Gee, it's hard to post "Hurray for you!" and "Deepest Condolences" at the same time.

And yet it sums up my feelings.

Sending good vibes your way F4U.


Wheels

oh man, sorry to hear such bad news, prayers coming your way.

Hoping it goes well.

Good luck Dash. My surgery was easy. Your shoulder will be soar for about a day. After that, the fun stuff starts. I wish you the best.

False alarm. Thought I was going to have port installed today, it turned out to be just a consultation about the port. Kinda ridiculous as I already knew everything they told me. The doctor said that patients come in all the time thinking they're going to have their port installed that day because the cancer center had not explained the process clearly. Oh well, scheduled for surgery tomorrow.

You will be in my thoughts Dash and my deepest condolences for your brother.

Lost my younger brother to cancer of the oesophagus in 2006 and my mother to cancer of the colon in 2003, he was 49 and my mother was 75.

I have to have regular check-ups on my oesophagus as I have the same problem as my brother, the difference is that I had mine treated early and so far cancer has not developed. We all urged my brother to go and get his chest pains/heartburn seen to but he rubbished the idea and never went for a check up, mean while I had been on medication for a few years to control the acid production (proton pump inhibitor)and had to watch as he ignored the symptoms, that was hard especially when he finally got the diagnosis and that it was terminal, it had spread to his bone marrow and liver.

The last day I seen him alive was one of the hardest things I have had to do, leave him in hospital while I drove my wife back home to Belgium, I knew I would not see him again. He passed away just as I got on board the aircraft to fly home.

It still scares me that it could develop into cancer if I don't take precautions.

not a doctor or pharmacist but have extensive experience working with the industry

only advice i have is not to rely only on your doc's or pharmacist's medication choices without due diligence

docs and pharms are not bad and i do not believe that "big pharma" is out to get you, but the docs and pharms usually only know about the drugs that they were taught about in med / pharm school or that were pitched to them by a pharma company representative in the last few years. many doctors are reluctant to switch meds or just don't know that there are other meds available (perhaps recently developed, or perhaps just have fallen out of favor for XYZ reason).

this means there may be a lot of other medications out there that better fit you if you're experiencing severe or uncomfortable side effects or adverse reactions to medications. in general there are a lot of medications that provide the same benefits without the debilitating side effects.

get busy on google and search the hell out of your symptoms and your medication combinations if you're having bad side effects. not all SE's can be avoided but some of them can be by a simple switch to a different med.

good luck with your chemo. never had cancer and hope i never experience it but current medical technology is very advanced and i am sure you will have a positive outcome. eat healthy, live healthy and give your body every advantage you can while dealing with this.

Great advice VF9. The only thing with Googling everything, you can scare yourself from time to time. If I have learned one thing, is that you have to control the dialogue with the doctors (mostly the oncologist). Make sure they here you and answer all your questions. I had to learn a lot of that the hard way.

I did 8 months (on and off) of Zeloda pills and Oxiliplatin thru my chemo port. The Oxi was a cruel #%&*$#. It has been 5 months and I still feel like I have chemo brain. I hope your Onc's office had a nurse give you a good idea about what to expect. Again, I wish the best of luck.

I agree with one caveat. They are out to get money. Either from you or preferably your insurance company. However, they are not trying to make you sicker or anything like that.

Think of it this way--if you live longer, the greater the odds that you will need more products from them in the future. The older you are, the more meds you need, the more they make off you. It is counter to their interests to have you die, especially if they get sued for it.

They WILL argue against generics all day long (if one exists) and fight to get exclusive rights so they can charge more for it, but they legitimately want you to live.




The Jedi Master

And avoid the snake oil peddlers. It's easy to think eating hamsters and sticking organic carrots up your bum will cure all. But there's a reason doctors don't prescribe that sh*t.

Affirmative U-ish.

It's pretty much down to how early you catch it IMO. The radiation/chemo tried and true combo is working in a LOT of cases. The #%&*$# is, in my case (Cancer of the larynx) the treatment almost killed me. Couldn't eat....I loved Morphine..

F4 Dude;

But....Here I am man. Alive and grinning. Just kick back, don't read squat on the internet, laugh with your friends and just KICK CANCER'S ASS! Do the regimen (I read EVERY Tom Clancy novel again), and just cruise.

PLEASE talk to me about pain meds. Man, I am seriously a freakin EXPERT on this subject and am in your corner. I can help you ALOT.

Again, #%&*$# Cancer!

Ah, the "port". The wife hated that, but did ease the treatment. Have they talked about Neulasta treatment
with you? It's to help ease the affects of the chemo. If not, ask the docs.

Prayers for your health!

I think the big thing with the port is how much is it going to get used. Once a week for a couple of months is tolerable. When you have a break in the action you have to have it flushed out with Heprin. Mine had actually moved, so the nurses had to "manipulate" it so they could access it. That did suck. Unless you have what they call good veins (which I don't) the port is a big help. I think it will set off any metal detector at the airport. So make sure you have the card they give you if you are going to fly.

Thanks all, I know where to come when I have questions!

While I'm heartened to see so many survivors here, I'm also a bit down that there has been so much of it among just our small forum.




The Jedi Master

Laughter, it has been said, is the best medicine.

So...


We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated

This was me last September at the tail end of the chemo. Check out my little great grand daughter.



This is me now



Listen to Nixer, he knows that of which he speaks.

Max That is one little sweetheart you have there.And one proud great grand daddy.....Went through Chemo back around 1985..I too lost my hair decided I liked it and have been shaving my head ever since also lost most my teeth and well got used to it..Bless you and that baby

One thing I am kicking myself for not doing is keeping a log and not asking more questions about the products used.

In my case, I have a hernia at the site of the removed ileostomy. The mesh, they put in has been replaced two times.

Now there is a class action lawsuit. You may have seen the commercials on TV. But, I don't know the brand of mesh they used.