Prayers and positive thoughts needed. Got some bad news this week.

[JL2Party]

Prayers for you and your family.

 

[Joker]

Can WE as a group do something for John and his family. I cannot imagine my wife and her needs if I were in his situation.
If anyone has any ideas, please put them up here.

 

[Outdrive1]

Can WE as a group do something for John and his family. I cannot imagine my wife and her needs if I were in his situation.
If anyone has any ideas, please put them up here.

Seriously.

You need stuff done around the house? Let me know. I can mow, pull weeds, fix shit, etc. Feel free to reach out John. I could use some good Karma and it would feel good to lend a hand.

 

[OutCole'd]

I'm kinda far away, but would be more than happy to chip in for a maid service, gardner, or something like that.

 

[Ultracrazy]

Dude, prayers from my family to yours. Good luck to you.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[941Punk]

my bro..

love ya Johnny Boy!

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

prayers said

 

[napanutt]

Not the most spiritualistic person here, everyone feels stuff differently, but can't help thinking about you and your family because of what you're going through.
Stay strong.

 

[nowski]

John, you inspired me...

Here is some info on Cruisin' For A Cure?
Presented by Debbie Baker, Ross Kroenert and over 125 volunteers!
The world's largest one day charity car show
14th Annual Show - Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
OC Fair & Events Center, Costa Mesa CA

Supporting CITY of HOPE Prostate Cancer Program

Gates open 4:30AM for participant cars
7AM for spectators
Spectators: $15; $13with AAA card;
Kids under 12 are free
Contact Us http://www.cruisinforacure.com/

CFAC is first and foremost about saving lives! The show is to get men to get their PSA test.

Since 2001, the free PSA tests provided by CFAC have referred over 3,000 men to their doctors for further testing!

In most cases, they were unaware that there was a problem. This test directly saved them by telling them to seek further medical testing and help.

Please take advantage of the test at the mobile testing lab located at the center of the show.

It doesn't hurt and only takes a few minutes to give a blood sample. Results are private and mailed directly to you from the testing lab.



RESULTS of 2012 SCREENING:
1016 Men screened
128 elevated PSA's-see your doctor
292 DRE's-24 were suspicious

This is a Great Event that is mainly put on to Save Lives... John, "Our Prayers Are with You And Your Family". Jim

 

[havasu5150]

Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery, and strength to your family.

 

[gqchris]

Praying nightly John, you can beat this !

 

[Lumpy]

You have a long road ahead of you but you will make it! Stay positive! Relax.....and stay as cool as you can. You are still young and I know you can overcome this. Never met you but we are All with you. Be strong and keep fighting no matter what....you WILL make it.


Sent from outer space.

 

[DrHW]

Have a long-standing family friend that had similar circumstances... it was 15 years ago and she is doing very well. Keep the good fight!

 

[Cajun]

I sincerely pray for you, your family, and those in and around your life, and the folks here on the boards who pray for and encourage your victory.

 

[Outnumbered]

Hey everyone. I'm home now and resting. Words cannot express how much I'm touched by all of the kind words you all have posted. I will be updating the thread when I'm feeling a little better and ill give more detail at that time. Thanks again so much. You guys rock.

 

[Joker]

Hey everyone. I'm home now and resting. Words cannot express how much I'm touched by all of the kind words you all have posted. I will be updating the thread when I'm feeling a little better and ill give more detail at that time. Thanks again so much. You guys rock.

:thumbsup, John, our thoughts are with you.

 

[C-2]

Welcome home John. Both places Get some rest.

 

[Magic34]

Glad to hear you are home. Prayers your way.

 

[shintoooo]

Praying for you John

 

[VoodooMedMan]

Prayers for you brother. Things sure do work in strange ways. I don't know if it helps at all to hear this but going through and reading some of the comments in this thread helps put things into perspective and remind me of some things about my faith with what I'm going through right now with my daughter. Wish you weren't going through this but since you are I'm glad you've shared it with us.

