I really don't have the bandwidth to hunt down every specific detail you might be curious about, so if it's important to you, I trust you'll navigate it just fine 🙂. Besides, Paw Paw isn't strictly for treating carcinoma, as you noticed yourself, but that's already covered in the introductory links I posted. 😉

Maria Fisher46 said:In that case, I'll need you to provide links to relevant scientific studies that back up that efficacy. Otherwise, I'll have to consider this post a violation of the Health subforum rules, which clearly state: "The Health subforum is strictly tied to official (conventional) medicine, grounded in science."

Over 100 articles and studies exist related to the benefits of these active compounds found naturally in the
pawpaw tree and its tropical relatives. Some recent clinical data looks promising. For instance, one study involving more than 100 participants suggests that pawpaw extract—which contains a specific blend of acetogenins—might help support healthy cell populations within the body.

A notable recent entry in this field comes from one of the leading experts, Professor Jerry McLaughlin, in the Journal of Natural Products, Volume 62, pages 504-540, 1999.

Oberlies NH, Croy VL, Harrison ML, McLaughlin JL. The Annonaceous acetogenin bullatacin is cytotoxic against multidrug-resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma cells. Cancer Lett. May 1 1997;115(1):73-79.
Zhao GX, Rieser MJ, Hui YH, et al. Biologically active acetogenins from stem bark of Asimina triloba. Phytochemistry. Jul 1993;33(5):1065-1073.
McCage CM, Ward SM, Paling CA, et al. Development of a pawpaw herbal shampoo for the removal of head lice. Phytomedicine. Dec 2002;9(8):743-748.
Ratnayake S, Rupprecht JK, Potter WM, McLaughlin JL. Scientific Evaluation of various parts of the pawpaw tree, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae), as commercial sources of the pesticidal annonaceous acetogenins. J Econ Entomol. Dec 1992;85(6):2353-2356.
Ahammadsahib KI, Hollingworth RM, McGovren JP, Hui YH, McLaughlin JL. Mechanism of action of bullatacin: a potent antitumor and pesticidal annonaceous acetogenin. Life Sciences. 1993;53(14):1113-1120.
Dr. Layne. Pawpaw. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/c...ts/pawpaw.html. Accessed June 19, 2012.
Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, Rodriguez E. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact dermatitis. Jul 1993;29(1):33-35.
McLaughlin JL, Benson GB, Forsythe JW. A novel mechanism for the control of clinical cancer: Inhibition of the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATO) with a standardized extract of pawpaw (Asiminoz triloba, Annonaceae). http://www.pawpawresearch.com/pawpaw-trials1.pdf. Accessed June 19, 2012.
Coothankandaswamy V, Liu Y, Mao SC, et al. The alternative medicine pawpaw and its acetogenin constituents suppress tumor angiogenesis via the HIF-1/VEGF pathway. J Nat Prod. 2010 May 28;73(5):956-61.
Potts LF, Luzzio FA, Smith SC, et al. Annonacin in Asimina triloba fruit: implication for neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicology. 2012 Jan;33(1):53-8.
Pomper KW, Lowe JD, Crabtree SB, Keller W. Identification of annonaceous acetogenins in the ripe fruit of the North American pawpaw ( Asimina triloba ). J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Sep 23;57(18):8339-43.
Wood R, Peterson S. Lipids of the pawpaw fruit: Asimina triloba. Lipids.1999 Oct;34(10):1099-106.
Woo MH, Kim DH, McLaughlin JL. Asitrilobins A and B: cytotoxic mono-THF annonaceous acetogenins from the seeds of Asimina triloba. Phytochemistry. 1999 Mar;50(6):1033-40.
1. Hocking G. A Dictionary of Natural Products . Medford, NY: Plexus Publishing Inc., 1997;80.
2. Davidson A. Fruit—A Connoisseur's Guide and Cookbook. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1991;123-124.
3. NNGA library. http://www.icserv.com/nnga/pawpaw.htm . Pawpaw and acetogenins.
4. University of Kentucky. http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu . The return of the pawpaw.
5. Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Paris, France: Lavoisier, 1995;156.
6. Johnson H, et al. Progress in New Crops. Arlington, VA: ASHS Press, 1996;609-614.
7. Zhao GX, et al. Additional bioactive compounds and trilobacin, a novel highly cytotoxic acetogenin, from the bark of Asimina triloba. J Nat Prod . 1992;55:347-356.
8. He K, et al. Additional bioactive annonanaceous acetogenins from Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Bioorg Med Chem . 1997;5:501-506.
9. Zhao GX, et al. Biologically active acetogenins from stem bark of Asimina triloba. Phytochemistry . 1993;33:1065-1073.
10. Zhao GX, et al. Asimin, asiminacin, and asiminecin: novel highly cytotoxic asimicin isomers from Asimina triloba. J Med Chem . 1994;37:1971-1976.
11. He K, et al. Three new adjacent bis-tetrahydrofuran acetogenins with four hydroxyl groups from Asimina triloba. J Nat Prod . 1996;59:1029-1034.
12. Zhao GX, et al. The absolute configuration of adjacent bis-THF acetogenins and asiminocin, a novel highly potent asimicin isomer from Asimina. Bioorg Med Chem . 1996;4:25-32.
13. Zhao GX, et al. (2,4–cis)-asimicinone and (2,4–trans)-asimicinone: two novel bioactive ketolactone acetogenins from Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Nat Toxins . 1996;4:128-34.
14. Woo MH, et al. Asimilobin and cis- and trans-murisolinones, novel bioactive Annonaceous acetogenins from the seeds of Asimina triloba. J Nat Prod . 1995;58:1533-1542.
15. Derevinskaya T, et al. Some problems of the quality of drug-technical raw material of Asimina triloba. Farm Zh . 1983;38:49-52.
16. Colegate S, et al. Bioactive Natural Products. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1993;15-17.
17. Ratnayake S, et al. Scientific Evaluation of various parts of the paw paw tree, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae), as commercial sources of the pesticidal annonaceous acetogenins. J Econ Entomol . 1992;85:2353-2356.
18. Avalos J, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact dermatitis . 1993;29:33-35.

