The thought of wasting money that could be saved to pay for our children's education if I die from cancer anyway is bothering my husband. I'm halfway through my first series of chemo for recurring breast cancer and a recent CT scan has shown a 1cm suspicious spot on one of my lungs.  Should I just continue with the current plan (7 more treatments) and then cheerfully begin getting things in order and just live  on as long as I can without further medical intervention?
217639
Your HUSBAND is bothered about the idea of 'wasting' money on your treatment because it just may not work!!?? He IS a practical thinker isnt he!! Im sure his attutude is REALLY instilling a fighting spirit in you - NOT!!!!! You need strength from supportive positive people around you. Show that man this answer and get him to explain himself!!!! So the cancer has recurred. Does that mean you give up??? Do you KNOW that the spot on your lung is cancer?? I can see why you would think it probably is. Dont climb in the coffin and let him nail it down before you really ARE dead though! WAKE UP MAN and support this dear woman - the mother of your children. Fight till the end! Dont let that cancer beat you! Work on natural ways to fight it too - get rid of sugar, eat organic (that will cost money too) get chemicals out of your life as much as you can. Search the net for natural therapies and put into practice as many as you can. DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!! You are worth EVERY penny!! You are precious. Your children need you more than they need a costly education!!
562040
might want to check and see if any laws will be broke??you could donate to local cancer society?? help someome in needy situation?call the dr you got them from he may have someone who is in need?
632175
If you haven't had one already, ask about a PET scan. It's sorta like a CAT scan, but it's used to detect any cancer in the body. When my husband had cancer, it's what they used to see where it was, and then they used it once more after his treatment was finished to see if all of it was gone.  Also, ask about maybe getting put on a steroid. My grandfather-in-law, has some health issues, but he had gotten to where he would eat maybe once a day, if that. They put him on some sort of steroid(not sure of it's name)and now he eats like a pig.(good thing) \n  I would also consider going to a different doctor and letting them give you the once-over as well. Having a fresh set of eyes and a  mind on the case may help. I wish you the best, hope you get everything figured out and get to feeling better!
440230
I've had 2 friends try alternative medicine - not for breast cancer - but I'd sure call an alternative doctor.  Both friends' cancer disappeared and they have been cancer-free for more than 12 years.  No side effects like chemo, either.\n\nDr. Nicholas Gonzales in NY,NY is the doc for one of my friends.  She goes for check ups just once a year, so you don't have to live there to be his patient.  If you look him up on the Internet, he doesn't look good.  BUt don't believe everything you read.\n\nBUT, what I know, is that my friend was given NO HOPE with regular medical treatments.  THey were going to take her lung and do aggressive chemo and they didn't expect her to live 4 more months even if they did that.  SO she went to Dr. Gonzales and she credits him with saving her life.\n\nI am not some sort of wierd health-nut, by the way.  I go to regular doctors.  I just know of these 2 friends who were healed by alternative medicine.\n\nGood luck!!
96119
Well this is a loaded question. My mother passed away last Sept. from breast cancer that had metastasized to her lungs and esophagus. My father died two years ago from cancer also. Both did chemo and all it did was make their last days on earth awful. I had thyroid cancer last year. I personally will never do chemo. I sincerely think that in 20 years or so we will speak of how barbaric it was. If you are not too far advanced, I would say eating as healthy as you can, no meat or dairy. Alternative medicines and such would also be my choice. I think it is up to the individual though. You have to remember that doctors make money off of chemo and the like. Research, research research!!!
