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OK..throw one more thing at me .see if i care
Ct scan ordered for pain around navel stoma…showed nothing there (probably the wonderful scar tissue tugging away at me) however, it did show that my scar on my lung which i’ve had like forever has gotten larger…..OH GREAT…..PET Scan scheduled next, then bone scan…..radiation put off until we find out if i’m already 3 ft. under.
Anyone got any good news?
And my son lost his job and threatened to kill himself today. He thinks his life is over……..I’ll trade him.
Pat -
18 Replies
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Pat,
You have been going through so much lately and yes, cancer sucks! Just wanted you to know that I am wishing you the best.
KC
Age 59
DX Jan 2006 – T1B G3
RC – Neobladder June 2006
Melodie; I didn’t mean it to sound that way. I didn’t really
do anything! I had some Doctors and nurses that were amazing,
and a wife that was and is amazing. They had the hard part.
Only wanted Pat to know that it’s still possible to get through
even something that is as tough as what she is facing.
Pat, you’re right on with the head in the sand and the chocolate. Sometimes we just have to forget it all for a while!
My get away was always sleep.
Praying you get good news and are doing better.
Duke
Duke,
Thanks for sharing. You are amazing! We all, also know how amazing Pat is, so we are expecting good results after the dust settles.
Pat,
Have some chocolate for me; I have given it up for awhile but having done so hasn’t helped me to lose any weight. So maybe I should at least allow myself some of the healthy dark chocolate.
I saw a gal who had the perfect bumper sticker for some of us. It read, “If I must die, let it be death by chocolate.” :) Sounds like a good plan…OD on chocolates.
Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright
Pat: There is little one can say at a time like this. I may not be able to be in touch after my RC but I will be thinking of you and hoping for a good outcome to all of your struggles. Rick
Rick
Pat; have been following your latest posts. First i want you to know we are all pulling for you. Am praying lung scan is not
cancer! But no matter what it is it,s not time to give up the fight. I had bone cancer in ’91/’92, odds were not good. Lung
cancer in ’99 / ’00, odds were even worse. Now bladder cancer.
I’m beginning to think i,m going to die of old age with no parts left. Someone up there don’t want me to join them.
I’ve had people say ” well thats not fair you’ve had three
cancers” NO! Whats not fair is i’ve had so many loved ones and
friends, who were not able to make it through one cancer. That’s not to say i have not gotten very down, worried, cried,
even been ready to die from chemo. But i am still here for
some reason. Hey i don’t know way i keep pulling through.I’m just thankful i am the one getting cancer, and not my loved ones. I,m praying that your tests come back negative.
I hope your son fines another job and does ok. Right now i have a unemployed grandson living with us and you know what,
there are times i think it’s for a reason?
Wishing both you and your son the best!
DukeOh Melodie…its gotten way too complicated. I can’t even talk about it. I’m waiting on a second opinion from a thoracic surgeon at The Cleveland Clinic. Scar on my lung which i’ve had forever has grown 1ml….and it lit up like a christmas tree with the PET scan. I did have that horrible cold after my breast surgery that went on for over a month and infection can cause a false positive……i’m hoping for that one. In the meantime radiation is on hold. I can barely contemplate my fate so i stick my head in the sand and eat chocolate and try not to think about it.
Cancer Sucks!
Pat
OK, Pat, what’s the latest with you? We haven’t heard anything new on this posting…wondering how you are doing, both physically and emotionally. Please share with us. Hugs,
Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright
Wow, Pat. You must be stunned. I know when we heard hard news one right after another we became numb. Here’s hoping the scans are negative for any cancer.
I will be thinking of you. (((Hugs)))) Julie
Volunteer Coordinator
ABLSC
Pat… wish I had something more to offer than the power of my hope that all goes as smoothly as possible for you.
Actually, perhaps I do. My experiences as a parent and as one who often thought suicide was on my agenda.
There have been times in my life when I just had to look for the lesson, no matter how unclear or unfair it may have been, there was one… only thing I thought of here was… perhaps you may need to find away of putting yourself first in a way that is often difficult for a parent to do and allow your son to receive the gift that comes from learning from his own struggles… and from that, a greater sense of self reliance.
