Resources and support for families dealing with cancer and serious illness

Thank you all! I’ve been feeling such a wonderful sense of joy lately, just taking things slow and relaxing. I’ve finally managed to get two solid nights of sleep, which is honestly such a massive relief—I can't even begin to put into words how much better that feels! 🙂

What exactly is Zdravac? I don't think I've ever heard of that specific herbal tea before; I probably know it by a different name. I'll have to do a little digging to figure out how to prepare it and how it works, especially since it’s being recommended for recovery after radiation therapy. Thanks for the tip, anaxy!

I just caught a glimpse of a photo of that plant, and it actually looks very familiar to me. I’ve been reading up on it lately, and apparently, it can be quite beneficial for ovarian health, so I’m seriously considering adding it to my daily routine 🙂

Since this is essentially a tannin-based remedy, I feel like I really need to do some more thorough research to figure out the exact dosage required before I dive in. 🙂

Carol Ramirez said:I just caught a glimpse of that plant photo, and it looks familiar. I’ve read that it's actually beneficial for ovarian health; I might honestly consider adding it to my routine. 🙂

Given that we are dealing with a tannic substance, I certainly need to conduct some thorough research regarding the appropriate dosage. 🙂

BLOODROOT (Geranium robertianum)
Breuss recommends it as a support for various types of cancer.
One cup of tea per day, though you shouldn't gulp it down—rather, take small sips intermittently throughout the day. Simply steep a pinch of bloodroot in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes, then strain it.
kitty thanks

In my previous posts, I mentioned that I’ve been working on a website dedicated to malignant diseases. Well, for the most part, the site is finished, and I would truly appreciate it if you could take a look and share your thoughts. Regarding the content—I haven't covered every single condition yet, as I'm still hunting down enough reliable material. If anyone feels inclined to lend their expertise through advice or constructive criticism, please don't hesitate to reach out.

http://www.carcinoms.com

The site is optimized for Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox

I need some help here.
Has anyone dealt with pancreatic tumors before?
My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the head of her pancreas just a month ago. She ended up in the hospital with "painless" jaundice; we all thought it was just gallstones. She’s had surgery now, and they removed the lymph nodes just to be safe. There aren't any metastases. Though, from what I can gather, it doesn't even matter if there are—the fact that it's right there on the pancreas is bad enough.
The statistics are devastating. They told us we're looking at 2 to 6 months, even though she actually seems to be doing okay right now.
No chemo, no radiation...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And most importantly, not to tell her! Of course, we told her everything, just not those grim statistics.
I can't find a single success story out there. Or even someone who survived longer than expected.
I'm losing hope... This Sickness is overwhelming.

Hannah Thomas28 said:I need help!
Does anyone have experience dealing with pancreatic cancer?
My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the head of her pancreas just a month ago. She was admitted to the hospital with "painless" jaundice; we originally thought it was just gallstones. She’s had surgery now, and they removed the lymph nodes just to be safe. There are no metastases. Though, from what I can gather, it doesn't even matter if there are—it's bad enough that it's right there in the pancreas itself.
The statistics are devastating. They told us she might only have 2 to 6 months, even though she seems doing okay right now.
No chemo, no radiation...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And not to tell her the truth!!! Of course, we told her, but we didn't mention the survival rates.
And I can't find a single person who actually recovered! Or at least lived much longer.
I feel hopeless... This Sickness is terrifying.

Don't look at the statistics! That is the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself when you're just starting this fight. It's a self-inflicted wound. Don't waste a single ounce of your energy or your thoughts on statistical data.
Every person is different, and every cancer is different. Just live your life and focus on making the quality of that life as high as possible! Look into alternative options, but don't turn your back on conventional medicine at the same time. Get a second opinion. We have people here who have sent their medical records to world-renowned hospitals like the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins and actually received real answers.
Sickness is terrifying, but you'll feel immediate relief once you start fighting back and hunting down every possible answer and chance available.
That initial moment of realization is the most brutal and shocking part; eventually, a person adapts and pours everything into the fight, learning how to accept and carry the heavy stuff.
Let me repeat something I've said before: In my experience, all those tiny percentages in those damn statistics representing survivors are actually the people who bit into their fight by completely transforming themselves. They changed their mindset, their lifestyle, worked on their spiritual growth, used holistic treatments, and reconnected with nature and family. Naturally, the love and support of family and friends is absolutely vital... all of these things are powerful weapons in the war against any cancer, just as important as chemo or radiation.
We've had plenty of stories here about people who were written off a long time ago but are still living healthy lives today. Just know that there are large groups of "numbers" in the real world that aren't included in research because those people simply stopped calling their oncologists.

