Cancer Is Not the Tits

[killclimbz]

Cancer sure as hell doesn't discriminate. (Medically speaking, sure some at risk factors discriminate)

But cancer doesn't care if it strikes a young child or an elder grandparent. Cancer doesn't care if it challenges a world leader or a regular joe. Cancer doesn't care about my mother or my father. Cancer doesn't care about our sisters, our brothers, our best friends or our life partners.

Funny thing about cancer, it may leave your body but it will never leave your life - once you have dealt with cancer, you figuratively have cancer forever, for better for worse.

Sometimes we can win battles and we can stake out ground, other times we are powerless. One thing we can always do though, is to be honest, supportive, positive, and appreciative with and of the people around us. Cancer can't take that away.

Just had to QFT...

[Crystal_Mt_Dreamin]

Damn, great post by Schralph!

[shiftagain]

Wow man, a lot of really heavy posts here.
I'm a long term cancer survivor, but I've lost friends and family as well. (I stopped keeping track after about 30 ppl or so, and that was about 10 years ago)
Cancer is a brutal killer, no ryme or reason to it in so many cases. (I was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 6, My grandfather lung cancer at age 72 and I've met all sorts in between) Like Schralph said, it's not selective in a lot of cases. My thoughts go out to all of you that have friends and family members going through it right now. It's one of the hardest things that a family can deal with, and unfortunately it's hard to find a family that hasn't been hit by cancer in some way.

I just wanted to throw this out there, but Cancer can also serve as a great wake-up. For everyone. Before I was out of treatment at age 7 I was back to skiing and racing by age 8. I damn near lost my life, and to be honest I'm really not sure why I'm still kickin. I mean, I'd give it up in a second to bring ack all the people I've lost to it. But knowing that's not gonna happen, I try to live every day for the folks I've lost along the way.

I'm no authority, I'm just some one legged kid (27) with bills. But I think if anyone could take anything positive away from this thread, this would be it:

Cancer sucks, live life in a way that would make the fallen proud.

Just my 2 cents.

[watersnowdirt]

I'm no authority, I'm just some one legged kid (27) with bills. But I think if anyone could take anything positive away from this thread, this would be it:

Cancer sucks, live life in a way that would make the fallen proud.

Just my 2 cents.

shiftagain - Well said. Well said.

And yes, cancer does stay with you forever. As I get further and further away from being in active treatment, I see the look in people's eyes that says "can you move on now?", and I realize that I'll never truly be "over" it. The fear of recurrence is huge, gnarly and looming large. Unless you've been there, it's nearly impossible to comprehend how it impacts you. "Should I bother flossing?" I think some days, feeling that thinking about what my teeth will be like at 60 seems like a moot point. But those thoughts are my demons - and other cancer survivors demons - to battle. No one can talk us out of them.

Skiguide - I'm so incredibly sorry to hear about your dad. Very sorry. lph and I lost both our parents to cancer, and it's very hard to watch. I know he's probably so glad to have his beautiful daughter there with him.

thefugitive - sorry you're going through what hopefully will end up being just a scare. Keep us posted. I know there are at least a couple of people on the board who have kicked some melanoma ass here.

On a positive and possibly inappropriate note to bring some lightness to a horrid subject, I get my new boobies in about 3 weeks. Yeeeehawww!! .

[AKPogue]

On a positive and possibly inappropriate note to bring some lightness to a horrid subject, I get my new boobies in about 3 weeks. Yeeeehawww!! .

Are we going to get a TR with Pics?

I think humor is always appropriate!!

[shiftagain]

Are we going to get a TR with Pics?

I think humor is always appropriate!!

HAHAHAHA!

[happytimefunbox]

thanks guys for the vibes... Got s a gnarle coterizedn hole in the back. DrSkin says 50/50 mel or no mel by the looks of what he cut off. Weigting for the rzults is worse than da cutten

I have drunkened multiple beerschk towards the no mel.... I just craked another for some early seeson pow. Cmon wasnatch why are you holding out...

typing is fun when yer blizzagard

[watersnowdirt]

Are we going to get a TR with Pics?

