r/cancer

TLDR; dad with stage 2 gastric cancer took ivermectin/mebendazole believing it cures cancer. liver is now so damaged from just 2 months of use that he can no longer do chemo and potentially even surgery all because of this.

My dad (64M) was diagnosed with stage 2 gastric cancer in May this year. He started taking 25mg Ivermectin and 250mg Mebendazole from “The Wellness Company” around June. I advised against it because I read that such high doses for long periods can cause severe liver damage, but he believed all the YouTube videos and “articles” making claims that it cures cancer or that doctors/hospitals don’t want to lose money or patients. His doctor advised against it but ultimately there was nothing more they could do.

Fast forward to last week: he got labs done, showing extremely elevated liver enzymes. Oncologist calls on her day off to encourage us to go to the ER because she is worried. We go, they want to admit him. He refuses and promises to stop ivermectin/mebendazole (as those are the only medications he was taking since treatment hadn’t started) and see how that goes.

He got another lab 2 days ago before his first chemo session (about 5 days after the ER visit), and they refuse to do chemo + send him to the ER again as the numbers are slightly declining but are still severely high.

We go to the ER. He gets admitted overnight. Labs are done again. Liver enzymes declined much more, but are still very high. He gets a CT scan, and results suggest drug-induced liver damage. Oncologists refuse to start chemo until liver enzymes improve much more, which could take months, so chemo is now out of the immediate option.

I share this as a cautionary tale for anyone or anyone whos loved one is considering/already taking these medications. My dad believed that big pharma is against sick patients, and that doctors aren’t educated in alternative studies.

While I understand the perspective and do agree that big pharma operates in their own interest, and deeply wish that there was an alternative to chemotherapy, these kinds of self experiments/poorly-studied medications can cause severe harm, limiting treatment options.

We are waiting to find out the results for his liver biopsy that was done during his hospital stay, but all previous tests have suggested benign hemangioma and drug-induced liver damage. We will have to see if surgery is still an option at this point.

Please, if you or someone you love is looking into things like this: take a moment to read my dad’s story. Even if he wanted to do chemo now, he cannot.
Surgery could potentially be off the table.
His diagnosis was early for gastric cancer (typically not diagnosed until stage 4 but he had an ulcer that revealed cancer), and yet his options have been limited because of his distrust and skepticism in multiple doctors.
He has 0 symptoms still, besides orange pee from the liver damage caused by the medication. He can still walk, run, work full-time - totally healthy from an outside perspective, all while his liver is suffering.

I showed my dad tons of stories like this, but I hope that I can change at least one person’s mind with this.

EDIT: and to “The Wellness Company” - I hope someone stops you from targetting vulnerable patients one day. Your linked articles about cancer treatment with your medications are misleading at best. I looked into all of them, and the sample groups are tiny, many patients didn’t even complete the studies, and you can see these studies have ongoing investigations when you actually click on them regarding ethics and accuracy. If anyone is looking into companies offering “cancer cures”, READ THE STUDIES THEY LINK. A 200-people sample where only ~150 complete the study is NOT reliable. We live in a time with ChatGPT and Gemini. If you don’t understand or want the study in Layman’s terms, just copy paste the URL into AI and prompt it to ELI5. Do your research - you are ultimately responsible for your own health and care.

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I’ve been going through chemo and radiation, and lately even water has started tasting really different. I was doing fine with hydration before, but the change in taste has made it harder to drink enough. Can anyone recommend anything that helped with this? I know staying hydrated is important, but I haven’t been able to keep up the last few days.

I found out yesterday it’s back. I don’t even really know what I’m feeling or if I’m handling it okay. I just can’t believe it. I don’t want to go through this again

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if there is someone who is about to go through a stem cell transplant soon. I’m starting mine in September, and I thought it would be cool to chat with another person who is going through a transplant with me. We can check in on each other, play video games, even FaceTime to see how each of us are doing. Just a way to have a buddy who is going through the bull shit with you.

I’m a 25 year old Father of a 2 year old from the United States diagnosed with AML CBFB-MYH11. I’m married to my college sweetheart. I love football, hunting, fishing, cooking, grilling/BBQing, watching MMA, and board games!

I hope to hear from y’all soon!

I got acute promyelocytic leukemia and the first 5 days were horrible, doctors told multiple times to my family members to be ready for when I die.

I luckily survived those first days and I’ve been 19 days in the hospital so far. Can’t see from my left eye, can’t walk or stand up and my right leg is done for.

The treatment has been a little bit of chemo, arsenic and antibiotics + morphine bc back and leg pain.

I’m very happy to be alive and to have family members and a few real ass friends. The treatment is killing me tho, I’ve been feeling like shit and sleeping all day long but my doctor said everything is going slow but steady.

