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Granted, I may be the only person on the planet who is skeptical of the "success" of radiation and chemotherapy; most people have a recurrence, so they're never actually "cured" and, while it may buy you more time, I personally believe it kills as many people as it saves while simultaneously wasting bazillions of dollars and torturing the poor patients in the process.
No you are not the only person on the planet who believes this--I"ve seen too much evidence in my own family that these things can do more harm than good, but would never tell anyone which tx they should choose--it's such a personal decision. I have cancer and I'm doing holistic therapy and there are times when I think that people look at me as either a loony or someone who "got off easy" and "who hasn't paid my dues," and I almost think that some people are hoping I'll fail so they can be right. So sad.
Immediately following my first chemo treatment, the symptoms I had struggled with (and been misdiagnosed with all kinds of other things) for 5 years disappeared. My cancer is very curable, and there are still people who refuse chemo for it. I think they're loony tunes and, thankfully, teenagers who are going through my cancer can't be enabled by a woo woo parent to kill themselves by forgoing treatment.
That said, every cancer is different. But if you think an oncologist won't tell it to you straight, you're horribly misinformed. Or perhaps luckily so, because that means you haven't gone through it. Two of my grandparents have died of various forms of cancer and both oncologists were very clear. One of my grandparents chose to fight anyway and lived for 4 years despite an initial prediction of 3-4 months even with chemo. The other chose not to have chemo and died a horribly painful death hopped up on painkillers while one by one, her organs shut down. There's a lot between these two extremes and it's a personal decision.
Palliative chemo can help control pain and other side effects, even if outliving the cancer is not expected.
It breaks my heart that so many of the posts have reflected either suspicion towards doctors or anxieties about bills. The USA in particular has painted itself into a corner with our hopelessly politicized healthcare system. I am grateful that more people have insurance these days, and that insurance companies can't drop sick patients any more, but we still have a long ways to go.
Reaching age 90 is a pretty good run. He had siblings that died of cancer much younger.
I wonder if he has Obama care?
I'm sure he doesn't have Obamacare lol.
As far as whether to treat this, or any other, disease at an advanced age, that's his business. What concerns me is that I read he's getting "a new treatment." That's when my antennae went up.
God bless him, and I hope it works, but I wonder how many "regular folks " would have access to this new treatment. I think we know the answer. We're already learning that new cancer drugs are priced out of reach for all but the rich (even though the tax dollars of all working stiffs fund much of the research), and we also know that the select and well-connected few are more likely to be able to avail themselves of medical advances than the great unwashed.
"There are exceptions but generally ALL medical treatment is voluntary. You have the right to refuse treatment. You have the right to leave the hospital at any time."
Actually, this isn't quite true. You can leave a hospital AMA ("against medical advice"), but you risk your insurance company refusing to pay the entire bill. That can easily bankrupt you. So you're basically held hostage, unless you're a millionaire or have nothing for the hospital to sue you to "get."
Also, women are forced to submit to mammograms and pap smears - although in fact the increased risk of cancer is much smaller than widely believed -- in order to be prescribed birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, even if she wouldn't choose to treat it if it were diagnosed, so another waste of money -- as well as coercion -- for some.
All part of the "rah-rah, beat cancer" mindset.
How many years have we been raising money for "awareness" and "a cure" and still MOST people who have it eventually die of it???
We've been raising money for a long time and still there is no cure. Know why? There isn't a cure because there isn't a cancer. There are different cancers and some of them do have cures - found through research. Some of the research has discovered new treatments that have fewer side effects. And the research continues.
As for eventually dying from cancer, you will "eventually" die of something, that's a given. "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
While it may be prudent in some cases to opt out of treatment, doesn't mean that one will say "No more treatment" and fall asleep in an hour never to awaken. Nay, nay, it means weeks, often months, of unimaginable suffering. You choose for you. I choose for me.
I don't know anyone who died from cancer
they all died from chemo, or transplants...the cure killed them
As a young adult cancer survivor, #nope.
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