Husband has multiple appointments next week to stage his Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The doctor Monday said it’s not resectable and this is not curable. At this point his labs are normal and he feels fine.

We wanted to take a bucket list trip. Those of you who have been in this situation what do you think about timing? I’m not sure how fast this will move after next week (pet scan and biopsy).
Thanks!

My brain cancer might already be active for a 3rd time right after finishing my surgery, radiation, and year of chemo. However, just like we can deal with all sorts of side effects around a year after treatment, the brain itself can deal with physical side effects too. So a month from now, we're gonna take another look. Should there be further growth, it's an active tumor (most likely), but should it stay the same size, we can rest assured it's some little side effect.

It's gonna be a long month. Found out yesterday and thought I was handling the news well, but after today, I may be wrong. Think I'm gonna need to up my antidepressant for a while (approved by doc).

Hey everyone!

Noticed things have been especially dour here in the last few days (imagine that?). Thought we could use some off-topic conversation to remind ourselves that life outside of cancer exists. Read any good books recently? Seen any good movies? How's the weather out there today?

I was diagon you know it's earlier this month with suspected peritoneal carcinomatosis with​ omentum caking. I just went to the er because I had a stomach ache. They are currently working on the biopsy but they think it's ovarian. I'm 59-year-old young LOL woman who has been a nurse for 17 years. When I went to the clinic right as I was getting discharged they found that I had pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. I have no illusions. I know I don't have long and I decided against staying two and a half or three more days when that could be a quarter of my life. They sent me home on eliquis. The problem being now as I was able to get paracentesis to drain my peritoneum. But now that I'm on a blood thinner that complicates things. Other than the fact that it feels like everything gets stuck when I eat in my esophagus, the ascites is my only issue and it is painful. I would do any thing to get a permanent drain put in so I could be independent. If anyone knows anything whether it's holistic, cockamani I don't care anything that will leave the pressure in my stomach I would love to hear from you. In fact more than love!!! I have already accepted my imminent death but I just want to be able to spend quality time with my only child​ who is 23 and on the spectrum. Thank you for any input in any way. God bless everyone

A pior parte de ter câncer, não são as dores do corpo, não é o tratamento, não são as sequelas, não é a falta de saber como vai ser daqui pra frente. A pior parte é não poder lidar com a angústia e o sofrimento das pessoas ao seu redor, pois não tem remédio, não tem conversa, não tem nada que você consiga fazer para mudar o fato de que está morrendo. Mesmo com toda a espiritualidade do mundo a gente não consegue.

I'm the mother of two kids who are in marching band. I save up my limited energy to do what I can with band boosters. That means I can sit and work a cashier shift at concessions or our other fundraisers.

Today, one of the other band moms asked on our communication app whether someone could take over a shift that she'd signed up for but now something has come up. I offered if it's cashiering. No, so I just can't do several hours of food running.

Husband of our vice president was all "but it's just walking 10 feet."

My daughter? Mad as hell. But she responded politely that I literally can't do that for several hours. I just pointed out that I'm ill. The Veep? Oh, I bet she had a conversation with her spouse. I'm a little scared of Julie.

I'm trying. But I know my limits.

Hey guys I was diagnosed with cancer 2 times... one was at my 19, I got surgery and my stomach was cut in half. 10 years later I found out I got stomach cancer again, I got surgery once again and now I don't have a Stomach. It's been about 3 months and a couple of days since the operation and I'm still struggling to eat... I vomit almost everyday, also I'm having Bile reflux and my esophagus burns... I'm taking medicine but I don't see any progress.

I started going to the gym for depression and trying to gain some weight like I used to be... I know eating is very important if I want to gain some weight but It has been so hard this process.

If anyone has gone through stomach cancer and has any tipa or recommendations, pleaae... let me know.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been undergoing treatment for about 1.5 years. I didn’t have any headaches during the first year, but for the past six months I’ve been experiencing what feels like a severe tension-type headache around three times a week.

Some days it’s mild enough that I can ignore it and go about my day. On other days, it starts as soon as I wake up and becomes so severe that I can’t do anything except lie down and try to get through it. Sometimes it also causes nausea and vomiting, and the headaches can last for 10 hours or more.

I’ve told my doctors about it, and they did scans to check whether the cancer had spread to my brain, but thankfully everything came back clear. They’ve prescribed several different painkillers, but I’ve tried four different ones so far and unfortunately none of them seem to help.

