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I caught the cancer


Burt

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On 7/31/2023 at 11:28 AM, Hate said:

Yeah, that is my Gleason score (3+4). There is no sign of spread and the tumor seems to be in the middle, so I’m hoping for a better chance of them not getting into the nerves.

There are a lot of different treatments for prostate cancer, including many different types of radiation treatments. At MD Anderson are you doing proton therapy radiation or something else? There’s focal therapy options too. 

You are right that the side effects can be brutal which is why getting accurate thorough information about all of the different options is crucial, especially for Gleason 7, because that might be in the Teal range of cancer, which open up a ton of options. 

Jusr make sure you are fully educated. MD Anderson will likely only discuss limited options.

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I met with a surgeon and an oncologist. All options for radiation are on the table for me. I wanted to go radiation, but if it comes back in my prostate I’m essentially fucked. So I’ll get rid of the prostate and leave all options on the table for when/if it comes back.

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39 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

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Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

Kick it’s ass, Bruin!
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1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

I had that happen last fall.  Got the call, "hey come in for an MRI cause we need to look at something some dipshit thought he saw on the CT."  It was nothing.  So hope for that.  

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1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

Hey...maybe it's just a smudge.  A dirty spot, on your soul.  From the impure thoughts you have.  About Bea Arthur.

Just a thought.  I may be wrong.  But I bet I'm right.

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20 minutes ago, Basil said:

I had that happen last fall.  Got the call, "hey come in for an MRI cause we need to look at something some dipshit thought he saw on the CT."  It was nothing.  So hope for that.  

Same same.  Spots. Spots on liver on CT.  Verified on MRI.  They were spots. Just not cancerous spots.  

#teamhemangioma

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23 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Hey...maybe it's just a smudge.  A dirty spot, on your soul.  From the impure thoughts you have.  About Bea Arthur.

Just a thought.  I may be wrong.  But I bet I'm right.

Now is not the time to remind Bruin of the sensory overload of the smell of Aqua Net hairspray, the lulling sound of a whisky-tinged voice, and the touch of a rubber strap-on.

Unless it is. 

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6 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

You’re going to get through this. You absolutely have to or we’re not going to have anyone to tell how exciting it is to travel to Lincoln in mid-January to players the Huskers in roundball! 
 

You are a really good guy and I want to thank you again for those memories you shared from your trip sailing to Polynesia. You have had a blessed life and you have so much more ahead of you. 🙏🏽

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7 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Just got a call from my surgeon to let me know my CT showed a spot on my liver.  I had met with him just a couple of hours after the CT, and at the time, he said it looked pretty clean.  But the radiologist did a thorough review and noticed the hot spot.  So an MRI will be ordered, and we'll see.  Not news I was hoping for.  

I hate to say it, but if you've got a spot on your liver, you want them to find it and stare real close at it. Hope it's boring. Good luck.

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1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

I hate to say it, but if you've got a spot on your liver, you want them to find it and stare real close at it. Hope it's boring. Good luck.

Also, laparoscopic hacking off a part of your liver is sort of easy-peezy.  Apparently some Homo Erectus banged a salamander, because as long as they stop at 70% removal, your liver will grow back.

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2 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

Also, laparoscopic hacking off a part of your liver is sort of easy-peezy.  Apparently some Homo Erectus banged a salamander, because as long as they stop at 70% removal, your liver will grow back.

And liver is kind of gross with or without fva beans and a nice chianti and all should be avoided if on MAOIs. 

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I've had "spots" on my kidney, lungs, and shoulder. All turned out to be nothing but I appreciate the thoroughness. 

Doctor decided not to give me the vectibix last round and the dermatologist has given me an assortment of creams that seem to be working. My face is about 70% cleared up so it just looks like a weekend meth bender instead of the full week. 

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Catching up on some threads and saw this one.  
 

Wishing all you Surlys a speedy recovery if you are battling this.    Also if you have loved one who are as well.  
 

My wife just finished three months of chemo last Thursday.   We go back up to MD Anderson on the 8th of Sept for surgery and reconstructive work thereafter.   I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful MD Anderson is.

Then I got word on Monday my best friend and best man has Testicular cancer.   That was from left field because he’s 51 and usually that type of cancer is reserved for younger men.   They discovered it last week and has surgery today.  Docs were that concerned.   
 

That’s two people close to my heart with this crap and I keep telling myself I need to do better with diet and exercise.   But I don’t.   I need to fricken wake-up.  

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10 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Man I have to get on top of this fainting thing.  Get lightheaded every day and faint at least once every other day,  low blood pressure and  a little dehydration and I faint.  Weirdest feeling too.

I know that you know you need to work with your physician on fluid and electrolytes. In addition, consider getting a badass cane for stability. Maybe a Bat Masterson with sterling silver head, or gold if you really want to strut. I always thought a shillelagh would be cool.

