Posts by James Cox6

Thanks, Linda Cox69, thanks, Angela Wright, and thanks to everyone else for the kind words.

My brother just called me... he spoke with her doctor... apparently, they managed to stop the primary cancer, but the metastases have spread everywhere—to her brain and bones.😢
The part that’s honestly fascinating—and totally baffling to the medical staff—is that my mom isn't in any pain. No one can wrap their heads around it. They aren't even giving her a single sedative. Usually, lung cancer is incredibly painful, but she feels nothing, which is what's so confusing.

I'm planning to head out this Saturday to visit her... I'm going to see her, hold her, and say my goodbyes.
She asked if Lara would be coming too. They told her Lara isn't allowed in the hospital... just me.
I'm hoping and praying to God 🙂 that my mother is still waiting for me so we can say our farewells.😢 🙂

Ryan Morris15 said:I suppose it might be a bit premature to take a test on day 31, especially since my longest cycle was only about 34 days
I guess those longer cycles only seem to happen to me maybe two or three times a year

I took a test five days before my period was due and it was positive.
So, it’s not too early... though if you got a negative and you used a sensitive one (like an Intim Plus or Clearblue), then you aren't pregnant.

Hey everyone...
I’ve been gone for a while because I honestly didn't know what to say....
I finally worked up the nerve to check back in..
So...
My mom's primary cancer (adenocarcinoma) was actually stabilized by chemo and isn't growing. BUT—metastases in her brain have flared up. There are three: two in the cerebrum and one in the cerebellum.
In just one month, she went from being active to bedridden. She can't walk anymore—clearly, those metastases hit her balance and gait hard—and now she's so weak she can only eat pureed food or be fed manually. 😢😢😢
The disease just won. We did everything we could... doctors gave her two months, and she managed to stretch it to six...

Meanwhile, I had my baby. My mom became a grandmother to a little girl whom (life is full of ironies, right?) she never actually got to meet..

I kept sending her photos of Lara.. I planned to visit her (since she's out of state), but at first, I couldn't go because I was postpartum—she was staying with my sister under home care. Once I was physically able to travel, Mom was admitted to the pulmonary ward at the hospital, so she couldn't leave. — It's just not meant to be. 😢

Then I started asking some questions that probably sounded irrational... I just wanted her to see her granddaughter, but the pediatricians wouldn't budge. You can't bring a newborn into the hospital—infants aren't allowed in, especially since the baby isn't fully vaccinated yet. They don't want the child exposed to any bacteria or viruses. Even if Mom isn't contagious, the baby is still vulnerable to things like tuberculosis or various viral pneumonias.. it's a non-starter. They said I could visit, but only with a mask, and I'd have to decontaminate afterward—rinse my nose with saline, use Betadine mouthwash, take some propolis, and shower before touching the baby.

My "stupid" question was whether they could just wheel Mom outside in a wheelchair so she could see the baby for a moment. The answer was NO. She's too weak and could catch something herself, plus they cited "patient dignity" regarding her condition.

So, there it is... life is strange. But I'm glad she saw the pictures of her granddaughter. I'm glad she got to return to her hometown to be with her siblings at the end. And I'm glad we acted immediately once the tumor was found....

I'm heading to the pediatrician today. If the little one is doing okay, I'll get her vaccinations tomorrow and stay close by for a couple of days to monitor any reactions.. and if God wills it, I'll head to see Mom on Saturday for one last visit...

I'm hoping I'm lucky enough to find her still with us and that she recognizes me....

We had so many plans.. this is incredibly hard to write.... so many plans.... but like the old saying goes: Man proposes, God disposes.

Melissa Parker37 said:My dad's been on Tarceva for 2 months now—not to mention the side effects. The rash is actually a positive reaction, which is a good sign. As for the pain, he’s using Zaldiar tablets plus fentanyl patches. So far, that's the only thing providing relief, though the patches have to be swapped out every 3 days. Everything requires a prescription and specialist approval. Whatever you do, don't touch Lumidol; it messes with breathing, which is already a struggle.
Stay strong—sending positive vibes your way. 👍

Could you please tell me where you bought it? How many pieces are in a pack, how long does it last, and what's the daily dosage?

