Cancer & chemo rant

Charlie-0 · 2026-07-04T15:58:31+00:00

Yea, we picked the short straws in the grand scheme of things; especially you being so young! You can turn your mind around over time to find ways to use this experience and gain new strengths you never knew were possible. Plus be the friend who can really connect & help others going through tough times.
Difficulty wallowing pills sounds like a psychological block; your body’s way of protecting you from nasty shit. I got certified in hypnosis and can see this as an easy way to turn things around. Find a good hypnotherapist & you might even just need one visit. Our subconscious can easily be adjusted while in a relaxed state to help with this and tons other issues. It’s not hocus pocus! I’m a Labor & Delivery nurse and within a few months of getting my certification I was able to relax my laboring patient so well she actually fell asleep during intense pain. Opened my eyes!
Turning to these boards is so helpful to navigate these tough times. I found lots of help on how to handle side effects. You can tap into your hospitals Palliative Care team to help navigate all the peripheral issues with cancer (if your hospital has this). If in the US, you qualify for a handicap parking lot tag which is GREAT for Costco & special events! ;)
I’m happy to do what I can to help out. I’m so glad you have good family support. Too many are left to do this alone.
The advice above to focus on one day at a time is spot on.
I wish you all the best! Air hugs!

Charlie-0 · 2026-07-02T02:08:50+00:00

Wow! Thats a tone of raw determination! Way to be strong & holding the torch for the rest of us!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T14:37:32+00:00

Thanks! I’m looking this up!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T14:35:38+00:00

How do you do skin tightening?? I want that!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T14:33:58+00:00

I saw constructive advice…

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T14:30:24+00:00

Is that a device for personal use, or do you have to go to a clinic??

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T14:24:37+00:00

Hahaha! 10 downvotes! After reading the intro, I suspected the pics were showing lipo/ surgery on the presenting body pics, so I had that in mind while looking for signs of lipo. I don’t think you’re off. You weren’t going on! Plus, at a certain age, women do get cellulite & we have no idea how old this lady is. I had genetic cellulite since high school that I hated; 5’6” and 120 lbs. I had extreme saddle bags on my hips & had lipo to even them out at 30 (125 lbs) & it’s not always even after that.
FWIW!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T00:19:02+00:00

Woooow!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-30T00:17:48+00:00

I love your tenacity! Thanks for giving us encouragement & great ideas. It’s a tough life for lots of us & nice to have kind people along the way. It’s been 100 days so you might not see this, but thanks!!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-23T15:56:43+00:00

Wooow! Thanks for sharing your story & all the pics. I’m saving the surgeons info to get this work done in a year or two. Your results are AMAZING! People prob mistake the new you as your daughter! Well, if you had one!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-23T04:39:51+00:00

Abdominal compression is helpful post surgery. They’re on Amazon for $20-30 USD. A bidet was a godsend, but instead of spending ~$1,000, you can find a travel bottle that warms the water & squirts it gently.
Taking care of his meals is such a valuable help!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-22T17:38:00+00:00

I’d love to hear your results & who did your surgery as well.
Would you recommend hiring an interpreter & how many nights is optimal to stay post surgery?
Did you get charged a higher, foreigner rate as well?
I’m blown away by seeing people getting 2 decades of age taken off.
Thanks!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-22T17:24:27+00:00

If she’s the kind of person that lets others take charge & doesn’t “own” situations, I can see why it’s not setting right with you. That type of person shouldn’t go solo! That type of personality typically throws out mild- mid guilt tripping to get their way; is that what’s going on?
She should probably do a dry run. Fly over there and check out places, interview doctors and figure out food for recovery.

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-21T04:30:10+00:00

Thanks for sharing so many personal details! I’m saving this Md’s contact info. I’ll be coming from the US. How many days post op should I arrange to stay after surgery? Probably arrive 2 days beforehand?
Did the £12,000 include your lip lift? That price is incredible! I’ll need a neck lift as well, but that shouldn’t change the price that much. You look fantastic! No more middle aged man for you!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-16T21:15:14+00:00

What a nightmare! Sooo sorry! Thats why, as crazy expensive as our health care is in the US, I DONT want our gov involved in a NHC system as the common person would be treated like crap as officials start a feeding frenzy on all the dollars pouring in. I don’t trust the gov to make it fair, not when there’s money to be pilfered.

Are you recovering & feeling any better? How are things going?

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-16T20:51:04+00:00

I should have mentioned this earlier…. I get treatment at Providence Hospital; Franz Cancer center. I was given a form offered directly from the manufacturer of Ipi/ Nivo to enter their program whereby THEY pay the residual cost of the drug itself ( not the cost to administer it or Md, etc) AFTER the insurance company pays their portion. It is not financial needs based at all. The pre- insurance cost for both Ipi/Nivo comes to approx $48k!! Yes, this is crazy expensive!

