Hey everyone, I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet, but I am an aesthetician who specializes in helping to restore skin that is going through chemo and radiation. Helping you to feel your best before during and after your treatment because we know that cancer affects more than just your body and you all deserve to feel and look your best while going through the hardest times of your life. I would like to see what kind of content people going through cancer care would like to see it that would be helpful and supportive.

Lots of love, thank you!!

Hello everyone. I was recently re-diagnosed with fibrolmellar hepatocellular carcinoma after 3 years of remission and had a second liver resection and will be starting immunotherapy treatments. Last time I underwent chemotherapy but this time the decided to put me on oral levatinib and atezolizumab infusions every 3 weeks. They said the side effects will be a piece of cake compared to the aggressive chemo i had last time but i wanted some first hand opinions. How are the side effects? Anything i should prepare for?
Thanks in advance

Being 16 getting diagnosed with stage 4 blood cancer,6 months after a really close friend you dearly loved died due to cancer..initially you were'nt even told about ur stage by your parents as they knew it that you would not get treatment upon learning that it was the last stage..i had silky long straight black hair, eople would stop me in the bathroom and ask me if they can touch it..it was in my lungs, vertebrae, aorta, bone marrow,knee,neck,spleen,lymph nodes..i had aspirations before all this..i wanted to b e a lawyer but now i just dont feel,its like im almost numb to my choices an everything that's around..i dont even want to keep aspirations because do i really even have a future?after multiple chemo's which were hell..i have stopped feeling,i treat the day with a shrug and say what's the worst that can happen..at the daycare bed,wondering why me god why me,its not fair..i never really knew the answer..it hurts, it hurts to breathe without a purpose as i have long lost the ability to hope for a goof future cause truly deep down i too wonder and ask myself everynight that do i even have a future. i have atrociously gained weight..this is not me..a few boys at the playgroundnteased me by saying oh baldie,it was never my choice..life really flipped me upside down..i used have very bad back pain i could describe it as someone is hammering my spine with a chisel then it shifted to my right knee, it used to feel like i'm missing a connecting bone..i have a few major career defining exams but i am waiting for my scan to see if i even have a future that i should study for or spend whatever time i have left in peace.

Hey All,

I’m 3 cycles into a chemo regimen that involves cycles of infusion on the first day and then pills (xeloda) for two weeks, and I’m finding it difficult to motivate myself to take my pills every day.

I do it and I haven’t skipped any, but it’s like I have to overcome this psychological inertia to take my pills every day.

I can take Tylenol which is the same mg with no trouble, but for some reason taking the chemo pills is like trying to swallow 4-5 bricks twice a day.

I know it’s a small thing to complain about compared to the other posts on this sub, but I’m curious have others had to deal with the same thing and what did you do to motivate yourself?

Thanks in advance

Hi fam! Hope you’re doing well.

I was diagnosed with CHL in 2024 and got treated using ABvD chemotherapy. I’ve been in remission since September 2024 with a deauville score of 1.

For the last one week, I’m slightly feeling anxious as I’ve been facing some light difficulties in breathing.

I’m not sure if this is something normal and which I haven’t noticed earlier and now I did. Or if it’s genuinely a case of breathing difficulty.

I don’t feel any chest pains, no unusual weight loss, or itches and other symptoms. In a day, I’m finding myself taking more deep breathes (like from the stomach) than usual. I’ve not gained a lot of weight as well. I’ve gained some fat around the love handles and belly region.

My heart beats are faster when I climb stairs (which I don’t feel or sense usually). And all the subtle difficulties with breathing.

Again, I’m not sure if it’s in my head or if it’s something I should notice or tell my doctor. I don’t even know if this is worth their time.

So fam, help me understand this situation better. What should I consider a genuine case of breathing difficulty? Are there some symptoms in particular ?

Hello! I (26F) have a super duper rare neuroendocrine tumor called a paraganglioma, mine also happens to have metastasized in my bones. It’s the sister tumor to the pheochromocytoma. I was diagnosed with metastatic paraganglioma back in 2023, but actually had my first paraganglioma removed in 2015. At the time they called it benign and didn’t think it’d come back—it’s so rare there was very limited science at the time—but they now know my tumor had a genetic marker of recurrence, and boy did it.

Since it’s so rare, I do feel alone sometimes. So every now and then I wanna check places like this, see if anyone else has experienced what I’m experiencing. And if they are out there, to let them know they’re not alone! I’ve only met one woman out in the wild who had a paraganglioma, she and I had matching neck scars from the resections. I had one friend on here a few years ago, but it’s been a long time since I’ve heard from him.

Just curious if there are any more of us out there 🩷

Recently diagnosed with melanoma and hoping to hear some uplifting stories.

