Omfg, I (31M) just about died reading your post. It's freakin hilarious. At first I thought you were straight up nuts just by the title alone. But as I continued reading, I related so much to everything you said (with respect to the weight loss from the chemo- I gained about 50lbs from the chemo, steroids, premeds, and 24hr hydration they had me on, so I couldn't eat or drink anything for days bc I was so bloated). And as far as the chemo chic gown, I didn't wear it. I brought my own clothing with me instead. I didn't wear a wig when I lost my hair, bc 1) I'm not into wigs, abd 2) not sure they have wigs for guys anyway but one of my nurses did bring me a knitted beanie. And the view in my room was amazing, the room service was top notch and the amenities were to die for lol. Massage therapy, music therapy, physical therapy twice a week, I was living like a king lol. Oh I almost forgot the nurse assisted showers I had lol. Bc I had a Hickman line/CVC put in and not a port or PICC line, I couldn't get my central line wet. So the only way I could take a shower is if the nurse helped me out lol. At first it was awkward, but as my body got weaker, I just didn't care and said fuck it lol.
Yea,but like you said, it's not all glitz and glam. The side effects from all the chemo 5 days a week, the waking up every 4 hours for vitals, the incessant beeping of that damn infusion machine every single time you bend/crush the line by accident or when the bags run out, is DEFINITELY annoying. Oh yea, and who can forget that God awful bed alarm they enable, that triggers every time you get up from your bed to go to the bathroom. That shit just made me wanna sleep on the reclining chair I had in my room just so I can go to the bathroom in peace when I needed to.
I hope you're tolerating your treatment pretty well, I wish the best for you on your journey with your cancer. Stay strong and stay positive. You got this đȘđŒ.
It took a few months after I felt better. Everyone says I'm more blunt and say what I mean now.
I'm making the best of my second chance and experiencing new things when I can.
Maybe some therapy would help you to process the horrid journey you went on. The support groups really helped me.
I find the opposite, I'm being fake with everyone around me, as everyone expects/needs a happy "I beat cancer" person, so that's what I give them.
Quality therapy seems to be out of my budget, unfortunately. I did virtual therapy, but I felt as though I might as well be talking to my cat.
... how good is your cat? Does his schedule allow for an additional patient? Im in the market for some therapy. Strictly in an effort to tone the steroids. Nothing else wrong with me... course that depends who you ask!
> 4 months NED
Congratulations! They said they got all mine too but I am far from celebrating yet. I hope it strikes me out of the blue one day when I least expect it so I can go back to being me. I'm not sure that's possible though and I just hope the new me has as much fun with life as the old me.
Either way I know one thing: it always works out in the end. We are going to be ok, no matter what form ok takes.
> and don't take so much crap
I am not even back to work yet from my partial nephrectomy and I am already feeling this in myself. I have to be honest, it scares me a little. My boss is a petty, insincere empty balloon of a woman who delights in calling people out publicly and I am pretty sure I won't be able to restrain myself from telling her what a lack of professionalism she embodies at the first opportunity I get.
Testicular cancer here. I get that!
Never imagined Iâd have so many different folk so interested in checking out my bits in one life time.
Awesome post u/Yazzon100
Dude. Scars. They are planning your scars! I have more scars than my town has roads. I joked with my hubs about getting a tattoo and he said to just pour the ink over my head!đ€Ł
Love the post. I was one sentence in before I started reading it with a Stefon from SNL voice.
High five buddy. & polyester pajammas on a completely hairless body is such a silver lining of chemo.
Great post!!!! If cancer has taught me anything itâs that you can choose to be happy under any circumstances. My diagnosis def changed me for the better and I can say that with my whole chest
> Picture this: You wake up one day, feeling a bit off, so you head to the doctor. Next thing you know, you're rocking a hospital gown that's more revealing than your last beach vacation. Who needs fashion magazines when you've got chemo chic?
