Fair Enough

Mike!

It's good to see you around.

You are always in my thoughts and prayers. You have a lot to do on this earth yet, so I'm confident that you'll be around a while.

Take care of yourself. Keep us up to date on how things are going.

Big hugs buddy!
Kathryn

D'oh! I wish I had seen this first.

I'm dealing with the after effects of a second run of chemo, myself Mike. All I can say is don't underestimate the power of positive thinking. It may sound corny but it's kept me going. Do as much normal stuff as you can when you're home. Do housework, keep the sink empty of dishes, do laundry, post on the boards, go for walks, do some cooking. Don't sink into a world of your own. Give back to the world through words and deeds. Pretty soon the goods days will outnumber the bad and you'll walk smoothly back into your good old life from "before".

Chin up dude.

Jim

Jim,

Thank you for the good advice, and I'll add you to those for whom I pray.

To you and all the rest of my friends here who express support, Thank You. To give credence to your beliefs regarding positive thought:

My brother (who lives in the Denver, Colorado area and whom I shall be visiting for the first half of June) has a friend who is a Methodist minister. Being a little more progressive than what the orthodoxy in that area in her religion, her church has not given her a church and congregation. She has instead started her own church and has accumulated quite a congregation among the Native American indians there, numbering over 50 strong. Each week, she leads them in prayer for me, whom none of them, including her, have met. I look forward to attending one of her services while I visit out there next month. I am not religious at all, having gone nearly 10 years without even being in a church, and yet I am very strongly spiritual in my heart and in my soul.

When I am feeling down, hopeless, or weak, I remember all of the people who pray for me, or who support me or wish me well, and I feel ashamed that I might have been so weak as to momentarily relinquish hope, when so many others have not, and I am sustained, my hope and faith restored anew.

The numbers say that about 29700 people/year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and that of those, only 700 live on 5 years later, which is how "survival" is defined, medically. My first symptoms, I have learned, appeared nearly 8 months ago. My diagnosis was 6 months ago, and treatment did not commence until little over 3 months ago. "The Odds" say that the first 4 months, untreated, made corpses of 15000 of those. Likewise, my 2 "orthodox" chemos, are only supposed to extend my survival to about 8 months, according to the 50th percentile. Eight months (since first symptoms) is only 2 weeks hence, and unless I die in a plane crash, I'll be going well past that. The tumors are receding!

No, my place is among the 700, and in no small part, that is due to all of the positive thoughts, energy, directed toward my behalf, and I owe my gratitude to all those who have given, and continue to give, their energies to that end.

Love,

Michael R.