What Happened To Da Bacon?

[flintstone mop]

I'll be injected, inspected, detected, neglected and rejected............

But, speaking for myself, respected. I don't know if I could go through the same thing and still be as positive as you are. You are a wonder Frank.
My best to you and Carol.

Keep up hte good fight.

Bill KA8WTK

Those are my thoughts too. I do not know if I could go through a surgery for cancer and/or radiation and chemo treatments again. It actually felt like I was slowly F A D I N G ...A W A YYYY as Timtron would say.
God still does Miracles , Frank

Fred

[KA3VID]

Hang in there Frank you're made of tougher stuff than this
BS ! Our thoughts and prayers are always with ya Brother !
Fight the good fight and never give up

[Steve - K4HX]

Well said Bill. I've been wondering the same thing about myself. You are an inspiration Frank. Keep fighting brother.

I'll be injected, inspected, detected, neglected and rejected............

But, speaking for myself, respected. I don't know if I could go through the same thing and still be as positive as you are. You are a wonder Frank.
My best to you and Carol.

Keep up hte good fight.

Bill KA8WTK

[W2PFY]

Hang in there Frank! I want to hear you back on your 4X1 soon!

Terry

[The Slab Bacon]

After 5 hours of back breaking MRIs and todays meeting with my newly assigned Oncologist I got a little good news and a whole lot of bad news.............

The good news is that it hasn't spread anywhere outside of my liver. The bad news is that my AFP protien is now off of the chart and double what it was a month ago. As of next week I will be starting on full systemic puke your guts out chemo and will have to stay on it for the rest of my life. (this is not sitting very well with me). They are having a meeting of the board of specialists this afternoon to decide my fate. The Interventional Radiologists are most likely going to do another "Intervention" treatment to kill the last large tumor, and then the chemo will be to attempt to keep it under control in a "maintenance" application. the chemo does have some rather nasty side effects to deal with. (Not to mention the cost of $600 per dose if I had to pay for it! ! ! )

The Oncologist has assured me that I AM terminal and it is simply a matter of time until it gets me. He couldn't put a time span on it at this point. The determining factors will be:
1. How well the cancer responds to the chemo.
2. How well and how long I can tollerate the chemo. (I will be on it to the end, and that just plain sucks! ! )
3. Now for suckamus maximus, while discussing things with the Oncologist, he has assured me that now due 
    to the progression of my cancer, I will NEVER be eligible for a liver transplant now. (that didn't go over
    very well)

At this time I am not very happy with Johns Hopkins. for supposedly being the best hospital in the world, their nonchelante treatment of my cancer has left me with a lot of wondering if they could have treated it more agressively earlier on, and maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament. With all of the politics involved in organ transplants, to end up being told that you are no longer eligible just outright sucks. Especially when It would make me whole again. When the oncologist told me that, I was furious and his answers starting getting a bit vague. (I knew I had him "on the ropes") I proceeded to tear him a new one, and let him know how I felt. A transplant a couple years back would have fixed the problem and I wouldn't be here typing this now. I will start on the rest of the "team of specialists" tomorrow.

Yes, I'm pissed! ! !  I'm pissed off beyond words! I knew a while back when the young, cocky Interventional Radiologist started talking Oncologist, the outcome was not going to be good.  (He's next in line for the ass whoopin!) I have had this gut feeling for a while, and basically expecting this.

I'm gonna stand up and fight this till the bitter end! ! (Or at least as long as I'm able) I haven't lost that fighting spirit yet. Many, many, many thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, and support! I know I'm gonna need them in the days to come and will take all that I can get. God bless you all! !

The "emotional roller coaster" is definitely doing it's ups and downs and life is "having it's moments" but "you gotta play the hand you're dealt.......)


Frank

[SM6OID]

Hej!

Frank, I don't know what to say.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

You should know that you are in my thoughts.

[W3RSW]

Frank, you are the finest of men.
Spirit, Love and Determination
Define you.
God Bless you and Carol.

[W2JRO]

Frank, god speed to you...

