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

Hey hollowridge88, I really hope someone jumps in here who actually knows their stuff about this. Sadly, I knew a lady who dealt with the exact same thing your mom is going through—she was vomiting just like that right before she lost her fight with the illness. Obviously, everyone's situation is different. What are the doctors telling you guys? I am so incredibly sorry you're dealing with this. Hang in there, truly, because I know exactly how heavy this all feels right now.

Mom is throwing up bile—it looks like everything is affected... unfortunately, there isn't much we can do besides keeping her hydrated with IV drips and making sure she gets tiny amounts of food spread out across the entire day... you know how it goes.😢

My father-in-law is finally heading home today after being stuck in the hospital for two months and a week 😁.
He’s eating normally and seems to be feeling alright, though we are a bit concerned about some occasional hiccups he's having; his wife is worried they might be a sign of metastases.
We'll find out more later today once he gets his test results back and has a chance to sit down and talk with the doctor.
We're also trying to figure out our next move—should we wait until he recovers just a little bit more before seeing the oncologist, or should we head straight there now?

Amanda Miller69 said:My father-in-law is finally heading home today after being stuck in the hospital for two months and a week.😁.
He’s eating normally and feeling alright, but we’re a bit worried about this occasional hiccuping—his wife is terrified it might be a sign of metastases.
We’ll know more later today once he gets his test results back and sits down to talk with the doctor.
Also, we’re debating whether to wait for him to get a bit stronger before seeing the oncologist, or if we should just jump straight to the appointment right away.

Thank God! 🙂.
If those hiccups turn into a recurring issue, I know you can pick up some affordable medication over in Mexico to help regulate them (I think they cost around $6.75), but for the life of me, I can't recall the name.

My son, who’s currently in medical school, just finished talking with an oncologist. It sounds like chemo is definitely off the table, so radiation is the move, though they won't have the final word until they review the lab results.
Since I haven't personally dealt with the fallout from radiation before—my mother only ever went through chemo—what kind of side effects should we be bracing for? And more importantly, what can we do to make them more manageable?
On another note, my mother-in-law is insisting on giving him some Nonij juice. I did a little digging online and couldn't find anything saying it would cause harm, but I'm wondering how much actual benefit it provides? We're also considering giving him some Native propolis and perhaps some beet, carrot, or apple juice, depending on what he can stomach (he's incredibly stubborn, so I basically have to negotiate every single thing with him).
He still has his immune support syrup left, and my mother-in-law has some aloe vera juice that a woman she knows prepared. My concern here is that this specific juice contains alcohol (wine)—is that something he should avoid entirely during treatment?

Even though I already navigated this whole nightmare with my mother, I feel like I'm right back at square one, knowing absolutely nothing.

Hey Zachary Howard2, my oncologist actually told me I need to watch out with Nano Sok because it can totally mess up my liver enzymes.

My mother used to take Nonii, and besides the fact that she’s already dealing with papilloma, it absolutely trashed her liver. Another catch with Nonii is that since it grows in volcanic soil, it can end up packed with heavy metals. Apparently, the Tahitian stuff is the authentic version and is supposedly metal-free, but I think it costs about $53 a liter, and you're forced to buy them in six-bottle packs. One bottle lasts maybe a week or so. And the taste? Honestly, it's revolting. My rule of thumb is that herbal supplements should come from plants native to our own neck of the woods. Plus, don't overdo it—don't take more than three different supplements at once. Personally, I’d stick to Propolis and Beta Glucan, and maybe keep the door open for some high-strength probiotics later on.
Radiation doesn't really have many side effects, aside from maybe some fatigue or potential skin burns, which shouldn't be treated with anything except a liquid called Gentian Violet, if I recall correctly.

I finally received my pathology report and discharge papers, which state:

Dx: Distal esophagus cancer, 15.5cm
History of acute renal insufficiency N17.9
Stage: IIIC, T3N3M0

The stage itself seems clear enough, but could someone explain what the designation T3N3M0 actually signifies?