Angela Wright said:Pawpaw is an exotic fruit. Just like other "strange" plants and remedies, there are usually just old wives' tales behind them, lacking any published before-and-after data.
Regarding what's happening, we're talking about the fruit of a disgraced doctor and pure quackery. Simoncini carries a heavy burden of lives lost, and he's facing legal proceedings because of it. In fact, he was kicked out of the medical association in Italy.
As for alternative medicine, that falls under a different sub-forum. It doesn't belong here.

Pawpaw isn't some exotic fruit; it’s just a common fruit that grows right here in America, much like how apples grow around here. And it's hardly a "strange" plant. There aren't just old wives' tales floating around; there are documented results you can easily find online. Beyond the documentation, what I’m talking about comes from my own direct experience, so it isn't just hearsay. I get that people believe or don't believe certain things, but if you're going to take a stance, it would be nice to back it up with logic. From what I can tell, you don't have any actual experience with pawpaw. Don't strip people of their hope when there are various methods out there that have helped folks beyond just chemo and surgery. Not everyone responds to the same treatments; what worked for me might not work for you. Like someone smart once said—cancer is too serious a disease to rely on just one single method. I've already shared my experience here, and if those aren't positive results, then I don't know what they are. Every bit of progress and every success makes me happy, regardless of where it comes from, because it fuels hope and gives people faith. I think that's the most important thing.

Sandra Carter50 said:Can someone please explain what Pawpaw is? Also, does anyone know anything about treating this with baking soda?
My grandfather is taking Matrifen and Tramal. It has metastasized to his liver and generally throughout his abdomen. He's in intense pain. After dealing with long periods of constipation, he’s now stuck with constant diarrhea. He's irritable and struggling through severe pain. If anyone here has dealt with this specific diagnosis or these treatments, please share your experiences. Any advice is welcome; we're honestly lost on which direction to take. He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma back in 2008. He’s already gone through two surgeries and three rounds of chemo. Things are getting worse; he’s visibly wasting away, like a candle flickering out. 😢 ....

