The Cancer thread: Cancer, early warning signs, and detection

[DarkSkies]

Cancers like pancreatic cancer, spine cancer, and in some cases bone cancer, are probably to a large extent not curable. From what I've seen in life, anyone getting these types most often dies, albeit at different times.

The main point I'm trying to make here is that not all cancer is curable, no matter how much we hope and pray.

The best thing I have learned is that it's never too early to prepare for the possibility of death if you have a cancer diagnosis.

**Death is the final destination for us all..... but on the way there, there is nothing wrong with taking charge and celebrating our life, mending the broken fences of failed relationships and hurt feelings, and in general making peace with those we are close to.

Each and every person in this world has in some way been touched by cancer, and I'm sure some of you have some painful stories to tell.

I don't have to remind any fishermen out there that we have lost quite a few of our fishing brothers to cancer, one of the most recent being Gary Hull, the well-known maker of Gary2 plugs, who succumbed to complications from prostate cancer last year. RIP, Gary.

1. From a patients perspective, I'm not dead yet, stop acting like you're at a funeral or a wake.

2. If I need help and you're a good friend I'll probably ask for it.

3. Don't feed me some bs like "if I need anything call" if you don't mean it.

4. As I said before i always hated hearing the words "sorry to hear that". I would normally lead the conversation in the direction i wanted it to go. Much easier on the friends and family members. If i heard those words my response was usually, "if you're not laughing within the next few minutes I'm hanging up the phone". Trust me i had them laughing.

5. If you normally call once a week, keep it up. I suppose most people with family and friends get a hell of a lot more calls when they're sick. After awhile they get tired of answering the same questions over and over.

6. As a friend I believe it's your job to bring a little normalcy back to my life. I know I'm sick. The reason i know this is because i have a team of doctors, nurses, chemists and nuclear physicists telling me I'm sick and their treatments are probably bringing me as close to death as they can without killing me.

7. If I don't feel like talking I won't and if I do feel like talking, talk about whatever it is we talked about before, fishing, hunting, sports, women, work

Thanks for sharing those words of wisdom, Steve.

1. As far as the help, i've been let down in the past.
2. I seldom ask anyone for help, so if you tell me you'll be there, don't be shining me on. A few acquaintances offered help, I called on one or two and they were there when i needed them.

I'm the same way. It's very hard for me to ask. As a result, I usually don't ask, even when I need help.

Rich this is a great thread. I am no expert but just want to offer this. We can make a difference.Each of us can make a difference no matter how big or small.

Thanks for the positivity, and all your efforts, Doublerunner. Hope things are better for you now.

I figure most people go through the same things.

1. There's the what would i do if they told me I had X amount of time to live thinking.

2. When the diagnosis comes in all those things you may have said So you go through a stage of feeling sorry for yourself, woe is me, what did i do to deserve this, I'm not ready to die etc.

3. You spend some sleepless nights, while getting prepped for a battery of tests. Still haven't told a sole other than my brother and sister in law. Want all the facts first.
4. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I started seeing the humor in it. I suppose it's like public speaking where you imagine your audience naked. Laughing is easy. I could laugh all day without getting tired. Worrying and crying is stressful.
Choice is easy for me, find a way to keep laughing.

5. You start getting calls and e-mails, people telling you how brave you are and what courage you have. Perhaps by definition, but I saw nothing courageous in my actions. I didn't choose to have cancer. It's not like running into a burning building to save someone.

6. The humor is something else. I managed to find the lighter side in all my tests treatments and surgeries and rather than avoid the subject, i just turned it into a comedy routine. all i needed was an audience.

cheers
steve

I took some of Doublerunner's and Shaky/Steve's comments, and put them in bullet points.
There is some incredible wisdom here and I wanted to re-visit it.

The thing that I have noticed is that when someone gets cancer, a lot of their friends and acquaintances tend to avoid the subject, or avoid them.
This isn't being callous or cruel.....many folks simply don't know what to say, and feel their words of support may fall short, or feel inadequate.
That's completely normal, but it's not helpful to the person who has cancer.

**If you do know someone who is going through this....some thoughts....per the comments above...
1. Celebrate life.....with them, and get together to savor every last moment....before it's too late...
2. Laughter...the best medicine...it has gotten me through the worst of times....and it can help, in situations like this, where one might be uncomfortable with the possibilities of death and dying....try your best to help that person laugh....you won't regret it.....

[plugcrazy]

great thread. My uncle had prostate cancer and survived. I got checked in December. It was a little weird having something up your butt, but hey they knock you out anyway. Had good results. Next test in 5 years. For anyone on the fence about it I say go and do it.