Posts by Nicholas Hughes2

yeah 😁

Larry Ortiz5 said:First things first—let's get one thing straight... If you grabbed an XP sp3 torrent—whether it’s the Pro or Home version—you downloaded it as an ISO file, right? If that’s a YES, then just grab something like ImgBurn and burn that ISO onto a blank CD or DVD. Once you've got that disc ready, you'll need to jump into the BIOS, set your optical drive as the primary boot device, save those settings, and exit.

Once the computer restarts, you should see a prompt along the lines of "press any key to start installation"... and obviously, you just hit any button—maybe Enter... once it loads up, follow that tutorial link you posted earlier. The most critical part of that whole process is handling the partitions—you really need to delete the old partition(s) and create a brand new one so you're doing a totally clean install of Windows XP. You usually handle that through the D: drive option, and since there are pictures in the guide, you should be fine...

Thanks for the help, but honestly, it's not working... 😢
I already did the first part—downloaded ImgBurn and burned the Windows files—but when I restart, it just boots right back into my old Windows and shows that same error message again. And as soon as I click OK, it just loops back to the beginning... 😢

I really need some help here 😁

So, I was trying to install Windows XP Professional sp3 on this old desktop I have—just grabbed an ISO from a torrent since it used to run XP just fine—but I keep getting hit with this error message in the screenshot... and the second I click "OK," the whole thing just restarts, and then it's back to square one, over and over again in this endless loop



I actually went ahead and downloaded some other versions of Windows, but honestly, I have no clue how to actually get them onto the machine now. I tried looking through some tutorials right here on the forum, but most of them seem to be geared toward completely blank, brand-new computers, so they weren't really helpful for my situation...

I've messed around in the BIOS and set the boot order so the CD drive is first, but even then, when I reboot, nothing happens—it doesn't even act like there's a disc in there or give me the option to boot from it
I also tried booting into Safe Mode, but yeah, I just get that same error message again

Basically, my computer is totally stuck and useless right now... can anyone please tell me how to break out of this loop and actually get Windows installed?

Thanks so much 🙂

Thank you all for the replies—honestly, after days of silence, I had almost stopped checking this thread in hopes of hearing anything back...

We finally managed to get the mammogram, the breast ultrasound, and the abdominal ultrasound sorted out

After calling every single clinic in Washington, D.C. that we knew had a mammography machine, my mom and I were just... losing our minds. Between being told there were no openings, people hanging up on us, or just nobody picking up the phone at all—it was exhausting. Eventually, through sheer persistence—literally on our millionth attempt—we reached a clinic in the Downtown area, and they were actually great. They told Mom she could drop by any day between 8 and 12 with her referral, and they squeezed her in. Since some places were asking for a referral just to book an appointment, we weren't quite sure if that meant we needed to schedule first or if we could just show up for the actual scan. Anyway, she went in, and since it was a Monday, she ended up being seen that day. (Just a little tip: they seem to book appointments for the following month after the 15th of the current month). If I remember correctly, the technician who performed the scan saw a shadow on the image, so she immediately sent Mom to see the doctor—which meant she got the breast ultrasound done that very same day too.
While the doctor was doing the ultrasound, Mom asked if they also did abdominal scans, and the doctor was incredibly kind—he initially said they were swamped, but then he took the initiative and told her to come back today at 7:30 AM because he’d be on duty and would take care of her. So, in any case, 👍 thanks to Dr. Smith

After that, we headed over to the Mayo Clinic for a colonoscopy, and now that we have all the results in hand, we can finally say that everything looks good 🎉

As for the local cancer center... we called them up and they told us they have no availability. Apparently, their prevention program only sends out screenings every two years, which is just heartbreaking when you consider how many women suffer from that type of cancer 👎
It's true, women really should take the initiative to get checked, but let's be real here—some people won't even think about it until they get a formal notice from Medicare

It's the same thing that shocked me lately—I still can't believe that Pap tests are now covered by Medicare only once every three years. It feels like they're always looking for somewhere to cut costs 😢

And a suggestion for the association: maybe it would be helpful to have one central place where all the facilities with this kind of equipment are listed?
I searched through your website, but I couldn't find anything like that

