cardshark
07-16-2008, 05:07 PM
I just need some support right now. I just found out that I have cancer for the 4th time. Not related to the other 3. The people that I would usually go to for support are either having their own problems or aren't around. I'm really feeling discouraged and ready to give up.
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Mel52
07-17-2008, 12:33 AM
cardshark, I am sorry you are facing this again. I have not had cancer myself, just a scare once, but I lost my best friend recently to pancreatic cancer. My mom is a breast cancer and melanoma cancer survivor.
You do sound like you are strong to have beaten cancer 3 times. I bet you can do it again. You are never alone. THere are many of us out here who care. Your friends I am sure do too. I think what is hard is to know what is the right thing to say. I know I am kind of speechless myself. I can't imagine what it is like to be in your situation.
You do sound like you are strong to have beaten cancer 3 times. I bet you can do it again. You are never alone. THere are many of us out here who care. Your friends I am sure do too. I think what is hard is to know what is the right thing to say. I know I am kind of speechless myself. I can't imagine what it is like to be in your situation.
SamQKitty
07-18-2008, 05:06 PM
Hi Cardshark...
Wow, four different types of cancer? You have me beat...I've only had two. So far, full recovery, as I guess you've had from the first three? What types have you had, and what type do you have now? I had CUP (Cancer of Unknown Primary) and bladder CA.
Boy, sometimes life just doesn't seem fair, does it? I've had renal stenosis, an MI, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and two separate kinds of cancer. Someone once said to me that God doesn't give us more than He thinks we can handle...my response: "Then I wish He didn't think so damned highly of me!"
It is really hard going through something like this without support...I did it twice. Family just couldn't be available when I was going through chemo, and when I had the bladder cancer removed, my best friend's mother was seriously ill, so I didn't tell her until after the fact. Lousy place to be...without support.
What I did, though, was finally find a support group through the Wellness Center. They have them all over the country. It helped somewhat, although not as much as having someone close to me involved.
The other place I found support...way more than I expected...was the internet. First I found Healthboards, and then I found groups very specific to my type of cancer and got lots of support and great information. If you do a search for your particular type of cancer, you can probably find some specific support groups for it. And, of course, here at Healthboards, there is often really great support, too!
I'd be happy to give you as much support as I can through this board. If you feel like it, do post back and give some more information.
And do have hope...life has many speed bumps, but you've gotten through the past three and will, presumably, get through this one as well.
God bless,
Ruth
Wow, four different types of cancer? You have me beat...I've only had two. So far, full recovery, as I guess you've had from the first three? What types have you had, and what type do you have now? I had CUP (Cancer of Unknown Primary) and bladder CA.
Boy, sometimes life just doesn't seem fair, does it? I've had renal stenosis, an MI, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and two separate kinds of cancer. Someone once said to me that God doesn't give us more than He thinks we can handle...my response: "Then I wish He didn't think so damned highly of me!"
It is really hard going through something like this without support...I did it twice. Family just couldn't be available when I was going through chemo, and when I had the bladder cancer removed, my best friend's mother was seriously ill, so I didn't tell her until after the fact. Lousy place to be...without support.
What I did, though, was finally find a support group through the Wellness Center. They have them all over the country. It helped somewhat, although not as much as having someone close to me involved.
The other place I found support...way more than I expected...was the internet. First I found Healthboards, and then I found groups very specific to my type of cancer and got lots of support and great information. If you do a search for your particular type of cancer, you can probably find some specific support groups for it. And, of course, here at Healthboards, there is often really great support, too!
I'd be happy to give you as much support as I can through this board. If you feel like it, do post back and give some more information.
And do have hope...life has many speed bumps, but you've gotten through the past three and will, presumably, get through this one as well.
God bless,
Ruth
cardshark
07-19-2008, 03:02 PM
That's funny! I've also been told and read that God never gives us more than we can handle and my response is always that God must think I'm really strong and most the rest of my family are wimps :D because they rarely even get the common cold let alone anything serious.
I had Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) in 1987. I had a mass in my leg from mid tibia up through the knee and a much larger one in my chest that caught the edge of my heart. I did 18 months of high dose chemo and radiation. I was in remission for 9 months and got Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 1989 and did about 3 years of high dose chemo. Around 1998 I started suffering the long term effects of the treatments. My hormones went crazy, I started having to wear a brace on my knee, scoliosis, epilepsy, allergies, headaches, benign tumor in my thyroid, etc. In 2004 I was in a car accident and started having severe abdominal pain which lead to the finding of a tumor in my left kidney (renal cell carcinoma). Thanks to the hands of God and the car accident it was found early and I just had to have my kidney and adrenal gland removed. Which brings us to 2008 in which I have Papillary Carcinoma (thyroid cancer). I went to my long term follow up appointment with my oncologist and he felt the masses and said I needed to have the rest of my thyroid taken out. I had a consult with the surgeon July 3 and was told they were scheduling into mid August so that would be the soonest I would be able to have surgery. They called my on Mon. the 7th and I had surgery the 9th. Was told everything looked good. I called the 14th to rescedule my post op appointment and found out the biopsy results. My post op appointment isn't until August 8th because the surgeon is out of town right now so I don't know any details other than it is papillary carcinoma.
