Beating Cancer

“Pathman that's awesome! Have a wonderful ride.

Bearmagnet, I have a similar problem with novocaine. My dentist keeps telling me that it's impossible for it not to affect me. I generally can get 5 shots and a half hour wait out of him before he insists I'm numb and drills away. I don't think I've ever not felt anything. Having my wisdom teeth out was true torture. Worse than birth or anything else I've ever been through.
You have my complete and total sympathy. I hope you don't need anymore work for many many years.”

“Damn! You need a new dentist! Mine keep injecting me till I feel nothing. Or mostly nothing.

Nothing worse than an insensitive dentist, IMO. I'd frikken cold-cock your dentist from the chair and ask if he/she felt it. LOL!”

“aloe vera juice heals the insides...
can also work as a laxative if you drink too much of it...”

“I wish I had a dentist like that. I asked the dentist to not give me any novocaine for a cavity filling but he insisted on it.”

“Sorry to accelerate the off topic drift, but Bear's post reminds me of the Dentist song from Little Shop of Horrors (sung by Steve Martin in the movie):

When I was younger, just a bad little kid
My mama noticed funny things I did
Like shooting puppies with a B.B. gun
I'd poison guppies and when I was done
I'd find a #&%!$cat and bash in its head
That's when my mama said

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
What did she say?

[ORIN]
She said, "My boy, I think someday
You'll find a way to make your natural tendencies pay

You'll be a dentist
You have a talent for causing things pain
Son, be a dentist
People will pay you to be inhumane
Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less
Son, be a dentist
You'll be a success

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
Here he is, folks the leader of the plaque!
Watch him suck up that gas!
Oh, my god!
He's a dentist and he'll never ever be any good
Who wants their teeth done by the Marquis de Sade?
Oh that hurts!
I'm not numb!

[ORIN]
Oh, shut up. Open wide. here I come!
I am your dentist

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
Goodness gracious!

[ORIN]
And I enjoy the career that I picked
I am your dentist

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
Fitting braces

[ORIN]
And I get off on the pain I inflict
When I start extracting those molars
You girls will be screaming like holy rollers

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
Dentist!

[ORIN]
And though it may cause my patients distress
Somewhere in heaven above me, I know that my mama's proud of me
'Cause I'm a dentist- and a success
Say ah! Now spit.”

“Have you guys seen Steve Martin in "Novocaine". It was thw weirdest film I've ever seen him in.

Okay, back to beating cancer...

I just read that this year's three day walk is going through my neighborhood, six blocks away from my house! I'm hurrying home from Grand Rapids Sunday so I can go and say thank you to about 3,000 people on their last ten miles out of sixty. The weather is going to be wonderful.”

“I use aloe vera juice...not everyday, mind you, but a few times a week...one of my co-workers turned me onto it...I think it's helping my body absorb iron...all the Prilosec and Ranitidine make it tough for me to do that even if I try and stagger when I take what...

Tooth pain sucks...I also have a high tolerance to pain killers...luckily I also have a high tolerance for pain unless its tooth related...I have no tolerance for that...you have my sympathy, BM...”

“Off to the Nike World Headquarters and LIVESTRONG Village. Will add all you survivors to the LIVESTRONG Chain and will be riding for YOU tomorrow. It is supposed to rain, need to find a waterproof camera!”

“Done. The TT survivors that I know of have been added to the LIVESTRONG Chain and will also be on my jersey tomorrow. Trail names only. :-D The 100 mile ride cancelled because of the weather, heavy rain and wind predicted, to dangerous for the 1400ft climb.”

“Pictures and blog are on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/pathmanvann

All the TT survivors are part of the Chain.

Image of the Chain on the LIVESTRONG Wall, big file.

http://www.schaffnerfamily.com/images/LIVESTRONG%20Wall.JPG

3,100 participants, I've heard $1.7 or $1.9 Million raised.

TV story with video
http://www.katu.com/news/10143111.html”

“Nicely done. Thank you.”

“very kewl Pathman.”

“halfway point - completed 3 cycles/6 treatments. Seems like a milestone..........sorta? Maybe I'm feeling kind of "whatever" b/c it's my second round?

Or the steroid is doing the talking again...”

“Bear, I hope the second half goes well for you.”

“Good luck to all.


Pathman, 'friend' request sent, RivermanKevin.”

“got it GGGGS.

Miracle drugs bearmagnet, miracle drugs. Visualize them destroying the evil Reed Sternberg cells.
The big one in the middle. The big "owl's eyes" are the nucleus with two lobes and the "pupil" dark part is the nucleolus. KILL IT! KILL 'EM ALL!

