Lucian Cat
Kissed a mod for a tag; liked it
As far as cancer goes, it's one of the better ones to get.
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I have cancer. Just got home from my first round of chemo (Update: victory!)
- Thread starter Lionheart1827
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As far as cancer goes, it's one of the better ones to get.
Freezie KO
Banned
Hope everything works out for you! You're brave to talk about it.
Youta Mottenai
Member
Wishing you the best, Lionheart.
MaverickHunterX
Member
Good luck! Fight the good fight!
KamikazeTY
Banned
I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma in my lower back @ 24. It was about the size of a grapefruit. If you have any questions about the process let me know.
You didn't have to do a bone marrow biopsy while conscious/not sedated? Good for you! Seriously, the chemo wasn't the bad part. It was that god damn biopsy.
You didn't have to do a bone marrow biopsy while conscious/not sedated? Good for you! Seriously, the chemo wasn't the bad part. It was that god damn biopsy.
Shit man, good luck. It's a terrible illness but it can be beaten.
It's also a good thing you decided to go to the doctor! Leaving it like that for a few more month, years could have made it so much worse.
I need to quote this:
So fucking important. Don't be lazy and listen to this man!
It's also a good thing you decided to go to the doctor! Leaving it like that for a few more month, years could have made it so much worse.
I need to quote this:
So fucking important. Don't be lazy and listen to this man!
Canis lupus
Member
Praying for your recovery, stay strong man!
You are going to beat that cancer and beat it good. I got Hodgkin's 2A when I was 23, went through the chemo/radio and achieved full remission and cure. But it was a tough fight.
Paradoxically it made me a happier person. When I was running my first marathon last year I was crying the last kilometer thinking how amazing it is to be alive. You'll have that for the rest of your long life as well. It will make every great moment feel even better and every loss feel that bit less hard.
I did smoke cannabis to counter the chemo nausea and it worked very well for me. Worst bits were the few days after each chemo round, feeling like having the hardest hangover except it wasn't going away until a few days and no fun memories to laugh at either.
Sometimes it's scary, so it's great you have people to talk to. And it's brave posting your story here as well. Take all the support you can.
And great that the lump is getting smaller. Mine melted away after a few rounds of chemo as well.
All my best wishes.
edit: Oh yeah, the injections of the immune system booster (filgrastim I assume, sold as Neupogen?) take a bit to get used to, but I was injecting myself like a boss after a few days of shaky hands.
edit2: And people saying get anything weird checked out always – yes yes YES! It doesn't take long and both the peace of mind and getting treatment fast are things not worth undervaluing. I went on Friday to the doc due to a lump I have on my left shoulder muscle (no lymph nodes supposed to be there) and I was ultrasounded faster than I could ask for it. Luckily it's just a muscle injury. I would lie if I didn't feel – after eight years – uneasy whenever a flu brings out the lymph glands.
Paradoxically it made me a happier person. When I was running my first marathon last year I was crying the last kilometer thinking how amazing it is to be alive. You'll have that for the rest of your long life as well. It will make every great moment feel even better and every loss feel that bit less hard.
I did smoke cannabis to counter the chemo nausea and it worked very well for me. Worst bits were the few days after each chemo round, feeling like having the hardest hangover except it wasn't going away until a few days and no fun memories to laugh at either.
Sometimes it's scary, so it's great you have people to talk to. And it's brave posting your story here as well. Take all the support you can.
And great that the lump is getting smaller. Mine melted away after a few rounds of chemo as well.
All my best wishes.
edit: Oh yeah, the injections of the immune system booster (filgrastim I assume, sold as Neupogen?) take a bit to get used to, but I was injecting myself like a boss after a few days of shaky hands.
edit2: And people saying get anything weird checked out always – yes yes YES! It doesn't take long and both the peace of mind and getting treatment fast are things not worth undervaluing. I went on Friday to the doc due to a lump I have on my left shoulder muscle (no lymph nodes supposed to be there) and I was ultrasounded faster than I could ask for it. Luckily it's just a muscle injury. I would lie if I didn't feel – after eight years – uneasy whenever a flu brings out the lymph glands.
KamikazeTY
Banned
The thing that bothered me the most and I don't know if either of you guys got this, After the treatment I felt like i was drowning in my head and nose. Its hard to describe. I think how you are describing feeling like a "hangover" is similar?
LowerLevel
Member
10 year+ survivor of Lynch Syndrome myself. You WILL beat this and continue in life. After your series of chemo is done, be sure to keep things around you that make you happy. I, for one, also know that chemo absolutely sucks. Try to keep your head up man!
Magicpaint
Member
All the best man. Stay strong.