I can relate...my wife is in a very similar situation with Ovarian cancer.
In all likelihood, she will be on chemo for the rest of her life. We have done all the front line treatments and most of the secondaries, so it's now on to the major east coast cancer centers for clinical trials and, as our oncologist says, "novel treatments" . Her cancer has now "metted" to her lungs, and according to her oncologist, surgery is not an option. When asked why not? they get very vague....she has that fight to the end spirit just like you do, I think that spirit comes with the disease most of the time. All you can do is keep on keeping on... I admire and respect the courage of everyone that is forced to go through it.

Jeff

[PA4WM]

Frank,

Since the start of this topic, your comments and reactions are very touching.
Altough we don't know each other, I would like you to know, that even accross the pond, thoughts are with you.
As others have said before , I admire your courage too.

Hang in there and keep faith!

Martin

[KA2DZT]

Frank,

I was hoping to hear some better news.  Sorry to hear the latest, why am I crying?

Keep up the fight.  We're all praying for you.

51watt Fred

[The Slab Bacon]

Jeff,
       Please give your wife a hug for me and wish her my best! ! ! ! 

I have lost way too many close friends to this shit in recent years. sometimes it just seems that life isn't fair, but you gotta play the hand you're dealt and wait to see how it pans out. Unfotunatly, I have been dealt 5 odd cards that don't play together any how or way. I just have to see if I can play a good bluff to get through this hand.

My wife is not taking this very well at all. She really fell apart last night. Watching her fall apart actually hurts way more than knowing of my own immenent demise.  In the last 24 hours, I have felt just about every emotion that a human is capable of. I am still quite a bit bitter over the old "what did I do to deserve this", I have been sad, angry, not to mention the feelings of being helpless and worthless. (I kinda knew this was coming) But, I keep grabbing myself by the BA's and hauling my ass back up out of the mud. However, I am damned and determined to fight this to the absolute bitter end! It is going to have it's "moments" and I am pretty much prepared to fight through them. I just hope my wife can summon up the intestinal fortitude to make it, because it's gonna be a rough one. (We've now been together for 31 years and married for 28!)

I will say it again, many, many thanks, and God bless to all of you for your support in these rough times!

Frank

[Carl WA1KPD]

If Karma works, you have a lot coming your way... Hang in there. Science changes things daily.

I had a immediate family member who was given little chance from an aggressive form of the big C. Spent 1 year full time in different hospitals. Had the  stuffing beat out of her between chemo and radiation.

She comes up on 5 years clean this fall.

The extra day you can take may be the day that a new course of drugs etc comes up.

Carl
/KPD 

[W3FJJ]

Frankie,  Sorry to hear what you going through,
my thoughts and prayers..

Chuck

[W3SLK]

Frank, may I suggest massive doses of garlic? Seriously, suffice to say, it is hit or miss with the big C. I have co-workers who went to JHU for treatment and they had good results. I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet. I don't know if you looked at places like Fox Chase up in Phila. or any specific cancer center. I had a lot of friends with success stories and good remission from there. Some of these people were given their 'Last Rites.' I'm not trying to raise your hopes but hopefully give you another option to consider. Hell Fox Chase is close enough that Joe, N3IBX would probably personally see to it that you have room, board, transportation. Try to seek out these specialty centers. I have seen too many others be sent home to hospice because of lack of treatment options from a general hospital. Good luck and Godspeed!!!!

[Carl WA1KPD]

I second that. Fox Chase is a very impressive organization and worked wonders for our family.
Carl
/KPD

[Opcom]

Frank, you seem like a guy that is not too old.. 31 years relationship.. I do not really know you. But I want to say my mother who was in her late 60's, started having back pain and was found to have a whole kidney and adrenal gland eaten by cancer, and they removed those things and she has been on chemo since, maybe 10 years now. She had thought about adding natural remedies for additional help. I don't know what she takes but she discusses those things with her doctor to avoid interaction issues.