”

“Thanks RichB. Yes Pathman, I've become quite familiar with the "owl eyes". Little near indestructible #&%!$ers. The anti-CD30 or placebo I get takes 2 hours to infuse. I might be pissed if I find out I'm getting a 2hr placebo infusion. ;)

And that first needle stick through the chest to the port is a shocker. I've lost count on needle sticks but that was the first time I lurched. Which, of course, made it worse.

I don't know why I was expecting less pain. LOL!”

“Something new I've discovered

http://www.understandingcancer.tv/default.aspx

Also check out CANCER ASS KICKING JENN

Wednesday, October 10th @ 8:30am live on the Fox News Morning Show, below is their website:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/

Also on Wednesday, October 10th The Tyra Banks Show, you can go to her website and click on "when it's on" at the top of the page and find out the exact time and channel the show airs in your neck of the woods. You can also watch a clip of the show by clicking on the picture of Melissa Etheridge on the right hand side:
http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/”

“What could go wrong? It was my pre-treatment Onco visit today. Twelve days since my last chemo and two days to go for the next. No new scans, neupogen keeping my cell counts up. I thought it would be routine.

So My hands were drying and calloused, red & hot, making a fist or lifting a grocery bag was painful. Opening jars and prescription bottles impossible?

So my feet and toes blistered after a 3mi walk in the city?

So the rashes in my armpits were a crimson color and going deep?

So what if my mouth sores were keeping me from eating most solid foods for the last 6 days and I've lost a bit of weight?

Everyone knows the chemo schedule is the most important. I really thought it wasn't a big deal.

As usual, I was wrong. And nothing is routine.

My symptoms are "Grade 3" (?) and chemo's on hold. Again. Back on more drugs.

Yippee. If I can't drink with these drugs I may have to say #&%!$ It.

I think all I want for xmas is to be done with this.”

“Dang BM, hang in there.”

“I don't know what to say BM. Don't give up hope. You can beat this thing again.”

“=( Can you smoke down at least?”

“crud! Sorry to hear about this new round crap you have to go through.

Please keep moving forward and beat this #&%!$er!”

“"Smoke down"??????

Thanks y'all. Just ranting. Kind of sucks that the chemo seems to be doing more harm than the cancer, ya know? Kind of another kick to the groin when your not expecting any "news". And again, its only a phase II clinical trial. I'm thinking they don't have dose levels settled yet.

Oh well, #&%!$ it, yes?”

“RichB - did you start up with the big "C"? My onco approved me for restart yesterday. Seems the Doxorubicin was the culprit of my woes - attacking everything. They cut it by 25%.”

“I'm starting my first Taxol treatment today. I have a few side effects from last weeks Erbitux infusion mostly in the form of an itching rash, sore tongue and some dry skin in a few spots. I'll get both infused today and I hope I don't get too sick from the Taxol, but I'll find out over the next few days.”

“Good Luck. I assume its not an all day event for you? They gonna give you any anti-nausea meds?”

“Thanks, They said I'd be there about 3 hours. Last time they only gave me a benadryl drip. I'm not sure what extras they'll give me this time. I think I'll be lucky to be finished in 3 hours. It always seems longer than they say it will be.”

“I average 7.5hrs. Infusions total maybe 4hrs of that time. Yesterday was 9hrs (I was squeezed in). Maybe you should inquire about anti-nausea meds since thats one of the possible side effects, no? I get infused anti-nausea and "breakthrough" pills for home.

On the news front: Heres a pretty fascinating article on new(?) microbes from the Berkely Pit and their potential:

In the Battle Against Cancer, Researchers Find Hope in a Toxic Wasteland

By CHRISTOPHER MAAG
Published: October 9, 2007

Death sits on the east side of this city, a 40-billion-gallon pit filled with corrosive water the color of a scab. On the opposite side sits the small laboratory of Don and Andrea Stierle, whose stacks of plastic Petri dishes are smeared with organisms pulled from the pit. Early tests indicate that some of those organisms may help produce the next generation of cancer drugs.

From death's soup, the Stierles hope to coax life.

''I love the idea of looking at toxic waste and finding something of value,'' said Ms. Stierle, 52, a chemistry researcher at Montana Tech of the University of Montana.

More:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E7DC...3AA35753C1A9619C8B63”

“I thought finishing in 3 hours would be optimistic and it was. I got there at 10:50 AM and didn't finish until 5 PM yesterday. By the time I got a blood test, examined by the doctor and had my IV installed it was already 12:30 PM. So it took from 12:30 until 5 to get all the meds infused, my IV removed and get checked out with my next appointment.

They infused benadryl again first then Decedron and some other anti nausea drug that I can't remember the name of. After that came the Erbitux and then the Taxol. Since it was the first time I had the Taxol a nurse stayed with me watching me and taking vital signs every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes. She said if I have an allergic reaction that might include shortness of breath, chest pains or any other reaction, it's likely to happen in the first 15 minutes. She said she never had anyone have serious side effects in the first 15 minutes and I didn't have any. I just felt tired when it was all over and I'm still tired, but otherwise no other effects so far.”