PHD:
1. Squamous cell carcinoma
Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma involving lymph nodes
2. Metastatic lymph node carcinoma
3. Lymph node metastatic carcinoma

Final Statement: Well-differentiated (G1) squamous cell carcinoma, pT3N3, presence of lymphovascular and perineural invasion, resection margins are clear of tumor.

I would really appreciate a little clarification on what "lymphovascular and perineural invasion" means, along with a brief overview of the rest.
It looks to me like we're dealing with esophageal cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, but I would love it if someone could walk me through the details.

Amanda Miller69 said:I finally got my test results and discharge papers, which state:

Dx: Npl.esophagus distalis C 15.5
St.post acute renal insufficiency N17.9
Stage: IIIC, T3N3M0

The stage makes sense to me, but what does the T3N3M0 notation actually signify?

Pathology Report:
1. squamous cell carcinoma
metastatic squamous cell carcinoma involving lymph nodes
2. metastatic lymph node carcinoma
3. lymph node metastatic carcinoma

Final Statement: squamous cell carcinoma, well-differentiated (G1), pT3N3, presence of lymphovascular and perineural invasion, resection margins are clear of tumor.

I would just appreciate a little clarification on what lymphovascular and perineural invasion mean, along with a brief summary of the rest.
I gather this is esophageal cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, but I would love it if someone could explain it in more detail.

T3 refers to the size of the primary tumor (I assume we're looking at something larger than 5 cm here), N3 indicates the number or degree of lymph node involvement around the tumor, and M0 means no distant metastases were found. You can find more info here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/f...ection/staging
As for the rest, if I’m reading this correctly as a layperson, it describes involvement of the lymphatic vessels, and that perineural invasion (PNI) means malignant cells are located around or along the nerves. That isn't exactly the best news either, because it suggests the tumor might have an easier path to spreading further by bypassing natural barriers. Now, whether removing the tumor eliminates that risk entirely or if the threat still lingers, I honestly couldn't say.

Back at work as of this morning. My dad passed away on August 22nd after an eight-month, grueling battle against a much more powerful opponent 😢 — though it turns out he was way more formidable than we realized, despite everything he fought through with our constant support by his side.

Work feels absolutely miserable right now... it’s just hard. 😢 Honestly, the worst part is dealing with certain colleagues who—without a shred of shame—are now wandering the hallways offering me their "condolences." It’s been nearly three weeks since this whole tragedy happened, and these people didn't even show up to the funeral or stop by the house to pay their respects, which is the standard thing to do here. Now, they act like they care. 😢 I really don't get it—am I expecting too much from people, or is this just how things are?

To those of you still fighting your own battles with illness—I truly hope you're winning—please forgive me for weighing you down with my own stuff. It’s just one of those things that unfortunately lands on some of our plates too.

Wishing everyone the best... and I really hope things don't end the way they did for my dad.

Brenda Foster29 said:Back at work as of this morning. My dad passed away on August 22nd after an eight-month grueling battle against a much stronger opponent 😢 — it turns out the enemy was far more powerful than we realized, despite everything he fought through and all our help.

Work feels awful right now, it’s heavy... 😢 The worst part is dealing with colleagues who, without any shame, are now offering me their condolences in the hallways. It's been nearly three weeks since this tragedy happened, and they didn't even bother to show up to the funeral or visit the house to pay respects, yet here they are acting sympathetic. 😢 I honestly don't get it—am I expecting too much from people?

My apologies to those of you still fighting your own battles with illness—I hope you're winning—for burdening you with my stuff, though unfortunately, these things hit some of us just as hard.

Good luck to everyone... and may yours not end the way my father's did.

Well, maybe people were just on vacation... honestly, it doesn't matter, it wouldn't make the pain any less intense anyway. I can't even remember who showed up for my mom's service. People do these things for themselves, not for the deceased; the departed doesn't care about any of it.
Accept my condolences, whatever they may be, and just keep moving forward. Peace be with you, dear. Everything is still so raw, and it’s going to be incredibly tough, especially during this first year. Eventually, you slowly learn to live with the new reality.
I'm glad you stopped by. See you over at Psychologica; there's a good topic coming up for venting it all out. 🙂

Thanks, Angela Wright. 🙂

You've got a point there—but honestly, when the pain hits that hard, it’s pretty much impossible to hide it. 😢

I'll pop back over to that thread as soon as I track it down.

