Posts by Drew Thompson5

Could someone help me make sense of this finding?
In the projection of the posterior margin of the first rib on the left, there's a visible soft tissue oval lesion measuring about 1 cm.
Thanks so much in advance!

Kimberly Wright said:I am absolutely terrified
My mom starts her chemotherapy this Monday... okay, look, I know things are about to get messy, but—well—we just have to deal with it, right? I’m trying to stay positive, but honestly, I'm just white-knuckling it through this one alone.

Yesterday, I was watching this news report, and there was this woman who had cervical cancer... she’d had surgery, and eventually, they sent her for radiation therapy...
And she kept saying how much of a huge mistake it was to agree to the radiation😢 because the radiation ended up destroying her intestines...

So now I'm spiraling into a total panic because I have no idea what the smartest move is. Mom has finally started recovering—she's getting her strength back—and now I'm worried all that hard work and slow, steady progress might be wiped out by these treatments. I just don't know...

Then yesterday, I grabbed lunch with a friend I hadn't really seen or spoken to in ages. His dad passed away this past Christmas Eve. He had cancer at the junction of his esophagus and stomach. My friend was telling me how his dad suffered for months and died in such terrible agony🙂—honestly, I really didn't need to hear a story like that right now.😢

If it were me—God forbid—I know exactly what I’d do: I wouldn't go through with the treatments. But taking responsibility for someone else's life? I just can't do that.

Kimberly Wright, I know exactly what you're going through. We went through that same fear regarding the chemo and the side effects, but my mother-in-law just finished her fourth cycle and has two more before her break. After the chemo started, she actually began eating like a horse! Her hair hasn't even fallen out yet—and I'm crossing my fingers it won't—but she's stronger than ever, more determined to win, and has such a better attitude since the pain isn't as bad as it used to be. Now, she has metastases in her liver and bladder, so I don't quite know what to say regarding the metastases your mom is facing. But please, stay brave—for yourself and for her. It's truly the only thing you can do!!!

My Sveki is eating like a wolf... she’s feeling absolutely great... yeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am happy as a little kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

velvettiger90 said:Hey everyone!🙂

I've got two questions—fingers crossed someone here might have the answers!🙂

So, my mom is 62, and back in December, she went through a mastectomy and reconstruction for ductal breast cancer. Out of the 18 lymph nodes they removed, one came back positive—plus, they had to clear out a benign tumor from her other breast too. The main oncology board recommended going all out with aggressive chemo followed by hormone therapy since the cancer is hormone-positive. But here’s where things get tricky—two other oncologists (who aren't part of that specific board) are pushing back. They're worried the heavy-duty chemo might be way too much for her to handle, especially considering her history with a stroke, 65% blockage in her carotid arteries, and angina. They’re actually suggesting we skip the chemo entirely and just stick to hormone therapy. I wanted to reach out and see if anyone here has any insight—like, what are the actual odds of the cancer returning if we only go the hormone therapy route? To add to the confusion, their doctors are all on different pages! One suggested monitoring her other breast, liver, and bones every six months, while her surgeon argued that bone monitoring isn't even necessary because this specific type rarely spreads there. He also agreed that the chemo might do more harm than good given her heart health—he even mentioned it could potentially be fatal. I know nobody wants to play doctor or give a definitive prognosis—and honestly, I totally get why—but if anyone has even a rough idea based on what you've seen, I’d really appreciate it.

Back when my mom was in the hospital, I started getting this pain in my left breast—right on the outer side—and it would flare up several times throughout the day. Honestly, I panicked. I tried to be brave and just endured it for a few days, but eventually, my boyfriend talked me into actually checking, and I couldn't feel anything unusual. The pain actually vanished for about ten days, but then, just a week ago, it came right back—same spot, same recurring stabs throughout the day. On top of that, for the last three or four days, my left armpit has been hurting too; sometimes it just happens out of nowhere, and other times it hits when I lift something heavy (though once, lifting something heavy actually made my right side ache, too—weird, right?). I’ll admit it, I’m a total chicken—I am absolutely terrified to go poking at my left breast again. After everything Mom went through, the fear is just overwhelming. I'm only 22, and I really need to know: is there a chance that all of this is just psychosomatic? Is there any possibility that this isn't cancer and that the pain is being caused by something else entirely?😢 I haven't been sleeping a wink lately—honestly, my sleep schedule is a total wreck. It’s a mix of worrying about Mom, stressing over my own stuff, and just dealing with life throwing everything at me all at once. I honestly don't know how I'd even begin to cope if I were the one facing a cancer diagnosis myself... it's just wild how everything hit the fan at the exact same time. I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard that I'm just overthinking things and that I'm wrong about the worst part.

