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

ruggedfox11 said:I guess you'd want to skip the sugar, right? Since everyone says you have to avoid sugar when dealing with candida. Maybe try asking for some artificial saliva from Lop Caphasol instead.

She’s already been diagnosed with both candida and cancer before this.😢

Unfortunately, my dad is dealing with cancer again, this time in his thyroid 😢
Can anyone help me make sense of these biopsy results? I'm trying to figure out what the odds are and how far this has progressed:
Biopsy of a slightly hypervascular node (about 16 mm in diameter) located in the lower pole of the right thyroid lobe (I-II).
Peripheral blood from I-II shows numerous mostly single cells, along with scattered small acinar clusters of mild to moderate pleomorphic oxyphilic cells, some showing binucleation and nuclei mostly positioned at the periphery.
Impression: non-specific neoplasm (differential diagnosis includes Hurtle cell neoplasm and medullary neoplasm).
It's recommended to check serum calcitonin levels followed by PH verification.
If there are any doctors in here, I’d be super grateful for some insight... we're all pretty worried about him...

Jacob Williams7 said:Sadly, my dad is dealing with cancer again, this time in his thyroid. 😢
Can anyone help me make sense of these biopsy results? I'm trying to figure out what the chances are and how far this has progressed:
Fine-needle aspiration of a slightly hypervascularized node (up to 16 mm in diameter) located in the lower pole of the right thyroid lobe (I-II).
I-II peripheral blood, featuring numerous mostly single cells and scattered small acinar clusters of mildly to moderately pleomorphic oxyphilic cells, occasionally showing binucleation with nuclei mostly positioned peripherally.
Impression: neoplasm (differential diagnosis includes Hurtle cell neoplasm and medullary neoplasm).
It is recommended to check serum calcitonin levels followed by PH verification.
If there are any doctors on here, I would be incredibly grateful because our whole family is really worried about him...

Basically, we’re looking at cancer, but in this context, it actually carries a better prognosis regarding disease progression and treatment options.
They say if a tree has to fall, it’s better if it falls this way.
I truly believe my dad won't be the exception to that rule.

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Please, I need some help, advice, or honestly anything at all... my husband was just diagnosed with a throat tumor—squamous cell carcinoma, about 2x2cm. The doctors are recommending surgery to remove his entire larynx and vocal cords, plus an esophageal reconstruction. But here’s the thing, my husband is flat-out refusing the surgery. He won't even talk about his fears or let me help him through this; he just tells me to change the subject every single time. I think he's struggling so much mentally that he just can't face reality, and it shows because he has zero appetite and is having a really hard time swallowing. Tomorrow we have an appointment in Washington, D.C. to see if there's any way to try radiological treatment instead, because he'll do anything to avoid the knife... they mentioned the tumor is stage D4, though I don't fully grasp what that actually means. How am I supposed to handle this? He doesn't want us to pressure him, but everyone keeps telling us that surgery is the best move. I'm right there by his side, ready to support whatever decision he makes, but it's killing me to just sit here and do nothing. Thank you so much in advance, truly, any advice or personal experiences would mean the world to me!

wanderingfox92 said:Please help, advice, anything... My husband was just diagnosed with a 2x2cm squamous cell carcinoma in his throat. The doctors are recommending surgery—removing the entire larynx and vocal cords, plus an esophageal reconstruction. However, my husband is refusing the surgery. He won't even talk about his fears so we can find ways to help him; he just tells me to change the subject. I think he's struggling mentally to accept this; he has no appetite and finds swallowing difficult. Tomorrow we have an appointment in San Francisco to see if radiation is an option, because he’ll do anything to avoid the knife... they mentioned the tumor is stage D4, though I don't quite grasp what that means. How should I handle this? He doesn't want us to pressure him, but everyone keeps saying surgery is the best path forward. I'm by his side through whatever decision he makes, but it's incredibly hard to just sit back and do nothing. Thank you in advance—any advice or shared experiences would mean the world!

