Posts by Ethan Reyes2

Angela Wright said:I was reading this piece about the recent developments over at the Mayo Clinic regarding cancer treatment, and it really makes you wonder where we'll be in ten years, doesn't it? It’s one of those stories that sits with you, especially when you consider how much the field is shifting under our feet. You look at the way researchers are tackling these issues now compared to just a decade ago, and it feels like we're standing on the edge of something massive. Is it possible that the breakthroughs we're seeing today are just the tip of the iceberg? I can't help but think about the sheer scale of the effort involved—all those doctors working behind the scenes, trying to solve puzzles that seem almost impossible. It’s easy to get lost in the technicalities, but when you strip it all back, it's really about people and their hope for a better tomorrow. It’s a lot to process, honestly, and sometimes you just have to sit with that quiet realization that everything is changing.

Doctors, I offer you my deepest respects.🙏

Dear doctors, isn't it about time you all stood up and actually started defending the integrity of your own profession?

It’s just such a shame, isn't it? 😢

So, what are we actually supposed to do? Where do we even begin when everything feels this uncertain?
I honestly find it impossible to wrap my head around the fact that my mother spent thirty years paying into the healthcare system, only to reach this point where she can't even access decent care. How does that even make sense? You put in the time, you pay your dues, and yet when it actually matters, the support just isn't there. It feels fundamentally broken.

Angela Wright said:I’m assuming you were watching TV. 😁
I appreciate the kind words, truly, though I have to wonder—wouldn't it be infinitely more rewarding, perhaps the most fulfilling thing in the world, if you actually stepped up and raised your voice for those people who spend their lives trapped in that silent, agonizing scream of pain behind thick, unyielding walls?
This applies to all of you, my dear fellow forum members. Without that, there’s just no moving forward, is there?

It’s one of those things that makes you stop and wonder if we actually understand the biological machinery running inside us, isn't it? I was reading this piece about how cancer cells don't like raspberries, which sounds like something out of a children's fable rather than a serious medical discussion, but there is a certain logic to the idea that specific compounds might disrupt the way these cells behave. It brings up this concept of a raspberry tumor aversion station—if you can even call it that—suggesting that certain natural elements might trigger a sort of defensive response in the cellular structure. Of course, when you look at the research coming out of places like the Mayo Clinic or the work being done by organizations like the American Cancer Society, you realize that while the idea of fruit fighting back is charming, the actual science is incredibly dense and far more complex than just adding more berries to a diet. We often search for these simple, almost poetic answers to such terrifying problems, don't we? We want to believe that nature has provided a built-in defense mechanism against something as relentless as malignancy. It makes me think about how much we still have to learn from the basic building blocks of life. If a simple molecule found in a common fruit can influence the environment of a cell, what else are we overlooking because we’re too focused on synthetic solutions? It’s a quiet, unassuming thought, really, but it lingers. Is it possible that the keys to some of our greatest medical breakthroughs are sitting right there in the produce aisle, waiting for us to figure out the chemistry behind them? It's a strange, slow realization to come to, but then again, science rarely moves in a straight line.

Angela Wright, you really deserve all the credit here! 😍

I was just sitting there, right in the middle of reading an article, when the call came in from the clinic asking if we could bring my mom in for her PET CT scan.
One guy decided to bail on his appointment at the last minute, so we just stepped in to fill that gap.
And that’s that, I suppose. She managed to get through that part of it too, which is something. Everything should be ready to go in about a week.