Hi everyone, I’ve been following this thread for about a month now, so I figured I’d finally jump in and say a few words. My dad had surgery for kidney cancer seven years ago—they had to remove the kidney entirely. Everything went smoothly back then, and we’ve just done checkups twice a year for the last seven years. Everything seemed great, but then, during an ultrasound a few months ago, they noticed a recurrence right where the original tumor was. A CT scan confirmed it... the cancer is back. Dad is heading in for surgery again this week. I’m 155 miles far away... I don't even know what to tell you. If it wasn't for this forum, things would probably be even harder for me.

silentjackal12 said:Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking here for about a month now reading through this whole thread, so I figured it was finally time to chime in. My dad had surgery for kidney cancer seven years ago—they had to take the whole kidney out. Everything went smoothly back then, and for seven years, he just did check-ups twice a year. Everything seemed perfect. But then, a few months ago during an ultrasound, they spotted a recurrence right where the original tumor was. The CT scan confirmed it... the evil is back. He’s heading in for surgery again this week. I’m 155 miles far away... honestly, what can I even say? If it weren't for this forum, things would feel even heavier right now.

Hang in there. I really hope there aren't any metastases... that's just how it goes, isn't it? It's a constant battle against these bastards because there's never a guarantee they won't come crawling back.

Brenda Foster29 said:Thanks, Angela Wright. 🙂

You've got a point, but when you're in intense pain, trying to hide it is an uphill battle. It’s just not easy. 😢

I'll circle back to this thread as soon as I track it down.

😘

Angela Wright said:Hang in there. I really hope there aren't any metastases... It's just one of those things, an endless fight against this thing because there's never a guarantee it won't come back.

Thanks, Angela, but the bad news just keeps coming. They did more scans on Dad today, and they found a tumor on his other kidney that had seemed "healthy" until now. Tomorrow they’re doing a CT scan on his lungs because they're suspicious of that too. He's scheduled for surgery this Wednesday, though they don't even know how it'll go until they actually open him up. I can't believe it spread this fast; at the start of the year, his results were great and his kidney levels were clear, but now 🤷

If anyone here has experience working with Prof. Rotim, please shoot me a private message. I know he’s an absolute top-tier expert, but we're dealing with something else entirely here.
Hang in there, everyone. My heart goes out to you—I know exactly how heavy this feels, as my own mom is currently fighting a brain tumor.

My dad didn't go through with the surgery because the doctors decided his lungs were just too weak to handle it. They’ll be deciding on the next steps for his treatment today. I guess we'll see how things unfold from here...

silentjackal12 said:Dad didn't go through with the surgery because they decided his lungs were just too weak to handle it. They’ll be deciding on the next steps for his treatment today. I honestly have no idea how we move forward from here...

I'm not entirely sure how they classify a recurrence—whether it's treated as a metastasis or a brand-new primary site. If they categorize this as metastatic disease, then he should be looking at getting Sutent or Nexavar. You absolutely need to ask if he qualifies for those specific drugs, and if they say no, find out exactly why.

What has everyone’s experience been like with Beta Glucan?
Today we picked up the American version from Transfer point for my father-in-law, the 500 mg dose.
My sister-in-law mentioned that a nutritionist she knows—someone who supplies local pharmacies—told her you shouldn't touch it without consulting an oncologist first, claiming it might actually encourage cancer to spread. I mean, hello? That sounds like a pretty bizarre claim to me 😲.
I told her she probably misunderstood the advice. As far as I know, you aren't supposed to use it during active chemotherapy or radiation because it could interfere with those treatments, but it's perfectly fine to take during the breaks or otherwise.
It’s relatively pricey ($213, 60 capsules), so we’ll see if it actually makes a difference (assuming my father-in-law isn't too stubborn to actually take it; thank God, at least the Native started taking his supplements).
On another note, he keeps getting this bitter taste in his mouth and feels nauseous from time to time... does anyone have any idea what might be causing that?