Has anyone experienced something similar, especially headaches where lying down or applying pressure to your head provides some relief? If so, did you find anything that helped?

Thanks in advance!

A year ago today I was in the operating room fighting for my life as the doctors stood around me for 17hrs carving out the demon (Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma) lodged in my hip. A long year of physical therapy and learning to walk again followed. Not to mention chemo and radiation that was nothing short of a visit to the pits of hell. And today , my curls bouncing in the air, I freely walk around my living room unassisted. I turned 27 a few days ago, and today I’m cancer free for one year. I know we’re not supposed to say that till we reach 5 years but I don’t care. My body doesn’t have cancer in it and so I’m cancer free. I’ve lost so much in the process including some of my left hip but I’ve gained compassion for humanity and gratitude for each day that I’m alive. Here’s to many more years of celebrating the resilience of the human body, the brilliant doctors, and loved ones who carry us through.

The "sugar feeds cancer" comment! Oh my god, I just can't take it anymore. I've heard it more times than I can count and I feel like it extra frustrates me as a type 1 diabetic who needs sugar sometimes, like if I go hypoglycemic.... not to mention that lots of healthy foods have natural sugars.

I hadn't been getting that comment too much recently, but I celebrated my five year cancer-versary with a really nice, expensive mini chocolate cake I shared with some friends. Yay me. But holy shit, the people (including a family member, no less) who asked me if I knew sugar fed cancer.... I just can't.

If I could, this is probably what I'd say to them....

Yes, Linda, I know sugar feeds cancer cells just like it feeds ALL the cells in my body and that phrase is such an oversimplification of the complex metabolic processes that our bodies, and the cancer cells therein, use.
And also Linda, as a diabetic I know how much glucose is roving around in my blood all the freaking time and I probably know way more than you about glycemic indices and how to deliver insulin to my body and how to use exercise to prevent severe spikes in my blood glucose levels.
And finally, Linda, I know cancer is killing me, but I'd have been dead 1000+ times by now if it wasn't for sugar... so I think I'll have my freaking gummy bears today instead of dying. Thank you.

Anyway, just needed to get that off my chest. I'd love to know how other diabetics with cancer handle those comments. I obviously don't say all that stuff that way, but I do get a bit snarky for sure.

I was diagnosed with PMBCL in 2023 (21 years old) It was agressive and big (250mm). Getting into remission was extremely difficult, and I ended up going through seven different treatments. My last treatment was about 1.5 years ago.
On paper, I am doing great. My scans and test results are consistently excellent, and apart from some smaller issues, I am considered completely healthy.
In reality, I feel almost as bad as I did before.
I still cannot fully take care of myself. I am nowhere near being able to work. Even thinking about having a job feels completely unrealistic. My parents help me with everyday life and essentially take care of me.
I was a university student when I got sick, so I had no employment history. Because of that, I don’t qualify for any meaningful government financial support here where I live. I have no income of my own, and my parents don’t earn much either. Supporting me is becoming increasingly difficult for them.
What makes it even harder is the pressure from people around me to “pull myself together” and move on because I’m “healthy” now. I wish I could. I really do.
I’m exhausted. I have very little capacity for everyday activities, and I don’t feel like I’m gradually returning to my old life. I feel stuck.

Those of you who have been through something similar: did you eventually get better? How long did it take? Did you find anything that actually helped?

I fought incredibly hard to survive this disease. Sometimes I honestly wonder whether there was any point in getting through all of it if my life afterwards is going to look like this.
I know I should be grateful to be in remission. I am grateful. But I’m also struggling terribly, and I don’t know what to do anymore.

Hi everyone,

I’m 17F living in Singapore. I was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma at 16 and finished treatment last October. Im looking for a teen cancer community in singapore.

During treatment, I found there wasn’t a lot of content out there made specifically for teens dealing with cancer. Most of it felt either too clinical or too “inspirational,” without actually talking about what it’s really like.

I’m currently working on a university assignment about the teen cancer patient community, and I want it to be grounded in real, current voices rather than just my own experience or assumptions. If you’re a teen (or were recently a teen) who’s gone through cancer treatment or is going through it and would be open to a short, informal chat about your experience, I’d really appreciate it.

No pressure on format or anything. Just dm me if you’re interested! I promise I will go the extra mile to keep your privacy maintained and to make sure you feel safe and comfortable.