Oh hell yes. I'm not going through 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital to hide those bad boys away. There will be pix (clothed, of course. After all, my brother is on this board!)

Fugitive - nice drunk post!

[AKPogue]

Oh hell yes. I'm not going through 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital to hide those bad boys away. There will be pix (clothed, of course. After all, my brother is on this board!)

Fugitive - nice drunk post!

Clothed?

[happytimefunbox]

Oh hell yes. I'm not going through 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital to hide those bad boys away. There will be pix (clothed, of course. After all, my brother is on this board!)

Fugitive - nice drunk post!

Haven't been smashed like that in a while, wicked pissah of a hangover. Drank all mine and the neighbors beer then hit some really cheap vodka mixed with god knows what, I think it was windex. Should know something in a week or two. I'll be drinking then too, in celebration of course!

I just gotta know WSD, 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital? For a boober job? You getting a third one put in the middle too. Most females I know that have had them "enhanced" were outpatient and back at home that evening. Those must be some amazing boobs yer getting.....

[skiguide]

I just gotta know WSD, 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital? For a boober job? You getting a third one put in the middle too. Most females I know that have had them "enhanced" were outpatient and back at home that evening. Those must be some amazing boobs yer getting.....

reconstructive's quite different than getting stripper boobies

WSD - good for you, and good luck to you - i'm sure it'll all go very well. I'd do the same thing too, hell I kinda want to do it now as a preemptive measure...

thanks for the thoughts and well wishes too...

[SchralphMacchio]

Man, cancer is so not the tits today.

I have a friend fighting leukemia for the third time in 3 years, already had a BMT this year but it relapsed after 5.5 months. Just finished a 5-day chemo round, feeling completely shitty from the drugs, on fentanyl for pain regulation, completely neutropenic (no immune system) and as of yesterday she's got a fever from an unknown infection. It's a complete waiting game for friends and family. She needs vibes to pull through, and that's about all anyone can do at this point.

There are way too many people with stories like this ...

[watersnowdirt]

I just gotta know WSD, 12 hours of surgery and 5 days in the hospital? For a boober job? You getting a third one put in the middle too. Most females I know that have had them "enhanced" were outpatient and back at home that evening. Those must be some amazing boobs yer getting.....

I hope they'll be amazing!

As skiguide said, reconstruction (when you've had a mastectomy) is quite different than a "boob job". The long and the short of it is that they will be transferring tissue from my belly to create new boobs. Because my skin has been radiated, I'm not a good candidate for implants.

So, luckily, I just came back from Greece where I ate a ton in the hopes of building up my belly even more. I'm hoping for a set of Bs .

It's a nutty surgery, but pretty amazing what they can do!

Here's my post a while back about it if you're morbidly curious.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...=128620&page=2

Shralp - so sorry your friend is battling again. This disease sucks so much.

[happytimefunbox]

reconstructive's quite different than getting stripper boobies

WSD - good for you, and good luck to you - i'm sure it'll all go very well. I'd do the same thing too, hell I kinda want to do it now as a preemptive measure...

thanks for the thoughts and well wishes too...

Oh Fuck Me, I'm douchebag of the day.

That's what I get for not reading the whole thread and jumping to the last page, and for being a fuken JONG!

So sorry WSD, I didn't have any intention of belittling the situation your in. I read the whole other thread and even though I don't know you I can tell your an amazing chick if not from your own words then from the words of the Maggot Kommunity. If this beast is digging into my back I only hope I can stand up to it and fight with half the courage, humor and attitude that you possess. God Bless You and and the new boobs.

If you ever make it out the Utard way Tramdeck PBR's on me.......

