diagnosed with lymphoma

[Amethyst]

Purron: We´ve just got ourselves a kitten, a girl. If my wife hadn´t already christened Tina, I would have offered Purron as a name in !

Purron, just imagine how your name must sound when Vicente says it in Spanish...purrrroooonn....

Hope we hear from Ratface soon. Cara Raton?

amethyst

 

[calmloki]

Ratface. another of my pedantic quotations:"Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear"
....

Ratface. another of my pedantic quotations:"Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear"
I love this one! How does it go in Spanish?

Amethyst

Well i feel pretty much like a bumpkin - did you all realize Vincente is quoting American proverbs to us?! Zora Neale Hurston.

Ratface, back in 1971 my Dad ended a six year fight with lymphoma. That's thirty-eight years ago - I'm pretty sure that there have been amazing developments in medicine since then. Target, excise, eradicate. Overcome. Live and be well! As Red Green says, "if the women don't find you handsome they can at least find you handy - keep your stick on the ice, we're all pulling for you"!

 

[vicente solano]

Purron, just imagine how your name must sound when Vicente says it in Spanish...purrrroooonn....

Hope we hear from Ratface soon. Cara Raton?

amethyst

Amethyst: Allow me to enlighten you as to how Purron is pronounced in Spanish: it would be something like Poorron. Quite plain, nothing that melodious as your suggestion
And as for our brave Ratface -hope he is doing fine, considering- my translation would be Cara de rata. So close, but no cigar

 

[ratface]

"Face of a rat" It all started when my daughter was young and I would be home with her as I used to do shift work back then. I would be doing yard work or something and would come into the house and needed something that she would immediately respond to. I guess her name was just too everyday. Well I discovered that she laughed at being called "ratface" and Knew immediately that she was ok from any room in the house. It just stuck and with the advent of internet passwords it was one which was most often available. People don't like to be called "ratface" Today she is a beautiful 15 y/o and I still use it.

Well I'm off to the radiologist to get fitted for a radiation mask. How many of you can say that today?

Vincente I was in Madrid in 1963 as a cuban immigrant. Your country was very hospitable to my family. Pretty much fed us for six months. I speak spanish but writing it is a slow difficult task and it does not come out like yours. I imagine I have much blood of the Spaniard within.

 

[vicente solano]

I hope that radiation mask doesnñt make you look like Hannibal Lecter in "The silence of the lambs". And carry on with the good fight. You deserve the best.

 

[vicente solano]

Well i feel pretty much like a bumpkin - did you all realize Vincente is quoting American proverbs to us?! Zora Neale Hurston.

Calmloki: I hope you don´t mind my quoting your countrymen. In any case, I´ll try to post the less known quotations, not wanting to seem pedantic or a bore. Sometimes I don´t know what to say, and I enjoy this Forum so much....

 

[ratface]

Well the mask fitting is over and I don't ever want to do that again. The first few seconds are terror. They basically heat this plastic mesh to make it pliable and tell you it will be a little hot and uncomfortable at first. They are rather tight lipped about the whole thing otherwise I'm sure folks would run out of the room. The technician then says she needs an assistant to make it go faster. The real reason is to hold you down on the table, one on either side of you. So your laying on a table and they just plop this hot gooey mesh thing on your face. I screamed out, "Oh God", and they ask, "Are you all right" I ask if it will get hotter and they say no. They immediately begin securing the mask to the table with some sort of pins or nails? The other technician begins to press the hot gooey plastic into my eye sockets and mouth and nose basically conforming the whole thing to my face all the while tighting the mask to the table. I wish they had told me to close my eyes but luckily the gooey stuff is not hurting them. Now you can't see a thing and just hear them talking about how they might have to imput information again because something isn't working. 25 min later everything is done, the mask is cooled down and I'm off the table.

 

[FinallyRetired]

Wow, so how did you breathe? Glad it's over, that doesn't sound like a fun procedure. Guess you have to look at it as an important part of the healing process.

 

[vicente solano]

Ratface, please forgive me for my stupid comment about the mask.
I can´t believe that in this day and age one has still have to suffer such torments...! I´ve got no words to express my sympathy for your situation.

 

[Purron]

OMG, that was awful! I had no idea they put people through this to fit a mask. I'm thinking they should have explained the procedure better to you before they began.

 

[vicente solano]

Purron: I agree with you. But, on the other hand, what, in this situation, are your realistic options, once they tell you? Can one really prepare oneself for the ordeals that certain treatments entail?
Dear God, I can´t understand why pain is part of so many medical procedures....

 

[Bestwifeever]

SIL just finished radiation to the head with such a mask. The good thing is that the treatments themselves are only a couple of minutes long, and the mask is not uncomfortable. And the end result of potential good health after undergoing the mask creation process? Priceless.

Best of luck as you start your treatments, Ratface!

 

[Alan]

Wow, ratface, that sounds like a terrible experience, I would never have thought that getting a fitting for a face mask could be so painful and difficult.

