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The cancer thread. Yes the CANCER thread!

John Marston

John Marston

GAF's very own treasure goblin
Even today I noticed cancer remains an uncomfortable and somewhat taboo subject.

Let's tear those walls down and just talk about it.

I'll keep my story short.
I'm currently on my 2nd chemotherapy run in 6 years and I'm officially out of danger.
I never expected it to last over 20 months though. Just gotta be patient and let it ride.

This space is for sharing anything related to cancer.
Your own journey or the loved ones you watched perish or overcome.

I may eventually succumb to this bastard but cancer doesn't have the human Spirit we all have 😇
 
Keep fighting the good fight. Needless to say have lost plenty of people to this horrid disease.

You're one of the coolest posters here and I wish you nothing but good fortune.
 
Cancer's a bitch, and it took my father when I was relatively young. Tumors all over his body, visibly apparent in the later years. He fought bravely, but in the end, Chemo and surgery weren't enough. It left a lasting mark on me, and I offer sincere compassion to anyone that has to go through it, or see a loved one go through it.

John Marston John Marston I'm genuinely happy Chemo has worked for you and hope it never rears its ugly head again. I know what a toll it takes on you, and you're one hell of a man to push through it.
 
You're a badass John Marston John Marston . Well worthy of your username. Good job beating the shit out of that cancer. You're a pillar of this community.

One of my best friends recently went through treatment for oesophageal cancer. Pretty scary stuff and the chemo is a rough experience. So I realise it must take a lot for you to keep going back for as long as you did. But that's amazing news that you're now out of danger.
 
I've had family members who have had it and some who have passed from it, but I don't really think about it as much as I used to.

I used to be afraid of developing it, but the older I get the less I worry about it. I'm more of the mindset that if it happens, it happens.

Hopefully this will be the last time you have to go through chemotherapy. Wishing you luck.
 
Sounds like you are on top of things mate, good to hear.

Took a couple of me and the wifes nearest and dearest unfortunately. Fuck cancer.
 
Thank you for creating this thread.

I have had thyroid cancer three times: the first in 2019, the second in 2021 (followed by radioactive iodine treatment about two months after surgery), and the third in 2025. Earlier this year, I had a nuclear medicine scan that showed no evidence of remaining cancer. I am very grateful and hopeful that this chapter is finally behind me.

If my experience can be helpful to anyone else, please feel free to ask me any questions.
 
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I am officially Discharged as a patient from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, meaning 5 years in remission and they stop checking.

went through some heavy chemo for about a year and a half but got a 0% PET/CT scan early, but they keep going the course to just make sure they kill everything,

I was on the BEACOPP regiment which was very hectic. But because i was young enough i was able handle it.

South Africa may be alot of things but what we do have is some of the worlds best doctors/surgeons and I am lucky for that.

Can't recommend it, not a lot of fun, I also had the pleasure of going through it during covid so was completely alone all the time, masked up, just a horrible time.

The worst part will forever be waiting for the PET/CT scan results... that was always the part that affected me most, even chemo itself i didn't suffer too badly, lost a bit of hair, had some sores in my mouth but overall i got through it.

but waiting in the Oncologists waiting room, waiting to hear results. that's what get you mentally.
 
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I got a friend who had it but was able to caught it at an early stage. he's now 6 years clear so fingers cross it'll stay that way. to all who's affected by it, keep up the good fight and keep up your spirit. as always, fuck cancer.
 
Glad folks have made it through. Keep fighting the good fight. Sometimes folks butt heads around here, but at the end of the day we all need to support one another regardless of our differences. Even if it's just messages of support. Sometimes that makes all the difference when folks feel alone and forgotten.

Cancer took my father, two uncles, both grandfathers, etc. Fuck cancer. Donate to cancer research if you can afford it.

www.cancerresearch.org

Donate to Support Cancer Research

Learn how you can fuel breakthroughs in lifesaving cancer immunotherapy research, and join us in uniting for a world immune to cancer.
www.cancerresearch.org www.cancerresearch.org
 
I got a mole cut out this spring because it had been bothering me for a few years. The lab showed that it wasn't cancerous, but high-grade dysplasia (iirc) so at least I didn't feel like a complete hypocondriac. It was quite relieving.

