Cancer Diary: And this is how it happens when Stage Four is the first diagnosis

 



A recent article brought back a raw memory: Dad died 44 days after his cancer diagnosis. He never received the chemo he was promised (msn.com). That was pretty much what Carl experienced. He fell February 23, was diagnosed with late stage 4 cancer in five organs, and was set up for testing to determine the primary (never was found, and the diagnosis became cancer of unknown primary). He had to wait to begin chemo until he could receive the second covid shot (remember back then?). Once all the tests and shots were over, it was the end of June. He received three rounds of chemotherapy before falling again on July 23, at which time, tests showed that chemotherapy was not working. From that point, it was only 23 days until he died. It felt like chasing after water as it was flowing over a waterfall. No way to keep up.

Would those original 4-5 months have made a difference had he started receiving chemotherapy earlier? It is impossible to know. Could those early tests have been pushed along faster? That is the implicit complaint: the slow speed to get medical care started. This was back during covid, however, and, right or wrong -- and quite frustratingly -- everything non-covid took a back seat. Perhaps a March start to chemo would have helped, but the average duration of living with cancer of unknown primary is very short. 

Having the diagnosis earlier would have mattered more. Had we noticed the signs earlier, that could have made a difference. Had Carl been more proactive when his doctor went off to another state to help with covid and put someone who did not know him in charge, that might have made a difference. Hindsight is great, but it always says: BE PROACTIVE. 

For other Cancer Diary posts, click HERE.

Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page, Carl's Cancer Compendium, as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The CCC is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informative, cancer-related story -- and be open to guest posts: Cancer Diary. 


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