Support resources for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses

graniteridge5 said:Hi everyone. Unfortunately, we're stuck discussing such a heavy topic.
My mom had her 6th chemo session this past Wednesday. Up until then, the only side effects she dealt with were some knee pain. But it’s been a week since that 6th round, and she just feels incredibly weak... is this just a side effect, or is it a sign things are taking a turn for the worse? Is this normal?
She's still eating normally.

It’s most likely just a side effect, almost certainly.

One more thing—is remission after therapy guaranteed or does it vary per person? If it happens, how long does it usually last?

Remission basically means there are no visible symptoms and tests show no signs of a tumor in the body. Whether someone hits remission or how long it lasts is entirely up to the individual case. Let's hope it stays that way until she's old and grey.

How much downtime is required after 6 cycles before starting chemo again?

It depends entirely on the specific drug being used and the hospital's treatment protocol. One thing is for sure: they won't start new cycles until her overall condition is stable enough.

Her doctor won't give us any information at all. He doesn't even want to talk to us... so I have no one to ask except here.

Go see him and remind him that he is legally obligated to provide information regarding the treatment. If he shuts you down, tell him you'll be forced to speak with his superior—the Department Head.
Do not, under any circumstances, back down when it comes to getting information! This is one area where you have to be relentless; it is absolutely vital. Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "Oh, I shouldn't upset the doctor..." plenty of people have played it that way only to regret it bitterly later!

I’m checking back in after being away for quite a while, though I don't have much positive news to share. Radiation therapy actually did help my father-in-law with his leg pain, but it completely wiped out his appetite, and he isn't nearly as active as he used to be. He spends most of his time just lying around, being incredibly lethargic. On top of that, he's dealing with chest pains that are constant; he can't function at all without painkillers. To make matters worse, the doctors sent him home and simply stopped discussing any kind of treatment plan or providing explanations during the consultations. Nobody even bothered to suggest a CT scan or routine blood work—absolutely nothing.
We are left feeling completely bewildered and are essentially trying to navigate this fight on our own now.
Does anyone have any insights or personal experiences regarding ExxonMobil?

Kate Brooks2 said:Here’s an update after some time has passed. I don't have much good news to share. Radiation helped my father-in-law with his leg pain, but he's completely lost his appetite and just isn't active anymore. He spends most of his time lying down and staying quiet. He's also dealing with chest pains, which really wears him down—he can't function without painkillers. The doctors basically sent him home, and they aren't discussing any further treatment or providing explanations during their consultations anymore. No one suggested a CT scan, or blood work, or anything at all.
We’re feeling pretty lost right now and are just trying to figure out how to fight this on our own.

I'm worried they've already labeled him as a terminal patient who only needs palliative care. You need to sit down with the doctor and demand straight answers about what his actual condition is.

What kind of experience or opinion do you have regarding ExxonMobil?

Good grief, honey, I really hope you aren't talking about that ExxonMobil stuff people start drinking because they heard it might help...😕

I'd recommend getting your dad some Multivitamin syrup. It's a fantastic immune booster. It's sugar-free and available with or without iron. Given his situation, maybe go with the one without iron so it doesn't mess with his stomach.

I am writing because I no longer know how to handle what my family and I are going through. My mother (61) is in the terminal stage; she fought pancreatic cancer for two and a half years. She stopped chemotherapy this summer. Since May, she hasn't been walking, and her condition has worsened significantly over the last month. She has lost an incredible amount of weight and is at most 40kg. She eats nothing, looks pale, and can barely keep her eyes open. She receives occasional IV fluids. Everything hurts her. For weeks now, she has been bedridden (until last month we used a wheelchair to take her to the bathroom), and we are using diapers. But as soon as we lift or move her, she cries out in pain. It is unbearable. My father and I are her caregivers. It is agonizing to watch her suffering and agony. Lately, Mom has difficulty breathing, speaks incoherently, and begs us to give her something to end her life. She told us to pray that she passes away soon because she cannot go on like this. I am also worried about my father; he went through a previous illness, and I see how much this situation is affecting and destroying him. I fear this will break him too. Sometimes I truly wish for her torment to end quickly, because that would mean the end of the suffering for my father and for me. This morning, I spent an hour listening to her beg us to shorten her misery. She literally eats nothing, her ankles are severely swollen, and the rest of her body is just skin and bones—unrecognizable. Does anyone know how much longer a state like this can last?

