I caught the cancer

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

11 minutes ago, hornbri said:

Reading this thread has been helpful. In the middle of a scare right now, wife has a large mass in her upper arm, doctors suspect Scaroma from the MRI but we are waiting on the biopsy still. She is 45 and the toughest person i know. 

Just scared, but reading this thread and been inspirational and keeping me positive while we wait for the results. Y’all are some tough fuckers. 

I bet your wife is gonna do great. I used to hate going to the doctor and maybe hearing about something new. Now I'm like "What's the recon report, let's hunt it down and kill it."

In an odd way I am grateful to cancer. Before it, I kind of shuffled along doing stuff I didn't like, because that's what we do. I didn't take a stab at things I really wanted to do that weren't "practical." Post-cancer, I had the power to say "Fuck that shit, I ain't doin' it, I got cancer," and then I was a free man. Oddly started making more $ doing the non-practical stuff. Funny world.

The thing is, things that seem horrible when you first imagine them, when they land on you, you just deal with it. What helped me at first was seeing all the old-ass Stage 4 patients at treatment, some of them had been plugging along for 20-30 years with primitive treatments, just putting one foot in front of the other. Now we've got good stuff, and we'll get better stuff tomorrow and the next day.

Give her a hug. She's gonna do great.

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

Spent the days before my latest scan filled with dread, convinced my luck had run out and I'd be full of goblins. But then I decided, "Fuck cancer, I'm gonna have a good day no matter what cancer wants to do."

Saw the doc this morning, she handed me the report, and summed it up: "This was a GOOD scan." Nothing grew, some lesions even went down a little.

I told her I posted on a football board where there was a cancer section and I'd share this good news. She wants me to tell all y'all fuckers to buck up, eat healthy, take your medicine, and be of good cheer.

Now to avoid falling down the stairs.

Edited February 9 by RDCanecutter

[Gatorubet 30,246]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:51 AM, RDCanecutter said:

I told her I posted on a football board where there was a cancer section and I'd share this good news. She wants me to tell all y'all fuckers to buck up, eat healthy, take your medicine, and be of good cheer.

Reporting from New Orleans, RD: 

What kind of quack are you going to?

On 2/9/2024 at 10:51 AM, RDCanecutter said:

Now to avoid falling down the stairs.

Also, do you have a cat?

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

8 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

Reporting from New Orleans, RD: 

What kind of quack are you going to?

Also, do you have a cat?

A little dog who has learned to carry her rubber balls all over the house. Glad I didn't buy her land mines.

[seven 1,367]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:51 AM, RDCanecutter said:

Spent the days before my latest scan filled with dread, convinced my luck had run out and I'd be full of goblins. But then I decided, "Fuck cancer, I'm gonna have a good day no matter what cancer wants to do."

Saw the doc this morning, she handed me the report, and summed it up: "This was a GOOD scan." Nothing grew, some lesions even went down a little.

I told her I posted on a football board where there was a cancer section and I'd share this good news. She wants me to tell all y'all fuckers to buck up, eat healthy, take your medicine, and be of good cheer.

Now to avoid falling down the stairs.

This is the baseline for realistic good news. Grats on the good scan buddy. 

 

I'm meeting with radiology, surgery, and liver specialists over the next week to start planning the next course of action. Still have 5 months or so until the current treatment will lose efficacy. 

[seven 1,367]

Radiology suggests injecting a pellet into my liver to hopefully kill the two large (golf ball+ size) lesions on the left lobe. There are some 1 cm lesions on the other lobe though so it's unclear how those will be handled. Would have to be paired with colon tumor resection (11cm!). Meeting with the surgeon on Monday and liver specialist Wednesday, so we'll see what their thoughts are. 

[Stringer 1,439]

On 1/26/2024 at 7:02 PM, Gatorubet said:

Let us know when the test turns out great next week!

Thanks for checking in.  Sorry I haven't given any updates.

My 180 day marrow tests came back negative and my engraftment test said 100%, essentially meaning I have all new marrow.  Wild.

