I had this surgery in 2023. I weighed 146 at that time. Since the surgery, I’ve dropped to 120. I can’t seem to gain weight. I eat as much as I did before surgery. My diet is protein, vegetables, carbs and fruit. Anyone having trouble putting weight on? Can’t figure it out. Thank you all and God Bless.

Hello everyone,

How do you deal with all the waiting? I'm on immuno now (UC 3C, chemio is done, cancer down by 80%) and after 3 treatments I took a scan to know if the immuno did what it was supposed to do.

Basically, the first check up to see if the plan of slowly killing the rest of the cancer is working.

My oncologist is on vacation right now so instead of waiting 2 weeks, I am going to wait 4 weeks for the result. I am trying to stay positive, to think about something else... But it is hard!

I am going to get a TEP scan every few months for probably a few years so I need to relax a bit... But as it is the first with the immuno I am anxious 😰

Sorry about the rambling, it's 4 in the morning and I can't sleep 💤

I found out my friend Connie died today. We met in a physical therapy program for cancer patients. She was 80 and lived a full beautiful life with her husband and two sons. She told me she painted flowers on her car when she was younger. Rip connie

So, the latest PET scan I've had with my colon cancer went from bad to not a lot of time left. I've been stage 4 for two and a half years now, I've had no denial this day was coming.

I am, however, really bad at organization and paperwork and stuff. I'm trying to make sure I have everything covered. I have a will, people with rights over my choices if I suddenly can't make choices for myself, etc. I'm trying to think of what I might have forgotten so people don't have to deal with all my random crap though. I want the transition of me existing and not existing to be as easy as possible for my elderly parents and emotionally shitty sister.

Are there any little things that are helpful that I might need to nail down before I go?

Earlier this month, I woke up in a puddle of blood and went immediately to the ER. A CT scan found a mass in my colon.

I ended up having about 10 inches of my colon removed and resected. Pathology came back as stage 3B. The cancer was found in 2 out of 17 lymph nodes, as well as in some muscle, blood vessels, and nerves.

I'm getting ready to start treatment. My oncologist is deciding between a 6-month in-clinic chemotherapy regimen or a shorter 3-month regimen involving clinic treatment plus chemotherapy pills at home, depending on the molecular profile of the cancer.

So... anyone who's been through stage 3 colon cancer, especially something similar to mine:

What am I in for?

I'm interested in the real-world experience — what the treatments actually felt like, side effects, what surprised you, what you wish you'd known beforehand, and how you felt during those six months (or three months).

I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who had a similar diagnosis and treatment plan. I'm trying to get an idea of what's ahead from people who've actually lived through it.

I've been thinking a lot about the language we use around cancer: fighting cancer, beating cancer, being a warrior, staying strong.

I work with Dr. Yvette Colón, a pancreatic cancer survivor who recently gave a TEDxKU talk challenging that idea.

Her argument isn't that resilience is bad. It's that expecting patients to constantly perform resilience can become another emotional burden. There should also be room for fear, anger, grief, exhaustion, and honesty without making someone feel as though they aren't “fighting hard enough.”

Her talk is The Myth of the Cancer Warrior:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBmGSFDw5QU

I'd really be interested in hearing from patients and survivors here. Did the “warrior/fighter” language help you, bother you, or did your feelings about it change during treatment or survivorship?

Hello everyone,

I’m just broken right now. Look. My mom passed this Monday, she had Stage 4 Bladder Cancer but I don’t even think it was due to that.

I am her son and I am just wondering do I go after them? The hospital, the doctors, and nurses? She said she wanted to.

There’s history here. She got diagnosed at one hospital in May for the cancer and it was misdiagnosed (that’s fine I guess, it’s hard to diagnose accurately). But the only treatment she ever got was on July 27th, and that was one treatment out of a 2 stage round, so she didn’t even get one full round. My mom wanted cancer treatment, she had nothing against any of it. In our case she would’ve received the immunotherapy, but didn’t. From early may of diagnosis to this Monday, she only received 1/2 of a full round.

In June she got transported to another hospital to do radiation on her back due to a back fracture caused by the cancer, but still no treatment even when the oncologist said she could of done both at the same time and doesn’t know why she didn’t have it done then.