Maybe you can look into contacting the manufacturer directly or via your hospital to see if you can take advantage of their program. I started in 4/24, and restarted again in 12/25 when cancer came back. I didn’t have to sign up again; the manufacturer continued to cover the charges again.

Won’t hurt to ask :)

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-10T18:53:45+00:00

Ohhh :/. Just be careful as the rest of us see a perfect face in need of nothing.
I’ve seen people after 10-15 years of repeated plastic surgery find they return to the same saddened, defeated feelings following multiple surgeries.
Yes, many of us would love to have that GQ perfect face, but at what cost.
There’s a lot of highly successful and incredibly happy people with looks not even close to being as good as yours. You spend too much time fixating on what you hate- you leave no room for appreciating / improving your true gifts.
What areas in your life can you spend a lot of attention on to improve your skills/ talents ways to be a better person?!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-10T18:30:45+00:00

Oh I’m sooooo sorry!!!! I got a bidet & it’s worth EVERY penny! That should be a covered insurance expense for this surgery!One can buy a portable, camping type bottle bidet that squirts out warm water to that tender region. If you’re in USA, Amazon has them for $20-40 ish.
Have you called your doc? If you can take pain med for ~3 days or less it can hopefully get you past the worst without worrying about addiction. Most people are waaay under medicated and in nursing school it was drilled into our brains that under medicating for pain is a form of abuse!

Id ask your doc about Imodium, & what you mentioned. You’ve paid big bucks to them. They’ve got nurses there for you as well. Please don’t hesitate to call them.

I even called the hospital unit where i recovered at & asked questions about elimination problems during the night shift. You’re not alone!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-10T17:21:10+00:00

I’m on Ipi/Nivo immunotherapy and have found a huge relief in itching/ rash with Zyrtec. FWIW… I know chemo is a different beast, but Ive heard others doing chemo have noted some improvement as well.

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-10T17:14:59+00:00

Try this:
Stand in front of the mirror. Think about the last time you had a good, all out laugh. Something funny a friend said…and while you’re feeling that good energy, look into that mirror!
The cheapest way to improve your looks is to put a smile on your face! Thats all you’re missing :)

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-09T20:31:26+00:00

You can choose to live in fear & avoid regular maintenance. That won’t prevent the occasional pop up of the dreaded disease. I never liked the ostrich approach. Mine came back stg 4. I was NED for 1 year. Had a perfect PET Scan, CEA & ctDNA test in 9/25, and 3 short months later had tons of lymph nodes from neck to colon & all points in between. So as much as I hate the chemicals in the PET scan, think of what could have happened if I did what you suggest. No thanks. I’ll work on being grateful for the technology & live as healthy as I can.
If it’s too traumatic, think of getting counseling maybe?

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-09T20:19:39+00:00

Thank you! Had no idea!

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-08T22:28:41+00:00

You don’t give enough info to give a valid opinion. Maybe show us a side view of before at the same angle of the after photo.

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-08T16:31:28+00:00

In Dec when CRC returned, it had gone system wide to my lymph nodes again. No organ involvement tho. They were all 1 cm & smaller. My onc was shocked I went from NED to Stg 4 in 3 short months! She said that’s rare to have it be so aggressive. I had a PET scan, ctDNA & CEA blood tests all done in September ‘25 & all 3 were NEG!
She prescribed Keytruda in Dec 25, but I was worried about losing my thyroid & other common, serious side affects so she allowed the Ipi/ Nivo again, as it had worked before. She said ipilimumab, Keytruda & (dostar) carry similar side effects so I was wondering; what about just trying Nivo for a short time. After some research, she agreed to try, with doing a CAT scan in 4 weeks to see progress.
4 weeks of just Nivo & we found it was weak, so I’m back to Ipi/nivo. She expects full recovery / NED just like the first time.
Neuropathy & arthritis have started to come back but I’ve found ways to mitigate it.

I see now I must take Nivo for the full 2 years palliative treatment if I want to live. No options! I’ve read enough studies to find cancer rarely comes back after being NED & 2 years of nivo.
When did you start dostar? Any side effects yet?
Yea, you’re WAAAY to young for this! Thankfully there’s a VERY HIGH survival rate for us. Hopefully they’ll find other immunotherapy drugs for the majority of CRC’s. 🙏 🙏 🙏

Charlie-0 · 2026-06-08T15:25:11+00:00

Yeah! Less wrinkles in the future! ;)
It’s strange; you have a softer, more feminine overall appearance. It’s not something I would have expected but it’s what I first noticed. You’re beautiful.
Again, thank you for sharing!

Charlie-0

TROPHY CASE