I'm about to become a statistic ... And why you should enjoy every day!

[ven]

Thoughts and well wishes from across the pond Martin,hope for a speedy as possible recovery .

 

[jabe1]

Martin, you'll be in good hands at the Clinic. I know quite a few people there, and those who have had treatment.
Do you make a living with your art? Keep it going and it will see you through a lot. Perhaps I've seen your work, I am local. Mayfield Hts.
prayers and good wishes.
- Jim

 

[martinaee]

Hey jabe1. I think I've been in Mayfield hts. My wife is from Lyndhurst. I've been to the Chagrin Reservation lots of times which is right near there right? I moved to Cleveland to go to college then Mentor and now have been in Chagrin Falls for close to a year.

I did a lot of drawing and other medias in college and also photography on the side. Now I've been working as a photographer. Yeah I'll probably try to do a lot of art and what not during this.

 

[more_vampires]

No black arrow for you, sir! Drinks are on me back in river town. First, we must loot the dragon's hoard! Maybe even hack the Gibson, who knows?

 

[Mr Floppy]

Sorry to hear of your predicament. I don't know if you are planning on having kids or have kids already but be sure to "bank" some in case the chemotherapy affects the chances. I am pretty sure before you go for chemotherapy, they will have all this covered. It happened to a friend of mine who was 28, wasn't in a relationship at the time, but decided to not take up the offer. If he had a bit more time than the week he had before starting treatment to think about it, he would have changed his mind.

 

[martinaee]

Yeah, I don't know if that is sure with what I'll go through, but my GF mentioned it. Geeze that's expensive though just from online searches to bank and save samples for say 2 years. At least a solid grand or so. Oh man... I never though something that is free any other day could cost so much just to save. I luckily just got on the same insurance policy my wife has which is pretty comprehensive mostly through her work thankfully but I don't think that would be covered which is weird. I feel like it should be. Well we'll have to talk about that for sure after this week.

Just saw "Ted 2" with my wife and can't help but think about "that one scene" related to this topic lol.

 

[martinaee]

No black arrow for you, sir! Drinks are on me back in river town. First, we must loot the dragon's hoard! Maybe even hack the Gibson, who knows?

LOL what? Where are you from. What is black arrow?

 

[more_vampires]

I was making elf and archery references all last night. The Hobbit. The black arrow wouldn't be for you, but for Smaug (your cancer.)

Once he's defeated, the party is in River Town and drinks are on me. Be the elf. He's a level 8 wizard.

You can even play the Keebler elf, if you like.

 

[Mr Floppy]

Geeze that's expensive though just from online searches to bank and save samples for say 2 years. At least a solid grand or so. Oh man... I never though something that is free any other day could cost so much just to save. I luckily just got on the same insurance policy my wife has which is pretty comprehensive mostly through her work thankfully but I don't think that would be covered which is weird.

That sucks really. It shouldn't be something you have to think about if you can afford it. Over here, the cost of storage is covered with a rebate and there are discounts for oncology reasons. Maybe there's something similar?

 

[martinaee]

Well guys I made it through biopsy surgery. It's always a little scary going into actual surgery in a hospital, but overall it went very smoothly. And the hospital there is so state of the art and everyone was super nice and professional. And my family and wife have been so good to me which has made this a lot easier so far.

I had a lymph node biopsied on above my clavicle sort of near my wind pipe. The surgery would have been two part if they couldn't immediately see anything from that tissue and then they would have had to go through my ribs to get a sample from the main mass near my heart. Luckily they didn't have to do that---- but at the same time that immediately means, yeah, I have some sort of cancer :shrug: I had nothing to eat for a full 24 hours and only got to drink water after I was waking up from anesthesia. So that was kind of hard. I was able to go home late that same night though and eat and drink so that was good. It's been a day so I can talk again and already can move my head much better without pain or fearing of ripping the stitches in the muscle under the skin. Maybe I'll post a link to a pic of the scar in case anybody wants to see what a biopsy incision looks like done on the neck. They only took out one very small lymph node so I only have a 2 inch scar or so so that's nice. I should be finding out anytime in the next few days exactly what I have and then I assume I'll have further meetings with one or more oncologists.

So yup; I can't complain too much. I think actual treatment for this through chemotherapy is going to not be fun, but overall I'm starting to be more accepting of what I have and just want to deal with it!