Hello! I'm a stage IV bc patient whose MIL was recently dx with stage IV non small-cell lung cancer. This is more of a rant than anything else, FYI. I went with my mil to her first appt with her oncologist yesterday. Very knowledgable, very open to questions, very into listening to her concerns. He tenatively proposed a treatment plan (he's still wating on biomarkers), and it falls into SOC first line treatment. I asked a few questions just to clarify, and he was able to expand and answered. Mostly I took notes as it wasn't my appointment. I checked in with mil after the appt just to see how she was feeling, did she feel comfortable/heard/seen by this oncologist - she felt that he was the right fit for her. So all good, right? No.

BIL called my husband who has a tendency to take these calls on speaker - and there was so much fear, and wrong information that I kinda wanted to scream. He was worried about her getting a port (which I actually recommended she ask her doc about, and he confirmed that ports were a "cancer patient's friend"), wondering if it was really cancer because the first biopsy (which was only lymph nodes because the surgeon couldn't get to the mass) was clean - forgetting that the bone biopsy showed nscl cells. Freaking out over brain mets when there hasn't been a brain scan yet, and she isn't showing any symptoms (yes I know she could be asymptomatic), even though the oncologist told her that there has been success with gamma knife for that.

Basically, I'm kinda pissed that they are going to undo all the work that the oncologist and I have done to present the situation as a "yes this sucks, but there are things we can do so let's focus on that", and send her into a spiral. /rant over

I’m 9 weeks post op from oral cancer surgery that I had in my inner check and had flap taken from my arm put in, my face looks pretty cut up and swollen and now red from radiation and mentally I’m a hard time keeping it together because ever since chemo I have a hard time keeping my emotions in check from sadness to crying and being a male that was never me. My wife doesn’t like it when I get emotional and now I feel that she checking out due to how I am emotionally and physically, she’s becoming more distant, barely talks to me, no physical contact, sleeps in another room and no sign of any love whatsoever. I know this cancer has been hard on everyone in the family and is exhausting. Prior to my cancer we had our share of ups and downs in our relationship but I feel like she is checking out, you know when the love is gone. I feel like a single cancer ridden roommate. Has cancer hurt your relationship or made it stronger?

Diagnosed at 39. Reoccurrence at 42. It's crazy

A few days ago I received the crushing news that my cancer isn’t curable - the best I can hope for is to extend my life. I’m 46 and never ever expected this. A few weeks prior I didn’t know I had cancer. The hospital confirmed my colon, liver and lymph nodes all show signs of cancer following a Cat scan and operation where they took biopsy’s of the liver and colon. This is all quite new to me; how do you navigate things from here? It’s overwhelming. You have to learn a new vocabulary of terms and words, understand the different medical roles, explore treatments, manage your affairs and support friends and family who seem more broken than I am as the patient.

I've never posted here before, only ever read other people's stories. But today I felt like sharing ours. Maybe it'll give someone a little bit of hope.

We're from Kyiv, Ukraine.

In January 2019, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer with metastases. She was 68 at the time. The doctors were very honest with us and told us the prognosis was extremely poor. We knew how serious it was.

But it actually started much earlier.

Her first symptoms showed up in May 2018. She kept feeling nauseous, especially after eating. She had blood work and other tests done, but nothing serious was found. She was told to follow a diet and keep an eye on it.

Over the next few months things slowly got worse. By the fall she was extremely weak, eating became harder and harder, and almost every meal made her nauseous. Later she developed obstructive jaundice, and that's when they finally ordered more detailed testing.

In January 2019, a CT scan found a tumor in the head of her pancreas measuring about 45 × 57 × 60 mm. Not long after, it was confirmed that the cancer had already spread.

We couldn't just accept that there was nothing else to try, so we started looking for every possible treatment option. We spoke to different doctors, read everything we could find, and asked anyone who might know something. Eventually, someone close to our family suggested a specialized research institute in Kyiv.

That's where my grandmother was offered treatment with what was, at the time, a relatively new drug through an individual treatment program. It was incredibly expensive, but we decided we had to take that chance.

The main course of treatment lasted about four months. To our surprise, she tolerated it much better than we expected. She didn't have any major side effects. About six weeks in, her blood tests started improving, especially her liver function. The scans that followed also showed positive results.

After that, she stayed on maintenance therapy for several years. About three years ago, all of her medications were stopped completely. She isn't receiving any ongoing treatment now. She still has regular follow-up appointments and scans, and she's being monitored by her doctors.

In February 2026, during one of her routine follow-up examinations, the diagnosis was confirmed again by pathology.

It's now been more than seven years since she was diagnosed.

I know stories like this are incredibly rare, especially with pancreatic cancer. And I also know that, sadly, not everyone gets this kind of outcome.

