Hello Frank,
Believe me, it sure does have a lot to do with it. We work in a ministry which means we see a lot of folks in hospitals or drive them to their chemo sessions, and usually it's the really serious cases. A positive attitude can be the ticket to health.
True.
Regards, Joerg
People who've never been out of Europe don't understand "spirit" or "moxie" or "chutzpah" or whatever you call it ;-)
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
"Jim Thompson" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
What I wanted to say - between the lines - I am not in favour of all that positive "You can do it" talk. Save the chutzpah for the occasion where you break both kneecaps and have to learn to walk again. Of cource, I'm no doctor, and I don't know any details, but I don't see much point in encouraging to 'fight' a battle that is practically impossible to win. It only gives them the idea that they failed (again) slipping away at the end of their struggle. Perhaps (perhaps!) it's more pleasant to talk about daily stuff, all the good memories, rather than mindless pep talk alone.
-- Thanks, Frank. (remove \'q\' and \'.invalid\' when replying by email)
"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
[snip]Sorry to hear it Jim.
Just lost my Mother last week. But somehow that seems more "natural" than kids having problems like that.
Robert
"Joerg" schreef in bericht news:O20Xf.61834$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
No, I don't believe you. What about patients that are not so positive and miraciously recover? Any doctor can give examples of that. I am just reluctant to give them the "You can do it" mantra for 24 hours a day. Simply being there to offer help and to be pleasant company, provide a cushion for their mood swings, sharing thoughts, seem the best thing can do under such circumstances.
-- Thanks, Frank. (remove \'q\' and \'.invalid\' when replying by email)
My sympathies as well.
Regards Ian
All of the data is not yet in until you undergo therapy. The chemo treatment may make for immediate improvement in the tumor situation, in which case you want to stick with it. If the treatment is slow going and not very effective in reducing the tumors then there may other factors you would want to consider. If quality of life is important then several years of therapy and additional life that turns you into an abomination constantly feeling ill with reduced mental faculties is not worth it to some people. The main thing is to exhaust the reasonable possibilities for effective treatment and, if it comes down to it, make a reasonable assessment of the threshold for declaring exhaustion. An acquaintance of mine recently died of this exact same cancer. He was in total denial right up to going into his final morphine delirium and death, it was pitiful.
We ARE doing the latter, there is no rah, rah, rah stuff. My remark was based on my noticing a sudden change in his attitude... "I can handle this".
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
Hello Frank,
You need both. Being there is, of course, priority number one. In Jim's son's case there seems to be an abundance of such care which is great. But fighting is the other part of the game. A close relative made it against all the odds, given that she had a 5% "statistical" chance of surviving the first six months. This number wasn't just based on some phony study with 10 patients or so but on many years of underwriter's data, thousands of cases. Her first word after that bomb shell from the doctor was "I am going to fight this". We all researched the case up and down the web, found specialists, treatments whether covered by insurance or not. Well, it's been five years now and she is healthy.
Regards, Joerg
"Joerg" schreef in bericht news:6deXf.54326$F snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...
That is fantastic for her, that the magic words "I am going to fight this" worked. Bit of a shame it doesn't seem to work for everyone. And strange that folks who don't "fight" so strong can also magically recover.
I would think these things just happen, all in agreement with the
5% statistic chances etc. I have no other explanation for it. The true explanation is perhaps some genetic advantage which gives you better results of various treatments.Or is it that I have another definition of "fighting", in this context. I assumed we referred to will power etc here. IMO it's an insult to make patients believe this is an important factor, almost turning it into a cheap contest, where a looser is a true looser. Like I said earlier, a good deal of pep talk is nice for someone with two broken knees, to encourage the person to learn to walk again. But when chances are so bleak, the choice to fight should be made by the patient alone and not being pushed by family and relatives. It is not up to others to demand miracles, as this only adds to the patients grief, a feeling that he has dissapointed his loved ones by not being able to perform as requested. In a way, the loved ones have a battle to fight here as well, to show respect rather than making a patient believing it is largely a matter of will power and "fighting".
-- Thanks, Frank. (remove \'q\' and \'.invalid\' when replying by email)
Hello Frank,
Well, if you don't believe me ask a few docs. My wife and I are visiting lots of folks in convalescent homes. Some will never go home, some are there to recover from a huge problem. There are some who have resigned, who do not take therapy serious, just hang there and worry all day. Then there are others who are eager to leave, they exercise with gusto and spread around a positive attitude. For some reasons it's those folks who typically make it home in under a month.