Days are long because hospital wifi is so ass I can’t even do anything.

My mother gifted me a switch 2 with pokemon so I’m spending my time with that although it makes me nauseous.

I’m so excited to get better and go back to my life, I want to do so many things, I want to get better and explore everything. It’s like I was born again.

I had my MRI of my brain last week. I have distant mets to brain and I get scanned every 3 months. Usually the report is released to MyChart a day or two before my onc appointment. I’ve been checking repeatedly since Friday and nothing has been released.

I have my onc appointment in 2 hours. Still no imaging report. I’m so anxious that I feel queasy. I’d take an Ativan but I have to drive to the appointment.

I’m mostly nervous because I’ve been averaging a new brain tumour each year for the past 3 years. And I’m about due.

I have to get up and ready for my appointment but I feel like my body is lead and too heavy to get up. I need help with managing this anxiety! Any tips?

Edit: I managed to get up and out and am now sitting in the waiting room. Of course I forgot to put proper shoes on (earring my house shoes), don’t have my credit card to pay for parking, and there were no accessible spots left in the lot, so I had to walk super far. But I have a pocket full of change for parking and I’ve made it to the waiting room. The hard part is done.

I am posting this on behalf of my mom. Her history is as follows:

Age 27 diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma- had surgeries and chest wall radiation, no chemo at this time.

Age 45 diagnosed with hormone + breast cancer- double mastectomy and put on anastrozole, no further treatment recommended.

Age 50- hormone + recurrence of breast cancer. Tumor and lymph nodes removed, chemo, no radiation.

Age 55- triple neg breast cancer recurrence. Tumor and lymph nodes removed, chemo, and radation this time.

She is now 63, NED.

After the most recent recurrence she was diagnosed with osteoporosis due to all the chemo. She chose not to go on any medications at the time because she was fearful of side effects. For years her bone density stayed stable, then she suffered a back stress fracture and also broke her clavicle which severely impaired her activity levels.

Fast forward to now and her most recent bone density is bone density -4.55. So it has gotten REALLY bad. She is having a really hard time finding help because it seems no one has treated someone with this big of a treatment history and this bad of osteoporosis. It is further complicated by the fact that she has been told she is not a candidate for bone building drugs due to it possibly causing cancer to grow. She also tries to become more active to help her bones and whenever she does she ends up getting a new fracture so it is a vicious cycle it seems.

I was wondering if anyone else has had any similar issues? I think she is going to start on fosamax soon, but desperate for anything else that could help, especially with helping to build bone. TIA!

ive seen all the heartbreaking stuff on this subreddit, so i thought id share something lighter. I hope that whoever you know, whether its yourself or someone you care for, who is going through cancer knows they arent alone and can pull through ❤️

Cancer diagnosis

Got a cancer diagnosis chat tomorrow with the consultant, terrified doesn't come close. If its bad, I'm wondering if I should refuse treatment and let the inevitable happen and not prolong the suffering to myself and my loved ones. I saw my late wife go through prolonged treatment, it was horrible and the outcome was the same. What are people's thoughts?

My girlfriend left me on the same day my doctor told me I was cancer free. She supported me throughout the past three years through my entire cancer journey. Now I’m drinking again. I’m drinking right now. I just can’t imagine my life without her. I would do anything to have her back but she never responds to my texts. Why does life have to be so cruel to me? I had stage 4 esophageal cancer with metastasis to my liver. But I was extremely lucky. Targeted therapy worked incredibly well. Even my doctor was surprised by how well I responded. My girlfriend came with me to all my appointments and treatments while also working and making a living. She was there for me through everything. God, I miss her so much. I hate myself for losing someone like her. She was an angel. She loved me and cared for me when I was at my absolute lowest when I was sick and scared and hairless and disgusting. Can I ever find someone like her again? Someone who will genuinely love me and take care of me, even when life gets hard? I don’t think I can. She was one of a kind. I don’t want to fuck around. I just want her back. I don’t know how I’m supposed to let go of someone who meant that much to me.

She told me that she feels like she is all used up like she has given everything she had and now she has nothing left to give. I shouldn’t have screamed at her during chemo. I was in pain and overwhelmed but I still should have treated her with respect. I should have thanked her more for everything she did for me and for all the support she gave me. I never wanted her to feel like I was taking her love for granted but I realize now that I made her feel that way. I shouldn’t have made her feel lonely. So many of our conversations were about me, my treatment, my pain, my cancer, my fears. I never asked about what she was going through. I should have asked her about her work, her day, her worries, and her life. I should have listened to her the way she listened to me. I wish I had noticed sooner how tired she was. I wish I had understood that she needed support too. I'm so sorry. I'm a horrible man. I don't deserve such an angel