You really have to stay healthy for Mom's sake—so definitely get to the doctor as soon as possible just to make sure everything is okay and get that peace of mind! I don't have any personal experience with breast cancer, so unfortunately, I can't offer much help here.

Kimberly Wright said:My mom reacted to everything totally differently than I expected.
She’s usually such a vibrant, social, and selfless person—just loves being around people! Always the optimist.
This illness has worn her down physically, but honestly, it feels like it’s hitting her spiritually too 😢
I feel like she’s become selfish, which is just so unlike her. Sometimes she reminds me of a kid trying to manipulate their parents.
I guess it’s just pure fear.

Right at the start, I was talking to a friend who went through this—her mom got sick with cancer and passed away, and then a while later, the exact same thing happened with her mother-in-law, whom she was incredibly close to.
She told me she was way too soft with her mom—basically catered to her every whim. But with her mother-in-law? She was much sharper, and I think that stubbornness just stuck with her. She says she probably should have handled her mom that same way 🤷

As for my mom—she put me through enough scenes that I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind! Eventually, we had a really blunt, honest talk, and things actually improved quite a bit after that. I noticed that the second I let my guard down, everything just goes completely sideways 😁

I’m trying to nudge her toward taking some responsibility for herself again, but I also try to give her little chores around the house—just to give her that feeling that someone still needs her and that she’s still "essential."

You know her better than anyone, and mine just won't budge. If I try to push too hard, she shuts me out instantly—though, after a little while, she’ll end up asking for something I mentioned earlier. Dealing with a serious illness naturally brings up the whole question of mortality, and that’s tough for anyone. Just take it slow with suggestions. At the end of the day, she’s the one facing this—she’s confused, she’s hurting, and she’s scared. I’m pretty sure she’ll hit that phase of positive defiance, just like my Sveki, where she starts fighting back against the disease. Once that happens, you won't feel like you're fighting against her anymore.

Kimberly Wright said:Today is a day to fight against cancer..

To everyone out there battling various illnesses—and let's be honest, fighting our healthcare system too—I wish you strength in your fight and hope you can keep your sanity intact! 😁
Wishing you all nothing but health. 🙂

I was honestly terrified about how everything would go—how she’d handle it all. Recovering from surgery was such a brutal process; she barely ate and the pain was just constant... and man, that morphine patch? That nearly killed me just watching her deal with it! But she’s clearly a fighter—she has so much willpower. Even though she kept insisting she wouldn't touch chemo or radiation and would only do the surgery, she ended up starting the chemo anyway, and from what I can see, she's doing really well. I actually need to correct myself—I mentioned earlier that her next round was in three weeks, but it’s actually in two weeks, provided those blood levels (if I remember correctly) look good. I really hope your mom handles the treatments just as well. You never truly know how much of a warrior you are until you're thrown into the deep end—and since my mom rejected everything at first, I think she's definitely fighting. I finally witnessed that famous stubbornness of hers!!! It used to drive me crazy, but now? I could kiss her for it.

My mother-in-law has already cruised through her first two rounds—now she’s got about a three-week break before the next one. During that first session, she was feeling pretty nauseous, so they switched up her anti-nausea meds right away—which was a lifesaver because after that, she didn't have any pain or sickness at all! The second one was just yesterday, and while she’s feeling a little wiped out today, she's doing alright overall.

