I'm 18 female and at the start of May this year I discovered that I had a big tumor growing on my right side of the ovary. After more diagnoses, the doctor told me that I had stage three ovarian cancer. It's genetic and as far as I know from my grandmother to my generation, at least one single female relative on my dad's side of the family has it. After a few months of treatment and four cycles of chemotherapy, I get better and is allowed to go home. But now after three months of coming back home, I have an appointment to do a CT scan last month, and the doctor discovered that the cancer has come back and it's on my left ovary this time. It reaches 5cm in just three months. My cancer is the fast-growing type and the doctor said that they haven't seen it before. I have to go get treatment abroad because my country's medical technology can't treat cancer yet. And now my family is struggling with money at the moment. I don't know what to do to help ease them with it. I'm the only one who is sick and I wasted so much of my family's money. I have an appointment to meet the doctor who performs the surgery on me again on the 9 of this month likely to schedule another surgery. I don't know if I have the strength to endure two surgeries only five to six months apart in the same place again. What should I do? I just can't seem to see the light in this. As for losing the ability to have children, I don't feel anything about it because I have no plans of having children in the first place. I know I can't take care of them and I'm not fit to be a mom.

Hello to the club no one wants to join. I was diagnosed with cancer 6 months ago. I struggled with anxiety before that. Since this journey started, it seems like I get bad news everywhere I turn in every aspect of my life. At a visit with my oncology team, they asked me all the mental health questions and I answered honestly for a change. Now they want to start me on anxiety/depression meds. I’m so reluctant to take another medication with more side effects. Several members of my family have had horrible side effects from antidepressants. Are these meds worth it? Have they been helpful? Thanks in advance.

Hi! Please write comments if you need any more content… So, I was diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma in April 2020… primary tumor was extracted then… but I had metastases in my bones and my lung. Metastases due to pheo are incurable. But I had multiple radiations, Lu177-PRRT and now chemotherapy to keep them under control. My mother is still asking if I am „tumor-free“ and the answer is always the same… it’s incurable but I’m doing what it possible to keep my mets under control… it’s the same answer since 4 years now and I don’t know how to explain it, that this same old question would stop… Especially during Christmas time we are staying a lot of hours/days with family and I don’t know how to deal with that 😔

Today my doctor told me that my cancer is so aggressive that I will always be on chemotherapy and have no break. There will be a point in time when chemo will stop working and that would be all. 35 years old, married in 2022, diagnosed with cancer in 2023, separated in 2024.

Not sure how to find motivation to live anymore.

I went from 235 to 190 during the 7 weeks of treatment. I lost my taste about 3 weeks in and my weight started dropping pretty fast. Everything tasted so bad. Originally I was drinking Boost Very High Calorie but soon got sick of it because it's super thick. I started 300 calorie shakes but then they started feeling too thick again and was only getting about 1000 calories a day.

One day I ran out of shakes and only had a few 530s left and decided to try and cut it with whole milk. What a game changer. cutting it 50/50 with whole milk really thinned it out and now I can get almost 700 calories from one shake and it does not make me gag.

I almost did not tell my doc at my appointment today about throwing up more and sometimes without warning. It said it as a last thought, not expecting him to think much of it.

After a few questions and said he wanted me to get a brain mri as soon as possible.

Never dawned on me that throwing up without warning could mean my cancer traveled to my brain.

Now I am freaking out! And the earliest at the moment is the 14th.

Yesterday I was diagnosed with liver cancer. I don’t know if I can go though this again. Any encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

I (15m) had ewings sarcoma which was a tumor in my thigh, the tumor was removed back in July, I just recently received news that there is a high chance it is now in my lungs, The doctor who explained everything to me seemed very worried as she usually is very outgoing, I am very worried and I have no idea what the chances are of beating it, I really don’t wanna lose my life at a young age.

Long story short I had a bad case of strep throat in April and they did a ct scan on my neck. Low and behold they found a suspicious lymph node in the neck area.

Finally was referred to an ENT surgeon by my pcp because a needle biopsy was out of the question due to the location.

After MANY appts with him he decided to remove it on November 21st. I have my follow up with him Friday for results.

I finally had the strength the look at my results today…

Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

So I decided to join this page to have others to talk to.

Hopefully my doctor has a game plan on Friday for treatment. I’m hoping surgery to remove the thyroid and a few other suspicious lymph nodes will be the solution to the problem with little to no radiation/chemo.

