You are in all of our thoughts!! Hope everything goes well for you and you bounce back to the Dakota we all know and love very soon!!
We're all pulling for you Dakota!
Quote:Another major surgery scheduled for Thursday now. They're going to start working on the tumor in the shoulder. Most of that tumor will be removed. (They cannot remove it all for some reason) Then they will essentially re-construct the shoulder. Lots of pins, screws, and plates.
Once that procedure is over with, I will begin a regimen of chemo and radiation to combat the rest of the cancer.
The outlook is sketchy, but it's the only thing we can do at this point. Either it works, or it doesn't. I guess that beats the alternative.
Sketchy is fine. As long as there's hope, keep fighting this thing. Plus, chicks dig scars...and bionic shoulders. You've got this!
Quote:Another major surgery scheduled for Thursday now. They're going to start working on the tumor in the shoulder. Most of that tumor will be removed. (They cannot remove it all for some reason) Then they will essentially re-construct the shoulder. Lots of pins, screws, and plates.
Once that procedure is over with, I will begin a regimen of chemo and radiation to combat the rest of the cancer.
The outlook is sketchy, but it's the only thing we can do at this point. Either it works, or it doesn't. I guess that beats the alternative.
Gonna be tougher than I can imagine, I'm sure - but keep fighting. We're all pulling for you, man.
Quote:Sketchy is fine. As long as there's hope, keep fighting this thing. Plus, chicks dig scars...and bionic shoulders. You've got this!
Scars and bionics...very sexy!! :thumbsup:
Best of luck on Thursday, Paul,
We're all pulling for ya.
Dakota,
If you want to talk to anyone, You can inbox me your number and i'd be more than happy to talk with you, my friend.
Quote:Throw in a mullet and it's even better.
So you're into scars, bionics, and mullets. We learn new things on this board all the time! :woot:
Quote:So you're into scars, bionics, and mullets. We learn new things on this board all the time! :woot:
Jamie Summers mullet was a thing of beauty back in the 80's. Not so much today.
They have now officially classified it as stage 4.
I think I'm ***Officially*** [BLEEP].
Quote:They have now officially classified it as stage 4.
I think I'm ***Officially*** [BAD WORD REMOVED].
As long as you're breathing and there's a protocol for fighting the disease, you're not [BAD WORD REMOVED]. We'll keep praying and you keep fighting.
Quote:They have now officially classified it as stage 4.
I think I'm ***Officially*** [BAD WORD REMOVED].
I'm very sorry what you are going through, My thoughts and prayers certainly remain with you.
A few months ago, a friend mentioned that there's a Dr. Gil Lederman who has had much more success with stage 4 cancer patients than more conventional doctors. Dr. Lederman has a radio program on WOR in New York. The following link will enable you to listen to podcasts from his programs. While reviews on Dr. Lederman are mixed as you can see by doing an Internet search, those who believe in his treatments feel very strongly about how much he's helped:
http://www.wor710.com/pages/onair/radio-surgery.html
Dakota, good luck tomorrow. I know I will be thinking of you and yours.
Quote:They have now officially classified it as stage 4.
I think I'm ***Officially*** [BAD WORD REMOVED].
Paul, Is there anything you need? A meal cooked, something picked up? I know it's not much but maybe we can help you out in this time of need. I'm certainly willing to help bud. Just let us know, in the mean time I assure you, you're in my personal prayers. I'm praying for peace at this point, it seems to be what you need right now.
I'm praying you find peace friend and comfort feel free to PM me if you need anything but don't want to disclose it to the world.
About a year and a half ago, a good friend of mine that I grew up with posted a farewell on Facebook. He's an oncologist in south Florida who worked for MD Anderson for several years, and even headed up the clinic here in Florida when it opened several years back. He specialized in treating pediatric cancer patients at the time, but when he went into private practice, he expanded his clientele to include all ages. The reason he got into the field is because when he was in high school, he was diagnosed with leukemia. He went into remission, graduated, and went to college at UF. Prior to his diagnosis, he had an appointment to the Naval Academy, but because of the health issues, that was rescinded. While he was at UF, he had a second bout with cancer, and like the previous diagnosis, he fought an even more aggressive form of the disease and beat it into remission.
After he graduated, he went into practice, and built a great career for himself. Because of the cancer history, he was hesitant to get married because he didn't want to draw someone else into his world only to have cancer strike again. Unfortunately, his plans to remain a bachelor were botched when he met a young nurse who just wouldn't leave the guy alone. They married 20 years ago, and now are the parents of 2 beautiful kids.
About 18 months ago, he started having problems with heartburn. It started out pretty mild, but got progressively worse. He was diagnosed with Barret's Esophagus. The doctor he was seeing, knowing his cancer history, suggested some additional tests, at which time it was determined he was stage 4 with an aggressive form of esophogeal cancer. The afternoon of his diagnosis, he came home and wrote his friends a farewell on Facebook, and sat down that evening and started writing hand written notes to his kids to mark each milestone in their lives (graduations, religious sacraments, weddings, etc). He prepared himself to die based on the diagnosis he was given.
