Patrick Swayze RIP

[krusty]

Patrick Swayze died last night .

His story must have given hope to lots of cancer suffers , but there is no beating it.

[Thibault]

How sad.  I loved Dirty Dancing and Ghost.

[just john]

Big C is the dirty dancer here, frustatingly untamed for so many ghosts

[Hoddy]

I am beginning to dislike the word 'battle' being used to describe the suffering from cancer. If we do that then inevitably a person who dies has lost and it seems to imply that they didn't try hard enough. I wonder if I'm the only one who feels like this ?

Hoddy

[just john]

No you're not Hoddy, yes it might be a battle but maybe more akin to The Charge Of The Light Brigade where the canons are the Big C, and only made worse for those on the sidelines who watch on helplessly, wondering at the apparent lack of progress on this iniquitious disease(?). It seems to me treatment is still almost medieval, not made anymore palatable when Consultants seem to accept the inevitable with comments like 'just bad luck, the switch flipped the wrong way'.
Two weeks ago he left the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre to return home after it became clear nothing could be done to stave off the inevitable Times

[NormanH]

Be careful of not being too pessimistic either.

There are many different types of Cancer, and some sorts respond much better than other to treatment especially if caught early.

I know many men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, treated, 

and  still in good shape some years after the initial diagnosis.

It is sometimes said that a lot of men die with prostate rather than of it, especially those over 80

The same goes for women with breast cancer.

For both sexes colo-rectal polyps can often be detected before they become cancerous

If diagnosed with either of those it is not necessarily an immediate

death sentence, and I strongly urge anyone over 50 to have the

appropriate early tests done at a reasonable interval. (PSA blood test

for men, and the 'lollipop' stick test for blood in the stools...I

leave the  test for Breast cancer to a lady member to determine)

Patrick Swayze had pancreatic cancer which is hard to detect until too late, and the prognostic is very different.

The big danger with the more easily treatable varieties  is that they

are left too late, and so spread to other organs where there is less

chance of a cure.

My message would be that Cancer is not just one disease, and that it is often treatable if caught early.

Have regular tests and don't dismay.

[Hoddy]

I heartily endorse what you say about regular PSA and other checks Norman. My other half was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago and it seems that it was caught in time. His diagnosis was a by-product of him having an infection - a very lucky chance in fact. On the other hand I have an acquaintance in the UK who is dying and is doing his best to do it it with dignity rather than fighting an unwinnable 'battle'.

Hoddy

[Gemonimo]

How right you are Norman.  It is a lot easier for women to undergo regular checks for breast and uterine cancer simply because they are used to doctors examining them from an early age - contraception, pregnancy, menopause, etc.  For men it is not the same. It is only recently that men have become aware that taking care of their bodies is as important as taking care of their car!  In addition, the nature of the examination is a bit scary for most of them.  My BIL has bladder cancer and absolutely dreads the three month check up not because it is painful, more because it's an invasion of his 'intimité'.  Encouraged by the women in their lives, perhaps more men will have regular check ups.

[just john]

Regrettably I wish it were that simple, this may not be entirely about Patrick Swayze, but in reply to some of the postings on the subject.
In my experience and after talking to several Consultants, there is misdiagnosis and difficulty of correct diagnosis at the front end. With a lot of variation in the forms, many cannot be treated ''even by the shotgun approach at any stage''.
First GP, offered condescension with regard to unusual aches and tiredness, second GP diagnosed strained muscle, third GP diagnosed hip replacement (stating PSA levels normal). Eventually, after three different GP's each denying access to a consultant, a BUPA half-hour diagnosis determined a scan was necessary and secondary Bone cancer was diagnosed in days.
''6 months, Nothing can be done, even if found earlier, why don't you take a cruise, said the NHS''.
Eventually a non tumourous primary in the Lung was diagnosed. Absolutely no history of smoking or cancer in the family.
The second case was worse (bearing in mind the previous history) also misdiagnosed by GP as strained back - try rest. Second GP prescribed a Chiropractor, when this was unsuccessful, Viral Rheumatism was diagnosed. Bupa scan revealed Secondary bone cancer, again a non tumourous primary in the Lung the cause. Absolutely no history of personal smoking, but cancer in the family. This was the case where the Consultant Oncologist made the comment 'just bad luck, your switch flipped the wrong way'.

Hence my sadness at the apparent lack of progress on even understanding some serious forms of this iniquitious disease. 

[Frenchie]

[quote user="Hoddy"]

I am beginning to dislike the word 'battle' being used to describe the suffering from cancer. If we do that then inevitably a person who dies has lost and it seems to imply that they didn't try hard enough. I wonder if I'm the only one who feels like this ?

Hoddy

[/quote]

I feel exactly the same.

A few years back, I lost a dear woman friend, Catherine, from breast cancer..  

She always kept chin up, til the last day.

 

[Scooby]

Likewise Frenchie - one of my work colleagues died last Sunday of breast cancer ..aged just 33.  She also 'lost' the 'battle'. Some of the accepted terminology is crass in the extreme.

[Théière]

Exactly!

Always look on the bright side of life

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I wonder if he managed to contact Whoopi Goldberg yet...

RIP to one of Hollywood's nicer people.

[Celine]

I think the way in which you cope with the disease might have a bearing on your quality of life. Fighting it is probably a more positive action than giving in, hence the term "battle."

[Iceni]

Both my parents died ( 6 years apart) as a result of about 50 years of drug addiction, smoking. In both cases the disease was confirmed late on with an amazingly accurate prediction of "3 months left". Having witnessed their feeble and one-sided struggles to keep going it would be stretching the imagination to describe them as battles - though WW1 had many such "battles". IMHO the meedja use the word to make a story more sellable rather than admit a messy and unpleasant reality.

John

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Think you're right Celine. If you have a positive outlook, I think you stand a better chance of even beating it. If not, at least your last days will be have been better spent.

Negativity is a killer in itself.

So, yes, in that context, it is certainly a battle. Not necessarily against the disease, but against life itself. Stick two fingers up at death and carry on living.

[Frenchie]

It s not a matter of hhaving a positive outlook, IMO, it s more the term Battle that is just not right, as if the person who dies had not fought hard enough...

I remember my friend Cathy struggling til her last breath.

Still can"t accept her death.

I saw her the evening before she died.

She told me " I know, you re here because I'm going to die. I don't want to die, I got two children."

I gave her a long big hug.

Hard, hard, moments.