As soon as the diagnosis is made, most patients ask their doctor, “What are my chances?”
Doctors used to dish out numbers and percentages that were straight out of the data learned from various treatments.
They’ve learned the hard way that is not the best way to answer that question.
With so many new treatments, clinical trials, and protocols, those percentages, in my opinion, aren’t worth much.
Cancer patients have options in most cases now. When Leroy was going through treatment, and when his cancer jumped the chemo, his next option was plan B on the chemo selection board. He was on Plan A, so why would he go with Plan B? He didn’t have a trial he could join so it was on to radiation and that was his second round of that, so he was limited to how much radiation he could handle.
He had few options.
So I see it this way, if you decide to get treatment (and not every one goes that way), you’re living in a time where you have choices. These are real, viable ways of beating back you cancer. It may not last forever, but it might be just long enough until the next time you need another option, it will be there for you.
Cancer means rolling the dice. Is that how you roll?
July 1, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
I am not a gambler, but I’ll roll the treatment dice. Just learned last week that my protein count is up in spite of being on chemo that has been working for over 4 years now (diagnosed 16 years ago with myeloma, 11 years NED until 2011). So, it’s scan time and then we see what is next. I am so-o lucky to have options for my cancer, whether it’s a higher dose of the current drug or something else. One option I do not intend to exercise is a loss of Hope or putting away the dice. Thank you for being here!!