fuck cancer

glad to hear you're feeling better onimo and thanks for letting us know!

I know 87 is not exactly a life cut short*, but two months ago my wonderful aunt Jeanie felt some odd abdominal pains, one month ago she was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, and last Sunday she passed away at home. I guess this is just as much a Fuck Covid post - since I live far from Minnesota now, and we're in a pandemic, I did not get to see her, and it's sinking in that I never will see her again. She was a fucking legit midwesterner like they don't make anymore. RIP Aunt Jeanie.

https://www.ohalloranmurphy.com/obituary/Jean-Brookins

*my mom is 92 though and this is her baby sister ffs, so yeah, too soon

That's rough about not getting to visit, Jon, and I'm sorry for your loss.

My condolences, Jon. RIP.

Sounds like an extraordinary woman, based on that obituary. Condolences.

Sending condolences Jon.

And yes, fuck covid for making everyone's grief worse

So sorry, Jon.

condolences to you and your family jon

posi news - my friend Mike, who I've posted about elsewhere, was previously diagnosed with stage 4 colon/liver cancer but had shrinkage from the many bouts of chemo.

they determined that surgery might be possible, and he had to fight through a lot, including getting a stent due to 99% blockage in an artery that he wasn't aware of (which had it gone undiagnosed, might have lead him to die on the surgery table). the surgery was a success today and he is now NED (no evidence of disease).

I'm aware that this does not mean he's cured, but it's the first bit of good news this dude's had in over a year.

fuck cancer, indeed, and never come back! stay away!

the surgery was a success today and he is now NED (no evidence of disease)

I'll take it in both senses of the word. Great to hear and best of luck to him.

yeah he immediately started writing reviews for All Music from his hospital bed too! ;)

(and thx)

Oh so HE'S the guy.

Lol and awesome to the last several posts. Fuck cancer.

Fuck cancer and that is great news!

fuck cancer, indeed, and never come back! stay away!

^^^
This this this

Good news indeed Neanderthal

Still going!

I'm now just past halfway on my 6 weeks of radiotherapy. My hair is falling out in big chunks around the zap zone. It's quite tender but not too painful.

I went through a heavy emotional and physical slump at the end of my 2nd week but I'm picking up now as they've put me back on steroids which are helping with p much all my issues.

No new weirdness to report. My brain is still a bit broken - I type wrong words all the time and sometimes take a conversation down a logical wrong turn. I also can't deal with directional arrows which is great for wandering around hospitals!

I'm getting better at reading but still haven't committed to reading an actual book yet.

I'm mentally blocking all the 'then what?' stuff until my next proper set of scans as I was killing myself with the pointless speculation. Attempting to be all 'que sera sera' in the meantime.

that is the best way to be imo! great to see yr progress onimo, it gladdens mine heart <3

<3

Keep it up, onimo.

Keep fucking it up onimo. You are braver and stronger than i am by a furlong.

Bon courage, onimo!

rooting for you, onimo!

<3

(You think *you're* bad at finding the right words...)

Continued strength 'gers

Yay Onimo! <3

Good to hear you're still going!

Cheers you lot lovely

<3

Fucked it again stupid nut

truly fierce onimo, deep bow

excellent news onimo, we're cheering for ye!

Best to you, onimo

Keep it rolling, onimo!

I have trouble with directional arrows, too, minus the quite reasonable cancer excuse!

friend who just had his surgery for stage 4 colon/liver cancer was home only 2 days before he returned to the ER. he merely stated "something has gone wrong" on FB and stated his caretaker would be issuing an update later.

I saw him each of the previous two days while dropping off groceries and he seemed normal, so really worried about what may have happened this morning. not going to ask the caretaker as she's probably getting bombarded and waiting nervously in the Hospital.

poor guy :(

love to you onimo

I often have the same problems with words as you onimo, so seeing as you've just had major surgery and done a round of chemo you do cope very well.

onimo, just wanted to say I'm so pleased you're getting the vaccine soon (I know it was in another thread, but by the time I read it, the conversation had gone several different directions, and I'm hoping you see this here). I really hope they get you in as soon as possible, you seem like you should be in a priority group for sure!

Thank you, colette!

I have been classified as clinically extremely vulnerable so I'm in the same cohort as the over 70s. I think some GPs have further split the 75+ group out and I'm outside that group.

