Share your cancer journey - and any other personal medical advice

[Mod1]

Inspired by comments on Sneakypete's thread about recent/ongoing personal health issues and the suggestion that the forum have a place for people to share their cancer battles, medical advice, helpful information, etc., this thread has been created.

Here is a link to Pete's thread.

If your experience can help another TBR member, it's all worth it. You don't have to limit the conversation to cancer, although that certainly is one that touches all of us.

[Victoria33]

bookmark

[Applewood]

So far I have nothing to contribute except for my prayers for @sneakypete @To-Whose-Benefit? and anyone else facing cancer or any other serious, life-threatening illness. 

Thank you @Mod1

[mountaineer]

My mother's chronic lymphatic leukemia contributed to her death,  but otherwise cancer hasn't hit me directly.  My own issues include chronic pain, probably osteoarthritis related.  The Regenexx procedure done on my hip in December seems to be helping somewhat.  For more info,  visit www.rapsmd.com. That's the Pittsburgh location,  but I believe it's available all over the place.

[Jazzhead]

Watch where you're going.   Don't be careless on stairs.   Avoiding falls is probably the key to having a good quality of life in older age.   

[Sanguine]

BKMK

[truth_seeker]

Was diagnosed with Prostate cancer (intermediate level), last fall. Underwent daily  external beam radiation treatment January 16-March 19 (44 treatments).


The worst stuff is performed by the urologist. The radiation-oncology stuff is painleess.

Appoinment followup with radiation-oncologist this Thursday. I expect either him or the urologist will get my PSA blood test again, to learn if treatment worked.

Supposedly radiation is 90+ percent effective. Stated differently, they predict you will eventually die from something other than prostate cancer.

Assuming successful cancer treatment outcome, my remaining situation will be lifelong rare NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus-shunt etc.) Separate story if interested.

[mystery-ak]

Was diagnosed with Prostate cancer (intermediate level), last fall. Underwent daily  external beam radiation treatment January 16-March 19 (44 treatments).


The worst stuff is performed by the urologist. The radiation-oncology stuff is painleess.

Appoinment followup with radiation-oncologist this Thursday. I expect either him or the urologist will get my PSA blood test again, to learn if treatment worked.

Supposedly radiation is 90+ percent effective. Stated differently, they predict you will eventually die from something other than prostate cancer.

Assuming successful cancer treatment outcome, my remaining situation will be lifelong rare NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus-shunt etc.) Separate story if interested.

Prayers for a good report Thursday.

[Idiot]

Was diagnosed with Prostate cancer (intermediate level), last fall. Underwent daily  external beam radiation treatment January 16-March 19 (44 treatments).


The worst stuff is performed by the urologist. The radiation-oncology stuff is painleess.

Appoinment followup with radiation-oncologist this Thursday. I expect either him or the urologist will get my PSA blood test again, to learn if treatment worked.

Supposedly radiation is 90+ percent effective. Stated differently, they predict you will eventually die from something other than prostate cancer.

Assuming successful cancer treatment outcome, my remaining situation will be lifelong rare NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus-shunt etc.) Separate story if interested.

May God grant you great test results!

[truth_seeker]

Prayers for a good report Thursday.

Thanks a lot !!

[Applewood]

Prayers up fo you @truth_seeker   

[truth_seeker]

Prayers up fo you @truth_seeker

Thanks. I am as usual positive and optimistic.

[Gefn]

Prayers for a good report Thursday.

@truth_seeker you are in my prayers too.

[truth_seeker]

@truth_seeker you are in my prayers too.

Thank you!

[TomSea]

Yes, in my thoughts and prayers....

[mountaineer]

Watch where you're going.   Don't be careless on stairs.   Avoiding falls is probably the key to having a good quality of life in older age.

