Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

What's Going On?


Dolfan in NYC

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Craig H said:

Not getting into details and I don't need any best wishes or anything like that, but does anyone here have experience with thyroid cancer? What does it mean when I read on a website that the 5 year survival rate is around 100%? You'll live for five years with it and then it could come back elsewhere or you can live with it for five years period?

Neither.  When oncologists - or any doctor, really - talks about a five-year survival rate, what they're saying is that ___ % of people with that type of cancer were still alive after 5 years.  So, if the 5-year survival rate is 100%, virtually everyone with that type of cancer lived at least five years.  

It's not quite that simple.  There are other factors to take into consideration.  Genetics, environment, etc.  What stage you get diagnosed in has a lot to do with it.  Getting diagnosed early - Stage 1 or 2 - gives you a much better chance of survival than getting diagnosed late - stage 4.

But, yeah, if the 5-year survival rate is 100%, odds are exceptionally good that the cancer will respond to treatment.  Whether or not it will come back is a different conversation to have with the patient's oncologist.   

 

Edited by Tarheel Moneghetti
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Craig H said:

Not getting into details and I don't need any best wishes or anything like that, but does anyone here have experience with thyroid cancer? What does it mean when I read on a website that the 5 year survival rate is around 100%? You'll live for five years with it and then it could come back elsewhere or you can live with it for five years period?

My uncle had it about ten years ago. Thyroid cancer (papillary, the most common, the other types have verifying survival rates) is highly treatable which is likely why the percentage is so high. Obviously there are factors such as age, general health, etc. but the reason the percentage is so high is its generally a type of cancer that if found early is able to be successfully removed. Don't get me wrong, all cancer is bad and scary, but as long as it hasn't spread its one of the more treatable types. Surgery is the most common treatment as part or all of the thyroid is removed (person may have to take medicine the rest of their lives to do the job the thyroid did). There is always a risk of cancer returning down the road but that percentage doesn't really take that into account, and if it returns in the thyroid they would just remove more of it.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/9/2022 at 6:34 PM, Infinit said:

My summer (well, July) is shaping up to be a banger! Going to Lisbon for 5 days with my sisters, bro in law, nephews and neice, then doing a couple days in Madrid and Paris solo. That's been the plan for the past few months. Today I decided that I'm going to fly from Paris to Kochi, India where my parents will be and spend a week or so with them before flying back to Toronto. I'm soooo freaking pumped ?

Quick update on my travel plans.

My return flight to Toronto will be through Hong Kong...so I'm going to be literally flying around the world!

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Craig H said:

Not getting into details and I don't need any best wishes or anything like that, but does anyone here have experience with thyroid cancer? What does it mean when I read on a website that the 5 year survival rate is around 100%? You'll live for five years with it and then it could come back elsewhere or you can live with it for five years period?

Hi Craig, I have a friend whose wife was diagnosed probably 10+ years ago.  They operated to remove the thyroid and did whatever cancer treatment you do for that (sorry, it's been a while since he explained it all to me) and she's on medication for the rest of her life (I guess to make up for the lost function of the removed thyroid), but everything is fine.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To echo Technico - my sister was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer approximately 20 years ago, had her thyroid removed, did some basic treatment and has been fine ever since.

She is on medication and has to have a check up with the doctor occasionally (I wanna say once a year)

She was is her late 30s/early 40s when diagnosed

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those that survived, and from the stories from you all, they all survived, what was their life like on medication? Did the medication cause complications with anything else or is it a pretty innocuous medication kinda similar to something like Lisinopril for high blood pressure? I only bring up Lisinopril because I never felt a side effect to it aside from realizing when I started taking it, I stopped getting migraines so even though my BP is normal now, I still take it to prevent migraines.

And I guess to add some more detail, it involves my wife. We don't even know if it's cancer yet, but she now needs a biopsy. Unfortunately, she can't get one until June 23. So we're going to be waiting about a month to find out if it's cancer or not. And she's still breast feeding because our baby has a milk protein allergy and she's also terrible about eating any solids. So that's another bridge to cross.