Contact their association here: http://www.larynx-hr.org/
In my experience, people respond best to those who have actually walked in their shoes and are living quality lives now.
Ask the association if one of their advocates could visit you at home to sit down and talk with your husband.
Beyond that, you have to give him the breathing room to make his own choice.
If I were in your position, I’d start the conversation like this:
"Look, I know you don't want to talk about this, and honestly, neither do I. I just want to be certain that you’ve truly weighed all the facts and made a rational decision to throw away every real chance you have in favor of a guaranteed death. I will respect your choice, even if it feels like my whole world is collapsing, and I'll have to live with your decision. But don't expect me to provide end-of-life care or change diapers for someone who gave up on themselves and on me at the very first hurdle. If that's your path, please go ahead and arrange your own palliative care immediately, because under these circumstances, I refuse to be part of that. End of story."

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Hey everyone,

I’ve posted here before about this—my mom is dealing with lobular breast cancer. She’s already gone through a mastectomy, six rounds of chemo, and 25 radiation sessions. Since her tumor is hormone-dependent, the plan is to keep her on Tamoxifen. But we hit a bit of a snag with the scheduling. She was given a two-month supply and an appointment for January, but when we sat down and crunched the numbers on the pill count and the days, it looks like there’s going to be a 6-day gap if she starts taking them today. Is it okay to have a little break like that, or should she be taking them constantly without any interruptions? Also, are there any supplements that might help with the side effects? From what I've read, they can be pretty rough, maybe even dangerous, though I know this is an older drug that's been used by tons of patients, so the side effects are well-documented.
On another note, I wanted to ask how hair regrowth usually goes after chemo. My mom’s hair is starting to come back, but it’s just really thin, weak, and patchy in different spots on her scalp... I honestly expected it to look better than this, but it's looking pretty rough, even though it’s been a month and a half since her last chemo session.

briskskipper71 said:Hey everyone,

I’ve posted on this thread before. My mom has lobular breast cancer; she’s already gone through a mastectomy, six rounds of chemo, and 25 radiation sessions. Since her tumor is hormone-dependent, she’s supposed to continue treatment with Tamoxifen. Here’s the thing—she was given a two-month supply and an appointment for January, but when we crunched the numbers and counted the pills, we realized there would be a 6-day gap if she starts taking them today. Is it okay to have a break in the medication, or should she be taking it constantly without any pauses? Also, are there any supplements she can take to mitigate the side effects? Based on what I've read, they could be pretty nasty or even dangerous, though I realize this is a long-standing drug used by tons of patients, so the side effects are well-documented.
I'm also wondering about hair regrowth after chemo. My mom's hair has started coming back, but it's incredibly thin, weak, and patchy across her scalp... I honestly expected it to look better than this, even though it's been a month and a half since her last session.

Take it EXACTLY and ONLY as the oncologist prescribed. For any dilemmas like this, call the oncology department directly—you can ask for advice there. Even the nurses on the floor can give you answers to these kinds of questions.
Regarding boosting immunity with heavy-duty antioxidants, stick to stuff that has FDA approval (usually things you'd find at a reputable pharmacy). Generally speaking, you want to avoid them while actively taking medication because they can interfere with how well the drugs work. With chemotherapy, people usually take them between cycles to help with recovery.

Hair needs time to regenerate, but it will happen. Tell her not to let that be her biggest worry. She should just pick out some nice wigs and a hairstyle that makes her feel good.

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Hey there. If anyone here has experience dealing with someone fighting glioblastoma, or if you've been through it yourself, please reach out via DM... I'm looking for any advice or insight you can offer, and I’ll be checking everyone's messages... I would be so incredibly grateful! Cheers.

Angela Wright said:Hair takes time to grow back, but it eventually will. Honestly, that should be the least of her concerns right now. She might as well just pick out some high-quality wigs or find a chic new haircut that suits her better.