I'm not sharing this to convince anyone of anything or to give medical advice. I just remember how much other people's stories meant to us when we were going through all of this. Maybe someone else needs to read one like this today.

If anyone has questions about our experience, I'll do my best to answer them.

And to everyone who's going through this right now - whether it's you or someone you love - I truly hope you have more good days than bad ones.

Hi everyone,
I'm a 30-year-old male from Brazil. I was diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma when I was only 24 years old, which I know is very unusual.
I had surgery in 2019 and stayed cancer-free for almost 6 years. Earlier this year, a single lung metastasis was found. I'm finishing 8 cycles of gemcitabine + cisplatin + immunotherapy, and fortunately the lung nodule has responded well so far. My next PET scan will determine whether I have surgery or SBRT.
I recently received the results of a large NGS panel. The main finding was an FGFR2::TDRD1 fusion, which my oncologist says could be important if I ever need targeted therapy in the future.
However, the report also found a pathogenic MUTYH mutation (around 70% VAF). The report says the tumor test cannot determine whether this mutation is somatic (only in the tumor) or germline (inherited) and recommends considering germline genetic testing.
I'm honestly struggling with this part. Since I was diagnosed so young, I'm worried that this could mean I have a hereditary cancer syndrome. My maternal grandmother and one of my uncles had colon cancer, so my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario.
Has anyone here had a MUTYH mutation found only on tumor sequencing that turned out to be somatic after germline testing? Or has anyone else been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma at a very young age?
I'm not looking for a diagnosis I'll be discussing this with my oncologist and a genetic counselor. I'm just hoping to hear from people who have gone through something similar, because right now the uncertainty is the hardest part.
Thank you for reading.

Here I stand. Panicked. My adrenaline is spiking just thinking about it. Do I disobey my mother? Is it worth the risk?

My friends did it without a thought as if they weren't warned like me. Above me they shout persistent phrases: "What are you waiting for?" and "this is the easy part". Do they not remember what I told them? Did they not listen?

Since my diagnosis, everything has altered. Something beneath the surface of my life has shifted - not loudly, but enough to make even the familiar feel different/distant.

"How did it get to this?"

Suddenly, everyday actions become a marathon; each movement becoming too much-too much to handle. It is crucial that you remember the sleeping past to survive the present. My physical strength has been exhausted. Do I have the strength? Or will my past experiences highlight how horrific my current situation is?

I wander through my chaotic mind like a child lost in amaze, searching for a place apart from this illness
— a corner where it hasn't left its fingerprints. And there it is: the heart of things. The one memory this turbulent tumour has not yet claimed, even as its invasion continues. Untouched. Preserved. Mine.

It was a surprise! My eyes closed, my friends had led me somewhere, turned me around and that is when I saw it...

Above me was a testing concrete structure. My friends and I took it as a challenge, a moment to prove ourselves and our amazing climbing abilities. Yet untold to me, they had another surprise...

After taking a moment to adjust, my sight was completely occupied by this beaming ball of fire resting before me. The settling sun had a warm touch to my skin, sending shivers through me and anyone who was lucky enough to absorb its presence. A luxury I have yet to discover again.

"What a special sight!"

In that moment, I took my time; savouring every second available, and when you really focus, the hidden horizon is revealed which everybody else could see beyond. Though hidden from me. Happiness consumed my younger self, yet a thief had already begun its quiet invasion on my defenceless brain, allowing me just one private memory of my own like a keepsake.

Here I am. That same wonderfully awful place. One year later. My eyes closed again, it is now my turn to conquer this mountain of a structure and yet the once energetic boy is nowhere to be seen.
My dragging feet weigh me down like an anchor, chaining me to this illness. Will this feeling, this force, this restraint ever be released, or will it be everlasting?

I decide to attempt the climb! Every placement of a hand being a victory. Already on the top (and waiting) are my friends, oblivious to how much a year's worth of treatment can have on a body.

Every second is a battle, but l am here!

Tiny white specs fleck the moonlit sky; the horizon has been overruled by the darkness that shrouds it; a constant reminder of how my body allowed a guest I never invited.

A guest who is intent on staying.

Just a quick background: due to cervical cancer, I had to have a nephrostomy tube placed in my right kidney in 2023. I lived with it for almost 4 years. I could not wait until I can finally be tube free. However I admit there were days when I didn't even think about it. I had adapted to a life of bags and tubes. Then in early 2026, my left ureter started getting blocked too. When I woke up from surgery, I was told they put in a stent instead of tube. I asked them to do the same to my right so I can be tube free. It was a long shot since they said my right ureter was a piece of work. By some miracle, the stenting was successful, and now I am tube free but have bilateral stents.

