Resources and support for families dealing with cancer and serious illness

Linda Peterson37 said:He hasn't tried those Papaya capsules because, honestly, we hadn't even heard of them. Instead, he’s currently taking cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa), shark cartilage, plus some other vitamins and minerals to boost his immunity and help with circulation and stuff.
As for how he's doing right now—it's tough. We're waiting on radiation treatments that were finally scheduled, since the machine in Indianapolis was out of order for a while, and he just isn't up for traveling to places like Chicago. On top of all that, he’s on chemo every six weeks. It’s a lot to handle, but things will get better!
Check your PMs.

My dad has always been such a character—total jokester, super cheerful, just one of those people who lights up a room. Even now, with everything he's going through, he’s still cracking jokes and making us laugh. Honestly, he gives me so much energy and keeps me smiling. He reminds me that life really is about the little things, and that no matter how hard it gets, we can always find a reason to smile for the people we love, because they deserve it.
If he can find a way to laugh even when he's this sick, then I can definitely show up for him a hundred times over.

Amanda Miller69, that's wonderful news! Just keep pushing forward!

I stumbled upon this info regarding Papaya and wanted to share it with you guys, it actually makes a lot of sense...

"One way acetogenins (Paw Paw) work is by starving cancer cells of glucose, which essentially cuts off their ATP energy supply.

ACETOGENINS, the vital extract from Papaya!

What's the deal?

Most tumors contain a tiny fraction—about 2-3%—of cells that are incredibly resistant to drugs (known as MDR cells). Chemotherapy doesn't touch these. After the first round of chemo, if it works, it wipes out the non-resistant cells. Since that covers most of the tumor mass, it looks like the cancer is gone. But those MDR cells stay behind and start multiplying. A brand new tumor grows made entirely of MDR cells. When you try chemo again, nothing works because every single cell is resistant.

Acetogenins, an extract found only in Papaya, have shown effectiveness against these MDR cells. They block the energy flow into the mitochondria (the powerhouses) of the cancer cells. This ultimately stunts the growth of the blood vessels that feed the tumor.

AMANDA MILLER69, JUST KEEP GOING, DON'T LOOK BACK.....

Sending kisses to everyone!

I have to share this bizarre little coincidence with you all. My mom serves as the tenant representative for our apartment building, and yesterday, two gentlemen showed up looking for her while my aunt was home. My aunt told them she was currently in the hospital and wouldn't be back anytime soon. One of the men asked for her name, and once my aunt provided it, he looked at them and said, "Oh, I actually performed her surgery just yesterday." As it turns out, it was Dr. Miller; she lives in the building right next to ours, and they had stopped by because a pipe was leaking between our connected complexes.😂My aunt told him Mom was hovering somewhere between two and three days away from death, though my brother and I felt it was more like seven or eight. Her body is incredibly weak right now, but she keeps telling us she can see her own grit and determination—she truly believes in herself, insisting that recovery depends entirely on her own will. We’re pushing forward and staying optimistic; we don't really have any other choice. Honestly, hearing all of that yesterday just completely broke me, and I ended up sobbing on my boyfriend's shoulder like it was a rainy afternoon in Seattle.🙄

Amanda Miller69 said:I have to share this wild coincidence that happened. My mom is actually the tenant rep for our apartment building, and yesterday two guys showed up looking for her (my aunt was home at the time). My aunt told them she was currently in the hospital and wouldn't be back anytime soon. One of the guys asked for her name, my aunt gave it to him, and he just goes, "Oh, I actually operated on her yesterday." Turns out, it’s Dr. Miller, who lives right in the building next to ours (they're connected), and he only stopped by because there's a leaky pipe between our buildings.😂 He told my aunt she was basically two or three days away from passing, but my brother and I were told it had been 7 or 8 days. Her body is just so exhausted right now, but she keeps telling us she can see how much grit she has—she believes in herself, and says recovery is entirely up to her will. We’re still fighting and staying positive. We don't have any other choice. Honestly, hearing all that yesterday just totally crushed me; I ended up sobbing on my boyfriend's shoulder like a total wreck.🙄

Hey Amanda Miller69,
don't let those doctor's predictions get to you. Your mom has survived everything thrown her way because she never gives up—she just has that inner strength...
Just give her some extra love and recharge those batteries, and she'll be fine.
Remember: NOTHING HAPPENS BY CHANCE! Everything in life happens for a reason!!!
Sending kisses to everyone!

