Bad news

[Lonewolf Ed]

SimplyRed started a thread about me not long ago. I thought I'd start one with the latest. I got very bad news today. My colon cancer got into my liver and the doc said it is stage 4. She said it can't be cured. Without treatment, I might last 10 weeks. Even with chemo, the best I could hope for is maybe 3 years. I'm scheduled to have a port put in tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1 pm. They start me on 3 types of chemo on Thursday.

[BWillie]

Hang in there man. Show that doc 3 years aint no thang

[PHOG]

Ed...prayers are sent your way and to anyone that is lucky enough to know you.

[kappa72202]

prayers sent up for you Ed. Hang in there.

[SaltyDog]

Never give up Ed and draw strength from the good will of all of us here, I do not know you but I can relate to you in some ways as I am going through some rough times right now. It all started in April at the hospital with a mini stroke, high blood pressure,high cholesterol and diabetes, later on they found a blockage in my bile tubes that could not be unblocked due to a mass exerting pressure on them. the plan now is to remove this mass on Friday by a Whipple procedure which will put me out of action for a few months, the doctor says it can be removed and feels confident he will get it all out (hope so) Anyways my prayers are with you and shoot one this way.

[OldSchool]

Keep up the good fight Ed, we're all pulling for you.

[Kaepernick]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

JFC what is going on around here I'm scared to go to the doc at this point. Man that is tough dude all the best if theres anything I can do to help let me know.

That is why it is so critical to have the dreaded regular colonoscopies when you age. I don't know how old you are, but 45 is not too young to start having them.

I just had my first one at 55 and they snipped off like 7 polyps. Due back in 3 years. This probably saved my life at some point.

[Kaepernick]

Prayers for you Lonewolf, but I really hope you are a man of faith, because it is a great comfort whatever the outcome.

I can't possibly know what it is like, but last winter, we spent 9 months watching my 38 year old baby brother die of an unknown cancer source that spread to his liver and was just too advanced to treat. Chemo extended his life few months but it was not good quality.

May you be blessed with Peace and Forgiveness through the process and whatever the outcome. Live every day like it is your last and anybody who doesn't like you doing that can just go to hell.

I am so sorry for what you are going through. It is no consolation, I know, but when my baby brother got cancer, we mentioned it to others, and it seemed like EVERYBODY, and I mean everyone knows somebody that died from cancer and went through Chemo and hospice.

May God have mercy on you and heal you, if not miraculously, then at least into remission for a few years so you get a second chance to do everything you have ever wanted to do before it comes back. Since it doesn't look good, I will just pray for Peace for you in your ordeal. May God be with you.

[Kaepernick]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf Ed

I slept well, didn't tear the pump out in my sleep, don't feel sick, and am about to have breakfast once my yogurt gets warmer (cold is affecting me now, and I like cold, dammit), and then I'll take some anti-nausea meds for good measure. I haven't raaaalfed since Karneval in Denmark in 2008 and want that streak to keep going. Of course, if the streak does end, at least this time there will be no horseradish mustard shooting out my nose. That is an... intense... memory!

That's sick. Must have felt like as bad as a jalapeño enema. That's nasty.

[Strongside]

Ed, where do you live? Are you in KC? Sorry if it's been asked in this thread already.

[BeeHo]

if you've got family history of colon cancer, then going at 45 years of age or maybe even 40 could be justified. My uncle in Germany passed away last January from stage 4 colon but he never did his colonoscopy even though it was FREE in Germany. so just in case i'll get my colonoscopy at 45 latest.

Toay, I just met a 20YOF patient who was just diagnosed with cancer with only 6 months according to her doc. truly sad.

BUT i believe in miracles: a different patient of mine has been through breast cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. 14 years in remission too. lucky gal


So good luck to you

[Al Bundy]

Reading about this has made me schedule a colonoscopy as part of my yearly exam in a month. LWEd you have always been a pretty cool cat and I am really sorry to read about you having to go through this. I really do hope you will beat this thing.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by Kaepernick

Prayers for you Lonewolf, but I really hope you are a man of faith, because it is a great comfort whatever the outcome.

I can't possibly know what it is like, but last winter, we spent 9 months watching my 38 year old baby brother die of an unknown cancer source that spread to his liver and was just too advanced to treat. Chemo extended his life few months but it was not good quality.

May you be blessed with Peace and Forgiveness through the process and whatever the outcome. Live every day like it is your last and anybody who doesn't like you doing that can just go to hell.

