My father has CANCER! HELP!

[ManSnake]

US News 2007 ranking of best cancer hospitals

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is a very famous hospital in treating cancer. When King Hussein of Jordan got cancer, he chose to be treated at Mayo Clinic.

As far as colon cancer goes, I personally know 3 people who have/had it. 1 was cured and is now cancer free. 1 passed away after fighting it (chemo, a number of surgeries) for nearly 4 years. 1 who is still battling the cancer (2 surgeries, 2 chemo treatments) after first discovering it over 2 years ago.

Be strong for your dad. He needs your support, especially now.

Best of luck!

 

[daveymark]

If this thread causes even one person to get their colon checked, it was worth it. Colon cancer is very preventable/curable when caught early.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Boston is probably the best place to go for medical care on the east coast, and maybe in the western world. Good luck.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: bladder23
Are you incredibly rich, OP?

Top doctors= big bucks

That's not necessarily true. My Dad's heart surgery was performed by a world-reknowned heart specialist. A lot of people would consider my parents to be fairly poor, but they have decent insurance that covered almost all of it.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Googer, am so sorry to hear about your father.

A couple of quick points:

The cancer treatment community is pretty open, when one group finds something that works, they disseminate it very rapidly to the rest, no one wants to have unnecessary deaths on their conscience.

Treatment can be involved and lengthy, listen closely to the physician if you go with your father to any appointments.

Most treatments are pretty cut & dried, seeking local treatment is sometimes the best, allowing the patient to sleep in their own bed at night and have the support of their families and friends.

Not knowing the specifics of the stage & grade of the tumor & metastisis, it's very difficult to suggest any more advice other than listen closely to your father's doctor's advice and be there for your father.

There are many excellent resources on the internet for you and your family, take advantage of them and take pity on us old folks that went through this crap reading a black & white 3 page photocopied pamphlet stapled together backwards & upside down about what was happening to our loved ones...

 

[narzy]

my thoughts are with you and your father

 

[herm0016]

chill. slow down.

my mom had two mastecameys, ended up passing from cancer in her spine, bones and everywhere else about 12 years after teh first bout with breast cancer. I was 12 at the time. cancer sucks. support him, dont get pissed at the doctores, they do usually know what they are doing. talk to them about it, about how it works, about the issues with treatment. your chances of survival are way better then they were even 10 years ago when my mother passed away. good luck.

 

[amdhunter]

My mom was a breast cancer survivor 20 years ago. They just found a new lump in her intestines last month though. I am not sure on the status of everything yet.

OP, there are a few people who are going through the same thing you are. Let the doctors do their job, and chillax a bit. You are gonna go insane if you keep thinking about it.

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Let the doctors do their job

Their job is to do what you tell them to do. It's incredible how decisive people are about other aspects of life and how they want things done but when it comes to themselves, just have faith that the doctor isn't an incompetent fucktard and forget about it.

 

[OdiN]

I see no reason for this thread to be stickied and cluttering up the forums.

If we stickied a thread about everyone who has cancer, we'd have to go to like the 500th page to get to the start of things.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: OdiN
I see no reason for this thread to be stickied and cluttering up the forums.

If we stickied a thread about everyone who has cancer, we'd have to go to like the 500th page to get to the start of things.

OdiN has teh magic powers.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: herm0016
chill. slow down.

my mom had two mastecameys, ended up passing from cancer in her spine, bones and everywhere else about 12 years after teh first bout with breast cancer. I was 12 at the time. cancer sucks. support him, dont get pissed at the doctores, they do usually know what they are doing. talk to them about it, about how it works, about the issues with treatment. your chances of survival are way better then they were even 10 years ago when my mother passed away. good luck.

Slow down? Time is the enemy.

But thank you for the support.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: OdiN
I see no reason for this thread to be stickied and cluttering up the forums.

If we stickied a thread about everyone who has cancer, we'd have to go to like the 500th page to get to the start of things.

I totally agree, and don't think it is insensitive to say so.

 

[BurnItDwn]

The University of Chicago Hospital is one of the top 10 in the USA.
I have an uncle who works in IT there.

Best of luck to your dad!

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: OdiN
I see no reason for this thread to be stickied and cluttering up the forums.

If we stickied a thread about everyone who has cancer, we'd have to go to like the 500th page to get to the start of things.