Oh this is awesome. Maybe some of you heard about this story. Such good timing for me to read.... *rolls eyes* I think I read it either the day before surgery or the day I came back. Apparently a doctor somewhere ordered chemo for over 500 people who didn't need it just to make more money ... I've heard of some messed up stuff, but that's probably one of the most *@#*%* recently. That's beyond depraved.

http://www.ibtimes.com/medicare-fra...fata-michigan-doctor-who-forced-chemo-1996596

 

[more_vampires]

My current girlfriend is a cancer survivor (15 years so far clean.)

She cannot have children, part of the deal was a removal of... that.

http://www.ibtimes.com/medicare-fra...fata-michigan-doctor-who-forced-chemo-1996596
This is absolutely horrible, I'm highly surprised nobody "did something" to that guy. 175 years is a slap on the wrist for what he's done.

In the middle ages, it was solid advice to stay away from doctors and hospitals. I truly hate each example I see day-to-day that even implies that this would be valid in the 21st century.

The Oath of Hippocrates is not hypocracy. It's life and death. Grrr!

Anyway, Martin, totally glad things are going well. Get that MMJ and tell cancer that it is a little 6 yo girl fighting Mike Tyson (or that Mayweather punk.)

 

[bdogps]

You should read this book called "super freakonomics" it
has a great chapter on this very subject you are talking about.

 

[martinaee]

Yeah. Humans are NOT all the same. I understand the basic human urge to take things when you have no resources/money/help and are desperate, but I can't even begin to understand the mind of somebody who is willing to literally poison hundreds upon hundreds of people just to make more money. And I'm assuming he wasn't "poor" to begin with I mean he was an established practicing doctor. Just so disgusting.

When I read that article I was thinking really? Of course I'd have to read this right now... lol . But everybody at the main Cleveland Clinic campus is super awesome and professional. And multiple specialists saw my CT scan so no shenanigans for my case lol. I kind of don't understand how this doctor got away with having people go through chemo without the patients going to other specialists and what not. Surely much earlier along the line somebody would have wondered about biopsy surgeries, etc. and noticed this guy was full of *@#%?

 

[more_vampires]

...I feel that the information age has contributed to this greatly.

The medical slang term: "Quack."

It is from the old word, quacksalber, an archaic name for elemental mercury. Once upon a time, docs thought it was a great idea to dose people with this. Related term: "mad as a hatter." Yeah.

Drinking liquid mercury is no treatment for the bubonic plague, third stage syphilis, or trying to have a stylish hat.

With today's communication, the "quacks" don't last as long as they used to before public humiliation and possibly jail time.

It's a little like people highly recommending Ultrafire counterfeit batteries on CPF. Won't take long.

 

[AA#5]

Hey, you're NOT "being a baby" about it. We all have the "why me?" reaction when faced with something like this. We "up our capacity" for crap when this happens & we realize what's really important in life & we stop sweating the small stuff. Seven years ago, I had similar thoughts when I found out I had diabetes. Life went from "simple" to "complicated."

 

[thedoc007]

Oh this is awesome. Maybe some of you heard about this story. Such good timing for me to read.... *rolls eyes* I think I read it either the day before surgery or the day I came back. Apparently a doctor somewhere ordered chemo for over 500 people who didn't need it just to make more money ... I've heard of some messed up stuff, but that's probably one of the most *@#*%* recently. That's beyond depraved.

http://www.ibtimes.com/medicare-fra...fata-michigan-doctor-who-forced-chemo-1996596

Small world. I have a stop every day in a lab at a hospital...they told me about this fraud months ago. They were really upset...the lab techs had worked with that doctor on occasion, and were VERY angry and saddened that the doctor had made them part of the fraud. Part of the reason he was able to get away with it for so long is that he was substituting blood-work and other tests from patients who really did need chemo...so another doctor looking at the test would agree that the treatment was necessary. The fraud was intentional and malicious...it wasn't a matter of simple neglect or carelessness.

Being informed and seeking a second opinion if you have any doubts goes a very long way to preventing these kinds of abuses. It seems like you are tackling this process head-on, educating yourself, and staying positive. All that will help you immensely!

 

[martinaee]

Yeah. I mean I'm not really worried about something like that happening. People THAT evil can't be that common. But still I guess maybe I could have another oncologist look at results and see if I get matching opinions on what kind of treatment regimens I should get.

 

[more_vampires]

Seven years ago, I had similar thoughts when I found out I had diabetes. Life went from "simple" to "complicated."

The hard core Paleo diet is very much like learning how to be a diabetic. Lost 61 pounds (as of July 2015) and feel absolutely awesome.

Diabetic diet has very much to do with a Paleo concept called "glycemic index." It's supposed to heavily influence your dietary choices.