I actually know two women who survived breast cancer. It took quite a while for their hair to start coming back, but like you said, they had much bigger fish to fry...
Interestingly enough, one of them ended up with a completely different hair texture and color after chemo than what she had before. It was a total transformation. :confused:

Hi everyone on this thread. I’ve been lurking here for a while now, but I finally decided to register because I have a question.

It’s about my mom. She’s in the advanced stages of lung cancer. Because of metastasis in her esophagus, she’s been on a liquid diet for at least two or three months now. About two or three weeks ago, she started using opioid patches. Between all of that—plus the chemotherapy she still has coming—she hasn't had a bowel movement in two or three weeks.

We’ve tried almost everything: herbal teas, castor oil, glycerin suppositories, laxative solutions, senna, probiotics... nothing works. Does anyone have any ideas or experience we could try before we can see the doctor? My GP and the pharmacist suggested these options, but none of them are helping. Thanks.

urbanharbor15 said:Hey everyone! I’ve been lurking here for a while, but I finally decided to sign up because I really need some advice.

It’s about my mom. She’s dealing with advanced lung cancer, and because it’s metastasized to her esophagus, she’s been on a very restrictive diet for at least two or three months now. About two or three weeks ago, she started using opioid patches. Between all of that—and the fact that she still has chemo sessions coming up—she hasn't had a bowel movement in two or three weeks.

We feel like we’ve tried everything under the sun: mountain teas, castor oil, glycerin suppositories, laxative solutions, senna, probiotics... nothing works. Does anyone have any ideas or personal experiences we can try before we can get her back in front of the doctor? My primary care physician and the pharmacist both suggested what we've already tried, but we're hitting a wall. Thanks.

You could try using liquid glycerin in a 2ml syringe and administering it rectally. You can even do it multiple times. It’s a much more effective option than just using standard glycerin suppositories.
If that doesn't do the trick, your only other move might be picking up an enema kit from a pharmacy.
If even that fails, you're likely looking at a physical blockage.

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Thanks, Angela Wright. We actually saw the gastroenterologist yesterday, and they recommended the exact same enema approach... so I went ahead and arranged for a home health nurse to come by our place.

Hey there,

If anyone out there knows anything about alternative treatments that actually work for bone metastases—specifically when it hits the ribs and the spine—I’d really appreciate the insight.

So, here's the deal: my dad was diagnosed this year with advanced microcellular lung cancer. It’s pretty heavy stuff—the entire left lung is hit, especially around the upper lobe and right along the interlobar fissure, plus the thoracic lymph nodes are involved too.
So, there we go. Absolutely zero changes in the bone window.

It’s been a week since the diagnosis came in. Right after the cytology report hit, we jumped straight into treatment. We started chemo immediately—six rounds total—but we’re also running an alternative protocol on the side, using chlorophyll, royal jelly, and Mycosan medicinal mushrooms (which later turned into Cordyceps and Maitake).
Had my follow-up CT scan yesterday... lungs are completely clear of any cancer, lymph nodes look good too... all organs and major blood vessels came back clean as well.
No, they actually found metastases in the ribs and vertebrae, which aren't causing any symptoms right now. Honestly, nobody would have even known they were there if she hadn't had that CT scan yesterday, especially since the previous bone scan came back totally clear.
Even so, the oncologist is totally stoked with how the last round of treatment went.

Of course, we’re planning on using radiation to tackle the metastases, but just like we did with the primary cancer, we're looking at bringing in some alternative treatments to run alongside it as a combo.
Based on that, can anyone suggest an alternative way to deal with those metastases? Maybe a different mushroom, specifically Reishi... or something like that?

Jason Nelson63 said:Hello,

I was wondering if anyone might know which alternative therapies are worth considering when dealing with bone metastases—specifically in the sternum and the vertebrae.

