Beating Cancer

“new LIVESTRONG.com "Cancer Center"

http://www.livestrong.com/center/cancer/”

“LIVESTRONG Challenge 2009 registration begins today! www.livestrongchallenge.com Me? Seattle for sure, maybe Austin too.”

“I forgot to mention the $15 discount on the $50 registration fee if you sign up today. Discount code on the website.”

“My ex's cousin Paul lost his battle with cancer yesterday...he is one of the best persons I have ever known.....he leaves behind 4 young children & a wife...and he will be missed...”

“I'm sorry Divinity. =(”

“Divinity, I'm sorry to hear that.”

“sorry to hear it...”

“Div, I'm so sorry to hear that.

Cancer really is a b!tch. It does so much damage and to some damn good people, too.”

“Matahari was a great contributer to this thread. I thought I'd pull it up. It's truly sad to have lost two of the people who have made this one of the most meaningful threads, maybe the most meaningful, for me.

I'll raise a glass to Matahari and Bear and get myself to bed.”

“Well, maybe I'll ramble on a bit about cancer before I raise that glass.

I've had seven years of clean blood tests since having my cancer removed. Still, I feel like the cancer survivors here are all riding on the same bus. The stuff is tenacious and, as Mata said, it can lurk for decades. The good news is that you can live a full life after cancer, even if it continues to lurk. My Mom has lived 48 years since she had thyroid cancer removed and little bits of it started showing up a couple years ago. She has a malignancy in her breast now, she'll get it removed in two weeks. I'll pick her up at the hospital after the surgery. They tell her that chances are it will not alter her life span. But still, it's not good news.

Cancer is a relentless MoFo. Here's to everyone who is in the fight and to all those who've fallen - but especially to Matahari and Bear.”

“I'll raise my cuppa to that.

My uncle is not doing well. His bone marrow transplant was going super well over Christmas, the donor had taken over 85% of his body, his blood type had changed, the whole works. Then his leukemia came back, along with another strain. He didn't have enough chemo I guess.
So, he's back in the hospital, getting so much chemo he's just about dead and they are giving him a 35% chance of getting out ever.

If you all are pray-ers please Keep Ed Doherty in yours, and his family. He's only 66, my Dad's Irish twin.”

“Will do Sass! And your Mom is in my prayers Ped! Good luck to your families.”

“Wow Sassafras I am so sorry to hear that. Your family and Ed's are in my thoughts and prayers.”

“I'll raise a glass to that too and prayers for those still struggling with this miserable disease.

The disease is tenacious for sure and to complicate matters even more the treatment to eradicate it can put you at higher risk for a recurrence.”

“Hey guys keep my boy Trevor in your prayers as well. His is feeling good but having bone marrow transplant issues. He has graft versus host disease where the new immune system and his body are at odds. The last time we had him home over Christmas he rode 20 miles on his bike, he has come out of the leukemia treatments and transplant very strong. Hopefully soon we will get our happy lives back and get out on the trail again with you guys. Here is a link to his caring bridge site.


http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/trevorvampran”

“RichB.....will be thinking of you this week as you have your surgery.....

Bateauxdriver...Your family is in my thoughts daily...Hope ya'll will be home soon!!!!!”

“Thanks D”

“I'm prayin' for everyone that can be prayed for.”

“My thoughts are with all you guys dealing with this stuff.”

“Thanks, prayers for Trevor and everyone else needing them.”

“Went with my Mom to the hospital for meetings with cancer specialists. Cancer is at least Stage 3 - 11 of 15 lymph nodes had detectable cancer cells. Tests Friday to make sure it hasn't spread beyond the immediate area. Plan calls for chemo, then radiation and hormone treatment. She's doing well, but obviously not happy about the developments.

We went to a forum at a church in Harvard Square with David Gergen and Paul Krugman yesterday. I walked with her back to her street (about .8 miles) - she kept up a pretty good pace. I'm glad I live close enough to be able to take her home after each round of chemo. Glad I have a great wife for support and help through this. Many blessings to count and be grateful for. Hopefull we'll all be blessed with a good fraction of RichB's strength.

I'm also hoping Rich B's strength won't be tested too much more for a good long while and he gets a chance to recuperate and enjoy.”

“...hugs & prayers to you & your family....”

“Ya never know what the treatments will do Ped. I have had patients who said the treatments didn't effect them at all except make them a little tired. She is very blessed to have such a supportive son and family.”