411516
Sorry to hear about your uncle. I've been an oncology nurse for 9+ years and my best advice is just love your uncle like you always have and don't be afraid to discuss death and dying issues with him. Don't be afraid to say the word "cancer." Find out what he wants, if he has a living will in place, does he want to  be resuscitated if he stops breathing, etc...Letting him decide how he wants things to be now-while he's able-will help give him a much needed sense of control in an otherwise helpless feeling situation. The trick to taking care of or being with most sick people, is remembering that they don't want to be treated like they are "sick" people. He's still the same man on the inside that he was before the cancer started doing it's own thing to his body. He's more than his cancer. His life is more than this disease. It can be a real relief for terminal patients when people are just simply honest and say, " I just hate the thought of you not being with me," Or, "I'm so afraid when I think about you dying." Or, "Are you afraid of dying?" Give him permission to talk about the "elephant in the room," if you know what I mean. Good luck to you. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
515586
go see the doc , don't worry he sees this stuff all the time , if it's cancer - the sooner the better the worst that can happen now is you be 1 stone lighter , if you  leave it there could be really intense chemo & all that fun stuff & it could even kill you \n\nGO TO THE DOC ASAP\ncheers:\npaul  :-}
232905
No, never.  I am not that afraid of cancer, diabetes, heart disease to lose the person that I love the most in this world.  Tomorrow isn't promissed for any of us, even if we don't have a major illness.  There are still accidents, murders, and suicides.  And what is life without love?  At least if you have experienced it in its truest form.  My wife has a lot of life insurance on her where I am the beneficiary... but there is nothing I would want to do with that money without her.  I don't like visiting places without my wife, eating my favorite foods, drinking alcohol, doing any of the things you would normally do if you had more money.  I hope this helps you understand my position.  Have a great day!
611438
I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Any time one has a major surgery there is a chance of not making it through the surgery My mom,in 2003 went to her doctor(regular visit) and he sent her to the hospital they ran the usual tests and told her they would not release her,that she had no choice but to have a quadruple by-pass.So she did,she came through the surgery fine. It took a few months for her to regain her strength,she never seemed to recover from a deep depression.18 months later she died peacefully in her sleep.What concerns me,the quadruple was a fairly new venture in heart surgery at the time.Within 6 months of her surgery,her boyfriend was told he needed the same surgery.and one month later mom's younger brother was told he needed a quadruple by pass.at the same time  a friend of mine had the surgery then the doctor tells his wife she needed the same surgery a month or so later another friend of mine had to have the same surgery!These people live in different states But...they were all on social security and medicaid or medicare.There may not be any connection or anything.But it just strikes me as odd that all these people I know had to have the same surgery.I have even wondered"were these doctors using these people as guinea pigs for practice? My Mom was 70 when she died.There's no doubt that many people need this type surgery.Maybe I am just being paranoid!I guess I am still very upset at the fact the doctor said the surgery would add 10 to 15 years to her life.Her death was totally unexpected.She was not complaining of pain or feeling sick or anything. I pray your Grandpa will have a good out come on his surgery!
542836
I am so sorry to hear about your family friend and hope you are providing support and understandin right now....the fact that she has secondarys (the cancer has spread to  another part of the body) is , I will be honest, worrying.  I know how awful this illness can be and how devastating it can be especially when the person has been healthy....my dad got cancer...he didn;t smoke, he was active and healthy....by the time he was diagnosed he had secondarys.  The chemo might be there to ease the side effects rather than cure or extend life...she needs to know which it is in her case....my thoughts are with your friend and all who love her right now...I do wish you well and hope that any news she has is positive.  Keep us updated? and if you need to chat...feel free to mail me
476580
I don't know.\n\nI can tell you this:  Lung cancer has one of the worst prognosis there is.  If the patient is still alive in 5 years after commencing therapy, even if they have been in a coma and are not expected to reawaken, that is called a success story, as long as they are cancer free.  That is a fact.\n\nYou should look into Gerson therapy, Budwig therapy, alkaline diet, filtering both drinking and bath water, raw 100percent vegan diet, hyperthermia treatments.  At the very least, you should research what the Burzynski clinic has to offer.  They do free clinical trials, and take some types of medical insurance.  They are more conventional than the other therapies I mention, but without the terrible damage and life threatening sickness caused by chemotherapy.  (Chemotherapy itself may kill more people than cancer.  Not many people know that, but chem is very dangerous.)\n\nBurzynski clinic has real doctors and nurses, and I have read many good thing about them.  Please, if you do not look into the other things I mention, then at least look into what Burzynski clinic has to offer.  Here is a link:\nhttp://www.cancermed.com/\n\nMay the Lord bless you both, and may you both have a peaceful eternity.
