Fuck Cancer

[SkiBall]

Don't have much but sent a little on through.

[Norseman]

Just donated. Go Ruby!

Breaks my heart to see these stories. Keep being good folks, dantheman and co.

[Meadow Skipper]

This stuff breaks my heart.

[delco714]

My patient I saw in consult.. 60s.. Completely healthy on no meds.. One week later we've finally diagnosed stage 4 prostate cancer. Couldn't be a nicer guy and family. How the family will wrap their heads around it..I don't know

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[old goat]

One of the most mellow calm docs I ever knew was a pediatric oncologist. How can someone do that job?

[mcski]

One of the most mellow calm docs I ever knew was a pediatric oncologist. How can someone do that job?

Indeed but glad they do

[Rossymcg]

One of the most mellow calm docs I ever knew was a pediatric oncologist. How can someone do that job?

I'm guessing the ones they save give hope and determination to try and save everyone

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[fatnslow]

One of the most mellow calm docs I ever knew was a pediatric oncologist. How can someone do that job?

One of my daughter's oldest friends is a survivor and applying to some elite colleges so there are some great moments to be had. If they weren't around there would be some sad fucking parents.

[old goat]

I'm certainly glad they do it and they have my admiration--I just know it's not something I could have done.
There is an excellent book written by the British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh called "Do No Harm" in which he describes cases which haunt his memory. The patients are mostly cancer patients, adults but mostly relatively young. Marsh is by all accounts a brilliant surgeon and undoubtedly helped many, many people, but he is very hard on himself and the toll taken on him by the misery and lives cut short is obvious.

I by no means would equate the suffering of a doctor carrying for cancer patients with the much, much worse suffering of the cancer sufferers and their families. The toll on the doctor does have an effect on those patients and families though; the callousness which some physicians treating cancer patients are justifiably accused of is often a way to suppress their own pain and fear. Doctors need to be aware of this and work to overcome it.

[SailCat]

A little over two years ago my wife came home from her job as a substitute teacher feeling disoriented and nauseous. She felt so bad that she decided to retire at age 64. A couple months later the disorientation was affecting her enough that she stopped driving. After 6 months of chasing a lot of seemingly stomach related problems she fell a couple times at home and we went to the emergency room. It seemed as if she had aged 30 years in the 6 months. MRI showed a brain tumor and CT confirmed. Surgeon said to operate the next day. Glio Blastoma Multi whatever. After a couple months recovery and missing #1 son's wedding (she watched on skype), she gained about 20 of those years back and was well enough to start chemo and radiation. The treatments kept the cancer under control for a while. After a year and a half the chemo didn't seem worth the effort. We stayed local and low stress with doctors, and I am convinced that she got the best of conventional medical treatment even though the hospital and clinic was only a few miles from our house. We both knew she was failing by this time and after a bit she gave up on her therapies. Community Hospice took over at this point with mainly comfort care. She had been mostly pain free and getting around the house on her own, but after a week and a couple of falls she was stuck in a hospital bed. Three weeks later she was gone.
Months later, I think that I'm ready to get on with living.

[jackstraw]

Jeez Sallcat, that was a tough one to read. So sorry for your loss and best of luck moving on from here.

I popped into this thread to mention a 35 yr old women who my wife babysat for when she (both really) were little kids just had a dbl mastectomy the day before xmas in hopes of getting all that damn cancer out of her body. Our entire family is tight with her family and it's obviously been a tough go. She is divorced recently on good terms (she wanted kids, he did not) and then this hits. Just hope she can move forward and be cancer free. 35 is way too young.

[huckbucket]

Sail ... tough stuff for sure. No way anyone can ever be prepared or understand from the reader perspective unless you go through it. I hope that over time things get better for you and that you always remember the best parts of your wife's life.

For those who want to learn more about cancer: past, present and future, Siddhartha Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize winning book called The Emperor of All Maladies is something very special. Was turned into a documentary too. Links below.

Part 1
https://youtu.be/EoIPtsu83VQ

Part 2
https://youtu.be/sRfvphdvITg

Part 3
https://youtu.be/pGWt8JM9yg0

Part 4
https://youtu.be/N_j0i_mI8IM

Part 5
https://youtu.be/z2P4kJw5l8M

Part 6
https://youtu.be/SARjyxPccZ8

[billyk]

Fuck cancer, indeed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jcZjDuJQmQ0

Saw one of Jimmy LaFave’s final performances last spring - and a few weeks later he was gone.

