VENTING.... on the soapbox today...

October 6, 2002

I posted this to another group I belong to so I'm sorry if many of

you have already seen it, but I was on the soapbox when I wrote it

and I felt it was something I needed to share with everyone.

Yes he (Marty) did have CP, his was idiopathic, and they ran him

around in

circles before they ever diagnosed him. They thought he had a psuedo-

cyst and were going in to remove it because of the size, but what

they found was cancer that had wrapped around his pancreas, spleen

and infiltrated his liver. They closed him back up and gave his

family the news. If they had done the CA-19-9 they would have seen

the cancer markers and quite possibly prolonged his life.

He suffered a great deal more pain than I would ever wish on even my

worst enemy (even than I would on those that attacked the US.) He

was on constant IV pain meds and chemotherapy that made him even

weaker.

He was a vibrant young man (although opinionated as all get out, to

know him was to Love him!!) And he was a wonderful father, and

brother. His sister was with him from the very beginning of

the illness, and she was, I am sure there when he passed. I feel

like the system failed him terribly. I hope that by Speaking up

about the illness and how sadly most of those that suffer with CP

(well, a great number of them anyway) will end up in this same

position at some time (maybe not in a terminal case, but there none

the less) we have a responsibility to speak up, and make our voices

heard.

I hope that everyone who has this disease, who knows some one with

it, who Loves someone with it... will take the time to listen and

understand... will stand up for the ones they love, will tell the

doctors to pay attention and find out WHY, and WHAT is causing the

pain. And lastly will tell the doctors before they just open someone

up to CHECK, DOUBLE CHECK THEN CHECK AGAIN, for cancer BEFORE they do

any surgeries.

We have to be proactive in our treatment. We have to be vocal about

how we feel, and we have to stand our ground when they tell us they

don't know... because that is unacceptable. I DON'T KNOW... its a

cop out.

Ok, I am done, climbing off of my soap box... for a minute at least.

I hope you are all having a PAIN less Day!

{{{HUGZ}}}

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