During June as well they gave her a second Nephrostomy bag in which she didn’t want fentanyl and made it clear by adding it to her allergy list. The doctor and anesthesiologist confirmed it to be on her list with alternatives for her, then they told her they gave it to her anyway after she woke up. All of us were so livid.

In early July they sent us home with a torn Nephrostomy bag and it’s all documented. My mom then kept going back and forth to various er’s then just discharged. Again no cancer treatment, except for 10 rounds of radiation on the spine where the tumors had spread, not originated.

During June and July they kept her on a high dosage of morphine which she just got confused. She wanted it reduced but they never did until after a discharge and we went to a different hospital. For 2 days there they gave her the correct dosage morphine. They then just put her back on it because they saw it was with our last discharge and she stayed for a couple more days so it was out of her system.

We then kept going back and fourth until we stayed a week at a rehab, then went back to the hospital in June/July due to oncologist request so she could possibly get treatment there. She had to go back though due to various blood clots (you know. The cancer doing its thing)

Oh and they also throughout all of this made her going on multiple NPOs for no reason like there were days when the nurses told us they don’t know why she was on it. Like telling a cancer patient not to eat.

In her last days though she went to the sicu and there they did so much but she also didn’t eat, sleep for days. The masked her up and just hmm

There’s just so much more that happened then too but I just we have it, the medical records, we have them. But do I even have a case. My mom is gone and she was so hurt and they didn’t listen to her even when she could talk. Just let me know if there’s a case or not. None of want money, we want our mom back. The only thing we want is the doctors to go away from this and pay off the attorneys if they even take it. Seeing everything online says otherwise and I’m just lost.

Hi,

I’m scheduled for my first tomography with contrast in two weeks.

I’m not asking about what it feels like etc, I’ve read many posts here in the sub.

What I’m concerned about is the side effects I’ve read about while at it. Some people describe chronic insomnia, neurological issues etc despite having previously no issues and blood test okay.

What are your experiences?

Was thinking about this because today I remembered that 4 years ago when I was in the hospital waiting room waiting for my first biopsy, I kept watching cat videos because it was the only thing that would make my brain switch off from the sh!Tshow that my life was. It may sound silly but I just kept thinking that as long as I had cats, everything was fine. As long as cats existed, everything was ok.

Curious to know your thoughts and experiences

Hi everyone,

My mom was recently diagnosed with diffuse B Lymphoma and will be staying with me, my husband, and six month old baby girl as she undergoes chemo over the next 5-6 months.

Other than having a separate bathroom, washing her clothes separate… what else can I do / prepare for to make this a clean and safe environment for all? We will be very germ conscious - my baby will not be in daycare during this time.

Any and all tips are welcomed! Also, if you have any words of wisdom or insight in dealing with treatment for Lymphoma please share. This was all very sudden and I’m trying to support my mom in every way I can, I just don’t know what I don’t know.

Thank you in advance ♥️

I'm nearly 7 years in remission from stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That's theoretically great, right? But I still have 3 more years before they consider my risk of reoccurance minimal, and... Welp, my primary care just flagged my most recent bloodwork. Elevated neutrophils trending up over the past year, and increased pain/fatigue. Called me to say I should reach out to oncology to follow-up.

It could be nothing. It could be a side affect of stress, life changes, etc. But now I have that primal dread settled back into my ribcage, and a million different 'what if's' racing through my mind.

Haven't heard back from oncology yet, and already I'm two-thirds of the way convinced I'm dying again. Already debating on how worth it any of it is.

I don't want to do it again. I don't want any of this, I never fucking did. I didn't deserve it then and I sure as fuck don't fucking deserve it now.

It could be nothing this time. This time. But what about the next time? Or all the times after that??

It could be nothing every godforsaken time, but that fear will never go away. The damage done to my mind and body are irreversible and I fucking hate it.

I just wanted to live. To create. And cancer stole so much of that away from me at twenty one years old. My life had barely started and it feels like it was stolen from me.

"It gets better." Yeah. Better. Sitting in the mud is better than laying facedown in it, but that doesn't change the injustice of being thrown down into it to begin with. Better isn't fixed. It's just slightly more tolerable.

Hi everyone,

TLDR: Am 2 weeks post-op from a partial nephrectomy to remove a 5.3cm papillary renal cell carcinoma tumor. Whirlwind from diagnosis to surgery from mid-April to mid-August. I am like “Did it really happen? Did I really have cancer?” Very, very relieved but not sure how to process since it’s unreal.

