Kimberly Wright said:I am terrified
my mom starts chemo this Monday... look, okay, I know we're in for hell, but whatever... I guess we just have to deal with it... I'm trying to stay positive on my own
Yesterday I was watching some TV special and there was this woman who had cervical cancer... she had surgery, and then eventually they sent her for radiation...
and she said it was a massive mistake to agree to the radiation😢 the radiation completely destroyed her bowels...
So now I'm in a total panic because I don't know what the smartest move is. Mom has started recovering—she’s getting her strength back—and now all that hard work and slow progress might just be wiped out by these treatments. I don't know...
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen or heard from in ages. His dad passed away last Christmas Eve. He had esophageal-gastric junction cancer. This guy tells me his dad suffered for months and died in terrible agony 🙂 honestly, I did not need that story right now😢
If it were me—God forbid—I know exactly what I would do: I wouldn't go through with the treatments. But taking responsibility for someone else's life? I can't do that.
My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer that had metastasized to his lungs, liver, and brain. He underwent radiation for the brain metastases, and they shrank by more than 50% after three sessions.
After that, he started chemotherapy. Those first two or three rounds wore him out so much he couldn't even get out of bed, but once he got past those initial ones, he felt great—you wouldn't even know the man was sick. He lost his hair, but that's just proof the medicine is working. His lungs and liver are totally clear now; the cancer has retreated, which we celebrated with the whole family. You have to celebrate things like that, especially if your doctor told you months ago that your father didn't have much time left.
Don't listen to any of those stories, don't read anything on this crazy internet—everyone writes whatever they want—and don't even watch those patient specials. Every person is different; listen to the doctors and keep hope that everything will be fine. That is the only thing that will help you.
And don't think negatively about whatever horror stories you hear regarding chemo or radiation; anyone who gets cured did so precisely because of the chemo and radiation—what else would it be?
Every doctor prescribes what is best for the patient, and that includes your mother. The important thing is not to let the disease progress; believe me, I was practically counting the days until my dad could start chemo because there were so many complications.
And there I go, crying again...
Love to everyone, stay strong.