You can find more details about Pawpaw at the link below. A quick Google search will also turn up plenty of information and stories from people using it for treatment. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat more about it.

http://www.pawpawresearch.com/

Given the opening post and how many of us have had such heavy experiences fighting this brutal disease, I wanted to share some positive stories and success cases. My own father didn't get the chance to try any alternative treatments; he lost his battle before he could even start, passing away just a month after his lung cancer diagnosis. Since losing him, I’ve made it my mission to help anyone facing this illness—whether through advice or sharing links. I spent countless hours Googling and searching for answers, collecting a mountain of information that actually taught me quite a bit. This might be slightly off-topic for this subforum, but I think every single experience, especially the good ones, provides hope and strength to those still in the fight. So, here are three firsthand accounts from patients I stay in regular contact with...

A lung cancer patient was sent home with a recommendation for palliative care. He wasn't eating, couldn't get out of bed, had lost his voice, couldn't move his left arm, and was completely disoriented. After one month of taking Paw Paw, his condition stabilized with slight improvements. After two months on Paw Paw, his voice has almost fully returned, he uses his left arm nearly normally, he's walking, eating, has an appetite, and feels great...
A patient with lung adenocarcinoma had surgery several years ago and went through chemo. Then the cancer returned with metastases. After one month of taking Paw Paw, a man who had been bedridden was out shoveling snow in front of his house for three hours...
A breast cancer patient was considered inoperable due to the size of the tumor, and her chemotherapy had to be stopped because it severely impacted her heart function. After a month and a half of taking Paw Paw, the tumor shrank by a few millimeters. After two months, some of her markers are within the normal range, though others remain slightly elevated. They are waiting on more test results to assess the tumor's status, but she feels wonderful...
All of these patients took Paw Paw alongside cow's milk cheese with flaxseed oil and flaxseeds, while cutting sugar, meat, and flour from their diets and sticking to an alkaline diet.
I hope these results offer some hope to those suffering, and good luck to everyone in their struggle!! I read something on one of the links that felt very true: cancer is far too serious and heavy a burden to rely on just one method of treatment. Anything you feel might help, give it a shot!! 🙂

My heart goes out to everyone else who lost their fight against this brutal disease 😢. To be honest, it still hasn't quite sunk in that my dad has been gone for ten days. He passed away while we were right there, holding him and showing him love, almost as if he weren't even himself anymore. I don't even feel the weight of sadness yet, mostly because death just doesn't make sense to me—it’s one of those concepts that refuses to click in my brain. Nancy Lee—it's actually well-documented that lung cancer can trigger deep depression; doctors can't quite pin down why... and my dad kept asking us to just "leave him be." Even until the very last day, he tried to do everything himself. He refused help despite being so weak his legs would shake with every step 😢. ...I'm talking about a window of just ten days where everything fell apart so fast. Alex Hayes2—the same goes for you. What hurts the most isn't just the loss, it's the helplessness. It's calling 911, calling hospice, calling anyone you can think of, and realizing no one can actually fix this. That realization is what really kills you 😢. Be there for your mom every single day, every hour, for as long as you possibly can. She won't be able to hold it together forever, watching him struggle through something so debilitating... those moments are gut-wrenching. I want to repeat what the doctors told us and how we handled things: stay by their side, show them affection, kiss them, pet them, and "don't hover." Or rather, "let them be." At least, that's how it was for my dad; we were driving him crazy with constant questions—are you hungry? Do you need water? Do you need the bathroom?—all in our desperate attempt to help. In a way, we might have been overwhelming him 😢. Alex Hayes2—as for what to expect, I don't know. It's different for everyone. My father and our family were "lucky" in the sense that he only felt truly terrible during that final afternoon. He passed peacefully; he spent the last hour and a half basically sleeping (though I suspect it was more of an unconscious state since his oxygen levels were bottoming out and his blood pressure was incredibly low), but his breathing remained steady (unlike earlier in the afternoon when he was gasping and wheezing). He settled himself comfortably on the couch, even reached up to scratch his nose 🙂. ...His breathing just slowed down, and then it stopped. There was no agony, no desperate gasping for air—which was exactly what I had been terrified of. He went quietly. We stayed calm beside him, just stroking his hair and loving him in the silence... I truly hope that when the time comes for your loved ones, they find that same peace 😢