It's been really hard to process, mainly because my doctor said that he doesn't really feel we're done until 2 years post-transplant.  He said he's only had one or two come back because of a relapse after 2 years.  That said, all of the current metrics are right where they need to be, so I'm in the best position I could be in.  In general, I feel 100% normal outside of some minor issues here and there.  Just have to wait out another 18 months.  My marrow tests will be every 6 months from here on (assuming no relapse) and I'll see the doctor when I go get them done.  I do have to keep doing blood tests weekly for now here in Austin to make sure my meds aren't causing issues.  I will slowly be able to wean off of those in the future, so looking forward to that.

He does want me on a drug that he thinks helps keep it away, as they have had good results with it on relapses.  My insurance rejected it because they're fucks who know more than the best cancer hospital in the world.  I asked what the out of pocket was and they told me it was $19K.  Per month.  I'm waiting on a response on my appeal, but how is that in any way a properly functioning industry?

Good luck to everyone.  Keep truckin'

TLDR: Best place I can be, but still need to stay vigilant.  Fuck medical costs and insurance companies.

 

[Sbbruin 21,861]

Yeah, if it's an immunotherapy drug, it is crazy expensive.  I was on Opdivo and it was $25K per pop, and I was doing it 2x's/month.  Insurance covered it all thankfully.  Had to get off it.  Now on a different drug, Rinvoq, for ulcerative colitis that was triggered by the Opdivo.  That runs $15k per month for just pills.  Shit's crazy yo.

Just got my 6 month scans, and the doc yesterday called to results "ambiguous."  Couple of enlarged lymph nodes and the spot on my liver from before is larger.  But he doesn't seem overly concerned, although he wants to order me a PET scan to be certain.  So we'll see.  Can't let myself worry about it.

One of my oldest friends (first grade) just told me he has a brain tumor.  UCLA thinks it's operable and has a decent outlook, but fuck cancer.  Motherfucker.

[Sal 1,088]

On 2/9/2024 at 11:51 AM, RDCanecutter said:

Spent the days before my latest scan filled with dread, convinced my luck had run out and I'd be full of goblins. But then I decided, "Fuck cancer, I'm gonna have a good day no matter what cancer wants to do."

Saw the doc this morning, she handed me the report, and summed it up: "This was a GOOD scan." Nothing grew, some lesions even went down a little.

I told her I posted on a football board where there was a cancer section and I'd share this good news. She wants me to tell all y'all fuckers to buck up, eat healthy, take your medicine, and be of good cheer.

Now to avoid falling down the stairs.

The pre-scan anxiety is real. My scans are on Tuesday, and  warn people in advance that I’ll get more anxious as we get closer but will be fine. I’m now about eight months into remission. Just one more good set of scans should get more through graduation of business school, then I can come back to Texas. 

[Basil 755]

29 minutes ago, Sal said:

The pre-scan anxiety is real. My scans are on Tuesday, and  warn people in advance that I’ll get more anxious as we get closer but will be fine. I’m now about eight months into remission. Just one more good set of scans should get more through graduation of business school, then I can come back to Texas. 

Scanxiety sucks ass and there ain't nothing you can do about it unless you want to pop xanax like candy.  But it's a hell of a day when you get a good report - in my case the glory words were "no evidence of metastatic disease."  Good luck!

[Gatorubet 30,246]

On 2/15/2024 at 3:45 PM, Stringer said:

Thanks for checking in.  Sorry I haven't given any updates.

My 180 day marrow tests came back negative and my engraftment test said 100%, essentially meaning I have all new marrow.  Wild.

It's been really hard to process, mainly because my doctor said that he doesn't really feel we're done until 2 years post-transplant.  He said he's only had one or two come back because of a relapse after 2 years.  That said, all of the current metrics are right where they need to be, so I'm in the best position I could be in.  In general, I feel 100% normal outside of some minor issues here and there.  Just have to wait out another 18 months.  My marrow tests will be every 6 months from here on (assuming no relapse) and I'll see the doctor when I go get them done.  I do have to keep doing blood tests weekly for now here in Austin to make sure my meds aren't causing issues.  I will slowly be able to wean off of those in the future, so looking forward to that.

