ArtsieSteph's dad's cancer superthread

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ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#241
Apr 1, 2014
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#241
Hahaha that’s the one we are exactly at.

BUT BESIDES THAT HUGE HUGE HUGE praise report. Dad has been scheduled not only for a scan that will check how big the tumor is, but will start immune therapy (the one that God willing can actually cure him) next week. I have so many emotions right now but the biggest one is thankfulness and hope.
 
tourist

tourist

Senior Member
#242
Mar 13, 2014
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#242
ArtsieSteph said:
The cancer center is weird. They are open on the weekends for sure, they take things out if people need to, but they don’t have infusions or appointments and I don’t even know if the cafeteria is open either. Today daddy is going to church so that will help him.
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It might be a blessing if the cafeteria is not open. Maybe they have a coffee bar.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#243
#243
tourist said:
It might be a blessing if the cafeteria is not open. Maybe they have a coffee bar.
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Funny thing I noticed was the inability to get something healthy at the hospital. The three main ingredients for everything they offer visitors is sugar, grease, or salt.

I'm diabetic, have no gall bladder, and John was eliminating salt for so long, that I stopped liking the taste. Oh, and that's how I got hooked on Frito's -- the healthiest thing in vending machines. lol
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#244
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So there's a possibility my dad's cancer has metastasized to his lungs. It said it had "abnormal activity" in some areas, but we haven't heard officially from the doctor. I feel very numb and scared. Not really sure what to do right now.
 
tourist

tourist

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#245
Mar 13, 2014
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#245
ArtsieSteph said:
So there's a possibility my dad's cancer has metastasized to his lungs. It said it had "abnormal activity" in some areas, but we haven't heard officially from the doctor. I feel very numb and scared. Not really sure what to do right now.
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There wouldn't be much that you can do for your dad regardless. I appreciate that you want to take care of your dad but you have put your own life on hold for the longest time. Eventually, you will have to start moving forward again in your career plans and possible romantic interest.
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#246
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I don’t even want to think that far ahead right now. I just want everyone to tell me it’s gonna be ok and that my daddy is gonna be ok. I just....I don’t know.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#247
#247
ArtsieSteph said:
So there's a possibility my dad's cancer has metastasized to his lungs. It said it had "abnormal activity" in some areas, but we haven't heard officially from the doctor. I feel very numb and scared. Not really sure what to do right now.
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You <-----------> Bridge.

Try to not be crossing the bridge until you get to it, because you don't know if you get that bridge.

John's lungs always get weird readings. His mother had tuberculous when she was a little girl, and somehow that passed on to her two oldest sons. Not the active TB. Just weird shadows and funky things on his lung. I'm sure there are other reasons for weird things in lungs. It might be what you fear, but it might not be. You haven't reached that bridge to know yet. Try not to let the worry nest in your brain. (Not saying you can not-worry, just don't focus on it.)
 
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pottersclay

Guest
#248
#248
ArtsieSteph said:
I don’t even want to think that far ahead right now. I just want everyone to tell me it’s gonna be ok and that my daddy is gonna be ok. I just....I don’t know.
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Sweetheart I don't know if everything will be alright but I do know we serve a God of the impossible. I'm standing right with you now, asking for peace to enter in. Our faith sometimes takes us to places we don't want to enter, to things and thoughts that we don't want to consider. My heart goes out to you and yours but I know that is useless to hear right now in the turmoil your in. So I stand.
What I have learned is to except both sides of the coin, it is the most difficult heart wrenching thing you might ever do but I promise you the Lord will meet you there and in his own special way speak to you and lighten the load.

On the other end of this nightmare....hey.....we don't know for sure so we keep focused on the things we do...God....our merciful, wonderful, healing ,all powerful, Lord is still in control, he has made a way and a place for us all but never the less he has felt our hurts, our sorrow, he keeps our tears in a bottle of rememberance untill all things are known and he can wipe the last of the tears away.

Steph be kind to yourself....rest in the Lord. Trust God. He loves you.


