Tag Archives: adenocarcinoma

The “C” Card and When To Play It

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There is an old saying that we must “play the hand we’re dealt.” It’s a poker reference, of course, though it is relevant to non-gamblers, too. The gist of the message is that we need to adapt to our circumstances and use the resources that are available to us. But there is a hidden message, too, which the card sharps among us might already have gleaned. Kenny Rogers famously sang that “you’ve got to know when to hold ’em.” But what he didn’t really get to in that song was knowing when to play the cards you have.

Don’t be afraid to play the cards you have. Continue reading The “C” Card and When To Play It →

Cancer: What You Think It Is May Be Just Bad For You

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Cancer Is Not Intelligent, Cancer Has No Will

Discussing cancer in general terms often leads to insinuations that Cancer has a motivation. It “overcomes” the immune system. It “figures out” how to defeat a drug. It “is surprisingly good at mutating” into something that can continue to grow in spite of whatever is attacking it. It is “nefarious.” All of these descriptions, and there are hundreds more, imply that Cancer wants something, that it is making an effort, that it has an agenda or goal; the implication is that Cancer has a mind. This is a fallacy of thought that not only makes general discussion more difficult, but it actually can impede treatment and healing. Continue reading Cancer: What You Think It Is May Be Just Bad For You →

The Chemo Diaries: Round Two

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So the second round of chemotherapy began even smoother than the first. The nurse and I had a good chat about how it really ought to be more of a “spa experience,” perhaps with at least a good foot massage thrown in. I would also like to see some umbrella drinks. Because the patient is essentiality stuck there, attached for several hours to a drip IV, making it as pleasant as possible is always a good idea.
Continue reading The Chemo Diaries: Round Two →

Cure for Cancer Discussion on Quora

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I recently participated in a discussion on Quora that was framed as a question about the possibility of finding a cure for cancer. The other responses were largely interesting, though it was clear to me that the question itself (and some of the responses) indicate that there is still a lack of understanding with regard to the progress already made in the field(s) of cancer research, as well as a lack of understanding about what a “cure” really means.

Click the link to read my contribution to the discussion and explore some of the other voices that chimed in.

 

Natural Cancer Remedies: What You Don’t Want To Know (But Should)

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Natural cancer remedies have been around for at least 3,000 years and yet it appears that modern science and Western Medicine either ignore these time-tested solutions or are in a conspiracy to keep them from the public. Why is this the case? The truth is much more insidious. But to understand it fully, we need to explore the history of cancer and how these natural cancer remedies are supposed to work.
Continue reading Natural Cancer Remedies: What You Don’t Want To Know (But Should) →

Sympathy: Not Just for the Devil, But Still Bad

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I’ve got to tell you, I hate it when people feel sorry for me. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate a bit of empathy for what I am going through, but I can thoroughly do without the pity. I don’t need it and I certainly don’t want it. There is no “poor me” going on here, I don’t feel bad about my situation or somehow maligned by the universe. That just isn’t me. Maybe it’s because I’m something of a secular humanist at heart, but I find strength in knowing that I can get through whatever I need to and too much sympathy dumped in my path just makes it that much slower for me to move along.
Continue reading Sympathy: Not Just for the Devil, But Still Bad →

The Chemo Diaries: Day Three

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And on the third day… I woke really, really early. After about three and a half hours of glorious sleep, my bladder decided that I needed to get up. And though I fought it for a good thirty minutes, there was no denying it was going to win and the sooner it had its minor victory, the sooner I could return to sleep. Except for a few minor glitches. First, I was absolutely awake. Then my stomach was acting all hungry and I started getting concerned that I would need some anti-nausea medication because it was hard to identify whether the queasy feeling I was getting was the driving factor or the result of my hunger pangs. So then my brain really perked up to take stock of the situation. By the time I concluded I shouldn’t worry and I was just getting hungry early, the rain really started coming down outside.
Continue reading The Chemo Diaries: Day Three →

The Chemo Diaries: Day Two

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Chemo Brain

This morning actually started off fabulously. I woke early, probably around 5:30, but with no real desire to get up right away. So I laid there in bed, read some email after a while and then decided to rise about ten or fifteen minutes after my wife got up to shower. When I went to stretch my legs and let the cat in to the rest of the house, my knees were a touch wobbly, but I felt great, alert and happily not at all nauseous. Continue reading The Chemo Diaries: Day Two →

The Chemo Diaries: Day One

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And we’re off! I began in the height of luxury here at the Keck Medical Center in lovely Pasadena on a beautiful Wednesday morning. The sun is shining, my daughter was off to a great start and my wife has cleared the day to keep me company in our five star accommodations. I have a heated, massage-lounge chair and my own hi-def satellite television service, robust Wi-Fi and some decent natural lighting behind me. Continue reading The Chemo Diaries: Day One →

The Letter to Other Parents

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Today, I realized that it was important to let the parents in my daughter’s class know that I am about to start chemotherapy. Some of them already know about my cancer, but most do not. So I sat down this morning and wrote the following message (with some minor redaction). Tomorrow, my daughter’s teacher (who sent out her own thoughtful letter to the parent community) is going to engage in a brief talk with the class to address any concerns.

Dear fellow parents,

I am writing to update you all on an important issue that will be affecting my family, and which may end up coming home to some of you as a topic of discussion at some point. Continue reading The Letter to Other Parents →