I said that I've decided that the left side of my body just hates me because everything seems to be my left side (NHL-left leg and left side of chest, Renal cell carsinoma-left kidney and adrenal gland, & now Papillary carcinoma-left lobe of thyroid).
I had Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) in 1987. I had a mass in my leg from mid tibia up through the knee and a much larger one in my chest that caught the edge of my heart. I did 18 months of high dose chemo and radiation. I was in remission for 9 months and got Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 1989 and did about 3 years of high dose chemo. Around 1998 I started suffering the long term effects of the treatments. My hormones went crazy, I started having to wear a brace on my knee, scoliosis, epilepsy, allergies, headaches, benign tumor in my thyroid, etc. In 2004 I was in a car accident and started having severe abdominal pain which lead to the finding of a tumor in my left kidney (renal cell carcinoma). Thanks to the hands of God and the car accident it was found early and I just had to have my kidney and adrenal gland removed. Which brings us to 2008 in which I have Papillary Carcinoma (thyroid cancer). I went to my long term follow up appointment with my oncologist and he felt the masses and said I needed to have the rest of my thyroid taken out. I had a consult with the surgeon July 3 and was told they were scheduling into mid August so that would be the soonest I would be able to have surgery. They called my on Mon. the 7th and I had surgery the 9th. Was told everything looked good. I called the 14th to rescedule my post op appointment and found out the biopsy results. My post op appointment isn't until August 8th because the surgeon is out of town right now so I don't know any details other than it is papillary carcinoma.
I said that I've decided that the left side of my body just hates me because everything seems to be my left side (NHL-left leg and left side of chest, Renal cell carsinoma-left kidney and adrenal gland, & now Papillary carcinoma-left lobe of thyroid).
Christine73
07-19-2008, 04:04 PM
Good grief, I'm so sorry for you, and I thought I had problems :(
I really don't have any comforting words to say, except that there are a lot of great people on these boards, let them help you. You have beaten it 3 times, you can beat it once more!
I really don't have any comforting words to say, except that there are a lot of great people on these boards, let them help you. You have beaten it 3 times, you can beat it once more!
SamQKitty
07-21-2008, 09:51 PM
Hey there Cardshark,
I am so sorry that you're having to go through yet another scary episode. The only good thing about it is that papillary cancer is, I believe, highly curable, too.
The down side is that with all the tests, radiation, and chemotherapy we have both had, we're going to be highly prone to developing yet more cancer in the future. On the other hand, at least we have a future! Not that many years ago, we both would have been dead many times over by now.
Of course, when you're going through all of this, it's truly hard to see any upside at all, but I believe it's important to try to concentrate on the positive. It's not that I fully believe that it helps your immune system (although I think it probably does), but if you're wading through a lemon orchard, thinking about making lemonade can just help you get through all the darn lemon trees to the other side of the orchard. I have met some people who are so terribly negative, and they have a much worse time dealing with treatment.
Please keep posting and let me know what's going on with you, and what, if any, further treatment you'll be having. I'll be thinking of you and sending up some prayers on your behalf.
Ruth
I am so sorry that you're having to go through yet another scary episode. The only good thing about it is that papillary cancer is, I believe, highly curable, too.
The down side is that with all the tests, radiation, and chemotherapy we have both had, we're going to be highly prone to developing yet more cancer in the future. On the other hand, at least we have a future! Not that many years ago, we both would have been dead many times over by now.
Of course, when you're going through all of this, it's truly hard to see any upside at all, but I believe it's important to try to concentrate on the positive. It's not that I fully believe that it helps your immune system (although I think it probably does), but if you're wading through a lemon orchard, thinking about making lemonade can just help you get through all the darn lemon trees to the other side of the orchard. I have met some people who are so terribly negative, and they have a much worse time dealing with treatment.
Please keep posting and let me know what's going on with you, and what, if any, further treatment you'll be having. I'll be thinking of you and sending up some prayers on your behalf.
