Elizabeth Collins60 said:Dear, thank YOU and everyone else—thanks for being here. Today was actually the first day where I didn't even think about my wonderful dad until this evening, just because I finally got home and realized he hadn't crossed my mind for several hours during the afternoon. You have every right to be proud to be his child... he’ll always be a part of me... A little bit of good news... I had a patient today who had breast cancer surgery 20 years ago—lymph node involvement, radiation, chemo, the whole works... and today, 20 years later, she's a healthy woman living her life like nothing ever happened. And another patient from five years ago had lung cancer surgery and they're doing great too... so there's hope, people... a good outcome is always possible.
Dear Elizabeth Collins60, I'm trying to imagine how tough this is for you. Besides having breast cancer surgery myself three years ago, my mom went through the exact same thing last year. Honestly, I don't even know what to say to you—I felt lost when I was sick, and then when Mom got sick, it was even harder. She was my rock while I was fighting my own battle, so I couldn't even wrap my head around the idea of losing her. I understand your grief to an extent, though I can't fully grasp it since my mom is still alive and well, thank God. Over time, it gets easier. All those heavy situations and the memories of those awful moments caused by this disease will eventually feel like they happened in a different lifetime—all that'll be left are the beautiful memories and those precious moments that'll make you smile whenever you think of them. Sending you so much strength to get through these hardest days. And yeah, there's always hope. We have to believe it, otherwise, what's the point? Hearing about that lady who was treated 20 years ago gave me even more hope... thank you!
jadetinker42 said:My late grandma dealt with the exact same thing you're going through. Back in '85, she was diagnosed with breast cancer with lymph node metastasis in her armpit at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She had surgery and went through—I can't recall the exact number—so much radiation that her skin was basically covered in third-degree burns. Standard procedure, right? Just trying to wipe out every last malignant cell. She didn't do chemo back then. After that, she just had to monitor her markers every six months, and everything looked great until March of '99—that's 14 years after the initial diagnosis—when she was hit with a lung and bronch tumor. It was so aggressive that everything was over within a month. Sadly. We moved her to the Mayo Clinic, and she got her first dose of chemo, but the doctors knew pretty much immediately it wasn't going to work. Honestly, the chemo felt more like a psychological move just so the patient wouldn't feel totally written off.
Anyway, don't let the second half of this post get you down too much—that 1999 tumor had absolutely nothing to do with the one from '85. So, we can pretty much say she beat that first tumor (the one identical to yours) with 100% success.
Hey guys, anyone here actually tried BIOBRANA? Apparently, it’s this supplement meant to supercharge your immune system—basically helping your body fight off nasty cells and whatever else tries to take you down. You can grab it at Whole Foods or similar health food stores, and it comes in powder or pill form. For someone healthy, a month's supply runs about $233, but if you're dealing with actual issues, it could cost up to three times that since you need much higher doses. A few people I know recommended it to me, so I wanted to see if anyone here has the real scoop. Maybe there's already been a thread on this, but I haven't had a chance to dig through all the pages yet. Cheers!
Hey Vivian, props to you—that’s exactly how it should be. Honestly, I’m on the same page, but man, there are always those moments where life just hits you all at once and knocks the wind out of you. Once I get my test results back—and they better be good, obviously—I’m definitely going to take a breather and just chill for a bit. Thanks!
Thanks for the support—and yeah, I get it, every case is its own thing and you can’t really compare one person to another. But honestly, having a little bit of data on our side helps more than you'd think. Best,
Hey Nusazvrk! Thanks so much for the support—it really means a lot right now, and honestly, I really need it. My husband headed out to sea for work yesterday, and now I’m just sitting here waiting for my oncology checkup, waiting to go over all the test results... the anxiety is real. Lately, I haven't been feeling great, and when everything hits you at once... It's true, you just have to take it one day at a time and be thankful to God for every single day we get. I am. I'm just praying He gives me enough days to get back on my feet and get this little one of mine—who depends entirely on me—all set. My biggest priority is making sure she has her mom there whenever she needs me, since I'm her whole world. Of course, Dad is there too, but unfortunately, he's rarely around. It's not his fault—his job keeps him away, and he works his tail off just so we can live decent lives. And look, it's not all gloom and doom. We still have these beautiful moments and days where we're all together and doing well; those moments are everything. You don't actually need much to be happy—not a luxury car, a mansion, or a ton of money. For us, just being together and staying healthy is plenty. You don't really realize that until you're facing the kind of stuff both you and I are dealing with. That's when you learn to truly value life. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a long, wonderful life with your husband and your whole pack of little two-legged troublemakers—may your dream life become even fuller and happier!!!
Hey there to all the real heroes and fighters out there. I’m pretty new to this forum and just stumbled upon this thread. About three years ago, when I was 27, I had surgery for breast cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes. I won't go into the details of how that felt—I mean, you guys basically already know. The kicker was that I had a three-year-old at the time, and my husband—who works in the Merchant Marines—was halfway across the world for most of my treatment (he had to be so we could afford those insane chemo bills!). I haven't had a chance to catch up on every single question and answer here yet, but I’d really love to hear some stories that might give me a boost. To be honest, I've met so many people—read about them here and elsewhere—who talk about the cancer coming back after 3 or 10 years, but I see so few who beat it years ago and have stayed healthy ever since. Right now, I'm going through a massive mental breakdown because of some family drama, plus some other health scares that have me terrified they might be linked back to the cancer. Every time I feel a twinge in my stomach, my breast, my leg, my arm, or my head—you name it—the fear just takes over and I start spiraling, thinking it's back. I actually handled the initial surgeries and treatments like a champ—stronger than anyone expected. But now? God forbid it comes back, I don't think I could handle it again. My husband is away for most of the year, I have a beautiful kid who gave us a run for our money being sick so often (thank God it was nothing serious, though it took us forever to figure out what was wrong), my parents live far away, and I don't have anyone else to lean on during the rough patches... I feel like I've dealt with enough stress in my young life to last three lifetimes. I don't regret anything, I'm just praying to God for the strength and guts to keep going, because right now, I'm running on empty. Lately, I've even been dealing with panic attacks that are making it impossible to function... Basically, I'm in deep. That's why I'm looking for people who can tell me they faced a terrifying diagnosis a long time ago, kicked its ass, and are totally fine now... That would mean everything to me. Sending love to all of you. I truly, sincerely hope you all beat your battles and become the ones who can look back in 10 or 20 years and say they won and are healthy!!! 😢