He does want me on a drug that he thinks helps keep it away, as they have had good results with it on relapses.  My insurance rejected it because they're fucks who know more than the best cancer hospital in the world.  I asked what the out of pocket was and they told me it was $19K.  Per month.  I'm waiting on a response on my appeal, but how is that in any way a properly functioning industry?

Good luck to everyone.  Keep truckin'

TLDR: Best place I can be, but still need to stay vigilant.  Fuck medical costs and insurance companies.

 

sometimes they’ll pull that shit until they get a letter from your lawyer saying we’re about to sue you for bad faith. Then they look around shuffle some papers and go “on second thought looks like you’re covered.”

[Gatorubet 30,246]

On 2/16/2024 at 4:36 PM, Sbbruin said:

Yeah, if it's an immunotherapy drug, it is crazy expensive.  I was on Opdivo and it was $25K per pop, and I was doing it 2x's/month.  Insurance covered it all thankfully.  Had to get off it.  Now on a different drug, Rinvoq, for ulcerative colitis that was triggered by the Opdivo.  That runs $15k per month for just pills.  Shit's crazy yo.

Just got my 6 month scans, and the doc yesterday called to results "ambiguous."  Couple of enlarged lymph nodes and the spot on my liver from before is larger.  But he doesn't seem overly concerned, although he wants to order me a PET scan to be certain.  So we'll see.  Can't let myself worry about it.

One of my oldest friends (first grade) just told me he has a brain tumor.  UCLA thinks it's operable and has a decent outlook, but fuck cancer.  Motherfucker.

When is your Pet SB?

[Sbbruin 21,861]

Just now, Gatorubet said:

When is your Pet SB?

Saturday 3/2.  

[Gatorubet 30,246]

I’m predicting a PET scan that looks like a satellite view of North Korea at midnight

[Gatorubet 30,246]

4 hours ago, Sal said:

The pre-scan anxiety is real. My scans are on Tuesday, and  warn people in advance that I’ll get more anxious as we get closer but will be fine. I’m now about eight months into remission. Just one more good set of scans should get more through graduation of business school, then I can come back to Texas. 

my initial stage 4 diagnosis was five years ago post-surgery in April.  I have an upcoming scan in May.  I was on the every three month scan for three years.  Trust me, it is never not on your mind.

[hornbri 1,400]

On 2/7/2024 at 10:07 AM, hornbri said:

Reading this thread has been helpful. In the middle of a scare right now, wife has a large mass in her upper arm, doctors suspect Scaroma from the MRI but we are waiting on the biopsy still. She is 45 and the toughest person i know. 

Just scared, but reading this thread and been inspirational and keeping me positive while we wait for the results. Y’all are some tough fuckers. 

update, I had been avoiding this. 

I posted this on 2/7, I 2/14 we found out the tumor was in fact an aggressive cancer (Rhabdomyosarcoma), and had grown so large, and started to effect nearby lymph nodes, there was not a choice and we had to amputate. Life and death choices become crystal clear when you need to make them. So on 2/15 she had surgery. 

She has been super tough, and was up and walking a hour after surgery, home in 2 days and doing almost everything she was doing before already and is ready for the next fight. She has been truly inspirational to our whole family. 

Tomorrow we have the follow up from surgery to hear the pathology results and hopefully negative margins, and the follow up plan for chemotherapy, even with the tumor removed she will need chemo due to the aggressive nature of the cancer. (She did have a bone scan with contrast and a CT scan of her whole abdomen pre-surgery that showed no other signs of cancer).

It has been a ton in a short time, but it really makes you value every day you have. 

Edited February 26 by hornbri

[Sbbruin 21,861]

Wow, what a journey @hornbri.  Your wife seems like a tough son of a gun.  Praying for continued recovery.

[Brisketexan 105,154]

Well, fuck, hornbri.  Hope the future news is good, and y'all knocked this fucker all the way out, and chemo is just pissing on the ashes, metaphorically.

