My cousin just got diagnosed with stage IV cancer

[John Connor]

I never thought in my wildest dreams my cousin at age 50 would have stage IV cancer. I don't have much information at the moment from what my other cousin told me on the phone. It sounds like it's in his esophagus and liver. His mother (my aunt) died from colon cancer and my grandma died from pancreatic cancer. Not to mention my second cousin who died from fucking cancer. People around me are dropping like flies it seems.

My cousin is a very good and decent person. Very faithful, wears the cross and loves his son and wife. Prays every night and morning in fact! He was going through AA meetings due to an alcohol problem. It was so bad that if he didn't have any alcohol he'd get the shakes. Was doing really well and got back in his union for his concrete job. He loves to fish and he got to go fishing again. Life was looking good and now this bull shit. My damn eyes have been watery all freaking day. He is my favorite cousin. When I was in a dark place he'd call all the time and talk to me. Pretty tough guy too. He told me stories of being a bouncer and how he almost killed a dude. Wasn't his fault.

I'm not sure what his chances are with cancer like this. I hope it's just swift. Him and his wife have very little money and had to move in with his mother in law. Wasn't really a great situation for him as you can imagine. So he just has insurance through his work and just like my aunt will probably have to use COBRA. Come to think of it he told me he was looking at Obamacare. Not sure if he took that or not. Especially since he got a job again.

Pretty much a wake up call really. I need to get on a diet and stop smoking!

The church is two houses down so I'm going to take a venture over there this Sunday and ask the minister to say a prayer as well as I.

Seems like the good die young every damn time! God giveth and God taketh away. I'm still in disbelief about this. I thought my mom would go first quite frankly.

This is his favorite song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTx8IGPwrIk

:'(

 

[dr150]

Man, that sucks. My mother-in-law died from peritoneal cancer last year.

Stage 4 is pretty much deep into the shit, but I believe if there's a chance to come off that hill, proper nutrition can make a BIG difference (as MANY case studies have attested to).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9BYFkv691E&list=PL70WJtWq61nCGedoF_vPoxpaFB4U3OVbv&index=1

 

[sandorski]

That sucks. Spend as much time with him as you can/need to.

 

[John Connor]

That sucks. Spend as much time with him as you can/need to.

He lives in a Chicago suburb. I live in Colorado. Plan on making a trip soon. Freaking sucks.

 

[John Connor]

Man, that sucks. My mother-in-law died from peritoneal cancer last year.

Stage 4 is pretty much deep into the shit, but I believe if there's a chance to come off that hill, proper nutrition can make a BIG difference (as MANY case studies have attested to).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9BYFkv691E&list=PL70WJtWq61nCGedoF_vPoxpaFB4U3OVbv&index=1

I think he's having a hard time eating.

 

[disappoint]

You and I don't always see eye to eye but all that aside, I wish the best for your cousin and his family, and yes even you. I hope you all get through this as best you can. Cancer is a terrible illness. I hope one day cancer will be a thing of the past, like polio is today for example. Be strong and help them out where and when you can. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them. They might need you at a time like this.

 

[TheVrolok]

Bummer man. :-( Cancer sucks. Sorry to hear it is all too familiar to your family. Best wishes to your cousin and family.

 

[Spungo]

I think he's having a hard time eating.

Most people will tell you to get him marijuana to help him eat.

I'll take the other side of the fence. Give him an antidepressant called mirtazapine. I've been taking it for a few years to help me sleep, but one of the side effects is that it significantly increases appetite. I gave mirtazapine to my dad when he was near the end, and it really helped. He stopped shaking, he relaxed, and he was able to hold some food down.

Mirtazapine is fairly easy to get since it has no abuse potential. Just say your mom/sister/brother takes it and it really helps with depression and insomnia. They're very cheap pills, like 10 cents each.

 

[CraKaJaX]

So sorry John. One of my grandfathers passed from cancer back in 2010. Now my other grandfather is battling alzheimer's as we speak. It's a terrible thing to watch someone you've known just shrink to skin and bones. Spend as much time with him as possible - ask him questions about family history, funny stories he may remember, anything to get his mind off of it. Bring him some comfort gifts of some sort - that always helps!

It always is the good ones who get it the worst. A convicted serial rapist will live disease free until they're 105 behind bars.... the guys who were professors, doctors, working class people get the cancer and alzheimer's. It just isn't fair.

 

[Spungo]

anything to get his mind off of it

And be in a legitimately good mood. The last thing a dying person wants to see is a bunch of people mourning him when he's not even dead yet.

 

[stargazr]

Sorry to hear that.

 

[slag]

I had stage 4 cancer. I'm now cancer free. It can be beaten or at least put into remission for a long long time. That being said, spend as much time as you can with him and be supportive.

Slag

 

[Sonikku]

Not to mention my second cousin who died from fucking cancer. People around me are dropping like flies it seems.

Dang, those are some genes.



That's inappropriate and a poor attempt at humor, considering the subject matter of the thread.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

Not so much an attempt at humor as much as expressing that it's hard luck having family genes commonly resulting in cancer. Perhaps I worded it poorly.

 

[Zodiark1593]

My mom is battling folon cancer at age 42. My aunt died from it. My grandma survived another cancer. Only a matter of time for myself I suppose.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Best of luck, John. Be healthy, yourself.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Sorry man. Keep your spirits up. Do what you can to keep your uncle as happy as possible. Hes going to need a large reservoir of internal fight in him if he is going to enjoy whatever time he has left.