Hey everyone, I wanted to share some news I just stumbled upon (at least it feels like big news to me). I was scrolling through and, well, the title pretty much says it all. Apparently, this could be a huge help when dealing with lung, breast, or brain tumors. Thought I'd pass it along.

Love you guys!🙂

Has anyone here actually dealt with the whole diet and stoma maintenance thing before? I know I might have scrolled through some info on the Forum ages ago, but I really don't feel like digging through old threads right now...

Hey Amanda Miller69!!
I am just so relieved to hear that everything went relatively well with your mom. Seriously though—never, and I mean NEVER—trust those medical prognoses (take it from me, I've been there). Regarding the diet for people who’ve had an ostomy, it’ll start out pretty light and bland at first, but you’ll get all the specific instructions before she’s even discharged... and hey, if anything goes sideways, just reach out...
For the supplies you'll need to manage the stoma, you can contact Stoma Medical (ask for Zoe or Mary)... but there's plenty of time for that. I just wanted to say we're all here for you if you need any kind of help...

P.S. Best to everyone, Din :-))

Quote:

Grace Fowler says: Does anyone happen to be familiar with the specific diet or how to manage a stoma? I know I read something about this on the Forum a while back, but I'd rather not go hunting for it all over again.... Dear Amanda Miller69!! I am so relieved to hear that everything went relatively smoothly with your mother. In all seriousness, never, ever rely on medical prognoses—I say this from my own experience... regarding the diet for those who have undergone an ostomy, it will initially be quite light and restricted, but you will receive full instructions before your mother is discharged home... and if anything feels slightly off, please just reach out.... As for the supplies needed for stoma care, you can contact Stoma Medical (either Zoe or Mary are there) but there is plenty of time for that... I simply want you to know that we are here for you should you need any assistance... P.S. Best to everyone, Din :-))

Hey!

How have you been?
I trust you are doing well and feeling satisfied ;-) I find myself thinking of you every once in a while!

Greetings to all our Saturday regulars on the Forum; I haven't been around much lately as I was without internet access....

Kisses, and stay strong!

Listen, everyone,
Does anyone know if my father is legally entitled to an escort in the ambulance when he’s being transferred from one facility to another? He’s immobile—his entire left side is paralyzed—so common sense tells me he should have medical staff accompanying him. It feels completely unacceptable to do otherwise. What if he has a crisis during the trip?
The problem is, I haven't received a single straight answer from his doctors or any medical professionals. I’ve had to hunt everything down myself on this Forum or through Google. Once I actually armed myself with some facts, the doctors started getting annoyed with me, which is ridiculous. If anyone knows the specific laws regarding our rights here, please let me know. Everyone I talk to says something different...
Last time they moved him from one hospital to another, they tried to deny him an escort altogether. I had to make a massive scene right there in the hallway before they finally agreed to do it properly.

Thanks.

Linda Peterson37 said:Listen, everyone,
does anyone actually know if my father is entitled to an escort in an ambulance when he's being transferred between facilities? He’s completely immobile—he’s lost all movement on his left side—and common sense tells me he absolutely deserves medical staff to ride along. It would be completely unacceptable if something went wrong during the trip, like him getting sick or something.
The problem is, I haven't gotten a single straight answer from any doctor or medical professional. I've had to dig through this Forum and scour the internet just to get some basic facts, and then I use that knowledge to push back against the doctors, which obviously drives them crazy. If anyone knows what the actual laws are regarding our rights here, please let me know, because I'm getting a different story from every person I talk to.
Last time they moved him from one hospital to another, they tried to deny him an escort entirely. I had to cause a massive scene right there in the hallway before they finally gave in.

Thanks, and cheers to you all.

Check out http://www.patientrights.org/. Look into it and definitely let us know what you find so we can post it on the association's website.

Linda Peterson37 said:Hey everyone,
does anyone happen to know if my dad actually has the right to have an escort in the ambulance when he’s being moved from one facility to another? See, he’s completely immobile—his entire left side is paralyzed—so common sense tells me he should totally be allowed to have medical staff accompanying him, right? I mean, isn't it totally unacceptable to leave him alone? What if he starts feeling sick or something happens while they're driving?
The thing is, I haven't actually gotten any straight answers from his doctors or any of the medical staff so far; honestly, I've had to dig through this Forum and search all over the internet just to figure things out, and then I go in there armed with all that info, which obviously drives them crazy! So, if anyone knows what the actual laws are or what our rights look like in this situation, please let me know, because I swear people are telling me different things every single time I ask..
Last time they were moving Dad from one hospital to another, they tried to deny him an escort entirely, and it wasn't until I made a massive scene right there in the hallway that they finally gave in.

