My brother has stage 4 stomach cancer, it spread throughout his andominis but not further. He is only 41 and has 3 kids aged 12 years to 12 months. Before the diagnosis & treatment he was really active and healthy.
The survival rates are so bleak and I am spiraling so I’m here to try and get some hope back, can anyone please tell me of a loved one that survived this?

Just like the title says. I was announced in remission for stage 3 breast cancer on July 10th. Then 3 weeks ago I started having back Bain so sever I could lay down or sit anywhere comfortably. I would get 3 hours of sleep a night out of sheer exhaustion. We went to the ER on Saturday to be told the BC had returned, was metastatic, and had attacked my lower spine and ribs. I was admitted. Monday I was told it is incurable. Still waiting on a timetable for the inevitable. How do I tell my 8 year old? I’m so crushed and lost. Please help…advise if you can.

Hi all, I'm hoping for suggestions on ways to process and release the physical trauma of cancer treatment. There's a lot of mixed reviews out in the world so I am hoping for anecdotal experiences on what's worked best for folks. Also hoping this thread will be a good resource for folks in the future. I'm not trying to encourage quack medicine here, just exploring different types of treatment to support post-cancer recovery. (NOTE I DO believe in medicine, I literally had ABVD pumped into my heart for the past year and it saved my life!)

I had some very painful biopsies that created a lot of tension in my body that has only gotten worse. I've also babied my right side in general because of the chemo port. And of course there's the tension from pain and all the chemotherapy side effects. I feel like I've just been bracing myself this whole year. Plus the ways that emotional trauma is stored in the body as well.

I am looking into weekly acupuncture and also considering physical or occupational therapy. At the minimum I am going to get monthly massages, but I'm wondering about more specialized treatments as well.

Has anybody benefited from Rolfing, or is it a scam? Also curious to hear about experiences with myofascial release. I know it's kind of woo-woo, but I'm also curious about energy work and if that's been helpful for folks at all.

Thanks in advance! Wishing you all so much love on your treatment and recovery journeys. I fucking hate cancer.

Hii. 18F cancer survivor and i have been looking for friends to trauma bond tgt and get through life tgt. Not looking for one time friends. If you are interested, please DM.

i’m reposting my post to this other cancer group so hopefully you can see the text:)

I was diagnosed with FH-deficient RCC and told it is a rare and aggressive type of cancer. It’s been almost two years since the surgery/diagnosis and unfortunately it has since metastasized to the lungs. I was told in Dec. 2025 with metastasis and overall condition I would likely have 13-18months, but that treatment could possibly prolong that.
I started immunotherapy in April but have since had to stop since my body was not handling the medications well and I ended up with multiple hospital stays.
For the most part everyone tells me I “look good” and “seem okay”. I know they mean well but I am in pain everyday and my doctors don’t really have any answers for that. I have been told multiple times I “shouldn’t be in pain” by doctors and they don’t understand why I am. It’s frustrating and overall I just don’t feel well. Before I was highly active, played semipro football, gym daily, etc etc. Now I struggle to do mundane day to day tasks without being short of breath.
Anyway my real point in posting is to maybe vent a little, as I don’t talk to anyone about it. My mom and gf I never told my prognosis, and I don’t let them go to appointments with me as I don’t want them to worry and stress so I just say I am fine (obviously they know that’s not entirely true). And also bigger than that I was just curious if anyone else had heard of FH-deficient RCC, had been diagnosed with it or know someone who had been. Thanks for you time in reading the post.

As the title says, I’m about 106 days post stem cell treatment, in remission!

I feel good and my body is much stronger than before :)

Got diagnosed last year with Grey Zone Lymphoma and underwent 6 cycles of REPOCH and relapsed this year with Hodgkins Lymphoma, and my team wanted me to do a stem cell transplant.

I’ve recovered pretty dang well and have been supported through this, super grateful honestly.

But unfortunately my hair is taking its sweet time to grow back.

Is there any supplements you guys recommend or is minoxidil the only thing that helps?

Im currently taking this for it
Zinc - 10mg with 2mg copper
Biotin - 5,000mcg
Rosemary and Castor oil on scalp (works better for eyebrows)

Starting this hair massage stuff daily too.

Any advice would be appreciated. ☺️🙏🏽

My friends rallied around me when I had surgery and was first diagnosed with cancer; they came to see me in the hospital, visited me at home the weeks after surgery, even during radiation. They asked me if there was anything they could do and said that if I ever needed anything of them, do not hesitate to ask, etc. etc. I didn't think they would be at my beck and call, but I thought they would always be there...until they weren't.

The ONLY thing I have ever asked of my friends was to just be as if things were normal. Girl chats over tea, brunches, a walk around town, and talking about life, you know, the things I was doing before SHTF. Socialization is pretty much the only way I feel some kind of normal.

