Thread: Cancer sucks

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Just found out about a young woman I know.

She has stage 4 breast cancer which metastasized to her lungs and spine. She’s pretty much on her death bed. She has three kids. Oldest in high school, youngest 7 years of age.

Religion is the reason she didn’t seek help earlier.

Suggestion.....

If anyone of you knows someone who will preach that seeing a competent medical doctor/oncologist isn’t the right path to take when confronted with cancer (because it’s in God’s hands) and this preacher doesn’t have any children to support and you are pretty sure no one loves them and you see them in a dark alley,.......shoot them.

An update (I saw some posting)…….

The first weekend after I posted the above she was released from the hospital. That Sunday someone shared a video of her doing a little dance when reaching home.

Early Monday morning she passed away. She will be missed.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

One's mental strength can beat the big C.

there are people posting on this thread who are dying. there are people posting on this thread that have loved ones who are dying.

just STFU, prick.

Without meaning to be a LT apologist, he was posting at beer o'clock on a Saturday night.

Problem is : he won't admit he has a problem.

​I talk about palliative care and I am checking it all out

I as with most of us do not know how long I might have, hopefully 5/7 yrs plus, getting me to 80

Currently I am happy and very contented and in now way in depression

Pain is difficult for me, even having my toe nails cut is traumatic, so with two lots of cancer around it is only sensible to explore options so as to ensure if a slow death were to happen at least it would not be in pain

I have taken control, refused more chemo, almost guaranteed to give six months of adverse effect, am currently saying no to doctors on reversal surgery, and looked at options if these cancers return or spread, which will probably be the case

Today if more surgery were need to stop the spread of cancer I would probably say no

So far so good, I have loving younger wife , been married to her ten yrs, (she is wife no 4), escape for an odd massage, drink about half a bottle a day of Sangsom, and enjoy good food

So if I can find pain suppression for when eventually it might be needed, I will have had a most remarkable, and lucky life


Cancer scares others who do not have it often far more than me, and I always remember that living from day one is guaranteed to be terminal

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

That one quote made me happy.

Look seriously at dietary options, possibly Chinese herbs and teas and remaining mentally strong and positive.

My best wishes are with you Mr. Strong Man!

I have to adapt my diet a little with my colostomy bag, and do believe diet is important

I am not a strong man, but try to remain positive, also avoid many negative people, and keep a sense of humor

However common sense can also achieve so much

All the best to you Al. I lost my Uncle last year to cancer and I still have not gotten over it.

I think I can understand where LT is coming from. He's coming from the outside which is very difficult.
But I think his heart is in the right place.
The thing that many folk don't seem to understand, IMHO, is that the so called "battle against the Big C" is bull shit.
You get the diagnosis from the Docs. You do what they say and you may or may not come out at the other end.
A lot, of course depends on what you've got.
Back in 2015 when I got my diagnosis it was heart warming to receive so many emails and letters from folks with suggestions and ideas, proposals and propositions of all kinds of magnificent cures and concoctions that would fix me up.
It got to the point where I really had to make a decision.
A serious decision.
Jump on the train of alternative therapies, cures, and weird and wonderful ideas or, do what my Doctors said.

I went for the Docs. Namely Dr. Szabo and Dr. We and many others at the remarkable Alan Walker Cancer Center in Darwin.

They have been fantastic and if I should be lucky enough to get a few extra years it will be down to them.

NOT TO ME.

They fought the battle. I did what I was told, and still do.

NO, you cannot beat cancer, any form of cancer, through the power of the mind.
This is absolute bullshit.
You can, sometimes, recover from certain cancers by doing what you're told by the experts that are looking out for you.

As far as palliative care is concerned I watched my mother go thorough it in the UK when she went down with cancer of the esophagus. She died within 4 weeks of the diagnosis. The folk at the center were fantastic, and she died relatively happy.

Same same for my father who had endured eons of pain and hospitalization and finally popped it under the splendid care of the good folk at the palliative care center in Torquay (UK).

I'll not be able to avail myself of the care and attention of the hospice that provided such splendid palliative care to my elders but I do have a reasonable idea how I'll sort things out as we get closer to the closure.

To repeat;

whilst I think LT has the best of intentions he hasn't and can't be expected to have much of a clue.

To be honest, nor can any one else who hasn't actually got it.. so to speak.

Total respect to you al007 both for posting and being open which is a brave move in it self.
How disgraceful that TV reacted in the way they did.

I feel sure you have a home here on The Teak Door and I certainly welcome all your input.

I doubt any one else will disagree.

Post away mate, post away.

It helps us all.

A lot.

pip pip

Fucking depressing. Sad

Originally Posted by bsnub

Fucking depressing. Sad

No it's not it's part of this wonderful tapestry of life.

There are innumerable times when I might have or should have died I but didn't.

