October 2021
1 Kudo
Thanks, Sch, for those kind words. I suppose it's just something that I find interesting, mainly because perfecting a foreign language is (to me, anyway) quite a challenge, and there were days when I spent up to eight hours studying Spanish. And you're right. Hope does matter. I haven't given up yet, and the strange thing is that I survived a near death experience once in my younger days. It was a serious car accident, and no one, including the police and ambulance officers, could understand how I'd escaped it alive. I recall thinking that it hadn't been my time yet, and that my purpose on this strange journey we call life still awaited me. Perhaps I've already served that purpose and just don't know it yet. Maybe one of my grandkids will rise up and take control of a world that has gone crazy. Who knows? Anyway, thanks again for the support, amigo. I appreciate it. JD
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October 2021
2 Kudos
Strangely, aside, of course, from knowing that I'll be moving on from those that I love and hold dear, one thing that really pisses me off about knowing that my days are numbered, is that just before getting diagnosed with inoperable, advanced pancreatic cancer three months ago, I'd spent nearly two years learning to speak Spanish. I had advanced to intermediate level and and was reading, writing and conversing quite well. During my online course I had also produced over 400 pages of info, particularly about Spanish grammar. For the record, once the grammar makes sense, that's when learning becomes a lot easier. Anyway, a long story cut short. I gave up learning because I couldn't see the point in doing so any more. Normalmente pase' tiempo aprender Espanol, porque es un idioma muy interesante. Pero no mas. Okay, there's my little vent for the day. And yes, it really sucks. Adios, amigos.
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October 2021
3 Kudos
I think your user name says it all, Wegotthis. In this case, 'You've got this'. Fuck cancer. Get in there and kick its miserable, undeserving ass. Wishing you the very best of luck. Keep us posted. JD
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October 2021
1 Kudo
That's great to hear! Keep us all posted, Linda. You've got this. JD
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October 2021
1 Kudo
Hello Linda, sorry to hear about your diagnosis. The one thing that surprises me is that you mentioned it being a non-curable cancer. I tend to think that most cancers are curable, some more than others. For an oncologist to have made a 'terminal' diagnosis at this early stage, seems strange. I did a bit of research on the net, and nowhere does it say that adenocarcinoma is not curable. For my part, I have inoperable advanced pancreatic cancer and have been going through chemo for six weeks now. But still, no one has told me that it is incurable. My advice - seek a second opinion and explore treatment options. One thing you do need to do is have a confident and positive attitude that you're going to beat this. Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine 🙂 JD
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October 2021
1 Kudo
Hello fellow cancer sufferers. A little bit of background about myself; I have advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer and am currently going through the chemo routine. I'm 59, and I guess there's no other way to say it, really, it sucks. The cancer, the chemo, and, of course, the uncertainty of the whole thing and not knowing when my time will be up. On a positive note, though, because of the horrible nature of this disease, and also because the world round us seems to be imploding quickly, I sought a way to escape from this reality. And I found such a way with virtual reality. To be honest, I never did have much of a bucket list, but in just the past week I have done the following; I’ve been on more roller coaster rides than you could poke a stick at; I’ve been to a cinema that I set up high in the cosmos and watched several movies; I got up close and personal with a 10 ft tiger, stroked its head, and under its chin, which it really seemed to like, just like most cats; I've walked among lions, elephants, hyenas and many other animals. I was in a submersible and got attacked by a 70 ft megalodon; I was harassed by a T-Rex and just froze, as one would I expect. It's okay, it couldn't see me whilst I was motionless. I talked to a green alien creature, which had a sort of humanoid head, big eyes, a fat belly, skinny arms and legs. I didn’t understand what it was saying, not a word, but it seemed friendly enough; I’ve been to Chernobyl and seen the ruins of what once was, in fact I’ve been to many places of interest around the entire world; I went up to the very top of the Eiffel Tower and walked around the completely fenced-in observation deck, taking in the views; I stood beneath the 800-metre-high, Angel Falls in Venezuela, and, via a drone, traced its beginnings up into the mountains above that reach up into the clouds; Oh, and I climbed Mount Everest: The brain interprets VR as being real, hence the reason I nearly jumped out of my chair several times during my adventures. Anyway, I highly recommend this as a way to cope, and the meditation options are simply fantastic as well. You choose the place. You choose the music. And just relax. This world sucks. Leave it for a while, is my recommendation. JD