 

[Warlock1]

John we have never met, but if you need any help around the house or something like that I'm just a phone call away. I live in Waddell now but used to live in Peoria so it won't be an issue to stop over.

Tracy
623-256-5776

 

[Joker]

John we have never met, but if you need any help around the house or something like that I'm just a phone call away. I live in Waddell now but used to live in Peoria so it won't be an issue to stop over.

Tracy
623-256-5776

Excellent! :thumbup:

 

[Outnumbered]

Well, today will be one week since I woke up from my TME surgery. When I awoke and realized that only 2 hours had gone by. I was confused. It was supposed to be a 4 hour surgery. I reached down and felt that there were bandages on my abdomen but no ostomy port/bag. Even more confusing. A few minutes later my wife walked in and she looked worried. She said the surgeon needs to talk to us but we would have to wait 30 minutes or so. I knew something was very wrong. I asked her to tell me now because I could not wait. She was hesitant but after I repeatedly asked her, she told me the worst news of my life--the surgeon found that my rectal cancer has spread to my peritoneum.

The peritoneum is the interior lining of the abdominal cavity. This is the chamber that the stomach, intestines, liver, and other organs reside in. Peritoneal cancer is very rare and can be primary or secondary. In my case, it is the secondary variety as the cancer was confirmed to match the original rectal tumor site pathology. After the surgeon came in she explained that they had found about 15-20 breadcrumb size clusters of cancer cells on my peritoneum. They are much too small to show on any scans, PET, CT, MRI, etc. In fact, had the surgery not been laparoscopically performed, they would likely have gone unnoticed. The magnification of the laparoscope camera was able to view these much easier than the naked eye. My surgeon is one of the few in the world that is qualified to do a TME surgery laparoscopically so I am grateful for her finding this. But the discovery leaves me facing a stage 4 cancer battle now. Stage 4 is hard to beat. I am not sure what lies ahead but i know it will be rough. I meet with the oncologist this week to discuss my options.

In the mean time, I'm healing well from the surgery. Basically what happened was the surgeon found the cancer, halted the operation and consulted the oncology docs while I was on the table. They mutually agreed that I need to have more chemo before doing the TME procedure. Had the TME been completed they would not be able to treat the spreading cancer for several weeks due to the healing process. While she was in there she scoped all the visible organs and found that there has been no vital organ spreading so that is some good news. However, it is very close to these organs which is scary.

The last 5 months have been a roller coaster of lows and highs. I shook off the initial fear and depression pretty quick when the prognosis looked good and the cancer was initially staged at a 2-3. Now, at a confirmed stage 4, it is a nightmare I wake up from every morning and wish it were just a bad dream. I have to admit that for the first time since I started battling this I am really starting to contemplate my own death, what will become of my family if I'm gone, and what they will have to go though. It is a rough spot to be in. I'm replaying my life choices and wishing I could turn back time and do a lot of things differently, including living healthier and buying better life insurance.

Anyway, I know this is a very depressing post and I don't want to weigh the board down in such depressing thoughts. After all, RDP is a place to come to escape and have fun. I just wanted to update everyone on my situation and sincerely thank all of you for your support, prayers, and offers to help out.

John

 

[Blubyu]

Kick it's asss man! If there is anything that I/we can do please let us know.

Prayers to you and the family!

 

[rivrrts429]

Your strength is admired and your posts about your situation may very well save the lives of other members by bringing awareness.

I have to admit that ordinarily it's a bit taboo to discuss. Further I wouldn't insist on a colonoscopy for my father had I not read about your ordeal.

My Dad is old fashioned and not what you would call somebody who regularly goes to the doctor.

After your original post I insisted to him to schedule one. He did and everything turned out well when he had it performed.

Although not everyone posts routinely in this thread we are watching the updates closely and keeping you in our family's prayers each night.

Keep your spirits up and kick this cancers ass. Let us know how we can help when needed.

