Friday, February 03, 2012

The latest

The doctor has told me that my cancer is incurable.

I'll go in Friday for removal of part of my bowel and colon. Chemotherapy will follow.

The median survival time following this surgery is 18 months, although some patients live up to 5 years. Without the surgery, the doctor told me, most patients live eight to ten months.

Perhaps more importantly, the surgery will save me from enduring a lot of severe pain whenever the end does come.

And that's as much as I know.

6 comments:

sweeney said...

Jeez, Mike, that certainly sucks.

I have been thinking of you most of the day today, and I'm sure my thoughts will be with you going forward.

Anonymous said...

Well fuck, not at all the news we wanted. I hope it is not inappropriate to point out that "incurable" is a very harsh word, and that lots of people live a long time with things that are "incurable." I think your doctor is in the running for bad bedside manner of the month.

Lark

Anonymous said...

Second opinion?? I would. That is all I can write right now.

Rena

mcarp said...

'Incurable' is my word. What he said was that the procedure, including chemo, will delay, not cure.

I think he said it about as tactfully as it could be said.

Anonymous said...

Got it. Still sorry that this was the news.

Lark

patrizia said...

Second opinion. Second opinion. Second opinion.

Third opinion. Third opinion. Third opinion.

Mike, my pal Berta was diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 17 years ago.

She's still annoying the shit out of me today. But, you know. She does it lovably.

She basically told the doctors, Fuck you, this is what I want after she did some research.

I'm thinking of you.