 

[OverVolt]

Way too many people getting cancer lately. Not just on this board. I'm not sure if its the aging population or what.

Sorry about your friend.

I know someone who died of cancer at 36. Its like... what the heck is going on.

 

[Fritzo]

Wow, that's terrible...to be diagnosed with stage IV right off the bat is an unimaginable horror

Were there symptoms being ignored or was this just out of the blue?

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Sorry to hear. A friend of mine actually just died today of cancer. It really sucks.

 

[slightlyhuman]

sending +++ vibes your way OP and any one else that's dealt with cancer.

fuck cancer.

 

[Regs]

Way too many people getting cancer lately. Not just on this board. I'm not sure if its the aging population or what.

Sorry about your friend.

I know someone who died of cancer at 36. Its like... what the heck is going on.

It can't be just a coincidence -- but no point escaping the fact that we all meet our maker one way or another. Shocking as it always is, it's a hard time for everybody. My family has been nursing my aunt who had a major stroke and survived. Though with all the complications of having lost most of your motor skills and being on borrowed time, it's not a pretty way to live. It's something we're all going to have to face on here as grown adults. I joined this board when I was maybe 20, and now being that much older, mortality becomes a part of your daily life more and more.

 

[Spungo]

Way too many people getting cancer lately. Not just on this board. I'm not sure if its the aging population or what.

As you get older, the people you know are getting older as well. It's not like you still hang out with 10 year olds.

Also, obesity is a major cause of cancer. This is just a simple game of numbers. Suppose cells have a 1% chance of getting a cancerous mutation. If I have 100 cells to replace, the odds of having 0 cancerous mutations is P^n where P is probability of not having cancer in a cell, and n is the number of cells. For 100 in this example, it would be 0.99^100 = 36.6% probability of having 0 mutations. Now what happens if someone has 200 cells instead of 100? 0.99^200 = 13.4% probability of 0 mutations. The real life odds of mutation are obviously a lot lower than 1%, but the general math is the same. It's like playing the lottery a few billion times. Eventually, one or more of those numbers will hit the jackpot, and the jackpot is cancer.

Things quickly get screwed up if you're exposed to something that would cause mutations to occur at a higher rate, such as ionizing radiation. Suppose cells have 2% mutation rate instead of 1%. 0.98^100 = 13.3% probability of 0 mutations. What if you're huge and exposed to radiation? 0.98^200 = 1.8% probability of 0 mutations. Yikes.

Obesity also causes significant oxidative stress. This is believed to be one of the mechanisms responsible for insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and various other medical problems linked to obesity. Oxidative stress increases the probability of mutations. study.

Aside from having won the Nobel Prize twice, Linus Pauling was famous for being nuts about vitamin C. He was absolutely convinced oxidative stress was the cause of everything. He was a little nuts, but he wasn't completely wrong.
intravenous vitamin C and cancer (note that mega dosing only applies to IV vitamin C. swallowing it just causes diarrhea and doesn't work)

 

[lxskllr]

Sorry to hear that. Hope your cousin has a good rest-of-life, however long it is.

 

[Geekbabe]

John, A lot depends on what the site of his primary tumor is. He needs to get himself to a major cancer center ASAP for evaluation & tx.

I am stage IV lung ca & am still here... Great tx can make a difference in quality and quantity of life!

Prayers for him & your family.

 

[bradley]

As you get older, the people you know are getting older as well. It's not like you still hang out with 10 year olds.

Also, obesity is a major cause of cancer. This is just a simple game of numbers. Suppose cells have a 1% chance of getting a cancerous mutation. If I have 100 cells to replace, the odds of having 0 cancerous mutations is P^n where P is probability of not having cancer in a cell, and n is the number of cells. For 100 in this example, it would be 0.99^100 = 36.6% probability of having 0 mutations. Now what happens if someone has 200 cells instead of 100? 0.99^200 = 13.4% probability of 0 mutations. The real life odds of mutation are obviously a lot lower than 1%, but the general math is the same. It's like playing the lottery a few billion times. Eventually, one or more of those numbers will hit the jackpot, and the jackpot is cancer.

Things quickly get screwed up if you're exposed to something that would cause mutations to occur at a higher rate, such as ionizing radiation. Suppose cells have 2% mutation rate instead of 1%. 0.98^100 = 13.3% probability of 0 mutations. What if you're huge and exposed to radiation? 0.98^200 = 1.8% probability of 0 mutations. Yikes.

Obesity also causes significant oxidative stress. This is believed to be one of the mechanisms responsible for insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and various other medical problems linked to obesity. Oxidative stress increases the probability of mutations. study.

Aside from having won the Nobel Prize twice, Linus Pauling was famous for being nuts about vitamin C. He was absolutely convinced oxidative stress was the cause of everything. He was a little nuts, but he wasn't completely wrong.
intravenous vitamin C and cancer (note that mega dosing only applies to IV vitamin C. swallowing it just causes diarrhea and doesn't work)

Linus Pauling was far from nuts, probably the top ten most influential scientist the world has ever known. I wholeheartedly agree with his later work, but believe it needs expansion. My belief is that cancer (and heart disease) is caused by an absence of electrons, of which suddenly the immune system and lymph can no longer keep up with the daily grind. Oxidation, inflammation and calcification are the world's largest killers. Oh and liposomal vitamin C also doesn't cause the runs and is almost as effective as intravenous.