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Home › Relationships

Poll | 06/02/2009 12:00 am

Have you ever had cancer?

Read more about: Cancer, Health, Wellness

84 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

JamestheGame
Glad you’ve been an inspiration, Joan.
By JamestheGame on 06/02/2009 11:13 pm
IMLIZZIE
I had a skin cancer right under my eye and had Mohs surgery, but I don’t consider that in the same category as CANCER.
By IMLIZZIE on 06/02/2009 2:38 am
AndreaBrandon
I wonder how many people on this website have had cancer treated by proton beam? Was it successful?
By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 2:57 am
JudyK
Andrea, I don’t know what a proton beam is but I had my throat cancer treated with a radiation beam.  The treatment doesn’t hurt but the aftereffects are long lasting and brutal but successful.  The cancer was from smoking although I had quit at least five years before and never was a heavy smoker and smoked filtered cigarettes.  What was the trigger, stress.  Also had other physical problems that lowered my immune response and cancer is oportunistic if its anything and it was found while I was in the hospital for something else.  The moral of the story is stop smoking if you do and don’t start if  you haven’t.
By JudyK on 06/02/2009 3:30 am
AndreaBrandon

Judy K,

I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years and quit cold turkey when, in 1985, I couldn’t walk up the stairs without being totally out of breath and had to lie down for 30 minutes. Turned out it was an asthma attack but the gawd-awful experience of being unable to breathe was enough to make me quit.

The proton BEAM treatment is aimed at radiating only the cancerous cells and does not destroy adjacent tissue. The side effects are considerably less that standard radiation. Many doctors, I’m hearing, don’t even bother to tell their patients about it because there are less than a dozen facilities in the US that have this equipment. http://www.protons.com/

http://www.protons.com/proton-therapy/proton-technology.html

I agree, Judy, 100000% - don’t smoke.

By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 12:08 pm
JudyK
Haven’t read your attached article yet but will as this interests me.  Have thought for awhile that some cancers (like breast cancer) responds to a trigger  caused by a prolonged bout with stress that lowers the immune system.  That is my simple explanation as to why some people succomb to cancer and others do not.  Not very scientific but makes sense to me.
By JudyK on 06/02/2009 1:28 pm
AndreaBrandon

Actually, Judy, there is quite a bit of scientific evidence by leading medical universities that points to stress being a causal factor. Your simple explanation is valid, although it doesn’t apply to everyone. As I understand it, you usually need to have the DNA and be predisposed to the disease. The stress [or an infection] is the light switch that turns the disease on or off.

As a matter of information, some people are not aware that autoimmune diseases can be triggered by common bacteria infections such as strep or staph. It makes good sense to steer clear of germs as well as people or situations cause your blood pressure to rise. 

By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 3:18 pm
NancyPea
my lymphedema was caused by stress, then a few years later my lupus/fibromyalgia and others more stress. autoimmune diseases and conditions can ALL be triggered by the weirdest things. last year had a lot of stress with the return of my grandson, his operations and court for all of it. that i think is why now that everything is settled and things are finally going good iit’s finally hitting me. sometimes things can take months or years to hit you after it happens. you just NEVER know. but i’m glad your letting others know. ALL of you. it’s VERY important.
By NancyPea on 06/02/2009 4:41 pm
AndreaBrandon
My close friend used to be someone who ran 5 miles a day, even at age 60; was never sick a day in her life. Then on winter her mother came to stay with her family for a month.  The mother had never visited her daughter before - probably because the two really didn’t like each other at all. Oil and vinegar. By the time her mother left my friend was literally a basket case, but within a couple days seemed to get over it. A month or so later she had trouble breathing. End result, she was diagnosed with the very unusual autoimmune "anti-Jo-1" disease which is associated with Dermatomyositis. Five years in and out of hospitals and in and out of her own mental hell.
By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 5:24 pm
NancyPea
yeah if you don’t know about it, it can really hit you hard. actually it can still even if you DO know about it. but at least then you are better prepared to deal with it and deal with it you do. you have no choice. cancer was predestined in our family. but smoking sure didn’t help. i never smoked and got checked. finally at the last possible moment i was taken care of it. but it felt seat of my pants kind of thing. as soon as i can get that referral to the free clinic (my appt is next month) i will have another mamo and some other checks too. it’s been a while.
By NancyPea on 06/02/2009 5:41 pm
AndreaBrandon

I’d make sure the referring doctor is aware of the history and the anxiety. Maybe s/he can expedite the appointment.  But those checkups, as much as I hate them, are the key. Knowledge is always power and you have to know your options. I think it’s also wise to make sure your physician understands whether or not you want to be proactive in the treatment decision process. Lots of us more mature ladies on the board grew up with the idea that doctors were equivalent to gods and that you didn’t question a thing and blindly trusted them. That old thinking must be changed and I think that is best accomplished  by the patient taking responsibility for getting all the facts, communciating your level of cooperation in treatment decision and compliance with the doctor, and making sure the doctor really understands whether you want conservative or aggressive care.

You’ve got the wheels in motion, Nancy. Now it is just a waiting game. [Hate them.] I’m wishing you the very best of luck.

By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 8:15 pm
NancyPea
thanx most of everything now is maintenance for my various conditions. at this time i just cannot go back to work. so i’m just trying to get some of the money i paid into social security to take care of me til either i can again or til i die. either way, i will work hard to get it and such. already got a lawyer.
By NancyPea on 06/02/2009 8:55 pm
AndreaBrandon
I wish you luck, Nancy. It’s one thing being sick and unable to work, but it’s a real aggravation having to deal with the stress of bureaucratic governmental agencies.
By AndreaBrandon on 06/02/2009 9:15 pm
NancyPea
thanx, i appreciate that.
By NancyPea on 06/02/2009 9:20 pm
JamestheGame
Good luck and God Bless, Nancy
By JamestheGame on 06/02/2009 11:15 pm
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