Support for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses (Part II)

Terry Lopez18, please accept my deepest and most sincere condolences. Given everything, he passed in the best way possible—just like my own mother did. May he rest in peace, and I truly hope you find some peace in your heart so you can get through his funeral with the dignity and courage he deserves. You said your goodbyes in the most beautiful way, and believe me, he knew you were there and he heard you. Lay him to rest, then move forward with your head held high, honoring both him and yourself. This experience has shaped you into a stronger, better person, primarily for your own sake. It’s changed you forever, and in time, you’ll realize just how much.
Sending love. ❤

Terry Lopez18, please accept my deepest condolences. I am just relieved to hear you were spared the physical pain at least. Sending you a lot of love, even though we haven't officially met—every heartbreaking update on this thread hits me right in the gut.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I honestly hate being in this thread.
To be perfectly honest, I hate that any of us ever have to be here at all, and I truly wish we could just exist without needing this space... but when things get tough, you all provide such incredible support and comfort.

About two months ago, my mother-in-law had surgery to remove a massive 10kg tumor from her abdomen.
They ended up removing her uterus, her ovaries, and most significantly, her right kidney.

From what we understand, everything seems to have started with that kidney.

The oncologist hasn't prescribed anything yet, and that’s where my doubts really start creeping in... I mean, how can someone have a tumor that large removed without being put on some kind of follow-up therapy, especially with how advanced drugs like Sutent have become these days?

If anyone happens to know more about how Sutent works or the process for getting it, please let me know, because it feels so strange to me that she wasn't offered it. From what I've been reading, if there are any lingering metastases, this drug is designed to wipe them out without harming the healthy cells.

After dealing with a tumor of that magnitude, I find myself wondering which oncologist would actually dare to say there aren't any remaining metastases left behind?

Are there certain situations where a patient simply can't be prescribed Sutent? I'm just not sure...

I'm sending so much strength to everyone here, and I truly hope that as many stories as possible end on a high note.

driftingbear20 said:Don't take this the wrong way, but I absolutely hate being in this thread.
Honestly, I hate that any of us even have to be here. I wish this community didn't need to exist, but when things get heavy—and they get very heavy—you all provide such incredible support and comfort.

Two months ago, my mother-in-law had surgery to remove a massive 10kg tumor from her abdomen.
They had to remove her uterus, ovaries, and most critically, her right kidney.

Supposedly, everything started with the kidney.

The oncologist hasn't prescribed anything yet. And that’s where my doubts start creeping in... how can you have a tumor that size, pull it out, and not be put on any kind of therapy? Especially nowadays, when we have smart drugs like Sutent available?

If anyone knows anything more about this drug or how to get access to it, please speak up. It feels incredibly strange to me that she wasn't prescribed it. From what I've been reading, if there's any lingering metastasis, this stuff wipes it out without touching the healthy cells.

After a mass that large, what kind of oncologist would actually dare to gamble and say there aren't any remaining metastases left behind?

Are there certain patients who just can't be prescribed Sutent for various reasons? I honestly don't know...

I'm wishing all of us so much strength, and I hope as many cases as possible end with a positive outcome.

The real question is: what specific type of tumor are we talking about? Sutent is typically prescribed for metastatic renal carcinoma. If it's a sarcoma that originated in the kidney, then no, it wouldn't be used.
Right now, I'm working with very little information to go on. It would be a huge help if you could share the pathology report.
Given the sheer size of the tumor, it sounds like it might not be high-grade malignancy—meaning it might be slow-growing. In my experience, massive tumors are often benign in nature.

Terry Lopez18... I am truly sorry. Please accept my deepest condolences...

Hi everyone. I’ve been lurking here for quite some time, reading through all your posts, but I just couldn't find the right moment to actually chime in. Long story short, my dad was diagnosed with a tumor in his submandibular gland, and he underwent surgery today.
The doctors mentioned they managed to get everything out, though apparently there was more tumor present than what the CT scan initially indicated.
They had to perform a total dissection of the left side of his neck and removed a significant portion of his jaw.

We’re currently waiting on the pathology report to confirm the exact type of tumor so we can figure out the next steps. It's looking like radiation will be necessary, followed by jaw reconstruction depending on how he progresses.
It’s going to be a very long road ahead for us. I hate to say this—and thank God it doesn't apply to those of you reading this—but all the experiences shared on this forum have helped me stay level-headed. It kept me from spiraling into worst-case scenarios and allowed us to focus immediately on boosting his immune system and doing whatever else is within our power. So, thank you.

Terry Lopez18, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences.

Dad was supposed to head in for his final chemo session today, but they ended up pushing it back a few days because his blood counts were looking pretty rough. He did get a transfusion, which helped him feel a bit better physically, though mentally... well, he’s having a hard time. 😢

Robin Diaz4 said:Dad was supposed to head in for his final chemo session today, but they actually had to push it back a few days because his blood counts were looking pretty rough. He did receive a transfusion, which has helped him feel a bit better physically—but mentally? Not so much. 😢

Are you giving him any juice blends—maybe carrot, apple, lemon, and honey? My husband’s red blood cell count shot up like crazy after we started doing that...
And honestly, some bacon and popcorn can work wonders for white blood cells too.