[gravitylover]

SailCat that's rough man. I hope you're able to move forward and get on with your life now.

[Millsie1]

A little over two years ago my wife came home from her job as a substitute teacher feeling disoriented and nauseous. She felt so bad that she decided to retire at age 64. A couple months later the disorientation was affecting her enough that she stopped driving. After 6 months of chasing a lot of seemingly stomach related problems she fell a couple times at home and we went to the emergency room. It seemed as if she had aged 30 years in the 6 months. MRI showed a brain tumor and CT confirmed. Surgeon said to operate the next day. Glio Blastoma Multi whatever. After a couple months recovery and missing #1 son's wedding (she watched on skype), she gained about 20 of those years back and was well enough to start chemo and radiation. The treatments kept the cancer under control for a while. After a year and a half the chemo didn't seem worth the effort. We stayed local and low stress with doctors, and I am convinced that she got the best of conventional medical treatment even though the hospital and clinic was only a few miles from our house. We both knew she was failing by this time and after a bit she gave up on her therapies. Community Hospice took over at this point with mainly comfort care. She had been mostly pain free and getting around the house on her own, but after a week and a couple of falls she was stuck in a hospital bed. Three weeks later she was gone.
Months later, I think that I'm ready to get on with living.

So very sorry for your loss.

Tomorrow my has chemo and we are meeting with the oncologist. Heard he is retiring and want to find out our future program.

[jono]

So very sorry for your loss.

Tomorrow my has chemo and we are meeting with the oncologist. Heard he is retiring and want to find out our future program.

Meeting with the onc's always feels bittersweet to me: such good people and I look forward to seeing them, but those days feel like blind corners in the journey, too. Good luck to you both, Millsie!

[old goat]

A little over two years ago my wife came home from her job as a substitute teacher feeling disoriented and nauseous. She felt so bad that she decided to retire at age 64. A couple months later the disorientation was affecting her enough that she stopped driving. After 6 months of chasing a lot of seemingly stomach related problems she fell a couple times at home and we went to the emergency room. It seemed as if she had aged 30 years in the 6 months. MRI showed a brain tumor and CT confirmed. Surgeon said to operate the next day. Glio Blastoma Multi whatever. After a couple months recovery and missing #1 son's wedding (she watched on skype), she gained about 20 of those years back and was well enough to start chemo and radiation. The treatments kept the cancer under control for a while. After a year and a half the chemo didn't seem worth the effort. We stayed local and low stress with doctors, and I am convinced that she got the best of conventional medical treatment even though the hospital and clinic was only a few miles from our house. We both knew she was failing by this time and after a bit she gave up on her therapies. Community Hospice took over at this point with mainly comfort care. She had been mostly pain free and getting around the house on her own, but after a week and a couple of falls she was stuck in a hospital bed. Three weeks later she was gone.
Months later, I think that I'm ready to get on with living.

There's excellent care to be had at community hospitals. Most of the oncology, surgical oncology, and radiation oncology residents trained at major cancer hospitals wind up practicing at those hospitals and are well trained, up to date, and experienced. The universities and cancer centers have to compete with their own graduates by offering treatments not available in the community--generally experimental treatment protocols that may or may not be better than standard treatment and may be worse. Also, experimental protocols are increasingly available at community hospitals.
When you go to a cancer center far from home what you don't get is most of your family and friends. I was visiting my uncle at Stanford one Saturday and I was struck by the empty visitors parking lot and the lack of visitors on the ward. At a community hospital on a weekend the place would have been full of visitors.

I am so sorry for you loss.

[SailCat]

Thanks all for the kind thoughts - and thanks everybody for posting ski stoke. When I couldn't get away at least I could dream about what I was missing... Family was around as much as they could be, but they are grown and on their own. I retired a bit early and got a new job as nursing assistant, but that is over and there may be some storm chasing in my future.

[Beaver]

Vibes sailcat.

Fuck cancer!

[Art Shirk]

Family friend
Little boy
Fought harder than the strongest men I know
Gone

[garyfromterrace]

Sorry for your loss Art Shirk. Fuck cancer.

[Rossymcg]

vibes Art Shirk, I don't know why to say other than fuck cancer

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[detrusor]

Fuck cancer indeed.

Kids w cancer are the most tragic thing.....


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[Meadow Skipper]

I hate cancer. Fuck cancer.

[Art Shirk]

Kids w cancer are the most tragic thing.....

Pure gratuitous evil.