Quick question—I’m really hoping someone can help me figure this out
My mom needs to get her mammogram, an ultrasound, and an abdominal ultrasound done... she's currently undergoing treatment at a major cancer center here in the States (for colon cancer) and they handle most of her tests there anyway.
Basically, they recommended she gets a mammogram every single year, but when she tried to schedule it, they told her it was way too early... then, once she actually showed up, they turned her away saying they aren't taking appointments until next year! But she really needs this follow-up by November...
What I’m trying to find out is where else in the D.C. area offers both mammograms and ultrasounds covered by our insurance?
We already tried calling:
The Mayo Clinic, some diagnostic centers, and the local university hospital—but we got rejected from those
We haven't had any luck reaching Mount Sinai, Johns Hopkins, or even the local community clinics... just getting secretaries on the phone over and over again.
The doctors told us to just show up with her referral and they'd see if they could squeeze her in, but that feels so uncertain...😕

Kimberly Wright said:I really need some help here!
Where can I get a CT scan done quickly and without breaking the bank?
The people at General Hospital told me their machine is out of order—plus, the wait times are just way too long right now.
If I went through a major hospital like Mayo Clinic, I’d be waiting at least a month—and I just don't have that kind of time...
I called Quest Diagnostics. That seems to be my only lead so far, but the whole thing—the CT plus the contrast dye—is going to cost $483
We absolutely have to get this scan done by next Thursday at the latest.

What should I do?

Have you tried calling Nemetov?
My mom actually went there earlier this spring using her Medicare because the scanner at the University Research Center was broken...
I saw you mentioned calling other clinics, so I wasn't sure if you'd checked them out yet...

gentletiger46, hats off to you... 🙂

feralharbor89 Asks:
Maria Fox, thanks for the support!
I really have to believe that there are all kinds of doctors out there—some are great, and some... well, not so much. Honestly, I’ve already made the decision to switch my gastroenterologist, and I'm moving on from my current GP too—I've actually already gone ahead and picked up all my medical records...
Everything was actually sorted out during my colonoscopy—they managed to take out the one that had the carcinoma, plus five tiny little ones that hadn't really taken hold yet... It all went down at the hospital in St. Louis. Now I’m just waiting on more tests because, honestly, the pain made it impossible to get a full look at the entire large intestine back then. This new gastroenterologist—he's a good guy—recommended some follow-up testing, and he said if they do find anything else, I'll have to go back in for another colonoscopy, likely under sedation this time...
Look, I know there are some truly wonderful doctors out there—I’ve actually met them myself...

The main thing is that you were the one who changed them... 😉
What kind of searches are you looking for? It really depends on what you're trying to dig up—I mean, if you're hunting for specific medical studies or just general info, the approach changes everything... honestly, it’s all about knowing where to look. If you want the deep stuff—like actual peer-reviewed data—you should definitely be hitting up PubMed or Google Scholar rather than just regular Google. Regular search engines can get so cluttered with ads and sponsored nonsense that it's hard to find the real meat of a topic... Are you looking for something specific regarding treatments or maybe those pH studies we were talking about earlier? If you tell me what's on your mind, I might be able to point you toward some better keywords... sometimes one little word makes all the difference between finding a dead end and finding the truth. Let me know...

Donna Chase Asks:
P. S. Is that number 27—your age, by any chance?

But wait—I just looked at the page again, and it actually says otherwise... it clearly states they're 50 years old... 😕

feralharbor89 said:Yeah, despite what the doctors say—that's actually how you put it!

yeah, unfortunately, that really is the expression... 🙄

where did you have your surgery?
and please, don't give up on all doctors—there are some truly wonderful ones out there...
my mom had her surgery at a tumor clinic and we have nothing but praise for every doctor she dealt with—everyone was so kind, and obviously they were highly skilled too, though I guess you don't even need to mention that part 🙂

feralharbor89 said:Yeah, Isa—that uncertainty is honestly the absolute worst part! Even though I’m still figuring things out as I go, they’re working on a solution, so I'm feeling pretty okay about that...

