The Light At The End Of The Tunnel...Thoughts?

Hello out There!

 Well my husband and I are almost at the end of this journey that has been his cancer treatments and we will begin the road to recovery and hopefully normalcy.  He had his last erbitux infusion yesterday and he only has THREE (woo hoo) rad treatments left (two tomorrow and one the following Tuesday)  I cant begin to say how happy I am that one chapter of this book is almost done.

 However, I am scared.  I feel (alot more each day it seems) so scared by the thought of what if this didnt work? What if the cancer is still there after all this madness?  Last week they did another scan on my husband (after the doctor felt his neck and couldnt find the lump) and told him nothing was showing up on it but that he would have to continue the treatments to make sure they got rid of any traces that may still be there and not showing up on the scan.  I am guessing from this scan they also adjusted the beam as well.  Phillip got this bright idea to say well I dont want to go that last Tuesday treatment. The Dr said NO you have to finish and then tells him that the cancer IS still there but encapsulated and he has to finish.  I have no idea what he meant as I was at work and my sister in law didnt ask any further questions.  My FEAR is if its not gone now what difference will the extra 4 days make??  Will 4 days REALLY make that much of a difference?  I am not a doctor so I really dont know thats why I am asking....Last week the doc said he FULLY expects recovery but I still have my fears.  Is this normal?

I also have read alot about the aftermath but I am still worried about what we face next.  I know everyone is different so no one person can tell me everything to expect but I guess the unkown is a little frightening.

 I guess I just need someone to tell me that this is all normal and that everything will be ok.  Any takers?? :-)

Toodles,

Brandi

Well, weather the cancer is gone or not, it's important to continue alternative treatments.  If the cancer is not all gone, hope is not lost.  He doesnt have to do more conventional treatment.  Vitamin C IV, along with many herbs and supplements can be helpful.  I would like to give you some info on somthing that could help big time if the cancer is still there after treatment is done.  And in my opinion, if you husband doesnt want finish the treatment, you need to listen to him.  He is saying this for a reason.  The doctor doesnt know best.  Many of them care about thier patients but in the end, it all comes down to money, and cancer treatment is HUGE money.

Here is the info I suggest you look into.

www.youtube.com/chrychek (watch all 7 parts to the video)

www.phoenixtears.ca

 All the best.

Understand where you are coming from Brandi. Just completed the main chemo and radiation treatments on Tuesday. Still cooking (they say two weeks) and my symptoms are still the same but having reached this milestone is wonderful. Like your husband, I did not want to complete the last two treatments, but I did anyway-just on pure grit. After 6 weeks of regular then 14 days of booster. smaller field radiation, I was literally burned out. Just completing the treatments works in your husband's favor in the long haul. Same deal here...did the radiation get the cancer? Am I still prone to a recurrence? Any reasonable person should ask these questions. All I can say is keep fighting and it will start to get better day by day. I have recounted my last day of treatment and the first day of freedom on my blog. You can view it at: http://www.psiplex.com ">Psiplex Blog All the best to you and your husband!

my s.o. is one month out of treatment...9 weeks induction chemo followed by 35 rad + weekly carboplatin.  his tumor was almost gone after induction chemo...the doctors said the chemo shrunk it...the rad will clean it up...next will be more scans and then a neck dissection to get a visual to be sure EVERYTHING is gone.  if they dont see anything then all is well...if there is anything remaining it will be removed and all is well.  through all this we have never felt that any of his oncologists were in it for the money...we believe in a combination of traditional medicine and reiki sessions.  This is curable.  keep your faith...expect nothing less than a cure!!!

be well.

~meesh

He really needs to finish the course. Just like taking antibiotics, you cant stop taking the meds just because you are starting to feel better. Just because the cancer cant be felt externally, doesnt mean there still arent little bits remaining that those last few treatments will fry. That last treatment is a milestone to be celebrated, so go for it.

Best wishes,

Mike

I agree with what everyone else has said.

I am one week out and still feel like crap but a little less crappy

Today is the first day that I think I am going to now surrender to the recovery process. I drove 212 miles everyday to get the treatment from the Dr I was the most comfortable and Just like when I started my road to Sobriety  17 yrs ago I surrendered to that "IT IS WHAT IT IS" and just moved forward!  So I did it the beginning of treat meant as well and moved forward

I as well wanted to stop the last week had just had enough, but was told anything less does not work and this is the protocol 8 weeks if IMRT and 3 sessions of cysplatian.

I got threw it and now a week out and a little less crappy No day at the beach even though I life at the beach in the Hampton's.