To give you some context, my father was diagnosed earlier this year with advanced small cell lung cancer. It involves the entire left lung—mostly concentrated in the upper lobe and heavily along the interlobar borders—as well as the thoracic lymph nodes.
At the time, everything looked fine on the bone scans.

Just a week after the diagnosis, once we had the cytology results back, we started chemotherapy immediately. He’s completed six rounds now, and we’ve been running an alternative regimen alongside it—using things like chlorophyll, royal jelly, and medicinal mushrooms (we started with Mykosan, then moved on to Cordyceps and Maitake).
We just had a follow-up CT scan yesterday... and the results were incredible. The lungs are completely clear of carcinoma, the lymph nodes too... even all the organs and major blood vessels look clean.
However, the metastases mentioned earlier (the sternum and vertebrae) are still visible, though they aren't causing any symptoms right now. Honestly, no one would have even known they were there if we hadn't done that CT, since his previous scans showed nothing unusual in the bones.
That said, the oncologist is extremely pleased with how he's responded to the treatment so far.

Naturally, we are planning to treat those metastases with radiation, but much like we did with the primary tumor, we want to integrate some alternative support as well...
So, does anyone have recommendations for alternatives specifically targeting those bone lesions? Perhaps a different mushroom, maybe Reishi... or something similar?

All I can say is, I wish you the best of luck. Please, insist on getting a head CT and discuss preventative brain radiation if the head area looks clear—this disease loves to migrate to the brain.
Keep a close eye on infections, blood sugar levels, and thrombosis risks; please make sure to study the early warning signs of sepsis. I really hope your doctor is keeping a close watch on his LDH levels.
Again, wishing you strength. And honestly? Don't throw your money away on overpriced supplements. That's just my sincere advice.

Jason Nelson63 said:Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone could suggest some effective alternative treatments for bone metastases (specifically in the sternum and vertebrae).

To give you some context, my dad was diagnosed earlier this year with advanced small cell lung cancer. The entire left lung was affected—mostly in the upper lobe and heavily concentrated near the interlobar area—along with involvement in the thoracic lymph nodes.
At the time, everything looked fine in the bone window on his scans.

Just a week after the diagnosis, once we had the cytology results back, we started chemo immediately. He’s completed six rounds now. Alongside the chemo, we’ve been using alternative supplements: chlorophyll, royal jelly, and medicinal mushrooms—starting with Mycosan, then moving on to Cordyceps and Maitake.
We just had a follow-up CT scan yesterday... the lungs are completely clear of cancer, the lymph nodes are too... all organs and major blood vessels look clean as well.
However, the metastases mentioned before (in the sternum and vertebrae) are visible, though they aren't causing any symptoms yet. Honestly, nobody would have even known they were there if we hadn't done that CT, since his previous scans showed nothing wrong with the bones.
Despite this, his oncologist is incredibly pleased with how he's responded to the treatment so far.

Naturally, we're planning to treat the metastases with radiation, but much like we did with the primary tumor, we want to integrate a combination of alternative therapies...
So, can anyone recommend an alternative specifically for targeting those bone metastases? Maybe a different type of mushroom, like Reishi... or something similar?

Bone metastases usually won't show up on standard imaging unless you're looking at a bone scan or perhaps a targeted RTG of a specific skeletal area. A bone scan is what covers the whole skeleton.
Bone metastases, particularly those stemming from small cell lung cancer, are highly radiosensitive and can be successfully treated with targeted radiation doses.
For both the bone scan and radiation therapy, you really need to coordinate directly with your oncologist.
As for alternative treatments, there is an entire sub-forum dedicated to that topic, so check the main page of the forum.
Discussing alternatives here in the health section is considered off-topic.
Actually, everything you mentioned you're currently using falls under "complementary supplements"—they're dietary additions rather than true "alternatives." True alternative medicine refers to anything that lacks scientifically proven efficacy or safety data. The mushrooms you listed contain beta-glucan, which is a potent antioxidant and immune booster; that's actually the most critical part of the whole equation when it comes to boosting immunity and neutralizing free radicals. You can find concentrated extracts of this at most pharmacies.