I had noticed it some years ago as it appeared suddenly and was quite dark in colour. Then some year ago I noticed that it had grown and the borders were of a different colour. The things your brain starts imagining before you contact the doctor can be exhausting. I'd imagine sensations coming from it and be like "welp, it has probably spread to my stomach already."

It's always worth it to check out stuff so that you don't have to stress out. But it can also be the thing that saves your life just in time.
 
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My Uncle has been battling cancer for the past few years. He was thankfully granted Car T Cell treatment last year after appearing in front of a medical board in Oxford. Without that I'm pretty sure he would have been toast.

Treatments are getting better but this pos disease needs to be eradicated from the face of the earth immediately.
 
Trilobit said:
It's always worth it to check out stuff so that you don't have to stress out. But it can also be the thing that saves your life just in time.
Click to expand...
Yep, never hesitate to get something unusual checked out as soon as possible. My father was stubborn for months and refused to take action despite how my mother kept telling him to get seen by a doctor. By the time he relented, the cancer was terminal.
 
John Marston said:
You gave me an idea! 😄

And please stop giving me attention you're all gonna make me cry 😆
Click to expand...
J'ai un traitement demain et fallait je fasse mes repas pour les prochains jours, pris toute mon énergie pour couper le gazon, et je ne savais plus où prendre pour le reste. C'est tellement le pire sentiment.
 
p_xavier said:
J'ai un traitement demain et fallait je fasse mes repas pour les prochains jours, pris toute mon énergie pour couper le gazon, et je ne savais plus où prendre pour le reste. C'est tellement le pire sentiment.
Click to expand...
T'es pas tout seul.
As-tu des amis ou des proches pour t'aider?
Mes 2 merveilleuses voisines m'ont fait des lifts pour mes traitements et m'ont aussi donné de la bonne bouffe.

Mais je suis pas mal low maintenance.

N'hésites pas to reach out à des social services si t'as besoin d'un coup de main ya pas de hônte là-dedans 🙂




Translation: All is good piss off 😆
 
I'm happy to hear that John.
Keep up the good fight.

Did you get any life changing epiphanies from the experience? Life to short, must do X?
 
John Marston said:
T'es pas tout seul.
As-tu des amis ou des proches pour t'aider?
Mes 2 merveilleuses voisines m'ont fait des lifts pour mes traitements et m'ont aussi donné de la bonne bouffe.

Mais je suis pas mal low maintenance.

N'hésites pas to reach out à des social services si t'as besoin d'un coup de main ya pas de hônte là-dedans 🙂




Translation: All is good piss off 😆
Click to expand...
Bah, so so. Mon ancienne boss m'aide. L'hosto est à 5 minutes de marche fec au moins ça.
 
bitbydeath said:
Did you get any life changing epiphanies from the experience? Life to short, must do X?
Click to expand...
Sadly I did not get an amazing moment of clarity. No new found Religion.

But nothing bothers me anymore.
Zero stress.

It does change your perspective whether you want it or not.

And without being a hippie I'm so happy every morning I wake up 😃
 
Pretty much don't smoke and if you do keep trying to quit. Just saying that because you don't want to give cancers any chance, it doesn't need any. (Yeah my dad smoked like crazy and got colon cancer which they managed to get rid of and then about 15 years later he got kidney cancer which killed him. Yes they're both associated with smoking.)
 
John Marston said:
Even today I noticed cancer remains an uncomfortable and somewhat taboo subject.

Let's tear those walls down and just talk about it.

I'll keep my story short.
I'm currently on my 2nd chemotherapy run in 6 years and I'm officially out of danger.
I never expected it to last over 20 months though. Just gotta be patient and let it ride.

This space is for sharing anything related to cancer.
Your own journey or the loved ones you watched perish or overcome.

