Got Cancer?

[250savage]

Awesome news. Glad to hear it.

[quadrafire]

Way to go Ice........
I'm sure many have been wondering, but afraid to ask. Thanks for the great update

[deerhunter_98520]

That's great news ice! My dad recently went in for his checkup on his colon cancer and came back clean 

[jyerxa]

ICE!!!  FREAKEN FANTASTIC!!! 

I have hardly been on line at all since last December myself. My reason has been for joyous reasons. Our struggles are different but our hearts for our family are exactly the same. I have been over joyed with the blessings I have experience since last December. Life is so wonderful despite my obstacles for the very reasons we both have. Our Families. I feel you joy! Here. I'll share my little new one. She was born last Oct. This pic was December. And I have been able to walk with a cane to my neighborhood convenient store pretty consistently. I got to take this little one out to catch her first fish. 

Got'cha in my prayers buds.  We got things to do still. 

[ICEMAN]

Hi Iceman,
Glad to hear your treatment has been going well and you are responding positively to it.  I can relate to you, I just turned 50 this year and started having stomach pains in late March, and after going to the doctor and specialists for a month for testing I found out I have Stage 2 Pancreatic Cancer, which is the 4th leading killer of all the cancers.  to say I was shocked was a understatement, I have always been healthy as a horse, I backpack and hunt the backcountry like a 20 year old every year.  I am on my 2nd round of chemo for 6 months (will get done right after extended buck), and then after a 3 week break will have surgery to remove half of the pancreas in early December, followed by a 6-8 week recovery, and then radiation and chemo for 6 weeks.  Hopefully by April 2014 I will be cured.  They caught it early and I meet all of the medical criteria to be "resectible" or treatable, which I feel very fortunate to be in the lucky 15% right off the bat.  I have radically upped my workout routine and my diet, and after discussions with my brother, I went for it and put in for my normal Backcountry elk draw choices.  I have a good group of friends that will help me pack in and out, so if I draw a good tag it will literally be the hunt of a lifetime.

My thoughts and prayers with you and your family.  let me know how you are doing.

Todd

It was mentioned in another thread that Bluesdude "Todd" has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

This is the second hunter on this site that I am aware of who has passed away due to cancer, who had previously responded to my thread about my cancer. Wished me luck. First was fishseeker, then bluesdude. I pray I have not missed anyone else.  This is devastaing to me.

Here we are, year 2014....and we cannot beat this disease. Will we ever be able to? How many families will be devastated by this? Tragic.

[bearpaw]

Sad deal for sure, gotta wonder if they will ever be able to prevent cancer?

[xd2005]

I think it's just about time to get together a Hunt-WA team for Relay for Life.

Fife-Milton-Edgewood will be holding their event on June 21-22 (I'll be there). http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=57728

While it may be a bit late this year, a team could always be started, then during the lull of winter next year, preparations could be made to add to the team and come up with fundraising ideas. 

[jyerxa]

Here we are, year 2014....and we cannot beat this disease. Will we ever be able to? How many families will be devastated by this? Tragic.

Hey Ice. I know it is no laughing matter. It's a fact of life a lot of us are going to face too soon our self's. It is nice to play the denial game before we get the news our self's. So may I ask, You can't beat this?

[ICEMAN]

Jyerxa, so far so good for me. For now, no new cancer evidence since surgery a year ago July 1. Next CT scan is next month.

I am most often a positive person. But what is a bit discouraging is watching other guys my age, who are necessarily in better health than I, fall victim to it a year or two later. Others on this site have kids who are having repeat issues with cancer and are currently undergoing care, young healthy mid twenty year old kids fighting cancer. My doctor advised logically that you are never free of cancer after diagnosed, it usually comes back and gets you some other way...not always the original way of your first diagnosis.

[runamuk]

Ice my son still fights the good fight...and I keep you in my thoughts as well.... It is scary I focus on the not scary I focus on each day it may be dumb and not the way one should do life but to me life is very tenuous and I am not going to waste today preparing for a tomorrow that may never come.....cancer changes things it changes them more than most will know until they deal with it in themselves a child or a loved one.....

[jyerxa]

That's excellent Ice. 

[t6]

Ya can't win if ya don't fight!   Keep swinging at it..... you've go the right attitude. 

[goda]

Big Hospital Finally telling the truth about Cancer, Johns Hopkins
wausaunews.wordpress.com
LATEST CANCER INFORMATION from Johns Hopkins AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY ...



https://www.facebook.com/l/MAQFeVNqQAQE1sQ0VIADiyNTGc-ZJv3jgogyrdH7GalewIg/https%3A//wausaunews.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/big-hospital-finally-telling-the-truth-about-cancer-johns-hopkins/

[ICEMAN]

I am sorry to bring this old thread to the top.

I am sitting at home today, finally decided to share with all of you on the site.

My cancer, which has been in remission for two years is back. The last few months have been really hard as my family has had to deal with the truth about what is happening in our lives.

Here is the deal. My cancer is back, it has metastasized. When esophageal cancer returns, your prognosis is bad. This is called distant recurrent cancer. For esophageal cancer that returns, there is no curative care. No cure.

Three months ago, I was told I have a 50% chance of being here in one year, a 0% chance of being here in two years.

Since this recurrent diagnosis, I restarted chemo therapy, but had to delay it once to deal with kidney stone surgeries (2), and then just recently a blood clot in my jugular, which I am worried about. On meds for the blood clot, and I will restart my Chemo therapy next week.

So as I sit here typing, I am in constant fear of not being here in the near future for my wife and kids. My son just got accepted to attend WSU in the fall. My daughter to start college the next fall.

The reason I share this with you all, is probably two fold. One, the first is a selfish need to share with my family and friends, and many of you are my friends. The second is to maybe share a gem or thought that somebody out there could possibly benefit from.

As I move forward, I am really worried about loose ends that I will leave behind. I dread the thought of my wife spending years trying to untangle or deal with projects I have started that I will (was) never be able to finish. Worried that we have not set aside enough money etc.... I will be leaving the world and my wife will be responsible for so much. This make me feel ill thinking about.

If I could do it all over again, I would have sought out medical attention earlier than I did. Being a guy, I think we all (or many of us) do avoid the doctor. I wish I would have addressed getting hip replacement surgery at a younger age, I feel self medicating for hip pain led to an acid reflux condition, which (untreated) allowed for the environment for esophageal cancer to begin. I wish I was not so "macho" (or stubborn/ bullheaded) to avoid professional medical care. I would probably not be typing this today if I was.

The return of cancer is a big enough scare, now I am having to also deal with this blood clot. I can't imagine going through my remaining time here after a stroke, trying to deal with chemo and my eventual demise to an infection or similar, all while not being able to communicate, or even move around well. I know the cancer is my end, say a prayer for me to avoid a loose blood clot.

Guys and gals, this cancer thing is bad and affects so many families. I have met other families along the way and it seldom ends well. Sometimes for while, but not for the majority of us.

I have already shared with the moderators and have let them know of a few weird requests that I may have for later. For now, I just want to I guess vent, and remind anyone who needs the reminder; Take care of your personal health, your family relies upon you. Get checked for cancer or other issues. Do not put this off!

Kevin.

[jstone]

I am so sorry. I dont know what to say.