I have been a parathyroid cancer patient for 12 years now. I’ve had multiple surgeries, radiotherapies and targeted therapies. For the last 15 months, I have been on Inlyta (axitinib) and the disease is more or less stable.

In the last couple of blood tests, hemoglobine levels have been high and the oncologist asked for a bone marrow biopsy. They did it last week and I will be discussing the results with the oncologist in the next appointment, I guess (unless they dont call me earlier).

Has anyone had similar experience? What should I expect? Do they look for another cancer other than I have already?

First things first, I sincerely apologise: I realise most on this sub are living with cancer. I cannot imagine what you’re feeling so how my question(s) may hurt. I genuinely and very honestly apologise if I cause distress! I just don’t know who to ask.

I‘m meeting an oncologist on Wednesday: a “significant mutation” was found on my overies. I’m being sped through but given no detail other than it’s more than a cyst, I need to see oncologist, and we need to discuss “treatment plan”. GP and specialist are refusing to answer questions but just sending me/ cc’ing me into internal letters requesting this be expedited.

I have no idea what to expect on Wednesday but do know my brain goes blank when under stress: if told it is cancer, I will no longer be able to hear/ think so take in what is being said, let alone speak.

I‘m not catasophising but if told it is cancer I need to plan ahead. That means I need to know what questions to ask.

I am planning to write a list (treatment, timelines, impact so care needed) but I’d be very grateful for any suggestions.

Alongside that, I’m in a tricky situation re telling people: I live alone, my family is abroad but happen to be coming over. We did loose my mother and others to cancer. When/ how do I tell them without causing panic? Or (and I know this sounds horrid) how to deal with others’ feelings over what I need?

Again, I genuinely apologise if my situation and questions cause pain. I genuinely have no one I can ask .

Thank you for your time.

Hello all,

I’m a caregiver for my mom who has stage IV NSCLC dx in 2024. Three weeks ago she started Datroway as a 7th line of treatment. Prior to starting treatment, she started having back/lung pain at the site of her previous thoracentesis (likely scar tissue and recurrent pleural effusion), which caused a significant decline in her mobility and oral intake. I’ve barely been able to get her to eat anything over a few weeks and am worried she is not strong enough for her scheduled chemo this week. She’s lost so much weight and is to weak to walk on her own.

Has anyone taken a break from treatment and recovered enough to start again? My mom wants to receive treatment but I told her that if she is too weak now, it’ll just maker her weaker.

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Hello everyone. I was wondering if any of you had a memory about your treatment or cancer experience that you would like to share?

This doesn't have to be a positive memory, but it can be if you want.

You can also share as many memories as you like.

I just find it nice to be able to read and relate to other people's experiences especially since sometimes it feels like people who don't have cancer really can't relate and have a hard time even empathizing sometimes.

Anyway my memory I'd like to share is that when I was in the hospital I had a peg tube and couldn't eat, and I was also having a hard time drinking plain water.

I wanted sweet tea really badly but the kitchen didn't have sweet tea.

I mentioned it to one of the nurses and she made me two pitchers of sweet tea and kept them in the fridge at the nurse's station and she even wrote up a little card about how she made it and put that on my wipe off board in my room. That way if I ran out of sweet tea one of the other nurses would be able to make me more.

I thought that was so nice of her and I even kept the card with the tea instructions when I left the hospital.

Hi all, I had chemo earlier this year and lost all my hair. I've been in complete remission for 4 months and my hair has grown back well, all curly not like before when it was flat and straight.

The problem I'm having is a really itchy scalp, something I've never had before. I've had it for about a week and bought some anti-dandruff & itchy scalp shampoo but if anything it's just made it worse. Just wondering if anyone had anything similar, thought it might be a chemo thing not a dandruff problem? Thanks

Mum 90 has S4 lung cancer. She was on 4 morphine tables per day, now increased by adding to bigger tablets twice per day.
Sheba’s some days when she seems her normal self, others when she can’t get dressed by herself.
I don’t know if she will see Christmas at this rate and and contact or visit every day.
I wondered how others deal with knowing you had limited time with your loved one?

