Fuck Cancer

[old goat]

The chief of staff at my hospital was a pediatric hematologist. He had the calmest, blandest, least emotional personality of any human being I ever knew. Was he like that on the inside? Who knows. I know I couldn't do that job. I had to stop operating on kids--even hernias. A friend of ours is a pediatric neurologist--ie brain tumors. His personality is only slightly more lively, and he's Italian on both sides. From NJ. Maybe there are docs who can get emotionally involved with the bad cases and keep their sanity. I haven't met them.

[Trackhead]

Peds oncology would be horrifying. Glad people want to do it.

[2bjenny]

The chief of staff at my hospital was a pediatric hematologist. He had the calmest, blandest, least emotional personality of any human being I ever knew. Was he like that on the inside? Who knows. I know I couldn't do that job. I had to stop operating on kids--even hernias. A friend of ours is a pediatric neurologist--ie brain tumors. His personality is only slightly more lively, and he's Italian on both sides. From NJ. Maybe there are docs who can get emotionally involved with the bad cases and keep their sanity. I haven't met them.

My mom was a pediatric nurse for decades. Loved working with babies and kids but I know it had to be hard so I can only imagine as a doctor/surgeon.

When they first found E’s cancer, they were going to go to Duke, but they were able to get in to St. Jude’s for a second opinion. It’s further for them, plane vs 4 hr drive, but they were much more comfortable with the team at St. Jude’s.

His prognosis is good, but he has several more rounds of chemo still to go.

[cspringsposer]

Hell yes to all that. The medical oncologist I finally went with is all in, too. He's a loud, angry Croat who shouts "Danko!" into his cell phone whenever it rings and I think his main coping strategy is ritually cursing the insurance companies between patients, whether they need it or not. (Impossible to be sure since they always need it.)

Hell yes! That sounds like the type of oncologist I would love.

Thank God these people are here to do these jobs! I learned very quickly it has nothing to do with the money and these are just incredible humans trying to save the world one life at a time.

[MultiVerse]

A paper applicable to medicine in general looking specifically at oncology. Key takeaways:

Specialized oncologists become significantly more specialized in response to knowledge growth. In contrast, generalist oncologists do not become more specialized in response to knowledge growth.

The growing dispersion in specialization has implications for patient care. Specialized oncologists prescribe newer anti-cancer drugs and have more experience with each drug they prescribe than general oncologists. These differences in drug prescribing are consistent with specialization enabling higher quality care. In addition, these differences in drug prescribing have grown substantially over time, consistent with growing quality differences between specialists and generalists over time.

The growing dispersion in specialization also has impacts on the geography of healthcare. Top specialization has increased substantially in the largest markets and stagnated in the smallest ones.

These results suggest that most oncologists, who are generalists and primarily users of knowledge, may respond to knowledge growth not by specializing but by falling behind the frontier.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....act_id=4960603

[Hicks]

Here's a shout-out to all of you hit by cancer (yourself or family and friends) and are still around, hope everyone is at least doing ok.

Five cases of cancer among close relatives, with three survivors so far (first wifey, then daughter, and now myself). At least we are leading on the scoreboard thus far......

[GetAmped]

Here's a shout-out to all of you hit by cancer (yourself or family and friends) and are still around, hope everyone is at least doing ok.

Five cases of cancer among close relatives, with three survivors so far (first wifey, then daughter, and now myself). At least we are leading on the scoreboard thus far......

I've kept my Survivor's Club membership current since 2012 when I kicked esophageal cancer to the curb. Recently I've been privileged to receive daily updates on the truly heroic achievement of not only beating pancreatic cancer, but also being discharged from ICU after the liver transplant associated with the damage from both the cancer and its treatment. This is some badassery IRL.

Never forget: The Survivor's Club is the one nobody wanted to join, but you don't want your membership to lapse.

[priapism]

Maintenance is going pretty smoothly for me. Odd thing is I get neutropenic whenever I spend prolonged time at high elevation (ie week in Mammoth or 2 weeks in mtn west). Onc has lowered my doses because of this but I'll just avoid spending long periods in those places for now. Just a few months left.

Big problem now is I need hip replacements from the steroids during treatment. Chronic pain is a bitch. Probably shouldn't have skied last year before seeing an ortho, but the one I had then probably wouldn't have done anything anyway. A brighter future awaits.