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10 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Man I have to get on top of this fainting thing.  Get lightheaded every day and faint at least once every other day,  low blood pressure and  a little dehydration and I faint.  Weirdest feeling too.

I warn you, your wife is likely to use this opportunity to buy a new couch. 

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42 minutes ago, Not that Bob said:

I know that you know you need to work with your physician on fluid and electrolytes. In addition, consider getting a badass cane for stability. Maybe a Bat Masterson with sterling silver head, or gold if you really want to strut. I always thought a shillelagh would be cool.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Had a long time friend/former co worker die of bile duct cancer this week.  (I knew she had cancer but didn't know the details or the severity.)  I knew nothing about bile duct dancer until today but it sounds awful and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Sounded completely fucking awful.  I googled it and learned it's rare and by the time you have symptoms and can detect it, you're basically dead man walking.  Fucking awful way to go.

Fuck cancer.  Really, fuck it.  Tons of shit bags in this world are still alive but she'd dead of fucking bile duct cancer.

Edited by Aqua Buddha
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/31/2023 at 7:30 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

Had a long time friend/former co worker die of bile duct cancer this week.  (I knew she had cancer but didn't know the details or the severity.)  I knew nothing about bile duct dancer until today but it sounds awful and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Sounded completely fucking awful.  I googled it and learned it's rare and by the time you have symptoms and can detect it, you're basically dead man walking.  Fucking awful way to go.

Fuck cancer.  Really, fuck it.  Tons of shit bags in this world are still alive but she'd dead of fucking bile duct cancer.

So sorry.  That’s the case with a number of types of cancer.  No way to know until it’s too late.  I’m really fortunate I called my GI doc when I had food swallowing problems.  I went in for an endoscopy within 2 weeks.  My oncologist said if I had waited a couple more months, it might’ve been a different story.  I’m one of the rarities that caught esophageal cancer before stage 4.  It’s deadly because most don’t catch it before it’s too late.  
 

yes, fuck cancer indeed.

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10 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

So sorry.  That’s the case with a number of types of cancer.  No way to know until it’s too late.  I’m really fortunate I called my GI doc when I had food swallowing problems.  I went in for an endoscopy within 2 weeks.  My oncologist said if I had waited a couple more months, it might’ve been a different story.  I’m one of the rarities that caught esophageal cancer before stage 4.  It’s deadly because most don’t catch it before it’s too late.  
 

yes, fuck cancer indeed.

Glad to hear you're doing well and caught it early.  To your point, what worries me is what I don't know is happening.  I've looked into these cancer screenings but there's some debate about how accurate they are.  Also looked into full body MRI's but I actively hate MRI's so there's that.

Glad you're doing well, though.

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14 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said:

So, I finally finished my treatment 3 weeks ago. I was good on my midway scan but I’ll get another in 3 weeks to make sure.

Chemo totally fucked my lower legs and hands. Weirdly, I have mostly motor issues and not many sensory ones. Doing PT weekly but it’ll probably be a slow recovery. I walk with a cane sometimes, and it makes me feel old af.

But, here’s to hopefully getting back to normal.

It's a marathon not a sprint.  You'll get there.  

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On 8/31/2023 at 9:30 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

Had a long time friend/former co worker die of bile duct cancer this week.  (I knew she had cancer but didn't know the details or the severity.)  I knew nothing about bile duct dancer until today but it sounds awful and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Sounded completely fucking awful.  I googled it and learned it's rare and by the time you have symptoms and can detect it, you're basically dead man walking.  Fucking awful way to go.

Fuck cancer.  Really, fuck it.  Tons of shit bags in this world are still alive but she'd dead of fucking bile duct cancer.

I'm sorry for your loss.  My aunt had bile duct cancer.  She was treated at MD Anderson, but it seemed like it was once complication after another.  She spent the better part of the year there in-patient and later to hospice where she died.  It is indeed awful.

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On 7/14/2023 at 6:45 PM, Sbbruin said:

Good suggestions.  Trying ice cream, but it’s caused me to puke the last few times I’ve eaten it.  I feel like when I try something specific I burn out on it fast and it makes me nauseous.  Ensures are about a 50/50 proposition on booting.

You might look at some of the gel packs that a lot of distance athletes use to put in digestible calories while they are competing.  There are multiple brands and flavors, you can likely get an assortment to try at your local bike shop.  But designed to be tolerable on the stomach from what I can tell. They have with and without caffine, but like 100 calories an ounce.spacer.png

my favorite by far spacer.png

Hang in there and keep searching for what will work calorie wise!

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On 9/14/2023 at 9:43 PM, Sbbruin said:

So sorry.  That’s the case with a number of types of cancer.  No way to know until it’s too late.  I’m really fortunate I called my GI doc when I had food swallowing problems.  I went in for an endoscopy within 2 weeks.  My oncologist said if I had waited a couple more months, it might’ve been a different story.  I’m one of the rarities that caught esophageal cancer before stage 4.  It’s deadly because most don’t catch it before it’s too late.  
 

yes, fuck cancer indeed.