After 9 rounds of chemo, my mother's heart enlarged—she had pre-existing heart issues—and the chemo weakened her so much they had to stop treatment entirely.
Now she's on IV heart medication, waiting for the medical board to decide if they can continue the chemo.
The cancer hasn't spread further, but an imaging scan showed three tiny metastases (less than 1 cm—I have no clue what "small metastasis" actually means in doctor-speak 🤷) — two in the cerebrum and one in the cerebellum.
They said it depends on which part of the brain is hit, but since she's struggling with balance (the balance center is in the cerebellum), they think the memory center in the cerebrum might be affected too.

So, I need to know everything about Tarceva—if it isn't too much trouble, please let me know.

Thanks.

Me too....

My mom couldn't go through with her 10th round of chemo this morning—the medical board decided her heart has enlarged because of the treatment (she’s always had heart issues to begin with). They concluded they have to stop the chemo entirely to give her heart a chance to recover and stabilize.

Dammit. 😢

Has anyone else dealt with this in their family? Where the chemo actually ended up weakening the heart even further?

Here’s my take:

First step—go see a private pulmonologist. An appointment will run you about $200-$$100... but they'll give you a clear roadmap of what needs to happen next and where to go..
Once that specialist directs you on which tests to run—get them all done first. Then... take everything—the pulmonologist's report and all the diagnostic results they ordered—to a private oncologist. Get their opinion on the timing and the specific therapy needed to start.

That way, you handle the pulmonologist and the oncologist privately. With all those results in hand, you can head straight to Jordanovac—you could realistically get this entire process wrapped up in 17 days. It saves your dad so much precious time because the public hospital system here is just too slow; the wait times are endless... you want him starting treatment immediately...

But you need to start RIGHT NOW!!!! Seriously, right this second. CANCER DOESN'T WAIT... good luck. 🙂

My mother didn't have any pain—just a dry cough—so her diagnosis hit like a ton of bricks... 😢.. but since your dad is dealing with lung pain and headaches... that's why I'm telling you this.

Casey Palmer5 said:Unfortunately, the bastard was stronger.

I'll never find another guy as good as him—he was one of a kind.

Oh my God 🙂🙂
Oh God... just like that? So fast? What on earth happened in just 24 hours?
Casey Palmer5 🙂 my sincere condolences 😢

nimbletrucker72 said:We went to Jordanovac today but they sent him home—instead, they scheduled the bronchoscopy for June 12th.

Personally, I just don't get it... June 12th? That’s 17 days away. Do you have any idea what a disease like this can do in 17 days?

Horrible things. 😢

Screw Milinović and the healthcare reform 😠—that's exactly why I took my mother out of America. We're trying to fight and save her because with this kind of illness, there's one rule: you don't have time.

nimbletrucker72 said:They're telling us to go elsewhere for a chest and abdomen CT because their equipment is supposedly bad, yet they claim their specialists are top-tier.

The pulmonologist and oncologist from my mom's recent hospitalization outside the US told me... a chest CT isn't strictly necessary, nor are all those other tests. Just have a decent doctor (a pulmonologist) examine him, and if he has any swollen lymph nodes (usually in the groin area), just biopsy the node to find the cancer cells. It's a much less invasive method... plus, chest CTs have their own nasty side effects—air entry, an outdated method that's barely used anymore—and complications can arise (you usually end up in the ICU with a drain in you for 5 days). It's not always essential. 😢
They put my mother through the wringer too... and in the end, after they finally biopsied a lymph node (which they did), they found the exact same cancer cells they would have seen on a chest CT—adenocarcinoma. 😢

nimbletrucker72 said:The doctor just told us not to hope for anything good. What is that supposed to mean? Everyone is wondering why she wasn't admitted.

Well, logic dictates she should have been admitted... but what can I tell you? People were wondering why my mom wasn't admitted either—it's because there was simply no room. There's your answer. 😠

nimbletrucker72 said:He went in for his exam after dealing with headaches for about 20 days—plus chest pain, though he's had that for years. He’s taking Voltaren twice a day to manage it. Can I assume they're hiding the fact that it's near the end, or is there still hope for surgery or other treatments to slow things down? If anyone can offer some insight, please write back. Thanks!

Look, your father needs solid diagnostics first. You have to find out if there's metastasis—lung cancer spreads to the bones, brain, and liver—so you need to see how far it's gone. What stage is it? Get a thorough diagnostic workup to determine the specific type of carcinoma, because treatment isn't one-size-fits-all. Only then should you jump into therapy, and as quickly as possible...