Lionheart1827
Member
Again, thanks for all the support everyone. Just woke up from a good nights sleep at home. So much better than being woken up by a nurse being nauseous and having to piss into a urinal container. 
Oh yeah my doctor let me know about the sperm banking and I believe he said 25% dont recover their sperm count after therapy. So I donated to a sperm bank around where I live 3 times a week before my treatment started. It was tough fitting everything in right before treatment but I made it work. I think the hardest was going to the bank a day or two after I got my port implanted and also the bone marrow biopsy, which felt like somebody had whacked me with a baseball bat in my lower back.
Well heres the thing. My grandparents on my dads side had colon cancer(grandmother) and liver cancer(grandpa) but my dad and uncle never had cancer and get checked regularly for it. My grandma on my mom's side had breast cancer a few years ago and kicked its ass with radiation only and was like 75 at the time. Tough cookie she is. However, my doctor has said if you have had mono/epstein barr virus(which I had in 2008), then you have a higher risk of getting hodgkins at some point. There are some other risk factors I believe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodgkin's_lymphoma#Cause
BTW for those wondering what chemo plan I'm on, its this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BEACOPP
So pretty much my road map at the moment was last wednesday I was admitted to the hospital, day 1 included Doxorubicin, Bleomycin, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide. Day 2 was brought down to just Doxo, prednisone and etoposide, and the 3rd day was just prednisone and etop.
When we went to our initial doctors visit, they said that the general regimen plan would follow a 5 day course of chemo, then 2-3 weeks of recovery, but I guess they altered the plan to tailor make it the best possible. So when we went in on Wednesday, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it would only be a 3 day chemo stay, then next wednesday an outpatient injection at the clinic. That really put me in a much better mood because I was so bummed about having to stay in the hospital for 5 days straight.
I live on Long Island, NY. The thing that makes me so thankful is that I had just gotten this awesome job in Manhattan in February after being unemployed for a year. When I first learned about having cancer, it made me do some thinking on what would've happened if I had turned 26 and still didnt have a job(since after 26 I believe you cant be under your parents insurance anymore). It really gives me the creeps thinking about that.
The other thing is I had just gotten off of vacation and had the lump checked out. I was planning on looking at apartments in Astoria at the time, but now thats put on hold for now.
SystemShark said:
Oh yeah my doctor let me know about the sperm banking and I believe he said 25% dont recover their sperm count after therapy. So I donated to a sperm bank around where I live 3 times a week before my treatment started. It was tough fitting everything in right before treatment but I made it work. I think the hardest was going to the bank a day or two after I got my port implanted and also the bone marrow biopsy, which felt like somebody had whacked me with a baseball bat in my lower back.
Well heres the thing. My grandparents on my dads side had colon cancer(grandmother) and liver cancer(grandpa) but my dad and uncle never had cancer and get checked regularly for it. My grandma on my mom's side had breast cancer a few years ago and kicked its ass with radiation only and was like 75 at the time. Tough cookie she is. However, my doctor has said if you have had mono/epstein barr virus(which I had in 2008), then you have a higher risk of getting hodgkins at some point. There are some other risk factors I believe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodgkin's_lymphoma#Cause
BTW for those wondering what chemo plan I'm on, its this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BEACOPP
So pretty much my road map at the moment was last wednesday I was admitted to the hospital, day 1 included Doxorubicin, Bleomycin, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide. Day 2 was brought down to just Doxo, prednisone and etoposide, and the 3rd day was just prednisone and etop.
When we went to our initial doctors visit, they said that the general regimen plan would follow a 5 day course of chemo, then 2-3 weeks of recovery, but I guess they altered the plan to tailor make it the best possible. So when we went in on Wednesday, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it would only be a 3 day chemo stay, then next wednesday an outpatient injection at the clinic. That really put me in a much better mood because I was so bummed about having to stay in the hospital for 5 days straight.
I live on Long Island, NY. The thing that makes me so thankful is that I had just gotten this awesome job in Manhattan in February after being unemployed for a year. When I first learned about having cancer, it made me do some thinking on what would've happened if I had turned 26 and still didnt have a job(since after 26 I believe you cant be under your parents insurance anymore). It really gives me the creeps thinking about that.
The other thing is I had just gotten off of vacation and had the lump checked out. I was planning on looking at apartments in Astoria at the time, but now thats put on hold for now.
kitchenmotors
Banned
Someone mentioned your post and I had to come in here and show you love! <3 I've managed to stay positive through this whole thing because of you. My friends, my family, you guys have kept me going and strong with your love and support.
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I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June, had surgery a few days later and started chemo August 6th. I have one visit left to the hospital on Tuesday for chemo and then I'm done. I did three cycles, which consisted of a full week of 5 hour days and then 2 day weeks of an hour.