My neighbor just finished his radiation treatments for his esophageal cancer and is scheduled for surgery sometime in October. 
He is a genuinely good guy and a Longhorn fan. 
 

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My mom got it. A couple of spots on her appendix and colon. She's in Scottsdale and has the best doctors in the US. They went in and handled the cancer easy peasy. She had to do regular scans, obviously, and has been fine until recently, there was a spot on her colon. They decided the spot was concerning enough to go in and handle it.

When they went in, they saw cancer everywhere. It popped back up from her appendix area and spread across her pelvic floor and the spot they saw was the cancer intruding into her colon from the outside. Apparently she has extra special cancer that doesn't show up on scans. One in a million shot. I want to blame the doctors but I don't know if it's justified or not. I want to blame somebody for failing the most important person in my life. 

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Basil and SB - any spot news? I think about you guys all the time.. 


I was released from surveillance at the end of 2022 after five years of clean scans all around. Likelihood of a recurrence is - according to MDAnderson - the same as being unlucky enough to get it in the first place. I’m down a lot of weight and ran a 10k this morning. Only lingering effects of cancer are the surgical scars.

Spot news: team hemangioma, cross-checked and verified.
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  • 4 weeks later...

My mom goes back on Thursday to see if she can be taken off her medication. It causes her some severe issues if she gets in the sun for too long and it contributes to issues she can have with going to the bathroom. She has chronic myeloid leukemia and while her medication has kept her around I am hoping she can at least get a break from it for a few months.
 

She has had this cancer now for five years I believe and before that in 2014 she overcame being diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She also had a small bit of what the doctor believed to be skin cancer on her cheek that she had removed in between having the other two cancers. My mother is the toughest human being I know and I would like her to fullly be able to enjoy the two grandchildren she has under her roof. She’ turned 74 last month so a 4 year old and 18 month are a lot for her, but she loves every minute with them. Just hoping for some good news for her, but if she has to stay on her meds then so be it. I have many more baseball games to take her to and I hope she can go to one game with her grandkids even if it’s the Astros or Rangers since those are closest to her.

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Add another to the prostate cancer list….  Confirmed with urologist today. 48yo and my PSA spiked to 5. Ultrasound guided biopsy (not fun) and 7 of the 12 cores came back positive. Most with a Gleason score of 6, two with a Gleason score of 7 (4+3). So, much like others here, need to figure out surgery vs. RT. Strong preference right now is no RT and we did order Decipher test to gain more info. I have a friend at work who used to work for Decipher so I’m going to pick his brain for best docs around (SoCal).  I have an appt scheduled in a couple of weeks with the surgeon my urologist recommended from his group, but I know there are going to be a lot of good options in the area. 
 
I was pretty much resigned to the fact that this would be the diagnosis, but my wife was in denial so she had a pretty tough reaction this evening.  
 
As I’m reading you all share your stories here, please know that I’m putting you and your families in my prayers. 
 

 

Yeah, and now you’ve been added to my list. Good luck! Since you are so young still, I wouldn’t mess around with RT…but that’s just me.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday. I just did all of my pre-op stuff yesterday.
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On 10/11/2023 at 5:09 AM, Hate said:


Yeah, and now you’ve been added to my list. Good luck! Since you are so young still, I wouldn’t mess around with RT…but that’s just me.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday. I just did all of my pre-op stuff yesterday.

Give 'em hell Hate.  And @Frieda’s Boss, you got this.  Prostate cancer is very treatable, as long as you follow doc's orders.  Godspeed.

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10 minutes ago, Hate said:


Damn…I did not know this. Cancer or Mexican food??? That’s a really tough call.

 

 

It's not, and probably never will be big news.  The med industry will likely never come out and say that one third of American's food intake (protein/fat/carbs) is turbo charging cancer growth.   There's Ted Talks etc. about the topic, but the med industry avoids the subject.  

 

The food you eat feeds cancer.  Certain foods feed the cancer much more efficiently than others.  

 

Water fast = winning

If you can't do a month straight, look into intermittent fasting.  

 

 

 

 

 

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On 10/11/2023 at 5:09 AM, Hate said:


Yeah, and now you’ve been added to my list. Good luck! Since you are so young still, I wouldn’t mess around with RT…but that’s just me.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday. I just did all of my pre-op stuff yesterday.

Hate - Praying for you right now. You got this. 

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On 10/11/2023 at 7:09 AM, Hate said:


Yeah, and now you’ve been added to my list. Good luck! Since you are so young still, I wouldn’t mess around with RT…but that’s just me.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday. I just did all of my pre-op stuff yesterday.

Do kegel exercises like crazy. Who is your surgeon?

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