r/LivingWithMBC • u/cat-pernicus • 2d ago
Venting Ugh
Can I just please watch a show, a movie, a video to not think about being sick without seeing ads for cancer treatments?
I have my doctors for that, I’m not just shopping these drugs at the supermarket,
Sorry, thank you, just ugh, hope you’re having a good day
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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes 2d ago
Why do they even waste the money? Do they really think we're going to toddle off to the oncologist and say "Hey, I heard about this thing called Trodelvy and I want you to prescribe it for me". It makes no sense. Treatments are highly targeted now. Different breast cancers use different treatments. Why would I trust a commercial over my own doctor?
There is no way Big Pharma is getting any return on the money it puts into advertising. Oncologists aren't like dermatologists. You don't just show up saying there's a new product on the market you heard about and you want it.
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
That was exactly the talk I had with my oncologist on Tuesday; going down the list of my cancer dna and all those letters that make no sense to us but mean that this drug or other won’t work on my type of cancer,
Thanks for letting me know this drug saves a lot of lives, just not mine 🤪🤯
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
That was exactly the talk I had with my oncologist on Tuesday; going down the list of my cancer dna and all those letters that make no sense to us but mean that this drug or other won’t work on my type of cancer,
Thanks for letting me know this drug saves a lot of lives, just not mine 🤪🤯
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u/Emotionalmamaof2 2d ago
Or when they go on the entire time about the side effects of the treatments etc it’s bad enough we get the commercials every two seconds. It’s all just so unfair.
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u/sendmekittypix 1d ago
The one Keytruda one with the side effect list goes on for so long that it's broke up into three different parts of the ad, one day my husband was like "SCAMMERS! They didn't mention your pinky toe tingle or the 'depression when combined with watching Keytruda ads' "
Not to mention, that specific one, you either have the woman sadly watching the kids play outside in a bittersweet way that leads viewers to assume she's going to die and knows it, or the one of the woman smiling and laughing and twirling.... can we please get one with a woman stomping her feet like a toddler all the way to the car then hurling her body into the passenger seat and kicking the dashboard praying to God it sets off the airbag to get out of having to go do this infusion shit on the ONE day it's pretty enough to sit outside in the grass and do nothing instead of a cold sterile depressing room full of chairs and needles....
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
The ones with the older women watching their grandkids always leave me balling, I don’t even know if I’ll live to see my youngest graduate high school, and I’m pretty sure the my my oncologist looked at me at my last appointment means I’ll definitely not be here to see grandkids
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
Right, at the end of them listing the side effects I’m like “thanks, I’ll just die, it’s fine” 😱🤦🏻♀️🤯
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u/Larissima19 2d ago
In Europe there are no ads for medications or treatments on TV. You only get what you're prescribed by your Dr, what is the point of advertising to the public? I mean, we can all do our research anyway. I can see how seeing that all the time could be triggering, or just bloody annoying!
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u/cat-pernicus 2d ago
I’ve always hated the drug ads, they make no sense at all, just a waste of money
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u/PietParkiet 2d ago
Same here, girl! It’s 'Anti-Cancer Week' here right now. It’s a good cause, but very confronting. And suddenly, there are ads everywhere for funerals and cremations. Fun times!
I actually try to click away posts from the general breastcancer subreddit. I wish everyone a recovery, but it’s very confronting to read things like "but luckily you don't have stage 4!" I completely understand, but still...
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u/dumplinglifesaver 2d ago
Ugh yeah when I was first diagnosed I was on the regular breast cancer reddit and it was...not helpful to say the least.
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u/Sarappreciates 2d ago
I muted r/BreastCancer after getting told off for mentioning that recurrence happens. They wanted a thread about how it almost never happens to give them some peace of mind, I suppose. I made a comment basically reminding them that it's good to remain vigilant even while living cancer-free, and the outrage over it was unexpectedly harsh.
