zordak
Reader
4/22/20 9:19 a.m.
Amid this pandemic I have just found out my 18yr old granddaughter has stage 3 colon cancer. They operated a couple days ago and removed it, but it has spread to some near by lymph nodes. She will have to do chemo, but they feel she should recover from this. This is driving my wife nuts not being able to go see her. It does not help that my wife has several risk factors, so that getting covid19 a very real risk. To say she was already stressed out would be an understatement. I am trying to hang in there. I am still at work, as the place I work for produces parts for medical furniture companies, but other work we have is slowing down and we have had some reduction in the work force. Just trying to hang in there and be there for the wife. Thanks for letting me vent.
Crossing fingers for your granddaughter and your whole family. Keep ranting as you need to.
That's part of the reason we are here Zordak.
Rant, vent, just getting it out is important.
Prayers, smoke, etc coming your way
Video calls and Facetime. We've done this with international family, old school friends, and all of the work video calls. It is oddly reassuring these days to interact with visuals attached.
I'll second the video calls. We have been doing family Zoom calls once a week. I have also heard of a video app that is set up to play board games if the family is into that.
Thoughts and prayers for your granddaughter and family.
Cancer sucks. Good luck to you all.... Hang in there.
You and your wife have my sympathy, the video chats are nice but not being able to visit sick family is hard.
Thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
+3 on the video calls.
i'm happy to lend an ear if you want to vocally vent to a total stranger, 734-six34-six5sixsix.
Sending all the good vibes in your direction. Not being able to see friends and family is hard enough, a diagnosis like that.....ugh.
I wish had some profound words of wisdom. We will all be thinking about you and your family.
Wish the best for your granddaughter and your family. It is amazing how a video chat really helps.
In reply to zordak :
The world has come a long way in the battle with cancer. At one point it was absolutely fatal merely a question of time.
Today with modern bio matching techniques the actual cure rate is much better and at a minimum the survival time goes up massively
A year ago my brother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had spread throughout his body including into his liver and lungs. Since you cannot live without your liver I felt he was going the way so many in my life were once cancer got past stage 3
Just before Easter he was declared completely cancer free and even the needed surgery to remove the cancer clump in his rectum was canceled since a complete body scan showed no cancer any place in him.
My own sister had stage 4 cancer over 40 years ago. She's celebrated her 70'th birthday back in January still free of cancer.
My point is not only modern bio matching chemotherapy but positive attitude will get her through this.
Do not let her despair Don't show your own despair encourage her to feel positive. Attitude is a big part of success.
RossD
MegaDork
4/22/20 11:03 a.m.
I am sorry to hear about your grand daughter.
We are in a similar situation here but on the other side of it. Both my parents are in treatment for cancer, but my mom is looking like she might not make it through the year without covid being here.
We send videos and pictures everyday of our kids just so Grandma can see them. Skype on the weekends.
Fingers crossed for your grand daughter! Cancer sucks.
In addition to zoom/Skype, etc, are you close enough that you could do a drive-by and wave? I was hospitalized for a week recently, and my family piled in the car for a quick wave. It did help somewhat to actually see them, even three floors down.
Wow! That's a whole new level of suckage. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.
Duke
MegaDork
4/22/20 2:34 p.m.
I wish absolutely the best of luck and medical science for your granddaughter, zordak. Please don't hesitate to come here and unload as much as it will help. You've got a great group of folks here and we're all pulling for her, and for you. No matter what you need, somebody here will do their best to give it to you.
Best wishes to you and your family. These are difficult times for us all.
Your granddaughter will beat this. Beat it and win. I believe this with all my heart and all my head.
Praying for your family. Venting is important to release some of the internal pressure.
Major prayers for healing and your piece of mind............
84FSP
SuperDork
4/22/20 7:15 p.m.
Keep the faith sir - this is a winnable war -there are plenty of facetime and amazon delivery options to ensure folks feel cared for. No it isn't what we want to do to show we care but it does work in the given situation.
That's not venting, it's sharing a burden with your friends. Let us know how she--and you and your wife--go.
Margie
Torkel
Reader
4/23/20 9:09 a.m.
Very sorry to hear this. In your post, you sort of present the fear and worry about your granddaughter through your wife - Don't be a man-hero, you have a right to be scared and worried too.
With the risk of sounding silly: Sometimes you have to take what you get. What I mean by that is that even if you guys can't go and see your granddaughter, you can still interact with her. That is what skype, facetime and such are for. Again, it sounds silly, but it helps.
Example: My wives parents took a drive over to us and parked on our street one Saturday, so they could watch my son ride his bike back and forth. Her mother works in a Covid19-department at the hospital, so she is obviously keeping herself absolutely isolated. But just sitting in the car, watching him ride his bike and wave at them was better than nothing.
zordak
Reader
4/23/20 9:10 a.m.
Thank you all for your support. We are talking and video chatting as much as possible. I know that cancer is no longer a death sentence with modern medicine, but there is a long hard struggle ahead, and my granddaughter has not been the most well behaved person since graduating high school. I just hope she can pull it together to get through this.