Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
Dirtineye,
I'm in your corner on this. Good luck and fight well.
Zander
|
|
Don't let go
Trad climber
Yorba Linda, CA
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 12:54am PT
|
You are being prayed for. I'll try not to preach. Your advice about not getting bogged down by obstacles is great! Miracles happen. Climb on.
|
|
Apocalypsenow
Trad climber
Cali
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 12:55am PT
|
Hospice?
|
|
dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 10, 2006 - 02:00am PT
|
No way, it's way too soon for hospice stuff, that's for when you are terminal.
I'm far from that, cause although it is stage 3, it's confined to three nodes. And colon cancer is typically slow growing, so while it could be bad it will take a while LOL.
If surgery is successful and they get it all out, and the path report is not too bad, then all is good.
On the other hand, if they have to leave some and the report is bad, it's nasty chemo and radiation. I really don't want radiation. Or chemo. But we still have to wait and see.
There is almost no chance that this is something benign, colon cell products do not occur in lymph nodes, so it must come out.
Thanks again to everyone for their good wishes.
|
|
Mountain Man
Trad climber
Outer space
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 08:01am PT
|
Did you have a colonoscopy at age 50 as recommended?
I'm wondering if this was something that routine screening would have missed, if you don't mind talking about it.
|
|
Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 08:50am PT
|
Best wishes Dirt. I hope you are still climbing many years into the future.
|
|
426
Sport climber
last slope on Fish Market Traverse. LRC. TN.
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 10:36am PT
|
GL dirt. Let me know if I can buy you a post-op libation...
|
|
happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 10:37am PT
|
I hope that things go exactly as you are wishing they will. And also that you do get some music done before the surgery; and that by the time you recover, it has taken enough wing that you can hop on for the ride. It would be cool, wouldn't it - to have a new, wonderfully amazing life, born out of this? You've got to admit - you sure bitched enough about the one you had!(hahahah) Why not trade it in?!..... Good luck.
|
|
the Fet
Trad climber
Loomis, CA
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 10:45am PT
|
YOU MUST NOW PARTY
Good luck!
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 11:21am PT
|
best wishes and good luck to you dirt,
we are all cast a life on a dice roll, the trick is to play it out with grace and dignity, but it is ours to play as we wish... it is, afterall, truely the only thing we poses.
|
|
dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 10, 2006 - 03:08pm PT
|
Mountain man,
Haha, I wish. Believe me, I tell everyone to get that test at fifty or earlier, and to watch for the signs of trouble, especially sudden change in bowel habits.
I had cancer first when I was 42. NO family history, too young to suspect colon cancer, and very bizarre symtoms that would mimic other problems then dissappear for a while.
WHen I finally had a complete bowel obstuction (If you want to know what really hurts, try one some time, but I don't recommend it) and went to the emergency room writhing in agony, they did a pre-op cat scan and thought it might be an interceception.
When they cut they found a tumor called a villous adenoma the size of a grapfruit in the cecum, which had acted as a ball valve, until it grew so large that it constantly obstucted. That explained why the symptoms would be severe and then subside, and why some treatments seemed to work but then the problem would come right back. A villous adenoma is not so bad in and of itself, but it had a malignancy forming in it. After surgery and chemo, one year later, the malignancy had returned still inside the colon (cecum and some colon was removed hoping to get it all) right at the site of the anastomosis (where they stick the colon and snall intestine together, a la straight piping). More surgery and chemo, and about 6 years later, Here we go again, only it's not in the colon any more, it's gone all stage three. BUT luckily, it's not all over the place, it's just in some nodes right outside the colon in the retro peritoneal area.
This means, they are going to cut a big whole, dump everything out, and try to remove this crap that is in a hard to get to place, and probably all wound up in scar tissue from the other two surgeries. There are also a lot of stuctures and organs there you don't want to fvck up, such as the ureter, aorta, vena cava, hepatic portal, and the renal vasculature. The surgeon said it is a difficult palce to work, maybe they can't get it all, but they will get enough to make a solid determination. But I'm going to tell him, get it all, I don't want radiation. The damned thing has been bothering me for a long time, I want it all out, and I'll take the risk.