Later, we'll update this thread to say something about one-armed handies....but not today.  Today is for praising your wife for being a matter-of-fact tough lady, and you're lucky to have her.  But later.  Because this is Surly.

[Gatorubet 30,246]

When she’s healed, would she mind going to Ukraine? Pretty sure she could have this thing over within a week.

She sounds like she has exactly the mindset you need to kick cancer in its worthless taint.   

Given the issue of metastasis, have they ever told you to do a pet scan? If not, (or, I forgot what you set up thread) that might not be a bad idea.

[hornbri 1,400]

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, fuck, hornbri.  Hope the future news is good, and y'all knocked this fucker all the way out, and chemo is just pissing on the ashes, metaphorically.

Later, we'll update this thread to say something about one-armed handies....but not today.  Today is for praising your wife for being a matter-of-fact tough lady, and you're lucky to have her.  But later.  Because this is Surly.

In post op she was sharing beauty tips with the nurses and commented she even figured out a way to get half off her manicures. 

[Brisketexan 105,154]

7 minutes ago, hornbri said:

In post op she was sharing beauty tips with the nurses and commented she even figured out a way to get half off her manicures. 

Digging your wife, man.  That's how you stare this shit in the face and say "bitch please."

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

1 hour ago, hornbri said:

In post op she was sharing beauty tips with the nurses and commented she even figured out a way to get half off her manicures. 

Sounds like you are lucky to know her. I hope y'all get the most boring scans in the history of scans.

[jimmyjazz 45,976]

2 hours ago, hornbri said:

In post op she was sharing beauty tips with the nurses and commented she even figured out a way to get half off her manicures. 

Holy shit.  Now THAT'S an attitude.

It reminds me of a friend in college who had to have his arm amputated because the docs didn't handle setting it in a cast correctly after he broke it.  He sued, and won.  Showed up one day in a brand new car.  

Us:  "Holy shit Troy, that's a beautiful ride.  How much did it cost?"

Troy:  "An arm and a leg, but I got a discount."

 

Kudos to your wife, she sounds like a total badass.

[Sbbruin 21,861]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:34 PM, Gatorubet said:

I’m predicting a PET scan that looks like a satellite view of North Korea at midnight

Turns out that was about right.  Lymph nodes are a little enlarged, so they want to bump up my next scan to 3 months instead of 6 months to just keep a close eye on it.  But good news overall.

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

So the good news is the brain tumor they found is tiny.  About 7mm by 6. They found it on an MRI they ordered because I had a weird loss of fine control in my left hand. Doc said usually it'd have to grow for a year more before anybody noticed, but I guess I'm like the Princess and the Pea.

Anyway, the good stuff is I get to meet the doctor who runs the Gamma Knife, where they strap me into a Star Wars headset and they zap me with a tiny precise bolt of radiation, then I leave the office and eat some biscuits and gravy. 

No telling how long this little tumor has been there, and just now leaned on some nerves. Funny thing is, yesterday I noticed that my hand worked fine, like nothing had happened. Maybe the goblins took a break, or else my brain set up some alternate routes.

[hornbri 1,400]

6 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Anyway, the good stuff is I get to meet the doctor who runs the Gamma Knife, where they strap me into a Star Wars headset and they zap me with a tiny precise bolt of radiation, then I leave the office and eat some biscuits and gravy. 

The technology part of all this is pretty cool. Hope it goes well. 

Wife started Chemo today, we did do a PET scan right before chemo to make sure their is nothing else (after the Bone and CT scan) and it saw one little enraged lymph node and a couple small nodules in in gut. Nothing to stop the current plan, just stuff to watch. Which was a good update at last. 

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

15 minutes ago, hornbri said:

The technology part of all this is pretty cool. Hope it goes well. 

Wife started Chemo today, we did do a PET scan right before chemo to make sure their is nothing else (after the Bone and CT scan) and it saw one little enraged lymph node and a couple small nodules in in gut. Nothing to stop the current plan, just stuff to watch. Which was a good update at last. 

