Cancer sucks

As do the treatments. But it does appear that they are effective in cases.

One ouf our best friends is finishing her chemo treatment tomorrow- it's been a long 7 month ordeal that was tough, but not as bad as others we know- she's not going to lose her hair.

Still, it's sure nice to see some finish to this journey. Of friends who have been treated for cancer, this makes us 2-1. Tough every time.

Time for us to celebrate a friend finishing a marathon that she never intended to run.

My grandmother beat cancer twice. Lost battle three. I'm very proud of her. Best of luck to your friend.

yes, best of luck indeed. My cousin suffered an aneurism at age 9, when a tumor on a vesel in his brain let go. He underwent massive brain surgery, and was cancer free for over a dozen years. Hes now back in the hospital, having just underwent a bone marrow transplant. Hes pale and thin as a rail, with scars and hoses, IVs and sensors all over...and somehow extremely happy...in general, just to be on the warm side of the dirt.

I think hes making lemonade, just being alive. Its inspiring!

I hope your friend has a similar reaction!

Sucks indeed. I lost my Mom to it 4 years ago this week. Best wishes.

Yes it sucks. It's what took my dad two years ago. alfa, best wishes for your friend.

I'll never forget my experience with cancer. I had eaten a papaya and had gotten deathly ill from it (or so I thought) Went to the hospital for what I thought was food poisoning and went through numerous diagnostic tests etc. CAT Scan came back showing a mass in my lower abdomen and I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Started chemo and the mass started to shrink, however it shrunk around my lower intestine restricting it and causing it to burst. Things really went south quick. Recovery from the infection it caused was bad enough but still had 5 more chemos treatments to go. Well that was 14months ago and I've been in remission ever since and I feel better than I ever have. Prayers, faith and the Grace of God got me through it all. Prayers sent for your friend.

Yeah, best of luck. I've known one that beat it, three that didn't.

Best wishes to your friend for being healthy from here on. And kudos to her for getting through the treatments. It looks to me to be an incredibly hard thing to do, regardless of the lack of choice.

Best hopes for your friend. Yeah, it does suck. Hope I never have any experience any closer than I already have. A friend's wife isn't doing so well with it right now. Sounds really bad. Awful.

My friend is a lot better off than many others. Many that you all know. Make sure that you tell them how much they mean to you. Thanks for the support, and next time we do the Walk, we'll be thinking of you, your friends, and your relatives, too.

It sucks, but it can be survivable.

I think cancer has touched us all. I lost a good friend last summer after a nine-year battle, it was heartbreaking to see. My oldest childhood friend is currently cancer-free, but she says that living with it is like a time-bomb, once you've had it, you never stop worrying that it will come back.

Big ups to anyone who puts up a scrap when the Big C jumps them in the parking lot.

I go to NIH every 4 months and get to compare the most recent pictures of the inside of my head with those from a year prior. It's to see if the little left-over bit of the extraordinarily uncommon, very slow developing, and completely benign brain tumor I was divested of nearly 6 years ago is remaining dormant. It sort of sucks, and it's been more than a little stressful sometimes, but it's infinity better to be in my position than 99% of the rest of the folks I see when I go to clinic.

I recommend to everyone that they live happily and do as much of whatever it is they want to do as possible. Get it all in, just in case.

I lost my Grandfather to liver cancer and a very close family friend to kidney cancer and have an aunt right now who's going through liver cancer, and it's a horrible battle every time. Godspeed to your friends and family, and I am glad to hear it sounds like a "W" in the end this time.

Glad to hear your friend is finishing up the treatment part of things and about to start a new phase of life. I run the survivorship program at a cancer center - we see thousands of patients each year - you are right, cancer sucks - if your friend (or any GRMers) ever need info, etc. just hit me up - I've been in the health insurance and cancer care businesses for more than 25 years.

major suckfest.

But there is some great stuff out there, last year Ms Mental finished her bout. Early detection was key and she go the jump on it.

oldtin speaks truth, thats some great stuff. I forwarded it to the missus and she was quite taken by a lot of it.

I can only speak to this side of it, but allies help. If you got someone battling this, help anyway you can, even the smallest act adds up if it is multiplies over several friends.

Godspeed to your friend

Yes cancer sucks. Best of luck to your friend.
My mother and a couple cousins are breast cancer survivors, lost an aunt and an uncle to colon cancer, have an aunt with lung cancer and my B-I-L is fighting cancer right now. That's not even counting the friends and acquantances I know that have or have secumbed to cancer.

SWMBO's son just finished chemo, and started radiation. It's been a struggle, but it sure seems to be working. There are some amazing drugs out there now..we got all the way through his low T-cell counts without a single infection. I had always heard of these treatments, but had never had to witness one until now. This may be the first time I've ever really understood what cancer is.
I can finally say "Good luck" to your friend and mean it.

4cylndrfury wrote: yes, best of luck indeed. My cousin suffered an aneurism at age 9, when a tumor on a vesel in his brain let go. He underwent massive brain surgery, and was cancer free for over a dozen years. Hes now back in the hospital, having just underwent a bone marrow transplant. Hes pale and thin as a rail, with scars and hoses, IVs and sensors all over...and somehow extremely happy...in general, just to be on the warm side of the dirt. I think hes making lemonade, just being alive. Its inspiring! I hope your friend has a similar reaction!

so not to steal this thread, but need your prayers right now, or thoughts of good will if your not down with a deity...

my aforementioned cousin is apparently rejecting his marrow transplant. His body is covered in dry and peeling skin, like a sunburn. His eyes have ulcers that prevent them from closing, and the doctors said that if you were able to see his intestinal tract, it would likely look like a burn victims skin. Its not looking that good right now. Hes young, not quite 30 years old, so his liver, heart, and kidneys are strong and relatively healthy, but his vitals are showing signs of rapid decline, and hes getting weak. Theyve pumped him full of anti-rejection meds, and some other meds to keep his enzymes down while his liver does what it can to try and get things in order - apparently the human livers ability to heal itself rivals an octopuses ability to regenerate a lost limb....meaning livers are hella-good survivors. But his seems to be slowly losing the battle.

Not sure what Im looking for here - I know this is a good group, and I guess Im just looking for your prayers right now. Hes a good kid with a huge heart, who has been fighting since before he could shave. He just needs to get through this period so he can heal, and the docs can figure out whats next.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

Your cousin will be in our prayers.

Oh, that's terrible. Our household certainly stands with you.

Keeping a good thought for your cousin. FWIW - some level of graft vs host disease is actually desired - at least by the transplant docs I know (what your cousin is going through now). Too much GVHD can be bad, too little isn't helpful. The premise is for the graft to take over the host's immune system (since the original immune system didn't recognize the cancer cells in the first place). It's a tough situation while the new cells duke it out with the body.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

That's a tough row to hoe. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and him.

4cylndrfury, so sorry to hear of that. Best wishes for his full recovery.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

Wow, very tough change. We are thinking of your cousin as well.

My thoughts are with all of you, and kudos for helping your friends and family during their fight(s).