Still very tired

eating not great using the PEG and soft things if they stay down

No taste

dry mouth

 But tonight I feel that I am just going to surrender to Gods will and move forward each day to the best of my ability enjoy the Good one and get thought he Bad

 

And scared as you are. 

BUT ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT THING IF YOU DO NOT FINISH YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF ALL THE PAYMENTS OF THE TREATMENT TO DATE

THE INSURANCE COMPANY ONLY PAYS AT THE END OF TREATMENT THAT WAY THEY KNOW THAT GOT SOMETHING FOR THERE MONEY!!!!!!!!!! WILL $100,000"S OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLAR

Please finish if you do not want economic doom.

There was a man that stopped in my center  and his bill was $178,000 to the Dr and hospital

 

john 

Finish the treatments, be ready for a couple of weeks of rough times. Radiation continues to cook for a while. Then he'll slowly start to feel better physically. Mentally just depends on the person(s) involved and how they view life. Try to be postive that everything will be fine from here on out, try not to think about it. He'll be watched closely for a long time to come, so why worry about it in between dr. visits? If something pops up, they'll catch it. In the meantime, choose to believe it is gone and staying gone. Much easier said then done, but I'm out for 3 mos. and that is what I'm trying to do. Worrying will not change anything that is to come, good or bad. So, why worry? Life is much more fun and better when not worrying about things, and like I said. You don't need to worry because he is being watched by the doctors. If something comes back, they'll know. In the meantime, enjoy every day and pretend not to worry. Soon the pretend will become reality. If not, don't hesitate to seek professional help. I'm seeing a shrink and doing yoga. Both seem to be helping w/ the worrying.

Good luck, God bless.

Rick

Thank you all for your words of wisdom.  Dont get me wrong, Phillip WILL do his last treatment.  That was never an option for me to allow him to skip; He is just over this whole thing.  Within the last week he has finally succumbed to the throat issues and eating entirely with the tube.  Bless his heart the other night he cried because he couldnt eat food.  His Dr also said he had never seen anyone have the face and mouth reactions so severe that my hubby did from the erbitux.  All I can say is thank God that is over.

I cant remember who it was, but I think I read someone say that the radiation will keep cooking even after he is no longer getting on the machine any longer.  Hopefully if there are any "little pieces" left, that will take care of it.  I think that is what I needed to hear.  I just want this crap to be gone so I can have my husband back!!!

I think I will just try to put my faith in God that things will work themselves like they usually do.  I want to think that life is not cruel enough to put my family through this only to have not worked.

Thanks again guys, you gave me what I needed.  Now I am off to get my daughter ready for school and myself for work.

 God Bless you all!

Brandi

To IIIand:

"The doctor doesn't know best"..."if you husband doesn't want finish the treatment, you need to listen to him"...what irresponsible things to say. Everybody on this list is living testament to the fact that the doctors DO know how to treat this cancer and that finishing treatment is the way to go. Given the option I certainly don't think Brandi should be getting important counsel from somebody posting on a message board that is also pointing her to a "Cure Cancer with Hemp" web site. For all the hemp I've ingested in my life in various ways I should have been cancer free for 6 lifetimes. We're all free to trust who we want but I know which bit of advice I wouldn't trust.

Good Luck,

Joe 

Hello,

          I am glad to see that your husband will make the final treatments.

A person that I knew was operated on the same day as myself, by my Surgeon. He ended up having the same Oncologist. While I was recouping in the hospital and taking my walk around the hall, we ran into each other.

Long story short. He chose, NOT to continue his Radiation treatments, said he had enough of this, period.  He died last year. I'm not trying to scare anyone. Just stating the fact, that he stopped, I continued to the end of my treatments. We basically had the same type of cancer.

I like what Rick51 said < In the meantime, enjoy every day and pretend not to worry. Soon the pretend will become reality.>  This is so true, I think Rick hit it on the nail here. Each and everyday, we will continue to think about it. It has become part of us. But, just because we have been through cancer, doesn't mean we stop. If we were in a car accident, it is a part of our lives, but we continue.

You mentioned the following<  Within the last week he has finally succumbed to the throat issues and eating entirely with the tube.  Bless his heart the other night he cried because he couldnt eat food.> He has done better than I did. I had the PEG tube and used it from the start. I'm glad I had it, to keep my weight where it needed to be. I wanted it out as soon as possible, but my Oncologist had me keep it in, until I gained more weight by not using the PEG tube first. I think we all have cried at one point or another during our treatment, he is not alone. He's nearing the end of treatment, a few more weeks of the cooking of the Radiation and he will be on the mending end of all of this.

 My Best to Everyone here