Alexander Castillo5 said:I'm posting because my family and I are at a breaking point with everything we're going through. My mom (61) is in the terminal stage; she’s been fighting pancreatic cancer for two and a half years. She stopped chemo this past summer. Since May, she hasn't been able to walk, and her condition has plummeted over the last month. She’s lost an incredible amount of weight—she’s barely 88 pounds now. She won't eat anything, she's deathly pale, and she can hardly keep her eyes open. She gets IV fluids occasionally. Everything hurts her; she’s been bedridden for weeks (until last month, we were using a wheelchair just to get her to the bathroom), so we've moved to diapers. But the moment we try to lift or move her, she screams in pain. It’s unbearable. My dad and I are the ones caring for her. It is agonizing to watch her suffer like this. Lately, Mom has been struggling to breathe, talking incoherently, and begging us to give her something to end her life. She actually asked us to pray that she passes soon because she simply cannot do this anymore. I'm terrified for my dad, too; he went through his own health crisis previously, and I can see this situation is absolutely destroying him. I worry this will break him completely. Sometimes, I honestly find myself wishing her suffering would just end quickly, because that would mean the end of the agony for my dad and for me, too. This morning, I spent an hour listening to her plead with us to end her misery. She literally isn't eating, her ankles are severely swollen, and the rest of her is just skin and bones—she's unrecognizable. Does anyone know how much longer a state like this can last?

I am so incredibly sorry you all are going through this.😢
Your mom absolutely needs to be on something for the pain—Fentanyl patches combined with something else... you really need to contact a pain management center. I recommend looking up Dr. Smith over at the trauma center. I've shared his contact info a few times on this topic before, so just try searching for it online.
A state like this usually doesn't last very long. Most often, people ask this when they are looking at a window of maybe a week at most, but nobody can say for certain. Just stay by her side and do everything possible to manage her pain, keep her hydrated, and keep her nourished—even if it's just through a feeding tube or IV—and make sure she feels loved. Tell her everything is going to be okay, that you all will be okay, and that it's alright if she wants to go. Let her know that you are at peace, she is at peace, and that you love her. Keep repeating that to her. Talk to her about life, tell her she did everything she was supposed to do, and reminisce about the good days... that matters so much. Try to find every ounce of strength and calm within yourself to act this way. It will make things so much easier for you later on.

Alexander Castillo5 said:I’m posting because I just don't know how to handle what my family and I are going through right now. My mom (61) is in the terminal stage; she’s been fighting pancreatic cancer for two and a half years. She stopped chemo this summer. Since May, she hasn't been able to walk, and things have gotten really bad over the last month. She’s lost so much weight—she’s maybe 40kg max—she won't eat anything, she's pale, and she can barely keep her eyes open. She gets IV fluids occasionally. Everything hurts her. She’s been bedridden for weeks now (until last month we were using a wheelchair just to get her to the bathroom), so we use diapers. But even just lifting or moving her makes her cry out in pain. It’s unbearable. My dad and I are the ones caring for her. It's so hard to watch her suffer like this, the sheer agony. Lately, she struggles to breathe, talks incoherently, and begs us to give her something to end it. She actually asked us to pray that she passes soon because she just can't do this anymore. I’m worried about my dad, too; he went through his own illness before, and I see how much this is destroying him. I’m scared this might break him completely. Sometimes, I honestly wish her suffering would just end quickly, because that would mean an end to the misery for my dad and for me, too. This morning, I spent an hour listening to her beg us to end her pain. She literally eats nothing; her ankles are swollen, and the rest of her is just skin and bones. She's unrecognizable. Does anyone know how much longer a state like this might last?

I am so sorry you're going through all of this.

Our situation, or rather the illness, is exactly the same.

My mother (53) is also battling pancreatic adenocarcinoma. She's been fighting it for a year and two months.
From the initial involvement of the tail of the pancreas, the latest scans showed it spread through the whole pancreas, part of the liver, the lungs, and some lymph nodes..

After the first round of chemo, everything seemed okay; the cancer was dormant, didn't spread, and one metastasis from the liver actually regressed. But after the second round, it's like I mentioned—it spread to the entire pancreas, parts of the liver, lungs, and nodes. 😢

The pain is constant and impossible to manage. She lost a lot of weight earlier on; she isn't quite "skin and bones" yet, but she's close.
She had a catheter put in because she lost sensation in certain nerves—the tumor invaded those areas along with the pancreas and hit a part of the spinal cord. Her bladder would fill up and she wouldn't know, but she'd feel terrible pain because the full bladder would press against the painful spots.
With the catheter, things are at least a tiny bit easier on that front; but the actual pain is still constant.

She takes high doses of Zoloft combined with strong Durogesic patches.
Her appetite fluctuates... sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more... but she tries to eat something.

She wasn't on chemo for more than two months; she just can't handle it anymore because of her physical state.

For alternative stuff, she takes hemp oil and apricot kernels (Vitamin B17). Recently, we read about papaya being very healthy and medicinal, so we bought some papaya leaf tea that she's started drinking. Some studies suggest it helps with certain types of cancer.

