If You were diagnosed with cancer what would you do?

[shouldnthave]

Another aunt just died (it was as expected) after a four year battle. Been talking to my mom over the last few days while keeping her calm, and the question of what we (mom and I) would do given the same diagnosis keeps popping up.

My aunt, in good health except a bit of pain could have lived for a year and a half +\- doing whatever she wanted. Instead she went full on Ulysses S. Grant thus extending for four miserably long years that had little life besides suffering.

What would you do? I know every circumstance is different, but I'm all about just get to the part where cutting out the four years of puking and drug addled bed wetting is out of the mix. I guess that means I would prefer to just go on a world tour than fight it out. The more I think of it, even if I had a 50% survival rate.

What about you?

 

[dagle]

I'm sorry for your loss, man. I would look at the treatment options for particular cancers because there's treatment outside of chemo, radiation, and broad spectrum approaches now. If there were no other options and I was reduced to simply pick between slowly wasting away, yeah I'd just enjoy my time left as long as I could.

In regards to cancer as a whole however, there are a lot preventative measures that can be taken. I personally have just learned about some of these and by pure coincidence, my hobbies aligned with a lot of them. It's not purely by chance and there's many choices you can make to reduce your risk by 100 fold such as exercise, diet and other things. The podcasts I listened to were from a Dr. Rhonda Patrick who goes into great depth on each thing and points you in the direction of the mammalian studies and effects.

 

[billswim]

Not all cancers are created equal. Some are the most survivable some are down right awful. Its all scary. The type I had was pretty survivable and we caught it early so I went for the treatment. If I got diagnosed with say pancreatic cancer and we caught it late I might not get any treatment and instead charge up my cards on travel and experiences and ride to out.

I've seen people go for every possible treatment and not get anything in return except a shitty quality of life for the last few percentage of their existence. That won't be my plan but for some that's what they want to do.

Another factor that plays into it is what the patient has to live FOR. When my mother was sick she wanted to see her grandson graduate from HS before she went. Kids, grandkids, milestones etc. who knows what motivates people? A special trip to a special location?

YMMV

 

[Schnellbandit]

Been there and with out going into the personal, just live every day as a precious day.

Love your family and friends, fill them with joy and happiness so if that time comes, you might be gone but what you've given others lives on.

On the selfish side, buy motorcycles or do whatever fills your tank so that you can keep doing the above.

 

[Climber]

I wonder if credit card companies watch or get notified when somebody gets diagnosed with a disease like cancer...

As said above, every cancer is different, though once it's in the lymph nodes system it's extremely hard to stop.

Each person is unique and will have different criteria to bring to the decision table depending on their philosophy and circumstances.

 

[Yakoo752]

I wonder if credit card companies watch or get notified when somebody gets diagnosed with a disease like cancer....

Not a chance in hell they’d get notified

Unless you believe in conspiracy theory

 

[UDRider]

No idea. I don't think I will know until I am at that cross road.

 

[russ69]

Not all cancers are created equal...

First, I'd find out the survivability rate of the specific cancer I have, then I would do one series of treatments and if I saw no improvement, I'd stop treatments. I'm not spending my last years going to doctors.

 

[RightCoastBias]

That's really hard to figure for me. I've got a 4 year old and the thought of not being in her life is horrible. At the same time, not sure I'd want her to see me suffer for years in treatment and the ever existing fear of the cancer coming back.

My initial thought is to fight to stay alive.

If it we're terminal, I'd do my best to do all things we say we are going to, and then let life get in the way.

 

[Schnellbandit]

If one says they'd do all the things they said they'd do or want to do...

Why on earth wait for cancer? What is stopping you now? Whatever you think is stopping you now goes away if you get cancer? Think about that.

 

[two wheel tramp]

Ugh, I would let my loved ones know. See what treatment options were and ingest copious amounts of marijuana. I honestly don't know.

I have loved ones fighting the big C right now.

Fuck Cancer.

 

[Climber]

That's really hard to figure for me. I've got a 4 year old and the thought of not being in her life is horrible. At the same time, not sure I'd want her to see me suffer for years in treatment and the ever existing fear of the cancer coming back.

My initial thought is to fight to stay alive.

If it we're terminal, I'd do my best to do all things we say we are going to, and then let life get in the way.

One thing that we now have is the technology to make the videos for you to have a chance to talk to them, via pre-recorded videos for them to watch at different times during their development, this would give them a chance to see you when you were healthier and to know you better than they would have by hearing you speak and give advice and a message when they're older.