I may eventually succumb to this bastard but cancer doesn't have the human Spirit we all have 😇
Click to expand...
You're a badass and great person all-round, glad to hear that you're out of danger and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you'll grace this planet with your company for decades to come.

I have my own horror story from a close family member succumbing to this shit, but it's such a downer that it's better left unsaid.

All that needs to be said is - fuck cancer.
 
I'm not an expert but have you considered fasting? I've heard fasting can be very effective against some kinds of cancer!
Good luck and get well soon. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
 
Like I was saying, the worst feeling in the World is to get chemo, and to prepare your meals ahead because you'know you'll get so sick. Sick not to prepare but even eat. It's depressing, especially with someone with no one around like myself.
 
Musashipan said:
I'm not an expert but have you considered fasting? I've heard fasting can be very effective against some kinds of cancer!
Good luck and get well soon. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Click to expand...
Fasting helps to prevent precancerous cells, especially it removes sugar to feed cancer.
 
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Glad you are keeping that bastard at bay. Meanwhile:
images
 
Musashipan said:
I'm not an expert but have you considered fasting? I've heard fasting can be very effective against some kinds of cancer!
Good luck and get well soon. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Click to expand...
Shit I lost 55 pounds over those last 20 months 😆
Any more and I would disappear!

But at least I'm maintaining between 160-165 lbs.

I'm eating well, the chemo just chomps on a good deal of it.
 
Lost count on how many times I posted this here but... FUCK CANCER.

Be well my friend. And to every gaffer fighting this thing, I wish you well too.
 
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Wow, continue the fight John Marston. Fuck l'estie de cancer de marde mon gars!

I've lost my mother to that, long fight of 10+ years. Other family members also got hit with this shit. I honestly have a feeling I'll for sure have one someday, we're the generation that will be hit big time with this shit.
 
Fuck Cancer. Fuck it. I lost my dad to that shit last year. 6 months after his diagnosis, he was gone. Watching him wither before our eyes was heart breaking. I remember reaching out to you and we talked.

It shouldn't be such a no-talk-about-topic.
That's how that shit thrives imo. You're not alone!

But you know that 😊
 
I'm glad that you were able to make it man, and I hope you get to spend many more years with your loved ones.

My family and friends have been pretty lucky when it comes to cancer. Only one person really close to me. My Nonno died of it about 20 years ago. It was strange, he was the strongest man I've ever known, he was a bricklayer and he had a grip like iron, but it didn't matter.

I hope that if I ever catch a horrible disease I can keep being as nice to others as I see you being around here.
 
Glad you beat it, man! Hope it never returns. My wife and I had a close friend lose a battle. It can take a life so quickly sometimes.
 
uncreativename said:
My Nonno died of it about 20 years ago. It was strange, he was the strongest man I've ever known, he was a bricklayer and he had a grip like iron, but it didn't matter.
Click to expand...
My first real encounter with cancer concerned my 56 year old uncle.

He was a bus driver and part time construction worker.
Built like a tank but when I visited him he was a withered shell of himself.

I went to see him 2 weeks before he died.
We talked and we silently knew this was our last conversation.

My mom raised me by herself and he was my father figure; we played catch with a baseball and we went fishing and all that 😊

At his funeral one of my aunts said "He always put so much mayonnaise on everything that's what got him" and I lost my shit on her.

My mom had to take me outside for a break 😆
 
John Marston said:
Shit I lost 55 pounds over those last 20 months 😆
Any more and I would disappear!

But at least I'm maintaining between 160-165 lbs.

I'm eating well, the chemo just chomps on a good deal of it.
Click to expand...
I was the complete opposite, the prednisone and all the pills made me constantly hungry.

And when im sick I believe that I should just listen to my body and I became such a fatty, added over 10 kgs to my regular weight over that 1 year period.

Are you on the Neutropenic diet?
 
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StueyDuck said:
Are you on the Neutropenic diet?
Click to expand...
No I had to google that sorry 😊

I still eat whatever I want.

