• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Today I beat cancer for a second time.

mhayes86

mhayes86

Member
I'm glad to hear that, OP! Kick cancer's ass! I have lost too many family members, including my father and my dog to cancer. Cancer twice at your age is nuts, so remain healthy!
 
M

Meh3D

Member
Thanks for sharing!

I’m really happy for you. Especially today after waking up to the news about the shooting in Las Vegas. I lost my grandmother to cancer. I was just thinking about her just a couple of nights ago. I miss her so much.

Congrats OP! Please share this everywhere you can. Down the line, maybe consider donating some time to speaking to others who are in a similar situation.
 
G

Gunslinger

Member
Wow man what an event. TC I have been down lately but your story inspired me my friend. I wish I could be as strong willed as you. Take care friend.
 
S

SpecX

Member
Congrats! Cancer is no joke and nothing to mess around with, but I'm always glad to hear of people kicking its ass.
 
N

Nere

Member
Feel both sorry and happy for you. Sorry that you had to go through all of this but happy that you made it through. Congrats and stay strong, best of luck in everything.
 
G

GameAddict411

Member
I am so glad for you OP, as I was reading down I was getting more and more depressed at your experience and you are so young. I really hope you get to live a long happy life. Please always get checked up until you are like 100% sure you are clear?
 
B

BlackGoku03

Member
laoni said:
I was ~175lb before diagnosis, but I'd lost about 30lb in the preceeding 3 months due to the cancer running unchecked

My first chemo came with high doses of steroids, which make you extremely hungry, and I didn't have much nausea, so for those 6 months, I was constantly eating, probably like 3-4x what would be healthy. I'd have like 2 full plates of dinner, a bunch of snacks, and then a midnight 'snack' of another plate of dinner. And for the first few months, I -still- lost weight. I put it back on towards the end, including those 30lb I lost before treatment.

My second type of chemo was a different experience. I still got high doses of steroids, but the chemo completely killed any sense of hunger. Like, I never felt hungry, the smell of food cooking never made my mouth water, everything tasted flavourless. I maintained weight by eating out of obligation, and my meals being high in fats and proteins.

With my transplant, I lost 45lb or so in about 3 weeks. The chemo destroyed my intestinal lining, and my stomach rejected anything sent its way, including water. When I started throwing up blood (I tore around where my oesophagus meets my stomach), they stopped me from eating and started giving me IV nutrition. When I was able to eat again, I couldn't eat large servings.

5 months on, I've kept pretty steady at 170lb. My sense of hunger is still fucked, it took about 3 months post transplant before I felt hungry again, and it's inconsistent these days. I can't eat much still, and some foods I just can't stomach.
Click to expand...

Damn.

I've knew/know a few people with different types of cancer. Including my grandmother who had breast cancer. They all lost a lot of weight before diagnoses and lost a lot of weight during treatment. After seeing my grandmother like that, I knew it was cancer. No energy, lost weight fast, didn't walk as much, didn't have a lot of interest in anything really.

I think this is why a lot of people smoke weed during treatment. It gets them hungry and provides a bit of peace.

Good luck to you OP. Proud of your attitude as well.

Maybe if you're in a legal state, see if MJ can give you some munchies?
 
K

Keio

For a Finer World
Hodgkin’s stage 2 bulky survivor here, 14 years cancer free. Congrats mate, make the most of the new life you’ve fought for yourself.
 
R

Razmos

Member
So happy for you, what you've been through sounds like a nightmare, I'm glad you came out on the other side with so much positivity
 
A

AdanVC

Member
Amazing news! This is the kind of news I love to read to start off the week. Congratulations, OP! Take lot's of care and enjoy life to the fullest!
 
balgajo

balgajo

Member
laoni said:
My first thread, please be gentle with me GAF, I'm just so excited.

So, I'd posted about it before, for the last year and a half, I've been fighting refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was diagnosed in May of 2016, just before my 22nd birthday, I'd noticed a lump in my neck I knew to be a lymph node, and went into my doctor, totally expecting to be sent home and told to get some rest. He ordered an emergency CT scan, and I was admitted to hospital that afternoon. Turns out my windpipe was less than half an inch wide and the blood flow to my brain was being cut off (I felt completely fine, other than a constant itchiness).

I was Stage 3BX, so, I had cancer both above and below my diaphragm, and it was bulky, I remember one legion was 4 inches across, right around my heart and lungs. It's an unfavourable diagnosis, but, Hodgkin's is amazingly treatable, and at 2 months into chemo when they gave me another scan, it showed no cancer, at the time. I finished the last 4 months of chemo, and busied myself getting back into life. I moved back out on my own, re-enrolled into university, went on holiday. In December I was still clear. When university started in early February though, I felt that lump in my neck and I knew.

It seemed like the chemo had just made it mad. Not only was it crushing my lungs and heart again, but, it had found its way into my bones, with lesions on my ribs and hips. Because it had been only 3 months, this meant my disease was not the easily killed version 80-90% of people get. Mine was refractory, notoriously hard to kill, with survival rates closer to the 30%s. So the next treatment would be harsh, an autologous stem cell transplant, pretty much a self bone marrow transplant.

After another two months of chemo, which reduced my disease, they harvested stem cells forced out of my bones from the medication I took, and then I had to travel to another hospital, where they would give me more chemotherapy to destroy my bone marrow, and then give my stem cells back so they could rebuild. I spent a month in hospital with no bone marrow, relying on blood transfusions and IV food (the chemo had destroyed the linings of my intestines so I couldn't eat) until I was 'well'.

2 months into my recovery, they scanned again. Nothing lit up, but the big lesions in my chest and neck hadn't reduced in size. Instead of chemo this time, they sent me for radiotherapy and every day for a month, they zapped my chest and neck to destroy whatever was left. After that finished, we waited. 2 months after that, they would scan again, and I would know if I had won.

I got those scan results back today, and they showed no cancer, and lesions that were left are gone. Sure, in the coming months and years I'll need to be vigilant, this fucker is known to be tough. But so am I. And for now... I've won
Click to expand...

I'm really happy for you OP. Enjoy the life friend!
 
K

Kintaco

Member
Great to hear OP. Cancer is a motherfucker, but it makes you realize how strong you truly are. I'm in remission from Stage 3 colon cancer. And while going through treatment I was positive and confident I would beat it. At the time I was gung ho about whatever treatment was suggested without any real hesitation or concern. But now that the treatments are over and I'm just doing routine check ups I feel a bit nervous when I go into my CT Scans or get bloodwork done. Stay strong!
 
S

Saucestin_Roast

Member
Congratulations, OP! Wow. Really inspiring story. You kept going despite all of that struggle and pain. The fear must've been crushing.

Stay positive. Don't live being afraid of it returning again. Just enjoy what you have. You'll be ok!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Obesity, weight loss and diabetes II
Cringe 2
56
2K
nush replied
All these big sales lately has made me realize how little interest I have in today's AAA games
2
53
4K
deeptech replied
My mom has ovarian cancer, and I have a simple request from GAF
2 3
137
11K
22:22:22 replied
I desperately need some sympathy.
2 3 4
164
8K
Tams replied
My dad’s dog bit off my nose — now I have hair growing on my face
2 3 4 5 6
260
19K
Auto_aim1 replied
Top Bottom