Edited by Craig H
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously - everyone reacts differently to all medicine but your analogy to Lisinopril is a good one

My sister had to get her thyroid med adjusted a few times - similar to adjusting HBP medicine. Usually it was because the doctor would want to try something new and the "new" wouldn't play nice with the couple other things my sister takes (usually the side effects were just hot flashes). She never had anything major.

Other health factors can help/hurt over time. Like with Lisinopril, my doctor keeps reminding me that if I lose weight I might get a lower dosage or not need it at all (though with my family history - I think I am in for life).

Basically you don't notice it unless something is "off" and, usually, that is easily correctable. The biggest thing is if other medications are being taken - making sure they don't have adverse side effects with each other. Both my wife and I are in our mid-to-late 40s - we have zero issues asking our doctors/pharmacists questions to confirm. We ain't got time for games. But that should be a general rule with all medicines

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, that's comforting. And thankfully she isn't on any medication so usually I get shit from her about how she's not on anything because she eats healthier than me and gets more sleep than me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been wondering what it's like if you have your thyroid removed and have to take medication to simulate the functions of your thyroid.  I don't have thyroid cancer, but I do have a large benign growth on my thyroid.  So far, no major problems with it, but it's possible the growth gets large enough to interfere with proper breathing or digestion, in which case it would have to be removed.

One of my neighbors called last night to clue us in about what's happening to her husband.  Guy is in his early 50's, no major heath issues.  He and his wife went to lunch last weekend and everything was fine until the waiter brought them cake for dessert on a white plate.  Husband said he was amazed you can make plates out of milk now.  Then he started talking about the giant flying computer in the corner. 

Since then, he’s been in the hospital.  Most of the time, he’s not lucid.  He doesn’t recognize people and places he knows well, is hallucinating, frequently gets violent, etc.   Seems to either not know his family or think they're out to harm him, won't eat, attacks people without provocation, etc .  Currently tied to his hospital bed (he kicked a nurse hard enough to injure her) and being fed through a feeding tube.  Hospital has been running tests for a week without turning up anything that would explain this.  No drug use, stroke, brain tumor, etc.  Apparently, the only thing people noticed in the weeks leading up to this was some bad driving.  I spent a decent bit of time around him in May - including seeing him two days before he was admitted - and I can't think of anything that was off. 

Fairly concerned. 

Edited by Tarheel Moneghetti
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad was on thyroid replacement meds for most of his life, he had his thyroid removed (non-cancer reasons) I believe in his 20's and was on meds for approx. 50 years with no apparent side effects he just had to take a pill every morning but overall his health was good to great for most of his life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I was at the doctor's office today with my mask on said I looked like James Taylor.   I could only think of the scene in Ed wood where is is convinced his wife's chiropractor was a dead ringer for Bela legousi from the eyes up.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Rev Ray said:

While I was at the doctor's office today with my mask on said I looked like James Taylor.   I could only think of the scene in Ed wood where is is convinced his wife's chiropractor was a dead ringer for Bela legousi from the eyes up.

You've seen fire and you've seen rain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Judge recuses herself after dodging defendant's flung feces in Harris County courtroom

“That incident happened Tuesday when Nwigwe asked visiting Judge Belinda Hill if she liked peanut butter, officials said. 

He then chucked his feces at Hill in an
apparent attempt to feign incompetency. The fecal matter spattered the bench and plopped onto Hill's phone, according to photos of the aftermath. She dodged the flung dung …”

What I have to deal with at work. Not my first protest shit

 

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, BrianS81177 said:

Why would the judge have to recuse herself after that?

Appearance of impropriety. If she sentenced him to 99 years, an appeal can argue it only happened because feces flinging. Probably better to let someone else handle that. Added perk: lowers your chance of getting dung flung at you again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think my laptop died. It's been sketchy for years (as in you can't move it or it'll keep turning off) and now only the HP logo will show up on screen. Might help to note that I accidentally splashed a small amount of water on it earlier on the left side of the keyboard which I quickly mopped up. It was working right after but I left and came back from the store, and nothing. I've got most stuff backed up on external but there's a lot that isn't. What are my chances/decisions I have to make here? (Also, consider my participation on the board to be at a minimum until this is fixed. My right thumb can only stand so much typing)

EDIT: It came back up. I suppose I can use this as a preemptive lesson and ask, what should I do if this happens again?