My mindset is that the price of being alive after a cancer diagnosis is to occasionally have something pop up, then have the nice doctors play whack-a-mole with it. Otherwise, just eat lots of salmon and broccoli, enjoy walks around the neighborhood. 

PS: My PET scan way back when, they had me relax in the waiting room in my personal room lying back in a recliner while they played music and showed me videos of flowers. A tad too close to Soylent Green, but it amused me.

Edited March 22 by RDCanecutter

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

Well this morning I zipped over the hill into the UAB Medical Megaplex downtown, docs think a simple zapping operation has an 8 to 9 out of ten chance of me winning the non-brain-tumor lottery.

I'm gonna get a LINACC treatment, Linear Accelerator treatment. Tech said it was better than Gamma Knife. What they do is literally bolt your head immobile inside this sort of form-fitting Power Ranger mask that fits only you. We did this today. The mask melts to your face. THE MASK MELTS TO YOUR FACE. I said, th'motherfuckin MASK melts to your FACE, maaan. OK, not boiling hot, but you are aware that it is warm. Then you are bolted flat inside your cooling-and-hardening mask and they run test CT scans so they can come back after a week of calculations and zap through the mask at the precise angle.

Dude said they usually swing the radiation blasts around in a circle aimed at the tumor, so most of your brain gets nothing, small strips get a minor dose, and the target at the center writhes in the wrath of 100 exploding suns.

I gotta admit I found all this ghoulishly enjoyable and better than any ride at Space Mountain. It made up for the nurse getting the yips and stabbing three perfectly good veins before she could start my thingamabob for them to pump hot radioactive contrast in my body. But we who are about to receive super powers must be patient with our fellow Earthlings.

After the treatment I get to keep my bespoke mask. When Day of the Dead comes around, if I am not actually dead, I plan to paint it up like some Pre-Hispanic Death God maybe with some big green feathers sprouting in a circle off the rim where they bolted it to the back half.

[hornbri 1,400]

2 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

. But we who are about to receive super powers must be patient with our fellow Earthlings.

After the treatment I get to keep my bespoke mask. When Day of the Dead comes around, if I am not actually dead, I plan to paint it up like some Pre-Hispanic Death God maybe with some big green feathers sprouting in a circle off the rim where they bolted it to the back half.

You know with between this, the super hero/villain mask and the solar eclipse….I feel an origin story coming together. 

[jimmyjazz 45,976]

3 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

Well this morning . . . 

Damn, man, I gotta say I admire your attitude.  I hope I'm in a similar mindset when it's my turn.

Extra credit for the nurse "getting the yips".  Bernhard says "hey".

 

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

14 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Damn, man, I gotta say I admire your attitude.  I hope I'm in a similar mindset when it's my turn.

Extra credit for the nurse "getting the yips".  Bernhard says "hey".

 

Well, the first time I saw a CT with a massive tumor in it, I felt like I had been doused in ice water and went home and prepared for an early death.

Then they popped it out, and my Inner Viking started to come out as I recovered quickly with clean margins. I showed up way early to get the staples popped out, just sort of being sassy after being terrified.

Then two years later I got doused with mental ice water again when it turned out that a few stray tumor cells had fled to Argentina (chest and neck) before the fall of the Tumor Third Reich. I figured I was getting eaten up like an old shed full of termites.

Except that Immunotherapy worked, well. Eat right, mild exercise, Inner Viking grows more.

So when it turned out recently that some cells had passed the blood/brain barrier who knows when, I wasn't HAPPY, but no ice water either. Just time to go to work. A pleasant by-product of waiting til now to have brain tumors is they can treat them with less gore than getting a crown on a tooth.

After zapping I'll probably get put on another immunotherapy course for a while to exterminate any unseen zingers lurking in other parts of the grey matter. I'll draw cartoons and joke with nurses.

It's not so much being brave as it is adjusting to something ordinary. It helps that the tech and the chemicals are interesting.

But I did flaunt my Inner Viking yesterday when the nurse offered to arrange a van to pick me up for treatment. I said, "One day, will come the day that I need the van. But that day, is not THIS day."