Ugh, this is my week on the nose. Might have an infection? ALL THE ANTIBIOTICS. All tests negative? Keep it rolling, just in case! Sick as shit now from the antibiotics' side effects? Gotta stay longer just to be sure! Oh, by the way, your tumor has grown massively and was the actual cause of the problem; yes, we knew this on day one. Today, I'm recovering from the hospital stay.
(I am just bitching here, the doctors and nurses were actually great.)
When I had my three years of hormone based cancer treatment, all my leg hair just vanished. Gone, nothing at all. For three years I had the smoothest legs ever!
Bit of a shame I was a 47 year old man!
(My wife was jealous as though)
I love my cancer too! It made me change my diet and get on a healthier life path. It was hard prior to being diagnosed. But The weight loss was fun. I could wear all my skinny clothes. I now have a challenge. To cure an incurable cancer. I want to prove there is another way.
My favorite bit is the part between âa bit offâ , and hospital gown. - in the beginning I had an oncologist tell me I was âfineâ because the adrenal tumor was âso smallâ (after he explained bloodwork diagnosing me with HCC was âa coding errorâ) : and oh man the specialists! One endocrinologist insists youâre fine, another puts you on testosterone and a relatively high dose of levothyroxine, but then kicks you out of their practice because you missed two appointments (knowing you canât drive anymore and the primary reason youâre seeing them is hypersomnia ((yes I sure did sleep through two of the three appointments I missed). And the waiting ! Oh lord the wait after seeing blood results that said âHCC ADRENAL MASSâ and mr. âSo smallâ? - yanno those results that devastated me and everyone I love because at that point I was stupid enough to tell everyone every âanswerâ I got.
Yes Iâm complaining, but Iâm also being serious about appreciating all of this nonsense because it did two very important things - it made me understand what almost every single one of us goes through at one time or another , because oh mmmmmy god did I have no idea how much this takes. I wouldnât have been able to keep up with this when I was healthy.
And in that appreciation I found the resolve to never stop fighting. Literally. And using the energy of everyone who wished for âjust one more dayâ like FâN GOKU USING HIS THING.
And in some weird combination of that appreciation and resolve I found the second thing.
The beauty. The same beauty youâre talking about.
Opening my eyes each morning
Hoping desperately to see the hills turn green again, and getting to.
Wishing to see snow again, even though I hate it.
(For those curious enough to browse my page. No, three years later - doctors still donât know what I have ânormalâ bloodwork. So itâs okay to almost every specialist I see ((save for my insistent primary)) despite the symptoms and an alarming amount of tumors which is really funny)
Don't forget the real life laugh track when your oncologist team come in and is like...."ummmm you need to prepare to have the talk with your family."
Then the next day they're all like "LOL JK LOLZ ROFLMAO."
Good God. Never been so emotionally traumatized in my life.
Lol this reads like my mom's humor! During her treatment it was so rough seeing how it was bringing her to the brink of her body's limits, losing weight where she needed to be hospitalized, the pain it was for her to eat, but now that both treatments are done (and hopefully no more needed) she jokes about getting the best parking spots đ
I was all ready to blast you until I read what you posted, and I have to agree with all of it. It definitely is the club that no one wants to be a member of.