 

[Stainless]

So sad to read this John(even though we've not met).
I know it's about the most difficult thing someone can be faced with, but keep up the good fight. I don't understand all the terminology, but it sounds like you are in very good care with your Dr.
Don't worry about depressing people here, you know you have everyone's ear to make you feel better if they can. I'm a couple hrs south, if I can help in some way PM me!

 

[ROZ]

John,

I have a friend who had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread , and she has been in remission for 2 years.

Hang in there, bud! You can get through this. It sounds like youre in good hands.Thoughts and prayers are yours!



sheeeit

 

[Buoy]

I'm not sure what to say, but want to say something.

I've been in an ER and they questioned whether or not I'd survive. I'm still here, but life is much different. Disabled, but still here.
I could say "I know what you're going through", but that wouldn't be true. We're all dealt our own battles, and one can't be compared to another.
My prayers are with you and your family.
Stay strong!

I don't have anything to offer you aside from conversation and well wishes. If you want to talk my PM is open.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Thank you for updating us... I'm sorry to read of your setback. We are all pulling for you and you are in my prayers every day! Stay strong :thumbup:

 

[westair]

Hang in there and keep up the fight, it can be beaten ..... with your attitude and todays technology I have no doubt you'll recover from this!

 

[Magic34]

Tough to read. Prayers your way John.

All I can think to say is fight, fight, fight.

 

[Paul65k]

John,

You have to keep fighting for all the things you mentioned in your last post!!!

I'll be keeping you and your family in my prayers!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Flyinbowtie]

We will continue to pray.
This ain't even close to over yet, John. Now you just know the scope of the battle you need to fight, and it sounds like it is certainly "fightable". Hang in there, you have a lot of people lifting you up every night...

 

[JBS]

John stay tough. You will beat this.

I noticed you said the surgeon was a she. I wonder if it is Adrienne Forstner? If so you are in great hands. I was actually going to recommend her to you but since your operation was scheduled I did not.

My father has beaten Cancer twice. He is in remission now with a very rare form of Lympothia. Continue to be proactive. Don't be shy about asking for options, studies and investigate Centers of excellence.

If there is anything I can do for you please do not hesitate to ask.

Take care of yourself. Prayers sent.

 

[cole_skier]

John,
You were the first person that posted a welcome message when I first came here. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
Tim

 

[lard ass]

John stay tough. You will beat this.

I noticed you said the surgeon was a she. I wonder if it is Adrienne Forstner? If so you are in great hands. I was actually going to recommend her to you but since your operation was scheduled I did not.

My father has beaten Cancer twice. He is in remission now with a very rare form of Lympothia. Continue to be proactive. Don't be shy about asking for options, studies and investigate Centers of excellence.

If there is anything I can do for you please do not hesitate to ask.

Take care of yourself. Prayers sent.

Waldenstom's?

 

[kiethco]

Anyway, I know this is a very depressing post and I don't want to weigh the board down in such depressing thoughts. After all, RDP is a place to come to escape and have fun. I just wanted to update everyone on my situation and sincerely thank all of you for your support, prayers, and offers to help out.

John

You're exactly right, and escape I did, every chance I got. These assholes kept posting pictures of beautiful days on the water, funny life events and some not so funny. There's always something here and I think you can tell you've got the whole Community behind you. I'm leaving for Laughlin, hopefully, this Thursday. I think I'll start a John thread (not the police kind where you'se seen most of these people listed before) and post pics for you throughout the trip. I know it was good therapy for me. See ya soon!

 

[RiverDave]

Well, today will be one week since I woke up from my TME surgery. When I awoke and realized that only 2 hours had gone by. I was confused. It was supposed to be a 4 hour surgery. I reached down and felt that there were bandages on my abdomen but no ostomy port/bag. Even more confusing. A few minutes later my wife walked in and she looked worried. She said the surgeon needs to talk to us but we would have to wait 30 minutes or so. I knew something was very wrong. I asked her to tell me now because I could not wait. She was hesitant but after I repeatedly asked her, she told me the worst news of my life--the surgeon found that my rectal cancer has spread to my peritoneum.

