[nfb-talk] More bad news: Round 2

[qubit]

Hi Joseph -- I'm sorry to hear you are going through this adversity.  If 
it's any consolation, I had a friend with bone cancer when I was a 
teenager -- she had the nurses and docs shaking their heads as she was given 
only a short time to live, but my friend, for some reason, didn't believe 
she was going to die, although shouldn't explain the feeling.  She just had 
a knowledge or deep belief that she would recover -- and needless to say, 
with the radiation and chemo she received, the tumors shrunk and disappeared 
and she grew to adulthood cancer free.  I have thought about her often. You 
never know.
I will keep you in my prayers.
--le


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "T. Joseph Carter" <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 4:55 AM
Subject: [nfb-talk] More bad news: Round 2


Hey everyone,

Three weeks ago I felt some pain in my leg, the opposite side from
the tumor in my back/side.  A scan showed something very small, but
definitely solid.  The doctor removed it and did a biopsy, given my
history.  Preliminarily, it looked like another sarcoma, so they cut
some margin tissue out as well.  It was so small that a week later,
I’ve all but recovered from the surgery.

I’ve waited to write to everyone until the pathology report came
back, and it did tonight.  It was a sarcoma, and the margins are
clear.  This will mean another round of radiation, and I suspect I’ll
be told Tuesday that chemotherapy is not considered optional this
time around.

The last time around, my whole life was put on hold for several
months.  That was mostly because I was still recovering from surgery
during the radiation.  I don’t know how I’ll react to chemotherapy,
but I’m told that generally it isn’t going to be pleasant.

Metastasized soft tissue sarcomas have a statistically high mortality
rate.  One study says 73% within six years.  They are considered to
be stage 4, but people can and do survive them.  My lungs were clear
in October; it’s a good sign if they still are.  And though we cannot
prove the negative, it is possible that this new tumor resulted
either from metastasis of the original to this and only this
location, or that it is what they call a second primary tumor.
Either of those make the clear margins very important.

We’ll know more after Tuesday, hopefully.  I’m praying for the best,
and would welcome prayers from others as well.

Thanks everyone,

Joseph


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