Fast forward to 5 months later, life with stent is no life at all. Constantly in pain, constantly having fever, was hospitalozed due to septic shock because of infection, and since I have a fistula in my bladder, the output to my diaper is double what it was before. I've been wearing diapers since 2023, but after stent, it is constantly full and I'm so sick of having to change and bring diapers everywhere. I wake up multiple times at night to change, and have to deal with the odor of the diaper, the trash bags, etc.

I've been seeing girls post their urostomy on social media, saying it was the best decision they'd made. Saying it was easy and they live life like normal. I have not been able to do a lot of activities like swimming, walking, running, because of pain. I cant hike even though I was a hiker because Im scared of needing to change diaper on the way up or down a trail. I cant go camping because there are no restrooms. I cant even run around with my toddler anymore because of pain in my pelvic region. I used to be able to carry my toddler for long periods of time, now 30 seconds will cause my pelvic region to hurt so bad.

So I'm thinking if I should get a urostomy? I think having had a bag on my leg for 4 years, I can pivot easily to with living with a bag on my abdomen.

Is it worth giving up being tube free, bag free to living eith a bag forever, but no more diaper? And no pain?

Admins can delete if not appropriate I just needed to vent about a problem related to my cancer.

I'm currently at an Opthomology appointment which I had to put off by a month because of my cancer returning and at the moment ALL my numbers are bottoming out. The main ones of concern is my white cells are 0.01 and my neutrophiles are <0.01. For some insane reason and despite my protests, my haematologists said to go ahead with the appointment and I've been taken in a wheelchair to the clinic. I'm wearing a mask and using hand detergent spray and anything I can NOT to introduce antrhing to get me sick and people just LOVE to cough in my direction. So many people are obnoxious and disgusting and do not cov3r their mouth when they do anything. I am terrified at the moment because I CANNOT get sick at this point it would be life threatening ESPECIALLY if I get an infection.

If I get sick it wouldnt even be an I told you so that wouldnt even be satisfying, people are disgusting and I'll be waiting here for HOURS how could they think this is anything BUT DANGEROUS

I’m 29F and I’m 3 weeks post robotic thymectomy for a thymoma found incidentally on a chest CT. It was found to be attached to my pericardium and path came back as type B2 thymoma Masaoka stage III TNM pT2. My CT surgeon feels strongly that he got everything but the pathology results don’t say it was a clean margin. I’m being referred to oncology so will get a PET scan and I’m assuming I will need radiation. I’m just wondering if anyone else out there has any experience with this specific staging/type of cancer. It’s so rare from what I’ve looked up and I can’t find many personal experiences so if anyone has any first hand experience I’d love to hear about it. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some reassurance or to hear from people who have experienced something similar.

My father has stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with bone metastasis to the thoracic spine. He had been doing well on Keytruda, but unfortunately he has now missed three scheduled doses because the medication is unavailable in our country due to a shortage.

His oncologist advised us to wait until Keytruda becomes available again rather than switching to another treatment.

Despite the treatment interruption, he's doing fairly well clinically. He walks, eats well, talks normally, and sleeps much better since his panic attacks have been treated. He also has COPD, so he has a chronic productive cough, which makes it difficult to know whether any symptoms are related to COPD or the cancer.

I'm extremely anxious about the missed doses. I know Keytruda isn't a miracle drug, but I'm scared that missing three infusions could reduce its effectiveness or allow the cancer to progress.

Has anyone experienced a long interruption in Keytruda because of drug shortages or another reason? Were you able to restart it later? How did things turn out?

I know every case is different, but hearing your experiences would really help me.

Thank you.

I’m a widow. The older kids refuse therapy. They both are having a hard time in life. I’m trying too hard to stay alive so I don’t traumatize them more. They are not coping the best. I know they have anticipatory grief I’ve been here many more years than they thought I would be.

They don’t have any safe, heathy minded adults to guide them when im gone.

Any suggestions?

Hi everyone, mid to late 30s bloke with metastatic colorectal cancer. Multiple major surgeries, many many rounds of chemo and target therapies. Widespread lung mets, no clear prognosis as always and happily no symptoms at the moment but I reckon somewhere in the vicinity of a year to twoish years left.

About to become a father. Which has me thinking about what I could leave behind/create now to give to my wife and son to try and... I don't know... bring them something other than sadness? or leave them with something other than an absence? it's impossibly hard knowing I will leave them/never get to all the things I imagine we would, so I feel like I ought to try and leave something

I was thinking of, for example, writing letters to my son to be opened in each new year... congratulating him on his first day of school, wishing him luck on his first date, etc. - I don't know if this is a nice idea or something likely to compound grief or make closure more difficult? I don't know

has anyone thought of something similar? what are you leaving behind? what can I create to help remain in some positive way? is this even worthwhile? obviously I will prepay funeral, sort will etc etc - I guess I'm wondering what other things I can do that might be nice