Cancer... It's total ass!

TUCKnTRUCK

TUCKnTRUCK

That guy
I know I haven't been very active here recently- new job, twins, life etc has gotten in the way. I figured I've known several people here who don't always use other modes of social media. Last month my wife felt a "lump" just a small little thing. OB pushed it off as a cyst. We weren't happy, so we went to her primary, who wasn't concerned due to her age, but appeased us by ordering a mammogram and ultrasound. Mamo came back clean, nothing noted... So they did the ultrasound and saw a cyst with solid components, and interior blood flow ( turns out that blood flow was a bad sign). BIRADS 4- suspicious, biopsy should be considered.

A few days later we go in for the biopsy, the techs think it's nothing, nothing on the US really concerned them.

2 days after the biopsy my wife gets the call at work- Cancer. Cancer that won't respond to the targeted therapy, and is very aggressive.

Well. - (would be edited by the language filter)


If you care to, or not, we've set up a small blog to keep friends and family In the loop. We've also tied it to a Facebook group of the same name :

www.kickitwithkeenan.com
 
Thanks! We're just glad we decided not to listen to the DR's at first... And thankful for an awesome insurance policy.

The stinger though, my wife would be a good candidate for the trial of carboplatin, which has shown very good results. Unfortunately with a trial you have a 50% chance of getting a sugar pill instead, and that's not really a chance I'm willing to take. This leaves us with the option of buying the drug out of pocket (cigna won't cover it) to the tune of $500 a pill, 4 times a month, for the next 8 months. Gulp.

This is where prior planning prevents poor execution? Take it for what it's worth ( we had been stashing for a down payment on a second house) but, I couldn't imagine how is feel if I'd not set aside, and wouldn't be able to consider this treatment.

The hardest part about this disease for me goes like this : I can't fix it, I can't change it, I can't protect her from it. She looks fine, and I know the treatments will destroy her. Chemo will take her hair, her memory. Give her nerve pain, and put her through menopause. It will make her sick, tired, upset, foggy and distant. The drugs she has to take just to take chemo are horrible. The adriamycin is so toxic the nurses have to wear protective gear to give it. Even with the port they have to manually administer it. If the needle leaks and contacts skin, it will kill it. (No kidding). Huge doses of steroids, lorazepam to combat steroid energy, anti nausea meds 4 times a day, Neulasta to stimulate white blood cell production, Claritin to prevent the Neulasta from causing crippling bone pain...

Makes me sick watching her go through it- and all I can do is stand next to her and hold her hand as she fights this crap.
 
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Best wished to you and your family. Ive been there and it sucks. Its amazing what family and friends can do with positive thinking even when things might look grim.
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
The hardest part about this disease for me goes like this : I can't fix it, I can't change it, I can't protect her from it. She looks fine, and I know the treatments will destroy her. Chemo will take her hair, her memory. Give her nerve pain, and put her through menopause. It will make her sick, tired, upset, foggy and distant. The drugs she has to take just to take chemo are horrible. The adriamycin is so toxic the nurses have to wear protective gear to give it. Even with the port they have to manually administer it. If the needle leaks and contacts skin, it will kill it. (No kidding). Huge doses of steroids, lorazepam to combat steroid energy, anti nausea meds 4 times a day, Neulasta to stimulate white blood cell production, Claritin to prevent the Neulasta from causing crippling bone pain...

Makes me sick watching her go through it- and all I can do is stand next to her and hold her hand as she fights this crap.
Click to expand...

I know what your dealing with, tomorrow is chemo treatment number 2 for my mom.
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
The adriamycin is so toxic the nurses have to wear protective gear to give it. Even with the port they have to manually administer it. If the needle leaks and contacts skin, it will kill it. (No kidding). Huge doses of steroids, lorazepam to combat steroid energy, anti nausea meds 4 times a day, Neulasta to stimulate white blood cell production, Claritin to prevent the Neulasta from causing crippling bone pain...
Click to expand...