I seem to have always been bloody lucky.

This is the last little tickle of a very good life about which I regret very little.

I hope, with all my heart, that Al007 finds a dignified and painless way out.
I hope for the same.

FFS don't we all?
C'est la vie, or not as the case may be

Originally Posted by crackerjack101

I think I can understand where LT is coming from. He's coming from the outside which is very difficult.
But I think his heart is in the right place.

I have spoken to some of the best oncologists in the last 12 months and they all say what they are doing is in line with patient acceptance and support keeping people as positive in themselves as possible.

The power of personal and positive healing I can read it in Cracker's posts.

Of course I may be wrong but I really want to believe his fight will see him through.

The power of the mind is a factor....just not the only factor.

However it can be a powerful factor when in conjunction with others.

There are innumerable stories to illustrate this.

Just as an example, totally off the cuff, I remember one true story : a man who was given not long to live, and who thought "stuff it....I'm going to enjoy myself".

He then rented a whole lot of funny movies and watched them in his hospital bed, having a great laugh all day, for a week or so.

His cancer went into remission.

Simply hideous of TV to ban your posts. You have a great posting manner, al007. It's their loss, so stuff 'em!
All the very best wishes for your well-being, al007. Good luck with everything.

Originally Posted by yortyiam

Simply hideous of TV to ban your posts.

But typical, apparently. Just more extreme than usual.

18 April 2018


I want to post Information about Colostomy Bags, and Cancer and what I have learnt in five months living with one, there was no information on TV, and if not banned I would have posted this there, my style is too honest for the liking of moderators


This will be of little interest to many but if I can help one person only I am happy


I have colorectal and prostate cancers, I underwent Holep prostate surgery, in India, a couple of years ago, and then radiation and chemotherapy at the very top Cancer hospital Chulalongkorn, (government funded) in Bangkok


Initially I cam out with a clean bill of health, but six months later it had returned, and I had eleven hours on the operating table, with part of my lower colon removed and my ass shut down, and stitched closed


I now have a temporary colostomy bag, originally I was appalled at the idea, maybe just hide and die


Five months on, I still do not like it but am learning to live with it, I even go for full body massages, I am also close to saying no on reversal surgery as my life today is very good, I want no more surgery and the doctors can not give guarantees the surgery will be successful, if it were not more surgery, would follow


I awake from the operation with this bag on my stomach, I say to my dear wife, well you need to learn how to take care of this, today I do 95% of the maintenance


I have a stoma that has no control and just exudes shit at will, this is surrounded by a flexible wafer that is stuck to my skin, we were given one brief lesson on caring for it, and told to empty as needed and change evert there days


I buy my supplies from Convatec in Bangkok at competitive prices, I also pay all my own medical costs, I am cheaper than buying from the govt hospital and also cheaper than buying discounted from the use, and then not having to worry about shipping and duty


I average between changing about seven to eleven days, and have only had one semi disaster so far when too much pressure caused it to part one night, today I sleep on a large towel and have spare towel under my pillow in case I have an emergency situation


I carry spare in the car and with us when we are out just in case


I empty between three and six times a day, and often half way through the night, my wife if she wakes also checks to see bag not getting to full or under too much pressure


When I empty I have a low stool by the loo, open the bag and top up with water, let go into loo and immediately flush, this takes away a lot of the smell, I then flush again a couple of times


I do not use the suggested closure clips merely a couple of rubber bands, the nurse said only one, but I said they break, and I do not the a ship up with only one rope, a band breaks and a bag full of wet mess all out on the floor not very nice


So far so good


With help from Convatec I am using better sized products, and get samples to try FOC


I followed many forums on colostomy, but found depressing and came to the conclusion a large proportion of disasters are self inflicted, and unsubscribed from most


I constantly monitor whats happening if food coming through my body gets too hard I take more fruit juice and soda, the bubbles keep it all moving


I eat a lot of fruit and veg and have to chew food very well, and longer than normal, it all comes out a very small hole


we hear of blockages, so far so good none


To keep the doctors happy I gave up bottled beer and now restrict my self to Sangsom (Thai rum) for medicinal reasons I add a lot of soda, and today this is limit of my medications


No one told me I need a colostomy belt to help secure the bag


When I change it all I clean around with alcohol, not Sangsom, but blue medical alcohol, I also do not drink this one !, I also use a har drier to dry the skin, and after fitting the new bag again use heat from the hairdryer to warm the adhesive and make it stick better, and then lie flat out for min 30 mins


I have an emergency plan, my wife knows where to go , where to stop the car and where to find the hospital trolley just in case, we have even practised this routine