You just learn as you go, I guess...😉

The main thing is just knowing what's going on and that it was caught early—thank goodness you were ahead of the doctors and caught it in time...🙂

feralharbor89 said:I’m posting here for the very first time. I just read the last page and honestly, I’m struggling to write without tearing up... It really brought back memories of my father passing away—though it wasn't cancer—and, well, it just touches on all those deep-seated fears we carry...
I wanted to reach out to anyone who has dealt with colon cancer (since the first post I stumbled upon was specifically about that)—what were your symptoms? What kind of tests did you go through? Anything else you think is important to know...
I hope I’m not out of place here, since I don't have an official diagnosis yet, but I’ve been dealing with issues for years that doctors just brushed off... And given that both my grandmother and great-grandmother passed away from colon cancer, I've always lived with this constant dread. Recently, though, the doctors finally started taking my symptoms seriously—especially after I spent days seeing visible blood in my stool—and they scheduled a colonoscopy. I had the procedure done, but it didn't exactly go smoothly. The pain was just unbearable, so they could only examine part of my colon. They found one large polyp and five tiny ones. They removed them all, and now I'm just waiting on the biopsy results.
This morning, a full week after the colonoscopy, I woke up with this intense urge to go... and it was just diarrhea—honestly, there was more blood than anything else!
Oh boy, I am rambling way too much! It would mean the world to me if I could hear from people who have actually walked this path.
Because my nerves are just shot!

My mom had surgery for colon cancer last year during her seventh month of pregnancy, and she’s doing great now—fingers crossed it stays that way.🙂

Your symptoms sound serious, but listen—it could all just be from benign polyps. It doesn't necessarily mean it's cancer.
My mom always struggled with bowel issues, so she didn't immediately suspect anything life-threatening either... it probably developed from polyps, so you really did the right thing by getting checked out when you did.🙂

I'm really hoping everything turns out okay. Please keep us posted.🙂

I just wanted to pop in here for a second because I don't want this thread to be nothing but bad news all the time... 🙂

My mom just finished her second round of scans following her surgery and treatment—and honestly, the results came back great again! 🙂👋🎉 🙂🙂

slyseal28, my loves

Richard Myers4 said:Hi everyone... unfortunately, I'm joining this thread too, and my heart just goes out to you... :-(
My dad just had surgery for colon cancer—he has an ostomy bag now—and he's currently recovering so he can start chemo and radiation. But I'm really confused by his biopsy report... it says there is still a tumor mass measuring 6.5x3.5 cm?????
I would be so incredibly grateful if anyone could weigh in on what the best type of chemotherapy is for this kind of thing, or maybe explain the biopsy results... especially since they found metastases in 8 out of the 18 lymph nodes... He had the surgery done in New York City, but he'll be heading down to Miami for his chemo treatments.

It breaks my heart whenever someone new has to join this conversation... 😢

Regarding those results—don't worry, it doesn't mean there's still a tumor inside him... that's actually the tissue from the tumor that was removed along with that section of the bowel 😉

And as for the chemo... well, the doctors will decide what the best course of action is...
My mom had a Dukes B diagnosis and she went through 5-FU/LV following the Mayo Clinic protocol, plus she did 30 sessions of radiation...
Her results are looking good now, though I should mention her diagnosis was slightly different—all of her lymph nodes were clear—so it doesn't necessarily mean he'll get the exact same treatment plan

Wishing you all the strength in the world during this fight!!!!

edit:
Stay strong, dear 😢

mellowbison13 said:Well, my mom isn't really a tea person... I suggested she try this Cleanser stuff—you know, the kind that’s supposed to help flush out everything after chemo—and she mentioned she had something similar once that a friend brought over from Germany, but apparently, it just makes her nose run... whereas my dad? He could probably drink a literal gallon of it without blinking, but thank God he doesn't have to deal with any of this... Still, I'll tell her anyway—maybe if she doesn't want to actually swallow it, she can just swish it around her mouth to rinse...

Honestly, she can just swish and spit, she doesn't have to actually drink it
my own mom wasn't really a fan of drinking it either 😉

mellowbison13 said:She doesn't really have issues with her appetite in general—well, except for that weird metallic taste in her mouth after chemo and how dry everything feels... so she isn't always craving much food, but she just finds something that works for her and pushes through it a little bit. Once those side effects pass, she eats totally normally again... she actually gained about 22 pounds after that first round of chemo. Now she’s on her second cycle, and she's actually getting her third treatment today... my sweet girl.

My mom used to rinse her mouth out with sage tea
and she said it actually helped a little bit, so maybe it might help you too 🙂

Kate Reed63 said:I'm wondering when the absolute latest she should start chemotherapy... it's been two weeks since the surgery and she's feeling pretty weak...

Look, obviously none of us are doctors—we definitely can't give you medical advice here—but my mom actually started her treatment about a month after her surgery was finished...
hang in there, sending so much love and luck your way!!!

