Cancer absolutely sucks

[CaptainCrunch]

So a little over a year ago I lost my aunt who was my god mother to throat cancer. I watched as this former energetic, funny, smart woman who had never smoked, drank very little and lived a generally healthy life style literally eaten to death by a disease that was misdiagnosed as a throat infection. The woman that I remembered laughing when I came home from the bar at 3 in the morning and clumsily messed up her kitchen when I made the worst ham sandwich ever. I watched in the end in the hospice as this woman was knocked out by powerful pain killers who was never lucid in her last day withered and died.

I had another aunt who had cancer 35 years ago, she put up the brave fight, basically had her insides burned away by radiation, who had to have a hysterectomy because it was rotted away by that cancer and the radiation. Another very kind, very bright woman who always took in her nephew (me) for long periods of time over the summers and treated me like her own kid. Who let me drive a tractor and a ATV, and trucks even though it wasn't wise to do it.

today I got the phone call, that after 35 years the cancer came back. she had felt a little tired and a little sick, nothing unusual for someone that was moving towards her 70th year, who had worked on a farm all her life.

Suddenly her lifespan is measured in weeks instead of years, suddenly her time with her family and her grandkids is going to be cut short before her grandkids graduate from elementary school.

Today she got the grim news that treatment isn't going to work, that its now about making sure that she doesn't suffer in the end, and we all know that this means the powerful narcotics that robbed my previous aunt of her dignity and her ability to carry on a conversation or read a book, or laugh at a conversation.

This is a disease that shows no mercy, that eats not only your body, but your dignity and your very being.

So if someone that you love feels a little sore, or tired, or sick to her or his stomach. If they start losing a little bit of weight without changing their eating habits or exercising, please for god sakes throw them into a car and get them to a doctor, and don't believe your doctor if what he or she says doesn't feel right then ask for a referral for a second opinion. This disease moves quickly one day your ok and you have your feature to look forward to, and the next is not something that you want to contemplate.

Cancer can be beaten if you get at it early, the difference between what my aunt went through 35 years ago and what they do now is vastly different and far more effective, but only if you give it a chance to work.

[Delthefunky]

Sorry for the sad news and your absolutely right. In the last 2 years my mom has lost 2 sisters, and her dad died of cancer when she was 2. My sister in law's mother has terminal cancer as well. Sometimes it just feels like everyone has it.

[DFO]

Hope she gets to spend some quality time with the family and doesn't suffer too much.

My dad got hit with a brain tumor in July and just passed a few weeks ago. Wish there had been more time.

[JiriHrdina]

Sorry to hear

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

It is a shame that something as ville as cancer exists, there really isn't much that can be said but try and focus on the good 70 years rather than what is undoubtedly going to be an emotional next few weeks.

Also there are fates that are worse than death in my opinion and sometimes when you see people who are near your aunts age who are going through cancer treatments, with the weakened immune system due to age as well as the fact that chemotherapy and radiation are tough, even on the strong. Sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease, which is a handful in itself.

[Raekwon]

A few months ago my wife lost her mother to Cancer and we were there for her final week so I can completely relate to the over medication that occours in those weeks. Its really sad and something I will never forget

[To Be Quite Honest]

Sorry to hear about your families loss and recurring difficulties CC. In times like this I always use my humor to get me through. >One arm man hug<

[Street Pharmacist]

So terribly sorry to hear this. I have lost 4 family members (two uncles and two aunts) to cancer. I have to say as a pharmacist we are trained and taught to empathize not sympathize. When I've lost patients I've been unable to always do this. I literally cried many times watching patients who I've gotten to know very well over the years deal with this. The most sad story is about a fellow who lived three doors down from me. I met him when he came in to get his vaccinations for a wedding of a friend in Mexico. He and his fiance were excited to go and planning to do the same thing the next year. I phoned him about six months later to remind him that he needed his booster shot, and he told me he had just found out that the liver cancer he had beat three years previous had returned and had metastasized and there was nothing left to do. He suffered terribly for 3 months and his fiance will never be the same. He was only 23.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Raekwon

A few months ago my wife lost her mother to Cancer and we were there for her final week so I can completely relate to the over medication that occours in those weeks. Its really sad and something I will never forget

It is always the hardest decision for the caregivers to decide at what point in the spectrum to be with regards to pain and narcotic side effects. I think I speak for every healthcare provider who deals with this when I say I really wish we had something better than narcotics for pain.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

It is always the hardest decision for the caregivers to decide at what point in the spectrum to be with regards to pain and narcotic side effects. I think I speak for every healthcare provider who deals with this when I say I really wish we had something better than narcotics for pain.