For me, joining support groups like CancerCare helped me finally wrap my head around what my mother was actually facing. As for getting all those tests done, you're going to honestly need:
- Good connections (or even better ones)
- A lot of money (if you're planning on doing all that private testing)
- Pure luck (finding a doctor who actually cares enough to be thorough)

I really hope you don't break under the pressure. Sending you patience, love, and hope...
To you and your family—and I hope your father can start treatment ASAP.

Here’s my update for today... Mom went in for an ultrasound of her internal organs—she’s been feeling this weakness, which doctors were attributing to either heart issues or liver metastases..

Thank God it’s neither heart problems nor liver metastases (Thank God 🙂).. it’s basically just a reaction to the chemo 😢

There is one metastasis in the T1 vertebra from the lungs, and nothing in the brain....

Every time I post this.. I think about all the terrifying things I read and write on this heavy topic.. but unfortunately, this is just our harsh reality 😢

casualrider21 said:Speaking of the subconscious...🙄

Dad took his last round of treatment absolutely terribly.
He already blew past the "guidelines"—ended up in the ICU—so we told him he needed to take a break from this stuff. But then he went and took...👎

Plants, plants... plenty of pictures, but zero substance. This patient is dealing with fainting spells every time they move their head—dizziness, no food or water for 15 days straight, constipation, yellowish-white skin tone, stomach pains, vomiting... It’s absolutely horrific.👎

He’s still hooked up to the IVs—looks like they’re trying to get his levels up—but he’s still dealing with those dizzy spells.

We’re definitely pausing—if not stopping altogether—the chemo treatments.
I don't want her system getting bogged down by those toxins—not when she’s already doing such an incredible job fighting off the most aggressive type of lung cancer.

Stay well and keep that positive mindset. Wishing all the best to your loved ones.

Hey.

Oh boy. 😢So sorry about your dad. 😢
How much chemo has he had so far? Which one was it that hit him hard... My mom wasn't taken down by chemo—it was her blood pressure. When she collapsed, she was at 60/80. Seriously, imagine having pressure that low. 😢
For the blood count—have him eat some nutritional yeast in small pieces. It’s actually great for boosting white blood cell counts, which might help him handle the next round of chemo.
As for a general blood count—blackberry wine, beet juice, raspberry juice (assuming they're all natural)—what do you think?
It looks like your dad has that small cell carcinoma... it’s incredibly aggressive—and man, just ugh. 😢
She’s been dealing with this adenocarcinoma for three years now... just dragging it along.

I don't really know what else to say... just keeping my fingers crossed and sending all the good vibes to his dad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Casey Palmer5 said:Everyone, send some positive vibra—we really need it. Things aren't looking great, but there’s still a way out, and it's documented in Medline. Damn it, I'm not going to let this situation beat us. And to you, kid, if you're reading this: you're going to have to squeeze through that first tight passage on the right again. I'll help you find the exit so we can climb our way out of this mess together. Honestly, this whole community is going to ride this out with you; everyone is backing you so you can get back in the game. No spelunker is prepared for everything, but we've trained hard enough that we could navigate a sewer if we had to. You'll make it happen. I'm right there with you—and I've got a whole stash of spare regulators ready to go.

To Casey Palmer5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 for your loved one... the silver lining is how fast the surgery went, but the metastasis makes things incredibly difficult. 😢

I just don't get it... why does this happen to people? 🤷

My mother is an older woman (70 years old), and as hard as it is, since she's aware of her situation, I know she lived a full life..
I don't know how old your loved one is, but he's a young man.. and I just don't understand why this happens to people so young.. it breaks my heart every single time. 😢

To my fellow fighters going through chemo—is brief loss of consciousness a known side effect?
My mom has finished 8 rounds of chemo, and yesterday was just one of those brutal days (especially since she has low blood pressure). She actually tried to stand up on her own and just collapsed—fainted for a moment...

They got her an IV immediately. It looks like dehydration might be playing a role too, since she barely drinks anything, and she's already on meds for dehydration because of her heart condition...

I’m trying to wrap my head around this, so I wanted to ask you all: is passing out a sign of something more serious, or is it just a reaction to the chemo?
Aside from that, she isn't in pain, she's just overwhelmed by weakness—mostly just lying down or sitting, maybe moving around the room a little bit. There's no fluid in her lungs (thank God), but that doesn't mean it won't start building up... especially since someone mentioned here that Gemzar works, but it isn't a permanent fix. 😢

Oh, Casey Palmer5.. 😢 I figured you'd eventually show up in this thread too.. didn't see it coming.. 😢
I'm so sorry for what you're going through, truly.. but the real fight starts now.