Two years ago I was one night haemorrhaging blood, we had no plan, I checked my blood pressure decided to drive to KK some 20kms away, said to wife if I feel too bad you drive, we got to And E at small private hospital, they said you can not park there, I opened the door and fell to the ground calling for help and trolley, said to the security guard please park the f***ing pick up that is upsetting you
Today we have a plan we have practised


I was discharged three days later after colonoscopy, MRI and CT scan having seen three consultants, who all pronounced me fit, despite the incriminating evidence to the contrary, I keep copies of all records and scans


Needless to say this hospital paid me reasonable compensation not to go to court


If she ever calls an ambulance, it means she wants me dead, they are unlikely to turn up and maybe wait for ever, and go instead to the bonfire


Stay Happy, Be Happy, Hope for some luck, and Make some of your own

Originally Posted by al007

Stay Happy, Be Happy, Hope for some luck, and Make some of your own

Brilliant therapy mate.

Keep strong and positive.

Also happy to see those around you are happy to support you in your battle.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

“Now we can finally say the word ‘cure’ with CAR T cells”

...wonderful...how long before it's widely available and not financially prohibitive...or even insurable?...

^Some improvements are needed before the questions you have raised can be answered,……

Last-resort cancer therapy holds back disease for more than a decade

In the years since Olson’s treatment, five CAR-T cell therapies have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, to treat leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas. June estimates that tens of thousands of people have received CAR-T cell treatment.

But the therapy is expensive, risky and technically demanding. It remains a last resort, to be used when all other treatments have failed. Despite the treatment’s success for Olson, not everyone experiences durable remission of their cancer. In the beginning, only about 25-35% of CAR-T cell recipients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia experienced a complete remission of their cancer, says Porter. With refinement, that percentage has increased over the years, he says, but some of these initial successes still lead to relapse. Tracking the treatment long-term could reveal clues as to what factors are important for lasting CAR-T cell success.

Originally Posted by tomcat

...wonderful...how long before it's widely available and not financially prohibitive.....

I believe it is a patient tailored therapy, they take some of your own cells, change them, and put them back. Fairly technological, and it would require shipping the technology, rather than the product. Given the high technology requirements I doubt it will ever be "cheap", and I am not sure it will ever be "widely available". One or two centers per country maybe.

Good start though.

Originally Posted by tomcat

...wonderful...how long before it's widely available and not financially prohibitive...or even insurable?...

a few minor side effects …

The CAR T treatment has also been known to cause serious side effects including high fevers, comas, extremely low blood pressure and death. The treatment type has not yet been successful on solid tumor forms of cancer such as those found in breast and prostate cancer patients, the Times added.

Highly anticipated EPA draft says formaldehyde causes cancer

Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde — a common industrial chemical — can cause multiple cancers involving the head, neck and blood, according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft assessment released Thursday.

The agency’s latest draft links formaldehyde inhalation to nasopharyngeal cancer, impacting the head and neck; sinonasal cancer, involving the nasal cavity or sinuses; and myeloid leukemia, which impacts bone marrow and blood cells.

The draft goes further than a previous agency determination, which stated the substance was a “probable human carcinogen.”

Thursday’s draft release comes after reports that the EPA under the prior Trump administration had suppressed the finding that formaldehyde causes leukemia.

Politico reported in 2018 that top advisers to then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt were delaying the report’s release as part of an effort to undermine the EPA’s research on the risks posed by toxic chemicals. At the time, the agency denied that the findings were being held up.

Allegations surrounding the agency’s handling of formaldehyde and other chemicals spurred House subpoenas in 2019.

This is not the first time that the EPA has described formaldehyde in a draft as carcinogenic. That finding was previously revealed in a 2010 rendition of the EPA’s assessment, which underwent review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine but was ultimately never finalized.

If finalized, the finding released Thursday is expected to enable the EPA to pursue more stringent controls on the substance. For now, the public has 60 days to weigh in on the draft, which was issued through the agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).

“I’m really pleased to see this IRIS assessment of formaldehyde — we’ve known formaldehyde is a human carcinogen for years,” Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, told The Hill.

“Hopefully, this will finally lead to better regulation,” Birnbaum added.

Bob Sussman, who served as the EPA’s senior policy counsel and deputy administrator in the Obama and Clinton administrations, respectively, also said that if the finding is finalized it is expected to eventually lead to more controls of formaldehyde.

“If that stands up during peer review by the National Academy of Sciences, and if EPA then uses the assessment for its risk evaluation under [the Toxics Substances Control Act], EPA will be on a road to impose additional regulation of formaldehyde. It will not happen right away, but that will be where everything points,” he said.

The EPA is not the only agency to outline carcinogenic impacts of formaldehyde. In 2011, the National Toxicology Program, run by the Department of Health and Human Services, said formaldehyde was a known carcinogen.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has considered formaldehyde to be a carcinogen since 2006.

The EPA said that its finding was based on observations of increased risk of the cancers in groups with workplace exposure to the substance.

