This is the videoblog of David B. Oliver. David shared his cancer journey with the world in hopes of depriving death of its strangeness. Peace be with you.
Welcome to the world of nasopharyngeal carcinoma! I was diagnosed in March 2008. I haven't gotten to watch your videos yet but I didn't think of videoing I just did a journal first on My Space then in blogspot if you would like to read how my journey went!
I was pretty ragged out going into week 3 of 8 weeks of radiation and then 6 chemos. Luckily I only got them at the first of each month. But doing a video and carrying on a conservation as the muscles in the throat didn't want to cooperate with me didn't happen! LOL
Oct. of 2008 the final PET scan showed no cancer found!
BUT the story didn't end there! Thomo Therapy radiation treatments the radiation that saved my life sarted a tumor in my brain so we had to go get it with 10 hours of open brain surgery!
I'll freak you all out with the next statement!
"I would rather get 40 more radiation treatments than another 10 hour surgery!" Brain surgery is Highly Overrated! I so feel for Gabby Giffords.
I'm still trying to figure out how I got this particular cancer. From all the research only 2000 of us get this a year. It's also found mostly in China and they "believe" from smoking meat. Yeah right! I would grill a lot but very seldom did I "smoke" meat! I'll try to watch this as much as I can. I also live in Springfield and St Johns is where my team is! Stay healthy and as I learned listen to your body more than we did!
I'll be adding a new post to my journal about the last year of fun after surgery and the other lingering effects of radiation to my throat, sinuses, and my face and beard!
I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer last March...it too is incurable but "manageable". I found a lump, had lumpectomy; it was in lymph nodes then scans were done and found in liver and bones. It spread so fast I was used as a test case at a cancer symposium! I had back surgery the previous year and no cancer was in my body then. Even though I had my mammograms, etc, this type of cancer is the small percentage that doesn't show up on mammogram. I did everything right, just fell through the cracks! I began a blog on caringbridge.org shortly after I was diagnosed to keep all my family & friends in the loop of what was happening with me. There have been almost 7,000 visits to my blog and it saved lots of individual emails and phone calls, especially when I didn't feel well. I went through 6 chemo treatments and it slowed the cancer down considerably, but my bones and liver are full of cancer and one Dr told me all it takes is 1 cell to start growing out of control again and I won't last long. I took medical leave from work to enjoy what time I have left - whether it be 6 months or 5 years - spend time with family, friends and get my affairs in order. I pretty much had the legal stuff done after my husband passed away 5 years ago, but I never dreamed I would be this close to death in my 50's. I live for each day, and feel blessed that I have this time do things that I want to do. I am told that I am an inspiration also but there are 2 ways to deal with this - cry about it and ask "why me?" or embrace the time and opportunity that I have which is what I'm doing. It is what it is, I can't change it. I will continue to fight as long as I have more good days than bad, then I will give in to the cancer. Quality of life is very important to me. Good luck to you in your fight.
You are not wasting time by "fighting" cancer; you are investing in your future time to help others. We cannot avoid death, but we don't stop eating to preserve our life! I was diagnosed with stage 4 Waldenstrom's lymphoma - incurable - in November, 2006. Last year,{five years later), I was IN REMISSION. I highly recommend taking a lot of astragalus, an herb which basically strengthens the immune system, and has been shown to have some great results with cancer. NEVER ACCEPT cancer; attitude and faith are critical. My cancer killed the nerves in my hands and feet, so that I could do hardly anything without assistance. And the first treatment - plasmaphyresis - did nothing, as well as the first chemo drug, so I was preparing to die. I saw a physical therapist to get an apparatus to prevent "clubbing" of my hands, and got a series of sessions of hand exercises with it. I learned that even though the nerves were useless, my hand muscles were improving, and I thought "If my hands can get stonger, why not all the rest of my muscles?" From that day on, I have improved. I am now happier for the experience, even though my hands and feet are still impaired. Now, at age 78, I am working to improve legislation in long term care in Wisconsin. God gives us the strength to do what we must! Bless you......