Had stage 4 upper gi cancer for 3 years. Fortunately pet scans show no activity for layear and a half. Been on bi weekly immunotherapy with 5 fu maintenence. It seems my immunotherapy is now causing chronic diarrhea. Anyone else experience this? Thanks!

i had testicular cancer .. did orchiectomy 5 days ago .. so i now have one ball .. i feel very bad and depressed .. for people who are in my situation does having only one ball affected your life , or made you feel less of a man. or made you lose your strength , does it affect your testosterone levels ? i feel alone in my thoughts and dont know what to think

My diagnosis journey has been a huge rollercoaster full of incompetent, negligent and dismissive doctors. I’m so sick of it. Maybe this is like a pretty privilege thing where good looking people get better care. Cancer aged me like 10 years and made me ugly to the point I can’t even look at myself in the mirror. Part of me feels that the way people treat me now is because I’m not attractive anymore and it’s maddening.

I had my first post treatment follow up today that lasted a total of 5 minutes. My doctor barely said much just asked me how I was doing symptom wise and when I said I still had pain in certain areas just quickly said I needed another scan and more bloodwork but before I could get another word in he went off to his next appointment. How am I supposed to ask questions and be more informed on my condition like this?

I feel so rushed all the time and like they’re just dreading the appointment and counting every second that I just forget some of what I need to say usually.

Shortly after my oncologist appointment I had a phone appointment with the cardiologist. It wasn’t even my cardiologist and I think it was the nurse. She said she was reviewing my results for the heart monitor and ultrasound and that my heart looked fine but that I was frequently tachycardiac and I’d have to wear the monitor again for a week. Then she asked me about the stress test and if I could do it so we set an appointment. Then in the same sentence she says my heart is fine and that it’s probably just anxiety “since you’ve been through a lot this year.” Didn’t ask me any questions about my symptoms or if I was even anxious or anything just assumed that because of my age that I was just anxious. I got so annoyed when she said that because even though yes I’ve been going through a lot this year, this is the most stable I’ve felt in years and it definitely isn’t anxiety related. Like yes I’m young and I shouldn’t have heart issues but also I’m young and I have cancer so don’t give me that excuse. I only get bad heart palpitations as I’m falling asleep or waking up. But yeah must be anxiety. 🙄

I’m sick of it. I spent two years getting ignored by doctors only to have cancer of all things at 28. Everyone said I was fine. One doctor saw my high hr and bp and told me to just take vitamin D. I was losing my ability to walk at some point and another doctor refused to sign my fmla forms because I apparently wasn’t disabled enough until I had surgery for what he said was likely cancer at that time.

WTFFF IS WRONG WITH OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. I SHOULDNT NEED TO FIGHT FOR A DIAGNOSIS OR PROPER CARE. I’m not sure if it’s like this everywhere but this has been my experience in Los Angeles.

This stank attitude that doctors have, I see it everywhere. Even on Reddit. It’s repulsive to see and I wonder just how many women or people are getting misdiagnosed or treated the way I’ve been through my journey.

First noticed a nickel sized lump on top of collarbone in August. Removed early November and it had grown to 7cm. Biopsy indicated clear margins everywhere but directly underneath because it was sitting on top of, but not attached, to collarbone. Closest lymph nodes indicate it had spread to them as well. PET scan next week. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this so I can get a feel for what to expect

On Thursday I'll be 7 years post diagnosis for stage 4, 3 lung mets. 1 recurrence. I was diagnosed at 23 because of low iron caught by routine bloodwork. If the below scan is clear and the signatera is clear, if they are able to get a good sample of what I have left from prior biopsies for my first ever signatera. Then I'll be 39 months NED/remission.

I am finally, hopefully, having a PET scan on 12/26. A dumb insurance thing. Ordered in August. I requested it to rule out any cancer due to new chronic pain. CT, MRI, Nuclear bone scan all clear. Pain hasn't progressed in months. I am able to improve it significantly and I have zero loss of mobility. Everything just hurts lol. I've seen every relevant specialist except a neuro-muscular specialty I see next month. Nationally ranked neurosurgeon reviews every spine image I get.

I'm not looking for medical advice.

I was absolutely terrified the other day because I woke up early in the morning covered in sweat, head pounding, hot flashes and chills, entire body in pain down to the bones. Like an exploding sensation in my bones. I legitimately thought my cancer had relapsed until, I took my oxy. I went from feeling horrible to feeling completely fine in about 20 min. I had forgotten to take my bedtime dosage and just dosed off. This sucks. I know that I’m dependent now. My family makes comments about my meds. Makes me feel like crap when they bring it up. “Are you still in pain ?” ,”Still on pain meds ? “, and when I’m in a bad mood I’ve been told “ have you taken your pain meds?” “ maybe you should just take an extra pill”. All of it feels condescending af. Now that I know I have to go through an extremely painful withdrawal to get off these meds it adds another layer of fear and shame. I still need my meds because I have several painful medical conditions as a result of my cancer treatment. I feel trapped. I would rather be stuck with these meds than in agony though. Anybody else struggle with these conflicting feelings? Thanks for reading

I went with my mom to her appointment today to ask questions and get an understanding of how this happens. Unfortunately I was very tired and upset. I slept very little last night trying to figure out what to do. Hopefully we hear tomorrow where else we can get treatment.