I won't say it has been easy, she has gotten really sick from the chemo a few times, and the program has had her to be on chemo and then off chemo for her body to recover (white blood cells?), and the chemo as been changed several times according to MRI results (she has little spots of cancer at various places in her insides, and the sizes of these are what is judged). The goal is that "those little spots" as she calls them do not get any bigger, balanced with her ability to tolerate the chemo, and this has been met, some have diminished, and none are getting bigger. The cancer has been checked regularly with CAT scans or MRIs kind of chemo has been changed and tuned up by her doctor to suit her situation. The scans are now much less frequent once the right meds have been settled on.

I can not or will not compare two peoples' diseases, but I would say that although my mother is not a weak person, she has never been a badass or a heavy lifter and she is at this point a quite frail little old lady and is almost 80. And it has been 10 years. That is the point I want to make. The doctors would not giver her a life expectancy estimate either. When she started this, we had no idea. Maybe it was a crap shoot but I think they know a lot more about what cancer responds to what treatment now than they did in the past. Still they never predict. What if they had told her 3 years, and she worried herself to death in the 34th month.

There have been times when she has felt very badly, and she has had opioids basically a notch or two up from vicodin without the liver-risking acetaminophen, but she's not addicted to them, does not use them all the time, and they don't seem to mess her up. It makes her feel better when she's having those really bad days from chemo. There is no shame in her eyes or ours in depending on dope to relieve suffering of illness, it is the duty of doctors to relieve suffering. Just saying, there are things to help get through the gut wrenching.

She's not done yet. She still enjoys her family stuff, goes to church, shopping, has her cats which she says makes her feel better (and I agree pets do), etc., and does everything an 80 year old would do except she does not drive any more due to other medical issues. So my dad driver her where she wants, and he does the grocery shopping, etc., and we pitch in with help.

So my point is she is going to die from something else and her fight with the cancer is a stalemate, maybe like what you indicate they have told you? She is terminal obviously, but the chemo and comforting medications has given her 10 years and counting, and she says that is a lot when taken one day at a time.

We did cry about it when it was new but we all are long past crying about the horror of her illness and how it could have happened to someone who led such a wholesome healthy life but rather we are, and have been, going forward as a family with all the love and the good things of it, except my mom has to take some really nasty medicine and visit the doctor a lot more than before. My mom smiles a lot and enjoys her life most days, and this has been once we all got over the initial death sentence. It was a bumpy road but the doctors figured out what chemo works best and that is the guard at the gate against the end.

I'm not going to pound on this but it aint over till its over and I bet you got a long time left like she has had so far. I really hope so Frank. I honestly do hope so for you.

[W1AEX]

Frank,

Hang in there buddy. I have no words of wisdom I can offer but will say you are in my thoughts each day.

Take care,

Rob W1AEX

[K2PG]

3. Now for suckamus maximus, while discussing things with the Oncologist, he has assured me that now due 
    to the progression of my cancer, I will NEVER be eligible for a liver transplant now. (that didn't go over
    very well)
Frank

Horrible, horrible news. Have you considered the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City or Thomas Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia? Ask one of their oncologists about the possibility of a liver transplant. If the cancer has not spread outside your liver, there is still hope.

Hang in there and get yourself to Holy Mass every day as long as you are physically able to attend. Prayer works wonders.

Phil K2PG

[flintstone mop]

3. Now for suckamus maximus, while discussing things with the Oncologist, he has assured me that now due 
    to the progression of my cancer, I will NEVER be eligible for a liver transplant now. (that didn't go over
    very well)
Frank

Horrible, horrible news. Have you considered the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City or Thomas Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia? Ask one of their oncologists about the possibility of a liver transplant. If the cancer has not spread outside your liver, there is still hope.

Hang in there and get yourself to Holy Mass every day as long as you are physically able to attend. Prayer works wonders.

Phil K2PG

Good thoughts Phil. Getting closer to God during rough sailing helps.
Frank ,
was there ever any thought about Cancer Treatment Center of America. They try a completely different radical approach to cancer treatment. I agree that John Hopkins is supposed to be close to the top of the pile. Their delays and politics were not to your benefit.
You are in my prayers dear Frank.
Fred

[KA3VID]

Jeff,
       Please give your wife a hug for me and wish her my best! ! ! ! 