Dear Katya,

I am just so incredibly happy to hear your wonderful news! Honestly, just keep going exactly like this—wishing you all the best of luck! It really does wonders for the soul when we get such beautiful updates like yours; they truly give us all a little extra hope! kitty thanks

slyseal28 said:In my earlier posts, I mentioned I was working on a site about cancer. Well, the site is pretty much live, and I’d love for you guys to take a look and give me some feedback. As for the content—I don't have every single disease covered yet since I'm still gathering data. If anyone wants to help out with advice or even some harsh criticism, just hit me up.

http://www.carcinoms.com

The site is optimized for Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox

Congrats to everyone who put work into this website!

Nancy Hernandez43, I'm glad things are looking up for you 🙂 just keep doing what you're doing!

Carol Sanchez2 said:Dear Katya,

I am truly pleased to hear your wonderful news. Please, just keep pressing forward; best of luck to you. Positive updates like this are genuinely welcome—they provide us all with a much-needed sense of hope. kitty thanks

Thank you. Mom sends her regards to everyone and insists we all just keep pushing through. She has always had a penchant for self-deprecating humor, so she was actually joking this morning about being completely lost in life... 🙂 But the most vital thing remains—we continue moving forward with the same level of resolve.

slyseal28 said:In my previous posts, I mentioned that I was developing a website focused on malignant diseases. For the most part, the site is finished, and I would truly appreciate it if you could take a look and share your thoughts. Regarding the specific topics covered—I haven't included every single disease yet, as I am still gathering sufficient material. If anyone is willing to offer advice or constructive criticism, please feel free to reach out...

http://www.carcinoms.com

The site has been optimized specifically for Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox

I have reviewed the site, and I must admit, you have done an exceptional job with it. It is concise and highly readable, which is arguably the most vital aspect of such a project...

Thank you!😍

My mom has been feeling absolutely terrible for a few days now😢. She picked up a fever today, though it’s hovering right around 99.3°F. Her breathing is labored—it's like she's gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her blood pressure is totally fine, but her heart rate was spiking up to 120, though it's settled down to about 100 for the moment. We went to see the doctor, and they said there aren't any murmurs; apparently, even though her pulse is fast, it’s a steady rhythm without any arrhythmia. Tomorrow, the home health nurse is coming back to draw blood, and once again, I have to spend the entire day trying to catch a urine sample in a cup. Both of these tasks feel like mission impossible in this twilight zone we're living in.😢
Honestly, I think she needs to be on oxygen. Does anyone know how to get a tank delivered to the house? This local clinic is claiming they can only provide it if she's actually admitted to the hospital.

Hannah Thomas28 said:Please, I need some guidance!
Does anyone here have experience dealing with pancreatic tumors?
My mother was diagnosed with cancer in the head of her pancreas just a month ago. She was admitted to the hospital with "painless" jaundice; we initially assumed it was just gallstones. She has since undergone surgery, and they removed the lymph nodes as a precaution. There are no metastases. Though, from what I gather, the absence of spread isn't necessarily a relief—the fact that the tumor exists at all is devastating enough.
The statistics are utterly soul-crushing. They gave us a window of 2 to 6 months, even though she seems to be doing well right now.
No chemotherapy, no radiation therapy available...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And specifically, *not* to tell her the reality of the situation. Naturally, we’ve been honest with her about everything else, but we’ve kept the grim statistics to ourselves.
The problem is, I cannot find a single success story! Or even someone who lived significantly longer than the predicted timeframe.
I am feeling completely hopeless... This Sickness is overwhelming.