I sincerely hope things turn around and that you can get through this as smoothly as possible. 🙂

I have no clue what’s up with this mess 😢

Personally, I'm hoping for the best 🙂

My mom... she didn't start running a fever until after her 9th chemo session (just in the evenings, around 99°F—100°F, paired with intense headaches 😢)
I was told it's because her body is finally starting to fight back against the chemo—that these are the "real" symptoms kicking in 🤷. Apparently, the fever and headaches are just her system reacting. They claim she hasn't felt this way yet because she has a strong constitution and good blood counts—unlike people who react heavily after the first or second round
.
Has anyone else had a parent deal with symptoms like this during chemo? And what do these symptoms actually signify? 🤷

Thanks 🙂

mellowbison13 said:I'll try to talk her into it—though I'm not sure how she'll take it. She's picky about certain flavors, but I'll give it a shot regardless. Thanks for the tip.

And she shouldn't be getting any from the small pieces 🤷...but yeah, everyone's palate is different, that's just facts. 🙂

Mine was put on an appetite stimulant... so by age 16, she finally started eating everything. Can't complain about that.

Is yours taking an appetite syrup or anything else to help regulate her hunger?

Just a little bit every day... nothing huge, though... that's how my mom's been doing it. Her doctors gave her the green light—so I guess if the medical team says it's fine, then it's fine. 🤷

Sure.. beet juice, blackberry wine, raspberry juice... all that stuff to boost the overall blood count. But yeast—specifically brewer's yeast—to bump up white blood cell counts? That’s specifically targeted for leukocytes—at least, that's what her doctor told me.
Since she started taking it, her white cell counts have been absolutely perfect 🙂 clearly, it's working 🙂. I've realized just how critical those leukocyte levels are for continuing chemo.. basically, if they drop too low, they call it quits on further cycles.. so you really have to keep everything in balance...

Angela Wright said:slyseal28's husband has a very specific, rare, and nasty diagnosis. He’s already gone through several rounds of chemo and—unfortunately—given how complex and severe the illness is, things aren't looking great right now.
How someone handles chemo is extremely individual. One person struggles with nausea but their bloodwork stays perfect, while another feels fine but their counts tank. Some handle it well, others can't take it and have to stop... the psychological factor is huge here. You have to stay informed, prepare, and have a solid support system.
Basically, people just power through it, no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
Boost his immune system!

That's the truth...

My mom deals with constant nausea and an urge to vomit, plus she has zero appetite—but her bloodwork is actually okay. Her white cell count is totally fine.

She’s on aggressive therapy, day after day... Monday, Tuesday, then the following Monday, and that counts as one cycle.🤔

So far she's done 3 cycles—meaning 9 chemo sessions—and she has 1 more cycle (3 more sessions) left before they go to the medical board...🙂
Whatever God decides...

All I know is that after two cycles (6 sessions), they told her the imaging looks slightly better, and her blood is good anyway.🙂

So... my recommendation for improving blood counts? Give your loved ones a little bit of fresh nutritional yeast (brewer's yeast)... it really does wonders.

Jose Long30 said:Hey there!!
I'm starting this thread because I've been wondering if anyone here has experience picking up meds across the border from the US.
Doesn't matter if it's Mexico, Canada, or whatever.
I just want to know if things are actually cheaper over there than what we pay here at home.

Specifically, I'm looking for "beta glucan 500 mg".
If anyone happens to know a specific address or the name of a pharmacy where you can grab stuff like that, please let me know—it would be a huge help.
Thanks!!🙏

Before you go down a rabbit hole researching, let me add my own experience...

There are all sorts of beta glucans out there—some come from brewer's yeast, others from different grains. They aren't all the same, so they don't all work the same way either.

Specifically, importing Glukan into Germany isn't really a thing. EU countries have their own markets and protect them, so they produce their own beta glucan locally. The stuff I looked at had a 40% concentration (and was way cheaper than, say, the ones in our local pharmacies $250 since those are about 86% pure glucan)

So, it depends on what condition you're treating... and how much pure glucan concentration you need will dictate the price.🙂

You won't find it specifically in Canada... though you might see EU versions being sold on the black market, while the US version 1.3 is available in pharmacies and health stores—usually $250 60 capsules of 500 mg