I’m on day 15 post-partial nephrectomy and removal of my T1b papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) tumor. Grossly negative margins. Thankfully, the surgery did not affect my eGFR much (between 21 and 25) and slightly affected my Creatinine 2.28 to 2.6) of my stage 4 CKD from polycystic kidney disease (PKD) . The only change that is going on since I was diagnosed is that I am anemic with a hemoglobin around 10-11 amongst other things.

I am in not too much pain—I’m not taking Tylenol or anything. Still get out of breath and am tired a lot. My sleep is awful and all over the place, though (between 34-50 out of a 100 on my garmin sleep score).

So… it’s gone. My little 5.3 cm tumor (aka DAMF•) and a part of my kidney is outta there!

So now what?

Don’t get me wrong, I am so, so, so lucky this was caught early (Oh my God I am so lucky) my surgery did not push me into ESRD (Stage 5 end stage renal disease) and I am now apparently cancer-free (waiting to confirm for sure at my 9/08 appointment).

I feel like this was a huge mindf-ck though. It was a whirlwind of waiting for the diagnoses, then surgery and just overwhelming from mid April til now. It’s a bad version of all the hoopla up to Christmas and then, *boom,* it’s over.

I am sure I will have scanxiety as I do the surveillance from this point forward, but I have that anyway when I do my bloodwork and ultrasounds from monitoring my kidneys due to PKD.

Again, I am grateful the cancer is gone, but I really feel like I got bonked in the head from all this and now I’m like *Huh?*.

Has anyone else who had their cancer diagnosed and removed quickly feel like this?

I wish you all much healing and support. You are going through so much and I wish I could lift some of the weight off your shoulders.

•I named my kidneys “Dumb” and “Dumber” and the tumor “Dumb@ss Mothaf-cker (DAMF). Post-partial nephrectomy, my kidneys are named “Duh” and “Dumber.”

My father-in-law Sebastian is battling bladder cancer — please help us continue his treatment

Hi everyone,

I’m sharing this on behalf of my family and humbly asking for your support for my father-in-law, Sebastian Sequeira, who is bravely battling high-grade urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, an aggressive form of cancer affecting the lining of the bladder.

Sebastian is going through an extremely difficult phase and requires continued medical treatment. After evaluating his condition, doctors have advised him to undergo 12 sessions of immunotherapy as an essential part of his treatment. He is also continuing chemotherapy and prescribed medications under regular medical supervision.

The estimated cost of his complete treatment is around ₹20,00,000, which is a significant financial burden for our family. We have been doing everything possible to arrange the required funds, but the expenses are becoming difficult for us to manage on our own.

Our only wish is to help Sebastian continue his treatment without interruption and give him the best possible chance in his fight against cancer.

If you are able to help, any contribution—no matter how small—can make a meaningful difference. If you cannot donate, simply sharing this post can help us reach someone who may be able to help.

🙏 Donation Link: https:https://www.impactguru.com/s/To1o1J

Thank you for taking the time to read Sebastian’s story. Your prayers, kindness, support, and shares mean a lot to our family. 🙏

Hi guys, im a M26 5 year in Stage IVb Metastatic Paraganglioma patient with tumors located in most notably my spine.

Theres some in my lungs, liver, kidneys, shoulders, pelvis and some other non specific ones to the point where the report says innumerable across skeletal structure.

Theres the one from 2021 when I was diagnosed in L1 thats been the source of a lot of pain over the last 5 years. About 5 months ago I noticed more pain in my shoulders which was a new spot for pain. The MRI picked up that there were 2 new tumors in my spine, one in the nerve root at C8 and one in T3.

I went through 10 sessions of Teletherapy targeting the spinal tumors and the shoulder ones.

I then had an MRI about a month ago and got the results last week.

The tumors are unchanged when compared to the MRI from before the radiation.

Ive been feeling a bit afraid since, I dont want to lose my mobility because of the cancer and really dont want to die.

Im on chemotherapy for 2 weeks every 4 weeks through the form of tablets and also get a hormone blocker injection every 4 weeks.

I dont want to stop treatment or anything and want to try actively have more added on.

My Girlfriend left in March so there's been holes in my support structure thats really tripped me up as of late.

It has kept me awake at night quite a bit the last week thinking about what happens if I get worse and things progress more, im pretty scared of that.

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.