Support resources for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses

nimblepanther14 said:Over the last few years, ever since I moved out from living with my sister and my niece (her husband passed away a long time ago)... we've drifted apart quite a bit. I mean, we were never really on the same wavelength to begin with because we're just so different, but honestly, that doesn't even matter much now..
Even though I moved, I've been helping them out as much as I possibly can.. mostly financially. And the old folks have been dropping by all the time too...
And now that she’s sick... I’m still trying to buy her everything she needs and make sure I'm over at their place more often. Luckily, there are plenty of people on our street who have lived there for decades and have known us since we were born, so someone always pops in for a visit.. in a way, the house feels livelier than it ever has before..
Now Mom has moved in temporarily too.. and thankfully, she has this incredible sense of stoicism deep down that helps her endure everything she has to go through..

.. man, I'm just rambling on here..

As for me, I've always found myself wondering about people who can just take everything so stoically... you really have to ask yourself, how long can they actually hold out? Will it all just pile up until they finally snap? I'm just not built that way—I've always worn my heart on my sleeve and could never hide how I was feeling...😢

When you're dealing with a cough from lung cancer, what actually works besides Codeine? My dad's coughing is brutal; he's been taking Codeine for two days now and it barely makes a dent. He can't even speak anymore, just whispers.

Nancy Lee said:When dealing with a lung cancer cough, what actually works besides Codeine? My dad’s coughing is brutal; he takes Codeine one day and barely feels any relief the next. He can’t even speak anymore—it’s just constant whispering.

Grab some Apisirup; it’s honestly fantastic. Both my kid and I were stuck with a cough for over a month, and nothing touched it until we tried Apisirup—it worked almost overnight, literally within two days. I deal with allergies and asthma, but luckily I'm not allergic to pollen or honey, so it worked perfectly for me. Since it's packed with natural herbal ingredients and honey, you don't really have to worry about overdosing on it.

Well, here we go. Now he's running a fever too...😢

They need to get on antibiotics right now!

Hi everyone!

I just started radiation for breast cancer; today was my 4th session.🙂
Usually, I just direct all my medical questions to the doctor—I don't really dwell on them much.🙂 But today, I noticed something that isn't even health-related, so I wanted to check if anyone else has dealt with this:
The boots I wore while lying down at the clinic actually changed color!!!! Is it possible that the radiation has something to do with that??

And no, don't think that's my only concern. I've already processed all the shocks, the emotional breakdowns, and the nausea. I've decided to just move past it. The day that first cytology report arrived, I made a choice: I decided I was healthy again. Nothing is going to knock me off my tracks.

Best wishes and good vibes, along with my mandatory red lipstick. *:

ironnomad23 said:Hey everyone!

I just started radiation (breast cancer), and today was my 4th session. 🙂
Most of my medical questions get answered directly by the doctors—I usually just fire them off at them—🙂 but I noticed something today that isn't even health-related, so I wanted to see if anyone else has dealt with this:
The boots I was wearing while lying down during treatment have actually changed color!!!! Is it possible there's a connection between the radiation and that??

And don't think for a second that's the only thing on my mind. No way. I've pushed through all the shocks, the emotional breakdowns, and the nausea, and I've decided to just leave it all behind. From the very day that first cytology report arrived, I made a choice: I decided I was healed. Nothing is going to knock me off my tracks!!!

Sending good vibes and big hugs, along with my mandatory red lipstick! :*

It’s entirely possible that the radiation caused some kind of reaction with the dye in your boots, especially if they have any metal components. It actually caught my interest too, so I might ask a chemist friend of mine about it.
Also, I highly recommend that movie. 🙂

Unfortunately, we just buried my grandfather last week. It was Burkitt lymphoma. He actually held up incredibly well considering the diagnosis, handling his chemo—which was pretty mild, mostly just maintenance rather than curative—really well. His blood work was excellent, too.
Then pneumonia hit. He’d always been prone to it, but ever since he was treated for gammaglobulinemia and they cleared out the bacteria in his lungs causing the issues, he hadn't dealt with any of that for the last five years.
So, he ends up in the hospital. Things stabilized, then he developed fluid in his lungs, which also cleared up, but ultimately, missing those chemo sessions because of everything else just let the lymphoma tear him apart. Thankfully, he wasn't in pain; he was just endlessly exhausted. My mom was with him when he passed, and honestly, I can't tell you how relieved I am about that.