“when I had chemo they told me the best thing to take for nausea was Rantidine although they gave me lots of other fun things to try if I wanted to...the Rantidine worked just fine though...my prayers are with you guys...”

“Thanks, the nurse told me that the infusion of the anti nausea meds should last all week. Last time I had chemo, I took Ativan too, but that used to make me drowsy so I avoided it as much as I could. The benadryl drip makes me feel like I'm drunk for 2 hours. I'm not sure how much they drip in, but it's pretty strong and makes me sleep while I'm there.”

“To all of you-KICK cancers' ASS!!!!

I'm pulling for you guys!”

“Thought I'd share some of the positive things newer technology can do to aid in the battle. My wife had two small tumors in her brain, had Gamma Knife Radiosurgery today & the Doc performing the procedure said she thinks she got all the affected areas! Not that many years ago we would have been talking about brain surgery & all the possible complications that brings, but thanks to the Gamma Knife process I think we have one less problem area to worry about!

So... for everyone fighting out there, remember that there's new stuff happening all the time, whether we're talking new chemo drugs (my wife was also participating in a clinical trial awhile back), new procedures, etc.

STAY POSITIVE EVERYONE!
last edited: 10/25/07 4:46:56 PM”

“Glad things went well! :-)”

“That's great wanderer! My grandpa had brain cancer and never was the same after his surgery, 19 years ago. I'm glad to hear that things are different and improved now and that your wife is doing well. Very Glad.”

“That's great news Wanderer! It's encouraging to hear of new treatments that work.”

“Very nice, wanderer. They can go after all kinds of in-operable tumors now.”

“2 years ago today, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's IV. Tomorrow I have another full body CT to see how well I'm doing. Here's a great article on "The War". My wife got her book, "The Secret History of the War on Cancer", at a talk she gave recently. Enjoy. I've got to get back to the bottle. Cheers.

Off Target in the War on Cancer

By Devra Davis
Sunday, November 4, 2007; B01

We've been fighting the war on cancer for almost four decades now, since President Richard M. Nixon officially launched it in 1971. It's time to admit that our efforts have often targeted the wrong enemies and used the wrong weapons.

Throughout the industrial world, the war on cancer remains focused on commercially fueled efforts to develop drugs and technologies that can find and treat the disease -- to the tune of more than $100 billion a year in the United States alone. Meanwhile, the struggle basically ignores most of the things known to cause cancer, such as tobacco, radiation, sunlight, benzene, asbestos, solvents, and some drugs and hormones. Even now, modern cancer-causing agents such as gasoline exhaust, pesticides and other air pollutants are simply deemed the inevitable price of progress.

More:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110201648_pf.html”

“Scary stuff! The Dr. I work for insists that microwaves and plastic food storage containers, wraps and bags also cause cancer. She threw away the office microwave.”

“Wanderer - glad that step worked out well. Cheers to both of you for hanging in there.”

“Bear, good luck with the CT scan today.”

“Hoping for good results today bear.”

“We ignore the things that put people on drugs and in prisons, why not also ignore what causes cancer? Isn't it easier to build prisons and develop drugs than work on preventions. Preventions are a long term issue. It's better to feel warm and fuzzy in the short term.

/sarcasm”

“Hoping for good results as well bear.”

“Like Sass's doctor friend, it's better to take personal responsibility than to blame the country or society. If you're upset about it, go do something about it instead of blaming a president from 36 years ago, as if it was his responsibility in the first place.”

“As always you are in my thoughts and prayers. Let us know the results!”

“Is it also possible that since the stuff that used to kill us (cholera, dysentery, polio, etc) doesn't kill us anymore that the main that that's left is our own stupidity (eating/exercise habits) and cancer?”

“I read something a while back that made lots of sense to me. Wars, disease, high risk activities, etc, are things that thin the herd and allow the heartier people to breed and pass on their genes. The great warrior/hunter comes home and gets the pick of the best women. The weaker ones die in battle or are ate by sabretooth tigers. There were diseases that killed whole populations, but most people didn't live long enough to be killed by the slower acting diseases like cancer. Diseases that acted upon the body early on usually either killed that person before marriage age or made their marital prospects pretty dim. Thus those genes weren't passed on as much as they are now.

A consequence of extending life spans and treating diseases that used to kill us is that we now propagate those diseases more often. Personally I like our society better now than then, but it does create more personal situations involving people we care about getting sick.

There will always be diseases. As soon as we eradicate one, there will be something else coming along to try to thin the herd. Its how life works. The technology that gives us the ability to heal also gives us new ways to make us sick.

I hope all works out well with you Bear.”

“hyway - do you remember Cliff Clavens explanation of why drinking beer is good for the mind?”