I got everything in writing by following up with an email. I was also removed from the hospital and told I am never allowed to return. I will absolutely admit that I got too loud and upset. That I didn’t do myself any favors. By acting in the way I did. I couldn’t handle how calm they were. Not a hint of remorse or concern. No acknowledgment of how fucking insane this whole thing has been.

I can’t tell if it’s them assuming we are too poor to do anything or too stupid. Or if they just don’t give a shit anymore. I couldn’t handle it anymore. They also refused to answer a decent number of questions due to “the person who deals with that is on vacation or out of the office.” Like what the fuck do you mean? You do this everyday for a living and you don’t know what happens next?

I did get one line I’m really proud of “if we were wealthy how long ago would we have concluded this process?” As her surgery was delayed two months beyond the timeline they told us was incredibly important to follow. Then forgot that their staff was all going on end of summer vaccinations. You know what it feels like to hear “unfortunately we will have to postpone your surgery for two weeks as one of our techs is in Vietnam on vacation. The other someone didn’t feel good, the third was due to the surgery before her going 6 hours longer than it was supposed to be.

I have found another treatment facility, waiting on a response from them. I have reached out to two lawyers. I have e requested a written summary of why and how this happened, how much damage it could have done and what consequences those who allowed this to happen will face. Thank you all for your support. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear some kind words and support. It truly lifted the weight of my life for a brief moment. It’s been so long it felt novel. So thanks y’all your words and support made a really bad day, a little bit better. You made me feel a little less alone. I can’t express how badly I needed that.

Are many of you on disability? I’ve got two types of stage 4 cancer and was told I was a “shoe in” I applied in April and finally am nearing approval. I was told last week the most I would be approved for is $904 and that’s the cap for the whole ssi program. I can’t live off that and I am scared! Are there any other programs I could apply for?

Hello,

I've been diagnosed with angio-sarcoma, and am just at the beginning of this journey.

As things have been ramping up, I've been managing things in a haphazard sort of way. Phone calendar, jotting notes in a few different notebooks, relying on my girlfriend for assistance remembering this or that.

What I'm looking for is if there is an app or even something as simple as a Word or Excel template to assist with this task.

Not knowing what to expect or what might be available, I don't know that I have any must haves, but some features that I would find helpful:

• Medication list: ability to input quantity prescribed as well as any refills, timing, special notes, reminders when almost out, alternative regimens (as needed vs a strict schedule, with/without food, take with other medications, etc)

• Personnel list: don't really know what else to call this. Basically it would be a list of important people (i.e. not just doctors, but pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, administrative staff). Not only do I like to refer to people by their name, but it can really help me keep track of who I talked to about this or that.

• Appointment schedule: pretty standard I'd imagine, I can't really think of features that would be helpful but not so obvious, so I'll just leave this alone lol

• Anything else that those more experienced than me recommend 😂

I have a wonderful support system, and my care team has been absolutely amazing so far. There's really just a few gaps in my personal organization at this point that are occasionally causing some pain points.

Any suggestions anyone has about how they track and keep their lives organized would be greatly appreciated!

I'm scared of messing up the strict diet, and I'm nervous about messing up the scans somehow. I'm definitely most scared of the results. I start the food restrictions tomorrow, scan is on Thursday.

Hi all. I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask. I’ve been NED for about 2 years but a recent Ct scan showed activity in my spine and vertebrae. I got a bone scan and it didn’t show any activity there. I have another ct scan to check but just wondering if anyone else has had this issue

I used to be a goofy person. I liked to talk and I liked to laugh. I cracked jokes all the time and was known for being a silly gal. Now I feel serious. When something is funny, I think "ha" or "that's funny". I rarely laugh compared to when I used to. I feel a vacancy in that area of my head. I miss bursting into laughter.

I also am much more quiet. I often don't have anything to say unless something specific happened. I used to be bubbly and cheerful. I blame chemo brain for this. My mind is a lot more vacant than it once was.

I don't listen to music as much on the bus. I don't even know what kind of music I want to hear when I want to listen to it. Something is missing. I seem to prefer to stare out the windows. I am more cautious and in my head about what I'm doing and where I am going. No longer carefree. Is this chemo brain or just a consequence of dealing with cancer? What does chemo brain really entail? How enduring is it?

I had my first ever colonoscopy last year and a polyp was seen on the base of my appendix. I had surgery to remove my appendix in April of this year. My appendix and cecum were removed during the surgery.