The peritoneum is the interior lining of the abdominal cavity. This is the chamber that the stomach, intestines, liver, and other organs reside in. Peritoneal cancer is very rare and can be primary or secondary. In my case, it is the secondary variety as the cancer was confirmed to match the original rectal tumor site pathology. After the surgeon came in she explained that they had found about 15-20 breadcrumb size clusters of cancer cells on my peritoneum. They are much too small to show on any scans, PET, CT, MRI, etc. In fact, had the surgery not been laparoscopically performed, they would likely have gone unnoticed. The magnification of the laparoscope camera was able to view these much easier than the naked eye. My surgeon is one of the few in the world that is qualified to do a TME surgery laparoscopically so I am grateful for her finding this. But the discovery leaves me facing a stage 4 cancer battle now. Stage 4 is hard to beat. I am not sure what lies ahead but i know it will be rough. I meet with the oncologist this week to discuss my options.

In the mean time, I'm healing well from the surgery. Basically what happened was the surgeon found the cancer, halted the operation and consulted the oncology docs while I was on the table. They mutually agreed that I need to have more chemo before doing the TME procedure. Had the TME been completed they would not be able to treat the spreading cancer for several weeks due to the healing process. While she was in there she scoped all the visible organs and found that there has been no vital organ spreading so that is some good news. However, it is very close to these organs which is scary.

The last 5 months have been a roller coaster of lows and highs. I shook off the initial fear and depression pretty quick when the prognosis looked good and the cancer was initially staged at a 2-3. Now, at a confirmed stage 4, it is a nightmare I wake up from every morning and wish it were just a bad dream. I have to admit that for the first time since I started battling this I am really starting to contemplate my own death, what will become of my family if I'm gone, and what they will have to go though. It is a rough spot to be in. I'm replaying my life choices and wishing I could turn back time and do a lot of things differently, including living healthier and buying better life insurance.

Anyway, I know this is a very depressing post and I don't want to weigh the board down in such depressing thoughts. After all, RDP is a place to come to escape and have fun. I just wanted to update everyone on my situation and sincerely thank all of you for your support, prayers, and offers to help out.

John

John, my neighbor came back from that place in Mexico.. He looks infinitely better and as I understand it went from a not long to live situation to checking in with them every two months for the next five years. They shrank the mass in his lung and he can breathe again. He came back with stories of people from all over the world being there with all sorts of different cancers. If you would like the info I can get it for you, or let you talk to Dave my neighbor so he can fill you in on it. Give me a call if you are interested. 949-678-8369

I am at a complete loss for words as far as that post goes.. Don't give up hope, there is a solution to every problem in life.

 

[JBS]

Waldenstom's?

Adrienne Forstner-Barthell

 

[JBS]

Waldenstom's?

Adrienne Forstner-Barthell

 

[867-5309]

Adrienne Forstner-Barthell

It's a form of cancer, not a last name.

http://m.cancer.org/cancer/waldenstrommacroglobulinemia/

To Outnumbered you will be in my prayers.

 

[Outnumbered]

Started my IV chemo yesterday. This shit is nasty compared to the pill form I took with my radiation in May/June. It was a 7 hour day in the hospital yesterday and 46 hours on the take-home pump (wearing a fanny pack deal until tomorrow). I was in the hospital 8 hours Tuesday having a port installed in my chest/jugular vein--weird shit. Anyway, I feel a little better today than last night and I'm hoping the feeling shitty part does not get much worse. I have 8 treatments 2-weeks apart, 1 down, 7 to go. After that it is more scans and maybe another lap surgery to check it out before making the next move.