And finally Cancer can just FUCK OFF

[hartzejr]

duh............... sucks ass

edit:
sorry if my post missed the entire point of this thread. In all honesty, I didn't read it. Saw the title and thats all I could on the topic right now.... sucks ass.

[watersnowdirt]

Fugitive - NO worries at all! And thanks for the nice words.

And keep us posted on your status. Thinking good thoughts for you.

[Pinner]

Fuggn WSD making a mthafkka laugh out loud. That craigslist was hilarious. Good for you, toughgirl, for kicking cancer's ass and laughing all the way to Victoria's Secret about it.

A little levity was especially needed in Pnr's World today. Early this morning I recieved the sad news that a dear friend of ours lost her battle to Ewing's sarcoma yesterday. Just a few days ago she took a break from chemo for a trip to Hawaii with her best friend, and I have a picture in my mind of the hottest bald beach bunny Maui ever did see. Kristen was such a sweetie and she fought like a fukkn Viking right up until she knew it was her time to go, and then she went with the utmost grace, surrounded by those who loved her the most. It's a sad day for a lot of us here.

Then this afternoon I called my Mom to say hi (she travels most of the year and just arrived home today from a four month trip) and got the answering machine with my Dad's voice still on it. I knew he was on the machine, but it still made my heart jump and eyes water. Just a little. Under the sunglasses. For a sec.

So yeah, while cancer is not generally the tits, in WSD's case it's maybe gonna be the best pair you ever saw! {/poppa woody}



Best wishes and strong vibes to all going through the good fight right now.

[SchralphMacchio]

FUCK CANCER. My friend who I love is dying of it. My mother died of it. some things we can control. others we cannot. and that's about it. not much use fretting over the things we can't control, but it's only human nature to worry about the things we can't affect. I know Leroy said it's a necessary evil mojo. But like I said earlier, cancer doesn't care who it hurits. It's just some bad shit that puts everyone involved through the saddest mindfuck.

Fuck you and the fucking white blood cell cancerous horse you rode in on. motherfucker. Props for those who get through it. like I said, it's not like a disease that just goes away. the cells might be dead, but the cancer remains in your head, in your heart. It's some fucked up shit that can challenge your entire sense of being. How can you think about saving the world when you have to save yourself? It makes some of us stronger, but it makes too many of us of us weaker. motherfucker. I'll kick you in the nutsack it if I ever meet you.

Fuck you cancer, you are not the tits.

[snowsprite]

Clothed?

Ha! The disappointment right there is almost palpable....

Cancer has certainly touched my life several scary and painful times.

But even if you have not had it yourself, or had a family member/friend die from it or get diagnosed, cancer is still there like a dark shadow in your life because it has touched *someone* you know in a devastating way.

It fucking sucks.

Sprite

[steved]

They've been at it for almost 70 years. NIH alone gets almost $2B/yr in Fed funding. It's not a lack of money being thrown at cancer research that's prevented a *cure*.

edit for DW's post: The $2B for NIH is specifically marked for cancer research...Yes, only a slice of the total funding, but a relatively large slice nonetheless.

...Would like to see more Direct funding go to non-governmental labs and the wings of hospitals that are on the forefront..and are making the progress. The priorities of Federal Gov't haven't changed..same old Defense Contracting for more weapons systems just to fill bank accounts of the contractors. At least I think Obama's intelligent enough to want to listen to some of the top people, rather than the scheduled speakers.

$.01
STeveD

[BigJay]

I didn't click on this thread when it was initially posted because I really don't like reading sad stories about people losing loved ones. Just like I don't like watching sad movies (saw the Notebook once, and once was enough).

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 63 yrs/old about a month ago--prognosis is good but has to get his prostate removed. He is having the surgery in three weeks. Then I will be home to see him for xmas a week later. As an only child, trying to deal with this stuff 2000 miles away from home is tough--especially since I usually just put the stuff that bothers me in the back of my brain and try to forget about it (and I'm pretty good at that).