I mean, fuck it.

[Gatorubet 30,246]

On 2/15/2024 at 3:45 PM, Stringer said:

Thanks for checking in.  Sorry I haven't given any updates.

My 180 day marrow tests came back negative and my engraftment test said 100%, essentially meaning I have all new marrow.  Wild.

It's been really hard to process, mainly because my doctor said that he doesn't really feel we're done until 2 years post-transplant.  He said he's only had one or two come back because of a relapse after 2 years.  That said, all of the current metrics are right where they need to be, so I'm in the best position I could be in.  In general, I feel 100% normal outside of some minor issues here and there.  Just have to wait out another 18 months.  My marrow tests will be every 6 months from here on (assuming no relapse) and I'll see the doctor when I go get them done.  I do have to keep doing blood tests weekly for now here in Austin to make sure my meds aren't causing issues.  I will slowly be able to wean off of those in the future, so looking forward to that.

He does want me on a drug that he thinks helps keep it away, as they have had good results with it on relapses.  My insurance rejected it because they're fucks who know more than the best cancer hospital in the world.  I asked what the out of pocket was and they told me it was $19K.  Per month.  I'm waiting on a response on my appeal, but how is that in any way a properly functioning industry?

Good luck to everyone.  Keep truckin'

TLDR: Best place I can be, but still need to stay vigilant.  Fuck medical costs and insurance companies.

 

Every single client I’ve had in my life who wound up with a bunch of money- or at least more money than they had before they saw me- had insurance company saying blah blah blah no.

I’ve had lots of defense attorneys tell me that the insurance policy and question did not pay for what I was suing them for.  and yet they wrote checks from that insurance company.

Maybe they are right, but maybe they are saying no because they want to save money, not because you don’t have a right to it.   Run it by an attorney who is experienced in dealing with healthcare insurance and see what they say. If they are not paying, for your drug there is really nothing to lose. if they are acting in bad faith, you could likely get a lawyer to take your case on a contingency basis, so it will not cost you a dime.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

On 2/16/2024 at 4:36 PM, Sbbruin said:

Yeah, if it's an immunotherapy drug, it is crazy expensive.  I was on Opdivo and it was $25K per pop, and I was doing it 2x's/month.  Insurance covered it all thankfully.  Had to get off it.  Now on a different drug, Rinvoq, for ulcerative colitis that was triggered by the Opdivo.  That runs $15k per month for just pills.  Shit's crazy yo.

Just got my 6 month scans, and the doc yesterday called to results "ambiguous."  Couple of enlarged lymph nodes and the spot on my liver from before is larger.  But he doesn't seem overly concerned, although he wants to order me a PET scan to be certain.  So we'll see.  Can't let myself worry about it.

One of my oldest friends (first grade) just told me he has a brain tumor.  UCLA thinks it's operable and has a decent outlook, but fuck cancer.  Motherfucker.

My wife looked up the retail price of the 15mg maintenance dose of Rinvoq. It’s $180 a pill. Epocrates doesn’t give the price of the typical 45mg starter dose, but that might be what you’re talking about. I don’t have a subscription to Epocrates, so no linky.

My daughter has UC, and she just went on Rinvoq.

 

[Sbbruin 21,861]

45 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

My wife looked up the retail price of the 15mg maintenance dose of Rinvoq. It’s $180 a pill. Epocrates doesn’t give the price of the typical 45mg starter dose, but that might be what you’re talking about. I don’t have a subscription to Epocrates, so no linky.

My daughter has UC, and she just went on Rinvoq.

 

I'm on 45mg, so I think my EOB said $15K.  But my next batch will be scaled down to 15mg.  

Edited March 28 by Sbbruin

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

We found out that a  lot of the drug prices are imaginary retail prices-- I mean, they're pretty damn real when you're paying them-- but there is usually some way to get it knocked way down.

We aren't rich but we save enough that we never had to skip a treatment for sake of money. But a lot of people who maybe don't know how to get the inside info are fuuuucked.