Surgery was tough because of the type that was performed, but nowhere near as hard as the chemo has been. I thought my first cycle went pretty well, but it got progressively worse as time went on because as soon as I felt better, I had a full week of nonstop drugs. They don't delay the chemo depending on my blood counts, I just had to get through it. Last week I got sick 5 or 6 times, but it seems the worst is over. The thing I've hated the most was my appetite, certain foods just never taste good and even thinking about some foods made me sick.
I've been in and out of hospitals and doctor's offices since April. I'm looking forward to returning to a normal life after this, growing my hair back and possibly changing it up, working out again, going to more concerts, just the little things that a lot of people take for granted. I'm also looking forward to new adventures and Gaffer meet ups. Had a huge Chicago meet up in August the weekend before my treatment and it was so much fun.
Lionheart1827
Member
Good to hear you're almost done man! Keep up the fight! How come they didn't delay the chemo due to your counts? Was it an aggressive form or something? They mentioned to me that hodgkins routinely isnt very aggressive and that recovering for 2-3 weeks is a good idea to avoid neutropenia and avoid long term side effects.
Cancer fucking sucks
BTW, do you have to go for the routine PET scans? I got my first one before treatment and I made it through it, but I'm terrified of doing it again while I'm on chemo and the medicines. That thing is so damn uncomfortable, claustrophobic, and SLOW. They say it takes 25 minutes but it seems like an eternity. I dont know how I'm going to keep my composure. Thats one of the things I'm scared to death about.
I would definitely get a second opinion if you can. If anything he should've sent you for a CT scan and X-ray. If its only one node that goes up and down I wouldn't worry too much, but its still definitely worth getting checked again by somebody else. If it feels like a lump or cluster of nodes, then you should 100% get it checked out immediately.
Boozeroony
Member
You can't 'beat' cancer, guys. Surviving cancer is not about fighting. It is about suffering, luck and trying to stay alive. With the right medication, chances are that you survive. I've lost dear ones to cancer and it hurts me when people say they 'beat' cancer. As if my loved ones didn't try...
That said: I really, really hope you survive.
That said: I really, really hope you survive.
kitchenmotors
Banned
I'd hate to respond from my phone but I need to get my two cents in. This is a horrible way to look at it and if I felt this way when I was diagnosed and through my treatment I wouldn't have been as positive.
I understand your point of view but as a cancer FIGHTER I don't feel this way at all and I would never tell anyone the same thing.
Insane Metal
Gold Member
Man I know how hard that can be, but be strong man, don't let yourself down. I hope you get better and 100% cured!
Stay well!
Stay well!
I'm sorry to hear about your losses. Cancer is a battle. It doesn't matter how early or late it's found but a person will endure because of the treatment. Your loved ones tried but cancer is a bitch. It's ability to evade treatment is beyond comprehension.
Boozeroony
Member
Unfortunately, it has never been proven that positive mind-set increases survival chances. Hate to say it...
It can ease the pain and suffering.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 18. I'm nearing 24 now with no sign of relapse. All-in-all I can say, looking back, it wasn't that bad. It's been a long while, so I can't remember my treatment schedule. But what I do remember is having maybe 1-2 okay days between treatment, which lasted about 5 months. The tumors shrink remarkably fast when the chemo does it's work. I also went through about 2 weeks of radiation treatment, which was nothing compared to the chemo. Though, assuming they use the same techniques/machinery, someone with claustrophobia may have some issues with it, but really, not bad at all.
Just make sure you gobble down a good amount of water after you finish your chemo each treatment, you need to get that chemo out of your bladder/kidneys as well as you can, so not to cause future issues you may have been able to prevent. If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer what I can, as it's been a while since I've had to deal with any of this stuff.
Also, my development of cancer was most likely caused my use of a prescription drug called Methotrexate, a drug used for chemo. This was for a extremely rare auto-immune disease which attacked my muscles. I was at the age of 13 when that happened. I have bad luck regarding my health.
Edit: I also think the whole "you can't beat cancer" shit needs to be kept to one self, it doesn't help anyone to have that kind of mentality, especially when you post it in someones thread about them having cancer. Fucking shit, man. Get some perspective.
Just make sure you gobble down a good amount of water after you finish your chemo each treatment, you need to get that chemo out of your bladder/kidneys as well as you can, so not to cause future issues you may have been able to prevent. If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer what I can, as it's been a while since I've had to deal with any of this stuff.
Also, my development of cancer was most likely caused my use of a prescription drug called Methotrexate, a drug used for chemo. This was for a extremely rare auto-immune disease which attacked my muscles. I was at the age of 13 when that happened. I have bad luck regarding my health.
