Cancerous Cancer

[Old Moparz]

The timing was "perfect" as far as when to get bad news, like a couple of days before Christmas. I had been after my Mom to find out what was wrong with her voice, but you can't convince some people that they should go to the doctor. For over a year she's had a bad cough that she ignored, shortness of breath she attributed to just being out of shape & not young anymore. (BTW, she'll be 70 in May.)

It took not being able to speak for several weeks, & then the loss of her telephone dispatching job to finally go see the doctor. It wasn't laryngitis like she thought, it was lung cancer that moved into the esophagus, & did some damage to the vocal chords. (Or at least the surrounding area.) The doctor has been treating her with chemo & radiation & she's been staying with me since Christmas.

Today she had an MRI & the doctor said she has cancer in the brain as well as both lungs. So, the doc decided to skip the next chemo treatment for the lungs & start treatment for the brain. She smoked cigarettes, & several packs a day, for most of her life which would likely be the cause. If there is anything positive that comes out of this, which seems minimal, it would be a deterrent to my 11 year old daughter to not smoke cigarettes like her Grandma did for 50+ years.

It would be cool to know that anyone with half a brain on this forum would realize that even if their Uncle Joe who smoked 4 packs of filterless Camels a day & who lived to be 110, that your chances of matching his age & living with a decent quality of life is pretty fucking slim. I never smoked, but I will admit that I tried a cigarette out of curiosity & thought eating dog shit would be an improvement.

So go ahead & enjoy your cigarettes while you can still breathe.

By the way, is there anyone on the forum who wants to buy my Mom's leftover cigarettes while I clean up her hair on my sofa that fell out from the chemo? I'll take paypal & discount them to only $12 per pack. Order before midnight & I'll even include coupons for a free refill on your damn oxygen tank.

[DC_1]

I'm really sorry to hear that. My best friends mom smoked 2 packs a day for as long as I can remember. She died at age 49 of lung cancer a month before his son ( her only grandchild) was born. I'm glad I never took up the habit......I wish her all the best and hope she keeps it at bay as long as possible.


Btw, that gif in your signature really freaks me out. Very disturbing!

[Dans 68]

My thoughts and prayers are with your Mom and you.


Dan

[Silver R/T]

Sorry for your mother. I know my grandma wasn't a smoker and had breast cancer which spread into lungs, she passed away later on.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Bob really sorry to hear this.  I hope all goes well with your Mom.

[skip68]

Sorry for the bad news. 

[vancamp]

sorry to hear the bad news, cancer is a terrible disease that they really need to do more research work with

[The70RT]

Sorry to hear that   That's what killed both my parents. My mom at 70 and my dad made it to 87.

[General_01]

I am sorry to hear this. I too went through the same thing with my mom back in '03. She did not feel "100%" for a full year before she decided to go see the doctor. By then it was too late for her. She died in October of that year at age 62. Smoked since she was a teenager. I hope the chemo helps your mother beat this.

[nvrbdn]

thoughts and prayers are with you

[472 R/T SE]

Well that sucks Bob.  Sorry to hear that.  Kudos for taking her in.

My Father seems to think the people who quit smoking do more harm to themselves than the ones who never quit.  At least that's his philosophy for not quitting.  

I can remember being young & my aunt, uncle would come over to play cards.  Between the 3 of them the house was practically uninhabitable.  My poor Mom sat there inhaling the whole time.

When I first broke into crane rental my operator would have a mouthful of Copenhagen & sucked on Marlboro Reds all day.  

[resq302]

wow Bob, thats really sad to hear.  If you need anything, either give me a call or send me a PM and we will be glad to do whatever we can.

Brian and family

[TruckDriver]

Sorry to hear that Bob. I dont usually pray, but I consider you a friend as long as I've known you on here, and I'll pray for her and the rest of your family   My Best wishes!

I used to smoke, but havent touched anything that way for about 10/11 years now. And even then, I never was a heavy smoker, more socially. And usually cigars.

[Marck]

Sorry to hear that...