My mother suffered an incredible and indescribable amount of pain from osteoarthritis throughout her body. She was prescribed Fentanyl (patch) that didn't begin to put a dent in the pain. I have a feeling the opioid drug may have made her even more unsteady on her feet, however, which led to her falling down a flight of stairs. She died two months later, never having gotten out of the rehab hospital. The CLL may have contributed to her death by making her weaker, overall, but I believe it was a fall that caused her demise.

So I agree with you!

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Watch where you're going.   Don't be careless on stairs.   Avoiding falls is probably the key to having a good quality of life in older age.

@Jazzhead

This is a righteous 2cents worth. Avoiding falls can save patients all Kinds of problems. 

You don't just wait cancer out.

You Fight it out.

Stand, like a Fighter! (Pics of Olympic Boxers)

Your feet spread shoulder wide, One foot out Ahead of the other.

This makes it Much harder to lose your balance and get Knocked Over.

(Especially good advice for the ladies, who've never developed a love for fist fighting! Try it for doing dishes or brushing your teeth. )

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@truth_seeker

Prayers up Bud.

[truth_seeker]

@truth_seeker

Prayers up Bud.

Thanks. Same for you.

[mystery-ak]

Thanks. Same for you.

@truth_seeker without being too nosy how did it go today?

[truth_seeker]

@truth_seeker without being too nosy how did it go today?

Following 44 radiation treatments, today was the first check up. Radiology/Oncologist Dr. today said get a PSA blood test and go back to him in 3 months.

The side effects during treatment were minimal. I'm optimistic.

[mystery-ak]

Following 44 radiation treatments, today was the first check up. Radiology/Oncologist Dr. today said get a PSA blood test and go back to him in 3 months.

The side effects during treatment were minimal. I'm optimistic.

Sounds very promising.....keeping you in my prayers too....

[truth_seeker]

Sounds very promising.....keeping you in my prayers too....

Thanks a lot.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Thanks. I am as usual positive and optimistic.

Quack Cures

Nothing Worse or more disparaging.

And there's No Lack of the duced things.

If you're in a corner, Do Not Cut Off your Dr. In order to try one.

Try another Dr 1st. Transfer All of you records orders, current history.

But Before even that, Look Up the idea of 3 dozen strawberry enemas a day with Dr moves a round a lot, with 'Quack Watch' fly by night. IF, his uh, novel 'treatmeant' hasn't been Shellacked yet, then, try looking further


You might not even Have cancer and die in 10 years of old age checking them out!

There's that many of them out there

Also check out the wiki page on cancer treameants for cancer that were never proven to work.

[Sighlass]

@truth_seeker

Sorry to hear about your battles with this ... Prayers for you (and yours)...

[truth_seeker]

@truth_seeker

Sorry to hear about your battles with this ... Prayers for you (and yours)...

Thank you.

[Bigun]

Went for the 6 months follow up for my brain surgery recently and learned that the MRI showed the tumor was all gone and no need to see the surgeon again until next year. No cancer involved.

My only ongoing issue is lack of feeling in my right hand due to being tied down on it for 12 hours during the surgery.

Praying for @truth_seeker @To-Whose-Benefit? @Applewood and @sneakypete

[Sanguine]

Went for the 6 months follow up for my brain surgery recently and learned that the MRI showed the tumor was all gone and no need to see the surgeon again until next year. No cancer involved.

My only ongoing issue is lack of feeling in my right hand due to being tied down on it for 12 hours during the surgery.

Praying for @truth_seeker @To-Whose-Benefit? @Applewood and @sneakypete

That's great, Bigun.  Gotta be a great relief!

[sneakypete]

Went for the 6 months follow up for my brain surgery recently and learned that the MRI showed the tumor was all gone and no need to see the surgeon again until next year. No cancer involved.

My only ongoing issue is lack of feeling in my right hand due to being tied down on it for 12 hours during the surgery.

Praying for @truth_seeker @To-Whose-Benefit? @Applewood and @sneakypete

@Bigun

Seems to me you have BIG-TIME reasons to celebrate!