Ruth
georgi
07-22-2008, 10:03 AM
Hi guys,
I want to chime in on this one. I have just finished a bunch of test at Mayo and it looks like my cancer that I has 23 years ago [yes 23 years] is back. I knew something was wrong with my body, but ever thought that after all of these years that it could be the cancer. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have lost a lot of weight on this 58 year old frame. I must tell you that I am scared. I know the feelings that you all have. I am set up to see my onclogist this friday and we will set a plan up. I had radiation the first time. The cancer was stage 4 and was on my thymus and lungs. I am guessing that it will be chemo this time. I am more scared of the chemo than anything. I just don't know if I can make it through the treatments. I hear that they are horrid. Death does not bother me, it is the BEFORE that freaks me out. I guess that I will need a good support group here in phoenix. I have not told my mother. She is 90 and just not in the best of health herself. I do have a great husband and great kids. I am glad for these boards and people like you all.
Blessings.
georgi
I want to chime in on this one. I have just finished a bunch of test at Mayo and it looks like my cancer that I has 23 years ago [yes 23 years] is back. I knew something was wrong with my body, but ever thought that after all of these years that it could be the cancer. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have lost a lot of weight on this 58 year old frame. I must tell you that I am scared. I know the feelings that you all have. I am set up to see my onclogist this friday and we will set a plan up. I had radiation the first time. The cancer was stage 4 and was on my thymus and lungs. I am guessing that it will be chemo this time. I am more scared of the chemo than anything. I just don't know if I can make it through the treatments. I hear that they are horrid. Death does not bother me, it is the BEFORE that freaks me out. I guess that I will need a good support group here in phoenix. I have not told my mother. She is 90 and just not in the best of health herself. I do have a great husband and great kids. I am glad for these boards and people like you all.
Blessings.
georgi
SamQKitty
07-22-2008, 01:55 PM
Georgi,
Chemo can be not so bad, awful, or even terrible, but the best thing about it is that it eventually is over.
My first cancer was treated with carboplatin and taxol. My oncologist was very aggressive about making sure I had as few side effects as possible, so before each treatment, I had IV Zofran (an anti-nausea medication) and he sent me home with anti-nausea pills to take for 3 days. Since the IV Zofran prevented nausea from developing immediately, I was able to take the pills and keep them down. I did not even have one queasy moment throughout my treatment.
On the other hand, the taxol caused severe joint and muscle aching, which was probably worse because I, too, have fibromyalgia. I spent about 3 days after every treatment literally bed-ridden in a vicodin haze, which was the only way I could get through it. But...I did get through it! And now here I am, seven years later, with no recurrence of that cancer!
As I said to Cardshark, I truly believe that if we get ourselves all worked up expecting the worse, then we will experience the worst...it may not actually BE the worst, but it'll feel like it. On the other hand, if we can keep thinking positively and keep the end goal in mind, we'll get through it a lot easier.
And there are things we can do as patients to help ourselves. First and foremost is to make sure our doctors treat side effects proactively...no waiting to "see if you get nauseous"...make them give you the anti-nausea treatment right from the beginning. That should include an IV anti-nausea (also called anti-emetic) medication, oral anti-nausea medication, suppositories such as Compazine just in case you can't get the oral medication down, and, if taxol or taxotere is going to be used, a pain medication. Of course there are some chemotherapies that don't cause nausea or pain, but ask questions, make sure you know what you're going to be treated with in time to research it, and ask for all of the above if the chemo that will be used seems to require it. Another thing to think about is constipation...some chemos cause this big time, and you may need Ducolax, Colace, Sennekot tablets, or a combination of those.
And keep this in mind, it might help....if treatment for the first bout of this got you an additional 28 years, treatment now may get you an additional 28 years. I'd say that makes it worth going through just about anything!
Ruth
Chemo can be not so bad, awful, or even terrible, but the best thing about it is that it eventually is over.
My first cancer was treated with carboplatin and taxol. My oncologist was very aggressive about making sure I had as few side effects as possible, so before each treatment, I had IV Zofran (an anti-nausea medication) and he sent me home with anti-nausea pills to take for 3 days. Since the IV Zofran prevented nausea from developing immediately, I was able to take the pills and keep them down. I did not even have one queasy moment throughout my treatment.
On the other hand, the taxol caused severe joint and muscle aching, which was probably worse because I, too, have fibromyalgia. I spent about 3 days after every treatment literally bed-ridden in a vicodin haze, which was the only way I could get through it. But...I did get through it! And now here I am, seven years later, with no recurrence of that cancer!