Angela Wright said:stormytinker4, I’m truly sorry to hear that. 😢
It’s not much of a consolation, really, but if that was his fate, who knows how much extra suffering he might have been spared. He held his ground, and there's peace waiting for him on the other side.

Linda Patel21 said:Stormytinker4, please accept my deepest condolences. I know exactly what you’re going through—I lost my dad not too long ago, just two months after his diagnosis came in. Every day the void feels a little bigger. My only comfort is knowing he didn't suffer, much like your father. I truly believe they're in a better place now, watching over us.

Thanks, everyone. It’s just such a heavy thought—that we live in an era where doctors are performing miracles like transplanting hearts, lungs, or limbs, yet they couldn't even help my dad breathe easier, let alone actually cure him. It feels surreal. I can't shake this nagging feeling that we simply ran out of time to even begin the healing process. It helps a little knowing he passed peacefully, though that last afternoon was rough; he really struggled for air. But for about an hour or so before the end, things settled. He stopped coughing and his breathing became deep and steady again—just slower and slower until it eventually stopped. It was peaceful. We were all right there by his side to see him off. Linda Patel21, I am so incredibly sorry about your father. I know what you're going through, and honestly, it might be even harder for you than it is for me right now. I'm still in total shock. It hasn't truly sunk in yet, and I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the fact that he's gone for good. That phrase—"never again"—it's something my brain just can't quite process. 😢 Thanks again, everyone. If anyone ever needs a hand—whether it's finding some helpful links, sharing advice, or looking for info on medications—just let me know. I'm happy to help however I can. I'll be around.

Angela Wright said:@stormytinker4/">@@stormytinker4, my dad was taking a diuretic to deal with fluid buildup caused by the cancer. His blood pressure dropped and his heart rate spiked, likely because he was losing electrolytes. He needs to stay consistent with the Kalinorm, and some Donat would probably do him good too.
I'm not entirely sure about the difference between Moduretik and Lasix, but I do know Lasix works well.

Unfortunately, my father passed away last Friday evening. It’s been exactly one month from the moment we were diagnosed with hilar squamous cell carcinoma without metastasis to the moment he died... we didn't even have time to process treatment options, seek advice, or anything at all. We hadn't even made it to an oncologist yet. He was only taking Paw Paw, but we didn't have nearly enough time to see if it would even start working, let alone wait the 6-8 weeks needed for results. Thank you to everyone who offered any kind of help or advice. To those of you still fighting this disease along with your families, I wish you strength; don't give up. I certainly didn't give up on my father until his very last breath. If anyone can use some Paw Paw, I have two unopened boxes left and half of another that he didn't get to finish. Feel free to message me privately if you want them.

Jamie Clark74 said:I’m just a patient dealing with a single kidney, no bladder, and reduced kidney function.

The lab results are what really matter, just like vividsailor7 pointed out.

I am currently on:
PRESCRIBED FOR: Furosemide is a powerful diuretic that is used to treat excessive accumulation of fluid and/or swelling (edema) of the body caused by heart failure, cirrhosis, chronic kidney failure, and the nephrotic syndrome. It is sometimes used alone or in conjunction with other blood pressure pills to treat high blood pressure.

PRESCRIBED FOR: Lasix is a potent diuretic used to manage fluid buildup and swelling (edema) resulting from heart failure, cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, or nephrotic syndrome. Occasionally, it’s used on its own or alongside other blood pressure medications to manage hypertension.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply, Jamie Clark74... but my father doesn't have high blood pressure. If anything, it's incredibly low—around 110/65. On top of that, he's having these coughing fits; this morning, his BP was a disaster at 65/50, and his heart rate hit 145!

vividsailor7 said:I’m not sure what his serum electrolyte levels look like, but I doubt switching to Moduretik is going to make much of a difference.

