Effing cancer is an effing effer, frankly

[drivin_me_nuts]

Damned right! Can't be said too many times. fk you cancer..

[fridaypassion]

I've jacked my job in and gone self employed since diagnosis. Something I've been on about for 4/5 years. Got to try and take something positive I guess! Either way its given me a right kick up the arse.

I would just add again my condition is not in any way shape or form as serious as metastatic Cancer. It will ultimately require at least one round of Chemo (usually a second a few years later)NLPHL if you fancy some bedtime reading. RCHOP or ABVD to sort it out when the time comes.

Dont often think about it day to day!

Edited by fridaypassion on Friday 4th July 15:44

[Lost soul]

fridaypassion said:

Either way its given me a right kick up the arse.

same here , it is liberating in some strange way

[ecain63]

Congratulations LS and Mrs LS, big well done.

Im on to chemo number 8 of 10 on monday. Luckily numbers 7 to 10 are just capecitabine tablets and the side effects shouldn't be too bad. Got my first post-cancer scan on the 24th too. It'll be great to have a scan where there's nothing to see.

Ref work. I'm toying with jacking it all in and doing something I enjoy. The jewellery repair business although very lucrative is pretty stressful and miserable at times and I really miss being outdoors. Not sure what I can do that'll support my wife and child though. That's the issue with having cancer at 32, can't just retire!

[drivin_me_nuts]

ecain63 said:

Congratulations LS and Mrs LS, big well done.

Im on to chemo number 8 of 10 on monday. Luckily numbers 7 to 10 are just capecitabine tablets and the side effects shouldn't be too bad. Got my first post-cancer scan on the 24th too. It'll be great to have a scan where there's nothing to see.

Ref work. I'm toying with jacking it all in and doing something I enjoy. The jewellery repair business although very lucrative is pretty stressful and miserable at times and I really miss being outdoors. Not sure what I can do that'll support my wife and child though. That's the issue with having cancer at 32, can't just retire!

Follow your passion. If you have to, do what you do now for a while longer but have your get out strategy planned. Money is important - only the delusion hippy would say otherwise and it's great that you take family seriously.. but seriously, if the deeper part of you is telling you that you should be doing something different NOW, follow your deeper insticts. It's rarely wrong. Your skills will never be lost, but those precious years of youth and young family can never be recaptured or lived the same way when 'older'.

If cancer is giving you the opportunity to reappraise your life and lifestyle, then fully embrace this time of evaluation. Make work / life balance work for you.

[slinky]

Dad's been accepted onto the bone marrow transplant list, bloods have been taken and they're hoping to find an unrelated donor.

I'm scared.

btw, if you're under 30 and in a position to donate stem cells, please do..
http://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-...

[ali_kat]

Don't be, it's good news

I know why you're scared, but, trust me, now is not the time for that

Always here, you know the way to the house & Gloucester! & the number!

[ecain63]

drivin_me_nuts said:

Follow your passion.

If cancer is giving you the opportunity to reappraise your life and lifestyle, then fully embrace this time of evaluation. Make work / life balance work for you.

Still thinking about it.

Although I've taken a more relaxed approach to the job over the past few weeks I still feel the need to get back to what I love.

If anyone knows of any well paid outdoor work let me know. Lol

[Mouse1903]

I keep wondering one day they must be able to cure this horrible disease, but on the flip side what if they find a cure and cancer slowly develops to resist treatment in the future which would be a bad outcome. It has taken a lot of my family, especially on my mums side. My Gran was diagnosed in July 2007 and 6 weeks later she was gone. Horrible seeing someone perfectly fit and healthy waste away so rapidly. Now almost 5 years later (2 years ago now) my Grandad was also diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. We didn't think he would make it to 2013 but as of now he has passed his 81st birthday and probably no worse than when he was diagnosed. Due to his age and this being a more long term type of cancer, I like to pretend he doesn't have it and he is just old (which he is!) as it's not nice to think about it. My other Gran on the other hand is 89 and fit as a fiddle. Some people are just destined to live to a ripe old age whilst others will tragically suffer

[jbudgie]

The trouble is that cancer isn't just one sort of disease, it is a very complicated thing.

[Mouse1903]

Definitely. I think a lot of people including myself can't comprehend the work involved to even get an inkling how to cure all the various forms of it

[drivin_me_nuts]

ecain63 said:

drivin_me_nuts said:

Follow your passion.

If cancer is giving you the opportunity to reappraise your life and lifestyle, then fully embrace this time of evaluation. Make work / life balance work for you.

Still thinking about it.

Although I've taken a more relaxed approach to the job over the past few weeks I still feel the need to get back to what I love.

If anyone knows of any well paid outdoor work let me know. Lol

Good, keep thinking

The more you do, the more your brain will be able to work out the best path ahead for you and your family. There is no rush, no timeframe and no pressure to make the choices you are making. That you are already taking a more relaxed approach to work might well be all you need to do.