Robin Diaz4 said:Dad was supposed to go in for his final chemo session today, but they pushed it back a few days because his blood counts were looking pretty grim. He had a transfusion, so physically he’s feeling a bit better. Mentally? Not so much. 😢

What exactly went wrong with the blood work? If we have any insight that might help... there are more of us here to weigh in. 😉

Terry Lopez18 I was reading through your story and your family's journey... I am so sorry it ended this way. I imagine things feel incredibly heavy right now, but I hope you can eventually find some peace in knowing he isn't suffering anymore. 🙂

Rachel Williams said:Where exactly are we stuck with the blood work? If we have any clue what's going on, maybe we can actually be useful... there are more of us here than just one person, after all.😉

Terry Lopez18 I was reading through your story... I am so incredibly sorry things turned out this way. I imagine things feel impossibly heavy right now, but I truly hope you can find some small measure of peace in knowing that your dad isn't suffering anymore.🙂

Platelets. 😢 I've been scouring the internet, but honestly, I haven't found anything remotely helpful regarding how to prevent issues or speed up the recovery process.
I’m starting to panic a bit because of the delay...

ruggedfox11 said:Are you giving him beet, carrot, apple, lemon, and honey juice? It sends my husband's red blood cell count through the roof...
And bacon and popcorn for the white blood cells, apparently.

He won't touch beets because they trigger his gag reflex. Honestly, it does the same to me, so I can certainly empathize. Instead of beets, he’s sticking to berries. As for the bacon, we’ll be enjoying that together. 🙂
That said, his white blood cell count hasn't been an issue from the get-go, nor have the red blood cells; his real struggle has always been the platelets.

Robin Diaz4 said:He won't touch beets because they trigger his gag reflex—honestly, I'm the same way, so I completely get it. Instead, he sticks to berries. We usually have bacon together. 🙂
That said, his white blood cell count hasn't been an issue from the get-go, and his red blood cells are mostly fine; the real struggle has always been his platelets.

Almost everything mentioned is part of our daily diet, but just so you know—not through some flashy commercial, mind you—but based on actual nutritional lists meant to boost platelet counts :-)

https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-to-boost-platelets

Robin Diaz4 said:He won't touch beets because they trigger his gag reflex. Honestly, I get it—I'm the same way. He just sticks to berries instead. We usually eat bacon together. 🙂
The thing is, his white blood cell count hasn't been an issue from the jump, and his red blood cells are mostly fine; it's the platelets that are giving him trouble.

Platelets can be boosted via transfusion too, though doctors don't pull that lever very often because of the risk of nasty allergic reactions. They basically wait until the numbers bottom out before intervening.
For now, he should just stick to eating fruit, especially blueberries and blackberries.

Robin Diaz4 said:Platelets. 😢 I've been scouring the internet but honestly haven't found anything useful about how to stop this from happening or what can be done to speed up the recovery process.
Now I'm just getting really anxious because of the delay...

My dad used to deal with his platelet counts dropping super low too, so they’d end up pushing back his chemo sessions by a few days. Then, just a couple of days later, they’d bounce right back up like nothing even happened, without us having to change a single thing about his diet or anything else! Our doctor explained that it's just a totally normal side effect of the chemo treatments.
Hang in there...

ruggedfox11 said:We basically go through this whole list on a daily basis, but honestly, forget about those fancy supplements or influencers—what we actually need is just a solid grocery list of foods that boost platelet counts. :-)

https://www.herbalmedicine.com/advice...natural-pathway

I feel like this article should really be titled: "Food items my dad wouldn't touch even if his life depended on it" (though, granted, he’ll still eat meat, eggs, and fish).

Robin Diaz4 said:I feel like this article should just be titled: Food items my dad wouldn't touch even if his life depended on it—though, to be fair, he'll still eat meat, eggs, and fish.

Hahahhahha, man, you really cracked me up.

Greetings,

My mother has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I have attached the medical reports, and unfortunately, the results are quite concerning. I would truly appreciate any insight or perspectives from others here who might have gone through something similar.

Thank you in advance.

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ruggedfox11 said:Hahahhahha, oh man, you actually have me laughing here.

Is your husband at least even slightly less difficult about food than my father was? I find it absolutely impossible to get him to eat anything remotely healthy. He’s been a picky eater his whole life, but now it’s reached a whole new level of stubbornness. On the bright side, he does love fruit—so at least he's getting some vitamins in without having to swallow a pill. This article mentions the importance of omega-3 fatty acids. Should I just buy him supplements to cover that gap? Also, is it okay to take those while undergoing chemo, or is there some risk that they act like an antioxidant that might interfere with the treatment?

Justin Lopez11 said:Hello,

My mom has pancreatic cancer. I've attached the test results, and they aren't looking good at all. I'm hoping someone else on the forum can weigh in with their perspective.

Thanks in advance.

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What is there even to say? 😥 It is what it is. You need to get that lung CT scan done and then just gear up for the fight—whatever God decides happens next.
When dealing with pancreatic cancer, especially at this stage where secondary issues have already cropped up, you're often just finding out because the disease is so incredibly sneaky. It hides until it's far too late.