Thanks so much, love you guys!

Well, honestly, it really just comes down to whichever doctor is signing off on the ambulance transport order. Technically, for someone who can't move, an escort can definitely go, but it usually boils down to the logistics of where they're headed—like, if they're transporting a bedridden patient and already have two seats filled, and they're trying to drive him all the way from Chicago to somewhere else, they might claim they just don't have the physical space in the vehicle to fit anyone else.

Sam Jones10 said:Honestly, it all really just boils down to whatever the Medical doctor decides when they're writing up the order for the ambulance transport! Like, if someone is totally immobile, technically an escort can go along, but isn't the real issue where they're actually heading? I mean, it happens all the time where they have a patient on a stretcher and two people sitting next to them, so if you're trying to get someone from, say, Chicago to somewhere far away, there just might not be enough room in the vehicle to fit everyone, you know?

Oops, my bad! I totally thought you were asking about hiring private escorts...
I'm going to go ahead and double-check exactly who qualifies for medical staff assistance, and I'll give you a shout as soon as I figure it out!

We were talking about Dr. Hall about a few days ago...
Well, I stumbled upon this article about him. It tells the story of a woman who is still with us today because of his work, even after everyone else had already written her off.

Linda Peterson37 said:Hey everyone,
does anyone know if my dad is actually entitled to an escort in the ambulance when he's being transferred from one facility to another? He’s completely immobile—his left side is totally paralyzed—so common sense tells me he absolutely needs medical staff to ride along. It feels totally unacceptable to leave him alone. I mean, what if he gets sick or something happens while they're driving?
The thing is, I haven't gotten a straight answer from any doctors or nurses yet. Honestly, I've had to hunt everything down myself on forums and online just to have enough info to push back against them, which obviously drives the staff crazy. If anyone knows what the actual law says or what our rights are here, please let me know. Everyone seems to be telling me something different...
Last time they moved him from one hospital to another, they tried to deny him an escort entirely. I ended up making a massive scene right there in the hallway, and only then did they finally agree to it.

Thanks, and cheers everyone.

Hey,
you can really dig your heels in about getting an escort only if your dad qualifies for home health assistance or long-term care benefits (basically, if he can't handle his basic daily needs without help). Otherwise, they can technically say no, because an ambulance isn't just a taxi service—they're supposed to look after the patients they take on.
That's the "legal" side of things, anyway. But if you get a doctor who's actually decent, they can always write "with escort" on the transport order...
Take care!

This is basically me after spending three days fighting a losing battle with my Comcast internet connection and cursing my luck.
My mom has been moved to a regular ward, but she’s completely out of it due to the prolonged anesthesia; she’s rambling about all sorts of things, trying to say something meaningful, but nothing quite makes sense.
Yesterday she was going on about some fish, and honestly, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I finally managed to catch the doctor today, who reassured me that this state is temporary. They ran a CT scan on her brain this past Monday just to rule out any metastases, and thank God, everything came back clear. Of course, how long this lasts and what we’ll do once she’s discharged is entirely dependent on her individual recovery. I'm considering a rehab facility or some kind of assisted living until she gets back on her feet... The problem is, it's just the two of us at home, and balancing a full-time job with her care is starting to feel overwhelming. I'm genuinely worried about how we're going to manage moving forward.🤷 Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Linda Peterson37 said:Hey everyone,
does anyone know if my dad is actually entitled to an escort in the ambulance when he's being moved from one facility to another? He’s completely immobile—his entire left side is paralyzed—so common sense tells me he should definitely have medical staff riding along. It feels totally unacceptable to leave him alone. I mean, what if he starts choking or something during the ride?
The thing is, I haven't gotten any straight answers from his doctors or the hospital staff. Honestly, I’ve had to hunt everything down here on the forums or just Google it, and then I go back to the doctors with what I found, which apparently really gets on their nerves. If anyone knows the actual laws or what our rights are here in the States, please let me know. Everyone seems to be saying something different...
Last time they transferred him from one hospital to another, they tried to refuse an escort entirely. I had to make a huge scene right there in the hallway before they finally agreed to help.

