Support resources for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses

Well, our little baby is finally born; now we just need to get it printed. Since we’re an association tackling a subject that isn't exactly "mainstream," we aren't exactly high on the priority list for major donors. It looks like once again, we'll be footing the bill ourselves for the time being.
Things have reached a bit of a boiling point because a window of opportunity just opened up. Within the next 10 days, we have a chance to step into the spotlight and deliver some speeches—an opportunity you simply can't pass up. I'll keep you posted as things develop. But here's the reality: this whole thing hinges on whether we have this brochure in hand to distribute to everyone who actually needs our support. Without it, the entire presentation loses its punch.
So, I’m asking anyone who has the heart, the will, or the means to skip that extra latte, that candy bar, or whatever small indulgence today and instead toss those few cents toward something meaningful. This money will help a massive number of people. When they receive the worst news of their lives, we want to be there as their first line of defense—a small compass to comfort them and point them toward the right path. If what we went through was devastating, we have the power to make it slightly less devastating for those facing cancer in the future.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your support on behalf of everyone fighting 🙂

Hi there.
Is it possible to tell from a standard blood test if someone might have a benign or malignant tumor?
If so, which specific markers or parts of the results would indicate an issue?
Thanks!

Thomas Hill11 said:Hi there.
Is it actually possible to tell from a standard blood test if someone has a benign or malignant tumor?
If so, which specific part of the results would indicate an issue?
Thanks.

From what I understand, the actual type of tumor is determined through a tissue biopsy. Blood work doesn't "show" the tumor itself, but rather elevated tumor markers (for instance, CA125 is often used in relation to ovarian cancer). If a doctor suspects something might be wrong, they’ll order specific marker tests—each type of tumor typically has its own unique marker. As for anything else, I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure, and I don't recall the specifics of my mother's medical tests.

Amanda Miller69 said:From what I understand, you identify a tumor through a tissue biopsy. Blood tests don't show the tumor itself, but rather elevated markers—like how CA125 works for ovarian cancer. If a doctor suspects something is wrong, they'll order blood work to check for specific markers (every single tumor has its own unique type or name for its marker). As for anything else, I honestly can't say for sure, and I don't recall exactly how things were handled during my mom's situation.

Actually, that bolded part isn't quite right. Most tumors still don't have a specific designated marker. For instance, it’s completely impossible to detect a brain tumor using a blood marker.

Thomas Hill11 said:Hey there.
Can you actually tell from a blood test if someone has a benign or malignant tumor?
If so, which part of the results would show that??
Thanks

Man, I wish it were actually that easy!
My advice is, if you’re really worried about something, don't just rely on blood work. Sure, some levels or markers might shift, but that’s never enough to make a real diagnosis, especially when it comes to tumors. Plus, blood work can look totally normal even when something else is going on...
If you feel like something is off, you've got to push your doctor for more tests.
The main thing is to take action until you find the actual cause—which, luckily, is usually something else entirely instead of a tumor... then you can finally breathe easy...

I think I phrased my question poorly.
Let's say someone has a tumor—whether it's malignant or benign—wouldn't we expect to see an increase in certain blood cell counts?
Or does it depend entirely on the individual's specific immune system response?

I am reaching out to you all once again after quite a long hiatus. I really wanted to offer some support to Betty Sanchez82. My stepfather underwent surgery for a stomach tumor just over a month ago. To put it bluntly, they essentially opened him up and stitched him back together. Initially, an acquaintance of ours—someone with extensive experience working with oncology patients—gave us a prognosis of about one month, noting that internal bleeding was highly likely. Fortunately, that deadline has passed, and he is still doing quite well. He isn't experiencing pain, only occasional vomiting, which is becoming less frequent and less intense. We are now looking forward to him surpassing even the three-month milestone set by his surgeon. Also, to boost his immune system, we have been following the advice of a friend who went through this nearly twenty years ago and remains perfectly healthy; she recommended a specific herbal tincture from a practitioner in Pittsburgh. So far, it seems to be helping. We shall see how things progress in the future.