Just like yours, my mom moans from the pain, too. She begs for the suffering to end and prays to God to take her.. 😢

Regarding doctors and clinics, we were at the Mayo Clinic, seeing Dr. Jane Doe in the pain management clinic. He helped Mom so much and really went above and beyond for her. He's great, and I have nothing but praise for him.

I don't really know what to say, honestly... besides... just hang in there. Good luck.

Many thanks to Angela Wright and brisklynx62 for the responses. I hope no one else has to endure what my family and many others facing serious illness go through. Stay strong, brisklynx62.

Angela Wright said:Between blood work and PET scans, I guess it really just comes down to whatever the doctor decides based on the specific situation. For intervals, maybe a PET scan happens once a year? I honestly can't say for sure.

So why go with a PET scan instead of an MRI? Isn't an MRI way easier on the body?

wiredcanyon39 said:Why choose a PET scan when an MRI is way less invasive?

It all comes down to precision. A PET-CT can pick up changes at a cellular level. Whether a doctor orders a PET-CT or goes with an MRI depends entirely on what specific data they need and just how much detail they require to make the call.

Alexander Castillo5 said:A huge thank you to Angela Wright and S sung for the replies. I truly wish no one else had to endure what we and so many other families go through when loved ones are facing critical illnesses. Hang in there, S sung.

Honey, unfortunately, this is just the daily reality for so many people. I really hope that palliative care and hospice services finally become more accessible and robust here in the States.

wiredcanyon39 said:Why choose a PET scan over an MRI—which is arguably less invasive?

Well, here is the thing regarding PET—specifically PET/CT scans: they primarily function by injecting a glucose tracer marked with a radionuclide, which then allows the scanner to highlight areas with high glucose consumption—and those are typically the metastases.
One major advantage, of course, is that the scan provides a comprehensive view of the entire body.

If we were to attempt an MRI for every single region of the body, a single patient would be stuck in the machine nearly all day—since each structure requires specific scanning protocols—and even then, certain areas (like the mediastinum when checking lymph nodes) aren't always captured accurately due to the patient's breathing.
So, in general, an MRI just isn't the right tool for hunting down widespread metastases.

It becomes highly useful, however, when a CT or PET/CT reveals an abnormality where there is genuine uncertainty about whether it is a metastasis. In those cases, doctors use targeted MRI techniques on that specific area to take advantage of its superior tissue differentiation.

Hi everyone

I just found out today that my mom has stomach cancer... I'm in total shock. It hasn't really sunk in yet... I don't know how to process this...

Has anyone else here dealt with this in their family?

I've heard about Passionfruit... has it helped anyone?

Sending love to you all, and I really hope your loved ones get better soon.

Melissa Ruiz said:Hi everyone,

I just found out today that my mother has stomach cancer... I'm completely devastated... I can barely wrap my head around it..how..

Has anyone else in your family dealt with this?

I've heard about a plant called Graviola... has it helped anyone?

Sending love to you all, hoping your loved ones recover quickly.

It just happens. Honestly, stomach cancer rates in the US are actually on the rise.

If there aren't any metastases and the tumor is well-positioned, they might not even have to remove her entire stomach.
A friend's father has been living without a stomach for over 10 years now and is in full remission.
Just take it slow, one day at a time. That initial shock of finding out is the absolute worst part, but once the treatment starts, things will feel more manageable. She'll be able to give you more specific details soon.

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has been through this or has experience with it. My mom is currently switching her treatment plan from the AC protocol to AC-T, which means she’ll be starting four more cycles of Paclitaxel.

Could someone please tell me a bit more about this specific medication?

While I have your attention, I also wanted to ask about bone pain. She finished four cycles of her initial therapy and only felt mild discomfort then. Now, after just one cycle of this new regimen, she can barely walk and is in tears from the pain.

Are there any specific pills or teas that help? I heard somewhere that a glass of cold milk might assist—should we give that a try?

Here I am again with more questions, mostly because I always seem to forget the most important stuff when I'm actually standing in front of the doctor. 🙂 So, basically, my kid was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma about six months ago. He’s already gone through three rounds of chemo—specifically the R-CHDP regimen—and an MSCT scan showed he hasn't hit full remission yet. He just finished his third round, and we’re pretty much at the end of this stretch. We went in for a checkup today, and honestly, I was fully expecting the doctor to just order a CT scan right then and there. Instead, they told us to wait a month for the scan, and then do bloodwork after that, before coming back for a follow-up in mid-January. Now I'm just sitting here wondering... why the delay? Why not just do the CT now? It feels like dragging things out for another month just adds a whole extra layer of anxiety while we wait to find out how things are actually looking.

