re: Cancer

That's great, Prof. Wishing you continued good health.

I know far too many, family & friends, from very young to very old, who've had it in some form, and way too many who haven't recovered. It needs to end.

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I hate it with a passion. It took my oldest son from me.

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She made plans for things she wanted to do and tell me before she went but she was gone exactly 1 month later.

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So very sorry to everyone who's lost someone close.

One of my grandfathers and a couple of cousins and aunts & uncles passed away from it. Several other family members have had it and are in remission, and some have lived with it for a while, then passed away from another cause, the same with friends and close family friends.

Presently, I have an uncle who is suffering from melanoma. He has been through several rounds of treatments, some experimental, which seem to be helping, but they are very harsh. It has been a couple of years since he's been diagnosed, but the cancer & treatments have both taken a toll on him. He's rather weak and very underweight, but continues to fight. However, as in many cases, complications have arisen because of his contracting other unrelated illnesses since his immune system is compromised from treatments and the cancer itself. When he got strep throat, then even a very bad cold this past Fall & Winter, he became seriously ill and had to stop treatments until he recovered & was stronger. The flu or pneumonia would be very possibly fatal for him.

It is just a horrible disease that strikes unexpectedly and indiscriminately.

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Merck

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Man, I completely understand where you are coming from. The exact same thing happened with my dad, just with a little different time frame.

I fought harder and harder as the chemo went along for the doctor to give us a more straightforward answer. All he kept saying was keep taking the treatments, keep taking the treatments. We finally decided to see another doctor and during the first visit she told us that we had two, maybe three weeks, after the previous doctor had been telling us 8 months to a year.

This pisses me off just thinking about it. I know in my mind we wasted precious time with my dad because the doctor wouldn't be honest with us.

Obviously there's a lot more details that I won't get into but it was a very frustrating time trying to balance whether to not "give up" or try to continue the treatments, that was later revealed to us doing no good.

It does suck. I am 43 and have had Stage IV lymphoma twice sine early 2011. After it relapsed in 2012, my 2 nod round of treatment was much rougher than the first which was just 5 months of chemo. The 2nd round was 4 months of chemo and radiation culminating in a full week of high dose chemo and total body irradiation .....and a stem cell transplant. Have been in remission since February of 2013 and hope to stay that way.

Even if I do dodge it ever relapsing, it has changed my body to the core. Right leg is almost useless because of the nerve damage I suffered from a 14 cm tumor wrapped around my lower spine. Lower back pain. And a combover where I once had hair as thick as a bear on my head.

But, I am alive and with my wife and children(aged 14,12,8, and 3) and thank God every day I have with them.

What amazes me is the amount of money we have thrown at this disease and we still have basically a massacre happening. The cost in human suffering mental and physical is appalling.

If this were a war we would have given up a long time ago. The trouble is the aggressor does not accept surrender. So we just have to keep up the fight.

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What amazes me is the amount of money we have thrown at this disease and we still have basically a massacre happening. The cost in human suffering mental and physical is appalling.

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Look, if you get to be 60, 70, 80 then crap happens. We are basically living longer, exposing ourselves to illnesses we never had TIME to get to 100 years ago.

I don't want to dismiss ANYONE with cancer, no matter their age. My Dad, 65, just got diagnosed with colon cancer (has already had the surgery, looks to be fine).

But children? Children with cancer? FRICK THAT. I was a monthly supporter of St Jude for a long time. I don't remember why I stopped but this is a good reminder. May leave them in my will even.

Thank you. But, I don't feel sorry for myself. My attitude has been "not like this....and not now." Having lived it, I do believe that spirit and attitude does a great deal in regards to beating the odds. I always viewed it more as an aggravation and a hurdle to overcome as opposed to a death sentence. The absence of fear (God given in my case) is a true weapon in fighting this disease. I never worry about my family's future as I bought a life insurance policy well before I got sick that will take care of them if I do die young....whether it be cancer or a car wreck. In fact, my greatest advice to all the younger people on here with a wife or a family is to get that policy....immediately if you have procrastinated in doing so.

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frick cancer

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Yep. Thankfully my mom got through breast cancer, but other cancers took other relatives.

Damn.



Cancer is no joke. We lost my mother in law to pancreatic cancer. We are involved with a charity that benefits research at UAB.

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It always seems to get the last word no matter how many miracles and remissions a person goes through.

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This might be linked to the fact that the two most expensive and profitable cancer treatments are known causes of cancer within 5 years of the start of treatment (radiation/chemo).