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Re: I knew I was lucky with mine. Surgery and a few weeks' worth of
Did I miss something (I frequently do)? I didn't know you were a survivor too! Congratulations!!! I'll bet your doctor was pleased with you! Me, I'm the kind of health-care consumer we get warned about! Unless the signals of incompetence are really obvious, I go along with "Whatever doctor says..." To an extent , that's a result of my concern with my wife's MS-caused paralysis - she needs a constant care and attention that, until now, eclipsed my own needs. But that's not the whole story. There's some kind of editor in the back of my mind that makes quirky choices about what I'm going to remember and understand. Things having to do with my health, finance, my house's electrical and plumbing problems - for about a day after I learn about them, I'll understand them and even be able to explain them to others, but then they slip rapidly away, no matter how hard I try to prevent it. There ought to be a pill.
posted by
2902
on February 13, 2010 at 6:51 AM
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And what Kabu said. Keep 'em coming.
posted by
Pat_B
on February 13, 2010 at 5:29 AM
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I knew I was lucky with mine. Surgery and a few weeks' worth of
radiation. No chemo. Some of the others waiting for their treatments were clearly so much sicker, their prognosis was so much worse, I couldn't help thinking I'd dodged a bullet. And to top it off, I'd sent a query and an editor wanted to read my book!
My oncologist was a soldier at war. It delighted him that I did research, asked questions, and he talked eagerly about the newest studies, the potential. So many medics seem too harried and rushed to get into this kind of conversation with a patient. I felt cherished.
posted by
Pat_B
on February 13, 2010 at 5:28 AM
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something horrible
It's one redeeming note, of course, is that it beats the alternative. May I ask about your dad?
posted by
2902
on February 13, 2010 at 12:16 AM
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2902 - It really is something horrible to go through. My dad is testament to that too.
posted by
shobana
on February 12, 2010 at 8:57 PM
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Re: Chemo
It's pretty much the kind of thought that kept me going back for the 4-hour infusion sessions every two Mondays,
posted by
2902
on February 12, 2010 at 8:45 PM
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wow, I bet you never really understood that until you underwent it. I know of that feeling, watching my MIL and other's go through this procedure. It literally took my breath away seeing some change within a week from the doses - My heart is touched by your posts here and you've got such a great attitude. Elyse
posted by
elysianfields
on February 12, 2010 at 8:13 PM
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Re: painful
Trust me, it was gallows humor like this that kept me going, believing. I found mental "imaging" a great comfort, picturing an ugly gray lump in my middle getting gradually eroded by a flood of blue and white "scrubbling bubbles", followed by a cleansing flood of clear, fast, sparkling water. The only food I enjoyed was Chinese egg-drop soup and my own recipe for pea soup - the usual simple recipe "fortified" by added celery, pork chops and Italian sausage all done together in the blender. My German, Italian, and Dutch grandmothers would, I'm assure, have approved.
posted by
2902
on February 12, 2010 at 6:47 PM
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Painful indeed! sam
posted by
sam444
on February 12, 2010 at 5:55 PM
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Oh don't stop they are priceless
posted by
Kabu
on February 12, 2010 at 5:06 PM
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Re: Chemotherapy
PPS - re Yankees, Toy Story, jazz, leftovers, and cooking - amen! I'm doing salmon shmeared with mayonnaise over shaved cucumbers (that's all!} for tomorrow. Tonight I'm just making mac and cheese and fishsticks and as much of a salad as I can get out of one elderly red pepper and half a cucumber.
posted by
2902
on February 12, 2010 at 4:30 PM
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Re: Chemotherapy
I have one more waiting to go up. If your friends have any questions that I might be able to help with, ask away! I mean it! (There was an article in our local paper today about a new VACCINE they're working with that actually goes after pancreatic tumors that are inoperable!)
posted by
2902
on February 12, 2010 at 4:23 PM
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Chemotherapy
I'll miss the informative poems, though. I have several friends who are battling one form of cancer or another. Thank you for sharing.
posted by
LuciW86
on February 12, 2010 at 3:36 PM
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