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

Got me an appointment with the brain zapper tomorrow. I am ready to go, I'd push the button myself if I could. Bolt me in, fire up the Saturn V.

In more mundane activities, I got some free pills from CVS this morning. I always have them print out that long receipt full of Confederate money, and I hit a lucky streak and won 10 free Payday fun-size bars at not even a one cent cost to me. So I gave half of them to the pharmacy crew. You never know if they can hit that thing just right to make it happen again.

 

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

Oh, and apparently this Dexamethasone they gave me to keep the tumor from dropping me in a conniption fit, plus the tumor itself, have leaned onto my body to make me a fully-functional diabetic in the past few days. I got this news while I was sitting out on the deck scarfing down a huge slice of home-made bread. I pitched it over the garage, maybe into our neighbor's back yard.

Cole slaw, meat, fish and water, and maybe a nice glucometer from the drug store after I exercise my diabetic ass off walking there.

[InkaUtexas 25,986]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Got me an appointment with the brain zapper tomorrow. I am ready to go, I'd push the button myself if I could. Bolt me in, fire up the Saturn V.

In more mundane activities, I got some free pills from CVS this morning. I always have them print out that long receipt full of Confederate money, and I hit a lucky streak and won 10 free Payday fun-size bars at not even a one cent cost to me. So I gave half of them to the pharmacy crew. You never know if they can hit that thing just right to make it happen again.

 

Great movie. better book. Hurry up and get better. This site needs your insight into the great things of the world.

Always loved the dog scene.

[PRONG HORN 3,146]

24 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

 

Cole slaw, meat, fish and water, and maybe a nice glucometer from the drug store after I exercise my diabetic ass off walking there.

we still have people who get all excited about cutting carbs/sugar for diabetes, but not for cancer?

 

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

2 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

we still have people who get all excited about cutting carbs/sugar for diabetes, but not for cancer?

 

Hey, I may be ignunt, but I'm damn good-lookin.

[irishtexan 11,521]

3 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

we still have people who get all excited about cutting carbs/sugar for diabetes, but not for cancer?

 

we still have people judging other people who have cancer?

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

43 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

we still have people judging other people who have cancer?

Didn't bother me any.

The faux-diabetes will probably pass away after the zapping and dropping the steroids. I am not a big fat person. Unless that is what you're hiring.

I didn't know my sugar was high until they called me while I was chewing on the bread. That chunk of bread was bad news. Way too dense. Seriously, this is what happened to the knife:

[Stringer 1,439]

I've asked multiple doctors and nutritionists specifically about sugar intake.  This includes doctors and nutritionists at MD Anderson.  They all say natural sugars are good, but it's good to stay away from added sugars.  Mostly, due to added sugars just being unhealthy and cancer appearing/recurring in unhealthy individuals.  Not a direct link.

Just FYI on my discussions but others may have heard differently.

[PRONG HORN 3,146]

I’ll probably say this fairly often in this thread 

 

Cancer cells have double the number of glucose receptors as regular cells in the body.  

So, carbs/sugar are much much more important to the growth of cancer cells than other cells in the body.  Cancer needs glucose to grow.  That’s why fasting is so powerful when fighting cancer.  If you don’t want to fast, cut all the carbs. 

Rest very assured that doctors at MD know all about the reasons why you should cut carbs from your diet but the big mystery is that they don’t include it in treatment strategy’s.  
 

It’s just one of those things that doctors “choose” not to get involved in.  

[Hate 20,112]

I can confirm that MD Anderson barely mentioned diet during the course of my treatment. 

[irishtexan 11,521]

9 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

I’ll probably say this fairly often in this thread 

 

Cancer cells have double the number of glucose receptors as regular cells in the body.  

So, carbs/sugar are much much more important to the growth of cancer cells than other cells in the body.  Cancer needs glucose to grow.  That’s why fasting is so powerful when fighting cancer.  If you don’t want to fast, cut all the carbs. 

Rest very assured that doctors at MD know all about the reasons why you should cut carbs from your diet but the big mystery is that they don’t include it in treatment strategy’s.  
 