Edited by Curt McGirt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I and more than 17 million people live with Cerebral Palsy through an injury to the developing brain. As a child I was told I would never talk and walk properly. Through my parents, sister and those good people in the NHS, we shut them the fuck up. CP is a lifelong condition affecting every day of my life particularly my muscles.

Only a handful of times here, I've asked people not to use spaz/spastic as it's an offensive term for someone who has CP/the disabled community. It's the equivalent of the R word to the mentally disabled or the F word to the gay community. Tiger Woods and Nintendo had to apologise for using it. I bring this up as Lizzo who frankly I've never heard of used it in a song. These tweets sums up why the S word is so offensive:

I'm glad Lizzo has issued the following:

FVKspg9aIAIpZ2O?format=jpg&name=small

Edited by The Natural
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's definitely a term a lot of people don't realize is offensive, as I hear it used often enough by people who wouldn't use its equivalent in the States.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aside from getting another laptop you might want to consider getting a hard drive reader for laptops.  Once the drive's taken out you can hopefully get the rest of the data backed up.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Laptop is freaking out again. I'm about to start work and it's 112 or so with the heat index -- and I'll be in and out of doors. If I die of heat stroke I'll have someone let you know?

Yeah, get a new one, your current is dead.  There are plenty of external chassis that will take HDD's that you can attach to a new laptop to get your data off of, presuming you don't have your current HDD encrypted and you're technical enough to remove one.  

I'd suggest this dock: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Lay-Flat-Docking-EC-DFLT/dp/B00LS5NFQ2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2S35HPZNWOXWF&keywords=external+hdd+reader&qid=1655305960&sprefix=external+hdd+reader%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-3

I know it's Amazon, but the dock is pretty simple to use and not prohibitivly expensive.  I use it myself for data recovery off dead machines where the HDD was still usable.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a really bad anxiety attack on Monday night when some really bad storms came through my area and wreaked havoc. A bunch of trees were knocked over and there were power outages everywhere. I felt really depressed yesterday and spent most of the morning in bed with no power. I ended up having to go to the local library which was open as a cooling center because of the heatwave. I started having social anxiety while I was there (because I was scared of people staring at me because I have one leg). I  hung out there as long as I could until I left. There was still no power when I got home but luckily it came back on about an hour later. Feeling better today but not totally at 100% yet.

  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Came home, opened the laptop, and it's working fine again -- for the moment. I'm still gonna get a new one. 

Somehow I managed to survive the heat last night, but bending and picking things up was dizzying. Thankfully I had some solid help. Today's gonna be another 100 degree nightmare so wish me luck. 

I lived 30 miles outside of Champaign-Urbana, IL for about 15 years in a small town with no stop light or anything. Our power would go off in any season due to the weather and it was scary. Going out in the winter was maybe worse than the summer. Then again, the most frightening winter I can remember happened in town in an apartment I was subleasing where I thought I was going to freeze to death and only got saved by a space heater -- the landlord seemed to have just shut off the heater completely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, onelegbrynn said:

I had a really bad anxiety attack on Monday night when some really bad storms came through my area and wreaked havoc. A bunch of trees were knocked over and there were power outages everywhere. I felt really depressed yesterday and spent most of the morning in bed with no power. I ended up having to go to the local library which was open as a cooling center because of the heatwave. I started having social anxiety while I was there (because I was scared of people staring at me because I have one leg). I  hung out there as long as I could until I left. There was still no power when I got home but luckily it came back on about an hour later. Feeling better today but not totally at 100% yet.

Hello presumably fellow midwesterner. I assume these were the same storms that passed through my area. Sorry for all the bullcrap you had to deal with because of the storms.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...