Drew Thompson5
I have to admit, I’m feeling a little bit envious of your situation. 😳

My old lady is eating fine, she’s got an appetite, and she spends her days wandering around the neighborhood, but honestly, she looks like she’s just walking around as a living ghost. 😢
It’s been over three months since the surgery, and honestly, I’m just sitting here staring at the clock, waiting for something—anything—to change, yet I can't see even the tiniest bit of progress. Is it normal for things to stay this stagnant for this long, or am I just stuck in this holding pattern?
I'm starting to have these doubts about whether recovery is actually going to happen. 😢

Drew Thompson5 said:I was also incredibly terrified about how everything would play out—how she’d handle it all. The recovery from surgery was brutal; she could barely eat and the pain was just relentless... honestly, those morphine patches were a lifesaver, though I didn't realize how much they'd help at first. But clearly, she’s fighting. She has this will, even though she kept insisting she wouldn't touch chemo or radiation, wanting nothing but the surgery and then being done with it. Yet, here she is, starting the chemo, and from what I can see, she’s doing remarkably well. I actually need to correct myself; I mentioned earlier she was going back in three weeks, but it looks like it'll be two weeks if her blood counts (if I recall correctly) stay where they need to be. I really hope your mom handles her treatments just as well. You never truly know how much of a fighter you are until life forces your hand, and seeing as my mom rejected everything at first, I think she really is fighting after all. I finally witnessed that famous stubbornness of hers! It used to drive me crazy, but now? I’d kiss her for it.

My mom has reacted to all of this in ways I never could have anticipated.
She’s always been such a vibrant, social, and selfless person—someone who genuinely loves being around people and stays positive through thick and thin.
This illness has worn her down physically, but I get the sense it’s taking a toll on her spirit too.😢
It feels like she’s become selfish, which is so unlike her. Sometimes, she reminds me of a child trying to manipulate their parents.
I suppose it's just fear, isn't it?

Right at the start, I was talking to a friend whose mother passed away from cancer, and not long after, her mother-in-law—who she was incredibly close to—passed away as well.
She told me she was far too soft with her mother, catering to her every whim. With her mother-in-law, however, she was much firmer, almost driven by a sort of stubborn defiance. She thinks she should have treated her mother the same way.🤷

To be honest, my mom put on a few scenes that made me feel like I was losing my mind. Eventually, we had a very blunt, very direct conversation, and things improved significantly after that. I’ve noticed that the moment I soften up even a little, everything just falls apart again.😁

I’m trying to find this balance—trying to nudge her to take some responsibility for herself again, while still letting her handle certain small tasks around the house, just so she can feel that she’s still needed, that she’s still "essential."

Today marks another day in the ongoing fight against cancer...

To anyone currently navigating the complexities of various illnesses or just trying to make sense of our healthcare system, I truly hope you find the strength to push through and manage to keep your sanity intact while doing so.😁
Wishing everyone nothing but good health and wellness.🙂

Drew Thompson5 said:My mother-in-law finished her first two sessions, and now she’s in a bit of a lull, maybe three weeks or so. During that first one, she was feeling pretty nauseous, so they swapped out her anti-nausea meds right away, which helped because once that was settled, she wasn't in any pain and the sickness subsided. The second session was just yesterday; she seems a little wiped out, but otherwise, she's doing okay.

That actually sounds fairly manageable to me. I wonder how many rounds of therapy she'll have to go through in total?

I can't help but worry about how my own mom is going to handle this whole treatment process.
She's already having such a rough time recovering from the surgery itself, so I find myself wondering how much more she can take once the chemo and radiation start kicking in...

Andrew Wells58 said:For me, the biggest thing was just getting myself moving by walking. It didn't really demand much extra time from my schedule because I just folded it into my commute to campus or the office, so it ended up being maybe an extra 15 or 20 minutes a day when you factor in the difference between driving versus walking or taking the bus. There wasn't any need for fancy gear or a monthly gym membership, either. Once I paired that with some minor tweaks to what I was eating, things actually started to shift. And honestly, once you get that momentum going, everything feels a bit easier, so you find yourself paying more attention to your diet or adding in more movement. Of course, I'm talking about someone who was pretty much starting from zero, much like I was.