Even the Romans knew that body and state of mind go together: "Mens sana in corpore sano".
Regards, Joerg
"Joerg" schreef in bericht news:YBfXf.54359$F snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...
Yes, but we are not talking about cancer patients here, are we.
I don't deny that relationship, but it isn't the universal answer for everything.
-- Thanks, Frank. (remove \'q\' and \'.invalid\' when replying by email)
Hello Frank,
Breast cancer (lots), skin cancer, other cancers, bad cases of heart failure, broken hips in old age, and so on. It runs the gamut.
It isn't. But without a positive attitude it is harder to recover from anything.
Regards, Joerg
Absolutely. Laughter and other forms of happiness are powerful medicine. May not do much to cure this, but can make a huge difference in perception.
-- JosephKK Gegen dummheit kampfen die Gotter Selbst, vergebens. --Schiller
Assuming there is a mind-body connection, how can you figure out what is cause and what is effect? Maybe the people who have a positive attitude can somehow sense that they are going to recover, or maybe they just feel better because of something in the physical state of their bodies. The others may somehow know that they are too sick, or they may just feel worse.
"Joerg" schreef in bericht news:i_fXf.54367$F snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...
Okay, but those cancers are a *LOT* less agressive than liver or lung cancer. Here you mention cancers that already have a 80+ or better chance of surviving. So I am telling you again, the chance of surviving cancer has very little to do with 'fighting'. You just proved it yourself. Now be a good man and stop yelling and telling that folks with (liver/lung etc) cancer need to fight their deseases. Nobody is helped with false hope and shameless lies. Try to understand that.
-- Thanks, Frank. (remove \'q\' and \'.invalid\' when replying by email) > > > > >>Even the Romans knew that body and state of mind go together: "Mens sana > >>in corpore sano". > > > > I don\'t deny that relationship, but it isn\'t the universal answer > > for everything. > > > > It isn\'t. But without a positive attitude it is harder to recover from > anything. > > Regards, Joerg > > http://www.analogconsultants.com
My prayers are with you and your family,
Watch the spouse too. If they are a true team, she'll need just as much help as he does Make sure she has a outside life away from the hospital, I know thats difficult, especially to pry her away from his bedside, but she'll need exercise of all types, mental, physical and social. Dont let her get so involved that she has no life.
After watching my mom nearly come completely apart when dad passed after 7 years in the nursing home from a paralytic stroke after a bypass, it must be done. Mom insisted on being at that nursing home 14 out of 24, 7-365 volunteering at feeding 3 meals a day, and not just with dad. Plus she handled ALL the medicade paperwork and drove 30 miles a few times a month to battle it out with the social workers and insurance. Mom considered herself "ON CALL" at all times. resulting in zero personality and much anger whenever a aide or nurse made even the simplist mistake. More then once I was down there and heard on the PA, " Mrs Roberts has left the building".
I admire her strength, and helped her when I could, but what happened next was very ,very, dark.
Mom suddenly had no where to go one day after hospice, and crashed, physically and mentally. It took me a year to get her to even travel across town or discuss the weather.. All she'd talk about was the struggle with dad, which turned off family and friends fast. Wouldnt go to church, the mall or a movie,or see friends,or her physician. I hate to be the ghost of Xmas past, but DON'T loose #2 (or 3 or 4) in the process of helping #1. Prevent possible severe depression and possible martyrdom. That goes for you too. Get somebody ouside your close support system to periodically get you out of there,check what your doing and dont close the home lab down. Keep posting here.
She's coming around now, at almost 2 years, but it was scarry.
best wishes for a hopeful outcome.
Steve Roberts
[snip]
Family support system already in motion.
Also: My son will go home tomorrow. He's ambulatory, and will go to a local doctor's office for chemo... they outfitted him with a "port" in his chest (I haven't seen it yet), to allow "normal" living, showering, etc.
Biopsy samples were finally taken from liver and lungs today, but we don't yet know the results.
Thanks for your support!
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
My thoughts are with you as well
martin
-- What are you talking about? No cancer has a chance of surviving if it kills its host unless it\'s put into the ground and given a chance to emerge again.
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