Welcome to the world of nasopharyngeal carcinoma! I was diagnosed in March 2008. I haven't gotten to watch your videos yet but I didn't think of videoing I just did a journal first on My Space then in blogspot if you would like to read how my journey went!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty ragged out going into week 3 of 8 weeks of radiation and then 6 chemos. Luckily I only got them at the first of each month. But doing a video and carrying on a conservation as the muscles in the throat didn't want to cooperate with me didn't happen! LOL
Oct. of 2008 the final PET scan showed no cancer found!
BUT the story didn't end there! Thomo Therapy radiation treatments the radiation that saved my life sarted a tumor in my brain so we had to go get it with 10 hours of open brain surgery!
I'll freak you all out with the next statement!
"I would rather get 40 more radiation treatments than another 10 hour surgery!" Brain surgery is Highly Overrated! I so feel for Gabby Giffords.
I'm still trying to figure out how I got this particular cancer. From all the research only 2000 of us get this a year. It's also found mostly in China and they "believe" from smoking meat. Yeah right! I would grill a lot but very seldom did I "smoke" meat! I'll try to watch this as much as I can. I also live in Springfield and St Johns is where my team is! Stay healthy and as I learned listen to your body more than we did!
I'll be adding a new post to my journal about the last year of fun after surgery and the other lingering effects of radiation to my throat, sinuses, and my face and beard!
Good Luck!
George
I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer last March...it too is incurable but "manageable". I found a lump, had lumpectomy; it was in lymph nodes then scans were done and found in liver and bones. It spread so fast I was used as a test case at a cancer symposium! I had back surgery the previous year and no cancer was in my body then. Even though I had my mammograms, etc, this type of cancer is the small percentage that doesn't show up on mammogram. I did everything right, just fell through the cracks!
ReplyDeleteI began a blog on caringbridge.org shortly after I was diagnosed to keep all my family & friends in the loop of what was happening with me. There have been almost 7,000 visits to my blog and it saved lots of individual emails and phone calls, especially when I didn't feel well. I went through 6 chemo treatments and it slowed the cancer down considerably, but my bones and liver are full of cancer and one Dr told me all it takes is 1 cell to start growing out of control again and I won't last long. I took medical leave from work to enjoy what time I have left - whether it be 6 months or 5 years - spend time with family, friends and get my affairs in order. I pretty much had the legal stuff done after my husband passed away 5 years ago, but I never dreamed I would be this close to death in my 50's. I live for each day, and feel blessed that I have this time do things that I want to do. I am told that I am an inspiration also but there are 2 ways to deal with this - cry about it and ask "why me?" or embrace the time and opportunity that I have which is what I'm doing. It is what it is, I can't change it. I will continue to fight as long as I have more good days than bad, then I will give in to the cancer. Quality of life is very important to me.
Good luck to you in your fight.
You are not wasting time by "fighting" cancer; you are investing in your future time to help others. We cannot avoid death, but we don't stop eating to preserve our life! I was diagnosed with stage 4 Waldenstrom's lymphoma - incurable - in November, 2006. Last year,{five years later), I was IN REMISSION. I highly recommend taking a lot of astragalus, an herb which basically strengthens the immune system, and has been shown to have some great results with cancer. NEVER ACCEPT cancer; attitude and faith are critical. My cancer killed the nerves in my hands and feet, so that I could do hardly anything without assistance. And the first treatment - plasmaphyresis - did nothing, as well as the first chemo drug, so I was preparing to die. I saw a physical therapist to get an apparatus to prevent "clubbing" of my hands, and got a series of sessions of hand exercises with it. I learned that even though the nerves were useless, my hand muscles were improving, and I thought "If my hands can get stonger, why not all the rest of my muscles?" From that day on, I have improved. I am now happier for the experience, even though my hands and feet are still impaired. Now, at age 78, I am working to improve legislation in long term care in Wisconsin. God gives us the strength to do what we must! Bless you......
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I wish you all the best in your recovery!
ReplyDelete- Susan
Home care in Auburn NH
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