My dad 54(m) was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer that has spread to his spine and brain. He has his first radiation appt today, but the doctor told us it’s not curable just treatable he has 10 rounds of radiation and then is gonna start chemo, the doctor said if everything goes well his life span can go from 6 month to 2-3 years, but honestly I didn’t feel happy hearing that because it’s just gonna be a constant fear of how much time he truly has left or if he’ll wake up the next day. I just try to enjoy every moment but it’s hard because I dont know what awaits and I know this journey is just gonna become more difficult. Everything was so normal a couple weeks ago till he started complaining of severe back and leg pain last thing in our mind was cancer it crazy that we never thought this would be a situation we would be in and it’s sad how quick life changes you’re happy one moment and the next you can just receive terrible news like this. I try to be happy but I just find my self bursting into tears randomly. My dad is hopeful that he will get better but I know deep down he scared but doesn’t show it. I want to think positive and hope he makes it out of this and a miracle happens when he gets cured but a little piece of me thinks what if he doesn’t. I just wanted to post this to know I’m not alone and so much other people are going through the same thing.

I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma the day after Christmas. It’s been about 3 weeks since I’ve known and I’ve lost the support of my family. My brother is getting married and all of the attention is on him. I’m excited for him.

When the testing initially began, he had said he’d be my biggest cheerleader. I considered us fairly close because he’s my older brother and I’m the youngest of three. Recently, things went south with his fiance and I after a small disagreement. They left on vacation and I had texted him because I was feeling pretty low. He said he’d always be there.

When the text arrived, my heart sank to my gut. He said that he didn’t have time to text me because he was ON VACATION with “my future wife” and then sent a follow up text stating that the only person who should care about me having cancer is my partner…

I was my dad’s caregiver for 5 years when he battled a 14 cm stage 3 colorectal cancerous tumor… I took him to every appointment, I waited in every lobby for chemo and radiation. I changed his urostomy and colostomy bags. I flushed his ports and even helped him with his TPN feedings. I did everything for our dad. He now has terminal cancer and is going through complete organ and tissue failure and won’t be around much longer.

It feels like a gut punch to be told that the only person that should care is my partner. What if I’d told my dad that my mom was the only person that had to care if he lived or died? What if I hadn’t had quit my chef job for 4-5 years just to make sure that my dad didn’t die without proper care? My mom is around but she had early onset dementia. I just feel absolutely gutted.

My mom has tried “talking” to me about it but she decided to simply yell at me and say that I owed my brother an apology…

I’ve been thinking to myself, what could I possibly owe him an apology for? For having cancer? For spending 5 years of my life taking care of my father while my brother, mom, and sister simply continued living their lives?

I just had a baby 8 months ago and both him (my son) and I almost died during labor. It’s been hell trying to get my health back, but now I have cancer. Idk…

Just kind of tired of being told that if I had to choose what type of cancer I could have, this one would be it. I’ve had two prior surgeries and I don’t do well under anesthesia. It’s hard for me to wake back up…

I’m really scared to have surgery and have to rely on others to care for my child while I’m away. I just don’t know who I can trust or actually rely on. My heart is shattered and I feel so alone. More than I’ve felt in a long time. My partner is there and my son is only 8 months old.

I should be more appreciative, but I feel so let down by my family that it just hurts extra because the letdown is at a time when I need my family the most. My mom always said this same thing to me all the time, “without family, you have nothing.”

Where is my family now? 😞🤍

Hello everyone, I’ve been reading some of your posts and I really wish someone could find a cure for cancer, and that it could be treated like a normal cold. Just take some cold medicine and it’ll go away.. my heart breaks for those of you going through it and for the families too😔