Both of my grandparents on my mother's side have had cancer and beat it (both before I was born).

As far as curing cancer is concerned--I'm doing my part by working in a research lab at the Huntsman Cancer Institute here in Salt Lake. The ironic part is that part of my job is to keep three lines of cancer cells alive.

[Game Over]

my grandpa just died from cancer.

[SchralphMacchio]

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 63 yrs/old about a month ago--prognosis is good but has to get his prostate removed. He is having the surgery in three weeks. Then I will be home to see him for xmas a week later. As an only child, trying to deal with this stuff 2000 miles away from home is tough--especially since I usually just put the stuff that bothers me in the back of my brain and try to forget about it (and I'm pretty good at that).

Vibes brother. Been there a few years ago with my dad, best of luck to your dad, I wish him well for the recovery.

Dealing with the stuff definitely is hard. I've learned that whether it takes weeks, or years, you're forced to face yourself and deal. Being honest with yourself and your loved ones helps. I know it's scary shit, been through it several times with my loved ones in my life ... get a good friend and let em know if you're worried, scared, angry, depressed, or whatever it is (some combination of all of the above?) - it helps to have a trusted friend even do nothing more than just listen.

Ugh, seeing this thread get bumped takes me back to my drunken kick cancer in the nutsac post a few weeks ago. I still mean it, what I wrote. But it sucks to think of my friend. I wrote that post after finding out her sickness was terminal.

It hurts to think about her cancer but I accept it, I can deal. It hurts to see her in pain, but I can still deal. But it absolutely breaks my fucking heart to see her so sad.

Cancer. Fucken eh.

[SchralphMacchio]

my grandpa just died from cancer.

Condolences, steep.

[watersnowdirt]

First off - Fugitive - any updates? Hope it all turned out ok....

Wanted to post now that I'm fully boobed again. I keep laughing at this title "Cancer is not the Tits" given my recent reconstruction .

Surgery went really well, and I'm recovering so much faster than I'd expected. Was told to expect to feel like I was hit by a truck, but it was never miserable or horrible.

I wrote a huge long post to friends and family about it which I'll put the clifnotes version of here.

-----------
December 4, 2008

What a strange thing to wake up and know that your body is different. It’s exhilarating. It’s surreal. It’s something I never expected to know or experience.

I went into surgery nearly three weeks ago with fairly low expectations of what this transformation would do. And yet, I do feel transformed. And restored. My body feels returned to me, if not somewhat altered from what it was.

There have been three significant versions of this 39 year old body:

Body V.1 – pre cancer and surgery. Not a perfect body, but whole and healthy, and unaltered.

Body V.2 – 12 months of cancer treatment has taken it’s toll. No breasts, burn marks on my chest from radiation, no hair, extra weight just about everywhere, sad dry joints, and countless other annoyances.

Body V.3 – now. Breasts restored. Some of that extra weight gone (well, not gone but moved  ) . Hair – full head of thick, wavy hair, almost to the point where you’d call it medium length and not short any more.

Body V.3 feels more like home than Body V.2. It’s like coming full circle. I almost didn’t expect this moment to come – when I’d look in the mirror and recognize myself again.

It’s like when you realize that Microsoft Vista sucks and you need to go back to XP.. Sometimes you just want the old version back.

SURGERY
For those with strong stomachs, and endless time to kill, details about the surgery are below. Based on the amount of questions I get for the gory details, I’m going to go ahead and assume that this stuff is actually somewhat interesting to people, so here you go.

Len, Jenny, Steph Kirkwood and I all rose at 4 am on Monday, November 17 to head to Kaiser Santa Clara. Thank god I live in a fishing town, so our local café is actually open for business at that time. These three all need their coffee .

Luckily, when you arrive at the hospital that early, everyone is on time and you don’t wait. Before 6 am I was in my designer gown and fancy socks. The surgeon then came in and doodled all over me. We got pix. I’m sure they’re funny, though not necessarily appropriate for public consumption.