After meeting the onc doc last week with the wife I have been in a bit of shock. The wife cried for 2 days. The docs tell me if I don't treat I have a year to live. With treatments (chemo for life) I have 20% chance to make it 5 years. My first thoughts are no way I want to live my last 5 years on chemo feeling like shit and suffering. I was super depressed for a week. Now I'm getting back into fighter mode and digging deep into my soul and calling on God. I have decided to fight and explore some alternative treatments after the 4 months of chemo is done. I am going to prove the docs wrong. I have no choice. Thanks for all of your support, especially the stories about beating the odds. Dave, I will be calling you about the Mexico place. I am pretty sure I know the place but would love to get more details.

Thanks again everyone.:thumbsup

 

[Flyinbowtie]

John...

I support every move you are making as the right one for you, and that is all that matters.
I wish I had magic words to give you strength and to heal you, but I don't. You are in for the fight of your life and I can feel in your post you are putting on the Armor of God to do battle.
By your words it is clear that you know where to put your faith and I will put mine there too. We will continue to pray for you every night, and I know others here will be doing the same.

Jeff

 

[shippingguy]

Started my IV chemo yesterday. This shit is nasty compared to the pill form I took with my radiation in June/July. It was a 7 hour day in the hospital yesterday and 46 hours on the take-home pump (wearing a fanny pack deal until tomorrow). I was in the hospital 8 hours Tuesday having a port installed in my chest/jugular vein--weird shit. Anyway, I feel a little better today than last night and I'm hoping the feeling shitty part does not get much worse. I have 8 treatments 2-weeks apart, 1 down, 7 to go. After that it is more scans and maybe another lap surgery to check it out before making the next move.

After meeting the onc doc last week with the wife I have been in a bit of shock. The wife cried for 2 days. The docs tell me if I don't treat I have a year to live. With treatments (chemo for life) I have 20% chance to make it 5 years. My first thoughts are no way I want to live my last 5 years on chemo feeling like shit and suffering. I was super depressed for a week. Now I'm getting back into fighter mode and digging deep into my soul and calling on God. I have decided to fight and explore some alternative treatments after the 4 months of chemo is done. I am going to prove the docs wrong. I have no choice. Thanks for all of your support, especially the stories about beating the odds. Dave, I will be calling you about the Mexico place. I am pretty sure I know the place but would love to get more details.

Thanks again everyone.:thumbsup

I am very sorry you are going through this! Stay strong keep your head up and put your chest out and FIGHT! Keep being positive not only for yourself, but your wife! I know it may be tough at times, but you can do it. Definitely look into the Mexico facility! I have a couple friends who have known people to go there and get treatment that had months to live and 5,10,15 + years later they are still here living a great life. I will say a prayer for you every night!:thumbsup

 

[Buoy]

Absolutely speechless...

My continued prayers for you and your family.

 

[VoodooMedMan]

One thing that has helped a ton while we've been dealing with my daughters sickness is a ton of folks have been providing us meals. I haven't had to cook in three weeks and it has blessed us tremendously while we get our schedules worked out.

Point is we are not all local but I propose somebody close by coordinate a Paypal account or coordinate a calendar or something that we can sign up and call a nearby restaurant and order them dinner etc.

Just thinking. I'm glad to kick in a meal I just don't have the time to coordinate right now with what I've got going on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[HotRod82]

Hang in there bro....add this to your list of beating the odds. My good friend Bill went through the cancer ringer 15 years ago, it was in his Lymph system and it was the apparently the most aggressive strain you can have. They operated, chemo and radiation, I watched him dwindle down to about 90 pounds. The docs told him they did their best but you have a few months to live. This nightmare was 15 years ago and Bill is as healthy as a horse and doing great. He did some alternative medicine in Mexico and it worked. I can tell you matter of fact you have a fighting chance.

 

[C-2]

You're sounding good John, dig in and plan the offensive. :thumbup:

 

[Racey]

My thoughts are with you man, Hunker down and beat this thing's ass. :thumbup:

 

[rrrr]

I'm just another guy on a forum but believe me when I say you are in my thoughts and prayers.


Strength to you and your family...do your best.