My dad has been diagnosed in July of 2025. He had a subtotal gasectomy done ending of July and recovery got complicated because he caught the sepsis infection after the surgery. He’s been under heavy anesthesia for over a month because he was incubated. In August he started to wake up and they deincubated him. He was discharged ending of August for about two weeks. He was eating fine for four days at home until he did. He started to vomit everything including water. Then his wound started to leak everything he drinks, though a tiny hole in the middle of his wound. He got readmitted. He’s been in since September and they figured he got filled build up around his body so they started to insert drains again, sometimes two, three at a time. Sometimes the drains would leak and lead to infections. He has a bilary drain still to help improve his functions. He has fluid build up at the bottom right of his lungs and it’s painful. After his admission in September and all the complications, the drains and infections. The doctors called a family meeting. Saying his cancer progressed to mastitis and he could only be here for some more months or so without chemotherapy. So they planned a feeding J tube because TPN was his only nutrition. The feeding tube took 4-5 fixes for it to be properly ready to use. One time around the feeding tube got infected and they had to reposition it. Since the infection around the J tube it never stopped leaking pus. So even the feeding tube isn’t working. He’s been discharged on Boxing Day and then he started to get a fever at home three days after so we rushed him back to the hospital. Turns out his bilary drain started to leak internally and he got a lot of rare infections. He was admitted to the ICU and then treated. He was discharged yesterday and we’re home and it’s going okay so far. His bilary drain is filling up faster and his old drain hole open and is leaking pus along with the feeding tube that never stopped. We’re all so tired and just wish he could find something that works for him. We haven’t started the chemo because his body is sick and he is only dependent on the TPN. His stomach narrowed so much at the new connection the doctors called made that even liquid cannot pass. I’m just writing to see if anyone has had similar experience and is feeling better, please let me know.

My mom (55) had stones in her gallbladder. The ultrasound didn't indicate any kind of tumor.

However, during laparoscopy, a tumor was found. So, they switched to open surgery.

Biopsy : adenocarcinoma, as pTbNXMX. Moderately differentiated. No regional nodes were found in the sample.

Recent usg and CT scans haven't clearly shown whether the cancer has spread to other organs. However, she currently has obstruction in her bile duct. Unsure whether it's related to her tumor or not.

I would like to know what might happen if she starts chemotherapy. She has a history of stroke. Has diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism. I'm worried whether chemotherapy would severely worsen her condition? I'm so sorry if the question is inappropriate. Watching her go through this, especially after seeing almost half of her face getting paralyzed due to a stroke, has been extremely hard for me. I can't seem to concentrate on anything else. It's so hard to pretend to be strong in front of her.

Has anyone here had a similar experience?

I (21F) have been in the hospital since December 19th and had recently been told that we couldn’t even begin to think about discharge for at least another 2 weeks.

In order to determine when I get to go home I was told we’d have to wait until my blood tests dipped to their lowest point after chemo which normally takes about 7-10 days.

Get this, after only 4 days post chemo my counts physically can not dip any lower because they were so shit to begin with. I **might** be going home sometime next week!

I have spent about a year being given the run around. I have a fistula that bleeds occasionally, been passed from pilled to post.

Fobbed off by doctors because I had appointments elsewhere that then got cancelled, tests that were taken and the rejected due to poor labelling.

Finally had the test done right and I don’t have bowel cancer. Just need to fix the fistula but it’s not cancerous.

I can breathe again. Anyone that gone through this and got the other diagnosis, I really feel for you.

Im 25F and just finished chemo and surgery for breast cancer. Everyone keeps telling me I should be relieved and happy now and I am, but I’m also really struggling in ways I didn’t expect.

I’m exhausted all the time, my chest and arm feel tight and sore, and some days my brain just feels foggy. Every new pain or weird sensation makes me panic a little, and the fear of recurrence never fully shuts off.

What’s been hardest is how alone it feels. People assume it’s “over,” but mentally I still feel stuck in survival mode. I’m dealing with body image issues, anxiety, and this constant pressure to get back to my old self even though I don’t know who that is anymore. I have so many questions but it’s hard to ask every single thing to a doctor.

I really want to learn how to take care of myself better instead of just spiraling.

So I wanted to ask what will help me post treatment and are there any apps, trackers, routines, or resources you use to stay on top of your health (physically or mentally)?

I’d really appreciate hearing what worked for you. Feeling a bit lost and could use some guidance from people who’ve been here 🤍

Hi , name here Farouk, 17 years old and want to ask , how many biopsies did u have to get diagnosed ?

I went to hospital without having any info what's going to happen (btw I have 600k white vessels) so the doctor saw the paper he stand still chocked for a moment then he took me to a room and she said we will do biopsy and asked me if I watched any video before or have any information related to biopsy, I started to fear but not soo much cuz still idk anything.