Just before 7 am (I think - this is where it all gets fuzzy), I got my nice relaxy medicine. Is it bad that I love that stuff? All is right with the world when that stuff hits your veins. I remember being wheeled in and seeing a crazy huge machine with microscopes and stuff. It looked very fancy and expensive and hard to operate. My surgeon told me that that’s what they use to do all the microvascular work. That’s all I remember. I think I said, “Oh cool…zzzzzzzzz….” Knowing me I probably told him to do a good job. Or maybe I told him to be sure he didn’t drop the flap/tissue on the floor (we can thank Lucy’s husband Bud for planting that fear in my head!)

Next thing I recall is being awoken in recovery around 11:30 pm. Len and Jenny were there, which made me so happy and comfortable. Going into this surgery, I had some anxiety about being under for 15 hours, so I insisted on telling them repeatedly "My brain works! I just can't talk much!" I asked them about Obama, reminded them that Joe Biden’s 66th birthday was coming up, and asked them if Hillary had been asked to Secretary of State yet. And I thought my election obsession had ended on November 4. I also asked them what they had for dinner. Huge mistake. Don’t talk about food to someone who’s been under anesthesia all day.

The next 60 hours were fairly uncomfortable, but not painful. Tubes coming out of everywhere, IVs in my foot, oxygen, etc. It wasn’t pleasant, but I wasn’t in pain. Morphine drips are great. For the first day, they won’t let you drink water, so it felt like I’d be sucking on cotton balls. But they have these fabulous swabs that they saturate with water that save you.. When I graduated to ice chips later that evening you would’ve thought they’d brought me take out from the French Laundry, I was so thrilled.

In order to make sure the new blood vessels that have been fused work well, they kept the room very hot, and on top of that, I was under a blanket filled with hot air. Sort of miserable, but actually worse for my visitors who all looked like they were "hotting to death" as Noel would say. It was almost funny to see people walk in to visit and head straight to the thermostat to see if they could turn it town until they realized there was a medical reason why it was a thousand degrees in there.

The nurses would come in and put an ultrasound microphone type thing up to the incision, and when they’d here a distinct, “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh” sound, they’d say, “that’s GREAT” since it meant the blood was flowing as it was meant to in my new blood vessels.

The day before surgery, I’d been on a great mountain bike ride with Scott. When the physical therapist would work with me to “learn to roll!” “sit up in a chair!”, or – and this was very exciting – take a big walk around the hall pushing my IV stand, I kept saying, "I just want you to know I was mountain biking on Sunday.” (hell, you should see how happy they get when you answer yes when they ask if you’ve “passed gas”. You’d think you’d climbed Everest. I felt like I was going to get gold stars on my chart just for tooting.)

Now, I've been home for just about two weeks and I feel GREAT. Everyone's yelling at me to slow down. I guess I do too much, too fast. Shocking, I know. I’m up and about, will start driving this weekend, will start going to Goldman on Monday.

And to answer the unspoken question….

THEY LOOK GREAT! I'm so pleased - my expectations were far exceeded. And my belly's so flat you could bounce a quarter on it. Ha - we'll see how long that lasts .

Here’s a funny snippet. Years ago when I was in the rainforests, I was bitten by a spider and had a terrible infection right next to my bellybutton (my “former” bellybutton – got a new one now!). It left a scar. That scar is now on the top of my right breast. WEIRD!!!!

Though I expected to be in much more pain at this time, so much so that I wouldn’t be able to appreciate what the surgery gave me back, I’m actually already so glad I did it. I can’t quite stand straight, but I’m healing well and fast.

It does feel like it’s given me back something that I felt had been taken away. It makes me feel more normal, more like a woman again. I hadn’t allowed myself to hope for much, so I’m pleasantly surprised by how much better I feel.