I have lost way too many close friends to this shit in recent years. sometimes it just seems that life isn't fair, but you gotta play the hand you're dealt and wait to see how it pans out. Unfotunatly, I have been dealt 5 odd cards that don't play together any how or way. I just have to see if I can play a good bluff to get through this hand.

My wife is not taking this very well at all. She really fell apart last night. Watching her fall apart actually hurts way more than knowing of my own immenent demise.  In the last 24 hours, I have felt just about every emotion that a human is capable of. I am still quite a bit bitter over the old "what did I do to deserve this", I have been sad, angry, not to mention the feelings of being helpless and worthless. (I kinda knew this was coming) But, I keep grabbing myself by the BA's and hauling my ass back up out of the mud. However, I am damned and determined to fight this to the absolute bitter end! It is going to have it's "moments" and I am pretty much prepared to fight through them. I just hope my wife can summon up the intestinal fortitude to make it, because it's gonna be a rough one. (We've now been together for 31 years and married for 28!)

I will say it again, many, many thanks, and God bless to all of you for your support in these rough times!

Frank

Frank, no matter what happens  we are with ya and are kickin this dumbass
illness in the ass.Keep up the good work and fight the good fight.It's all good !

[KA0HCP]

Frank,
Don't let anger, regrets or thoughts of what might have been consume you.

Do things that improve the world. Be with people who make you happy.

All the best, Bill

[Paul, K2ORC]

Hey Frank,
You were one of the people who befriended me when I first got on the air some years back.  I've never forgotten your generosity of spirit, your humor on and off the air, and the way you and Carol opened your home to those post-Timonium gatherings.  I was a guest in your home on several occasions and have great memories of the rigs, the food, the fun conversations and those antique engines you'd fire up in the back yard. 

Please know that you've helped to create a lot of happy memories and are thought of by folks in places you may not even realize.   

All my best to you and Carol,
Paul Goodman, K2ORC
Virginia Beach

[WD8BIL]

You keep fightin' and I'll keep prayin'!!

[The Slab Bacon]

You keep fightin' and I'll keep prayin'!!

Buddly, you keep praying and I'll keep swingin as I am entering the biggest battle of my life! If I can walk into this with the lord watching my back, what do I have to worry about! ! ! !

Many many thanks to all of you for your support through these tough times! God Bless you all!

Frank

[The Slab Bacon]

After a handful of heated phone calls with my specialists. (And I do mean heated) (I was literally threatening them with death and dismemberment, what the hell do I have to lose?)The "bored of specialists" rediscussed my case on this past wednesday night.

They now plan to kill the one large tumor that is left in my liver with a relatively new procedure called "Microwave Obulation" (I may not have it spelled right) And then chemo to prevent any of the small cells from growing into full blown tumors.  And then it's chemo for the rest of my life, however long that may end up being. They can't TACE it because the artery that fed it just went poof and disapeared, which has been the whole dilema of this mess. The chances of my survival will be directly proportional to how effective the chemo is and how well/long I can tollerate it. Here's mud in your eye........... I can/will never be in remission or cancer free. I will hopefully be one of those who are living with instead of dying from cancer. But....... There is still a large amount of luck factor here. I will still keep everyone abreast of how it all is going. The chemo will still beat the hell out of what is left of my liver and it WILL eventually fail. when it does I will just simply crap out. If all goes well and I can tollerate the chemo, I could get a couple more years out of the deal. If not, well, y'all know the rest, and it will come quickly.........

Believe it or not, after all of the shit I gave them on wednesday, they actually called me back this morning! (thursday) I cut loose on them with no mercy, after all what the hell do I have to lose? ? When they explained their battle plan it was word for word how I told them I thought it should be done! Go figger.......

Now........... I have to find a way to sneak into the procedure room and tweak and peak the microwave generator so I get the whole shot! Also, since they are actually going to cook a small portion of my liver, do y'all think I should bring an onion with me for the procedure? ? ?

Thanks again and God Bless to all of you for all of your support!

Frank