Posts by dustyrider9

crimsongull20 said:Some people swear by this stuff from http://www.healthandwellness.com/mushrooms/supplements&sp=index.

Others say it did absolutely nothing for them, but I haven't heard a single person claim they actually helped.

We bought those mushrooms for my mom first. She took them for about a month, but after that first month, she’d just throw them right back up every single time. It’s been over two months now, and I keep trying to convince her to give it another shot, but she’s just too traumatized. She felt so sick last time that she’s terrified she’ll start vomiting the second she swallows them. Plus, she’s finally eating a bit better lately, and we don't want to mess with that progress. We actually got the recommendation for these from a nurse who’s been keeping her own cancer under control for about ten years using periodic mushroom treatments. I really wish my mom could handle them like she does; I had such high hopes, and man, those things aren't cheap.

So, I did some digging and found out this is actually a super common side effect of chemo. It turns out my mom’s nasal lining was already messed up way back—like 15 years ago—when she first battled breast cancer. That initial round of chemo basically fried her nasal hair for good, which left her dealing with constant irritation ever since. And now, of course, things have taken a turn for the worse. Anyway, wishing everyone a peaceful night and a great weekend!

Well, we were out in the city today—first time taking the baby out, actually—to pick up some daffodils for Grandma and to support all those good causes. We even stumbled upon a Krijesnica stand, so the girls scored some new t-shirts, though we ended up getting absolutely soaked by the rain. Honestly, that was the best part of the day. Now things have taken a turn for the worse. My sister called me (she’s staying at my mom's tonight) saying she’s having a massive nosebleed. It just won't stop, and I'm really hoping she doesn't end up having to call 911.
Has anyone here dealt with nosebleeds being a side effect of chemotherapy? She had her first round about nine days ago. Or could it be from pain medication? If anyone is online tonight, please let me know if you've seen this before.
Thanks in advance!

Thanks, everyone.🙂 Do you guys go super strict with what you eat? I’ve been reading that cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs is the way to go—maybe sticking to stuff like flaxseed oil instead. Does anyone have any actual, practical diet tips? Sorry for grilling you all, it’s just that I spend every single night glued to my laptop, digging through books about cancer research. It’s hard to find time to actually process everything when I’m stuck doing a million chores after the kids finally crash.
I honestly wish I could go back to a time when my biggest worry was☕. I feel like I’ve fallen headfirst into some alternate reality. I know everyone on this forum is going through hell, but this hit me so fast. Between having a newborn I’m basically raising solo because my mom can barely help, and an older kid who doesn't get why things are weird, plus my husband facing job instability... it's a lot. I know this isn't really what this forum is for, so I promise this is the last time I’ll go on a massive vent session like this. Honestly, I am grateful that my kids are healthy, and I just hope that we—including my mom—all make it to the end of this year in one piece, because it feels like the news is just one bad headline after another lately. I’m not looking for advice on this part, I just needed to get it out before I lost my mind. Thanks for listening.🙂

redharbor23, thanks for the advice and for being there for me. My dad went to the urgent care clinic today because his pain was getting unbearable, hoping they could actually do something about it. They just gave him some patches, so I’m really crossing my fingers that they actually work. It kills me that I can't spend more time with her. I've got a 3-month-old in my arms right now and a 2-year-old at home who's basically a little whirlwind, so it's just been us girls lately. When I do manage to get over there with the kids, she lights up seeing us, but man, it wears me out. Anyway, I'm typing this one-handed while holding the baby.
If she had just gone in to have those markers checked back in late 2008, things would probably look a lot different by now. Her levels are through the roof, and if they'd caught it then, we'd have had so much more time and a much better shot.😢

Angela Wright said:Jerak is a chronic condition. The whole point of medicine is to refine treatments to the point where you can actually manage and live with the disease.

Look, I just hope that with something this heavy, we can at least get to a place where living with it for a few years feels manageable.

Hey there,
My mom is dealing with metastases in all her bones after fighting breast cancer for 15 years. To be honest, I’m pretty livid because her oncologist didn't bother sending her for marker tests for several years. By November 2007, her CA 15-3 was at 26.81, which is way over the limit. We were clueless back then—we didn't realize we had to stay on top of the specialists ourselves. Now we know better, so I guess I'm playing "internet doctor" to make sure nothing else slips through the cracks.😠
Sorry for the sarcasm, but even this past fall (2009), Mom went to see her oncologist to complain about this constant, shifting pain that moves all over her body. And what does the doctor do? Nothing. She didn't even order the markers by the end of 2009, just brushed it off saying everything looked fine and the mammogram was okay.😢
Mom just finished her first round of chemo, has two more to go, and will be doing four radiation treatments. Does radiation actually help with the pain?
The pain is our biggest hurdle right now. It’s brutal—it’s especially bad if she tries to lie on her back or stays still for too long.😢
Has anyone ever heard of Naltrexone or tried using it?
Also, how is Sevredol for pain management? Or are those Durogesic patches actually better?
She took some Sevredol for a few days, but once the chemo hit, she couldn't keep anything down because of the vomiting. It feels like none of it is touching the pain. Do these medications take a while to actually start working?
I’m really hoping someone with more experience can help me navigate these dilemmas.
Thanks in advance🙂