Congratulations!

[Gefn]

Yay @Bigun 

[Bigun]

@Bigun

Seems to me you have BIG-TIME reasons to celebrate!

Congratulations!

@sneakypete

You betcha! 

Thanks!

[Bigun]

Yay @Bigun

@Freya

 

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Thanks @Bigun , @Sanguine @Freya and a whole big passle of others out there.

I was out/in for a biopsy this AM. SINCE, this stuff inside Me managed to Kill the last two chemo drugs we set on them rather than the other way around,. . . . .

The think is Maybe it mutated to a diff cancer from the prostate it started as and We got us the perfect mix in a jug already, right on the Shelf for That one!
Means a lot.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Since I was never asleep during Friday's biopsy, I noted both Docs doing it getting excited.

Theytold me my lymph sys is badly infected with cancer. My legs have been inflated like This at least 4 or 5 times over the last 30 years, and then come down again.

So, either Sombodie's guessing wrong, or I may be something New to the mix!

They asked me afterward if I had ever had cancer before, and my swelling is going down.

[sneakypete]

Since I was never asleep during Friday's biopsy, I noted both Docs doing it getting excited.

Theytold me my lymph sys is badly infected with cancer. My legs have been inflated like This at least 4 or 5 times over the last 30 years, and then come down again.

So, either Sombodie's guessing wrong, or I may be something New to the mix!

They asked me afterward if I had ever had cancer before, and my swelling is going down.

@To-Whose-Benefit?

I ain't no doctor and don't even play one on teebee,but you just described the symptoms of lymphoma . How do I know this? I know it because it is the type of cancer that I have. In my case,it was in my groin (swelling my legs),my stomach (bloating my stomach and making it hard to breathe because of the pressure on my lungs and diaphram),and in my chest (causing me to have 2 quarts of water drained from my right lung every 5 or 6 days while trying to get this all sorted out).

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Thanks @sneakypete

Mebbe effin we git enough lay persons diagnosing here we can at least get That part of it settled and go settle That rodent with the right Ace Hardware Cure and move on toward the happy conclusion!

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

That's great, Bigun.  Gotta be a great relief!

Eyup.

Ain't no other way to purt it.

Getting all them Other purts of us workin again, as issued, is about the greatest gift imaginable.

To each and every one of you needing a new cog. 

"Save All Your Paperwork!"

and best of luck.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Save ALl your pprwrk.
K
And ppn
Nwrk. Hspbilling pprwrwrk..

Great News. Find out What it is and mail it w a a bbsbe bat.let me know What you got
Let me know. I want mine Daed.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

May God grant you great test results!

Brother I Hope you never get poisoned with chemo.

[Gefn]

Everyone here is in my thoughts. Bless you all.

[Smokin Joe]

Prayers up for all fighting the big 'C'.

My tussle with it consisted of figuring out I had a nickel-sized basal cell carcinoma, going to the doctor and getting that confirmed, then while the oil company was picking up a different rig and moving it in, getting the tumor cut out. The surgeon and path lab did frozen sections until the margins were clear of cancer, and sewed me up. I got the stitches out the day before we hit start depth, and went back to work. I got a 4" scar to add to my humble collection, and no chemo or radiation. That was six years ago, and no sign of a recurrence, so I was lucky.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@Smokin Joe

Well now if That don't just light up my Smiles. You Beat the dirty Alley Bashing SOB, WHILE, other folks was walking in Sideways to bushwack Another nice little tote bag of gold coin for you to pick up!

 

[Smokin Joe]

@Smokin Joe

Well now if That don't just light up my Smiles. You Beat the dirty Alley Bashing SOB, WHILE, other folks was walking in Sideways to bushwack Another nice little tote bag of gold coin for you to pick up!