The assessment also explored potential noncancer health effects of formaldehyde inhalation, including the potential impacts on reproductive and developmental health.

The EPA said studies have shown moderate evidence of increases in both the length of time it takes exposed individuals to become pregnant and certain types of miscarriages. Two pregnancy studies, meanwhile, identified decreased birth weight and head circumference in newborns.

The assessment likewise found reproductive impacts in male subjects, including one finding that showed lower sperm motility, as well as eventual birth defects in their offspring.

The assessment also found moderate evidence that the inhalation of this toxin likely causes an increased risk of both allergic conditions and asthma symptoms, and decreased control of asthma symptoms.

Moderate human evidence showed that long-term inhalation of formaldehyde likely reduces pulmonary function, but evidence was inadequate to determine whether short- or medium-term exposure could have similar impacts, the EPA stated.

Evaluating the effects of formaldehyde on the respiratory tract more broadly, authors found that inhalation of the toxin causes certain pre-cancerous respiratory disorders. They also noted formaldehyde’s propensity to cause sensory irritation in humans, given appropriate exposure circumstances.

In response to the EPA’s draft, the American Chemistry Council trade group said it “strongly objects to this decision,” stressing that the release “follows several unheeded calls by industry and lawmakers to address clear process deficiencies” — such as transparency issues, bias and other “irregularities.”

“We are disappointed that, despite our repeated requests for EPA to address these concerns prior to releasing its draft, the agency has decided to move forward without taking the steps necessary to ensure the assessment is scientifically-sound and worthy of public confidence,” Kimberly Wise White, the American Chemistry Council’s vice president of regulatory & scientific affairs, said in a statement.

• Scientists find air pollution link to lung cancer

Researchers identified a mechanism for how air pollution can trigger lung cancer in people who've never smoked, according to a study presented at a major oncology conference on Saturday.

Why it matters: Poor air quality was attributed to more than 250,000 lung cancer deaths around the world in 2019. Warming temperatures from climate change are expected to worsen air quality.

• The study, conducted at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London, could help researchers find better ways to prevent and treat lung cancer in people who've never smoked, they said at ESMO 2022 (European Society for Medical Oncology).

What they're saying: "The same particles in the air that derive from the combustion of fossil fuels, exacerbating climate change, are directly impacting human health via an important and previously overlooked cancer-causing mechanism in lung cells," said Charles Swanton, lead author from Francis Crick Institute, in a statement.

• "The risk of lung cancer from air pollution is lower than from smoking, but we have no control over what we all breathe," he said.

Fook me what a cheery thread.
RIP Patsycat

• Biden reignites cancer moonshot on anniversary of Kennedy's 1962 moon speech

It's been 60 years since President Kennedy delivered his iconic moonshot speech, marking a goal for America to launch a man into space to step foot on the moon, and bring him back to Earth.

On Monday, President Biden gave a speech at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, outlining the progress on his own self-described moonshot: ending cancer.

"This cancer moonshot is one of the reasons why I ran for president," Biden said. "Cancer does not discriminate red and blue. It doesn't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. Beating cancer is something we can do together."

Biden said cancer is often diagnosed too late, and said "there are too few ways to prevent it in the first place." He also added that there are stark inequities in cancer diagnosis and treatment based on race, disability, zip code, sexual orientation and gender identity.

"We know too little about why treatments work for some patients, but a different patient with the same disease, it doesn't work for. We still lack strategies in developing treatments for some cancers," he said, adding "we don't do enough to help patients and families navigate the cancer care system."

While Biden announced many of his cancer moonshot goals in February, in his speech Monday he laid out some updates.

Ahead of the speech, the White House announced that Dr. Renee Wegrzyn would be appointed the head of a new agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the first ever person in the role. The agency was established by Biden in February to improve the U.S. government's ability to drive health and biomedical research.

"ARPA-H will have the singular purpose to drive breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes and other diseases and enable us to live healthier lives," Biden said.

Biden also announced he is signing a new executive order that launches a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, to help ensure that the technology that will help end cancer is made in America.

He said the creation of new technologies for cancer treatments and other things will create jobs and strengthen supply chains — and added that the U.S. then would not have to rely on anywhere else in the world for that advancement.

In February, Biden first announced his cancer moonshot goal of cutting cancer deaths in half in the next 25 years, and improving the experience of those living with and surviving cancer. At the time, he also announced the creation of a Cancer Cabinet that incorporated different corners of the government to work toward his goal.

Combatting cancer is an issue Biden has been tackling since his days as vice president and it's one that hits close to home for his own family, and Vice President Kamala Harris' as well. Biden's son, Beau Biden, died from brain cancer in 2015. And Harris' mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who was a breast cancer researcher, died from colon cancer in 2009.