I'm pretty sure in retrospect that this started two years ago, but we did a colonsocopy then and found nothing. For some reaon we didn't do a cat scan, but it might have shown this new problem. Colon cancer is typically slow growing. We'll see what they find this time.
BUT, to have had it three times now, I'm extremely lucky. I'm lucky that it hurt the first and third times. Usually cancer does not hurt until too late. If it had not hurt, I'd just have been dead a long time a ago. I knew people who died because they were mis-diagnosed for too long before they got good treatment. Watched one guy go from a normal, healthy looking, walking around, active older guy, to a sunken-eyed, shaky, shuffling death shell in a few months.
There, mountain man, you see, you should not ask a question if you don't really want an answer LOL!
And since I sort of enjoyed writing all this junk, I must be really really OLD. Anyone seen my other pair of glasses?
|
|
Gene
climber
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 03:17pm PT
|
"Anyone seen my other pair of glasses?"
Yeah. We're all using them to look in the mirror. Thanks for posting up.
Kick sh#t with your surgery.
|
|
Mountain Man
Trad climber
Outer space
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 04:40pm PT
|
Thank you for your story, it's a damn sobering one.
Your cancer isn't so ominous. It certainly sounds curable.
I waited until I was 56 to get my colonoscopy, and my polyps were clean. I don't recommend anyone waiting past age 50 to get one.
Be strong and of good courage. I'd like to play a song with you sometime.
|
|
Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 10:20pm PT
|
Just wanted to add that I have a friend who beat stage 3 a couple years ago. I'm going to photograph his wedding in September
Peace
Karl
|
|
Jobee
Social climber
El Portal
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2006 - 11:18pm PT
|
Hey Dirt,
You've many friends here at the forum..a good bunch i'd say. You'll be in my thoughts on the 16th. Hit the Ball!
Of all the things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much of the greatest is the possession of friendship.
-epicurus
jow
|
|
JEM
Social climber
|
|
|
Mar 11, 2006 - 09:16am PT
|
I do a lot more reading than posting on this forum, and now seems the time to reply. Thanks Dirt for showing me the way to handle this kind of stuff. I enjoy reading your posts. I wish you the best.
JEM
|
|
dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 11, 2006 - 01:33pm PT
|
JEM, if I help ONE person avoid what I've been though, GREAT!
I'm an open book on this subject. I have no qualms about sharing any of the experiences and how to deal with them. And beleoive me there are ways to make it better.
Dignity and pride tend to fall away when you have left a trail of shyte from the couch to the toilet a few times, cause you can't get there fast enough, as the chemo has eaten out the lining of your ailimentary canal, leaveing you with, shale we say, considerable bathroom problems. When you realize you are as helpless as a two year old, and there is nothing you can do but wait it out and make the best of things, you forget about silly stuff.
|
|
Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
|
|
|
Mar 11, 2006 - 01:39pm PT
|
Keep staying strong Dirt. You are a good example for all of us.
|
|
Tahoe climber
Trad climber
Tahoe
|
|
|
Mar 11, 2006 - 01:47pm PT
|
I don't much believe in luck, Dirt, but here's wishing you a skillful surgeon. Keep us all updated on your progress - I for one would like to hear about your full recovery afterwards...
|
|
MikeL
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
|
|
|
Mar 11, 2006 - 03:16pm PT
|
If you don’t mind me saying so, be careful with those metaphors, Dirtineye. You’re not out.
As for Werner’s praying, well gosh, you can call it whatever you want. People have always talked to their gods, whatever they were, when stressed. You could pretend there was a God and give him your thoughts about your situation. That would be good, and maybe even fun. You’re a mountain man, talk to them. That could be good, too.
What’s nice about a God (or gods) is that they don’t talk back a lot. You can pretty much monopolize the conversation and have your say. The wisest beings who love you know they should just listen, anyway. It seems to help.
I, for one on this thread, appreciate you talking about it. It’s a good thing. You’re in a special position and have things to say that few of us can hardly see right now.
You’re not completely alone.
My Best,
Mike
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!