Since Mom came down with a nasty flu the day after the funeral, I haven't even had a chance to properly process the loss. I don't think I truly realize yet how much I'm going to miss him. We had such a special bond, especially over these last five years. He was the one who taught me how to read and write; he was there cheering me on when I took my first steps, basically raising me alongside my grandma during those early childhood mornings.

Now, my uncle has been diagnosed with cancer. He hasn't wanted to be specific about what kind (we have a complicated relationship with him). His medical history is all handwritten and the script is absolutely illegible, though one referral lists "ca planocellulare" as the working diagnosis. He had some sort of benign tumor on his nose, but from what I gather now, it’s involving the throat or sinuses. He’s a chronic smoker and a heavy drinker. He felt a lump on his neck that really spooked his doctor. I have no idea what the prognosis is, but he's refusing treatment because he’s had bad experiences with doctors in the past. He's hard to reach, and sometimes I'm not even sure if I want to reach him, because there are things regarding my grandfather that I just can't forgive him for. At least, not yet.

Anyway, just needed to vent here for a bit. I wouldn't call it a tragedy—Grandpa was 85 and lived a very full, good life—but you're never really ready to say goodbye to someone you love.😢

Nancy Lee said:What actually works for lung cancer coughing besides Codeine? My dad’s cough is just brutal. He takes Codeine, but by the second day, it barely makes a dent. He can't even speak anymore—he's just whispering everything now.

I’ve had surgery for lung cancer and I’m about to start chemo. Even now, those heavy coughing fits still hit me hard. My doctor suggested putting the Codeine under my tongue instead of swallowing it. If you haven't tried that yet, give it a shot—it might help you out too.

Can someone please help me out if anyone knows anything about a tumor located in the small pelvis? It's for a woman. She already had surgery, but they couldn't get everything out because things started bleeding heavily during the procedure. Now, they're sending her over to Canada to see if the specialists there can do something more. The diagnosis is: HEMANGIOPERICITOMA with low malignant potential. Please, if you know anything at all about this, let me know ASAP—it's pretty urgent.

Henry Garcia5 said:Please help if anyone knows anything about a tumor in the small pelvis. It's a woman. She had surgery, but they couldn't get everything out because there was heavy bleeding during the procedure. Now they are sending her to Canada to see if they can do something there. The diagnosis is: HEMANGIOPERICITOMA, low malignant potential. Please, if you know anything about this, answer me quickly—it's urgent.

We're looking at a rare tumor made up of blood vessels, which falls under the synovial sarcoma group. That’s exactly why it’s such a nightmare to operate on; because it's built from vessels, the bleeding risk is massive. Unfortunately, with sarcomas, surgical removal is usually the gold standard because these things tend to be stubborn against chemo and radiation. Since we're dealing with a low-malignancy case here, if the surgery actually succeeds, the outcome could be quite positive. They likely have more advanced techniques and better-trained specialists in Canada who might be able to pull off a minimally invasive approach.

Angela Wright said:We're looking at a rare tumor made up of blood vessels—it falls under the synovial sarcoma category. Because it's basically built out of vessels, surgery is tricky due to the bleeding risk. Unfortunately, with sarcomas, cutting it out is usually the best bet since they tend to be pretty resistant to chemo and radiation. Since this one is low-grade, if the surgery goes well, things could turn out fine. They probably have better techniques and more specialized staff over in Canada to handle it minimally invasively.

Thanks for getting back to me. Fingers crossed everything turns out okay!

Dad took his Augmentin, and the fever seems to have broken. But the coughing... man, it’s terrible. It’s honestly scary to listen to. I don't really get why neither the Codeine nor anything else has touched it. He was admitted to the hospital today, so I guess we'll just see if things start looking up.

Has anyone here dealt with LCH? I think that's what they call it online.
How do you even treat that, or whatever else goes with it...
We don't have a confirmed diagnosis yet (not me, my daughter), but the test results seem to point right at it.

slysurfer14 said:Has anyone here dealt with LCH? (That's what I found online).
How is it treated and everything else?
We don't have a confirmed diagnosis yet (not me, my daughter), but the test results are pointing right at it...

