Need ideas for supplements ASAP, please help

alessadry
alessadry Member Posts: 2
in Ovarian Cancer #1

Greetings, this is my first post here. I am looking for support/ideas. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 3 years ago. They removed her ovaries and she has been doing chemo on and off. There was a time she was cancer-free but then it came back with a vengeance. She had to suspend chemo for a while due to complications (pulmonitis) and then low white blood count and this is when things went really down hill and she developed an agressive tumor to her liver and now is spreading to the breast. They tried more rounds of stronger chemo, but things got so worse and the chemo stopped working. She has ascitis (swollen abdomen) since then and they removed as much fluid as they could but now they are giving up and saying there's nothing left to drain and she's swollen from the cancer. My mother-in-law is in Italy, and my husband is going to see her soon, as sadly doctors are saying there is nothing left to do and she may only live 2-3 months. So it may be a sad goodbye, but hope never dies. I have a week to purchase some supplement abroad and have my husband bring to her. I cannot make up my mind what to bring her. Debating over Essiac tea, artemisinin, colloidal silver, turmeric/bromelein or flaxseed oil to try with cottage cheese. I know this is a tough question, but we're at the point where I guess nothing is lost trying. She is on pain medicine (morphine), and at home in the country, she has no resources to rely on--no internet, no libraries. So I feel like they just left her to die at home without giving her any options. It's very sad and I can't stop thinking that perhaps there's something worth a try. Any help is greatly appreciated. 

Comments

  • Alexandra
    Alexandra Member Posts: 1,308
    #2
    Welcome Alessadry and my 2 cents

    Sorry about your mother-in-law's condition.

    If her cancer is high-grade, doctors should have given her the following chemos: first line - Taxol / Carboplatin, second line - one or combination of Gemzar, Topotecan, Doxil (Caelyx, PLD), Taxotere, Pemetrexed, Cysplatin, Avastin. They don't all work on all people, it's trial and error. If all of them have already been used and stopped working - look into clinical trials (go to clinicaltrials.gov, filter for ovarian cancer, filter for Italy). PARP inhibitor trials are easier on the body and have less side effects than chemo, I'm currently on one of them. I heard that cancer clinics in Germany are big on alternative treatments; could second opinion there be an option for her?

    I am sure you read a lot about "miracle cancer cures"; some people believe in them and some less than honest people prey on their desperation. Unfortunately I don't think that sending supplements at this point will drastically change your MIL's situation, other than make you and your husband feel better about doing something. Most likely you couldn't bring it across the border, but I would try to source hash oil or cannabis locally to palliate her pain and nausea and improve appetite. Maybe that would allow her to reduce morphine, which by itself causes constipation and swelling.

    My thought are with your family and I wish you best of luck in this difficult time.

    Alexandra

  • alessadry
    alessadry Member Posts: 2
    #3
    Alexandra said:

    Welcome Alessadry and my 2 cents

    Sorry about your mother-in-law's condition.

    If her cancer is high-grade, doctors should have given her the following chemos: first line - Taxol / Carboplatin, second line - one or combination of Gemzar, Topotecan, Doxil (Caelyx, PLD), Taxotere, Pemetrexed, Cysplatin, Avastin. They don't all work on all people, it's trial and error. If all of them have already been used and stopped working - look into clinical trials (go to clinicaltrials.gov, filter for ovarian cancer, filter for Italy). PARP inhibitor trials are easier on the body and have less side effects than chemo, I'm currently on one of them. I heard that cancer clinics in Germany are big on alternative treatments; could second opinion there be an option for her?

    I am sure you read a lot about "miracle cancer cures"; some people believe in them and some less than honest people prey on their desperation. Unfortunately I don't think that sending supplements at this point will drastically change your MIL's situation, other than make you and your husband feel better about doing something. Most likely you couldn't bring it across the border, but I would try to source hash oil or cannabis locally to palliate her pain and nausea and improve appetite. Maybe that would allow her to reduce morphine, which by itself causes constipation and swelling.

    My thought are with your family and I wish you best of luck in this difficult time.

    Alexandra

    Thank you so much for

    Thank you so much for replying. I was about to purchase essiac tea, and then I saw a link that clinical studies actually showed it increases breast cancer cells, which I find very disturbing. No, I wouldn't be able to bring hemp oil, but it looks like they are starting to use it in Italy, and will have to see if there are any distributors. I did end up purchasing flaxseed oil to try with organic cottage cheese or ricotta made from their goats (they have a farm).  I am seeing promising stuff about apricot seeds, so maybe worth a try as they have organic apricots in thier yard. I don't think she'll be able to get a second opinion in Germany as they are financially struggling.  The thing is the miracle cancer cures I read come from people on forums, without an agenda to sell stuff, at least that's what I believe. Yes, there are plenty of people trying to rob you money for false hope, but there are too many stories of common people getting results through diet and supplements, I feel they're worth a try. After all, don't cancer cells die if they are given the wrong environment? making body more alkaline? I am not wary of what chemo she did, only that now after she got ill and took a pause, things grew out of proportion, the chemo made her sick and swollen and doctors don't know what to do anymore, and just sent her home and give her only pain meds. They tried to drain her but now they think she's swollen from the cancer because no fluids come out. I think they ran out of options as they were giving her the option to do surgery before and no longer are giving that :(

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