Fuck Cancer

[abraham]

Thanks guys. Hope everything's good on your end ice.

Day 30 complete response to CAR-T is an excellent indicator for favorable long-term prognosis.

Did he get Yescarta or Breyanzi?

Man I should know but I feel like I can't keep track of all the information. I'll check. Thanks for the pm, I appreciated it even though all my questions and plan went to shit when he was hospitalized. Suddenly now it's 20 days since he got out and I feel like I'm still running behind on stuff.

[lowsparkco]

1 year anniversary of losing my dad to cancer today. RIP big guy.

[powdrhound]

RIP

Fuck cancer.

[priapism]

Trackhead and/or other chemo survivors, do you get muscles cramping up randomly as a part of your lasting effects? Happens to my calves and it’s a real pain. Wondering if anything has worked out or if you’re just hoping for the best

[farmguy]

Just a heads up. Guys..no matter your age. Tell your Dr that you NEED a PSA test yearly.

Mine was 7.2 in 2017, this Jan they were 10.2 positive for cancer, Gleason score 6, treatments are being scheduled.

[jono]

Trackhead and/or other chemo survivors, do you get muscles cramping up randomly as a part of your lasting effects? Happens to my calves and it’s a real pain. Wondering if anything has worked out or if you’re just hoping for the best

I had those for a while after chemo and they gradually went away. It think it might have taken a year, but I'm not totally sure now. A lot of water and some time did the trick for me.

[priapism]

Ah glad it goes away eventually. Problem with over hydration during outdoor activities is carrying more water and having more pee breaks...I figure my partners will just have to deal with the latter though

[billyk]

Just a heads up. Guys..no matter your age. Tell your Dr that you NEED a PSA test yearly.

Mine was 7.2 in 2017, this Jan they were 10.2 positive for cancer, Gleason score 6, treatments are being scheduled.

The only good thing about prostate cancer is OJ died from it.

[jono]

Ah glad it goes away eventually. Problem with over hydration during outdoor activities is carrying more water and having more pee breaks...I figure my partners will just have to deal with the latter though

I actually have a major problem staying hydrated, since I can't drink enough now. Come to think of it, the end of my consistent cramps coincided pretty well with wearing a neck gaitor over my mouth and nose for any kind of dry, cold or hot ride. We lose a lot of moisture through respiration anyway, so not blasting dry air down my throat helps. In the desert I sometimes soak it in water before starting. Nice for eliminating pollen, too.

Best of luck to you and farmguy.

[billyk]

Trackhead and/or other chemo survivors, do you get muscles cramping up randomly as a part of your lasting effects? Happens to my calves and it’s a real pain. Wondering if anything has worked out or if you’re just hoping for the best

I didn’t have chemo, but I do suffer from leg cramps from time to time. I’ve found that “Hyland’s Leg Cramps” pills actually work surprisingly well; better than just magnesium, which also helps.

[buttahflake]

Just a heads up. Guys..no matter your age. Tell your Dr that you NEED a PSA test yearly.

Mine was 7.2 in 2017, this Jan they were 10.2 positive for cancer, Gleason score 6, treatments are being scheduled.

Thanks for the heads-up, just scheduled a physical with PSA test.

[Trackhead]

Trackhead and/or other chemo survivors, do you get muscles cramping up randomly as a part of your lasting effects? Happens to my calves and it’s a real pain. Wondering if anything has worked out or if you’re just hoping for the best

I have neuropathy (weakness/numbness) mostly in left foot/ankle and have mild "foot drop" due to chemo. I have "cramping" in my left toes if I curl them like a fist, and they don't want to release.

I'm about 15 mos out of chemo and the neuropathy I have is here to stay, it's not gotten any better. I can't really climb anymore because of ankle weakness and lack of proprioception/feeling in my left foot. Skiing, riding, etc is fine. Thankfully the neuropathy in my hands largely resolved, that caused issues at work with suturing and other procedures.

[Trackhead]

Thanks for the heads-up, just scheduled a physical with PSA test.

FWIW, US preventative task force still lists routine PSA as Grade C (selectively recommended). I order it on men who are symptomatic.

[jono]

I order it on men who admit to being symptomatic.

FIFY

[Trackhead]

FIFY

Good point. I feel like as a 52 year old man myself, it's pretty easy to remove barriers of potential embarrassment when talking about urinary dribbling/retention.