308962
My Great Grandmother had it when she was in her 90's and she still lived and was cancer free, and that was with limmited treatment becuase of her age. The death rate has alot to do with when they find, and other medcal problems. And Yes they get chemo.\n\n"This year in America, more than 211,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. One woman in seven either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 will die this year. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram." from http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
640325
I am sorry that your dad is diagnosed with this terrible disease.  It is so sudden and it is unfair.\n\nI always say this yet no one ever listens or takes my advise seriously. \nHope even a glimmer of it drives us.  Even in the grimmest hours, we still hope that there is a chance.  The alternatives are not great yet we still hope.  Your dad sounds pretty sick and yet he is willing to undergo chemotherapy.  The chemotherapy even if it works will only make him sicker and feel more awful.  He could enroll in a clinical trial and consensually be a guinea pig.  So for the next 3-12 months, he will be going to doctors and seeking second opinions.  He may be sick and end up in the hospital a few times.  He may even seek alternative "miracle" herbs.  Why do people want to go thru that?  Why don't people seriously consider Hospice as a legitimate option?  Why do oncologist push there clinical protocols - are they benefitting society or do they just want to publish a paper that shows that their regiment will increase survival by 3 months?  Sometimes it is okay to give up hope.  \n\nI can honestly say that if I have stage 4 stomach cancer that my goals would be 1)put my affairs together 2)keep me comfortable 3)let me spend the time I have the way I want to spend it and not in a hospital, not getting chemotherpy, not in a doctor's office 3)let me die with dignity at home and not in a hospital with tubes.
523871
From what you wrote it sounds like a lymphoma type cancer or breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes and to the soft tissues which attach to the sternum but not inside the bone itself which is a good thing.  \n\nI can't give you the odds of living because I don't know her full history with cancer, family history, health issues she might have, how long since she noticed this, if it's the first test, etc.  But I can tell you that people are living with cancer like people live with asthma or diabetes.  \n\nIt sounds like she would need chemo and radiation to shrink the masses, then surgery to remove what they can, then more chemo and radiation, then physical therapy.  If they remove the lymph nodes which it sounds like they would be thinking of that, she probably would have a good chance to develop lymphedema, which in that case, I can help you with those issues but the first issue is cancer treatments.  What does her doctor suggest?\n\nI'm a cancer survivor and believe me if I got the diagnosis she did, I would opt for heavy duty chemo, radiation prior to surgery, then surgery for them to take out what they can, then more chemo and radiation and kill the stuff off, then you have to monitor things.  Has she had a PET scan?  I would say with the involvement of soft tissues, lymph nodes, she needs one to be sure it hasn't spread anywhere else unnoticed.\n\nHer odds aren't lost with the right treatment, she needs to keep a positive attitude and you need to show her alot of support because I imagine she is afraid, depressed, and worried about the odds and treatments and how she is gonna feel.
337394
Tell that to the doctors that told me in December that my husband was going to die, that there was nothing that any of the medications, doctors or anyone else could do for him.\n\nask the same surgical team who could not understand why my husband was not on life support and was breathing on his own, oxygenating at 98% on 3L of oxygen when it should have been a vent breathing for him.\n\nThe same doctor that told me there was nothing that modern medicine could do saw my husband in the month of February for his check up and told him point blank that he KNEW my husband had a miraculous recovery.  Believe what you want about who you want, and respect the right of the born again to believe what they want...you won't change us, nor will you break our faith.
438820
We're a member of a small group caregivers and patients who suffer from a rare form of cancer. We keep a database of information on the various treatments tried. One of the patients did try the gallbladder & liver flush and colon clean and passed a number of stones . . unfortunately it didn't seem to do too much good as he later died. So, I'm not sure what the benefit really is . . but I suppose if it makes you feel better  . . go for it . . but make sure you discuss it with your oncologist first.
115162
I think you need to continue with school for your future.  I'm sure your mother would agree with that.  As for no money for treatment, etc., check for social agencies, hospices, churches, support groups (check with the hospital oncology department), etc. to see if they can help.  Sorry for your situation and may God bless and comfort you and your mother during this difficult time.