 

[Purron]

Purron: I agree with you. But, on the other hand, what, in this situation, are your realistic options, once they tell you? Can one really prepare oneself for the ordeals that certain treatments entail?
Dear God, I can´t understand why pain is part of so many medical procedures....

Sometimes I find medical workers are busy and simply don't take the time to explain. They have done it many times, so it seems routine to them. That's one reason I like to accompany my mother to non-routine medical appointments. I can play the doting daughter quite well!

 

[bbbamI]

They should have explained exactly what was going to happen. What you described is completely outrageous.

I guess the only thing I can say at this point is..at least it's over.

 

[vicente solano]

Bbb: I´ll ask you the same question I did Purron. let´s say they tell you in full detail, then what does one do given the seriousness of the disease?

 

[Alan]

Bbb: I´ll ask you the same question I did Purron. let´s say they tell you in full detail, then what does one do given the seriousness of the disease?

It's very important to me to know what is coming and what to expect no matter how nasty. Then, for example, if I'm struggling to breathe but have been told ahead of time that breathing will be difficult during the procedure then I'm less likely to panic.

 

[bbbamI]

Bbb: I´ll ask you the same question I did Purron. let´s say they tell you in full detail, then what does one do given the seriousness of the disease?

I'm the type that does not like to be "surprised". I want to know as much as possible about a procedure that will be done to me.

In the past, I've had to endure certain procedures because if I didn't, I wouldn't get well. I'll do what it takes to get better, but I want to understand beforehand what will happen.

ratface....Please don't let this event discourage or frighten you. The mask fitting process is over. Hopefully you will be better informed in the future what to expect. I can only imagine how tough it is for you right now. Hang in there sugah...

 

[Purron]

It's very important to me to know what is coming and what to expect no matter how nasty. Then, for example, if I'm struggling to breathe but have been told ahead of time that breathing will be difficult during the procedure then I'm less likely to panic.

...and more likely to take a deep breath before they begin! They should have told Ratface what to expect and to close his eyes. Hang in there dude. Thank goodness this is over.

 

[FinallyRetired]

ratface....Please don't let this event discourage or frighten you. The mask fitting process is over. Hopefully you will be better informed in the future what to expect. I can only imagine how tough it is for you right now. Hang in there sugah...

I agree. There's nothing like a serious illness to bring perspective to life. No matter how long we live, life is short in comparison with what we'd each like to accomplish. And a serious illness, even if we are hopeful that we will over come it, brings life into perspective. In the end, it's not about money, retirement, things... it's about relationships, love, leaving this place just a little bit better than it was when we came into it.

To ratface, hang in there, bro, and every time you face a challenge like this one, think of a better day in the future that you will enjoy because you suffered this in your path to healing. And live each day as if it's your last, which is something we should all do. God bless you.

 

[Purron]

I agree. There's nothing like a serious illness to bring perspective to life. No matter how long we live, life is short in comparison with what we'd each like to accomplish. And a serious illness, even if we are hopeful that we will over come it, brings life into perspective. In the end, it's not about money, retirement, things... it's about relationships, love, leaving this place just a little bit better than it was when we came into it.

To ratface, hang in there, bro, and every time you face a challenge like this one, think of a better day in the future that you will enjoy because you suffered this in your path to healing. And live each day as if it's your last, which is something we should all do. God bless you.

This tread is so powerful and special. Your words brought tears to my eyes FinallyRetired.

 

[ratface]

I think many hit the nail on the head. They really would have a difficult job if they told you all the details. I would like to have closed my eyes though.The first few seconds are frightening because of the heat of the mask and the feeling of immobility. It's like pulling a bandage off a hairy wound, you don't want to do it but it has to come off and its going to hurt. It cools rather quickly. You can breath fine through the mesh once you remember to breath. They had a problem calibrating the machine. **** happens. Vincente the Silence of the lambs thing was funny. In retrospect the whole mask fitting was comical, me freaking out and the technical problems arising. I realize this will help in the radiation and cause me less harm by directing the beams where they need be. Dentist today for several hours. Need to be sure no pressing dental work will arise during the radiation. Dentist wants to pull two wisdom teeth. I hope the oncologist will disagree and I can sign a waiver or something to get the treatment started. I'm scheduled for next Thursday, 39 treatments.

 

[vicente solano]

Ratface: You can´t imagine how many of us are expectant for your news. 39 treatments? Sounds like a lot of them. I hope none like the last one.
Glad you weren´t put off by my silly joke.
I would cheer you up if I was a brave dude. But I told you that I am not.

Maybe I´m being too personal. In that case I apologize: Just a minor operation like having my meato expanded -I know, gross- has me trembling! I would postpone it, but my wife wouldn´t hear of it. It seems that surgery would relieve the stress of the bladder, which is in risk of collapsing any day.

 

[Dawg52]

Your going to do fine my friend. Just hang in there.

 

[vicente solano]

Your going to do fine my friend. Just hang in there.

Who is going to be fine, sissy me or Ratface "the Lionheart"?