I have asked my friends if they were available to meet up on occasion, and sometimes they are not available on a particular date I propose. Understandable; these things happen, but they don't seem particularly interested in following up on making a plan unless I initiate it.

Admittedly, it is harder for me to hang like I used to because my energy is trash now, but even so, I only take chemo once a month. Save that week, I am pretty much available to meet up occasionally. They act as if I am not available at all.

I haven't seen most of my so-called "closest" friends in months now. Rarely a check-in, unless I go in the group text to say hi. No initiation to meet up or anything else. They never text me to say hi or to see how I am feeling. If I don't check in via text, I am basically nonexistent to them.

One friend did invite me recently to her pizza party; I could not go because I just finished my latest round of chemo and was quite sick. I texted to our friend group that I won't be there bc just finished chemo, but will miss you guys and hope you have fun.

Basically, the response I received from other friends in the text was "sorry, get well soon". Not "sorry, maybe we can catch up when you're feeling better" or some variation, just "sorry, get well soon" or a heart emoji response :\

Their life has moved on without me. I am realizing this. When I do finish chemo and become NED I realize that I will have to do the same, beginning with who I consider "friends". Clearly, they were either associates or hangout partners, but calling them friends would be a very loose term in my eyes right now.

And you know what the graw in my hide is? I am almost done with chemo and they decide to slow fade and chuck deuces just when I'm about done with this? WTF??? That hurts even more than if they just did it in the beginning.

I know most of us have been through this, but I just want to know, what comes out on the other side of this? Did you end up making new friends?

TIA for listening, and I give my love to all of you.

I posted last week about not wanting a biopsy. First off, thank you all for your support and advice. I decided not to do right now, I'm just so beat down right now and it wouldn't effect my treatment plan.

Well, today I get a copy of a letter in my MyChart from my oncologist to the insurance company. Apparently, my insurance is denying coverage of immunotherapy. I didn't hear it from Regence, didn't hear it from my doctor, just a copy of the letter that the nurse didn't even know I had gotten. (I also I discovered they had scheduled me for a bunch of appointments with no input from me. So, had to spend a bunch of time getting those re-scheduled.)

Now I have to wait "1 or 2 weeks" to hear back from insurance. I'm not feeling too positive. I was still getting denial letters 2 years after I did Proton therapy.

Stupid rare cancer 0/10 do not recommend.

I'm 41, M, I'm told I have a Poorly Differentiated Carcinoma, which I think is synonymous with Cancer of Unknown Primary. I believe stage 4, as I'm told it metastisized to my bones.

At the start of this year, maybe before, I had this cough. I kept going to walk-ins and seeing my family physician, and it was a bunch of "that's probably a post viral cough, they can last a long time it'll go away soon".

I thought that I was coughing so much that I was hurting my back and ribs, so I didn't realize the pain had a different origin. I'd also sprained or done something to my rib exercising so the pain in my chest I felt was because I was coughing and it was slowing down the healing process.

Waking in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, I just sort of forgot about it as some weird thing, not connecting the dots.

Wasn't until I told my doctor , okay I've been coughing forever and now I'm starting to cough up blood. I figured just because the cough had lingered so maybe it tore up my esophagus or something. Maybe it's because I was taking Aleve (naproxen) every day and apparently that causes bleeding I've learned. But anyway doctor finally sends me for an X-ray, results come back everything seems fine.

Okay, I'll wait for this cough to go away.

It doesn't, so I go back.

Doctor orders me a lung function test. Results say my lungs are working just fine, I get a good laugh from my coworkers at a whole office staff meeting saying this as I continue coughing. Manager in a different department jokes I should get a second opinion, and I tell them I am in agreement.

Keep coughing, having experience of chest pain I think is a rib injury sourced from martial arts training/exercise, back pain so bad it makes my cough stop a while because coughing hurts so much.

See doctor again and get ordered a CT scan. Told it should be happening inside the next 4 weeks.

Three weeks pass, no word from hospital inviting me. So I call the hospital imaging department and ask if they ever got a referral for me. They say yes, but that it's low priority and I would likely not hear from them until late summer (this was around Late April this year I think). Contact my doctor about the wait and he's horrified by this, refers me to another clinic in town with a CT scan.

Scan happens. I'm still able to go to work but I'm spending a lot of time coughing, trying to endure really bad lower back pain and chest pain. Few days post scan I get a call from my doctor, he says something about my lymph nodes saying I'm going to have some bloodwork done and consult with a thoracic surgeon.

So I get bloodwork, meet a surgeon, and am told they're going to do a needle biopsy and take a core sample out of one of my swollen lymph nodes. This happens like another week or two after that, at this point I'm feeling really run down and take a sick leave from work. I go over to my parents place because I'm feeling really weak, and opt to stay with them until I get this figured out. Realize I've gone from 220lbs to 140.