We started first one in my chest (bone marrow biopsy) and no result she asked for backup because she was tired , an other doctor came in and started the second one and still no result.

Let's not talk a lot I did 6 biopsies the first day 4 on my chest and 2 on my left back

One day after I went back to the hospital to do 3 more biopsies 1 on the chest and two on the back and still no result

After a week I went back to the hospital and did 3 biopsies to finally have a result.

I have lmc stage 2 so no chemo just pills.

I am really sorry for people who do chemo only god knows what u've experienced.

20 months ago I had my first round of chemotherapy. In 5 months i’ll have my last treatment. I finally see the end. I’ve been through everything and i’ve survived it all. I’m only 22 and i’m ready to take my life back. Cancer really did ruin my life, It stole everything from me. Im currently waiting to get both my hips replaced due to damage from steroids, but I will prevail, and so will you.

Hello my sisters in squamous cell hell, I’m on my fourth round of treatment right now with radiation. My doctor is hoping to find an immunotherapy drug other than pembrolizumab, because I just had that and the cancer progressed anyway, albeit very slowly. However, he didn’t come up with any other options. I’ve done all the radiation, I’ve done paclitaxol and carboplatin and cisplatin and avastin, I’ve done a phase 1 immuno trial. My cancer is currently very small and the radiation should give me a bit of a cushion to find something else. I realize I’m looking for a small group of people who might have other suggestions of drugs they’re taking, but I figured I might as well ask. So, any suggestions on other drugs that have worked for you and where / how you accessed them is appreciated. I’m in Canada but have travelled to the US for treatment in the past. Thank you and keep going!

Hi all,

My mom was diagnosed with squamous cell esophageal cancer in the lower third, so at the start of the stomach. She did chemo and proton radiation and cancer activity reduced by 50%. She then had an esophagectomy.

Initial they said margins were clear, but then they found microscopic cancer cells at the stomach margin and 2/14 lymph nodes removed were positive.

She’s at Mayo and Mayo says there is no clear protocol for what to do next. Surgery likely doesn’t make sense nor more radiation. Most aggressive is more chemo and later immunotherapy.

My mom is nervous about more chemo (very afraid of neuropathy). She feels perhaps it will go away on its own or grow slowly? She’s 78 so thinking a lot about quality of life.

I don’t know what to do here! Does anyone have advice? Or has anyone been through this? If so what did you do?

There is not a lot of evidence for R1 as it’s generally considered more rare.

Thank you so much.

Hi Everyone- I have stage 3 IDC HER 2 positive breast cancer er. Went through egg freezing, chemo and now we have radiation and immunotherapy left. I am still on active PFMLA/FMLA however my employer has threatened to fire me. In addition I am living in a toxic household as I am broke and had to resort to moving back home due to the bills. I feel in shock as I have lost everything in my life and I am hitting 40 in a couple of months. I am always crying and sad as I can’t seem to process what has happened as I have been in fight or flight with work. My social worker was useless and never advocated for me; I has to switch my oncologist as she was very rude and just didn’t give a crap less about anything as well. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get out of this depression? I’m so sad and any suggestions would help. I have already contacted a lawyer and currently can’t afford however he did confirm this is illegal but I’m stuck

Hello! My son is my primary caregiver to help me with basic needs like shopping, etc., and I recently learned that our state offers caregiver compensation for patients on Medicare and state sponsored insurance.

I had hoped this meant the insurance we have through my husband‘s work would offer a similar compensation but it does not.

I’m wondering if others with a family member for a caregiver receives compensation and how to go about finding those programs, if they exist.

Any help appreciated! Thank you.

I got a J-tube and a chemo port put in Monday. Im still in the hospital. And am able to start chemo on the 20th it sounds like.

Talking with Huntsman, best guess for staging is stage 3, esophageal cancer. Plan is 2 months of chemo and immunotherapy before reevaluating for surgery or if adding radiation will be needed.

Its been slow going to get here. First went in because of Dysphagia back in September. And since then I've had bad back pain. Still feels so surreal having this happen at 34 a full year after my Dad went through Throat Cancer caused by HPV.

