Fuck Cancer

[ötzi]

Sorry to hear that, Brit. But glad to hear from Jono and GA.

I've seen the Docs just once since my whole deal but it was just them looking at me and poking and prodding at me. My first real follow-up with imaging and whatnot is in late October but I woke up this morning thinking about it for whatever reason and here this thread is at the top. Hopefully that's a good sign.

[ghosthop]

82 y/o grandfather was going to be placed on palliative care Dec. 2019 from metastasized pancreatic cancer on his liver. Local community docs had been missing the signs for over a year and his urologist at an academic affiliate finally ordered the scan that caught it.

We called a favor that got him to the front of the line to see the doc at the tertiary academic center. Due to my grandfather's genetics, he was able to be given immunotherapy. <2% of the patient population with his specific type of cancer are eligible. He gets a 45 minute infusion every three weeks, only side effect is that his skin itches. He is fully active again, says he hasn't felt this good in years, and is even growing hair back in his bald spot. $13k per infusion, $225k a year, they haven't paid a dime. My grandmother retired with full Federal benefits, 30 years ago they were tipped to switch him to her medical plan to meet certain age cutoffs.

Yesterday he was told there are no detectable cancer cells left in his body. Oncologist expect the lesions from his met heads to fade and disappear by the new year. He made it to our wedding, seems like he'll be around to see my brother and I collect a few more degrees. We're hoping he gets to meet his first great-grandchild. Grandfather says he's glad he doesn't have to wait on our dad to get the grass cut.

[Dantheman]

Holy shit, that's incredible.

[dtown]

That is an awesome story and outcome!!


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[berko]

FKNA, Ghoshop! Nice to hear some good news in this thread.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

A friend I've worked with for 22 years died yesterday after a three year battle with stomach cancer.

That I might have his bravery and strength...

I'll miss you JP.

So sad, hang in there


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[tgapp]

@PNWbrit - so sorry for your loss, man. That's super rough.

@ghosthop - glad to see some rays of hope in this thread. What awesome news!!

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[jono]

So sorry to see PNWBrit's losing JP. Three years is a hell of a battle.

Thanks for posting that report ghosthop! Any more details on what he's getting? Every one of those feels like victory. And makes me wonder how Ruby's doing.

[Dantheman]

And makes me wonder how Ruby's doing.

X-rays show good bone healing so far in her femur. Still needs a wheelchair to get around most of the time since her heel is fucked up on the other leg which limits her ability to use crutches. Surgery for the heel is coming up pretty soon I think.

[berko]

Best wishes to Ruby!

[easyrdr]

I hate this thread, I avoid it and am drawn to it at the same time. My best friend for the last 25 years of my life died of stage 4 lung cancer in July. Never smoked a day in his life. Just had a cough that wouldn't go away and got it checked out and boom stage 4 at 35 years old. He lived 7 years, 7 fucking years with stage 4, I honestly thought if anyone could beat it, it would be him. A marathon runner, skier, patroller, all around badass. We did our Avy 1 class together back in college. He was my go to backcountry ski partner from day 1, we have skied all the mountain west and Europe together. I've been in a funk since he died, put myself in the hospital the week after his funeral from a water ski accident, didn't exactly help my mental state. I'm sorry for all of you going through this whether you have cancer or one of your loved ones does. Sending my prayers and vibes to all of you. Hang in there.

[stealurface831]

I received a package from my late friends mom today out of the blue. She sent a glass encased note her daughter wrote to me in July of 2019. She died before it was ever sent. In her final days, she was still thinking of others. She was as beautiful a human being as I have ever known. Fuck cancer.

I love you too, Jane.


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[Norseman]

Sorry, stealie.

[tgapp]

Dang SUF, right in the feels. I'm so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful memento of your friend, RIP.

Fuck cancer.

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[jono]

Thanks for the Ruby update, DTM. And SUF, that's brutal, but I hope you smile remembering her every time you see it.

easyrdr, sorry for your loss. It's amazing to see how hard people can go at this thing. A friend of my wife's has been battling stage 4 for a while, got a recurrence lately that cost her some bowel but she's battling on. Runner, triathlete. Almost qualified for Boston in the middle of everything. So impressive.

A minor success: she stayed with a family while getting a recent surgery, all vaxed. Day after she leaves they all test positive for COVID (they're fine) but she never caught it despite the treatment issues. Modern medicine (and a steely resolve flying masked to Idaho) FTW

[Buster Highmen]

A friend I've worked with for 22 years died yesterday after a three year battle with stomach cancer.

That I might have his bravery and strength...

I'll miss you JP.

condolences

[ötzi]

On the positive side of the ledger, I had 2 CT scans and followups with the surgeon and radiation oncologist today at Hopkins and no negative notes were struck. The CT scans were the first imaging since the end of treatment and showed no issues. And both doctors were very positive, with the radiation Doc verging on giddy (I think she likes me).

Had these appointments in the calendar for a couple of months now. I wouldn't say I was worrying about them but I sure wasn't forgetting about them either and this is a relief for sure.

[Buster Highmen]

w000t, awright ötzi

[Mazderati]

Awesome, ice.

[Meadow Skipper]

Good news, ice.

[::: :::]

Long may it continue

[Dantheman]

Awesome!

[Art Shirk]

nice ice.

[Self Jupiter]

Great news man

[Game Over]

Got a CT scan yesterday afternoon. Doctor called immediately after I got home and said I have significant colon cancer that has spread to my liver. Also said I have a couple spots on my lungs.

Likely the cause of the back pain I’ve been experiencing.

I’m not really ok right now. I just hope it’s treatable.

Prepare for the worse and hope for the best.