It’s just one of those things that doctors “choose” not to get involved in.  

well, when you say it like that you seem like much less of a dickhead.

[Hornius Emeritus 12,471]

9 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

I’ll probably say this fairly often in this thread 

 

Cancer cells have double the number of glucose receptors as regular cells in the body.  

So, carbs/sugar are much much more important to the growth of cancer cells than other cells in the body.  Cancer needs glucose to grow.  That’s why fasting is so powerful when fighting cancer.  If you don’t want to fast, cut all the carbs. 

Rest very assured that doctors at MD know all about the reasons why you should cut carbs from your diet but the big mystery is that they don’t include it in treatment strategy’s.  
 

It’s just one of those things that doctors “choose” not to get involved in.  

I have no cancer as far as I know, but I make these giant smoothies that I drink daily. The following makes 2 smoothies, each one being a quart.

a base of skim milk and kefir

a large handful of kale, a handful of spinach, a handful of carrots, and a handful of broccoli

a handful of almonds, a handful of walnuts, a handful of cashews, 4-5 brazil nuts

about 1/4 of a cup of oats, dashes of chia seeds and flax seeds, a small amount of gogi berries

two bananas, two small pears, a braeburn apple, three mandarin oranges, and about 2/3rds of a cup of blueberries


I use the fruit to sweeten the smoothie, which is actually pretty sweet. I'm wondering if, based on the whole "sugars feed cancer" thing, if I should be cutting back on the fruit.



 

[Basil 755]

9 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

I’ll probably say this fairly often in this thread 

 

Cancer cells have double the number of glucose receptors as regular cells in the body.  

So, carbs/sugar are much much more important to the growth of cancer cells than other cells in the body.  Cancer needs glucose to grow.  That’s why fasting is so powerful when fighting cancer.  If you don’t want to fast, cut all the carbs. 

Rest very assured that doctors at MD know all about the reasons why you should cut carbs from your diet but the big mystery is that they don’t include it in treatment strategy’s.  
 

It’s just one of those things that doctors “choose” not to get involved in.  

I've been through the ringer at MDAnderson for stage 3 colorectal cancer.  My oncologist was a self-admitted stats freak.  He printed and gave me studies on treatment options for the exact positions I was in, both before treatment and during treatment as my cancer landscape changed.  He told me there was no evidence that sugar feeds cancer cells differently from other cells and no evidence you can starve cancer by cutting carbs. 

[Stringer 1,439]

I’ll probably say this fairly often in this thread 
 
Cancer cells have double the number of glucose receptors as regular cells in the body.  
So, carbs/sugar are much much more important to the growth of cancer cells than other cells in the body.  Cancer needs glucose to grow.  That’s why fasting is so powerful when fighting cancer.  If you don’t want to fast, cut all the carbs. 
Rest very assured that doctors at MD know all about the reasons why you should cut carbs from your diet but the big mystery is that they don’t include it in treatment strategy’s.  
 
It’s just one of those things that doctors “choose” not to get involved in.  

Can I ask where you get your info from? Legitimately curious.

“Cancer doctors/nutritionists just don’t want to get involved in preventing cancer” isn’t going to make me throw the advice I have gotten in the trash, but I could be convinced to keep a better eye on carbs/sugar.

[RDCanecutter 26,452]

Last night I stabbed myself several times with the glucose meter while yelling made-up Japanese words like a samurai.

Numbers were High As Fuck, though trending down. Stalked my doc's home phone through one of those people-finder sites, she was cool about it, said it's steroids and will go away soon, but if I wanted to I should maybe stop by a Doc-in-the-Box. So I did, every one was closed, and I got home by memory because my vision blurred. 

I said hell no to emergency rooms because I could see getting trapped in one until my numbers went down, and I would would miss my radiation party day today.

Big mistake, because I woke up dead. No, wait.

Nice morning of water and non-carb food, soon to be followed by a 2-mile stroll. I'll test the glucose again after that, then we enter into Zapping World.

Edited April 4 by RDCanecutter