Self-Introduction

jqw3827
jqw3827 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Childhood Cancers #1
In December 2006 I will celebrate the 35th anniversary of my first surgery. I was diagnosed with primary chondrosarcoma of the upper femur when I was 17 and was treated with cryosurgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

Neither chemo nor radiation would have helped in my case - and I say that now thankfully - as the long-term effects of those treatments are just beginning to be understood.

My long-term effects fall more into the range of the ironic and unexpected - for example - that I've lived long enough now to have developed degenerative arthritis in the hip that was so banged upon all those years ago. It doesn't come as a total surprise - my orthopedic oncologist and I discussed it long long ago - and yet it's still a novelty to me.

I would be happy to communicate with any young person going through adolescent cancer right now. Because cancer is many diseases, its psychosocial effects vary widely, too - depending on factors such as your age, gender, etc. And each person deals with it in their own unique way depending, in great part, on your own personality and temperament.

Personally, when I speak of cancer I use the present perfect tense: I HAVE HAD cancer.

The present perfect tense refers to actions in the past which have results in the present - but it leaves the future wide open.

That's the thought I'd like to leave with any adolescent cancer patient: the future is wide open.

For those who seek guarantees in life - that may not be so comforting. But for those who are not averse to a little risk taking - let me assure you the rewards can be great!

Comments

  • bena2007
    bena2007 Member Posts: 1
    #2
    I am very sorry to hearabout your pain. I too am in pain.I have just recently in past year gone through surgery on my spine, chemo and radiation for lymphoma on my spine. I am 33 now but also when I was 18 I was operated on for pancreatic cancer and had a whipple surgery there. I was put in the adult section because I had just turned 18. I have been through a lot anda t time I did n;t kno wheather I would survive or die from the pain. Well I am still here. Each day is a struggle but I feel its worth it most of the time. iahve my good and bad. I havea lot arthritic problems also. Do you have a good pain management doctor? where do live? I hope things for both of us are much better for the new year. Sincerely,Brenda
    here is my email if you want to contact me Brendapa313@yahoo.com

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