Edit: I also think the whole "you can't beat cancer" shit needs to be kept to one self, it doesn't help anyone to have that kind of mentality, especially when you post it in someones thread about them having cancer. Fucking shit, man. Get some perspective.
kitchenmotors
Banned
I didn't have an agressive form, but a small amount had spread to my lymph nodes from the original testicular tumor. My oncologist said that my treatment is highly successful but it needs to be done within a certain space of time to be most effective.
I have to go for another CT scan at the end of the month and then a few more throughout the year. Blood tests will be once every 3 months. I never had to get a PET scan.
Lionheart1827
Member
Interesting. I had CTs and a PET. The CTs are so easy and fast where I went, and they are non claustrophobic. The PET on the other hand, at least the one I went to, is like an MRI. Ugh, gives me the chills just thinking about it.
I also forgot to mention, I had cancer for at least 6 months before I was diagnosed with it.
As far as how I discovered it, I was chilling out playing some WoW, and I just casual rubbed my neck and felt a somewhat smaller than a tennis ball sized lump on my neck. It decreased in size the next day, so that eased my mind. I eventually went to see my doctor about it, and at the time he wasn't concerned - the treatment of my then current ailment caused this kind of thing. And, again, eventually, I went back to see if I could get it removed, thinking it was just a mass of fat, or calcium, and he told me it was enlarging.
Then came the surgeries, bone marrow biopsy (ouch!) and heart scans, lung functions etc.
The treatment, or perhaps everything going on at the time, effecting me in the way of depression. I couldn't focus on the things I liked to do, even just playing video-games was almost impossible for me, because I just felt weird. It's a strange feeling and I don't think I can explain it well. But, they put me on anti-depressants for the duration, and I was fine afterwards. I waned off of them and I don't need them anymore.
I don't need anything medication wise, now. Everything is pretty much how it used to be. Only downside is I think about it every day.
I wish you all the best.
On an unrelated note: Holy shit, I think I may have enlarged lymph nodes. I actually went to my doctor for them, but he said that it might only be a bacterial infection and gave me some shitty creme... I think I might need to get myself a second opinion somewhere...
On an unrelated note: Holy shit, I think I may have enlarged lymph nodes. I actually went to my doctor for them, but he said that it might only be a bacterial infection and gave me some shitty creme... I think I might need to get myself a second opinion somewhere...
Lionheart1827
Member
I can agree with that. Its a weird feeling most closely akin to mental exhaustion and feeling kind of in a daze with random soreness around your body.
As for my lump, yeah it was literally on accident that I found it. Dont remember when I did, I think I was scratching there because I had an itch.
D
Deleted member 80556
Unconfirmed Member
I know you can go through this, man, but have this always on your mind: STAY POSITIVE. Always. Being positive can get your through many adverse situations, if you think this treatment is curing you, then it is.
Stay strong, man, and you have the best of my wishes.
Stay strong, man, and you have the best of my wishes.
itwasTuesday
He wasn't alone.
I got diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was 22, 27 now.
Been cured 3 times.
After the brain it went to my spine and lungs. Then parts of my ribs and hips. Doing chemo every night in pill form currently.
Hardest part for me was letting other people in that just wanted to help.
Prayers be with you op.
Been cured 3 times.
After the brain it went to my spine and lungs. Then parts of my ribs and hips. Doing chemo every night in pill form currently.
Hardest part for me was letting other people in that just wanted to help.
Prayers be with you op.
InvincibleAgent
Member
I knew a guy who had lymphoma. He died.
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I hope yours isn't as progressed. I think his had metastasized (sp?).
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I hope yours isn't as progressed. I think his had metastasized (sp?).
Lionheart1827
Member
I can see that. Yesterday when I was still in the hospital, I was waking up when my parents and one of my brothers came in, but I was so nauseous and generally feeling unwell, having them there was making me really anxious and overwhelmed, so I asked them if they can wait in the family room for a little while. They totally understood and of course didnt take any offense to it. Since I wasn't feeling great that day I only had one of them in the room at any given time since I didnt want to get overwhelmed.
Good luck Lionheart1827 my thoughts, and if you don't mind my saying, my prayers are with you. Keep strong and live up to your username! All will be fine, just keep your eyes on your future and soldier through this. I can't imagine what it must be like to go through personally, especially at our age (I'm 32, but still). You've got this!
I've had to be with other loved ones who have gone through cancer, like most other people have at one point or another. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Hopefully, one day, we'll have a true cure for it and we can eradicate it once and for all!
I've had to be with other loved ones who have gone through cancer, like most other people have at one point or another. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Hopefully, one day, we'll have a true cure for it and we can eradicate it once and for all!
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