Anyone here actually used John Doe? If you have, hit me up in a DM—or let me know if anyone's selling.

God bless everyone, I haven't been around here in forever... honestly, life just got in the way!

First things first, an update on Mom: she had her surgery 20 days ago, was discharged from the hospital on day 8, spent day 9 strolling around Central Park, and they finally took her stitches out on day 10.

She’s in great spirits—really feeling herself. She’s back at it with the usual housework (even though we’re constantly nagging her to actually sit down and rest, at least after lunch), and she's sticking to a specific meal plan put together by Dr. John Doe. It’s mostly macrobiotic stuff. Her therapy involves walking several miles every single day—which she sticks to religiously—along with a handful of supplements daily, and lately, she's started Isorel injections. Oh, and quail eggs every day, too.

She’s also been taking royal jelly for two months now and it’s clearly working; her neck wrinkles have even "smoothed out." We’ve been teasing her that while the surgeon was removing the metastases, he must have done a little facelift on the side! 😁! Look, that might sound like dark humor, but trust me, my mom has this way of laughing so sweetly and genuinely that it lifts all our spirits.

All three nodes were quite large and turned out to be metastases, so she was sent for more testing to make sure the damn thing hasn't spread—God forbid! So far, two out of the three tests came back clear, and I’m praying the third one follows suit!

I know I’ve rambled, but I just had to share some good news with you all😍, even though I've stayed in touch via calls, emails, and texts with Angela Wright, Elizabeth Gonzalez, noemi, and belami!

Sending love to everyone—may God keep you safe. Hang in there and stay strong in the fight for your health🙂!

Grace Fowler I went back and read through all your posts again today—stay strong, you are my hero!

Hi everyone... it’s been quite a while since I last posted here, so I’ll give you a quick update on where things stand. My dad was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer about a year and a half ago (he’s 62 now).
He just had a brain CT scan a month ago, and unfortunately, it looks like things have spread there too. He isn't showing any obvious physical symptoms yet, but the doctors warned us that he could start having seizures or even become aggressive, depending on which part of the brain is affected. He’s starting radiation now, and after five more sessions, they'll run another CT to see how everything is progressing. To be honest, he was so incredibly negative when he first found out... and I think his nerves are just completely shot. He used to absolutely adore my little girl—they’d go for walks together, play all the time, it was wonderful... but now, he won't even let me bring her over. He says she's too hyper, but I think it's more than that. Mentally, he's just... exhausted. It feels like the spark is gone from him, and I feel so lost on what to do. Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

Kimberly Green23 said:I wanted to check back in after quite a while. I really want to offer some support to Betty Sanchez82. My stepfather had surgery on a stomach tumor just over a month ago. To put it bluntly, they basically just opened him up and closed him back up. An acquaintance of ours with years of experience working with oncology patients initially thought he might only have about a month left, likely due to bleeding. Fortunately, that window has passed, and he’s still doing well. He isn't in pain, just some occasional vomiting, which seems to be getting less frequent and less intense. We're feeling hopeful that he'll definitely make it past the three-month mark his surgeon gave him, too. Also, to help boost his immune system, we've been giving him a herbal tincture blend recommended by a friend who went through all of this nearly 20 years ago and is still healthy and thriving today. It comes from a herbalist out in Pittsburgh. So far, it seems to be helping. We'll just have to see how things progress.

I was wondering if you could tell me more about those herbal drops? I wouldn't mind making the trip out to Pittsburgh to get them. Also, sorry, but first I wanted to thank you for all your support and effort. My dad is still feeling okay; we're heading back to the oncologist this Thursday to discuss the chemotherapy plan.

I posted an ad elsewhere, but I figured I’d throw this out here too just in case anyone needs it... we have an original box of Unknown (30 tablets) at 150 mg. We don't need them anymore, so we're letting them go for half price. If you're interested, just shoot me a PM.

Betty Sanchez82 said:I feel so lost and I honestly don't know who to turn to or how to even participate here. My father fell ill with cancer last week. They mentioned his stomach, but that wouldn't have been the biggest issue. There are metastases near the liver... if anyone can offer any advice at all. Please help.