I (22m) am almost 15 months in remission from Burkitts Lymphoma, and for the past ~10 days have been dealing with some mild but persistent abdominal symptoms that include:

Feeling very bloated after eating anything even in small portions, and I have the need to burp almost constantly, sometimes I burp but other times its digested food that comes in my throat, heartburn and stomach burning sensation, and when I walk more or move my body I sometimes get a pressure/light pain under my left ribs, also I sometimes get the feeling of air stuck in my chest or abdomen

I am trying not to stress too much about a possible relapse because I also had an ultrasound which didnt find anything, but Im also not used to being this sensible to food and the fact that these symptoms have been constant for almost 2 weeks streses me out.
Another reassuring fact is that these symptoms started after I returned from a 7day camping trip where I also drank alcohol daily, and normally I dont drink at all

I am writing this in search for similar experiences and advices that helped you get better, anything is welcomed

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how did you get back to your hobbies after falling into a long depression pit?

just got off two failed clinical trials and back on chemo. i miss reading, collaging, journaling, thrifting, and working out. but i’m lacking an attention span and energy as i’m pretty bedridden (retired in April after i had noticeably clinically declined). i am constantly on my phone and i don’t want to be.

i’m 25 so most of my friends can go out and drink, workout, hike, go to concerts, are having babies, going on vacations.

i’m in year three of active treatment now and i’m just struggling to be present. any advice?

Hi everyone, I’m scheduled for a port placement tomorrow under twilight and I’m absolutely terrified. I get immunotherapy not chemo but after 3 years of treatment my veins are starting to give in (2-3 pokes per try). I’m so hesitant because I’ve read horror stories and on the flip side I have had people
Comment that they loved their port. Are there any tips to help with the scar? How long did you have to refrain from exercising etc? It’s scheduled under twilight which also scares me. Thank you in advance

If this isn’t allowed , take it down.

A year ago my wife was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer at 37 years old (turns out it was in a few more places but we didn’t find that out till much later ) . She started chemo treatment right before we were supposed to travel down to Orlando for the live show. She felt like riding down to hang out with her brother , but not going to the show. Which she was sad because she got to go to the infamous Nashville and absolutely loved getting meet people from the community and seeing the guys. This last year has been the hardest of my 37 years . But she’s cancer free and is finishing up treatment now . I’m going to link her YouTube and let her tell you guys her story . But she is a true unsub enjoyer and enjoys watching the show with me weekly !

Over the last few years I’ve seen this community tell great stories, rally around those in need , and support each other. So I just ask that if you guys would give her a watch and subscribe on YouTube if you guys have 8 mins . It would make her day and today is her birthday!

Thanks in advance all you plops and pepperbacks !

A very difficult day for me
Hi everyone. Today has been a really difficult and heartbreaking day for me.
About four months ago, I started having abdominal pain. I went to see a doctor and was told that it could be an ulcer. I was given medication, and for a while, I seemed to be getting better.
However, about two months ago, my symptoms suddenly came back and gradually became worse. Over the past two weeks, it has been especially difficult. I've been extremely tired and have had trouble eating.
Today, I went to the hospital and had several tests done. The doctor told me that there is a high possibility that I may have metastatic cancer. I still need to see a specialist and have further tests to confirm what is actually going on.
I'm honestly devastated and scared right now. I never expected to hear something like this.
I would really appreciate any prayers, good thoughts, or kind words from everyone. I could use some encouragement right now.
Thank you for reading.

Here’s the latest update: I just had a biopsy and spoke with the doctor. They’re going to do an endoscopy tomorrow. The doctor said that if it is cancer, it would be Stage IV, and unfortunately, the likelihood of it being cancer is very high.

Update: the doctor confirmed that I have Siewert type III adenocarcinoma. However, he doesn’t know what stage until he got the result from the tissues they got today.

My dad has stage 4 cancer

Last year he had bladder cancer which was apparently aggressive , and apparently it was treated

I just got told today but 3 weeks ago my dad got told that he has cancer in his lymph nodes, lung, kidney and renal gland, my mum always lies and told me that "it's all early and looking good" which I think is bullshit he's having a pet scan

Last year when he had bladder cancer she told me I can't tell anyone, which means my 2 sisters

Now I don't believe her that it's not serious she told me that dad said no matter what don't tell me ( I'm going through alot of hard things) but mum told me "incase it gets worse or bad"

I don't know what to do, if it's travelled into the lungs then I'm pretty sure he's terminal, I want to tell my sisters as he may decline quickly but I don't want them to hate mum more

Mum has pancreatitis and has proteins leaking from her kidney due to smoking, drinking and being over weight, she has her Gaul bladder removed and she's still eating unhealthy smoking and drinking ( although lying about it since she calls drunk) , I'm worried that if I go against mums wishes they will hate her and she may also die soon

I really don't know what to do