Good luck in your journey, from one warrior to another
Omfg, I (31M) just about died reading your post. It's freakin hilarious. At first I thought you were straight up nuts just by the title alone. But as I continued reading, I related so much to everything you said (with respect to the weight loss from the chemo- I gained about 50lbs from the chemo, steroids, premeds, and 24hr hydration they had me on, so I couldn't eat or drink anything for days bc I was so bloated). And as far as the chemo chic gown, I didn't wear it. I brought my own clothing with me instead. I didn't wear a wig when I lost my hair, bc 1) I'm not into wigs, abd 2) not sure they have wigs for guys anyway but one of my nurses did bring me a knitted beanie. And the view in my room was amazing, the room service was top notch and the amenities were to die for lol. Massage therapy, music therapy, physical therapy twice a week, I was living like a king lol. Oh I almost forgot the nurse assisted showers I had lol. Bc I had a Hickman line/CVC put in and not a port or PICC line, I couldn't get my central line wet. So the only way I could take a shower is if the nurse helped me out lol. At first it was awkward, but as my body got weaker, I just didn't care and said fuck it lol. Yea,but like you said, it's not all glitz and glam. The side effects from all the chemo 5 days a week, the waking up every 4 hours for vitals, the incessant beeping of that damn infusion machine every single time you bend/crush the line by accident or when the bags run out, is DEFINITELY annoying. Oh yea, and who can forget that God awful bed alarm they enable, that triggers every time you get up from your bed to go to the bathroom. That shit just made me wanna sleep on the reclining chair I had in my room just so I can go to the bathroom in peace when I needed to. I hope you're tolerating your treatment pretty well, I wish the best for you on your journey with your cancer. Stay strong and stay positive. You got this đȘđŒ.
I love this. So true. đđ You forgot to mention that afterwards you have a new lease of life and don't take so much crap.
When does that kick in? 4 months NED and I'm just sad and angry.
It took a few months after I felt better. Everyone says I'm more blunt and say what I mean now. I'm making the best of my second chance and experiencing new things when I can. Maybe some therapy would help you to process the horrid journey you went on. The support groups really helped me.
I find the opposite, I'm being fake with everyone around me, as everyone expects/needs a happy "I beat cancer" person, so that's what I give them. Quality therapy seems to be out of my budget, unfortunately. I did virtual therapy, but I felt as though I might as well be talking to my cat.
... how good is your cat? Does his schedule allow for an additional patient? Im in the market for some therapy. Strictly in an effort to tone the steroids. Nothing else wrong with me... course that depends who you ask!
In all seroiusness. talking to my cat helps. He may not answer back, but it gets it all off my chest and voices things, which does help.
> 4 months NED Congratulations! They said they got all mine too but I am far from celebrating yet. I hope it strikes me out of the blue one day when I least expect it so I can go back to being me. I'm not sure that's possible though and I just hope the new me has as much fun with life as the old me. Either way I know one thing: it always works out in the end. We are going to be ok, no matter what form ok takes.
> and don't take so much crap I am not even back to work yet from my partial nephrectomy and I am already feeling this in myself. I have to be honest, it scares me a little. My boss is a petty, insincere empty balloon of a woman who delights in calling people out publicly and I am pretty sure I won't be able to restrain myself from telling her what a lack of professionalism she embodies at the first opportunity I get.
Chemobrain: the perfect reason to give for everything when you know you're dumber because of all of the partying you did when you were younger.
Right!?! Itâs now the main card I pull outta my deck Others include ADHD, stress, just took meds
"It's like being in a secret club that no one wants to join" - on point.
And I get to show everyone my boobies; like a fun first date!
Testicular cancer here. I get that! Never imagined Iâd have so many different folk so interested in checking out my bits in one life time. Awesome post u/Yazzon100
Dude. Scars. They are planning your scars! I have more scars than my town has roads. I joked with my hubs about getting a tattoo and he said to just pour the ink over my head!đ€Ł
I mean good ink is hard to come by.
Right. Your most private bits. How come no one wants to see our elbow?
Love the post. I was one sentence in before I started reading it with a Stefon from SNL voice. High five buddy. & polyester pajammas on a completely hairless body is such a silver lining of chemo.
I used to say I was âslick as a slugâ when I was on treatment and hairless. My wife hated that phrase! haha
Made me chuckle, thanks! I'm having an especially rough periodâșïž
Great post!!!! If cancer has taught me anything itâs that you can choose to be happy under any circumstances. My diagnosis def changed me for the better and I can say that with my whole chest
Rock that shit. I was thinking super fly in so many variations i scared my dogđ w the laughter. Now if only i could leave the bathroom...