Thanks, and cheers to you all.

Hey honey,
I actually looked into this myself;
1. An ambulance is usually just for transport, meaning there won't always be medical staff accompanying the patient.
2. If there's extra room, a family member or someone close to the patient can ride along as an escort.
And that's pretty much it!
Xoxo

Amanda Miller69 said:this was me after three days of failing to get any internet connection and cursing out my Comcast service...
My mother has been moved to a ward, but because of the prolonged anesthesia, she’s completely "out of it"—rambling about random things or trying to say something without actually making sense.
Yesterday she was talking about some fish, and I honestly couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. I finally managed to catch the doctor today, who assured me this state is temporary. They did a CT scan of her head on Monday to rule out brain metastases, and thank God, it came back clear. Now, of course, it depends entirely on the individual how long this will last and what we’re going to do once they discharge her from the hospital. Perhaps a rehab facility until she recovers... The thing is, I live alone with her and have to work, so now I'm just terrified about what comes next.🤷 Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm crossing my fingers for a quick recovery, especially since the news about no metastases is such a relief!!! 🙏
A nursing home doesn't strike me as the best option. What about palliative care? Is that something that can be arranged? Have you considered taking medical leave so you can be by her side full-time?

I'm not much of an advisor... but I am thinking of you all! Hang in there...

Donna Hernandez21 said:we were discussing Dr. Haller the other day...
well, here is an article about him, and about a woman who is still thriving thanks to his care, despite some rather grim initial prognoses...

http://www.nytimes.com/article/health-success-story...8/Default.aspx

It serves as a lovely reminder that one should never truly give up...

Nancy Hernandez43 said:I’m crossing my fingers for a speedy recovery—it's such a relief to hear there are no metastases! 🙏
Keeping her at home doesn't strike me as the most practical move right now. Palliative care? Is that even an option you can arrange? Have you considered taking some medical leave just so you can be by her side full-time?

I’ve never been much of an advice-giver... but hang in there. Thinking of you all.

I visited her yesterday, and thank God, she was almost acting like her old self again, though she still drifts off occasionally. She’s going to pull through. Once she's discharged from the hospital, I’ll look into taking some time off work, but we'll have to see what the doctors advise. The physician I spoke with yesterday mentioned that we’ll discuss the long-term recovery plan when the time is right. For now, the priority is just getting her back on her feet and making sure she stays out of bed. I can't help but feel a little anxious about what comes next.🙄

I have a quick question for the group.
My father ended up in the hospital the other day. About six years ago, he underwent surgery for liver and colon cancer.
Everything seemed to be going relatively well until recently.
Now, he’s dealing with intense pain on the right side of his abdomen and a really high fever—around 102 degrees.
Has anyone here gone through something similar? I guess I'm just wondering what I should realistically expect from here.

Thanks in advance.

William Hall2 said:I have a question.
My dad ended up in the hospital a few days ago. Six years back, he had surgery for liver and colon cancer.
Everything seemed fine until recently.
Now he’s dealing with intense pain on the right side of his abdomen and running a really high fever—around 102.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? What should I be expecting here?

Thanks in advance.

Look, they’re going to run every single test imaginable to figure out exactly what’s going on. Honestly, all the guesswork and speculation online doesn't help anyone; it just adds more stress. Your dad is in the hospital, which means he’s getting the professional care he needs right now. Focus on the reality of the situation. You know how heavy this diagnosis is—fighting a disease like this is a lifelong marathon, not a sprint. We just have to take it one day at a time and deal with whatever comes our way.

Amanda Miller69 said:I visited her yesterday, and thank God, she was almost back to her "normal" self, though she still drifts off every now and then. She’s going to pull through. I’ll try to talk to her once she’s discharged from the hospital on medical leave, but we’ll have to see what the doctors say. The one I spoke to yesterday told me we wouldn't discuss the next steps of her recovery until the timing was right. Right now, the priority is just getting her back on her feet and making sure she doesn't just stay bedridden. Sometimes I get hit with this fear of what the future holds.🙄

Don't look that far ahead🙂! When that "future" actually arrives—and let me tell you, it can show up in a thousand different ways you could never predict or prepare for—you will deal with it and handle it just like you're handling this. Whatever comes next is bound to be less brutal than what she's enduring right now.
Never let fear take hold! Fear only feeds the demons and makes them stronger!