Support resources for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses

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.

Honestly, if you're looking to boost your blood counts or just trying to scrub all those chemo toxins out of your liver, a little beet juice goes a long way. I'm talking about maybe a few ounces of fresh beet juice mixed with a spoonful of honey and half a squeezed lemon. For me, beets were basically my MVP during the whole ordeal!

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...

Susan Diaz91 said:Yes... beet juice, blackberry wine, raspberry juice... all of those help the overall blood count, but brewer's yeast specifically for boosting white blood cell counts—that’s really targeted for leukocytes (or so her doctor told her).
Since she started taking it, her white cell counts have been absolutely perfect 🙂 clearly it works 🙂. I've realized how incredibly vital those levels are for continuing chemotherapy... essentially, if they drop too low, they have to stop the treatment cycles... so keeping everything in balance is essential...

How often should one take a small amount? Every day? My mother's levels are right on the edge, actually slightly below, so I want to give her the right advice. Thanks!

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. 🤷

Susan Diaz91 said:A little bit every day... though nothing too crazy. That's how my mom's doing it. Her doctors gave her the green light, so I guess if they say it's fine, it's fine, right? 🤷

Might as well try everything. What's the worst that could happen?

I'll pass that along to her, though I'm not quite sure how she'll take it... she can be pretty picky about certain flavors, but I'll try to nudge her toward it anyway. Thanks for the tip.

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?

Susan Diaz91 said:And she shouldn't have to gild the lily regarding those small bites🤷...but let's be honest, everyone has their limits... that's just the truth🙂

Mine was given some extra appetite syrup... so she started eating everything by age 16.. which I am happy about.

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

She tries quite hard to eat all those nutritious foods meant to boost her immunity and blood counts, but there are certain things she simply cannot stomach. For instance, she can't stand mushrooms, lamb, seafood, or several other items. However, she loves things like bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes, raisins, fresh Swiss chard, honey, propolis, beta-glucan, and fresh fruit.

Generally, she doesn't have issues with her appetite, except that after chemo, everything tastes metallic and her mouth feels dry, so not all food sounds appealing. She always manages to find something that works, forcing herself just a little bit. Once the side effects pass, she eats normally again... she actually gained 10 pounds after the first round of chemo. She is on her second round now, and is actually receiving her third treatment today... my love.

I decided to come here to vent a little because I honestly don't know where else to turn... I really don't want to burden my friends with this, and my parents are going through an even tougher time than I am right now. Today, my sister is heading in for her tenth surgery to deal with a jaw tumor that just keeps coming back after three years of fighting it. The doctors are at their wits' end; even though the tumor isn't malignant, you'd think being "benign" would mean it stops resurfacing like this. They’re planning to try treating her with Methotrexate. I can't help but worry that this thing might spread into her sinuses or move into the rest of her facial bones... it already migrated from her upper jaw down to her lower one. I am absolutely losing my mind with anxiety... she isn't even 28 years old yet.

Kate Doyle45 said:I just needed to come here and vent because I honestly don't know where else to turn... I don't want to weigh down my friends with this, and my parents are doing even worse than I am. Today, my sister is heading in for her tenth surgery for a jaw tumor that keeps coming back every three years. The doctors are basically at their wits' end; sure, the tumor isn't malignant, but there is nothing "benign" about it recurring this many times. They’re going to try treating her with Methotrexate. I’m terrified this thing is going to spread into her sinuses and the rest of her facial bones... it already moved from her upper jaw to her lower one. I am losing my mind with worry... she isn't even 28 yet.

Look, Kate, I don't know the specific diagnosis, but if you ask me, you need to go get a second opinion immediately. It’s frankly hard to wrap my head around how a benign tumor can be this aggressive and recurrent. Usually, when you're dealing with a benign growth, it stays put in one spot; it doesn't behave like this by spreading through different tissue types like it's hunting for new territory.

I don't have all the medical records on hand since everything is still being held at her hospital, but unfortunately, this is now the third time she’s received this exact same diagnosis. It’s heartbreaking. They’ve already extracted all of her teeth on both sides, and her last surgery was back in December. She just came in for a follow-up to see if a dentist could finally reconstruct her smile, only to find out that the underlying issue has resurfaced. On top of that, there’s the massive amount of anesthesia she’s had to endure; they actually pulled her off the program today because they want to run more tests tomorrow. Honestly, I feel like screaming... crying just doesn't feel like enough to express how devastating this is.

Kate Doyle45 said:I don't have the paperwork on hand since everything is sitting at the hospital with her, but unfortunately, this is already the third time they've given us this exact same opinion. They’ve pulled all her teeth on both sides, and her last surgery was back in December. Now she’s here for a follow-up to see if a dentist can finally reconstruct her smile, because the evil just came crawling back. On top of that, she's been hit with so much anesthesia. They actually pulled her from the schedule today because they want to run more tests before tomorrow. It makes me want to scream... crying just doesn't cut it anymore.

Unbelievable.😲
Please, let me know the specifics once you find out; we'll try to dig a little deeper into this. Honestly, even if it turns out to be cellularly benign, it’s acting aggressive enough to be malignant, and some form of chemo or radiation should be used to get it under control.😕
Don't lose hope; we'll figure something out.

It kept showing up on every single MRI scan... it’s definitely some kind of bone tumor, though thankfully it isn't a sarcoma or anything quite that aggressive. I really appreciate all the support you guys have been sending my way... it truly means the world to me.

Kate Doyle45 said:It kept coming back during my PhD studies... it’s definitely some kind of bone tumor, though thankfully it isn't a sarcoma or anything quite that extreme. Thank you for the support... it really means a lot.

It sounds like it might be an osteoma then. Those things love to recur. A buddy of mine had one on his scalp; fortunately, his didn't come back. I wouldn't touch anything containing calcium if I were you. Look, just get a definitive diagnosis first, and once you have that, I'll reach out to my oncologist to see whether they handle aggressive cases like this with radiation or chemo.

I'll be sure to take a look... thanks again, truly.

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 🙂

Maria Fox said:My mother used sage tea as a mouthwash.
She mentioned it helped her a little bit, so I thought I'd share. Hopefully, it helps you too. 🙂

She isn't much of a tea drinker, either. I suggested she try some detox tea that's supposed to help clear out the effects of chemo, but she mentioned a similar blend a friend brought her from Germany once that really messed with her sinuses. My dad, on the other hand, could drink a gallon of the stuff, but thank God he doesn't have to deal with any of this. I'll still mention it to her, though—maybe she can just swish it around her mouth if she doesn't feel like actually swallowing it.

Does anyone have an update on her?
She hasn't logged onto the forum since March 3rd.

I'm just hoping everything is okay.😢
Reach out when you can, girl!

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 😉