Potter.
 
tourist

tourist

Senior Member
#249
Mar 13, 2014
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#249
ArtsieSteph said:
I don’t even want to think that far ahead right now. I just want everyone to tell me it’s gonna be ok and that my daddy is gonna be ok. I just....I don’t know.
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It is just best to pray for God's will and desire to be accomplished in your dad and leave it at that. God may or may not heal your dad in this lifetime so you're going to have to accept that and be the best daughter than you can in the time you have left together. That time may be considerable or perhaps not but you still have your own life to live and you have to plan for that. It's not easy losing a parent, I understand that because I lost my dad to cancer years ago but life does indeed go on.
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#250
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I’ve honestly been a little confused because mom and dad don’t seem to be too worried about this situation. But Dad apparently did get a direct call from one of the doctors I think, and they basically said that he doesn’t have any tumors in his lungs right now but he does have some “added activity“ so that could mean that maybe he has more cancer cells that are accumulating in there? At this point Dad said that it’s not much more of a big deal then what all has been happening so far, so I guess all we can do is just do the regular chemo infusions and see what happens. The pet scan they said showed that the chemo actually was working so that’s a good thing
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

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#251
Feb 21, 2014
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#251
Maybe the added activity is God healing daddy... :)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#253
#253
ArtsieSteph said:
I’ve honestly been a little confused because mom and dad don’t seem to be too worried about this situation. But Dad apparently did get a direct call from one of the doctors I think, and they basically said that he doesn’t have any tumors in his lungs right now but he does have some “added activity“ so that could mean that maybe he has more cancer cells that are accumulating in there? At this point Dad said that it’s not much more of a big deal then what all has been happening so far, so I guess all we can do is just do the regular chemo infusions and see what happens. The pet scan they said showed that the chemo actually was working so that’s a good thing
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See? Chalk that up to another bridge you thought you had to cross, that you didn't. No tumors in lungs is a good thing! Enjoy the wins when you get them.

As for "added activities?"

I've been telling you that John went through chemo. He did. He didn't go through it for cancer though. Same chemicals used to treat cancer, but he had Hepatitis C, a disease guaranteed to kill the liver in roughly 7 years. (There is embarrassment with HepC, since the majority of people who get it get it through homosexual activity or IV drug use, but he didn't get it either way, and why should sick people be embarrassed that they are sick? I don't usually tell why John had chemo, simply because some people will think he's a scum bag if he got it.) And that chemo was as rough, no matter who you are.

But with HepC, it's a virus that is blood born, so the chances of me having it were great too. I have "added activity" in my blood tests. Most people can get a negative when checked for HepC, but I've got "negligible," not "negative." No idea what that means, but two choices -- it means nothing, or it means it might develop into HepC some day. 30% of Baby Boomers will get HepC in their lives, but that stat is off. 3% of the American population will get HepC, in truth. 30% of Baby Boomers only because we've lived longer than the majority of Americans. (We're old and getting older.)

So yup, either I'll get it or won't, if I live long enough. Same deal with your dad. Either "added activity" means something or nothing. But he has had one bonus to that. He has done chemo, so his body has been fighting even "added activity." All that means is it might turn into something down the road. That "down the road" might wait until he's in his 90s or 120s. Worry about it then, if then happens.

That's another bridge, and you are now realizing we do not cross every bridge coming up. And, in this case, chances are good that particular bridge is as far from you as the Walt Whitman Bridge is. (Walt Whitman crosses the Delaware River, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.) Don't worry about bridges on the other side of the country. :)
 
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pottersclay

Guest
#254
#254
What a thread and what a journey the Lord has us all on here. Looking at the different responses shows you the emotional attachment we have trying to comfort and lift a fellow saint. Steph thank you for your honesty, and keeping it real. Your not hiding anything when it comes to your fears and joy. Truly a blessing to all of us. This is what the church of Christ is all about.
From sharing scripture to sharing pass experiences we are in one accord sharing our concerns and helping carry the burden.
May the Lord be magnified and may his grace be ever present in this thread.
Blessings to all the saints who answer the call of compassion. May the Lord bless you and yours.
Thank you Steph for having us be a part of your life. May the Lord be gracious to you and yours. May the Lord will find favor in your heart.

Potter.
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#255
Apr 1, 2014
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Thank you so much for the kind words Potter.