[Trackhead]

Avascular necrosis? Sorry to hear that. I got dexamethasone every two weeks with infusions of chemo, but only with chemo. I had bad right hip pain after for quite a while, X-ray with normal joint spacing. Eventually it went away, but was worried about that.

[2bjenny]

My 82 yr old father has been diagnosed with diffused large B cell lymphoma. He has a mass the size of a brick encasing his pancreas and pressing on his intestines. He will start R-mini-CHOP next week. There’s a few more tests and his port to be taken care of this week. It’s been very sudden and he’s been in good health until this. I’m trying to get stuff sorted out from the the Musk Trump firings and waiting for more fall out at my place of work before heading to TX. My mom has been great with dad and his care, she’s a retired nurse. My sister is about 2 hrs from them and was able to visit this weekend. They keep telling us not to come until they know more, which I understand. One of our biggest concerns is how he will handle the chemo and if he falls, our mom cannot pick him up. Hindsight is always 20/20 and there’s so many little things we wish we had pushed for them to have done at their house (I keep up on the thread about older parents since I know these days would be coming). I plan to make short trips after his chemo cycles, alternate with my sister, to help them or just be there. I would like to send some things to help him be more comfortable once treatment starts. If anyone has suggestions in ways to help, let me know. Thankfully my parents neighbors are very kind and helpful. They help us keep an eye on them and check on them regularly.

[jono]

Hoping for the best for you and your dad 2bjenny!

mRNA progress for pancreatic cancer:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08508-4

[RainyJ]

Hi Guys,
I was Millsie but got locked when hacked. Want to let you know my wife Jennifer passed from cancer Sept of 23

[jono]

Hey Millsie, I'm really sorry to see that, she put up a hell of a fight. Thanks for fighting through the shitshow to pass the news along. Hope you're doing OK!

[shroom]

vibes Millsie

[Mazderati]

Really sorry to hear. Peace to your family.

[2FUNKY]

So sorry Millsie. Like Maz said, may there be peace to your family.


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[Self Jupiter]

I’m so sorry Millsie. Sending vibes your way.

[TBS]

I’ve been derelict in not checking in lately

Big ups to all of you survivors - Hicks, GetAmped, priapism, Trackhead, jono (hope those Langes are working for you) and anyone else I forgot

Ms TBS is coming up on 2nd anniversary of kicking HER2+ breast cancer to the curb. Prognosis excellent but recurrence is always in the back of her (and my) mind. As GetAmped sez, it’s a club nobody wanted to join but nobody wants to get tossed out either.

@cspringsposer - hope Ms csprings is doing well.

@2bjenny - a guy I volunteer with in our adaptive sports programs developed diffuse large B cell lymphoma at age 76. He kicked its ass three years ago and, other than blowing out his ACL last month skiing, is still going strong. Sending positive thoughts your dad’s way.

@Millsie - very sad to hear about Jennifer’s passing. Hoping you have found some measure of internal peace.

Finally, just want to echo how hard being a peds oncologist has to be. My daughter Cori’s docs were a combo of forces of nature (esp. the 4’8” NP) and one of the most calm, mild mannered guys I’ve ever met. The latter had lost a child of his own (home invasion, police shot his son instead of the invader) and was a rock for me when Cori’s cancer recurred and there was no hope left. A peds radiologist I know sez it’s the successes that keep her going and the losses that keep her humble.

[hikesalot]

I'm so sorry, Millsie - sending peace for you and your family

[Meadow Skipper]

Millie, that’s heartbreaking. My sincere condolences.

I’ll probably be posting more in this thread - I was recently diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.

[BmillsSkier]

Man, I really hate this thread on one hand, and am also really uplifted by the success stories in here at the same time. Love to you all (and yours) battling and in recovery, my prayers to those who have lost. I hate all of this for all of you. Thanks to the garbage state of the forum software I was taken to post 1 of this thread and was reminded of my dear friend who was lost too soon to this shit and I smiled at the flood of memories that came back to mind - good in the midst of shit and all that I guess. Peace to everyone who is touched by this awfulness.

[TBS]

Oh shit B. Keep us posted

Fuck cancer.

[Art Shirk]

Millsie - I’m so fucking sorry man.


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[jono]

This thread has too much truth. Probably in the Ruby saga alone. Hoping for the best, Meadow Skipper!

You were in my thoughts today as I skipped a meadow in TBS's old boots (which work so well I catch myself thinking of backups, thanks again!)

[Trackhead]

So sorry to hear that Meadow Skipper.