Exactly!! 😁
Walking is honestly such a game changer. I think I’ve already mentioned how surprised I was by the changes I saw just by walking to and from work—just two 15-minute stretches a day. That little bit of belly fat started to melt away, and I could actually feel my legs, arms, and core tightening up.

quietpilot87 said:It’s actually not a bad idea to start with some rough estimates, because when someone is dealing with disordered eating habits, they usually don't have a clear sense of what their actual needs are or even what constitutes a "normal" amount, which sounds a bit strange if you think about it, but it really is the case.
Eventually, the body just starts signaling for what it truly requires.

yeah. basically, that's just my way of putting it. 😁

Karen Wilson20 said:Why bother counting calories? It’s basically just another way of dieting, so you end up right back where you started.
It would be much more effective if she just ate half of what she normally does.
Counting calories would probably just leave her feeling hungrier and constantly obsessed with food.

I see what you mean—why stress over calorie counts... honestly, I'm probably the last person on Earth who would ever go through the hassle of tracking calories.

But in her specific situation, I actually think it could be a beneficial move, mostly because she hasn't quite grasped what a normal portion size looks like for someone who is, say, thirty pounds lighter than she is now.
Tracking things might give her a sense of how much she can actually eat, while also providing that psychological feeling of being in control of her own body.
It’s really just about building that mental blueprint of what an appropriate amount of food looks like, rather than her current state where she drinks a glass of water and immediately worries that she's somehow going to "overindulge."

So, I’ve been noticing this pattern with pretty much everyone I know who has tried various diets...
It seems like everybody approaches a diet as if it were some sort of temporary sentence they have to serve just to hit a specific number on the scale.
But honestly, what happens once the "sentence" is over? 😕
Are you just going to go right back to slouching on the couch and stuffing yourself with junk food until the weight creeps back up?

I mean, look... if your goal is just to drop weight quickly only to pack it all back on a few months later, then sure, maybe that's a fine strategy for you.

Personally, that’s just not how I’d handle it.
My plan would be to start eating like someone who actually maintains a healthy weight for their height. I’m not an expert when it comes to tracking calories—though I assume that’s something anyone can figure out—but the idea is to stop starving myself and wrecking my digestion, while still maintaining enough of a deficit compared to my old habits to let those extra 60 pounds slowly melt away. Since I have no desire to turn into a walking skeleton, I’d also shift my lifestyle toward some kind of regular exercise—maybe something like yoga or light jogging, depending on the mood—but at an intensity I could actually sustain forever. It shouldn't be one of those things where I say, "Oh, I'll hit the gym every single day for the next five months and then immediately revert back to being a total couch potato." 😬

Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking about it and felt like rambling a bit.

Lisa Wells65 said:I just sear them quickly in a pan without any oil, then move them to a wire rack in the oven, since that way I don't have to "deep fry" everything in grease.

That method sounds pretty great to me.

It feels a little silly for me to even bother sharing my go-to "recipe," considering I’m hardly a gourmet and tend to eat fairly bland food, but alright, here goes nothing.

I basically just pile up whatever vegetables I happen to have lying around at the bottom of a baking dish: broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, maybe some sprouts. I toss them with a bit of salt, pepper, a bay leaf or two, and a tiny drizzle of olive oil.
Then I layer some poultry cutlets over the top. I rub the pieces with a little bit of butter, cover the whole thing with Aluminum foil, and slide it into the oven.

Near the end, I peel back the foil, pour on some heavy cream, and let it bake until it's bubbly. And that's really it.😳
Nobody in my house actually likes it because it isn't greasy enough.😁

Honestly, you aren't going to get anywhere with that mindset of starving yourself.

First off, stop chewing Orbit. Just chewing on nothing like that only irritates your stomach more, and since yours is already sensitive and craving actual food, you're just making things worse.

Think about your logic for a second... saying "I need to hit the gym twice a week $100" is a bit silly when you actually feel like going every single day, yet instead, you've decided you won't go at all.
For most of the gym memberships I'm familiar with, going three times a week costs about $83. Honestly, hitting an organized workout three times a week is plenty. Once the weather warms up a bit, you can always start incorporating walking.
You jumped straight into running in the middle of this freezing winter while being totally famished. You’re just setting yourself up for failure where both the diet and the exercise end up backfiring on you.