 

[mlm]

Friend of my daughters Dad is terminal and it breaks my heart when I see her. Another friend of ours went through treatment and seems to be in the clear. No right answer and certainly no easy one. Just a reminder that life is precious.

 

[RightCoastBias]

If one says they'd do all the things they said they'd do or want to do...

Why on earth wait for cancer? What is stopping you now? Whatever you think is stopping you now goes away if you get cancer? Think about that.

I'm doing the things I want, mixed with the reality of paying bills. We've got plans for things we want to do, saving money for trips and the like. But I can't just go and drop 10k on a trip to southern France tomorrow. But, we're planning a euro vacation. With the family in about 2 years or so, when the kiddo is old enough to truly appreciate it.

If I was terminal, I'd accelerate those plans.

 

[Blankpage]

If one says they'd do all the things they said they'd do or want to do...

Why on earth wait for cancer? What is stopping you now? Whatever you think is stopping you now goes away if you get cancer? Think about that.

Yeah you got a point there with that

 

[shouldnthave]

Some really thoughtful replies, thanks. I like the perspective.

It really seems like it's unending in my family. My mother's family grew up in Price Utah. 11 members (9 kids) and every single one of them who passed was taken via cancer. The only ones left are my mom (the youngest), and her sister ( the second youngest). A good Mormon family, no drinking nor smoking. They just happened to live just a stones throw from a tiny military testing ground in Sothern Utah, but the correlation of atomic testing and my family's cancer are only a curiosity.

Nancy, whom just passed was the oldest living member of our family when she passed at 72 years of age. No one in the family made it that far. Before her 70 was the oldest, and before my Grandmother, 56 was the oldest.

It's constantly on my mind mainly because it's always in my face. My favorite uncle died when he was 45 from lung cancer having never smoked a day in his life. He was only 4 years older than I am now. Always on my mind.

Carpe diem.

 

[Climber]

Some really thoughtful replies, thanks. I like the perspective.

It really seems like it's unending in my family. My mother's family grew up in Price Utah. 11 members (9 kids) and every single one of them who passed was taken via cancer. The only ones left are my mom (the youngest), and her sister ( the second youngest). A good Mormon family, no drinking nor smoking. They just happened to live just a stones throw from a tiny military testing ground in Sothern Utah, but the correlation of atomic testing and my family's cancer are only a curiosity.

Nancy, whom just passed was the oldest living member of our family when she passed at 72 years of age. No one in the family made it that far. Before her 70 was the oldest, and before my Grandmother, 56 was the oldest.

It's constantly on my mind mainly because it's always in my face. My favorite uncle died when he was 45 from lung cancer having never smoked a day in his life. He was only 4 years older than I am now. Always on my mind.

Carpe diem.

That's really rough! Sorry to hear that your family has had to go through that and suffer the way it has.

If your family doesn't have a genetic predisposition for cancer then I would agree that the testing facility nearby probably had a strong influence on the cancer history in your family.

 

[shouldnthave]

That's really rough! Sorry to hear that your family has had to go through that and suffer the way it has.

If your family doesn't have a genetic predisposition for cancer then I would agree that the testing facility nearby probably had a strong influence on the cancer history in your family.

I figure it may be a bit of both. My younger brother, a man that has never been to Price has already had a tumor removed from his throat and two other cousins have dealt with breast cancer. My family is huge on my mother's side, and though young, few instances of cancer as of yet. I'm still waiting for the ball to drop as it were.

 

[littlebeast]

first and foremost - am so sorry to hear. wishing you and your family strength and comfort.

to answer your question, if it were me, and if i were told it was terminal, i would begin immediately to organize and put everything i could think of in order for my husband and my girls. i manage almost everything in support of our household, and i know the transition would be very difficult for my husband (as it would be for me if it were him).

that said, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. after 5 years of remission, she went in for what she thought was her final check-up, and they told her it had come roaring back, and had very recently spread to her lungs, lymph nodes and liver. they described the fast growing tumors in her lungs as having breached them to the point that air was leaking from them into her chest cavity. they gave her 6 months. that was 7 years ago. she educated herself and fought it. so the other thing i would do is not give up.

 

[Yakoo752]

My MIL just threw in the towel in treatment options she’s been battling for the last 4 years and is no longer operable

She figures she got a good run as they told her 25 years ago she had 6 months to live