Angela Wright said:It’s just happening. Stomach cancer rates seem to be going up lately.

If there aren't any metastases and the tumor is in a good spot, they might not even have to remove her entire stomach.
A friend's father has actually been living without a stomach for over 10 years now, and he's in remission.
Just take it slow, one day at a time. That initial shock is probably the hardest part. Once treatment starts, things usually feel a bit more manageable. She'll probably be able to give you more details soon.

Thanks for getting back to me..

She's scheduled for a PET/CT at Quest Diagnostics tomorrow, and then she's seeing a professor at the university hospital downtown...
On top of all that, a uterine tumor showed up out of nowhere in just five months. They suspect there might be a connection, but we won't know the exact diagnosis until tomorrow...

Hearing that someone can live without a stomach for 10 years is great... it gives me a little bit of comfort, since I don't really know what the survival odds look like after treatment...

I actually changed her diet starting yesterday... nothing sweet, salty, or spicy. People told me not to do that, that she should just enjoy food while she still can, but I guess that might be the wrong way to think about it. It could just make things worse... for instance, sugar is bad, so why would I let her overdo it on sweets and make everything harder? It feels like adding fuel to the fire...
I need to look up some recipes online specifically for situations like this.

I also bought some Jane Doe powder for her to drink... apparently it helps... so we'll see how that goes...

I really hope we caught this in time and can react quickly.

Thanks again.

Alexander Castillo5 said:Thanks so much, Angela Wright and Samsung, for the replies. I really hope nobody else has to go through what we and so many other families dealing with serious illness are going through. Hang in there, Samsung.

Thanks. You guys hang in there too..

🎉Just gotta stay brave and keep pushing.

Melissa Ruiz said:Thanks for getting back to me..

She's scheduled for a PET/CT at Quest Diagnostics tomorrow, and then she’s seeing a specialist at a clinic over in downtown Chicago...
On top of everything, a uterine tumor popped up out of nowhere about five months ago. They think there might be a connection, but we won't know the actual diagnosis until tomorrow...

If someone can live without a stomach, maybe losing 10 pounds isn't so bad... It gives me a little comfort, I guess, since I don't really know what the survival odds look like after treatment...

I actually changed her diet starting yesterday... nothing sweet, salty, or spicy... People told me to just let her enjoy her food while she still can, but I feel like that's just wrong thinking. It could make things worse for her... Like, sugar is deadly, so why would I let her indulge in sweets and just make things harder? It feels like adding fuel to the fire...
I need to go online and find some recipes for situations like this.

I also bought some Jane Doe powder for her to take... apparently it helps... so we'll see how it goes...

I just hope we caught this in time and can react quickly.

Thanks again.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Just hang in there—stay persistent, stay focused, and try not to panic..

I'd suggest buying some B17, or apricot kernels, for your mom. They are supposedly really good for fighting cancer.

You can just Google "apricot kernels" or "B17" to find plenty of links and articles on it..

Also, papaya fruit—and even parts of the tree like the leaves—are incredibly medicinal..

If you search for papaya and papaya leaves on Google, you'll find tons of info.

We managed to get some papaya leaf tea, and my mom started drinking it recently. We got the papaya leaf extract tea from Nature's Bounty. It's pricey, $67 for a 50g bag; but it lasts about a month with normal use, or maybe two weeks if you're using it more intensely, which people tend to do during an illness..

Unfortunately, we started too late with the papaya for my mother (she had pancreatic adenocarcinoma)—just recently with the first bag, because we hadn't heard about it until now..

She's been using B17 (the apricot kernels) for longer. After her first round of chemo, combined with a proper diet and taking B17, the tumor stayed quiet, and one metastasis on her liver actually even receded.
But after the second round of chemo, things took a turn for the worse. She didn't stick to a strict diet and refused to eat what she was supposed to, so her condition declined rapidly. Now the tumor has taken over the whole pancreas, and there are metastases in the lungs and some glands.

What I really want to say is: you have to be extremely strict about the diet.

Of course, everyone is different; but I think the biggest mistake you can make is following that logic of "Oh, just let her eat whatever she wants so she can enjoy life a little more..." No. That's a huge mistake.
It's already well known about the three "white killers" (white sugar, white flour, etc.)...

You have to stick to a proper diet and not put unnecessary, harmful sugar—which feeds the tumor—or bad fats into her body..

She needs as much raw vegetable juice, vitamins, and healthy food as possible.

Only when you combine all of that—treatment, proper nutrition, willpower, fighting hard, and a bit of alternative stuff (like papaya and apricot kernels)—can you really look toward success with optimism. Whether that means full recovery or just extending life and improving its quality..