Posted on 10/16/2020 5:16:16 PM PDT by conservative98
Praying for Dan and his family.
Fortunately the two things that chemo really does cure are Hodgkin’s and lukemia.
“My wife was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”
I’m sorry about your wife and hope her success continues. When she was treated has much to do with that story and where. You may have noticed in my original post that “getting to an expert” is key. In other words, the devil is in the details. I was diagnosed locally by an excellent onc doctor who I respected at a regional center, but I knew my best hope was to see a real expert in my disease. Liking your doctor does not have much to do with treatment success. I took myself to MD Anderson, the #1 cancer hospital in the nation, and it saved my life. I still go there every six months for a checkup and scans.
I was diagnosed in early 2014, and today there is an incredible number of new immunotherapy, target therapy, and epigenetic therapy that are not harsh — like chemo. They actually have a higher success rate. Even if radiation is used (not too frequent in blood cancers), hospitals like MDA have the latest proton beam technology that eliminates many of the problems associated with radiation.
In my opinion, which I believe is well informed from experience and much research, there are probably less than 10 hospitals in the nation that are considered the top centers for blood cancer (or any cancer for that matter). Even if someone can not travel to one of these centers for treatment, it is important to at least go there for a second opinion. These centers have the latest diagnostic capability, the most experienced experts, and the research divisions available for direct support. All of that only improves the outcome.
Prayers are important for Dan (they sure worked for me), but getting the best medical care sure helps the prayers work better. God helps those who help themselves.
Thank you.
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