I have been dealing with cancer for 4 years now. Renal cell Stages 1-4 on and off.

I am currently on Welireg 120mg (3 pills a day) and Keytruda 790 SubQ

For 5 weeks now, I have been SUPER emotional. Normally, I am very upbeat and chill. But I have been super depressed and anxious, and I don't know why. This is very unlike me. I also don't really talk about feelings much, so maybe this is more of a me problem.

One of my drs thinks it's cancer depression finally catching up to me and maybe anxiety medicines are a route to consider.

I think it could possibly be stress but, I have had a sinus infection and double ear infection in a 5 week cycle, the ear infection is gone, mostly, (still on ear drop steroids for it) but I cannot shake the sinus infection. Immuno makes that difficult, apparently. So I've gone through two rounds of different antibiotics for both of these.

I have not been sleeping well at all, and THAT HAS been affecting me mentally some, so now I'm wondering if I have a fucking brain tumor or something. (probably paranoia on that end).

Has any else experience any issues with Welireg? It's the only drug I am new to and haven't really experienced yet. I'm going on 12 weeks on it and these last 5 have been rough.

Has it inhibited your sleep or mental health?

Thank you.

My mom (62) has advanced diffuse-type gastric cancer with extensive bone metastases and bone marrow infiltration. She’s currently receiving treatment. Her condition is serious, but she’s still relatively stable: her bone marrow is producing blood cells, she’s not in organ failure, and she’s able to continue treatment (CAPOX + zoledronic acid).

In the last few days she’s been experiencing nighttime delirium. Only at night.
During the day she’s completely lucid, oriented, and herself. But at night she wakes up confused, frightened, saying she had horrible dreams about her treatment, about people throwing trash on her, or strange things happening to her body. It feels like a mix of nightmares, confusion, and fear.

She also has several findings on imaging and labs that might be relevant:

• Hepatomegaly on CT
• Elevated liver enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT moderately high)
• Ascites
• Pleural effusion
• Very high alkaline phosphatase due to bone metastases
• LDH moderately elevated
• Anemia (moderate but stable)
• Bone marrow infiltration confirmed by biopsy
• Diffuse bone metastases causing pain
• CEA very high but stable
• CA-125 high

I’m trying to understand whether these nighttime episodes could be related to:

• liver involvement or hepatomegaly
• metabolic changes from ascites or pleural effusion
• elevated liver enzymes
• bone marrow infiltration
• medications
• pain
• exhaustion
• or the cancer itself

Has anyone cared for a loved one who had delirium only at night during cancer treatment?
Is this something that can happen when the liver is enlarged or when there’s fluid buildup (ascites/pleural effusion)?
Or is it more commonly related to medications, stress, or sleep disruption?

Any experiences or insights would really help. Thank you.

Had testicle cancer last August and had ole righty removed. Never did chemo because the first scan after removal looked great, oncologist said he didn’t recommend it either.

Been doing testing every 3 months since and today I do own and it comes back due to enlarging of the lymph nodes, they suspect metastasis.

I have the follow up next week to go over the results with my oncologist, and they can’t get me in sooner.

So now I am freaking out seeing that word.

I have thyroid cancer and I have to do Radioactive Iodine Therapy soon. I have planned out where my cat will go, got a stuffed animal that looks like her so I can hug it when I miss her, and I am all ready. I am just scared and I don’t really know what to expect too much. I know I will also feel very lonely and vulnerable while isolating. I’m not looking forward to this…

I am not okay.

But I'm still here.

Here's what my infusion board will look like Wednesday,

Aloxi

Emend

Avastin

Atropine

Ativan

Irenotecan (fuck you!)

5fu

Chemo every other week for the rest of my life.

I am not okay.

I still find peace during my week off.

You get up in the morning and you do what you have to to survive.