Cancer absolutely sucks

[Vansmack]

Sorry to hear CC. Its amazing how many people in our lives that are affected by this horrible disease. Both of my dads parents lost their lives from cancer. My mom and her mom also have had 2 bouts with the disease, but thankfully they have both recovered.

[DuffMan]

Cancer sucks.

[CaptainCrunch]

I had a conversation with my folks, my Aunt who lives in Lethbridge has an appointment with her doctor and an oncologist (sp?) there on Tuesday, I convinced my parents to tell her to get a referral to Calgary mainly because of the terrible work that was done with my last aunt in Lethbridge and the continual misdiagnoses of her throat cancer (Oh you have a cold, sorry, I think you have a throat infection, oh terribly sorry I think you have asthma, hey thats weird that your lung collapsed and your full of tumors who would have known, hmmm sorry we totally missed that, your going to die).

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

I am positive that some day in my lifetime we will find a cure.

I hope you're right but I think the best thing we can do is eat plenty of fruits and veggies. 8-10 servings a day are recommended.

This very minute everyone of us has cancer causing free radicals roaming around our bodies, fruits and veggies supply our bodies with the antioxidants that keep these free radicals in check. Your Mother was right when she told you to eat your veggies.

My poor dad who has inoperable cancer, has lost two wives to cancer and his 3rd wife was diagnosed with cancer last year.

[OILFAN #81]

So sorry to hear Captain. My thoughts go to you and your family during this difficult time.

If you ever need to talk, feel free to PM me. I unfortunately know exactly what you are going through. 2 January's ago, I lost my father to small cell lung cancer. He was 59 at diagnosis and just had his 60th birthday less then 2 months before he passed away. My father was a non smoker, never drank alcohol the last 3 years of his life (and even before that was a social drinker where he would have maybe 1-2 beers in a month). He was my role model and someone who worked so hard in his life and did everything for his family. I owe a lot of what I have today because of him. I like you watched his final moments in the hospice (I would be there 24/7 the 1 month he was in hospice along with the rest of my family). I miss him dearly and think about him everyday but I think about all the positive moments that we shared together rather then his final moments.

There are a lot of good people on this board (some of who I never even met) that were very kind to me during that difficult time. I will never forget it and the support, messages, cards, gifts etc were incredible and touching. I urge you to (if you need it) to turn to some of them. They can make a difficult time better with their support and it really helps. I for one will be here for you if you need to chat my friend.

Thoughts are with your family at this time. God bless.

[Sr. Mints]

Yep, cancer sucks.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by 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.)

I'm really sorry to hear that. My father is going through the same thing, except he's at stage 3.

[Ace]

Sorry to hear everyones stories, Cancer affects everyone it seems, We all know someone that has been affected by it.

I hope that this isn't too off topic, but is all Cancer basically the same? What i'm really asking is if they find a cure for any type of Cancer does that automatically mean they can/will fix ALL cancer. Or is Cancer just a word to describe a bunch of "similar" diseases.

[prarieboy]

Sorry to hear of your loss Captain. It's never easy watching a loved one die from Cancer.
I lost both my parents to Cancer. It was very hard.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I had a conversation with my folks, my Aunt who lives in Lethbridge has an appointment with her doctor and an oncologist (sp?) there on Tuesday, I convinced my parents to tell her to get a referral to Calgary mainly because of the terrible work that was done with my last aunt in Lethbridge and the continual misdiagnoses of her throat cancer (Oh you have a cold, sorry, I think you have a throat infection, oh terribly sorry I think you have asthma, hey thats weird that your lung collapsed and your full of tumors who would have known, hmmm sorry we totally missed that, your going to die).

Pretty much the exact same thing happened to my grandmother in Medicine Hat. She was is a fairly minor car accident and had bruising across her abdomen from the seat belt. The pain progressively worsened and her belly started to grow (although she lost weight at the same time). The "Doctor" in the Hat said it was an infection, put her on antibiotics, and sent her home. A month later, which the growth now grapefruit sized, they said it was a blood clot and tried to drain it for 4 days - no blood ever came out.

As my grandmother slowly lost consciousness, they finally gave up and sent her to Calgary. The Doctor at Lougheed diagnosed a cancerous tumor after about 7 hours. By that time, unfortunately, it was too late to operate as her body was shutting down. She died about 3 days later.

