Cancer Survivors

Hair is overrated, gumption is not: so I expect you to kick some lymphoma butt, my friend.If you do come to bone marrow transplant, let us know: I would gladly undergo histologic compatibility testing if you have difficulty finding a match, though my marrow would probably scandalize a normal man.Shouldn't bother you, though.

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Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love at any time, madam, is all that distinguishes us from the other animals.-Pierre De Beaumarchais (1732-1799) Save lives! Click here!
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Hi, RAZD.I'm glad to hear that you are accessing the Dana-Farber's services. I worked there for five years in the late 80s/early 90s, and the medical staff and their philosophy of care are top-notch. The level of commitment by all staffers there--from clerks to docs--is remarkable; I've never experienced a greater communal sense of mission. Best of all, their research and treatment protocols are cutting edge.The current spectrum of treatment for lymphatic involvement is incredible. Even during my short five years there, I saw long-term full remission rates rise dramatically.I haven't had to battle cancer (yet--took my father and some grandparents...), but 25 years ago I experienced the onset of an autoimmune disorder that destroyed my thyroid gland--only decades before, it would have been fatal.Instead, I take my Little Patented Purple Power Pill daily, and I'm good. There is no greater testament to the power of reason and science than the medical advances we've seen in our own lifetimes.My thoughts will be with you.P.S. Ride, RAZD, ride!

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Real things always push back.
-William James Save lives! Click here!
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Fight like hell, RAZD.That's all I know.

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Real things always push back.
-William James Save lives! Click here!
Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC!
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I had excellent luck with my spine surgeon, who is a young-but-experienced director of the Spine Center at Yale with the hands of a concert pianist.I shopped around and chose him for his confidence ("I can fix it.") and his hands. I have no remaining deficits from the spine injuries. I do have the pleasure of incorporating several wafers of corpse bone between three cervical vertebrae (donor bone, more discreetly stated), so, at long last, I truly am a Voodoo Chile.The engineering work on those wafers was impressive: two thin layers of hard bone sandwiching one of soft bone: the former contributing enough durability to remain intact during the fusion process, the latter's porosity more readily infiltrated by my own cells, and the entire thing held together with tiny dowel rods of hard bone.Each assembly was about the size and thickness of a nickel. I haven't been so impressed with medical technology since working at the Dana-Farber years ago. Ah, formally post herpetic neuralgia, then--I'm at the 2.5 month mark, and my docs say it's not PHN until the pain and tingling persist past the three-month mark.On an EvC note, I find shingles a fascinating evolutionary story: that chicken pox viri "hibernated" near my spinal nerve roots for 50 years and then traveled back up nerves to the surface--again infectious as chicken pox--is intriguing as a long-term reproductive/transmission strategy.The pain, itching and tingling that promote scratching/rubbing, increase the odds of transmission. Yet at no point does the infection threaten the host's life, instead lurking again for another opportunity to flare and potentially infect others. All in all, a neat trick.I've tried to stay fascinated by the science of my medical issues and care; asking about the evolutionary implications bemuses the clinicians a bit, which is always amusing.Other readers: don't worry about becoming infected from another person's shingles flare--the overwhelming odds are that you have already had chicken pox, and the virus does not transmit shingles, per se, only chicken pox. Amen, Brother RAZD, amen.In my own case, though (strong supporter of cognitive liberty and former full-time freak), I appreciate the irony.

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I know there's a balance, I see it when I swing past.
-J. Mellencamp

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Real things always push back.
-William James

RAZD, I can only once more salute your courage, honesty and frankness.My own infection covers a wide area across my back, side and groin, measured at ~2 sq ft, but nothing to match the intensity and intimacy of your facial eruption.Yes, shingles do redefine pain: I had extensive burns as a teenager, and I've never felt a pain to rival that until shingles. I hate opiates because they make me stupid, but nothing else is effective for me.My fight is far easier than yours: the clinical path is clear, and, barring a low probability development, there is a good outcome ahead.Your struggle is like a marathon of street brawls and chess matches. I know how dedicated and creative oncologists are, and how determined you are.My money's on you.