Do you have the dreaded "C" disease?

[bricat]

I thought I would start a thread on dealing with cancer. It maybe too personal for some as it is a dreaded disease but this may give someone the opportunity to express their feelings and unload on what is a disease effecting so many people today.

It started out for me (my family) some 18 months ago. Our son, 42 years old, developed a painful lump in the groin area. Of course he is an Alpha male who put up with this inconvenience until it was painfully obvious that attention was required. What followed was a whirlwind of tests and results until eventually Non Hodgkin Lymphoma was the result. Next came the treatment after consultation with the top people in the field. And this was in a public hospital. Well the treatment was long, slow and depressing to watch as he suffered through chemo. I have lost count of the months of in and out of hospital as each cycle of treatment was carried out, then the wait for tests and results, followed by further chemo. You watch and wish you could take they're place. (An almost prophetic statement) This last treatment has been the worst effecting him as he had to stay in hospital for nearly 4 weeks of intensive chemo. He is now well enough to go back to work as the boss has been terrific. Now we wait with nervous anticipation for further testing to reveal the results of this later treatment.

During the last 2 months or so I underwent tests which revealed I too had cancer. Multiple Myeloma. So I have had my 4th treatment and coping well.

My greatest concern is for my son, being so young. I am confident in the both treatments even though I have private health cover the public system has been quite good. But there are draw backs in the public system like under-staffing, lack of bed space, lack of privacy, meals that are below standard in my opinion,(I am a chef by trade), a waiting list of some 60 to 80 patients wanting to get a bed, or unable to get a room where the other occupants don't snore all night. These are some of the drawbacks of the public system. The good part is how the staff handle it. They are absolutely fantastic and take everything in their stride. They carry the hospital in my opinion being the front line contacts.

My wife and other members of the family(I have 2 girls and 2 boys total) have also taken it well knowing that we have to let things take their course and hope for the best result.
I have always been confident in myself (perhaps overconfident) so I guess this is going to test that confidence. I am 65 and have had an interesting and varied life and been married to a wonderful lady for 45 years. Regrets I've had a few, but too few to mention.....Sorry could not help myself.

I didn't go into a lot of detail and needless to say I did not make this post for sympathy but just to share a story about life struggles and perhaps a chance for a few others to share.
cheers Brian

PS. I want a photo of myself and David (son) with bald heads. Unfortunately his might grow back before mine does the disappearing act. Oh well........ And the effects of the chemo has got me a bit out of whack so I hope this makes some sense...

[ricktas]

All the very best with your treatment , Brian. So many people are being diagnosed with various forms of cancer these days. I reckon you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not been treated themselves or know of someone who has.

Our public hospitals are good (compared to many parts of the world) and it makes you wonder how amazing they could be with better funding.

[Mark L]

Our public hospitals are good (compared to many parts of the world) and it makes you wonder how amazing they could be with better funding.
I was going to make a point along these lines.
I've had good and not so good experience. The good is with front line staff, the bad is with admin (bureaucrats)
I'm one of those many blokes that just doesn't visit a doctor. 54 and have a couple of concerns, but. Your post has given a little more push to my thinking a visit to a doctor to get a general check up may be worthwhile.
Hope all goes well with your son and you Brian.

[Ionica]

I have had family and friends affected by this, and wish you both the best.

[Mary Anne]

Brian I feel for you and your Son and what you are both going through, its hard being a Parent at times.
I wish you both all the best, and hope that our many Members here will read this and take notice.
All States need more Hospitals and Funding hopefully someone will do something about it sooner rather than later.

[kwaal]

My daughter has a chronic illness that has seen her in and out of hospital regularly so I hear what you say. Having worked in a couple of developing countries though I think we are lucky to be living here although that does not mean we are complacent about further improvement.
Wishing you and your son all the best.

[Greg Johnston]

Thanks for sharing you and your son's journey. Our health is something we take for granted until something like this happens and then a whole new world (good and bad) opens up to us. I pray that you both have complete and speedy recoveries and for your families as they travel this journey with you.

[Julie2]

Hi Fishy

I have had cancer twice .. first time amelanotic melanoma with one month (most likely) to live - 27 years later I think they got that one wrong - phew!! Then diagnosed with MS and then a couple of years after that I was diagnosed with cancer again. Now 5 years on from the end of that treatment; still dealing with side effects. It is part of the reason of why I am interested in photography, because one day when I get ok at it I would like to portray beauty and bleakness because to me that is akin to a cancer diagnosis. We need to never stop seeing the beauty and sometimes after being diagnosed it is hard to do so, but oh so important to not forget. Good luck to you and your son with your treatments. Treatments can be tough so I hope yours is not being too rugged on you.

[bricat]

Hi Julie2 and thanks for sharing. It's good to see that the doctors get it wrong sometimes. And the side effects can be debilitating. Let's hope they get less and less with time. We have a friend who got cancer twice too. Thankfully in remission. I now hear about so many more differing types of cancer I think our doctors/nurses do a great job just to keep up to date. I am constantly reminded of the beauty by nature and seeing young kids growing up. I see you are a beginner in photography so this is the start of a new journey for you. And a very interesting journey it can be. It gives you the opportunity to express how you feel at any given time. Post some photo's and get some CC will help you learn. cheers Brian

PS Both of us doing well thank you.