I totally agree, and don't think it is insensitive to say so.

It's already been stickied for 24 hours.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: OdiN
I see no reason for this thread to be stickied and cluttering up the forums.

If we stickied a thread about everyone who has cancer, we'd have to go to like the 500th page to get to the start of things.

I totally agree, and don't think it is insensitive to say so.

It's not that it doesn't suck that his dad has cancer or that cancer is a horrible thing for anyone to have to go through - but there are always plenty of replies to threads like this which keep it bumped for others to see anyway.

 

[MeSh1]

Good luck man. My thought are with you and your family. I hate that with all the technology we still have to resort or archaic radiation treatment.

 

[Analog]

Update?

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
My mother was diagnosed terminal when I was in 2nd grade. They gave her 1-3 months, even with treatment. She lived until I was 18, almost 19...most of it with a fairly good quality of life still.

The biggest key, in our opinion, is that she had the will and desire. She wanted to live 10 years so that I was 'grown up'. She felt that after that I could take care of myself and, as the baby, I was the last duty she had on the Earth.

Some will call it God granting a prayer, and that's ok too. Whatever you call it, it seems to come down to having a reason to live, and the will/desire to fight for that long.

Best of luck to you all, you're in my thoughts.

I read this and gave me chills.. When I was in 2nd grade my Mom was given 2 months because of colon cancer. This was in 1972. They removed 6 feet of intestine. There was talk of my Dad and maternal grandmother raising me. There was no chemo or radiation given, she said God would see her through it to raise her child to be an adult. Said that I (and my Dad) was her reason to keep going.

That was 1972, she's gone through my Dad passing of bladder cancer 5yr ago, (stage 3 when detected, spread through his bloodstream), and a very mild stroke 2yrs ago, today 4/3/2008 she just called my wife from Walmart and asked if she wanted her to pick up something from the craft aisle.

God's will? determination? Who can say for sure, but whatever I'm glad something worked.

Your post moved me to comment as it's very uncanny the similarities.

 

[Googer]

Well, so far my father is in good spirit and treatments are going very well. He was given a grace from god. When his boss learned of his condition, he dialed the phone to a few contacts and got him first rate treatment with some of the top doctors in the nation. They are driving all around the place, though his primary doc is at the Mayo Clinic. He's been though three chemo treatments with the fourth on on the way in the next couple of days. The stuff is expensive, one round of it costs a years salary for most people and we are only in the beginning of the long road to recovery. Fortunately his company health plan is picking up the overwhelming majority of the bill, he was given 3 pills that cost $500 and insurance charged them only $10! Amazing. With a positive attitude, change to a healthy "greener" diet, and taking doctors advice seriously he should pull thought OK.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Googer
Well, so far my father is in good spirit and treatments are going very well. He was given a grace from god. When his boss learned of his condition, he dialed the phone to a few contacts and got him first rate treatment with some of the top doctors in the nation. They are driving all around the place, though his primary doc is at the Mayo Clinic. He's been though three chemo treatments with the fourth on on the way in the next couple of days. The stuff is expensive, one round of it costs a years salary for most people and we are only in the beginning of the long road to recovery. Fortunately his company health plan is picking up the overwhelming majority of the bill, he was given 3 pills that cost $500 and insurance charged them only $10! Amazing. With a positive attitude, change to a healthy "greener" diet, and taking doctors advice seriously he should pull thought OK.

Sounds like there is indeed hope. Just beware that when cancer spreads from one site to another that total recovery is nothing short of a miracle. Which can and does happen.

{{{{{{GOOD LUCK!!!}}}}}

 

[syzygy]

good luck indeed and best wishes to your father for a full recovery.

my mother was recently diagnosed with colon cancer that metastasized into her liver. she's at stage IV now. a recent surgery
removed her colon, effectively curing her of that threat, but the docs were unable to completely eradicate the cancer cells in her
liver, removing only the visible tumors (3 altogether). she also has a benign tumor in her thyroid.

she is undergoing more chemo as we speak.

peace.

 

[desy]

syzygy
You just described my mom right now
Hers is in the liver but also lymph nodes and paratenium.
She is debating chemo but hers is a rare fast growing cancer mixed in with regular cancer so it complicates the treatment options.
She is seriously considering to not take chemo as the doctor said it would buy her only a year or two.