Looky what I got today.....
 

It's called a Hickman catheter. It travels under my skin and up to a vein in my neck. It is then fed into that vein for some distance, where it will stay for about a year.
Through this line they can draw blood. Supply me with blood products, Chemo drugs, antibiotics, and pain meds. They can even put in certain dietary supplements.

The day has come. July 18th I enter the hospital for my bone marrow transplant. I get 6 days of high dose chemo, a day of rest and then the transplant. The doc says it will take about 18 months to fully recover, if the transplant takes and I don't succumb to one of the numerous risks that go along with this.

For those who didn't know. I was diagnose 4 months with a blood cancer called Myelodisplastic Syndrome (MDS). I underwent induction chemo, which worked great. I still need the transplant as it is the only possibility for a cure.

Guys and girls, I am 33 years old, I have been healthy up until this point. Being faced with my own mortality, the only pearls of wisdom I can give you is go see a doctor regularly. Get checked up so you don't check out.



Never give up! Never Surrender!

Flame

Good luck man. :tup:

You've been in my prayers and you'll stay in my prayers. Fight the good fight my friend. PBR is always gonna be here for you.

Best of luck man. Youre in my thoughts.

.

Good luck man.

Lucky for me my cancer was caught very early.







I am still getting several areas removed over the next six months. Each require about 20-30 stitches. I also have to get other areas checked out.


I hope everything works out for you.

:(


Good luck man.

Damn. Cant put a rifle up to that shoulder, can you?

Oh yeah. Get better, too, I guess.


Just kidding. I really hope you get better. Your one of the best guys on these forums, and you've been agreat help in every thread. I'll be praying for you.

Hurry the hell up and get back into proper arguing form, it's getting boring without you here to have the exact opposite view as I do.

If only cancer knew as well as I did how you will not give up, then the fight wouldn't have even started.

Get better.

hope all goes well for a fellow cheese head. good luck.

Good luck, I know you will pull through.

:tup: Good luck man. I hope everything goes well for you.

Best of luck man. :tup:

I hope everything works out for you. What type of cancer is that?



I sure can shoulder a rifle. I am correct handed. I mean left handed.:eek:


Thanks NDN. Coming from you, it means a lot to me.


I have no other option but to make it through this. I have many other things left on this Earth to do.


I think this hospital has a good net connection. I will be on and keep you guys up to date on how things are going.


Flame

I'm a lefty to.

:tup:

my uncle was diagnosed with cancer last year, and underwent radiation. it went away, thank god. fast forward to last week where he found out it came back and had spread all over his body; his hips, arms, legs, everywhere :( good luck man :)

I'll be praying for you after I post this, and I'll continue to pray for you. Best of luck.

Good luck man! Cancer scares the **** out of me, but it sounds like you've already got it beat. Hope everything goes well, and keep that positive attitude. Keep us posted, and check in when you get the chance.

You realize our collective IQ is going to go down several points when you're not here right?

I have an uncle who had to go through the whole catheter into the heart thing.

He had a cancerous growth on his left leg, T-cell lymphoma.

He had one of these things about the size of a softball cut in half:


He was 54 at the time it started to grow, no prior symptoms or anything-he thought it was a bite from a spider or something.

Chemo killed off that tumor, and a few months later he had several more small ones, that showed, then up and vanished over about 3 weeks with no reason the doctors could find(I'm serious about this). Chemo was stopped after it didn't show any signs on helping and about a month later is when they started going away.

Today, 3 years later he's completely clear of cancer.

Once they let you out of the isolation room at the hospital and are released to go home, be very very careful about cleanliness and disenfection. My uncle caught some kind of infection but luckily the antibiotics killed it off.

Oye, Flame. Take it easy. I know we rarely...if ever...tend to agree on anything, but this Forum wouldn't be the same without you. Take care of yourself, brother.