Joseph Nguyen2 said:Guys, if you want something truly effective for everyone, I really recommend Royal Jelly—I use it myself and I know it actually works...

If you're interested, just reach out!!!

Susan Ruiz76 said:Joseph, I honestly think you posted this in the wrong place. This i s just a small forum, and people who make a living selling all these "miracle" supplements aren't really welcome here. It’s not that Royal Jelly isn't good or anything, but if you had actually read the rules on these boards—which clearly you haven't—you'd see there's already plenty written about it and a bunch of other products that desperate, seriously ill people cling to. I feel like it's a bit disrespectful to offer a "universal cure" on pages where people are describing actual, real-life battles for survival—ugh, I'm actually getting angry just thinking about it!

Wow, five times on one single page 😲
it's honestly just terrible how some people profit off of others' misery 😠

Hey everyone, I really hope things are going okay in your own battles 🙂

I’m feeling so happy today—my mom finally got all her test results back and everything looks great. Her radiologist told her—well, he said it with a huge disclaimer, obviously, because he's technically not supposed to give definitive news like that—but he truly believes she's in the clear. Given where she is in her recovery and how good these scans look, he said the chance of the disease coming back is basically non-existent 👋 🙂🙂🙂

I really hope we get to read more good news like this more often... hang in there, everyone 🙂

Laura Morris16 said:It’s not that driving him those 62 miles every day is hard for me—really, it isn't—but I just can't... because I'm working 12-hour shifts... so afternoons are completely out of the question... and there's honestly nobody else to step in besides me.
Anyway, if I can vent for a second... my dad is totally refusing to take any kind of vitamins just because his doctor didn't specifically prescribe them... it breaks my heart because I just want to help him stay strong...
He has a bacterial infection in his urine... he's taking two different antibiotics, but he won't even touch cranberry tea, which he really needs to help clear his urinary tract... but no, he won't... because the doctor didn't order it.... I even bought him compression stockings since he dealt with a blood clot... and he won't even try them... claims they're too tight and aren't his size... but the sizing is based on shoe size... and I actually bought a larger size because I could see they were small and didn't want them squeezing him too much.
He's just so stubborn, and I feel like I'm hitting a brick wall with him... I'm just so scared he's going to get even weaker... especially with radiation coming up.
It's just so hard

All the scans—CT, MRI—we have access to everything here. He even went to a private clinic at the Mayo Clinic once just to speed things up so he could get to surgery sooner.
Best,

I hear what you're saying 🙂

Please, don't beat yourself up about not being able to drive him. No one expects you to quit your job just to be a full-time caregiver, and from what I've seen, medical transport services are pretty reliable. They usually gather a whole crew and make a bit of a social thing out of it anyway.

As for the rest of it... maybe try convincing him to take the supplements. Try explaining that doctors rarely prescribe vitamins because they just assume people will take them on their own—they focus on the "heavy-duty" stuff.
Maybe sneak the cranberry tea in as just "regular tea," but honestly, I'm stumped on the stockings... I really don't have a good idea for how to talk him into wearing them.🤷

I really hope he softens up a bit. Hang in there.🙂

Laura Morris16 said:Once he’s recovered, my dad will need to go to a hospital in Washington, D.C. for radiation treatments—so I was wondering, do patients like him actually have the right to be transported by an ambulance, or are they just expected to drive themselves into the city from out of town every single day?

I’m totally new to all of this, so I'm just trying to figure things out.

Thanks!
Best regards

When my mom went in for her radiation (she went to the MD Anderson Cancer Center), people from the surrounding areas were being picked up by medical transport too 😉
maybe check in with the primary care doctor about the specific protocol, but they really should be able to provide transport

oh, and the actual radiation session only takes about 2-3 minutes 🙂...

We’re heading out tomorrow (well, Mom is) for some heart and lung X-rays, and she was scheduled at the MD Anderson Cancer Center for a CT scan this Wednesday... but then they called this morning to say the machine is broken. Poor Mom was such a nervous wreck 😢...
apparently it’s some major malfunction, and they aren't even sure when it'll be fixed
after that, I started scouring through all the private clinics in Washington, D.C. that I could think of to see if any had a CT scanner available. The first one we found was the Nemetova clinic. They said she could come in as early as Thursday, and she can use her insurance referral
I honestly thought we’d be waiting forever if we used the referral, or that we’d just have to pay out of pocket
anyway, it turned out great 🙂...