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October 2021
Hi, and thanks for your response. For my part, I just can't see the correlation between the jab and the cancer. I would have thought that those undergoing chemo would be exempted, because of the lack of study data about the jab, generally, and because of the possible serious side-effects, like neurological problems, heart problems, oh and, of course, death. I do feel sorry for the doctors, though. They're caught between a rock and a hard place. If I was a doctor, though, I would stand my ground, and if losing my license was the consequence, then so be it. I do find it interesting that politicians aren't required to get the jab, though. But then, I'm not surprised by that, either. The flu virus can, after all, tell the difference between politicians and us plebs. Grrrrr... Colin
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September 2021
3 Kudos
Hi everyone, I'm just looking to connect with anyone battling pancreatic cancer as I am. These forums are great, but we are limited in what we can say, i.e. we can't really vent on here. I'm happy send my private email address and phone number via a PM. Or, if you just want to communicate on here, that's fine too I guess. My tumour is 4cm in size, is stage 3, it has infiltrated three lymph nodes but has not yet metastasised, it has wrapped itself around some blood vessels and has completely encase two main arteries. It's inoperable, basically, but I'm on chemo anyway just to see if they can shrink it. They have told me though that the odds of ever being able to shrink it enough to operate are very low, at best. Hey I'm not a sad sack by the way. I'm surprisingly positive in my attitude and would like to pass that energy on to someone else. Life is what it is, and we all have to die sometime. At least this way we get to say goodbye properly to our loved ones. And we find out who our 'true friends' really are. Anyway, feel free to talk with me if you like. I'm 59 by the way and my real name is Colin. I also look a lot like my avatar 🙂 Colin
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September 2021
1 Kudo
Hello Melissa, my name is Colin. I'm 59 and am also battling cancer. Pancreatic, in my case and quite advanced. I understand the emotions associated with the side-effects of chemo, but on the subject of wigs, I know a lot more. As a former client myself, I had a lot of involvement in the hair replacement industry and have seen many recipients of hairpieces, a lot of whom were women. Some were battling cancer and others alopecia. Some just had naturally thinning hair. But wow did they look great! Wigs nowadays are state of the art, including real human hair and synthetic hair. They really do look good. And on a personal note, as a guy there was always one hell of a stigma that went with trying cover up baldness, but with women that doesn't apply. Put it this way, if anyone, a work colleague, for example, said anything detrimental, just tell them that you are losing your natural hair because of chemo treatment. Trust me, they will never say another word, in fact it's doubtful that anyone would in the first place. In fact, as strange as it might sound, they would probably even be a bit jealous of your fantastic new look. One thing I've learned at this stage of my life is not to give a damn what anyone thinks or says about me, but I've also learned that no one really says anything. They have their own lives and problems to deal with. So, just do it. Find a reputable (not online) local hair replacement service and go in and talk to them. I wish you all the best of luck, with that, and with your cancer, of course. Colin
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September 2021
2 Kudos
Hello Jane, my name is Colin. I had a similar experience after my scan a few months ago and found myself looking at a data report that I didn't understand. What I did is to google the terms individually, for example T4N0 in my case meant a 4cm tumour that had reached some lymph nodes but had not yet metastasised. I don't want to translate what you have written, but as I said, just break down the terms like haematuria, gfr 80 , papillary lesion, and TCC lesion so that you can discuss your findings with your oncologist. One thing I did find with myself is that even my oncologist didn't seem to want to go into details, so I just asked him straight to do so, and he did. It wasn't the news I was hoping for, but now at least I know the truth, which, strangely, feels okay. Good luck with your journey. You've got this. Colin
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