But I never eat breakfast.
I should at least have a banana or an Ensure drink but I don't bother.

I do have a good lunch & dinner though.
Proteins & veggies 🙂
 
John Marston said:
No, I had to Google that, sorry.😊

I still eat whatever I want.

But I never eat breakfast.
I should at least have a banana or an Ensure drink but I don't bother.

I do have a good lunch & dinner though.
Proteins & veggies🙂
Click to expand...
That's lucky at least, food comforts always help.

the Neutropenic diet sucked hahaha but you learn to make the most of it.
 
Lost my grandfather to prostate cancer, it was pretty ugly.
My dad had cancer in his salivary gland. It was discovered by his dentist in a routine check. Only a few percentage survives the first 5 years. Its been now 9 years. Though they had to remove large parts of his jaw and remodel it with prostetics...

Cancer is a bitch.
 
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StueyDuck said:
That's lucky at least, food comforts always help.

the Neutropenic diet sucked hahaha but you learn to make the most of it.
Click to expand...
I also have a stoma since my colon was removed back in 2018 due to a tumor in my colon.

That's where it all started.
The chemo was for metastasis spread to my liver.

But yes I have a poop bag 😆
That's another taboo subject.

But I've become a real pro at it and my asshole has been retired since 2018.
 
John Marston said:
I also have a stoma since my colon was removed back in 2018 due to a tumor in my colon.

That's where it all started.
The chemo was for metastasis spread to my liver.

But yes I have a poop bag 😆
That's another taboo subject.

But I've become a real pro at it and my asshole has been retired since 2018.
Click to expand...
From Convatec? They're the best in comfort.
 
I don't know what to say, but wanted to say something in support to an awesome guy I've had the pleasure of interacting with online over the years. I'm sorry you are going through this bud.
 
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You got this John, you are one of the people that make this community so great and I hope you can feel all of our collective appreciation and it helps you beat cancer.

My mum put her cancer into complete remission a few years ago after 6 rounds of chemo and she is now mostly back to her old self. Just feels a bit more fatigued sometimes, but she is older now approaching 70 and is still very active even at that age and after an intensive treatment.

Let's all take care of our bodies, cook at home with whole ingredients and massively reduce factory produced processed chemical slop.

Keep fit daily, body and mind. Walk, workout, connect with the natural world.

Discard evil vices. I'm not christian but I view addictive substances like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, that harm our bodies as evil.

Replace them with the opposite aka something that may protect our bodies in some way (coffee, dark chocolate, matcha etc).
 
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John Marston said:
Even today I noticed cancer remains an uncomfortable and somewhat taboo subject.

Let's tear those walls down and just talk about it.

I'll keep my story short.
I'm currently on my 2nd chemotherapy run in 6 years and I'm officially out of danger.
I never expected it to last over 20 months though. Just gotta be patient and let it ride.

This space is for sharing anything related to cancer.
Your own journey or the loved ones you watched perish or overcome.

I may eventually succumb to this bastard but cancer doesn't have the human Spirit we all have 😇
Click to expand...
Keep up fighting! You got this. Very good to hear you're not in danger (anymore).
If at all possible, try to stay active. Go for walks and such. Enjoy life for the motivational boosts.

That's what my mother did when she had breast cancer. All good now, but that also took roughly 6 years.
 
My dad had colon cancer stage 3 . It was pretty big and he found out because he start having fever time to time . They cut a good portion of the colon and that was it .

He was 65 I believe , now he is 85.

His mother had stomach cancer and didn't survive . His sister also.

Saying that in pretty sure I will get it 😂
Right now I feel not getting it is lucky . But the survive rate is way higher than before .
 
John so happy to read you are doing well

Briefly, 12 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary which if you care to google, on avg gives a v short life expectancy, not that easy to hear at the time..

The site that triggered the diagnosis was surgically removed, I was then monitored for 6 years and nothing since; a positive is one appreciates things that bit more going forward

Net/net I had it easier than John.

Best wishes to everyone/anyone else affected.
 
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