The reality is, there’s zero improvement 😢 ... he stopped taking it altogether, but the swelling in his feet and ankles hasn't budged—his right leg is just hanging heavy. What’s the move here? Is there another diuretic worth looking into?

vividsailor7 said:wanderingcobra76 is right—since the labs look normal, I doubt this is the primary illness.

If his legs are swelling, you’d want to check heart function first (EKG, TTE, chest X-ray, NT-proBNP, CK, CK-MB, arterial blood gas) as well as kidney function (urea, creatinine, urate, 24-hour creatinine clearance, protein/urea ratio). He might be struggling to breathe due to heart failure, which could lead to respiratory issues.
Also, if he's coughing up yellow phlegm, there might be an infection involved (if he has COPD, it could be a flare-up). In either case, getting a CBC and CRP would be wise, and maybe starting an antibiotic like Flexid 500mg once a day for ten days.
But obviously, everything starts with a proper physical exam.

Thanks so much for the input!! He was given a diuretic—one pill a day for three days—but the swelling hasn't budged at all... I'll suggest those tests you mentioned to the doctor...

Nancy Lee said:It started at 2x1, then it shifted to either 2x2 or 3x2—I can't quite recall. They even tried sublingual, but nothing worked.
The cough just keeps getting worse by the day.😢 He tried taking Codeine again for two days, but he stopped because it isn't doing anything. Now they've put him on Methylprednisolone, 32 mg, twice a day, via IV. I'm just waiting for the swelling to start up again.😢
He’s still in the hospital. The coughing is easier when he stays lying down. But once he sits up, stands, or heaven forbid tries to walk or talk, it's pure misery. He lost his voice again, too.😢
It's crazy how everything can flip in a single day. A few days ago, he was doing great—really great. We were out enjoying the coast, walking through the city, just living life normally. Then, out of nowhere, that coughing fit hit him one day, and it just hasn't let up since. It's enough to drive you mad.
Anyway, I posted here recently about how the upper left lobe of his lung is affected, and there’s a 3mm nodule on the right side; I was asking what a nodule actually meant back then. Well, that nodule is still there, but since all the other tests look okay, they think it might be the target. We'll see next week. I hope it isn't, but if it is, I don't know what else would explain why he's in this state.

Yeah, mine is on 2x1 for now, plus his feet and ankles are starting to swell 😢 ... honestly, I think it would be even worse without the Codeine; he manages to sleep, and even when the coughing wakes him, he falls right back under... during the day, he's almost constantly sleeping—coughing, sleeping, repeat. During those brief windows when the coughing stops, he looks somewhat normal again. For a moment, he looks like my dad instead of some exhausted, frail old man... he’s become disoriented, too—staggering, losing his balance, things like that. I have this feeling that it won't be the cancer that kills him, but the cough itself. It's just draining the life out of him. I don't even know if he weighs 65kg anymore; he's completely wasted away, and don't even get me started on his complexion... he's gray, yellow, greenish... whatever he's coughing up was bloody at first, then black, then gray, and now it's lighter, sometimes yellowish, like smoker's phlegm. All in all, it's a catastrophe. This daily decline is just unbelievable 😢 ... regarding the nodule, I assume it's the target, but I don't think it has much to do with the cough or his current condition; it's just the disease progressing, and it might only get worse 😢 ... I don't know what to tell you or how to comfort you, because I feel the exact same way 😢 ... since the cancer is inoperable and he neither wants nor can handle chemo or radiation due to his overall weakness, I had pinned all my hopes on alternative options, which he won't even consider. My hands are completely tied...

Nancy Lee said:stormytinker4, my dad spent months on Codeine and it did absolutely nothing. His doctors were baffled—they kept insisting they’d never seen a case where it didn't work, but well, here we are.
I'm thinking about taking him to see a homeopath before he loses his mind if this cough doesn't settle down soon.