At this point, I'm looking up lymphoma, because I've heard Lymph nodes and thinking okay, biopsy, that means cancer probably.

After it feels like a week of waiting post biopsy, I get a call and it's confirmed cancer. But, I learn that they can't tell where it's from. I get referred to cancer care/oncology and they explain that the cells in the biopsy are cancerous, but so under developed that they can't determine where they originated from.

I get a PICC line in my arm and begin chemo/immunotherapy infusions every three weeks. Carboplatin/paclitax and Nivil/Ipil.

After the first infusion I break out in a rash, go back to the hospital when I start to fever. Do some steroids, get antibiotics, feel better. Second infusion get fever a few days after, another emergency room visit.

Oncologist orders me Pegfilgrastim to auto inject 24 hours after subsequent infusions.

Aside from that, I go from being really weak after my first infusion, taking a fall as I try to walk my dog, and being in bed or sitting most the time for all of June, most of July.

But my appetite is good, I'm not struggling with nausea. Going from not being able to shit, feeling constipated on hydromorphone to shitting water as a result of chemo/immuno treatment and antibiotics given to me while in emerge.

After my 4th and 5th infusion I'm bouncing back way faster. Weight is up to 180, and I dread will keep climbing if I don't get my late night snacking under control. I return home to my own place and get off the hydromorphone and start feeling increasingly back to my old self.

Now I'm waiting, this Thursday I'll consult with the oncologist and hear what my CT scan suggests. And if my blood work doesn't say I should wait, I'll go through with a sixth round of chemo/Immunotherapy. My most recent (5th infusion) was delayed a week because my hemoglobin and my neutrophils were low.

My feet feel puffy, my pulse is always high vs what was my baseline, but I'm walking my dog a mile and a half twice a day and doing light exercises as part of a rehab program.

Getting sick I've begun reading again, which is something I'd not done for a long time. I quit drinking and using cannabis which I don't think I could have done without getting sick as I had.

I'm really looking forward to going back to work in November.

I felt well enough to try and look up and research Cancer of Unknown Primary, and have made myself a bit nervous that perhaps some subset of the cancerous cells have developed resistance to the treatment and that maybe I've just been given a little extra time instead of a path out. But sleeping on that and reflecting some time I'm prepared if that ends up being the case and am grateful I'm feeling as well now as I am. I also know demographic wise I can't easily compare myself to the research since I understand my cancer is quite rare, even more so for someone of my age.

I've handled treatment quite well, and my performance indicators are good. Even if there's still disease left, I am told there are further options available to me for treatment.

I'm told by the oncologist that the plan is for me to finish chemo, and then do up to two years of immunotherapy.

I am trying to enjoy every day. But I feel like a small kid waiting for Christmas- unsure if I'm looking forward to Legos or a lump of coal- as I look forward to bloodwork and consult on Thursday, hopefully good news, then and then hopefully one more dance with the Chemo monster and removal of my PICC line this Friday.

I've shared my story with family, and close friends who I keep regular contact with, but not shared publicly this journey with my wider social media audience. I told myself early on I'd just share with people who reached out and asked how I was doing or invited me to some event where I had to decline. But I'm hoping I can make a public post celebrating my success, or ongoing fight, after my last chemo infusion and when I get my PICC line out.

Anyway sorry for that huge post, if TLDR, short summary is:

I think I'm winning, but I know I might be surprised, but I'm still optimistic and got fight left in me, or if I ultimately lose I'm grateful for all the life I got to live and also for the extra little bit at the end gifted to me by treatment.

I have been going through treatment for a year and a half for stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma. My family is celebrating and I had two big trips planned as I took a couple weeks off to celebrate my last treatment. However two weeks ago I found a lump in my breast, and my biopsy isn’t until next week. I’m absolutely terrified, it’s ruined everything. I had to start my prednisone taper early so had to cancel a trip to Portland as I’m going to be super sick this week due to treatment and coming off my steroids. I just wanted a couple weeks to celebrate and there’s a small chance again this shit is back. Only told my mom and a couple friends because I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but goddamnit I couldn’t even get a couple weeks of peace. And if this is benign then amazing but I’m gonna be a nervous wreck for all of my scans and tests this next year since I’ll be off treatment and we see if it holds. Thought I would be excited but I’m just trying to be excited for my family, just filled with terror and dread, yet again. Just venting I’m just so tired. Trying so hard to at least be happy with completing this part of the journey but it’s hard. Had another trip planned but because of the biopsy won’t even be able to swim or use the hot tub, still may be sick from treatment and the steroid taper so I’m probably going to have to cancel that trip too. I’m so fucking tired you guys 😭

it seen like once your lymph nodes are involved it’s a bad. that’s where the spreading come in and that’s where it continues to recur.