“Ped, thanks for the kind words about me. I'm sorry to hear that your mom has to have aggressive cancer treatment. It's good that she has a supportive family to get through it since that makes a big difference.
My doctor didn't remove my thyroid a few weeks ago, but just removed the nodule since it was small at 5mm. They did a neck dissection and no lymph nodes were positive that they removed. Since the thyroid nodule was metastatic cancer from 2006, I'm going to look into the possibilities of chemo and radiation now to lessen the chances of recurrence. I still have to heal and it'll be several weeks before any treatment begins.”

“Sorry to hear that Ped. i lost my grandmother several months ago to metatstatic colon cancer. They removed a tumor the size of a softball from her 90 lb frame. The cancer had matasticized to her nodes. At 93, she didn't want to undergo treatment.

My other grandmother, 90, has a mass in her abdomen and just got through with chemo. They're hoping to remove the mass after shrinking it (was obstructing her bowel).

I really don't know anyone who hasn't somehow been impacted by this terrible disease.

Good luck with your mother, Ped and Rich, I'm pulling for you.”

“hugs to you David and to your mom!!”

“We go to the Dr to find out about Lee's dad tomarrow...they are talking about doing the big surgery & removing
the tumor, mass, 4 lymph nodes & part of his pancreas....”

“My nephew is 31 and had liver cancer. After multiple doctor and hospital visits and procedures, they finally ended up taking out 75% of his liver. They said he had a 1 in 1000 chance of making it through the operation.
Well he made it through the operation and about 2 weeks afterwards they sent him home. So far he is doing fine.
The odd thing is his operation was on Friday the 13th (Feb 13) and his surgeons name was Michael Meyers.”

“omg...that is odd......glad he is doing well!!!!!”

“Divinity - I hope things go well with Lee's dad.”

“Divinity, I think they call that surgery on the pancreas a Whipple procedure. I hope it's successful for him.
Mildbill, good to hear your nephew is doing well after that surgery.”

“We're back...thanks for the good wishes!!!
...the Dr. will be doing the surgery March 16th...he thinks ( unlike the other Drs) that the cancer didn't start in the pancreas...that is good news....they will remove the tumor, mass, gall bladder, 4 lymph nodes, part of the small intestine, and reconnect the liver, pancreas & stomach. He will know more after he gets in there...”

“did some research RICHB...sounds like it!!!!....the Dr said his cancer is in the Duodenum...which is the small intestine...
...good thing is the Dr said his death rate is very low for the surgery...
...a hospital stay of 2-3 weeks....he said the stomach stays asleep for a few weeks...weird huh?
last edited: 3/03/09 11:53:51 AM”

“Sounds like he'll probably have a J-tube installed if his stomach will be out of action for a while. A J-tube is a feeding tube that's inserted into the small intestine instead the G-tube that goes into the stomach.”

“...not sure...I was surprised how long he would be in the hospital...
...how are you doing RICHB?”

“Trevor my 15 year old is still getting supportive treatment at Saint Jude's in Memphis. He and I are in Memphis now, Mom is getting a break this week and taking care of our youngest son at home. Today is exactly one year post diagnosis for him, so far there is no sign that it has returned. So far so good for us, we pray that he is cured. He has had a few issues along the way that has postponed our return to a more normal life but he gets stronger every day. Last Friday he, I and his mom biked 25 miles together back home. We have made a few campouts in our RV trailer but we are still a long way from backpacking due to sanitary reasons. I do hope to start some short dayhikes this spring. Best of luck to all those fighting the beast that is cancer.”

“I'm doing better each day. The skin graft they took from my arm still has a long way to go before it heals. I went hiking Saturday and Sunday and felt good hiking. I started eating real food, although I can't swallow it without it going through a blender first. Even so just the fact that I don't need a feeding tube and I'm swallowing anything after three neck reconstructions, I'm calling that a victory. With some luck in a few weeks I can eat some solids foods. There's still a lot of swelling in my neck, but my voice is getting better too. Tomorrow, I'm going to see a radiation oncologist. I'm not sure I'll get my neck radiated again, but instead might go for an 8 weeks course of chemo at dosage that's not too harsh. I'll see what he suggests and decide what I want to do.

Bateauxdriver, glad to hear your son is doing well.
last edited: 3/03/09 6:04:57 PM”

“Bateauxdriver....
So wonderful...I think about you & your family everyday...I get an email from the CaringBridge and read your family's journal...
...ya'll are soooo brave!!!!! & it is soo good to hear from you!!!”