Really sorry for your loss CC. Keep you head up, man.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by 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.)

I agree with this as well. My dad died of liver cancer 3 years ago. The worst part is, had the doctor paid any attention at all, my dad might have had a chance to live. My dad had gallstones a few years prior. After he got them removed, the doctors did a scan, and noticed a small blemish on my dad's liver. They apparently assumed it was a problem with the imaging. It was barely visible to the naked eye. Nonetheless, we asked multiple times if they were sure there was nothing wrong, and they said not to worry.

Anyway they were dead wrong (literally). It was liver cancer. By the time they realized what it was, it was pretty much too late. It progressed so fast. 6 months after the official diagnosis, he was gone. He was 67 when he died.

---------------
On a similar note, we've had other problems with hospitals as well. My grandma went blind in one eye because during her cataract surgery, the nurse put the wrong drop in her eye. So instead of dilating the eye it permanently blinded her. This was in California btw, where my grandma lived. We had talked about a law suit, but my grandma didn't speak english, and didn't feel she could do anything. She actually got to a point where she would just pretend not to be blind in that eye just so that we would forget about it. These days, it's hard for me to trust medical staff.

Edit: I do have to say this though, the staff at the hospice where my dad spent his final days were exemplary. I don't know how they can do the work they do, but they do forever have my gratitude.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thanks to everyone for thier messages of encouragement.

[BigBrodieFan]

So sorry to read of your loss and of the situation at hand. I hope that you and your loved ones can find peace and comfort during what's surely to be a difficult time.

[You Need a Thneed]

Praying for you.

I certainly know how you feel.

[troutman]

Condolences. It seems to touch everyone in one way or another.

I don't think Captain is saying "don't believe your doctor". I think he is suggesting getting second opinions, which I think is great advice.

[Save Us Sutter]

Sorry to hear CC. Thoughts are with you and your family. Cancer indeed sucks...

My Dad went to the hospital this past NYE (his 59th birthday) because he had been constipated for a few days and he was starting to swell up. A few hours later he was diagnosed with liver cancer that had already spread to his stomach and lymph nodes. He's only got a couple weeks left.

This is certainly the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. A month ago it was Christmas Eve and I was visiting with him and my step-mom and just so happy to be home with my family. Now I've spent the past 3 weeks helping him eat and cleaning him, and knowing it's only going to get worse from here on out.

It's truly amazing how quickly these things can happen. I can tell you one thing, I'll never take anyone in my life for granted again, that is for sure. In the blink of an eye, I went from having 20ish years left with my Dad, to 20ish days.

Anyway, thanks for this thread... it's always nice to know there are other people out there who have gone through what we are now. Even if it sucks that anyone has to experience it in the first place.

My inbox is open if you ever want to swap some stupid doctor stories

-Jesse

[ernie]

My Dad (63 years old) passed away from prostate cancer two years ago last week. It had spread to his bones before it was diagnosed and did not respond to treatment. It was tough to watch. In June he visited us and was doing yardwork and helping out around the house for 8-12 hours a day. By August he was having some trouble getting in and out of the car. By October he couldn't walk without a walker and needed a lift chair. By Christmas he needed support of two people along with the walker. He passed away 3 weeks later in the hospital. It was sad but I'm thankful that in the end he didn't suffer for an extended period of time. I have relatives on my wifes side who had their mother just suffer with breast cancer for 2 years (the only response they had from here over those two years was one of immense pain. She was essentially in a morphine coma and would scream in pain when the morphine began to wear off).

It's a crappy disease to say the least. I wish the best for anyone trying to deal with it. It isn't easy.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

For what it is worth, I don't think most doctors are stupid doctors. For the most part they are hard working professionals and there are always going to be people who fall through the cracks. It is unfortunate but it is true. However a much worse problem is people who start to feel as though there may be something wrong, but for one reason or another (a lot of pride or if they are scared) they don't see the doctor or don't get a regular checkup (I was in the same boat).

[pope04]

Sorry, Cap'n. I lost my dad to cancer.

[killer_carlson]

tough news. Enjoy the time that's left to share.