The pathology came back describing a “benign” polyp on the base of my appendix and a Neuroendocrine Tumor (well differentiated, only 4 mm, ki67 of less than 2) on the tip of my appendix.

I got sent to a neuroendocrine tumor specialist at Mount Sinai here in NYC because of the NET on the tip of the appendix. Right before that appointment I did a CT scan because 5 months after surgery I was still distended. The scan was ordered by my surgeon to make sure there were no hernias. My insurance counted that as a cancer scan sadly. The NET specialist told me to come back in a year for another scan, and that I had nothing to worry about at all.

Both myself and my husband left that appointment not feeling any closure for a variety of reasons. So, I decided to get a second opinion at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I had a wonderful visit in October at MSK and asked them to re-assess the labs and scans.

Two days ago I received a call from MSK that the “benign” polyp at the base of my appendix (again, this is not the NET which was on the tip, it is the other previously described “benign” polyp) is a tiny Mucinous Adenocarcinoma. So I have an appointment Thursday to discuss this. (anxiety is through the roof)

Here is the literal pathology reading from MSK:

1. Colon, cecum and appendix; resection (MS-24-09905/A1-A7, 7 H&E and 5 Immuno):

• Cecum/appendix with two tumors: a sessile serrated adenoma with a small focus of mucinous adenocarcinoma (pT1) and an

incidental well differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (carcinoid tumor).

• The serrated adenoma is present in sections A2 and A3 (labeled as cecum); the adenoma is associated with a small atypical

focus in the submucosa that is most consistent with a focus of invasive adenocarcinoma, mucinous type, well differentiated, <0.3cm in greatest dimension, limited to submucosa (pT1), with no lymphovascular or perineural invasion.

• The well differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (carcinoid tumor, classic type) is present in section A7 (tip of appendix). The

tumor is low grade (G1) with Ki67 labeling index of <2% (submitted stain). It is about 0.6cm in greatest dimension as measured microscopically, and invades into subserosa (pT1 by tumor size). No Lymphovascular or perineural invasion is seen

—-

Again, these are two different tumors. One is a NET on the tip and the other is a sessile serrated adenoma with a small focus of mucinous adenocarcinoma on the base. Both of these were found on my appendix that was removed.

I don’t understand how I could have both a NET on one side and a mucinous adenocarcinoma on the other side? Anyone else heard of this?! Aren’t these two distinctly different cancers?

Oh boy! Guess what guys? I just ordered Taco Hell...I mean Taco Bell for everyone and I am actually looking forward to eating! I don't think I am going to gag, so this is good!

Had my bloodwork done (thank you to the kind Redditor who informed me on what it was for bc I did not know that!) and everything is really really good. I feel fantastic actually. I don't have energy but it isn't bothering me and I don't feel like "bad" exhausted (like just leave me alone kind of thing). I feel exhausted but like I got a lot accomplished. It feels so great.

I am going to eat my Mexican Pizzas (2 of them...or prob just one, and save the other) with extra cheese (protein), extra tomatoes (vitamins!), and extra beans (that one is for --ts and giggles AND the protein lol) ... I can smell it here and it's making me hungrier this time, instead of nauseous, so I am grateful for that.

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone can feel their best and have their best day tomorrow!❤️

Hey guys so I’m new to the whole posting on redit thing, so a little over 2 years ago I went threw chemo and of course lost all my hair because of it, but not long after it get back pretty thick but the last few months my hair had started to think pretty badly and I was wondering if it is a result of the chemo and if it would grow back to being what it once was.

I’ve made it over a year, currently on chemo. Should I keep contributing to my Roth IRA? Or should I pay down my medical debts?

I am not worried ... Much? But yet...I am?

Why does my kind keep making me see the doctor telling me they found something else or that I'm not as well as I think I am .... A hospital bed keeps coming I'm in my meditation visions...sigh. Que serà serà whatever will be will be....

Why am I so afraid, but still not panicking over it (unusual bc this is the exact thing that makes me panic!)...my med is doing its job.

Wish me luck. I hate getting poked lol!

My beautiful sister is starting chemo and expected to lose her hair, and I wanted to get her a few nice scarves/head coverings/hats to add to what she has so far. What are your best recommendations- what styles do you like, what is best material, what makes you feel the prettiest?

Would love to get a few that match for her daughters too - would that be a good idea?

Hello. A family member may have a new job lined up soon but has a cancer checkup (it's been 5 years) a month after they expect to start the new job. We don't expect any problems but what are the dangers here if they accept the job and then are diagnosed with what would be metastatic breast cancer a month later? FMLA needs 12 months of work at a job to be an option. Will they be fired from their new job if they need time off for treatment?

And for that matter what do people do even if they have worked somewhere for a long time? FMLA only offers 12 weeks off and then they may be fired and have no health, LTD or life insurance.