 

Brother, The Almighty beat it, with a little help from the surgeon. Me? I just didn't have time to mess with it, so I told the surgeon, not to worry about a scar (hairline to jawline, it hides in the edge of my beard, now). Just make sure you get it all.
He did well.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@Smokin Joe

Know anything 'bout the discolored tissue abutting lymph nodes that @Sighlass is talking about Joe? Sounds like what I've hade for at least 25 years. Docs dunno so they all wanna put me in in freaking Hospice and write us us both off as incurable cancer patients. ???

[Smokin Joe]

@Smokin Joe

Know anything 'bout the discolored tissue abutting lymph nodes that @Sighlass is talking about Joe? Sounds like what I've hade for at least 25 years. Docs dunno so they all wanna put me in in freaking Hospice and write us us both off as incurable cancer patients. ???

It's a little out of my area of expertise, but if you point me to the post (I couldn't find it on this thread), I'll find out what I can.

When the docs dunno, it may be time to see some new/different docs.

[sneakypete]

GREAT news! A good friend of mine was diagnosed with throat cancer the same day I was told I have lymphoma,and his treatment has been brutal. Chemo one day a week for two weeks,and radiation 5 days a week for 3 months. Including the days he had chemo. He was told yesterday the tumor in his throat was gone. All this time he has had a tube in his throat that kept him from breathing though his nose or mouth,eating,and even talking. Had to be fed through another tube in his stomach. I am not exaggerating when I say his arms are now half the size they used to be. Besides losing muscle mass,he was close to starvation.

He now has a different type of tube in his mouth that allows him to eat small soft things for the time being,and this is big,also allows him to speak and breathe through his nose. The stomach tube is gone.

I have no doubt it will take him at least two weeks before he starts feeling stronger and is able to go back to work a few hours a day at his commercial garage,but IF he is very careful and watches what he is doing,he may be back to working all day doing small things within a month.

All this time the bills have kept coming in,and no profits being made. On top of the other monthly bills. We can only imagine what effect this had on him,but I'm sure it wasn't minor. Just knowing that he no longer has the tumor and can start thinking about going back to work instead of worrying about more surgery and more desperate treatment is going to be a HUGE part of his recovery.

Worry is always harmful to recovery from any physical ailment,but there is no way to avoid it until the doctors tell you you have a clean bill of health and will soon be able to go back to work.

He was treated at the same clinic as me,but had a different doctor and different form of cancer.

[Gefn]

Wonderful news @sneakypete 

[Sanguine]

That's great, @sneakypete!

I'm going to share a little bit of my experience.  Maybe it is helpful?

I was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive and out of the blue cancer at a youngish age.  Too young for what I had anyway.  Went through many surgeries, heavy-duty chemo, radiation and follow-up-for-five-years-anti-cancer meds.  That was twenty years ago.  One smallish recurrence about 10 years ago.  Lots of scars but no sign of anything else.  God is good.

[sneakypete]

That's great, @sneakypete!

I'm going to share a little bit of my experience.  Maybe it is helpful?

I was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive and out of the blue cancer at a youngish age.  Too young for what I had anyway.  Went through many surgeries, heavy-duty chemo, radiation and follow-up-for-five-years-anti-cancer meds.  That was twenty years ago.  One smallish recurrence about 10 years ago.  Lots of scars but no sign of anything else.  God is good.

@Sanguine

I want to go into screaming fits every time I read or hear about someone young getting cancer. In fact,that is one of the prime reasons I can never accept that there is any such creature as a "kind and loving God".

I am glad you were able to survive,and sorry to hear you had to go through it.

[Bigun]

That's great, @sneakypete!

I'm going to share a little bit of my experience.  Maybe it is helpful?

I was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive and out of the blue cancer at a youngish age.  Too young for what I had anyway.  Went through many surgeries, heavy-duty chemo, radiation and follow-up-for-five-years-anti-cancer meds.  That was twenty years ago.  One smallish recurrence about 10 years ago.  Lots of scars but no sign of anything else.  God is good.

Wow! I never knew that.  Glad you beat it!