The thing with cancer is the 'life changing' things we do afterwards are often just that: lifechanging. Sometimes, it's not about changing life, more about changing some of the aspects and focus of our life to concentrate on what really matters. There are many here who have done just that; not just big changes, but small discrete and often fundamental mindset differences that have had just as big and profound an effect as the change jobs, move continents upheavals that some embark upon.

You seem like you're doing pretty damned fine to me. That in itself is a wonderful celebration. I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend together

[zeduffman]

Mouse1903 said:

I keep wondering one day they must be able to cure this horrible disease, but on the flip side what if they find a cure and cancer slowly develops to resist treatment in the future which would be a bad outcome.

Cancer is a bit different to a disease or an infection. It is literally just a cell that divides too much. Gets too big, takes over useful cells and stops them doing their function, then bits break off and land around the body and continue to grow there. There are just a lot of different types, classifications, and combinations of treatments that work for some and not others. It's a complex game but the goalposts won't really move, so we'll get there in the end. Caught early on most cancers are already treatable - it's when they've proliferated to a large degree or reached a stage where a vital organ is totally compromised that its a pain to fix.

Improved screening and prevention will help a lot.

[Lost soul]

I was told by my specialist that no two cases of cancer are the same , I was "lucky" in that mine was very treatable and unlikely to reoccur

[Biggles111]

slinky said:

Dad's been accepted onto the bone marrow transplant list, bloods have been taken and they're hoping to find an unrelated donor.

I'm scared.

btw, if you're under 30 and in a position to donate stem cells, please do..
http://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-...

Slinky, have just seen this. It is a tough road, but is doable - so much progress has been made in recent years that outcomes have been transformed. Well done for highlighting Anthony Nolan.

All - this is one cancer where people can really help. Please do sign up to http://www.anthonynolan.org , or if you are over 30 and ineligible for that register then instead sign up with http://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk . The test consists of a simple cheek swab (no needles), is done at home by you, and is really easy. Do also consider signing up to donate blood - blood cancers typically require lots of blood and platelet donations. I have had 20 units of blood and about 6 of platelets so far, and am grateful to those who have helped.

My story is that I am 40, three young children, was about to move house, then three months ago was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. My treatment route has been intensive chemo, which I am now completing and seem to have got through well so far, no way of knowing yet whether it has worked, though fingers crossed.

Others, many of whom are young kids, need transplants, so if you can help please do so - you may save a life, what a great thing to do!

Slinky - hope all works out for you and your dad, thinking of you guys.

[ecain63]

Good news on my cancer journey today. It's come to an end, fingers crossed forever! Had my first post-op ct scan yesterday and everything was clear. Woohoo!

Just 2 chemo sessions to go and that should be me done! Having a beer at work as i type.

Eddie

[Mrs Muttleysnoop]

ecain63 said:

Good news on my cancer journey today. It's come to an end, fingers crossed forever! Had my first post-op ct scan yesterday and everything was clear. Woohoo!

Just 2 chemo sessions to go and that should be me done! Having a beer at work as i type.

Eddie

Wonderful, wonderful news. Enjoy your beer.

[Pugsey]

ecain63 said:

Good news on my cancer journey today. It's come to an end, fingers crossed forever! Had my first post-op ct scan yesterday and everything was clear. Woohoo!

Just 2 chemo sessions to go and that should be me done! Having a beer at work as i type.

Eddie

Good news for you for the w/e. Blxxdy well done.

[longshot]

ecain63 said:

Good news on my cancer journey today. It's come to an end, fingers crossed forever! Had my first post-op ct scan yesterday and everything was clear. Woohoo!

Just 2 chemo sessions to go and that should be me done! Having a beer at work as i type.

Eddie

That's great news!

Someone's going to get some interesting jewellery then.

All you need now is that ideal job and you're sorted.

[littleguy]

Biggles111 said:

Slinky, have just seen this. It is a tough road, but is doable - so much progress has been made in recent years that outcomes have been transformed. Well done for highlighting Anthony Nolan.

All - this is one cancer where people can really help. Please do sign up to http://www.anthonynolan.org , or if you are over 30 and ineligible for that register then instead sign up with http://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk . The test consists of a simple cheek swab (no needles), is done at home by you, and is really easy. Do also consider signing up to donate blood - blood cancers typically require lots of blood and platelet donations. I have had 20 units of blood and about 6 of platelets so far, and am grateful to those who have helped.

My story is that I am 40, three young children, was about to move house, then three months ago was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. My treatment route has been intensive chemo, which I am now completing and seem to have got through well so far, no way of knowing yet whether it has worked, though fingers crossed.

Others, many of whom are young kids, need transplants, so if you can help please do so - you may save a life, what a great thing to do!

Slinky - hope all works out for you and your dad, thinking of you guys.

I'm another person here that says that people should sign up for Anthony Nolan.

My son was diagnosed with ALL aged two and a half. He's undertaken 40 months of treatment, the details of which I really don't want to make people hear about, and I'm very happy to say that he's now been 'clear' for 4 months.

Everytime my phone rings I think it'll be my ex to tell me he's relapsed.

For those of you battling or supporting people who have cancer, I'm thinking of you all.