My chemo was very similar. I remember reading all the side effects and being overwhelmed. The experience was horrible but I think it was harder for my wife. Taking care of me and the kids at the same time took a huge toll on her.

I can't tell you something you probably haven't heard a doctor say already but I will mention a positive attitude does amazing things. There will be times when it's hard to maintain it but it needs to be there.

Life has ways of testing us and this is a huge one. I wish all the best.
 
Glad you have for yourselves a strong advocate. Second time today I heard about someone being a strong self advocate, and being RIGHT.
 
ChiefPilotISA said:
My chemo was very similar. I remember reading all the side effects and being overwhelmed. The experience was horrible but I think it was harder for my wife. Taking care of me and the kids at the same time took a huge toll on her.

I can't tell you something you probably haven't heard a doctor say already but I will mention a positive attitude does amazing things. There will be times when it's hard to maintain it but it needs to be there.

Life has ways of testing us and this is a huge one. I wish all the best.
Click to expand...

She actually did relatively well after her first cycle, took about 5 days to recover. She's on a dose dense regime, which means she gets round two in a week(just long enough to let her blood counts recover) so they say it's somewhat cumulative.

Each day is a day closer to being done though!
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
I know I haven't been very active here recently- new job, twins, life etc has gotten in the way. I figured I've known several people here who don't always use other modes of social media. Last month my wife felt a "lump" just a small little thing. OB pushed it off as a cyst. We weren't happy, so we went to her primary, who wasn't concerned due to her age, but appeased us by ordering a mammogram and ultrasound. Mamo came back clean, nothing noted... So they did the ultrasound and saw a cyst with solid components, and interior blood flow ( turns out that blood flow was a bad sign). BIRADS 4- suspicious, biopsy should be considered.

A few days later we go in for the biopsy, the techs think it's nothing, nothing on the US really concerned them.

2 days after the biopsy my wife gets the call at work- Cancer. Cancer that won't respond to the targeted therapy, and is very aggressive.

Well. - (would be edited by the language filter)


If you care to, or not, we've set up a small blog to keep friends and family In the loop. We've also tied it to a Facebook group of the same name :

www.kickitwithkeenan.com
Click to expand...




Sorry to hear about the situation.

My brother's wife just lost her 3-4 year battle with ovarian cancer. Sucks to watch that happen.

The American medical industry may not be your best hope. My brother was told, a little too late, about a Doctor in Tijuana of all places that has a radical approach to treating cancer that has proven to be quite effective.

Not far from there, in San Diego, is another option. A holistic one with the Optimum Health Institute.

If you're interested in the Tijuana option PM me and I can try to get you in touch with a retired Delta pilot who saved his wife by going there.


Typhoonpilot
 
typhoonpilot said:
Sorry to hear about the situation.

My brother's wife just lost her 3-4 year battle with ovarian cancer. Sucks to watch that happen.

The American medical industry may not be your best hope. My brother was told, a little too late, about a Doctor in Tijuana of all places that has a radical approach to treating cancer that has proven to be quite effective.

Not far from there, in San Diego, is another option. A holistic one with the Optimum Health Institute.

If you're interested in the Tijuana option PM me and I can try to get you in touch with a retired Delta pilot who saved his wife by going there.


Typhoonpilot
Click to expand...
Thanks!

We did actually look at that retreat- one of our good friends is a naturopath !
 
So sorry to hear about this. I can't imagine what I would feel should my wife ever have to go through this. Thoughts are with you guys. :(

Please keep doing what you're doing, and stick with treatments backed by evidence. It's disgusting in desperate times like this, the number of charlatans out there that will give you false hope and perhaps worse, lead you away from treatments that actually can work.
 
Well, take this and fight it head on. Five years ago, I did (different type) and have been in remission since. I believe it was harder on my wife than me. My attitude was F*** Cancer; I'll kill it first. There was a several week period though when I did get pretty depressed. That part sucked.

Good luck. Fight hard. Win.
 
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