What is a cancer?

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cms9978
cms9978 Member Posts: 12
edited March 2014 in Emotional Support #1
Can anyone tell the true defintion of what cancer is? The disease I have been daig. with it is confusing.(myeloproliferative disease/myelofibrosis) Saying that it is not a cancer but could turn into a cancer. Others say that it is a cancer. I just don't know if I am in the right place for support.

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  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #2
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    what is cancer
    Here is a dictionary description: a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis b: an abnormal bodily state marked by such tumors.

    That does not begin to cover all of the physical, emotional and pyschological turmoil that the definition rather coldly but simply describes, but which are apt to engulf both the survivor and his/her family and friends.

    You do not have cancer. You have a disease with many of the same effects of cancer, from what I was able to gather, but you do not have cancer.

    I am not the arbiter herein of who is 'allowed' and who is not. Personally, I welcome you with open arms, although I am not sure that we can provide support beyond the emotional, the pyschological. We are, most of us, very good at that, by the way, from my experience.

    My best advice, however, would be to seek out others with the same disease. Use the internet to find support groups, use your doctors and nurses to find support groups. If you find none that suit you, if you find none that you consider helpful to your situation, I, for one, would welcome you here, although I will agree with others before they even say so that it is apt to open a can of worms.

    Best wishes.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #3
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    soccerfreaks said:

    what is cancer
    Here is a dictionary description: a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis b: an abnormal bodily state marked by such tumors.

    That does not begin to cover all of the physical, emotional and pyschological turmoil that the definition rather coldly but simply describes, but which are apt to engulf both the survivor and his/her family and friends.

    You do not have cancer. You have a disease with many of the same effects of cancer, from what I was able to gather, but you do not have cancer.

    I am not the arbiter herein of who is 'allowed' and who is not. Personally, I welcome you with open arms, although I am not sure that we can provide support beyond the emotional, the pyschological. We are, most of us, very good at that, by the way, from my experience.

    My best advice, however, would be to seek out others with the same disease. Use the internet to find support groups, use your doctors and nurses to find support groups. If you find none that suit you, if you find none that you consider helpful to your situation, I, for one, would welcome you here, although I will agree with others before they even say so that it is apt to open a can of worms.

    Best wishes.

    Take care,

    Joe

    My mother had....
    Myelofibrosis.
    That does not mean that I can go into any learned description of the disease, but I can tell you that it is a pre-cancerous situation in the connective tissues of the bone marrow (according to my mom's oncologist). Whether or not it turns into full-blown cancer is rather a moot point, as it restricts the natural production of healthy blood cells even in its pre-cancerous state, and is therefore to be treated with aggression.
    My mother's onco opted to put her on thalidamide (remember the thalidamide babies of the 40's?...or perhaps you are too young), rather than chemotherapy. He also gave her periodic procrit shots and later on, blood transfusions. Cumadin also thinned her blood and improved circulation.
    My mother was in her late 70's at the time and had a host of other medical problems (including Diabetes) but the progression of the Myelofibrosis was slowed markedly and she lived into her 80's, finally dieing of diabetic complications.
    So, my point being, there IS no point in splitting hairs. Learn all you can (make sure the info is factual), get the best medical team possible, and go after this disease like most of us here do...with every intention of beating the beast and living as long and wisely as possible.
  • bluerose
    bluerose Member Posts: 1,104
    #4
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    Hey CMS
    From what I gather from what I have seen written on your subject, it is a complicated system of diagnosises and that it can turn into cancer but not necessarily. The best advice I can give you though is to sit down with your doctor and get him/her to answer your questions til you have your answer. Always make a list of questions before going in to see him/her so that you don't forget any and the first question should be 'do I actually have a cancer with this or not'? If their explanation is confusing then have them explain it in a clearer way.

    Take someone else with you too or if that isn't possible take a tape recorder so you get what the doctor is saying, we often miss things when we have been given a diagnosis - that's common.

    Good luck with it all and I hope things go in a postive direction for you. Blessings, Bluerose.

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