Don't overdo it by making these massive, sudden cuts.
You're putting far too little fuel in your body, and what little you do eat is mostly junk: a cup of Nescafé isn't breakfast, and a hot dog isn't a real meal.
If you just get up twenty minutes earlier, you'll actually have time to sit down for breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day.
As for cooking, that should be the easiest part of the whole process. Boiling things is much simpler than trying to grill or fry everything. Just cook some meat, and then you can immediately whip up a proper soup by just tossing in whatever vegetables you have on hand... it's really that straightforward...

Dana Miller2 said:Just get moving, honestly, even if it’s just something small, because that’s how you finally break through the fog of depression. 🙂

yeah.
I guess I rambled so much I completely forgot to mention the golden rule: just get started. 🙂

There are people out there who are overweight, yet they couldn't care less about it; they just live their lives, enjoying themselves, their food, and the company of others...

And then there's you, feeling depressed just because of your weight... if that's really how it is.
I suppose you're looking for someone to just come along and fix all your troubles, right?😕
But what does that actually mean? Are you looking to lose weight, or is there something else on your mind?

If your goal is to slim down, you have to be prepared for the struggle. There’s no substitute for hard work, and honestly, there's no shortcut to losing weight either.
It always bothers me when people expect quick, easy fixes to everything. If you want significant results, that kind of thing simply doesn't exist.

If I were in your shoes, I’d probably start by incorporating some physical activity first, rather than making any drastic, sudden changes.

In general, I find that I'm motivated by seeing tangible progress and small wins. I noticed my first real breakthrough just from walking regularly. And we're talking very minimal effort here: just about thirty minutes of walking every day.
The extra weight around my midsection started to melt away.
So, I eventually thought to myself, why not try a Couch to 5K program and start running? 😲
And that's exactly what I did—running two or three times a week for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes at a time.
Then I realized I didn't want to undo all that progress by stuffing myself with junk food, especially since my waistline and hips were starting to look so much better.

So, I figured, let's see what would happen if I actually joined a gym...
I basically just talked myself into it.

Some people might take offense at this, but to me, it seems like being overweight and being lazy are often linked. You have to conquer your own laziness first, and once you've done that, the battle against your weight becomes much more manageable.

I wasn't ever overweight myself, but I certainly know what laziness feels like.😳 😁

Drew Thompson5 said:When it comes to actually talking to her doctors, it feels like an impossible mission; the surgeon basically gave my husband and father-in-law a two-sentence "explanation" after the surgery regarding her condition, and I have to say, he didn't offer much hope at all, plus the oncologist seems to be out of the office more often than not, so they end up being handed off to two different doctors during just two separate appointments.

I know this feeling all too well, 😢
we had three follow-ups with my mother's primary doctor, and in those three instances, she was dealing with three entirely different physicians. 😢

She goes to Mayo Clinic for her treatments, where, thank goodness, they take a much more serious approach to monitoring a patient's progress, which really makes you feel like you're in safer hands.

I don't know, if things are truly this disorganized and if it’s within your means, perhaps it might be worth seeking a second opinion at a different hospital... I'm just thinking out loud here.

urbanorca10 said:Hi everyone... I figured I’d jump in here and share what my family is going through. My mom is battling osteosarcoma—a malignant tumor in her femur. I haven't had a chance to catch up on all your posts because there are just so many, but I wanted to reach out. She’s already undergone two surgeries at a major hospital in Chicago, and during one of those procedures, she picked up a staph infection. It’s turned into a nightmare because the bacteria is resistant to penicillin, and just today, the doctors called to tell us that amputation might be the only way forward. She’s in such an impossible position right now. The first path is trying to find some other way to fight off the infection—though there's no guarantee that will actually work—but the risk is that the tumor could metastasize in the meantime. The alternative is to just go through with the amputation immediately. We have about a two-week window to make this call. I’m doing my best to stay composed and strong for her, because I know that on top of everything else she’s enduring, she doesn't need to worry about how much this is affecting me. So, that’s where we are... I just felt the need to vent to people who might actually understand, since it feels like nobody else really gets it...