Weird thing is I have a chronic lung problem which I think is riskier for covid than cancer but it's the cancer that gets me the vaccine.

thoughts are with you, onimo.

Also thanks everyone else who pops in with positive messages.

@ Neanderthal, I hope your friend's complication can be sorted quickly.

The steroids have ruined my sleep to a point where I'm awake for an extra 3-4 hours a night.
Thinking all night means you run low on other useful drugs like denial and optimism.

Current annoying symptoms:
- waves of rushing sensations making it impossible to do simple tasks. Like I can make a coffee but if it's a coffee and tea and 2 slices of toast it will take forever and I will fuck it up.
- words, wrong words all the time. I wrote 'love you festival' instead of 'forever' on my wife's Valentine card
- tingly leg, thankfully no more disassociation
- my skull is occasionally ticking. We think it's possibly pneumocephalus and a wee pocket of trapped air from surgery is amplifing my pulse. It's louder at night. As I detailed upthread somewhere my body clock is now broken so a literal ticking in my head feels like a piss take.
- my head is hot and tender on the spot getting attacked with the daily radiotherapy

One more week of getting zapped then I'll hopefully start recovering from stuff in the following weeks. Five more weeks on my drug trial.
Still waiting on my next set of scans to get booked.

I had the rushing thing, too, onimo— I had to focus very intently, particularly whilst driving.

I must admit that "love you festival" is rather lovely, from a poetic standpoint— think of it as a festival of love for your wife, tho obviously that's easy to say from my standpoint.

Hoping these other ARs clear up and some good news happens soon. Radiotherapy was hell but a week or two after it was over, I felt like a different person— it was like night and day.

As always, rooting for you, onimo!

That's reassuring, thanks table!

Wishing you every success and victory, big and small, as you continue on your road to recovery, onimo!

Good luck, man!

given your symptoms are as frustrating as you enumerate, i'd like to thank you for taking the time and what must be considerable effort to work all this out on the internet for a group of strangers so that we can understand your experience and learn from it.

Sounds completely exhausting tbh, really hope you get some good sleep soon. Sending love!

Good luck with everything.

My father in law has needed of heart valve surgery for the last year, but it was delayed due to other health issues and then covid in March. His health deteriorated further and he just went to the ER because of how bad he was feeling and it ends up what he thought was a hernia is likely a sarcoma the size of a grapefruit. We're three hours away and my wife couldn't get in the hospital to see him anyway and he is too weak from the heart/other health issues to have chemo/surgery so things aren't looking good. So he's probably going to die soon, alone, and my wife won't be able to see him or give him a hug and it won't be listed as covid, but fuck this shit.

― Joe Biden Shot My Dog - Vols. I-XL (PBKR), Tuesday, December 8, 2020 9:31 PM (five days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Update: my father-in-law indeed has an untreatable sarcoma and is being released from the hospital to home hospice with my wife's sister. All things considered, this is good in that he won't be stuck living by himself like he has for the last nine months, but will be around kids, grandkids, and dogs for the last months of his life (and that is all there is going to be).

No definitive plans yet, but we will likely make at least one trip to my wife's sister (about a five hour drive each way) to see her dad before he dies. We have been extremely locked down, wfh, and safe, so exposing ourselves inside to a bunch of other family is certainly going to be anxiety-inducing.

I think we may rent an airbnb nearby for an entire week due to the distance involved, so we have our own place to sleep, and so we can spend more time with him, but this all certainly makes our previous precautions feel pointless on some level. Ugh.

― Joe Biden Shot My Dog - Vols. I-XL (PBKR), Sunday, December 13, 2020 8:42 AM (two months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Update (from covid thread): My wife's father passed on Wednesday morning. We were lucky to visit him twice this year for a week each time, which was wonderful under the circumstances (and no one got covid). Despite his many health issues he was himself right to the end and only in the last week or so did he have the worst pain. It was good he went when he did. 72 is too young.

While looking through photos for my FiL's memorial zoom I got a call from my Dad telling me my Mom (age 69) had a seizure and was taken to the ER. Upshot is there appears to be a mass in/on her brain that is possibly/probably cancerous. On the heels of my father in law, who is not even in the ground yet, this is pretty rough.

So yes, fuck cancer.