Greetings. One must certainly be vigilant regarding nutrition. Avoid red meat entirely, sticking perhaps only to poultry; consume plenty of bluefish, and lean heavily toward a Mediterranean-style diet—keep everything light. For instance, try an oat mucilage soup, or drink large quantities of fresh vegetable juice—or even that Breussov brand you can find at a pharmacy. Also, the herbal teas recommended by Breuss are exceptionally therapeutic; I find myself relying on them constantly now.
Regarding the pancreatic cancer itself and following the Breuss method—try to drink at least a liter of sage tea daily, whether cold or warm. Just be careful: if you are brewing it for drinking, you must boil it for exactly three minutes. Compresses made from plantain, chickweed, and oats are also recommended. You pour hot water over the plantain and let it sit, while the chickweed and oats should be boiled for ten minutes—but for specific instructions on those compresses, look into the books by the priest Kneipp. You should start these immediately; truly, you have nothing to lose.
As for the full Breuss protocol, you should probably wait about 2 to 5 months after the surgery, depending on how your mother is feeling physically.
Find that Breuss book and study it thoroughly. I hold these methods in very high regard (both the alternative treatments of Breuss and Kneipp) because we managed to stop my mother's constant vomiting using nothing but chickweed tea. In my view, your mother needs to understand her diagnosis, but you must shield her from the statistics, as the outlook for such diagnoses is undeniably bleak. But remember: statistics are merely numbers. You must realize that many people do recover and pull through, but those survivors aren't always captured in the data. You must instill hope in her for a recovery. Please, act quickly. Best regards!

Hannah Thomas28 said:Please help!
Does anyone have experience dealing with pancreatic tumors?
My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the head of the pancreas just a month ago. She was admitted to the hospital with "painless" jaundice; we originally thought it was just gallstones in the bile ducts. She’s had surgery now, and they removed the lymph nodes just to be safe. There are no metastases. Though, from what I can gather, it doesn't even matter if there aren't any—the fact that it's right there in the pancreas is bad enough.
The statistics are devastating. They told us she has maybe 2 to 6 months, even though she actually feels okay right now.
No chemotherapy, no radiation...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And not to tell her! Of course, we told her, but we didn't mention the statistics.
And I can't find a single person who recovered! Or at least someone who survived longer.
I'm hopeless... The Sickness is overwhelming.

Hmm, the pancreas... Since they operated, I assume she underwent some variation of a Whipple procedure to resect the head of the pancreas.
So, the surgery itself went fine...
Statistics say one thing, but every case is unique.
If those numbers come true, then things go exactly as predicted. But if there was no invasion of the lymphatic system or the nerves surrounding the pancreas, that is a positive sign.
Quite often, pathology can't perfectly distinguish between chronic pancreatitis and adenocarcinoma.
I've seen a few people who lived quite a while—after three years, they seemed to be in decent shape. I haven't seen them since.
Any talk of life and death based solely on statistics feels somewhat trivial.
When you have to tell someone they have a tumor that will kill them, yet they continue to live... what then?
It seems to me that tumor tissue behaves like its own separate organ. If it isn't allowed to isolate itself within normal tissue and develop however it wants, perhaps there is still a chance for survival.
Researchers are still trying to find ways at the histological level to curb tumor vascularization and things like that, but... well...
Let her eat normally. At the very least, she should avoid heavy fats and excessive sugar.
She should stick to chicken and fish.
Medical science hasn't put enough effort into studying the pancreas because it lacks a classic capsule, so they tend to view a poor prognosis as an inevitability.
I would advise her to stay as active as possible.

slyseal28 said:http://www.carcinoms.com

This is just fantastic—especially this forum!

We really need to get this page updated. Everyone, please jump in—we need all hands on deck to support those dealing with Sickness and anyone else who might suddenly hit that wall we’ve all become so intimately acquainted with. I promised slyseal28 I’d lend a hand, but now that I'm back home, things have gotten so hectic that I just haven't been able to get moving.😢

Thanks so much!

I picked up some B17, so we'll see how it goes.
I don't know anything about macrobiotics—it doesn't look easy at all...

Hannah Thomas28 said:I really need some help here.
Does anyone have any actual experience dealing with pancreatic tumors?
My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the head of her pancreas just about a month ago. She ended up being admitted to the hospital with what they called "painless" jaundice, and at first, we all just assumed it was a gallbladder issue or stones in the bile ducts. She’s already had surgery, and they went ahead and removed the lymph nodes just to be safe. There aren't any metastases, though from what I can gather, that doesn't necessarily mean much—it's bad enough just having it right there in the pancreas.
The statistics are absolutely devastating. They told us she might only have two to six months, even though she seems to be doing okay right now.
There’s no chemo planned, no radiation...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And specifically told us not to tell her that! Of course, we told her, but we didn't mention the grim statistics.
And I just can't find a single person out there who actually recovered, or even someone who survived longer than expected.
I feel completely hopeless... The Sickness is overwhelming.