I am sure that there are cases in which people are over-medicated but having talked to the doctors and moreso the nurses in a hospice type environment, they care about the patients and they don't want to see them suffer anymore than the families do. It really isn't a good spot to be in because the person in their dying days isn't really the same person who the family has grown to love but they are just a shell of themselves because of the narcotics they are given, but at the same time, I would much rather be comfortable in my last moments on this earth rather than in pain. I am sure you have more knowledge on the matter than my basic pharmacology course though.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Today she got the grim news that treatment isn't going to work, that its now about making sure that she doesn't suffer in the end, and we all know that this means the powerful narcotics that robbed my previous aunt of her dignity and her ability to carry on a conversation or read a book, or laugh at a conversation.

Sorry to hear the news Greg. But don't think that morphine, or whatever stuff they give her is a bad thing either. My favorite uncle got beat down by colo-rectal cancer, and was doped up beyond the stars in his final days. The stuff he was saying and doing was pretty weird, and spooky. His family opted to bring him out of it so they could communicate with him better in his last days, and it was a terrible mistake. He was suffering so bad, and in so much pain that the incoherent, crazy talk guy, was a far better option, and he was immediately put back on his cocktail of happy drugs where he continued to talk about alien conspiracies, and black hole physics... which was really weird, since he had zero interest in that stuff his entire life.

My condolences.

[Roast Beef]

"Cancer absolutely sucks"

You got that right.

"don't believe your doctor"

You got that right.

Warning to everyone. My father had colon cancer 3 years ago. He had a bowel resection and then they claimed he was just fine. Nothing else needed to be done....it was all good.....We all honestly thought everything was all good. It was good. We thought he dodged a bullet.

Yeah right.

He now has stage 4 (terminal) metastatic cancer in his liver and lungs . The doctors who diagnosed this could not understand why he did not have pre-emptive chemotherapy after his bowel resection. Their theory is that if he had further treatment he would not be in the position he is in now. I don't know how this is going to turn out. (that's a lie...I know how this is going to end.)

[Phanuthier]

Sorry to hear

Every year, I make it a rule to pick 1 charity cause to donate 10% of my income to. In the past, I've tried to look for and identify charities that have as little to no relation or benefit to me (i.e. not donate to a theater I attend) so my focus in years past has been to pick 3rd world countries. My 2010 contribution was going to go towards World Vision, but my aunt was diagnosed with cancer so I broke my charity rule and made my 10% of income donation to the cancer society, and got a 100% company match. I was 2 days late from having my bank donate 200% of my contribution up to a limit of $5000 (which I would have been able to max out), unfortunately.

Depending how 2011 goes, it might be the cancer society again, otherwise its going to World Vision.

[TylerSVT]

Cancer is one of the scariest things in the world. I pray that no one i ever know develops it. It takes far too many lives.

Arnt some types of cancers genetic? or people are often predisposed to it?

[Roast Beef]

Originally Posted by TylerSVT

Cancer is one of the scariest things in the world.

Yep. (I'm speaking personally of course. People who are affected by other medical conditions might disagree.)

I pray that no one i ever know develops it.

I hope so too. Unfortunately the odds are against you.

It takes far too many lives.

####ing right. Too ####ing right.

Arnt some types of cancers genetic? or people are often predisposed to it?

Yes and yes.

[longsuffering]

Sorry to hear Captain

[HOZ]

Sorry for your loss Captain.

[LChoy]

Sorry to hear, hang in there CC

[jolinar of malkshor]

Sad news Captain, sorry to hear. I always thought that if humanity just redirected their strength and resources at fighting cancer instead of waste, wars and greed this disease would have been cured by now.

I am positive that some day in my lifetime we will find a cure. My thoughts are with you.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So if someone that you love feels a little sore, or tired, or sick to her or his stomach. If they start losing a little bit of weight without changing their eating habits or exercising, please for god sakes throw them into a car and get them to a doctor, and don't believe your doctor if what he or she says doesn't feel right then ask for a referral for a second opinion. This disease moves quickly one day your ok and you have your feature to look forward to, and the next is not something that you want to contemplate.
.

That is very good advice. It's free to see a doctor so make the time.

When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, the first thing the doctor asked him was why he waited so long when he knew something wasn't right. The same thing with my wife's uncle. He was always sick with a sore throat or fatigue but always blamed it on his job. He was dead within weeks of finding out he had cancer because he waited so long. My sister just had an operation to remove ovary cancer as well, and she waited a year to get it looked at.