Oh, urbanorca10, 😢
my heart just breaks for you.

Drew Thompson5 said:She’s been recovering for nearly two months now, but she’s lost so much weight; her appetite is practically non-existent, so she mostly just survives on whey protein, some fruit compote, and maybe a protein shake here and there. The hardest part is that she keeps all the specifics about her illness and the treatment plan close to her chest, so we’re left guessing whether she’ll end up needing chemotherapy or something else entirely. I try everything I can to reach her, but I just can't get through. She’s dealing with frequent high fevers—usually north of 101 degrees—and yesterday they finally started her on morphine patches. Communicating with the surgeon who performed the operation has been an uphill battle because he’s always swamped, and getting a hold of the oncologist is even harder. I suppose I just needed to vent a little, and I feel a bit better now. Thank you for all the information and the support; I’ll be sure to check back in.

Drew, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.🙂

My mom went through a similar decline, though she actually kept a decent appetite and ate quite regularly.🤷
I suppose that’s just what happens when someone has had their entire stomach removed.
In a way, that’s how I find a bit of comfort.
But watching her, I don't see any signs of improvement; honestly, it feels more like she’s slowly fading away. On top of that, there have been a few instances where her vision in her left eye just... vanished.
My optimism seems to be draining away a little more with every passing day.

When I reached the point where I couldn't sleep anymore because of the constant worry, I somehow managed to finally get a hold of my mom's oncologist... it was the first time we really spoke openly. She explained her reasoning, which, to be honest, aligns almost perfectly with my own fears.
The tumor was just too large for it not to have spread somewhere. Of course, that isn't a certainty, which is why that PET scan is such a critical piece of the puzzle, since it dictates the whole direction of the therapy.
And then there’s this issue with her vision...
It made me wonder if it might have metastasized to the brain.

Long story short, after a lot of struggle—but thanks to the incredible help and dedication from my mom's oncologist and her primary care doctor—mom had a head CT today, and thank God, there are NO metastases in the brain.

She felt absolutely terrible today, but I still feel a tiny bit of relief knowing that her head is "clear."

Angela Wright said:You know, from what I've seen, most people just tend to stay quiet and suffer through things when they deal with situations like yours. It seems to me that the ones who actually make some noise are usually the ones who end up getting what they're looking for.
You should take advantage of that—keep pushing and don't back down!

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing, though I'm not sure if being loud is going to change much in this specific case, especially since Mayo Clinic is such a massive private institution.

I finally got a reply to my email. They told me they can't fit me in before February 15th, but if someone happens to cancel their appointment, they'll give us a call sooner.
I really wish there was a resigned-looking emoji for this moment.

I sent over an email asking if there’s any way, if at all, he could still fit me into that original time slot...

I’m just not sure...
Should I probably ask Mayo Clinic to send me some kind of formal, written notice regarding the rescheduling of my appointment? 🤷

Back on December 17th, my oncologist ordered a PET CT scan because a previous CT had flagged some nodules, though they couldn't definitively pin down where they were coming from

I actually asked her right then—given how "efficiently" things move through our healthcare system here—what this delay meant for the body and if we could afford to wait on starting chemotherapy. She didn't give me a straight yes or no, just sort of offered one of those vague, dismissive reassurances that everything would be fine

I’m going to dig up her number and give her a call tomorrow

Honestly, I’m just so frustrated because we’ve been sitting around waiting for this January 27th appointment like it's some distant mirage. Mom already had her blood drawn, and I immediately went ahead and scheduled the follow-up with the oncologist for the 29th, even going so far as to clear those two days off with my boss so I wouldn't have to worry about work. And then, out of nowhere, someone informs us that the clinic basically shut down for the entire month of December and tells us we have to push everything back by a few weeks😠 Now I have to scramble to reorganize every single thing, and it's hard not to feel like we've lost so much precious time just because the medical staff decided to take an extended holiday break for Christmas and New Year's🙄