15 votes

I lost my boyfriend to cancer conspiracy theories

3 comments

  1. [3]
    DanBC
    Link
    Two of the things I'm finding difficult to come to terms with after my cancer diagnosis are the number of people who feel it's okay to give their stupid advice about turmeric or whatever. The...

    Two of the things I'm finding difficult to come to terms with after my cancer diagnosis are the number of people who feel it's okay to give their stupid advice about turmeric or whatever.

    The other thing I'm finding hard to cope with is the number of people who do not have cancer, but who are convinced that they have the type of cancer I have, who ask me about their symptoms and want me to reassure them that they do not have cancer.

    16 votes
    1. [2]
      vord
      Link Parent
      I'm sorry, that sounds awful, especially the (for lack of better term) hypocondriacs seeking validation. I wish you the best in whatever path works for you. In my periphery, most older people who...

      I'm sorry, that sounds awful, especially the (for lack of better term) hypocondriacs seeking validation. I wish you the best in whatever path works for you.

      In my periphery, most older people who contracted terminal cancer preferred (or would have preferred) to eschew treatment in favor of trying to have the best QoL possible for their final days.

      The saddest was a biker whom underwent chemo at his parents' request (no parent wants to outlive their kids), winding up bedridden and nauseous for the last 6 months of their life instead of doing a farewell tour doing what they loved.

      The youngest contracted cancer at 18 mo, got into an experimental drug trial in the 90's, and was the only one of 100+ peers to survive into their teens, and is doing pretty well now as an adult.

      At the end of the day, treatment is a personal choice, and depending how severe the progression even the latest and greatest medicine isn't a silver bullet. So it's sad to see defacto placebos re-enfocing conspiratorial thought and snake oil salesmen exploiting it.

      5 votes
      1. DanBC
        Link Parent
        So, I'm very lucky in that my cancer is very treatable and survivable. I'm having chemo, but it's a light course of after-surgery chemo to mop up any remaining cells, it's not chemo to treat any...

        In my periphery, most older people who contracted terminal cancer preferred (or would have preferred) to eschew treatment in favor of trying to have the best QoL possible for their final days.

        So, I'm very lucky in that my cancer is very treatable and survivable. I'm having chemo, but it's a light course of after-surgery chemo to mop up any remaining cells, it's not chemo to treat any tumours. I'm having four rounds of something called XELOX, or CAPOX. And it sucks. The side-effects are brutal. Hopefully no long-term effects, but we'll see.

        I fully understand people wanting to prioritise quality of life! It's a difficult decision to make because cancer survivability is math, and it's stats which is a tricky branch of math. It's tricky to get my head around.

        7 votes