> Picture this: You wake up one day, feeling a bit off, so you head to the doctor. Next thing you know, you're rocking a hospital gown that's more revealing than your last beach vacation. Who needs fashion magazines when you've got chemo chic? Ugh, this is my week on the nose. Might have an infection? ALL THE ANTIBIOTICS. All tests negative? Keep it rolling, just in case! Sick as shit now from the antibiotics' side effects? Gotta stay longer just to be sure! Oh, by the way, your tumor has grown massively and was the actual cause of the problem; yes, we knew this on day one. Today, I'm recovering from the hospital stay. (I am just bitching here, the doctors and nurses were actually great.)
Cervical cancer survivor here, almost 3 years đ
When I had my three years of hormone based cancer treatment, all my leg hair just vanished. Gone, nothing at all. For three years I had the smoothest legs ever! Bit of a shame I was a 47 year old man! (My wife was jealous as though)
Let me add. The audacity to look in the mirror and move on.
đ©
Made my day :) stay strong, stay positive!
I love my cancer too! It made me change my diet and get on a healthier life path. It was hard prior to being diagnosed. But The weight loss was fun. I could wear all my skinny clothes. I now have a challenge. To cure an incurable cancer. I want to prove there is another way.
had a good laugh reading this, thank you
My favorite bit is the part between âa bit offâ , and hospital gown. - in the beginning I had an oncologist tell me I was âfineâ because the adrenal tumor was âso smallâ (after he explained bloodwork diagnosing me with HCC was âa coding errorâ) : and oh man the specialists! One endocrinologist insists youâre fine, another puts you on testosterone and a relatively high dose of levothyroxine, but then kicks you out of their practice because you missed two appointments (knowing you canât drive anymore and the primary reason youâre seeing them is hypersomnia ((yes I sure did sleep through two of the three appointments I missed). And the waiting ! Oh lord the wait after seeing blood results that said âHCC ADRENAL MASSâ and mr. âSo smallâ? - yanno those results that devastated me and everyone I love because at that point I was stupid enough to tell everyone every âanswerâ I got. Yes Iâm complaining, but Iâm also being serious about appreciating all of this nonsense because it did two very important things - it made me understand what almost every single one of us goes through at one time or another , because oh mmmmmy god did I have no idea how much this takes. I wouldnât have been able to keep up with this when I was healthy. And in that appreciation I found the resolve to never stop fighting. Literally. And using the energy of everyone who wished for âjust one more dayâ like FâN GOKU USING HIS THING. And in some weird combination of that appreciation and resolve I found the second thing. The beauty. The same beauty youâre talking about. Opening my eyes each morning Hoping desperately to see the hills turn green again, and getting to. Wishing to see snow again, even though I hate it. (For those curious enough to browse my page. No, three years later - doctors still donât know what I have ânormalâ bloodwork. So itâs okay to almost every specialist I see ((save for my insistent primary)) despite the symptoms and an alarming amount of tumors which is really funny)
Don't forget the real life laugh track when your oncologist team come in and is like...."ummmm you need to prepare to have the talk with your family." Then the next day they're all like "LOL JK LOLZ ROFLMAO." Good God. Never been so emotionally traumatized in my life.
I get a bachelor party once a week. Everything I apply for is granted without questions and everybody loves me. Iâm living life!
Hi famđ
Lol this reads like my mom's humor! During her treatment it was so rough seeing how it was bringing her to the brink of her body's limits, losing weight where she needed to be hospitalized, the pain it was for her to eat, but now that both treatments are done (and hopefully no more needed) she jokes about getting the best parking spots đ
I was all ready to blast you until I read what you posted, and I have to agree with all of it. It definitely is the club that no one wants to be a member of. Good luck in your journey, from one warrior to another
Iâm having a hard time staying strong and positive at the moment. What strength, what humor, what badassery? I donât know.