It's the exact same thing they're telling me—just let her eat what she wants and let her smoke if she feels like it. Honestly, sometimes I let her, and sometimes I don't. I probably mess up one way or the other constantly, but maybe none of that actually matters in the grand scheme of things. I'm learning this on the fly, going through this for the first and last time, and nobody is an expert here; I've certainly tripped up more times than I care to admit. What am I supposed to do? No one is a machine.
My mother is heading in for her seventh round of chemotherapy tomorrow; she's 72 years old and weighs barely 90 pounds, so you can imagine how difficult that looks. I just finished helping her get cleaned up, and she'll be heading to bed shortly. The doctor mentioned there's going to be a major checkup—X-rays, swabs, blood work, urine tests, the whole works—and she's terrified, wondering why the doctor needs to talk to her and worrying about what else they might find or what if things aren't looking good. Things aren't good. But I just tell her everything is fine, because she's so incredibly suggestible. If I insist that she's doing well, she actually feels better, even if it's just temporary.

No matter how heavy things get, I've never quite lost my hope. I'm not even sure what I'm hoping for, really. As long as she's somewhat okay, I'm content. It's the constant emotional ups and downs that wear me down, but there isn't much else to be done. I've just lit an incense stick and I'm trying to find some calm.😁

You shouldn't dwell too much on the statistics; those are just numbers on a page. People aren't just numbers.

Hang in there, everyone, and a special shout-out to those here who have shared good news.🙂

Angela Wright said:We really need to refresh this page. Come on, everyone, jump in. We need all the help we can get for those dealing with Sickness, and for anyone who suddenly finds themselves backed into a corner—a situation I think most of us here know all too well. I promised slyseal28 I’d lend a hand, but now that I'm back home, things have gotten so busy that I haven't been able to find the momentum to actually get moving.😢

There’s still plenty of time to get involved, so let’s just take it one step at a time. 🙂

Before we go making any major announcements on the site, I’d prefer to flesh out some of the articles where they feel thin. I also want to try reaching out to doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals to bolster our info.

And honestly, this forum needs to breathe again. Please, reach out with your advice, your critiques, or even just more content...

Angela Wright said:We really need to refresh this page. Everyone, please jump in. We need all the help we can get for those suffering from Sickness and everyone who might suddenly find themselves backed into a corner—a situation we’ve all become far too familiar with here. I promised slyseal28 I would help out, but now that I'm back home, things have gotten so busy that I haven't been able to get active at all.😢

I once gave my mother maitake combined with temodal, and it was absolute chaos. First, she became incredibly lethargic; we couldn't wake her up for an entire day and a half. Then, suddenly, she'd snap wide awake...

Try that... but honestly, make sure your mom is stable before you even consider giving it to her.

Angela Wright said:My mother has been feeling absolutely terrible for a few days now😢 . She ran a fever today, even though it was only 99.3°F. She’s gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her blood pressure seems perfectly fine, but her heart rate was racing up to 120 earlier, though it's settled down to around 100. We had a doctor come by to listen, and she noted there were no murmurs; even if the heart is beating faster, she said they are regular beats without any arrhythmia. Tomorrow, a visiting nurse is coming back to draw blood, and once again, I am faced with the impossible task of trying to collect a urine sample in a cup all day long. Both tasks feel like missions in a twilight zone...😢
I honestly think she needs to be put on oxygen. Does anyone know how one goes about getting that at home? My primary care physician claims it can only be provided during hospital treatment.

My heart just aches reading this... I am so sorry you are going through this😢 .

Regarding the oxygen... my grandfather suffered from emphysema and required oxygen, but I cannot quite recall how he managed to secure it. I believe his GP took charge of the situation, and he was eventually able to purchase a machine (he had the means to afford it). Since none of my relatives were directly involved in his medical care, I am at a loss as to who to ask for advice on the process. I truly hope you find a way forward... keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Kisses... stay strong...