John Cox8 said:Honestly, reading these posts just gives me chills—I always end up tearing up, especially when it involves someone young or a child. Thankfully, we’ve never had a cancer diagnosis in my family, but man, it is heartbreaking to see what people have to endure. I’m actually dealing with a situation involving my sister right now—it’s been weighing on us for a few years—and it’s just hard. I try not to think the worst, but those fears and anxieties are always lurking in the back of my mind. It’s heavy. So, I come to this forum (I’m pretty new here!) to find some relief, though I usually end up feeling a bit saddened by everyone’s tough journeys too.
I was wondering if anyone who has dealt with something similar could share anything:
When my sister was about four years old, her identical twin started showing signs of potential lymphoma. They did a biopsy on a lymph node—which was the only one at the time—but the results were totally inconclusive. They told her she just needed check-ups every three months. Now, she’s never been the most disciplined person when it comes to health stuff, so those "every three months" visits turned into once a year. In the meantime, new nodes started growing on the right side of her neck, all different sizes. Once again, the doctor is demanding another biopsy because, based on his experience, he’s certain it’s some kind of lymphoma. But just like last year, the analysis didn't give us a clear answer. Then more nodes popped up—some in her right breast, too. She saw a different specialist—I don't have the name or the records, they were seen in a clinic in Chicago, though we're originally from out of state—and he thought it might be a benign tumor that could turn malignant. He suggested removing everything as a preventative measure, but everything hinges on a pathology report to confirm it—he even called it "Castelman disease." Between work, kids, and life, my sister just brushes it off... but the nodes are there, and you can literally see them with the naked eye. We finally heard about getting a PET scan done at a facility in Chicago, and since I insisted, my husband and I drove her there to get it done. Those nodes in her neck showed up clearly on the scan. I wrote about it before, and they said it could be malignant and recommended another pathology test. What do we do now? She acts like it’s no big deal because one doctor says this and another says that. Some suggest removing the whole cluster, which sounds incredibly intense, while others say just take one. Has anyone gone through anything like this? Any suggestions on where to send samples for analysis? Honestly, anything would help...😕🤷
thanks

Most of the time, we don't even have time for ourselves... my father-in-law has nodes on his neck and salivary glands; they're benign, but they need to be removed. Just stay persistent—make sure she keeps seeing the doctor.

Angela Wright said:I remember when my mom collapsed once at church during a service. I totally lost it on the priest and the deacons—they were actually suggesting we just let her lie there on the floor because she was "resting in the Holy Spirit" or some nonsense like that! I was practically screaming at them, like, "Excuse me, people, she has a brain tumor!"
...anyway, they eventually brought her a glass of water, she came to, and just headed home like everything was normal.
The church itself is massive too—kind of like those big cathedrals you see in Chicago.

Listen, people who are dealing with illness are way more sensitive than the rest of us—between all that standing up and sitting down, it just wears you out. Her blood sugar drops, her blood pressure goes haywire, and boom—you've got a fainting spell.
Let her just rest today and take it easy. Make her some hearty chicken soup and call it a day.

Yeah, this one is also a big old cathedral, similar to the ones downtown in DC... Thanks. Honestly, we're all just exhausted. She’s starting chemo soon, so I guess these kinds of episodes might happen more often. We're so used to her being this powerhouse—never sick, never complaining, always able to handle anything—so seeing her like this is just really tough on us. I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through; it has to be a million times harder for her than it is for us.

Angela Wright said:Our daughter went through the exact same thing. She had a decent temperature for about a week and just refused to go to the hospital—stubbornness runs in the family, I guess! Finally, she just took a turn for the worse and they had to rush her in. Her hemoglobin levels were practically non-existent... and then she was gone.😢

It's me again—honestly, I’m at my wit's end and don't know what we should do. My mother-in-law mentioned she almost collapsed at church today—and just to be clear, the church is massive, so I really don't think it was a lack of oxygen or anything like that. She also said she ate quite a bit, and she doesn't even have a fever right now... so, what's the move here? I'm thinking maybe she needs an IV with some vitamins just to perk her up a little? She spent the entire last week struggling with intense pain—plus, she's got those medicated patches on—so I'm wondering if she might just be dehydrated? She's always been terrible about drinking enough water... please, any advice helps!!!

Angela Wright said:If an oncology patient runs a high fever, they need to get rushed to the hospital immediately to start antibiotics.

