I've decided to do an AMA at Reddit. This will not only give people a chance to talk to me about what it's like to live with end-stage cancer, but it will also give me insight into what other people are interested in, and may help direct this blog some. Might also be a chance for me to educate folks on pink.
Because Reddit wants proof that you are who you say you are, this blog post will be that proof.
Here is the link: http://redd.it/1ov8li
Ask me anything! :)
What is an AMA?
ReplyDeleteWhat is Reddit?
Why does technology keep leaving me behind? :O)
Asking anything! My wife has just ben diagnosed. Almost three weeks ago. Invasive ductal carcinoma, with some extra's. She had an MRI on friday, today we went in to get the results. The dr. told us from the report only, no pics, that her lymph nodes in both armpits were of some concern. The cancer is in her right breast, we knew this from the biopsy. The lymph node thing was what we thought the MRI was going to show us. Now he has ordered an ultrasound. What the heck is going on? We went to get a second opinion last week and the opinions were very different. One says the tumor is small, doesn't think chemo is needed pre lumpectomy, the other says it is borderline chemo size. My beautiful wife is only 38 years old. We are spooked, of coarse. Do we need a third opinion? 4th?
ReplyDeletePink huh? Boy-o-Boobies have we learned so much in the past couple of weeks, and the past two years. A little over two years ago a city truck ran a stop sign and totaled the car I was driving. As well as leaving me disabled. Until this diagnosis, my hero, my best friend, my wife has been working tirelessly. She is the head of sculpture at a university. I had been a self employed furniture maker. The accident left me with an intractable head pain. She has taken me to the Mayo clinic, and to a specialized neurological institute in Michigan, and so many doctors locally. We think we have found our man, for me.
Before our recent adventure in the medical arena, we were living, loving life. We were still in the belief that we can trust. Now I am finding that there are a number of charities under the pink umbrella. Doing research in the name of.. I never imagined there was such a bold line between big pharma and homeopathic folks. Who do we trust? The American Medical Association is clearly influenced by pharmaceutical company's. Public records are awesome! Pink! Breast cancer research is huge and very spread out. I have been looking for some papers on the findings of the years and billions spent on research. Can you help me find some answers?
I just found your site a couple of hours ago. I have read only the smallest bit of your story. You are bold, my wife is too. Peace to you.
Paul
I'm sorry about your wife's diagnosis. I know it's very confusing in the beginning. I don't think you need to continue to get different opinions. The truth is, until they do the surgery, they are not going to know exactly how big the cancer is or what her treatment will be.
DeleteWe all have the idea that these imaging machines that peer into our bodies give perfect pictures and all can be identified that way, but it's not true. So a lot of what your wife's diagnosis will be will happen after her surgery. My cancer was almost a centimeter bigger than they thought after being taken to pathology. What is happening to her lymph nodes, that will be discovered after biopsy.
Once you have the surgery done, they'll be able to see how big the cancer is, test it for HER2 overexpression or whatever, see if it has gone into the lymph nodes and how many and then go from there. Until surgery happens, you are just sort of guessing.
Good luck to you!
I know it's probably different, but when my aunt had e-s met. b/c she had tried chemo and radio etc., but all it had done at that stage was shrink it a bit, so she tried reiki and a newer treatment being developed in the UK so…I would say, though it's totally your choice, that you should look into each kind of treatment option in depth and then choose the one you all feel would be right.
DeleteOMG I love how one reader put this so simply: " I love what you wrote in your blog about testicular cancer. I get furious when I see "save the boobies" or "save the tatas." We need to save the women."
ReplyDeletePaul,
ReplyDeleteWhat's the update? What did they find? Her HER@ status?
--Just a concerned physician