If it wasn't for that wife of his, we'd probably be talking about him in the past tense today. He's still around and doing quite well, and he's been cancer free for over a year. After digesting the diagnosis, he prayed. This is a guy who is really religious already, but he went to his parish priest, told him his prognosis and what his plans were, and the priest basically kicked him in the rear, told him to stop feeling sorry for himself, and to think about it from the position of the doctor giving the diagnosis instead of the patient on the other end. Once he started to look at it as a doctor, he got on the phone with one of his friends at MD Anderson, told them what was going on, and the guy had him on a jet to Houston the next day for a consult. His cancer was bad, and the surgery they had to do was dangerous, but it was a ray of hope. He agreed to do the surgery and the subsequent chemotherapy. It was brutal, but he had such a great spirit through the entire thing. He's an Irishman, and he loves his craft beer. He used that as an incentive as he underwent to treatments. All the while, that wife he never really wanted to drag into his health issues became his anchor, doing whatever was necessary medically to help with treatments, and to keep things going at home.
Over the next several months, his health went from bad to worse, showed some improvement, then had a couple of setbacks. The metastasis to the brain, lungs and bones was addressed, and they shrunk those tumors to almost nothing with radiation, and the chemo took care of what the surgery didn't remove. He was tested, and once again his blood work was showing that he'd beaten cancer back again.
He's now almost 2 years removed from his ordeal. He deals with this dreaded disease on a daily basis as he tries to help others overcome the obstacles as he did. His family was planning a trip to Lourdes next week on a pilgrimage. Last week was his wedding anniversary. On the day of their anniversary, he announced on FB that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she was going in for surgery that very day. She had the surgery last week, was home the next day, and they're facing her diagnosis in the same way they did his. They're not letting it stop them, and they're taking an aggressive approach to beating the disease. They'll leave for Lourdes next week with a renewed purpose now that they're both in the fight.
I've seen this guy go through one challenge after another where the prognosis was as bad as it could be, and somehow he's managed to keep himself above ground for more than 30 years now.
Cancer is a scary diagnosis, but even the most aggressive forms in high stages have been beaten back. It starts with the right mindset. This guy and another friend of mine who was also diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that she's been fighting for a couple of years now have shown me how grace and faith play such an important role in winning the battle. In both cases, the patients have overcome some very dire prognoses and lived their lives with purpose.
Paul, I can't begin to understand what's going on in your head as you get these rolling beatdowns with one bit of bad news after the next. But, I know that winning the battle starts with a willingness to fight this thing tooth and nail, and the spirit to take the punches and keep on laughing and smiling no matter what. If you need someone to talk to, I can put you in touch with my oncologist friend. I directed him to the girl I know who is fighting the colon cancer, and he really helped her through her trials and tribulations, and he even pointed her in the right direction for preferred doctors to treat her disease.
Dakota...what's the word, homey?
Quote:Dakota...what's the word, homey?
Thanks for checking, my friend.
I am having good days and bad days. Today was kind of a bad day, but those are bound to happen, so all I can really do is suck it up and soldier through the bad days.
I am on the rebound from another surgery. It turned out to be much more complex than they thought, and it took a lot of work to get me fixed up. What was supposed to be a 2 hour surgery or so turned into nearly six hours on the operating table. I made the surgeons earn their money that day, apparently. I am starting physical therapy, and that can be tough some times too. Having my shoulder essentially reconstructed means I have a lot of rehab to get the use of my arm back. It's kind of a strange feeling knowing that a lot of that arm is fake now. They put in titanium parts consisting of rods plates and other similar stuff. Most of the top of my humorous has been removed and replaced. There is a lot of stuff that has to re-grow to that and so I feel very limited with what I can do with myself and it's sort of a helpless feeling.
I have started Chemo and radiation treatments as well. I am just getting started with it, so I don't know how it will all feel long term, but it's something I have to do.
As far as everything else goes, I am trying to keep a good outlook about things and a level headed attitude toward my situation. It can be tough some days. My prognosis isn't exactly very good. The 5 year survivability rate for people in my situation is less than 5%, so I have to be realistic about what my future holds. I am trying to keep my focus on making my death as easy as possible for those close to me, when that day comes. One thing I have always felt is that death is hardest on those who aren't the one who died. Dying is a pretty easy thing to do. Surviving the death of someone close is much harder. I want to find ways to be sure that it is as painless as I can make it for those close to me when that time comes.
I haven't thrown in the towel or anything, but I am a realist, and understand what is happening and what the most likely outcome is going to be. I'll keep fighting and doing what I can on my end to maybe make it through. I have had to devote most of my time to seeking all the assistance I can find to battle my cancer. My medical bills are over a quarter million dollars already, and my medications alone are over 12,000 dollars every month. It's a lot to worry about. I am lucky to have very good health insurance, but even the best insurance leaves a lot of money to be paid.
So, all in all, I'm hanging in there. I pop on here a couple times a week and read, but that's about it. I am trying to refocus some of my time on family and friends and my health. I'm still around, but in the shadows these days.
I'll try to pop in and keep everyone updated from time to time. I really want to thank everyone again for the thoughts and prayers. They mean more than anyone can know. So, until I write again, thanks again everyone, and GO JAGS! It's good to see offseason going so well.
Dakota man, my heart goes out to you man
Stay strong, fight that [BLEEP] disease and kick it's [BLEEP].
You should start a gofundme account or something. Medical bills can be a [BLEEP]. I know people on here would kick what they can in.
Thinking of you brother.