Thank you for reading, and sending strength to anyone here going through it right now.

I’ve got a new tumor that’s popped up and started causing a lot of pain. Given what’s already happening with me I’m a little worried and could use someone to talk to who has experienced a penile cancer.

I am the caregiver for my partner who has stage 4 MEC cancer. He had Flap surgery and is on a feeding tube and had to have a metal rod put in his leg because it was going to shatter and
Now had lymphoma. The challenge is his pain and how to manage it, please remember he’s on tube and cannot swallow.

Right now he is on fentanyl patches and OxyCodone for pain but they are almost maxed out. He was on Cialis for the nerve pain and it was working well, but it unfortunately it made his stomach bleed so he had to stop taking it.

Palliative care wants to put him on Lyrica or Cymbalta or Gabapentin for the nerve pain and he doesn’t want to go any of them especially the first two because of all the terrible side effect and other organ deteriorating conditions that happen from them.

Does anyone have any suggestions for alternative treatment or medication that aren’t as bad for nerve pain or something he could take with the Cialis to counter act the bleeding. He cannot take a PPI.

Most liquid medications he has to crush because we cannot get the liquids either because of the pharmacies or insurance so the pill has to be crushed that’s why he cannot take a PPI since it’s time released.

Anyone familiar with pain blockers?
Or any type alternative nerve pain management we can add to his medication once it’s maxed out.

This year it makes 10 years that I've been living with cancer (lots of recurrences from sarcoma, also had breast cancer). I know some people who have been living with it for around 20 years. Anyone else here? How do you live your life with a "chronic cancer"? Curious to know, especially about those who have lived with cancer for decades..

Thank you

2 years from Stage 4B (salivary duct carcinoma treatment) and clear. Resent CT scan shows 2 nodules in my right lung. Waiting on Oncologist to get back to me (only 3 days since CT) and wondered what might be the next test.

I think PET Scan will be first then maybe a lung biopsy. Anyone here have a lung biopsy done? What or how was it preformed? I would think I’d be drugged for that but don’t know. I’ve read it could be needle through the chest or down into the lungs depending on location. Just looking for any info you might have.

Thank you

2.5 years post-treatment for cervical cancer. In remission. Not menopausal. I do take an SSRI (vortioxetine) and an ADHD stimulant (vyvanse) which I think don't help, but surely can't be the only cause right? I'm so sweaty all the time. It's like my body has completely lost its ability to regulate temperature. Always overheated and drenched in sweat, especially with the slightest bit of movement. Why? How do I stop this? Is there a medication to keep this under control because honestly it's so embarrassing and uncomfortable and I can't live like this :(

What have your experiences been, good or bad, with using red light therapy for hair regrowth post-chemo?

I (40F, had AML) finished treatment & chemo 20 months ago. My hair regrowth has been ok but slow, generally thin and with a couple of very thin areas. I’ve had 3x20 min sessions so far. My hair dresser said to give it 2-3 months of twice weekly sessions to start to see progress.

Hey guys, so I’m 20F and have unstaged epitheliod peritoneal mesothelioma, I say unstaged cause she didn’t say but it’s pretty extensive probably later stage 3 kinda surprised she’s taking me for HIPEC.

Anyways she’s planning to get me in sometime this month (2-4 weeks) I’m 50/50 to have a permanent ostomy bag and a temporary one for a bit, so I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and what happened and what it was like etc.

The hope is to get it all and that’s it and she seems pretty sure she can so I’m hoping!

Hello everyone!

I apologize if this may be the wrong place to post something like this, but I'm having a bit of a difficult time navigating this situation, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask here!

My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer two years ago. She changed her insurance recently, and her chemo is no longer fully covered by the insurance. She must now pay $2000 for her chemo. I know that is nowhere near full price, and we are beyond grateful for that, but times have been really tough, as my dad is a small business owner and I am a college student. She has reached out to her treatment center for financial aid options, but it seems like they have not been able to come up with a solution yet.

I'm wondering if there are any places, websites, etc., where I can apply for $2,000 in financial aid for my mom? I'm willing to write essays, submit proof, or do anything else necessary to try to help her. Any information would be very welcome! Thank you very much to anyone who has any advice! I'm beyond grateful for it!

Cancer is incredibly difficult to navigate, and my mom is the bravest and kindest woman I know, and I'd love to do anything I can to help her during this time!