[HughD]

Hi
The incidence (number of new cases) for cancer is increasing but the 5 year survival has increased significantly in the past 10 years. So your chances of knowing someone has increased, especially as they are more likely to have survived.
https://canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer/what-cancer/cancer-australia-statistics
The good news is that if you contract some types of cancer your chances of surviving are excellent and are likely to live a long life. However, some cancers are still difficult to impossible to treat. Three months ago a close relative of mine died from Pancreatic cancer, difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.
Australia has one of the highest success rates for treatable cancers in the world and have made huge advances in improving the quality of life for sufferers.

[ricktas]

Hi
The incidence (number of new cases) for cancer is increasing but the 5 year survival has increased significantly in the past 10 years. So your chances of knowing someone has increased, especially as they are more likely to have survived.
https://canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer/what-cancer/cancer-australia-statistics
The good news is that if you contract some types of cancer your chances of surviving are excellent and are likely to live a long life. However, some cancers are still difficult to impossible to treat. Three months ago a close relative of mine died from Pancreatic cancer, difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.
Australia has one of the highest success rates for treatable cancers in the world and have made huge advances in improving the quality of life for sufferers.

Agree Hugh, One of my friends was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer last week.

[Hawthy]

Survival rates are greatly improved. Cancer is an ilness, not a sentence. Two good news stories for you.
My wife was diagnosed with cancer in her right breast in 1994 at age 38. She was treated with a lumpectomy and follow-up radiation and chemotherapy. In 1995, she found a lump in her left breast. Disturbingly, it was a different cancer to her first cancer (yes, there are different cancers). Treatment was the same. Lumpectomy followed by radiation and chemo.
Doctors always take a sample of the lymph glands in your armpit during breast surgery to see if the cancer has spread. Her sample showed that the cancer had spread to her lymphatic system. Bad news. Cancers differ in aggressiveness. Unfortunately, Jill's was the most aggressive and they gave her a 10 percent chance of living 12 months. Really bad news.
She underwent total body irradiation and a severe chemotherapy treatment thet left her totally spent. She was offered a trial drug to increase chances of recovery. Half the people would receive a placebo. She didn't know which half she would be in. She spent six weeks in an isolation ward. Before going in she had lines in each arm where her blood went through a centrifuge and separated stem cells. The stem cells were stored and infused into her following her chemo. She had a very tough couple of months but is fit and well now. The people who received the placebos sadly did not do so well.
My neice had a rare nerve cancer. No one had ever survived this cancer type. She was only 8. She is now 25 and is still being studied to see what happened.
So...if you want to take my wife's advice,"Don't listen tothe Bone-Pointers".

[thegrump]

My neighbours all believe my house was built on an ancient burial ground. There 4 members in my family all are ill. My daughter has Crohn's disease, along with 3 other life threatening illnesses. My wife has a problem with her throat muscles and can not swallow, she has lost 40kg in the last 6 months ( doctors are baffled ). But as this post is about Cancer I will stick to that. My son was diagnosed with Cancer a few years back. I will let him explain his experience himself. If you want any inspiration please read his blog. https://shaysemmens.wordpress.com/ (https://shaysemmens.wordpress.com/)



Myself: my doctor was treating me for an enlarge prostate for a few years when, I had to see one of his sidekicks. He immediately sent me for a PSA test which came back at 7, which is off the safety scale. Within a few days I was contacted by the Austin Hospital and told I was to have my prostate out as soon as possible. First I had an operation date of about 2 months, this eventually came down to 2 weeks. My prostate came out. The surgeon informed me that the cancer had escaped from the prostate sack. I then under went Radiotherapy, 4 sessions a week for 12 weeks. This is now 6 years ago and no sign of it coming back, cross my fingers.

On a lighter side I was due for a new full knee replacement a few weeks back. Two days before the surgery, I was at the doctors with my wife when I mentioned to him I had a slight pain in my side. After examining me he called the Ambulance and I found myself back at the Austin. 3 days later I had my Appendix out and was informed, that it was a hell of a mess in there and I would have had Appendicitis for about 2 weeks.

[HughD]

I am sorry to hear that Rick. I offer no advice only understanding.

[bricat]

I feel more for the young ones who are suffering from this. Not that I don't feel empathy for all sufferers just that their young lives are disrupted and perhaps don't get the chance to even just be a kid. But they are a resilient bunch and seem to take it in their stride. It is the young generation whom I believe will be the ones to discover the cures for a lot of our "man made" diseases. And I always believe that there is someone worse off than yourself so move along and make the most of what you have got. And I know what you mean about stem cell treatment Hawthy as my son went through that and apparently my turn will come in a few weeks or so. But hopefully it is the end result that counts and any alternatives are limited at this point in time. I read the blog from the Grumps' son with interest and noted some similar results. I guess everyone is different but the same effects seem to show up.

Most importantly is that people are safe and well and those who have loved ones suffering from any form of sickness I hope they get well soon. cheers Brian

[Circled By Confusion]

1973 my mother let me know she was diagnosed with cancer...
That wonderful woman led a productive life until she gave up the fight in 1992...

Keep in mind medicine has improved since then. Best wishes, CBC.

[acko]

It's a bloody awful thing cancer. Perhaps if just some of the money that countries gladly spend on war was diverted to finding a cure the World would be better off.
My father died from throat cancer, but he was a heavy smoker.
A good mate died from bowel cancer that spread to his liver. He had been bleeding for two years but was too stubborn to go to a doctor.
We only found that out in his last weeks.
My sincere sympathies to anyone inflicted with this C thing.