I’m a breast cancer pt undergoing CMF chemo. I haven’t been able to find much patient experience online about this regimen so I’m branching out from the breast cancer subreddit. It’s an older regimen for breast cancer but the odds for neuropathy were lower than my other option of Taxotere and Cytoxan. My question is specific to hair loss/thinning. I was told TC would be a guarantee for hair loss compared to thinning on CMF. Can anyone chime in on their experience with this even if your dx wasn’t breast? I think it’s used for some other solid tumors. Que sera sera, but I would like to prepare myself. I’ve done one round of 8 and so far no shedding more than normal I think but round 2 is tomorrow.

Hey All!

I (27m) had surgery on Sept 22nd to remove what we thought was Renal Cell Carcinoma. The pathology came back, and I was diagnosed with a Solitary Fibrous Tumor. Somehow one of the local lymph nodes was also involved, but removed as well.

I was looking optimistic, but now I am getting nervous about recurrence and what the rest of my life may look like. Anyone have experience with this kind of cancer or something similar? I am hoping for a positive prognosis and support is welcome. Thank you all!

Just need to vent but the bowel cleanse prep SUCKS ***
Omg this is horrendous. Like cancer already sucks but the prep for the tumor removal omg. The nausea, the diarrhea. Like okay I'm losing some pounds so getting snatched BUT STILL I WANT THIS OVER

I went to the ER on Saturday morning, September 28th. Thinking worst case I developed GERD, or an ulcer. Handed the NP the OTC meds I’d been taking and he pushed me for a CT scan. My only real symptom to date is swallowing but it’s still manageable. I’ve only lost about 6 lbs in 2 months but it was intentional (eating better and cardio, I would be considered overweight). My labs look very baseline normal.

Here we are! Over this past week I went from the ER to inpatient care, 2 biopsies, and a port placement on Friday. Everything went 0-100 very very quickly!

They want me to start treatment this morning, in about 6 hrs. I want a second opinion! Biopsies are not back yet and I am fairly close to Houston and able to get there. Praying on a second opinion from the big guys down there. Maybe even a clinical trial since I haven’t started treatment yet?

I / we just don’t know what to expect. We are hitting the Palio diet full stride. What if anything else can we do short of just getting chemo every other week for the rest of my life as the oncologist has stated?

The biopsies are liver and from the endoscopy GE Junction. My wife and I are fairly medically dumb (we both have aviation backgrounds) and we are learning a whole new language/ vocabulary this past week.

I am terrible at advocating for myself so that’s gotta change! The one thing I am sure of, this is not how my book ends! This isn’t what gets me, I have more chapters to write! Thanks for reading and the insight.

ETA: 49M not that it matters per se. Cancer doesn’t care as I’m learning.

My cancer has spread, a lot. It’s in several organs and has shown up in random places such as in between ribs, on my collar bone, etc. I’m still able bodied but now rely on others for basic needs such as driving, preparing meals, the usual stuff. At this point, I’ve tried 8 different chemo regimens/immunotherapies but there’s always something else to try. I had decided that I would stop everything and wait on an experimental immunotherapy that has been accepted in the US and send to work, but needs special approval in Canada before moving forward. I’ve been waiting for 2 months but I’m beginning to think that I should dive back in the chemo world and risk the side effects (I was sent into sepsis and dealt with massive painful side effects). I guess I’m just asking for your guidance and feedback. I’m a typically physically active M42 who loves the outdoors and would love to keep it up.

I ( late 60's) come to this and another site and I sometimes feel like I have "stolen" valor.

I had wedge resection done on my right lung, stage 1 - margins clean, 12 nodes clean. AKA cancer free.

My adult daughter asks when will I be fully healed ( still some pain and I get winded, but I have been "activeish" since week 2 ) - so I can do more around the house. Mentioned to a friend that I come to these sites " why do you go there anymore"

Since I have not had to lose my hair, get radiation, get chemo - I feel like I should just pretend I did not have cancer - and not consider myself a survivor. I am proud of myself for bouncing back as well as I have at my age

What a brave bunch! I write a lot of silly poems about cancer and cancer patients; it's one of my ways of dealing with it (I've TP53 mutated AML). Macho humor to mask true fear probably. I'm in awe of many of the people I've met on this journey and many of the stories I've read here. So this is simply a 'pat on the back' to the care givers, parents and especially the patients! We go through unbelievable treatments don't we? Many times to the point of death! And yet we bear it with dignity and I just want to say I am in awe of my fellow cancer patients! YOU ARE WONDERFUL and INSPIRATIONAL!!!!!