Dinner tonight? Low carb whole wheat wrap with baby spinach lining with baked julienne sweet potato, chicken, kielbasa, and sauteed onion. Dessert last night was a medium rare ribeye! My girlfriend absolutely loved it! She converted to Paleo, as well. The main problem is that she just didn't have time to study it properly.

Everything I know makes me less worried about cancer and diabetes with this diet!!

 

[martinaee]

All righty.. well it's Monday 7/20 and things are moving along just dandily... (I type that with a dry and sarcastic, but optimistic smile on my face).

So I have a type of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Still strange because I don't feel drastically or classically *sick* outwardly yet besides seemingly being more tired/getting more tired more quickly and maybe starting to feel a little pain in my chest when I breath really deeply, but I guess there is at least one big happy little tumor growing in my chest and it's probably in lymphocytes and lymph nodes in other places. I'll find out about that. Apparently its not nearly as common as a lot of other cancers overall, but that doesn't really matter. This seems to be fairly straightforward as far as this type of cancer goes, but I can't help but be scared *%#-less when it comes to the terms "mortality" and "long-term-survival" just like anybody always is concerning cancer. Day by day I guess.

So today was my first actual appointment in the cancer center at the Cleveland Clinic. I also had a PET scan done. I have the pleasure of having a bone marrow biopsy done on Thursday as well. There is a slight chance in 2-3% of cases that the cancer can sometimes be in bone marrow which I guess they can't see with PET scans. Sounds scary, but I think it won't be that bad. I'm already becoming way more accepting of procedures than I would have been before. I hope that doesn't hurt too much though. Ugh... They said they numb the heck out of the area then use a drill that sounds like a dentist's drill to go into the bone towards the back of my pelvis and extract a sample of bone marrow. AREN'T ALL THE NEEDLES ENOUGH ALREADY... NOW YOU HAVE TO DRILL INTO MY BONE ? .... lol ... I won't be asleep for that one so it's probably just going to be a mental thing more than anything. LOL every time somebody in my family inadvertently but not in an ill-meaning way says "no... that will probably hurt... sorry baby" or "It's probably going to be a rough year" I just want to scream "SHAD-UP SHAD-UP SHAD-UP... Just let me do it!!!" LOL I think you kind of just have to put yourself into a "let's do this" game-face kind of mind set and not even think about it too much. It's kind of a weird reality and probably more of a coping mechanism than anything else. I still keep having those weird reality moments where I forget this is real.

I'll actually start my first chemotherapy next Tuesday. It sounds like I'll be doing 12 sessions where a session is once every 2 weeks. So 6 months or so. I think midway through they check with another PET scan how things are going and whether they need to change/modify treatment based on how the cancer is responding.

My wife needs a break... she's had painful digestive issues ever since I've known her (her whole life really) and I feel like she never truly has caught a break. I feel so bad though because in a weird way now I'M the one getting sympathy when in reality she should be. We don't know what she has still (it's so hard to pinpoint) and it's the brutally honest truth that people don't give sympathy to something you can't say 100 percent medically what it is. And also to things that society have "deemed" not that big a deal when in reality they have no idea. I've always worried about her and now she has to deal with this on top of everything. We got married on June 5th and were going to take a long road trip if we could but didn't because we didn't want her to be in pain the whole way because she needs a very careful diet. Now this as well a month later. Sometimes I just feel like I want our lives to "start" but there is always something else. I guess this is life right? We're both artistic types and I guess you could probably classify me as the "plastic bag---there's so much beauty in the world" guy from the movie American Beauty, but I think it's harder for her to see things the same way and I don't blame her.

I know I should be so grateful for all the positivity, amazing medical treatment, and overall support I'm getting through this, but cancer is still b***-s***, It just isn't fair and it weasels it's way into whatever you are doing whether you are a good or bad person, a child or an adult .... I totally *get* the phrase now I wouldn't wish this upon my enemies. I truly hope cancer is actually "cured" long-term in the future. I really can't complain as I know what I have is a "good" cancer compared to what a lot of people have or had. I'll get through this and hopefully what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. Once I do ... hopefully it doesn't come back (even if it does... I'll deal with it)... And regardless I want to be able to talk to other people who might want to talk who go through the same thing.

Holy cow this is a depressing post for you all. Don't feel like you need to read this thread more if you don't want to. Thanks for letting me use this place as a mental dumping ground. I like it here and also I can pretty much guarantee nobody else I know is on CPF so it's kind of a public-nonpublic place to get this out. Not common on the internet of 2015. Please if anybody does want to talk about these kinds of topics in your own lives pm me or something.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I read every last word. Praying for a total recovery. :candle:

~ Chance