I know how you feel, I lost my mother to lungcancer 10 years ago... She smoked heavily as long as i can remember.. I was 22 when it happened.. She was hospitalised with, what they thought was, severe pneumonia, but turned put to be lungcancer.. She only lived for three months, and was put in coma for the first month or so.. When she came around she was heavily medicated, and couldn't even recognize me or my brother.. She never made it out of the hospital..

My advice to you is this:

If you have any bitterness or anything along those lines, put it away and deal with it later.. You don't know how long you have left with her, so make sure to make the most of it..

Best wishes..

Marck

[tan top]

 oh no , really sorry to hear this !!  hope everything goes ok  !!

[1969chargerrtse]

Very sorry to hear that.  I lost my Dad to lung cancer at 66 and he never smoked.

[RECHRGD]

Sorry Bob....I lost my Mom under the exact same circumstances several years ago.  She made it to 79, but her older sisters that never smoked are still around and well into their 90's.

[Charger_Fan]

Damn, I'm sorry to hear this, Bob. As Mike said, kudos for taking her in. Many people aren't as lucky to have children who care enough for them, to watch what's happening & deal with what you're going through. You & your wife are good & decent people.
I truly wish the best for you & your Mom, hang in there brother.

[Todd Wilson]

Went through this with my aunt back in the 90's. She smoked like an old Chevy 6.2 diesel. Had dizzy spells..........went to the Dr in october and was stone cold dead in March. Brain cancer and cancer everywhere else. Went thru chemo and radiation. Sicker then a dog the whole time. Horrible last few months. Still smoked the whole time.......... She got really sick and my dad got her in the car to go to the hospital. Asked her if she wanted a smoke as it may be a while before she could have one being in the hospital. Fired up the smoke and gave it to her.  She took a few puffs and put it out in the ash tray. Said that they just didnt taste very good anymore.  Later that day we all stood around her bed in the hospital and watched her die. I left work and rushed out to the hospital. Got there and she was not awake.  My step mom talked to her and said I was there and she opened her eyes for a second and a few minutes later she was gone. You an'nt seen nothing til you watch someone take their last breath and die.



Todd

[twodko]

Bob please accept our thoughts, prayers and good wishes for you and your Mom. Many of us have had the same awful experience including my own Mom. She didn't see 66. Understandably there is a lot of pain, anger and helplessness in your post. Marck offers some sage advice......love her while you can my friend. Celebrate all that she is because she's a special, loving and magical gift to you and all who know her. Its not everyone who gets to be born and raised by an angel. Be strong Bro.

Tom & Diane Owens

[orange383]

It seems that you are upset and angry in your post which I can understand. I lost my Dad to cancer last year aged 59.
I think you have done a very good job of getting an important message out to all smokers that it just isn't worth smoking. Good on you for that.

I have a friend that I desperately want to give up smoking and she promised me she would by august 2009. She's still smoking!!! I don't think she'll ever give up. It pains me to see her smoke knowing what may happen one day. Maybe my wish may come true one day.

Real sorry that this has happened to your mum!

[mikepmcs]

I'm sorry, Bob.

[Old Moparz]

I Didn't envision myself ever posting a thread like this, but I just felt like doing it after my Mother fell asleep last night. I appreciate all the comments & support, so thanks.

[charge69]

So sorry to hear about your Mother and the big "C" now. My wife's mother dies of lung cancer and the ravages of that terrible disease a few years ago at 73. It had spread to many other parts of her body also before it was properly diagnosed but she died in the hospital relatively comfortable within a few months of the discovery of her cancer.

They are making progress everyday on this and I really hope and pray your loved one will beat this terrible thing that has invaded her life.

I and many others know how hard it is once you start smoking (I quit again as it is just too expensive, not for the right reasons) and I hope beating that disease is given the proper priority in all our lives. Sad to say most will not quit even if you take them to the cancer ward of the hospital every day! It is sad but, they just cannot believe it will be them!

[resq302]

Bob, its best to let your feelings out through posting it here vs. keeping it all bottled up as it will eat you away from the inside out.  Consider us like an extended family.  If you need to vent, feel free to do so on here brother!