I am so sorry for what you are going through. It is no consolation, I know, but when my baby brother got cancer, we mentioned it to others, and it seemed like EVERYBODY, and I mean everyone knows somebody that died from cancer and went through Chemo and hospice.

May God have mercy on you and heal you, if not miraculously, then at least into remission for a few years so you get a second chance to do everything you have ever wanted to do before it comes back. Since it doesn't look good, I will just pray for Peace for you in your ordeal. May God be with you.

Thank you and I while I don't know how this will turn out, I have put it all in God's hands. I'm trying to be okay with either outcome, that being, I make it or I don't. People have been telling me to live everyday like it is my last, and I understand the reason. But, I feel content within myself. If I should find myself taking my last breath, I won't spend it saying, "Oh, no! I never got to go (fill in the blank)" or "I never did (fill in the blank.)" The things I love doing in this life, I have done. I would like to keep on doing those things, of course, but as it pertains to me and my life, I've experienced great joys and adventures as well as pains and loss, so aside from trivial stuff like seeing the Chiefs win lots of playoff games (and I was too young to notice them win the Super Bowl), my life has been full.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by BeeHo

if you've got family history of colon cancer, then going at 45 years of age or maybe even 40 could be justified. My uncle in Germany passed away last January from stage 4 colon but he never did his colonoscopy even though it was FREE in Germany. so just in case i'll get my colonoscopy at 45 latest.

Toay, I just met a 20YOF patient who was just diagnosed with cancer with only 6 months according to her doc. truly sad.

BUT i believe in miracles: a different patient of mine has been through breast cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. 14 years in remission too. lucky gal


So good luck to you

Thanks so much for the good wishes. If I had a colonoscopy 5 or 6 years ago, maybe there just would have been a polyp they could have snipped out, and the worst of the whole experience would have been the prep for the colonoscopy. But, no one in my family has had colon cancer except my uncle, and he was my mom's brother-in-law. There have been some others with cancer, but very few. So I may be the first with colon cancer that got my liver, too. So, several years ago, I wouldn't have just had a wild thought to go get my colon scoped. I felt fine, you know? Plus, they probably would have told me to not worry about it until I was 50. Up until now, I have lived a life almost free of doctors. I looked at docs sort of like cops, in that life is better if neither of them know my face or name.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by Strongside

Ed, where do you live? Are you in KC? Sorry if it's been asked in this thread already.

I live in Olathe, but not the sunny side. I'm over on the 66061 side of town, actually outside the city limits.

[Kaepernick]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf Ed

Thank you and I while I don't know how this will turn out, I have put it all in God's hands. I'm trying to be okay with either outcome, that being, I make it or I don't. People have been telling me to live everyday like it is my last, and I understand the reason. But, I feel content within myself. If I should find myself taking my last breath, I won't spend it saying, "Oh, no! I never got to go (fill in the blank)" or "I never did (fill in the blank.)" The things I love doing in this life, I have done. I would like to keep on doing those things, of course, but as it pertains to me and my life, I've experienced great joys and adventures as well as pains and loss, so aside from trivial stuff like seeing the Chiefs win lots of playoff games (and I was too young to notice them win the Super Bowl), my life has been full.

You have a great, stable, mature level-headed attitude going into this ordeal. Nobody here will lie to you. If the doctors say you don't have much time left, you likely don't. There is nothing anyone can say to make you feel better about that, so I am glad that you show tremendous strength in dealing with it. Many of us will deal with this at some point in our lives, and none of us knows how we are going to deal with it - depression, attacking the people helping us, defeatism, escapism. I will probably choose escapism. Just pretend it isn't happening. Pretend I have the flu and refinance the house for another 30 years.

God be with you. Whatever it takes to maintain your peace of mind through this, do it.

You have already resigned to putting your life and health and mind frame in God's hands, and that is really the most comforting thing you can do. The Lord will comfort you.

My baby brother died of liver cancer at 38. And I will always wonder, never knowing, if in that instant when he was drawing his last, feint, labored breath he didn't look on the verge of heaven and think, "Gee guys, you have really got to see this! It is going to blow your mind. If you knew what was coming, you would do anything to get there NOW!"

God bless you and you will be in my prayers. A nice miraculous remission to give you a bit of time back to appreciate before you go, will be my prayer request. Nothing greedy, just a couple of years. I will also pray that your symptoms are mild and your appetite is good.