I hear you. It hasn't been doing much for my dad either 😢 ... what dose was he taking?

Nancy Lee said:Hi everyone,
My dad came in for a checkup the other day. He’s been feeling pretty good for a few weeks now—really great, actually. He’s been driving around, picking up groceries, just getting back to life. The only issue is he can't go swimming in the ocean (he says he feels this pressure in his lungs when he gets near the coast) and he can't walk for very long without getting winded.
When he showed up for the appointment, all his tests came back fine; nothing was spreading further. He was just about to head home when suddenly, that evening, he started coughing violently. He said it felt like there was something stuck in his throat he needed to cough up, but he couldn't. It was like a constant tickle. He just kept coughing and coughing until he started wheezing and gasping—he literally couldn't catch his breath. It didn't last forever, but it felt like hours. Since then, he’s felt terrible, and it happened twice over the last two days.
I get that he's dealing with this disease, but I’d really appreciate it if someone could explain why this happens. Is this kind of thing normal with lung cancer, and is there anything we can actually do? They repeated all the scans twice, and everything looks okay. The doctors just say that this is simply how the disease works.
On top of that, his shoulder has been hurting for weeks, and it's getting worse. They did imaging on the shoulder, but they claim nothing is wrong. He’s scheduled for a contrast scan next week.
Is there any connection between these two issues? This sudden loss of air is really scaring me, especially because once it hits, it's so hard for him to breathe normally again.

Unfortunately, yeah, that’s just the nature of this illness. It won't be the cancer itself that kills my father, but specifically that cough... it wears you down so much, it's heartbreaking. If his coughing fits get worse, ask the doctors for codeine. It's the only thing that helps; it acts on the centers in the brain to block the urge to cough. My father didn't start taking it until the third day, and he finally slept through the night after 20 straight days of struggle. He still has bouts of coughing that last for hours, but with the codeine, he at least gets periods of peace. It’s all just awful, and honestly, modern medicine doesn't seem to have many tools to ease this kind of suffering. I read somewhere that an enzyme found in dark chocolate—70% cocoa or higher—has an effect on coughing that's even stronger than codeine, so I've been giving him that too, and it actually seems to help.

swiftpanther102 said:Apologies for bringing this up here, but does anyone know where I can pick some of this up locally? When you're dealing with terminal illness, hope is a necessity, even alongside palliative chemo, right?

http://www.realnews24.com/soursop-fr...-chemotherapy/

I'm familiar with it. I actually give it to my father, who's likely facing Stage IV lung cancer. We should have the bronchoscopy and CT results by Tuesday, which will pretty much just confirm what we already suspect... I'm putting a lot of hope into this, but you really have to dig through the research regarding contraindications. I'm not sure if I should drop a link here for where to buy it, so just shoot me a DM if you want it.🙂

Hi there 🙂 ... my father (around 165 lbs) is dealing with this relentless cough. He’s already had an X-ray and a bronchoscopy; we’re waiting on those results next week, and he’s scheduled for a CT scan this Sunday. We don't have a definitive diagnosis yet, other than some shadows in the hilum and, understandably, suspicion of cancer. It looks like it might be inoperable, and I suspect they won't recommend chemo because he’s dropped about 25 pounds—though his blood work isn't totally alarming, aside from an ESR of 88 and slightly elevated white cell counts. Since Sunday, he’s been coughing up blood. My question is: is there any specific medication or remedy that can help manage this? The coughing fits are so violent they make him vomit, and the physical strain is constant. He can barely get two words out without being hit by another spasm. It’s just non-stop now. He isn't on any specialized treatment yet, just antibiotics since they found about an inch of fluid in his lungs that hasn't been treated, and he’s running a fever between 99°F and 101°F. Please, if anyone has advice on how to ease the coughing and the phlegm—he’s been trying honey and ginger for a while, but honestly, it hasn't done much. Thanks in advance.