Well, at the hospital, they just told us this was totally expected—basically saying if the temperature hits over 101°F, we should just bring it down and call it a day. No antibiotics, no readmission, nothing... just a shrug.

Kimberly Wright said:Drew Thompson5, I’m crossing my fingers for you!🙂

My mom has also lost quite a bit of weight—even though she has a great appetite and eats pretty regularly🤷
but hey, I guess that's just what happens when someone has had their entire stomach removed.
Honestly, that's how I try to look at it to stay positive.
But watching her, I just don't see any improvement—it feels more like she's slowly fading away. On top of that, there have been a few times now where her vision in her left eye just... went dark.
My optimism is definitely taking a hit every single day.

When I reached the point where I couldn't sleep because of the worry, I finally managed to get a hold of my mom's oncologist... it was actually our first time having a really open conversation. She explained things in a way that almost perfectly aligns with my own gut feelings.
The tumor was just too large for it not to have metastasized somewhere. Of course, it doesn't have to be 100% certain yet—that's why that PET scan result is such a big deal. It can totally change how they decide to handle the treatment.
And then there's this whole issue with her losing her sight...
maybe it spread to the brain..

Anyway, after a lot of stress—though with huge help and amazing dedication from both my mom's oncologist and her primary care doctor—mom had a head CT today, and thank God—NO brain metastases!

She felt absolutely terrible today, but I still feel a tiny bit lighter knowing her head is "clear."

As far as communicating with her doctors goes, it's basically an impossible mission. After the surgery, the surgeon gave my husband and father-in-law a "two-sentence explanation" about her condition, and I have to say, he didn't offer much hope at all. Plus, the oncologist is out of the office more than he's in, so two different doctors ended up handling two of her appointments. The only straightforward information we got was that she has to personally write a request for chemo and wait for the insurance board to approve it.
Regarding your mom, I am so relieved to hear there are no brain metastases! Maybe that vision issue is just a side effect from a medication or something similar. Just hang in there—tomorrow is a new day.

shadowmason6 said:I’ve been away from the forum for a little while—so I'm not sure if this has come up lately—but I wanted to share what my mom went through. She did six cycles of chemo using the Mayo Clinic protocol (which, looking back at the discussions here, seems like it had relatively mild side effects). This was all following surgery for advanced colon cancer. Aside from her diet—she switched to macrobiotics, which I’m convinced helped her get through the treatments much easier—she also used some supplements. At the time, she was taking BioBran powder (around 1000mg, if I recall correctly)—definitely look up the benefits online! She struggled quite a bit with diarrhea, though we managed to ease that somewhat with her diet—lots of rice and adding kuzu to her meals. For those mouth sores that popped up during the first two cycles, she used sage tea rinses (which is a great thing to start on day one!) and a product called "gelclair."
Given the metastases you mentioned, I’m guessing your mother-in-law might have a different treatment plan... maybe Avastin? That’s what they call a "smart drug," so hopefully, the side effects won't be too intense.
I really think it's crucial to focus on how she recovers from surgery and builds up her strength before starting therapy—and then helping her body detox after, to minimize the drugs' impact.
Please keep us posted so we can see how she's doing! We're pulling for her...

She’s been recovering for almost two months now, but she’s lost so much weight—it’s tough to see. She barely eats anything; it's mostly just whey, some fruit compotes, or a protein shake, and that’s about it. The hardest part is that she’s being really private about the details of her illness and treatment, so we aren't entirely sure what the next steps are, other than knowing chemotherapy is likely. I'm trying everything I can to reach her, but I just can't seem to get through. She often runs a high fever—over 101°F—and she actually started using morphine patches yesterday. Communicating with her surgeon is a nightmare because he’s always swamped, and getting hold of the oncologist is basically impossible. Sorry, I just needed to vent a little—I feel a bit better now. Thanks so much for all the info and the support; I'll definitely check back in soon.

My mother-in-law is about to start chemotherapy soon—she’s dealing with colon cancer that has spread to her liver and bladder. They managed to remove the mass from her intestine, but now we’re heading into the really tough part, the actual fight. I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything—maybe certain supplements or remedies—that might help ease those nasty chemo side effects? Any advice would mean the world to us. Thanks so much in advance!