So according to the appointment today, daddy has liquid starting to gather a bit in his lungs. Whether it is malignant or not is yet to be seen, and will only be shown if the liquid gets a lot worse. But the best part of that is if his chemo is working, which they found out so far it is, then that will go away. So way way way not as bad as I feared. Still scary but this whole situation is scary.
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

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#256
Feb 21, 2014
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#256
So basically he has pneumonia. I don't think it's possible for liquid to be malignant. Or benign for that matter.. :confused:
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#257
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#257
blue_ladybug said:
So basically he has pneumonia. I don't think it's possible for liquid to be malignant. Or benign for that matter.. :confused:
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The doctors said that chemo can cause that liquid, or the cancer too. They said it can happen with people who have cancer of the liver, pancreas, pretty much everywhere
 
stonesoffire

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
#258
Nov 24, 2013
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#258
Depleted said:
See? Chalk that up to another bridge you thought you had to cross, that you didn't. No tumors in lungs is a good thing! Enjoy the wins when you get them.

As for "added activities?"

I've been telling you that John went through chemo. He did. He didn't go through it for cancer though. Same chemicals used to treat cancer, but he had Hepatitis C, a disease guaranteed to kill the liver in roughly 7 years. (There is embarrassment with HepC, since the majority of people who get it get it through homosexual activity or IV drug use, but he didn't get it either way, and why should sick people be embarrassed that they are sick? I don't usually tell why John had chemo, simply because some people will think he's a scum bag if he got it.) And that chemo was as rough, no matter who you are.

But with HepC, it's a virus that is blood born, so the chances of me having it were great too. I have "added activity" in my blood tests. Most people can get a negative when checked for HepC, but I've got "negligible," not "negative." No idea what that means, but two choices -- it means nothing, or it means it might develop into HepC some day. 30% of Baby Boomers will get HepC in their lives, but that stat is off. 3% of the American population will get HepC, in truth. 30% of Baby Boomers only because we've lived longer than the majority of Americans. (We're old and getting older.)

So yup, either I'll get it or won't, if I live long enough. Same deal with your dad. Either "added activity" means something or nothing. But he has had one bonus to that. He has done chemo, so his body has been fighting even "added activity." All that means is it might turn into something down the road. That "down the road" might wait until he's in his 90s or 120s. Worry about it then, if then happens.

That's another bridge, and you are now realizing we do not cross every bridge coming up. And, in this case, chances are good that particular bridge is as far from you as the Walt Whitman Bridge is. (Walt Whitman crosses the Delaware River, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.) Don't worry about bridges on the other side of the country. :)
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neg·li·gi·ble
ˈneɡləjəb(ə)l/
adjective

  • so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.
    [COLOR=#878787 !important]"sound could at last be recorded with incredible ease and at negligible cost"

  • [TABLE="class: vk_tbl vk_gy"]
    [TR]
    [TD="class: lr_dct_nyms_ttl"]synonyms:[/TD]
    [TD]trivial, trifling, insignificant, unimportant, minor, inconsequential; More

    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]





[/COLOR]
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#259
#259
stonesoffire said:
neg·li·gi·ble
ˈneɡləjəb(ə)l/
adjective

  • so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.
    [COLOR=#878787 !important]"sound could at last be recorded with incredible ease and at negligible cost"


  • [TABLE="class: vk_tbl vk_gy"]
    [TR]
    [TD="class: lr_dct_nyms_ttl"]synonyms:[/TD]
    [TD]trivial, trifling, insignificant, unimportant, minor, inconsequential; More
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]




[/COLOR]
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HepC comes into the body with just one virus. It multiplies like interest in a savings account -- takes a decade or two before it's gets overwhelming. Sneaky little virus. Starts as "negligible" every time. Sometimes it doesn't do anything. Sometimes it does.
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#260
Apr 1, 2014
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#260
New update. Daddy woke up this morning after last night not feeling so well. One of the things that the gastro guy was worried about was burping and vomiting, which dad has been having slight burping and lots of nausea. Basically at this point every time he drinks anything, he is immediately full. Like one swig of shake, and boom he is full. We were given the option to give him a cryotherapy shot to his tumor which none of us were sure of, and we're kinda kicking ourselves for not having done so before.

Basically at this point he's having to take like a half hour between swigs of his LIQUID DIET and walk all the time after not having a lot of calories. I'm really worried.
 
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