As I said to Cardshark, I truly believe that if we get ourselves all worked up expecting the worse, then we will experience the worst...it may not actually BE the worst, but it'll feel like it. On the other hand, if we can keep thinking positively and keep the end goal in mind, we'll get through it a lot easier.
And there are things we can do as patients to help ourselves. First and foremost is to make sure our doctors treat side effects proactively...no waiting to "see if you get nauseous"...make them give you the anti-nausea treatment right from the beginning. That should include an IV anti-nausea (also called anti-emetic) medication, oral anti-nausea medication, suppositories such as Compazine just in case you can't get the oral medication down, and, if taxol or taxotere is going to be used, a pain medication. Of course there are some chemotherapies that don't cause nausea or pain, but ask questions, make sure you know what you're going to be treated with in time to research it, and ask for all of the above if the chemo that will be used seems to require it. Another thing to think about is constipation...some chemos cause this big time, and you may need Ducolax, Colace, Sennekot tablets, or a combination of those.
And keep this in mind, it might help....if treatment for the first bout of this got you an additional 28 years, treatment now may get you an additional 28 years. I'd say that makes it worth going through just about anything!
Ruth
cardshark
07-22-2008, 02:22 PM
Ruth
Thanks for the encouragement! I think the worst part about this whole thing is I've had cancer so many times I recognized how I felt and knew I had it again. I tried to tell myself it wasn't true and I was just tired but deep down in I was still fairly sure it was cancer again. I wasn't actually due for a check up with my oncologist for 3 or 4 more months but I called and scheduled one anyway because of how I was feeling and I knew something was wrong. At the time my insurance would pay 95% if I went to my oncologist and only 70% if I went to my GP.
I won't find out the doctors recommendation for any further treatment until my post op August 8th but I do know if he recommends any further treatment it will be a form of radiation known as RA-I or RAI (Radioactive Iodine) but I'm knot doing it even if he recommends it. The long term effects are leukemia, breast cancer, premature ovarian failure, etc. and I'm already extremely high risk for all of these as it is. If God still wants me to be here on earth he is going to have to heal me on his own instead of through earthly treatments. I know where I'm going when I leave this earth and I can't wait to get there. I done fighting to stay here and be miserable and in constant pain. I can't even work a job and have had to go on disability. I'm going to have to move back in with my parents unless I can find an apartment in a decent neighborhood for around $400 which based on what I've found so far is unlikely.
I'm currently waiting on a phone call from the doctor because I don't think my medicaiton dosage is high enough and I'm feeling very weak and worn out and I'm supposed to be doing a relay for life this weekend and being a camp counselor next weekend. I called yesterday and left a message for the nurse and haven't heard back yet. I'm giving them about half an hour longer then I'm calling again.
I've gotta go but I'll update you when I found out anything else.
cardshark
Thanks for the encouragement! I think the worst part about this whole thing is I've had cancer so many times I recognized how I felt and knew I had it again. I tried to tell myself it wasn't true and I was just tired but deep down in I was still fairly sure it was cancer again. I wasn't actually due for a check up with my oncologist for 3 or 4 more months but I called and scheduled one anyway because of how I was feeling and I knew something was wrong. At the time my insurance would pay 95% if I went to my oncologist and only 70% if I went to my GP.
I won't find out the doctors recommendation for any further treatment until my post op August 8th but I do know if he recommends any further treatment it will be a form of radiation known as RA-I or RAI (Radioactive Iodine) but I'm knot doing it even if he recommends it. The long term effects are leukemia, breast cancer, premature ovarian failure, etc. and I'm already extremely high risk for all of these as it is. If God still wants me to be here on earth he is going to have to heal me on his own instead of through earthly treatments. I know where I'm going when I leave this earth and I can't wait to get there. I done fighting to stay here and be miserable and in constant pain. I can't even work a job and have had to go on disability. I'm going to have to move back in with my parents unless I can find an apartment in a decent neighborhood for around $400 which based on what I've found so far is unlikely.
I'm currently waiting on a phone call from the doctor because I don't think my medicaiton dosage is high enough and I'm feeling very weak and worn out and I'm supposed to be doing a relay for life this weekend and being a camp counselor next weekend. I called yesterday and left a message for the nurse and haven't heard back yet. I'm giving them about half an hour longer then I'm calling again.
I've gotta go but I'll update you when I found out anything else.
cardshark
georgi
07-22-2008, 04:55 PM
Ruth,
Thank You for the upbeat note. We all need to hear the positive.
Cardshark, you hang in there!!!! We gotta get through this. Me as well as you!
georgi
Thank You for the upbeat note. We all need to hear the positive.
Cardshark, you hang in there!!!! We gotta get through this. Me as well as you!
georgi