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Do you guys think it’s actually necessary to go ahead with preventive brain radiation if the brain scans come back totally clear, especially since that primary tumor they found at month 7 is gone now?

Regarding the supplements, I honestly think they made a difference. If I remember correctly, the whole point of chemo is basically to stop the cancer from spreading... but after just two rounds of chemo, the lung X-ray already showed massive improvement. Now, looking at the CT scan, it seems we managed to wipe out the primary cancer entirely within 4.5 months...

ruggedfox11 said:I’ll just tell you straight: stay sharp and insist on a head CT and preventive brain radiation if the head is clear. This bastard loves the brain.
Watch out for infections, blood sugar, thrombosis—actually look up the early signs of sepsis. I hope your doctor is keeping an eye on your LDH.
Good luck again, and don't waste your money on those overpriced supplements. Just being honest.

Angela Wright said:Bone metastases can't be spotted on just any scan—you really need a bone scan, or maybe an RT if you're targeting a specific part of the skeleton. A bone scan covers the whole thing.
Bone mets, especially those from microcellular lung cancer, are super radiosensitive and respond really well to radiation doses.

Alright, great if they're actually that sensitive...
The doctors told us it was definitely metastases based solely on the CT scans... both the oncologist and the radiology team... probably just from seeing it happen to previous patients, so they can call it. Plus, the CT report explicitly says "multiple secondary lesions."
As for supplements, we just call them "alternative stuff" at home because we sourced them ourselves from various places, rather than being told to take them by an oncologist or seeing them listed under therapy on the discharge papers or whatever... but honestly, it doesn't matter, what matters is that it worked. 👍

Thanks for the reply

Quote: my Soul

Jason Nelson63 said:Do you think it’s actually necessary to go through with preventative brain radiation if everything comes back clear—meaning, if the scans show the brain is clean—especially since that primary tumor diagnosed seven months ago isn't even there anymore?

Regarding the supplements—I honestly believe they’ve made a genuine difference. If I recall correctly, the primary goal of chemotherapy is to halt the spread of the cancer, right? Well, after just two rounds of chemo, even the lung X-ray showed an incredible improvement... which is such a relief. Now, we're just waiting on the CT scan to see if we actually managed to clear the primary carcinoma from her system entirely within this 4.5-month window. Fingers crossed.

Take it from me—this isn't just a suggestion; it’s something I’ve learned through firsthand experience. Besides, that is exactly how the protocol is designed to work.

Jason Nelson63 said:Do you guys think preventive brain radiation is actually necessary if the scans show the brain is clear, especially since the primary tumor diagnosed seven months ago is completely gone?

Regarding the supplements, I honestly believe they made a massive difference. If I recall correctly, the whole point of chemo is primarily to stop the cancer from spreading... well, after just two rounds of chemo, the lung RTG alone showed incredible improvement. Now, looking at the CT scan, it seems we managed to wipe out the primary carcinoma entirely within 4.5 months...

I was feeling incredibly conflicted about this too when ruggedfox11 brought up the option they were offering them. But after doing some digging on Google, I found data showing it really is effective. The dose of radiation being used here is significantly lower than what’s typically used to treat metastatic disease where the end results are hit-or-miss.

The goal of chemotherapy is to get the disease into remission—at the very least. Anything beyond that is just a bonus.
Whatever path you choose, stick to it.

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Hi everyone, I’m looking for some help here.
My dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer two months ago, and they had to perform surgery to remove his stomach, gallbladder, and spleen.
Cancer cells were found in two lymph nodes, so he completed chemotherapy following the Mayo Clinic protocol.

His oncologist sent him for an MSCT of the abdomen and pelvis, and the results showed the following:



Could someone please help me make sense of this? We have to wait until January 24th for the PET scan.