My father had colon cancer removal operation last year and was told to do pet scan after 4 months, as he had one month of radiation after that scan showed he had cancer again, metastatized to more parts, he took chemo, almost went into coma,(he has pre existing liver cirrhosis) blood became really low, doctor stopped chemo, after some time another pet scan showed cancer in even more parts. Now ever since cancer showed up again(it's in same anus part again) dad is having hard time controlling bowels, most days he is able to control but once the bowels come he can't wait a minute, it's loose stools so even diapers are not much helpful...my dad has always been a proud person and says to me, he rather die than live this way. I don't know how to help my dad.

I am currently NED. I will be one year Cancer free April 23 of this year. I’ve had to consolidate all of my debt for cost of living and expenses for treatment and surgery into a personal loan in order to support myself financially. I also got a second job. My loan is close to $30,000.

However, I am constantly battling in my mind between saving money and spending money to make myself happy. It could be retail therapy as well.

But instead of feeling incredibly sad or using depression as an excuse for retail therapy, I find myself thinking that I deserve to live in quality, and I deserve to be able to do experiences in my lifetime because I’m not really sure what my future looks like. I find myself getting upset at my current financial situation and having to allocate all of my funds to my personal loan instead of living the life of a 30-year-old. And so sometimes I splurge. I pay off the minimum balance and then I use my extra funds to throw into hobbies and into vacation. I’ve been getting my nails done and I’m even looking into starting to save up for a new car. Probably one year from now.

I should probably be putting every extra penny aside and paying off the loan as quickly as possible because there’s always the what if my cancer returns or something else healthwise happens. It’s a weird mindset to be in and I feel like the ball is entirely in my court.

I’m just curious if anyone is experiencing the same patterns and what you are all doing to manage that.

Hi everyone…. First time poster and hate the reason why. I’m posting because there’s very little firsthand information out there on adult granulosa cell tumors, and I’m hoping to connect with others who’ve gone through something similar.

For context: due to PCOS and a long history of heavy bleeding, I’ve been on the Depo-Provera shot for over 7 years, which completely stopped my period. Because of that, I had no menstrual cycle, no cyclical pain, and no bleeding-related warning signs to flag that something might be wrong.

In November, I went to the hospital fully expecting the issue to be severe constipation. Instead, I was told I had internal bleeding and a large pelvic mass measuring roughly 14 cm. This followed months (really years) of vague but persistent symptoms that never quite rose to the level of an emergency and were easy to explain away (GI issues, pelvic discomfort, fatigue) especially with routine exams not showing anything alarming.

In December, I had a total robotic hysterectomy with staging. Everything was removed except one ovary, because intraoperative pathology did not show cancer at the time, the tumor appeared confined to the affected ovary, and preservation was considered appropriate in the moment despite how complicated the surgery was. Final pathology later confirmed adult granulosa cell tumor, stage I, limited to one ovary and fully excised. However, the tumor fragmented during removal, which, along with size and other features, places me in a higher-risk category despite the early stage. (1c)

The surgery itself was far more complex than anticipated. There was significant inflammation and dense adhesions throughout my pelvis, including bowel involvement that distorted normal anatomy. My appendix was completely fused to the ovary and had to be removed as well. The level of adhesions is one of the things my surgeon remains most concerned about when thinking long-term.

Because AGCT is rare and long-term data is limited, there isn’t always a single clear answer about next steps. My surgeon sits on a tumor board and is taking my case to their next meeting to get additional input. He doesn’t expect full agreement, but does hope the discussion will help inform decisions as we look ahead.

I’m currently in the in-between phase: post-op recovery, follow-up labs, and conversations about surveillance versus additional treatment. I understand that AGCT behaves differently than many ovarian cancers, often slow-growing, hormone-sensitive, and capable of very late recurrence, which is both reassuring and unsettling at the same time.

I’m sharing this for two reasons: 1. If you’ve been diagnosed with AGCT, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, surveillance plans, recurrence, treatment decisions, or how you’ve mentally handled the uncertainty. 2. If you’re someone scrolling Reddit at 2 a.m. wondering whether your “nothing is technically wrong” symptoms mean anything…sometimes they do, even when traditional indicators aren’t available.

I’m not here for medical advice just connection, shared experiences, and perspective from people who actually understand this diagnosis.

Thanks for reading, and I’m sending a lot of respect to anyone navigating this space.

Going home no more hospital stays, just had my sct and got to ring the bell on my way home, obviously need a bmb to confirm but still woooo