Here is a link where everything is laid out in pretty great detail.

I honestly don't know how to process this anymore—it feels like tumors are just attacking from every single direction.
Now, this might sound like some kind of sick joke, but I assure you, it isn't.
I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it together, though I know I have to.

1. My sister's situation is looking pretty bleak, as I described earlier.
2. My girlfriend's father was suddenly rushed into surgery for an intestinal tumor. (He barely made it out alive from sepsis, by the way.)
3. And then there's me—I just got my thyroid biopsy results back. (I actually received them about an hour ago; I'm sitting here at a coffee shop writing this while waiting to meet with my primary care physician.)
- A follicular thyroid tumor.
- A Warthin tumor in my salivary gland.
So, that's where things stand. Mine is likely—I really hope—benign.

I just don't know what to think... I'm hanging in there because I have to, but part of me just wants to snap. If you know what I mean.

nimblepanther14 said:I honestly don't even know how to process this anymore; it feels like cancer is just attacking from every single direction.
Now, this might sound like I'm being flippant or making a joke, but I promise you, it really isn't.
I'm sitting here wondering how much more I can actually take, even though I know I have to keep pushing through.

1. My sister is facing an incredibly bleak situation, which I laid out above.
2. My girlfriend's dad was suddenly rushed into surgery for a tumor in his bowel (and man, he barely made it out alive after fighting off sepsis).
3. And then there's me—I just got my kidney biopsy results back (literally an hour ago, typing this while grabbing a coffee and waiting to sit down with my primary care doctor).
- A follicular tumor on my kidney
- A Warthin tumor on my salivary gland
I mean, what is even happening right now? Mine is hopefully (fingers crossed!) benign.

I'm just lost for words... I'm holding it together because I have no choice, but honestly, sometimes I just want to snap. If you know what I mean.

I am so sorry, Gordon... hang in there, truly, because what else is there to say? Just keep the faith... God will see you through to better days...

Good evening. I am hoping someone can offer some guidance. I find myself quite confused by my husband's recent test results. He underwent surgery for colon cancer exactly one month ago. He has recovered wonderfully from the procedure, but his pathology report indicates a Duke scale B tumor. He is now preparing to begin chemotherapy. Before starting, he had blood work done, and I am struggling to understand his GGT level of 60. During our initial consultation, the doctor mentioned this value suggests something might be happening with the liver. At the time, I was in such a state of shock that I failed to ask for clarification. Now, I am deeply concerned—especially since his liver ultrasound showed absolutely nothing. Does anyone have insight? Thank you.

Kimberly Cox58 said:Good evening, I’m hoping someone can help me out. I'm feeling a bit lost looking over my husband's test results. He had colon cancer surgery exactly one month ago. Recovery has been great so far, but the pathology report shows a Duke B tumor. He's about to start chemotherapy now. We just did his blood work before starting chemo, and I'm confused by the GGT—it came back at 60. During our talk with the doctor, he mentioned that this number suggests something might be going on with the liver. I was in such a state of shock at the time that I didn't think to ask for specifics. Now I'm really curious, especially since they already performed a liver ultrasound and found nothing. Thanks.

A GGT of 60 isn't actually that high (the upper limit is usually 55). While you typically see spikes like that in heavy drinkers, it also happens with people dealing with fatty liver or hepatitis. It might be worth asking for a referral for hepatitis markers. It’s a straightforward blood test and definitely worth knowing, because things like hepatitis can be easily transmitted and sometimes don't even show any symptoms.

Amy Torres4 said:I feel so bad for Gordana... hang in there, there isn't much else to say... have faith... God will provide better days ahead...

Thank you... and yes, better days will come... or perhaps more accurately, just slightly less terrible ones...
I'm feeling a bit improved today—actually made it to the gym... there's something about a good workout that clears the fog and settles the mind...🙂
As for my own situation, I intend to manage it... I don't plan on just sitting back and letting things happen... regardless of what this follicular tumor turns out to be (at least, that's my current thinking)...