I've posted a few times here without really speaking up before... my aunt had stomach cancer too, and sadly, she passed away just five months after the diagnosis. She just... drifted off peacefully...

Betty Sanchez82, please don't let my experience become a prognosis for your father... but from everything I witnessed from the start until she passed, you're going to need so much strength. Prepare yourself now... so that nothing the doctors or the people around you do comes as a shock. There will be moments of total silence... but there will also be doctors who come in, shake your father's hand, and offer encouragement without asking for anything in return.

My aunt passed away in the oncology ward... during her final month, we fought just to keep her in the hospital. She couldn't eat, she could only vomit... at first it was just saliva and water, then it turned green, then brown, and finally black. She had to be on an IV and liquid nutrition through a tube (I can't recall the specific medical names right now)... and the strict hospital rules kept trying to push her out...
They had planned one type of surgery, but once they opened her up, they realized it wasn't possible... so they just bypassed the stomach to make something work. They expected her to suffer for many more months than she actually lived... but she passed sooner, without the intense pain they predicted...

And I thank God for that...

To everyone who has lost someone close... my deepest condolences. I want to echo what another member once told me: it doesn't matter how long they were with us, but rather how they lived...

My mom’s lung cancer is gone, just like I said.
But now, they found metastases in her brain. 😢

It was too good to be true—just too damn good... and now we're facing this.
I’m not happy, and I’m definitely not "cool" about it. I know exactly what’s happening. But I’m not happy. Honestly, I’m pretty fucking devastated. Dammit. 😢
Sorry, but dammit...

Donna Fox48 said:Hi everyone, it’s been a while since I last posted, so I’ll give you a quick update. My dad was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer about a year and a half ago (he's 62).
He had a brain CT scan a month ago and it looks like things are spreading there too. He isn't showing obvious symptoms yet, but we’ve been warned that he could start having seizures or even become aggressive, depending on which part is affected. He's starting radiation now, and after five sessions, he'll have another CT to see how things are progressing. Honestly, he was incredibly negative when he found out, and I think his nerves are just shot; he used to absolutely adore my little girl and would go for walks and play with her constantly, but now he’s actually forbidden me from bringing her over because she can be a bit high-energy. Mentally, he’s just completely broken; he seems to have lost his spirit entirely, and I really don't know what to do. Has anyone gone through something similar?

My mom has the same thing—small cell on the bronchus—diagnosed 14 months ago, and she’ll be 72 at the end of this year. She’s having neurological issues, and her recent discharge papers suggest seeing a neurologist, but she is so frail that we can't get her anywhere, absolutely nowhere. Even if we tried to take her to a clinic in Small Town, USA, they basically tell us there’s nothing left they can do for her, so we aren't looking for much more than basic checkups, and even then, we're just trying to keep her comfortable as much as possible.

She’s been falling around the house, covered in bruises; she hit her head once and honestly, thank God, she didn't break her skull. The fact that she's only 35 kilos has actually been a saving grace in some ways. I don't have any recent confirmation—her brain scans were clear before—that there are metastases in the brain, and whenever she gets dizzy or unsteady, the doctor just keeps saying it's "from the chemo." She was given John Doe to help strengthen her up and later Jane Doe, but neither seemed to help. Since the falls started getting more frequent, everything has just spiraled downward. She was always a bit high-strung, but now she’s just frantic with despair and helplessness, and all of us are right there with her. I can't even lift her because she can't stand on her own two feet anymore. Now I'm just fighting to delay the moment she has to go to bed, because once that happens, things will get incredibly difficult. It’s brutal. We practically have to carry her to the bathroom, and even that feels more like a psychological necessity than anything else. She’s so helpless that she doesn't even try to get up from her armchair anymore, and if we do manage to get her into a chair, someone has to stand right next to her so she doesn't crash to the floor. It’s a little easier that way, but the whole thing is just humiliating and beneath any kind of human dignity. Objectively speaking, she isn't suited for home care, but even though she's losing herself, sending her to a nursing home feels like a death sentence. I'm not saying I'm hoping for a miracle, but I'm not saying I'm not, either. I just don't feel much of anything anymore besides pure misery. Everything feels like a struggle here. I can't even bathe her by myself anymore; I need another pair of hands just to hold her steady or to be there in case she slips.