[priapism]

I have neuropathy (weakness/numbness) mostly in left foot/ankle and have mild "foot drop" due to chemo. I have "cramping" in my left toes if I curl them like a fist, and they don't want to release.

I'm about 15 mos out of chemo and the neuropathy I have is here to stay, it's not gotten any better. I can't really climb anymore because of ankle weakness and lack of proprioception/feeling in my left foot. Skiing, riding, etc is fine. Thankfully the neuropathy in my hands largely resolved, that caused issues at work with suturing and other procedures.

Sorry about the ankle weakness, but I'm glad to hear you can work thru most of the neuropathy now. Weirdly I had foot cramping like that years before I had cancer–not always but sometimes.

I went on a long-ish tour yesterday and bonked and kept getting periodic sharp leg cramps for hours afterwards. Nuun made it feel better so I think electrolytes play some role here.

[Trackhead]

Yeah, I had a hard time putting on ski boots. When you point your toes down to slip into a tight ski boot, my toes would curl under and jam in the boot. Couldn't extend them. Total pain in the ass to get boots on. That has resolved.

I think for me most of my paralysis from a motor function perspective was in dorsi-flexion of toes/feet, so it left sort of an unopposed motor tone for plantar-flexion, causing toes to curl under and stay that way without pulling them back.

[ianpnw]

I used to get terrible leg cramps that would wake me at night after exercise. I started using LMNT during exercise - no more cramps

[jono]

+1 on LMNT. I mix it with Morton Lite salt, which I believe I found actually has a little better ratio of either magnesium or potassium, even though they don't list it in the nutrients (can't recall which offhand--it's in the ingredients).

Good point. I feel like as a 52 year old man myself, it's pretty easy to remove barriers of potential embarrassment when talking about urinary dribbling/retention.

I was kidding, of course, but reading that reminded me of the shift in personal boundaries through treatment. Did you get that, too? Any recalibration needed when dealing with patients?

[Trackhead]

Shift in boundaries as a patient?

[Bunion 2020]

Originally Posted by farmguy View Post
Just a heads up. Guys..no matter your age. Tell your Dr that you NEED a PSA test yearly.

Mine was 7.2 in 2017, this Jan they were 10.2 positive for cancer, Gleason score 6, treatments are being scheduled.

BIL has elevated PSA and is schedule for the taking of samples from his Prostate. Involves a needle being inserted where I don't want to think about. Sister is kind of freaking.

[farmguy]

BIL has elevated PSA and is schedule for the taking of samples from his Prostate. Involves a needle being inserted where I don't want to think about. Sister is kind of freaking.

I have had 3 of those bastards done and the last one was the worst. You will look forward to a colonoscopy after a biopsy.

Now my rant.......sitting the the Drs office and he says, "You have cancer" is bad enough, but that is just the ice breaker. My Dr talked about 2 options I could start on right away, radiation therapy or removal, hell I could start the next day if I wanted. I opted for waiting while genetic testing was done which will determine what cancer type I have, best path forward maybe even waiting for yrs as it progress's.
At home that week, thank God for google, my wife and I found a WHOLE damn list of treatment options Cyro, HIFU, 3/4 different types of radiation therpy and Laser treatment. My problem...why didnt the fucking Dr have a list in his hand of EVERY SINGLE OPTION AVAIBLE TO ME? Why leave it to the person who knows NOTHING about cancer to research what is out there? Give me a list... covered by INS, Cash, experimental I dont care but I want to know anything and everything avaible, not just what your clinic has to offer.


SO...dont ask your Dr, TELL him what you want.

Of, stepping off my soapbox and no more coffee.

[Bunion 2020]

In this age of having the "greatest healthcare in the world USA fuck yeah" a patient must be their own advocate. It is so FUCKING maddening.

Best wishes for a good outcome. I think I will not tell sis about the experience.

[skaredshtles]

In this age of having the "greatest healthcare in the world USA fuck yeah" a patient must be their own advocate. It is so FUCKING maddening.

It's ridiculous and embarrassing as well.

[Meadow Skipper]

I had a prostate biopsy a few years ago and I took a Vicodin before going in, which helped some. Like farmguy said, it makes a colonoscopy seem like a warm, friendly hug.

But because I don’t want my experience to be repeated, I guess I should point to what happened to me again.

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...45#post6346945

Be your own advocate, and double check/second opinion everything.