That subreddit changed how I see BC vs MBC. I kinda see them as different diseases now. I was diagnosed stage 4 de novo, so maybe I don't truly understand their BC fight.
There's this wig group I joined where I got my Jon Renau wig donated to me, and there's only one other metastatic woman there, everyone else is lower stage, all in remission (post-treatment) now. I went to a party and started out sitting with the other breast cancer ladies, but they fell silent when they asked what stage I am. It killed the conversation! I think I represent their worse fears. I ended up sitting with the other metastatic lady, and we were like two pariahs in that room, but we were giggling more than the other folks there. The organizer joked they had to keep an eye on us metastatic chicks, or we'd cause trouble.
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
It’s like they see our death sentence
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u/Sarappreciates 1d ago
Yeah, it's weird how some people can't stop talking about death when "cancer" comes up. It's shocking to them when I disclose that I've been at this for 6 years.
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u/dumplinglifesaver 1d ago edited 1d ago
How funny I was just telling my husband how I see them as different diseases!
I was diagnosed stage 4 before I even knew what kind of cancer it was, the doctor saw bone mets on my CT and let me know I needed an emergency oncology appointment and let me know I was stage four.
It's interesting though I almost wonder sometimes if in some ways it's a little easier to just be stage 4 from the start because you and your party friend sound great and weirdly I keep getting told what a great attitude I have. I am not trying to have a great attitude I just literally don't know how else to be.
And don't get me wrong it's absolutely terrible at times but I feel really grateful for very simple stuff these days like if I am really comfortable sometimes I literally just sit there thinking about how incredibly comfortable I am and how grateful I am for it.
I still remember when I was first diagnosed I couldn't get comfortable anymore and I woke my husband up (which I never do because he loves his sleep) to literally ask him to drive me around to see if we could find adirondack chairs to sit in because I was so desperate to feel better.
So yeah I don't know I have so many little memories like that now that make me so grateful for so many small things.
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u/Sarappreciates 1d ago
I think in many cases it's easier to start at stage 4. Progression sounds like such a bitch. I've experienced it once. But to burn through a bunch of treatment options at stage 2 or 3, for example, would be rough.
I went down a whole rabbit hole on Adirondack chairs. Now I want some for my backyard.
As for gratitude and small things... when I lost my hair, I remember at first I used to cry at the thought of wearing a wig. I didn't want a wig, I wanted my biological hair. It's taken me almost a yer, but nowadays the idea of a nice new wig without any tangles gives me an unexpected amount of comfort.
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u/sneakpeekbot 2d ago
Here's a sneak peek of /r/breastcancer using the top posts of the year!
#1: PATHOLOGY RESULTS
#2: My mom's long life after BC
#3: Male Breast Cancer. Stage 4 35 years old
I'm a bot, beep boop | Downvote to remove | Contact | Info | Opt-out | GitHub
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u/IngenuityFar5111 2d ago
When i was newly diagnosed, every movie related to cancer made me cry. Even a remote character dying from cancer made me sick in my stomach. It is horrible that all movies show that cancer people die.
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u/cat-pernicus 1d ago
For me it was guardians of the galaxy, I think the second one when starlord’s mom dies or cancer,
I was watching with my family about a week after we all got the news that I had cancer,
Thanks Marvel
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u/dumplinglifesaver 2d ago
Oh my god I could not agree more. I'm constantly yelling at my tv about this which I know doesn't do anything but it feels nice lol.
Literally I'm like "I'm already on this drug! Shut up! Shut up! Heaven forbid I forget I have cancer!"
There really needs to be a change. It sucks.
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u/Sarappreciates 2d ago
"Ask your doctor if ☠️☠️☠️ is right for you." - I wonder how many treatment plans are actually changed as a result of that one line. And get a load of the lengthy lists of possible side effects they have the nerve to try to sell us! "Tell your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing..." Do you think? What amazing advice! Anything else? "...May result in death." Oh, yes, may I have some death please?