Cancer Update
By: KK
Copyright @2002

I wanted to first thank everyone who have sent me such kind words and thoughts regarding my cancer. I also greatly appreciate the mail I have received wanting updates and checking on my health.

Since my near death experiences in July, I have returned to school full-time, going through a divorce, looking for work and best of all physically feeling great. I still have some side effects from the chemo, but overall I can't complain. Of course, the best part is that my hair is coming back with a vengeance!! I don't mind stripping my clothes off for a living, but please don't strip me of my vanity!

I have to have CT Scans every six months and I had my last one two weeks ago. The results were not totally unexpected, but still shook me up a little. Another tumor was found in the left side of my throat. It's very small and as long as it doesn't cause me to have any side effects, the doctor is just going to monitor it with blood work and another scan in March. It's nerve wracking, but life goes on and I refuse to sit around and throw myself a pity party. The only parties I plan on throwing for myself now are hair coloring parties! I have a nice red wine color working now, but the blonde in me is fighting to come out.

I'm also gaining a lot of my self confidence back now and look at life in a whole other view. I'm still just as opinionated, smart ass and hyperactive. But every day is another day with my kids and another reason to get out of bed!


 

Reader's Respond

01.09.03

K,

Hey I stumbled upon your site this summer while I was at work and
searching the net for some stuff.....I really love your articles they are
insightful and make you think about things that normally you take for granted. I
am glad that your battle with cancer is going well....When I was in college I
helped raise money for kids with cancer and so I know what your struggles must
have been like. But I love your site, I made my husband read some of the stuff
that you wrote and he laughed so hard. I always am checking back to read
comments by readers and of course check for new articles. I especially like your
dating articles and that articles about everyday things that happen. Keep up the
good work and ignore those ignorant assholes that come down on you for having an
opinion.

Jenn

01.01.03

K,
I read with interest, and a little sadness, about your bout with cancer. Sorry
that you had to go through with what you did. That chemo-therapy is a bitch!
I'm sure that 500 years from now chemo-therapy will be judged to be in the same
category as Blood-Letting was only 200 years ago.
I've been many things during my 58 year lifetime, so far I'm presently a heavy
equipment operator. I also was a Dep. Sheriff for 14 years and took an early
retirement. I'm working up to the fact that I was also a (male) Registered
Nurse for two years. Thought I'd like it, but I ended up-hated it!. One thing
I did learn while working in hospitals and with doctors is that "medicine" is an
art form. Some physicians have "It," and some don't. I have witnessed a few
real butchers in the operating room, and also some surgeons who almost perform
miracles because they have "It," that natural ability to diagnose what the
problem is and how to treat it. So on a scale of 1 to 100, on both ends of
that scale you have the few brain-dead physicians who can barely figure-out that
you have a headache; then the majority 95% of physicians in the middle who do a
passable job; then the top 2% who seem to always get it right. That top 2% have
that innate ability to grasp the situation almost immediately. May you always
find that top 2%.
In regard to controlling cancer: I thought that you should know that having a
small benign tumor has been shown to keep other potentially fatal cancers at
bay. Apparently any cancer growth produces some type of enzyme or
hormoneà.forgot which, that stops the growth of other cancers. Personally, I'd
rather have a known benign tumor not causing problems than be totally cancer
free and then develop a cancer that kills me later. That benign tumor functions
as the "turn-off" switch. Perhaps in the future, the medical field may decide
to transplant a small piece of benign tumor into a cancer patient to prevent
other cancer growth. Just something to think about. Maybe you've already read
about this, maybe not. Thought you should know about it.

Doug R.