I just want to tell you to brace yourself, gather every ounce of strength you have, and please, don't hold it against him, no matter what he says. Sometimes it is just damn hard. Maybe talk to the doctor about getting him something for sedation; some doctors tend to suggest antidepressants, but don't put too much hope in those working perfectly. Just try to focus on making his life as easy as possible, thinking about the care, the keeping him safe...

Hang in there.

wanderingharbor61 said:I know I’ve been MIA for a bit, but I just had to jump back in here to share some wonderful news with everyone😍, especially since I've been catching up via email and texts with IBM, Elizabeth Gonzalez55, noemi, and belami!

Sending my best to all of you; may God watch over you, stay strong, and keep pushing forward in your health journeys🙂!

Grace Fowler I went back and reread all your posts again today—hang in there, you really are my hero!

Well, that's fantastic. 👍 Truly wonderful news, thank God, and let's hope it stays that way. Best of luck. 🙂

I thought about titling this post "Whining," but I changed my mind at the last second.😁

Since she isn't moving around much anymore, we’ve been dealing with some issues regarding her bowel movements. Tonight we're doing some herbal tea, and tomorrow is going to be 😲 so I need to get to bed early just to mentally prepare myself. I mentioned earlier that we decided to dye her hair. Some people asked if she was actually allowed to do that. Of course she is, because honestly, she looks a little bit better with that light brown shade, and I don't see why she shouldn't treat herself. Well, now we have to do it all over again, which is always quite an adventure. Slather it on, spread it around, and after fifteen minutes, we have to be ready in our old t-shirts for that frantic fifteen-minute dash to the bathroom, and then—God help us. As far as a place to go goes, the one my nephew has is perfect. Nice sturdy plastic, with little teddy bears printed on it. 😍

It’s happened before where she doesn't even recognize us. But okay, we got through it. It was such a dramatic scene over at my brother's place, and since he and Mom are so close, it hit him pretty hard. For me, it was a bit easier to handle. 🙄

She forgets what she was trying to say and can't even finish a sentence. If we ever reach the point where she needs a phone book, you can forget she'll remember who she was trying to call.

The other day she insisted there was someone on TV, but she couldn't for the life of her say who. She said she'd show me, but they just couldn't get the woman to appear on screen. Then she started demanding that I call Danielle (who we have absolutely no connection to) to ask her when the game show starts. 🤷

My mornings usually start with soaking sheets (because things leak, damn it), wiping everything down, and getting dressed. I try to make sure she manages to get at least a t-shirt on in the morning. I don't bother ironing them anymore, obviously; I just hang them up to dry, and it's fine, especially since they end up getting dirty a few times a day anyway. We're having to feed her more often now, particularly if it's a heavy meal. Besides the fact that she's burned holes through everything living with her cigarettes, everything is just a mess now.

It’s truly incredible how things from the past just come rushing back to her. One day she called me by her sister's name—the one who passed away about fifteen years ago. Someone left a phone within her reach, so she grabbed it and started dialing some of our old numbers. It was so strange seeing those names pop up on the display. 😢

quietpilot87 said:My god, the lung cancer is gone, just like I said.
But now we’re dealing with brain metastases. 😢

I'm so sorry, quietpilot87. I really hope your mom pulls through this one too!

Melissa Kim45 said:I was honestly going to title this post "Total Meltdown," but I changed my mind at the last second.😁

Hang in there, Melissa Kim45, and don't forget to look after yourself too!
It’s a total circus with my sister, too... she acts like a five-year-old on a diet, and the drama she puts us through could be split among four different families, and they'd *still* complain they aren't getting enough attention...
Luckily, there are enough of us stepping up to help her out by splitting the load, and we try to keep our own sanity by using whatever sense of humor we have left.

Everyone, get over here if you can.