As for your son, perhaps my brief story will help… I went from wealthy to welfare (for the last of many times) at 45. Found a way to take that on as a challenge… went back to college (last formal education was as a grade 8 drop out) and quickly discovered that to truly find myself, I had to lose everything… I was like a bad country song… lost my money, my girlfriend and yes, my dog and the pickup truck…
I can also honestly tell you that I now look back at this as the best time in my life because, perhaps for the first time in my life, I accepted responsibility for myself and from there grew in to someone I didn’t know existed, a person who could look in to the mirror and respect the person he saw looking back at him. This comes from a man who was once delivered to the psych ward by the police to protect him from himself after a lifetime experiencing waves of suicidal thoughts. No, it wasn’t easy, quick or painless… but it was above all worth the journey.
Hoping I haven’t overstepped myself…
Rick
Rick
Oh dear. Pat, I do need to keep a better eye on you. My internet service at home stinks and I’m falling behind on all the news here on the forum.
Someone said, “The best gift is the gift of yourself in the service of another.” Pat, you have been that gift for us on so many days when we needed support and advice…we wish to be that gift to you. We can’t offer much in the way of advice but our hearts are touched by your recent struggles and you have our prayers, good thoughts and best wishes. Please let us know how things are going and fuss and fret and all the rest; we are hear to listen, to offer comfort, to be here for you in whatever way we can be.
“One’s friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human.” – George Santayana, 1863-1952
Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright
Pat,
So sorry to see this news. If its scar tissue and has been there a while, maybe that’s all it still is. I certainly hope so!
Wish there was something we could do. Sometimes when people post news like this I think there is a collective feeling of concern around the world and when I read this post it was a palpable feeling.
I know this has to be getting you down but I hope they are able to sort through this quickly and figure out how to get you better fast.
Then (then again–why wait) you can whack your son upside the head and tell him to get himself in gear and get back out there. The job market is a changed world and has been for a decade or so. Nobody gets to to work for the same company from cradle to grave anymore. There are lots of resources out there for learning how to package and market himself.
Mike
Age 54
10/31/06 dx CIS (TisG3) non-invasive (at 47)
9/19/08 TURB/TUIP dx Invasive T2G3
10/8/08 RC neobladder(at 49)
2/15/13 T4G3N3M1 distant metastases(at 53)
9/2013 finished chemo -cancer free again
1/2014 ct scan results….distant mets
2/2014 ct result…spread to liver, kidneys, and lymph system
My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of ABLCS or anyone else. I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.
Pat, that IS a bummer…but we won’t know what it is until they figure it out. I am writintg this from OZ…haven’t had computer access for a week…and I just KNEW you would get into trouble while I was gone.
Seriously, I am thinking really good thoughts for you yet again.
Sara Anne
Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
Forum Moderator
Jeeeeezzzzz. Pat. I feel for you soooo much. While I cannot do more than wish you luck for yourself and say a prayer. My fervent hope is that you find your way through this dark space.
I know young people look at a job loss as a brick wall and life altering (or ending) He may find comfort in knowing that having a job can be even worse than not having one sometimes.
For the past 33 years I have been a small town Dodge auto dealer. Since I had cancer 18 months ago, my business had been battered from almost every angle. 4 months ago I had to conclude that we were NOT going to make it alone. I contacted my nearest competitor and set up a meeting. It was Very hard to admit defeat and suggest Merger, but it had to be done.
I am now about to go from being a proud owner and community leader to a minority owner of a surviving business. And a comensurate pay reduction.But …. and it is a BIG but…. I am AGAIN surviving. And that is the point. Behind every dark cloud is another day. The experience of the hard times makes us better tomorrow.
Feeling for you
George
Light a man a fire and he is warm for an evening.
Light a man ON fire and he’s warm forever.08/08/08…RC neo bladder
09/09/09…New Hip
=
New Man! [/size]
Pat,
I wish I could stop the roller coaster ride and let you off. ((Hugs)) Let me know if I can do anything and if you want to talk just call my cell the house number is changing this weekend.
Char
Pat,
Oh my dear when it rains it does pour. You know that if there was anything we could do to help you through the stress you are under we would. This is one of those times in life that the ride is so rough all you can do is hold on tight and hope the road smooths out soon.
You know my number and that you are in my heart.
Cynthia Kinsella
T2 g3 CIS 8/04
Clinical Trial
Chemotherapy & Radiation 10/04-12/04
Chemotherapy 3/05-5/05
BCG 9/05-1-06
RC w/umbilical Indiana pouch 5/06
Left Nephrectomy 1/09
President American Bladder Cancer SocietySign In to reply.