“RichB....you too are so brave...& sound like you are recovering well!!!...I am tickled pink for ya!!!! & think of you everyday!!!!..hang in there!!!...skin graftings take awhile to heal...& it is bad when they itch!!!!!...I got some of mine sunburned...ouch.......lots of hugs!!!...
last edited: 3/03/09 6:26:08 PM”

“Thanks, the graft donor site on my leg itches sometimes, but the one on my arm doesn't. That one still looks and feels nasty.”

“I spent a good part of this weekend driving to and from my mothers house, about 300 miles south. I don't post a lot on this thread, but just wanted each of you to know that on long trips or extended periods of quiet, I find myself thinking of each of you and praying for your health and success. I guess it's time I said so:)”

“Thanks for the update Bateaux. I'm so glad Trevor is on the mend. I'm glad he has so much family love and support to help him through these tough times.”

“Sometimes I pause before I open this thread because I don't want to read any bad news. But today, I read some really good news and that made me smile for you guys.

RichB, you continue to amaze me. And to read that Trevor is doing so well is wonderful.

We lost four family members last year to cancer. The survivors that post here and the ones I read about are reminders to me that there are indeed cancer survivors, and some of them are right here among us!”

“My mom first had thyroid cancer 50 years ago. They didn't get it all, but it hasn't caused her any problems.

Right now, though, she's in an uncomfortable waiting phase. She had the lump and the adjoining lymph nodes removed - but the wound keeps draining massively and it got infected. She's had to postpone the start of chemo several weeks in a row and the uncertainty is tough. She's a strong person who can adjust to and accept most anything she cannot change - but its tough not knowing what is in store. I can see her anxiety mount.

She has been working on finishing a book she has been writing for many years and she is close. She also is being flown to Japan and getting paid to give a talk there in June. Still not knowing when the Chemo will start and how her body will take it puts her plans in doubt. If it is marginal, my younger son or I could go out to Japan with her to help out with most things that would be a physical strain.

I the mean time, I'm a little late for my blood test. I better call in and make an appointment.

One cool thing is that I've been long enough without any symptoms or signs of return of cancer that I can give blood again (almost 8 years now) - so I've given a couple times. I'd heard the rule was five years when I tried to give blood at a Red Cross drive, but whn I went to a hospiral to give blood they told me they had changed it to never. I tried again at a Red Cross Drive and they've actually changed it to one year for many cancers.”

“if this is a repeat, sorry


Former Monkee Peter Tork Fights Cancer


A rare form of cancer has been discovered on the tongue of ex-Monkees member Peter Tork, who will undergo surgery this week in New York City.
The 67-year-old oldies legend told RadarOnline he has been diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a cancer most commonly found in a person's salivary glands. Doctors are optimistic after a biopsy showed the cancer hasn't spread beyond the initial site.

Peter Tork, best known for his time in The Monkees, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma and is expected to fully recover after surgery and radiation.After surgery, Tork will have to undergo radiation.
"I am extraordinarily grateful, amazed and humbled by the encouragement, affection and support I've received so far," said Tork, who expects to get back to work in a matter of months. "Barring any complications, I fully expect to honor a performance dateI have this June with (current band) Shoe Suede Blues."
Tork is best known for his role as the bowl cut-wearing multi-instrumentalist in The Monkees, a made-for-TV band that over time evolved into legitimate artists. Their many hits include 'Last Train to Clarksville' and 'Daydream Believer.'
When asked if he'd ever reunite with Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith to tour again, Tork said, "Well, never say never”

“My Mom's had two rounds of chemo so far. The third one was delayed because the breast became infected again. She had to spend two days in the hospiral to get IV anti=biotics. My brother was in town at the time - so he and I and my wife and a student who lives with my Mom brought susgi to the hospital and had dinner with her in her room.

Because of the delays in her chemo she is looking stronger. She was able to come to our house for a Mother's day brunch.

I think Nigal's incredible description of his mother's day moved me all the more because my Mom is fighting for her life.

My blood test was clean again. As of May 1, that made 8 years with no sign of cancer in my body.”

“That chemo is downright barbaric. Glad you got to spend the day w/ her at home Ped. VERY glad you're all clear again.”

“BIG hugs to you Ped....glad about your test!!!”

“...Lee's dad came home from the hospital today!!!...he has lost over 30 lbs, but he told the DR that good home cooking would help...lol....he had a ctscan & still no cancer...he has another one in 2 weeks to see if they can take his drain out!!!
...Thanks ya'll for the prayers & well wishes...it means alot....”

“Glad to hear he's home. Thanks for the update.”