Posts by Sandra Evans13

Dear Linda Peterson37, my deepest and most sincere condolences. To everyone else, I wish you strength, courage, and relentless persistence.
I follow this thread regularly, though I don't post often since there isn't much news or insight to share yet. We are waiting for May 15th, when we meet to finalize my mother's chemotherapy plan. She is currently stable, even if she isn't gaining weight (she's at about 101 lbs). Fortunately, better days are ahead, bringing a renewed will to live and fight.

Amanda Miller69 said:Another fighter lost their battle this morning. My Mommy passed away at 7:00 AM, peacefully in her sleep.🙂🙂

Dear Fiz, please accept my sincerest and deepest condolences.

Amanda Miller69 said:Honey,
I completely get you because I’m going through the exact same thing. I held onto hope until Friday, then I saw the discharge papers confirming metastatic carcinoma—it’s everywhere. We have her settled in Springfield. She’s in pain, and they’re giving her 10mg of Tramal twice a day (a doctor friend of hers calls that a massive dose). She can’t eat, she has no appetite, she can’t even handle a decent cup of coffee....
On top of that, she’s incontinent, weak, looks terrible, and we are just praying to God to take her soon so she doesn't have to suffer. The doctors in Springfield say it could be three days, a few weeks, or months. My sister-in-law, based on her experience losing several relatives to cancer, thinks it’ll be 10-15 days. Mom’s doctor friend says his experience points toward a couple of weeks. Besides, Mom is depressed; she wanders off occasionally, and when she snaps out of it, she gets agitated and demands to go home. She barely speaks now. If I knew this would only last a day or two, I’d bring her home to pass away in peace, but I simply can't afford 24-hour nursing care, and I couldn't handle watching her die right in front of me. My dad passed away three years ago from a heart attack, my brother has his own family to deal with, so my boyfriend and my mom’s cousin are my only real support right now. My brother is actually doing even worse than I am. Hang in there; this is the hardest stretch we'll ever have to push through. Pusa and a big hug.🙂

Dear Amanda Miller69....
What else is there to say to comfort you? Unfortunately, all we can do is pray that they pass in peace and with dignity...
Stay strong... love your mom and be her strength during these days....

After endless deliberation, consulting experts, and scouring every possible option—since my sister and I are total laypeople when it comes to medicine—we’ve hit a wall. We were desperately grasping at straws to save our mother. But after speaking with the specialist today, who told us there is simply no hope left, we have accepted the reality: we cannot cure her. Our only goal now is to ensure her remaining time is spent with dignity, minimizing her pain and suffering. It is devastating to say, but we are stepping back from the fight to focus solely on giving her the love she deserves. As I write this, the tears are making it impossible to even see the screen. The helplessness is overwhelming.
Please forgive my state; I truly believe we have exhausted every single avenue for her.
Unfortunately, the diagnosis came too late. She has a tumor in the small intestine and abdominal wall that has already metastasized to her lungs, liver, kidneys, and likely elsewhere.
Her overall condition is critical; she has lost all will to fight and is battling advanced osteoporosis, weighing only about 105 pounds.
How am I supposed to help her if I can't fix this? All I have left is love.
I could write a whole novel about how she sacrificed her entire life for my sister and me, but that feels redundant. Every mother does that, yet mine is extraordinary—even now, her only concern is easing the burden on us. Forgive me, but I am choking up too much to continue.
Good luck to everyone still holding onto hope. Mine has finally gone out. Sis, I'm sorry.

cosmicsurfer7 said:Hello everyone,
I looked into ImmunoMax here in the States since it supposedly won some awards, but they just treat it like any other supplement. They seem much more focused on beta-glucans at a maximum dose of 2.5 mg per kg of body weight daily. Ultimately, the choice is ours.
I got in touch with Dr. Stakis from Cytomed. Does anyone actually know how his products work?

BELIEVE, BECAUSE FAITH FREES AND STRENGTHENS!!!

Thanks for the reply.
For now, Mom is recovering beautifully. She’s eating again and HAS AN APPETITE!!!
I'm shouting because she hasn't eaten for five months... so this is a massive win and motivation for us moving forward. She started taking Aloe vera gel. She gets her discharge papers from the hospital this Monday, and then chemo begins...
Hang in there, everyone....

I haven't shared much with certain family members for specific reasons. They tend to be tactless and completely insensitive (well, maybe not entirely, but still...):
As soon as she found out, she immediately started asking how Mom was doing. I told her everything was fine, thanks, and then she just kept going—telling me that this person died, that person passed away, someone’s funeral is tomorrow, someone else is in agony, and so on.

Ah, family... what a disaster. They truly believe they're being helpful when they create such chaos. It would be much better if everyone could just be handed a written manual on how to behave around a sick person and what topics are actually appropriate to discuss. This goes out to my aunt... if she happens to read this, she’ll know exactly why. Love you, Auntie... [/COLOR]

Thanks, Amanda Miller69!
My mom was discharged from the hospital today and is recovering well from her surgery. She’s finally eating again, which is a massive relief after three months of nothing. I’m definitely going to track down that doctor; hopefully, he can help her out too.
I came across these dietary supplements called IMMUNOMAX that are supposed to give your immune system a major boost, though they aren't cheap—the daily dose runs about $60 for the first month.
The dosage drops after that. Has anyone here actually tried them? They even have their own website: www.immunomax.info.

Sandra Evans13 I see you're just as new to this as I am, navigating all these conflicting emotions. Regardless of how we feel, while our loved ones fight this terrible disease, we have to push forward. There is no other option.

Can anyone recommend a solid oncologist in the Washington, D.C. area so we know who to call if necessary?

Best wishes to everyone. Hang in there!

Thanks to Galeo and everyone else for the support. Fighting these demons is significantly easier when you realize you aren't alone.
I'm sorry I can't help with your question about Washington, D.C., but I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.
Stay strong...👍

Since you’ve all been so incredibly kind as to offer help, I’ll jump in with my own situation. My mother underwent surgery just a week ago. She was diagnosed with small intestine cancer—which is supposedly quite rare. It has already metastasized to her kidneys and liver. They had to perform a small bowel bypass so she can actually eat, and now chemo is the next step. She’s lost 50 pounds and is incredibly weak, so we are terrified of starting chemotherapy. To be blunt, the prognosis is grim; doctors are giving her a maximum of one year even with treatment.
I want to ask if there are any supplements or remedies (outside of what the doctors prescribe) that could help ease the side effects of chemo?
Keep in mind we don't live in Washington, D.C., but we can travel if there is a specialist who would see her at Mayo Clinic. This is my first time facing this disease personally, and since I have zero direct experience beyond hearsay, I am feeling overwhelmed, confused, and completely helpless.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or support.