Say you had cancer..would you rather..?

Question

Ok..so you have cancer..and chemotherapy, radiation, treatments are minimially effective. They will probably prolong your life a year or two but they will make you sick and weak. Would you rather: A) stop the treaments B) continue treatments, live longer. Or can you think of a different option. Feel free to just put a letter or explain. Thanks :)

Answer 1

I do have cancer...or at least I did. It's in remission right now.

I went over this question many times since I was diagnosed. This is what I came down to...quality over quantity. I don't want to live feeling sick. If the doctor can't help me any more than that, let me go home and live out the rest of my days like I want...not hooked up to needles and tubes and not being irradiated each and every day, zapping my energy and making my entire life BLAH.

It took me a little while to come to that decision, but finally once I came to terms with it, I'm ok. I'd really rather it go that way. I want my family to remember me in a good way. Not sick and frail and bedridden. Each person is different though, and they are entitled to be. It's the patient's choice, after all.

Answer 2

My mom faced this decision. She was told she had extensive stage 2 small cell lung cancer. Without treatment she was told she had less than a month to live because it was spreading rapidly....lungs, spleen, spine and liver. Or option two take chemo and have maybe six months to one year. She chose option two. I don't think many people could take hearing they only have a month to live and not do anything about it. The chemo is hard on your body. My mom has had a blood clot, she was passing out just from standing up, and she did throw up alot. But I still think she would chose to have the treatment if given the same option today. She is still taking chemo twice a month. She was diagnosed in March of 2006 and is going strong into her ninth month. I also had a friend of mine who had metastic melanoma, she chose chemo also. Her doctors told her she had 6 to 12 months to live, she lived 18 months...unfortunately she lost her battle in August and left behind three wonderful little babies. I also know my friend wouldn't have changed a thing, she would have always chosen whatever would have extended her life with her husband and kids.

Answer 3

Do you fear cancer? Sometimes I think that living your life to the fullest is what makes you enjoy your experiences. Chemo I am sure hurts a lot and most people don't want to go through it. When you are young, you don't want anything eles then to be a normal college student and go out and be with your friends. Just remember being the age 21 doesn't mean that you have to go out and party and binge drink...It means that you have the rest of your whole life to get drunk. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. That's just the way life goes. I truely believe that if you finished with your therapy, just think that you will have an extra yr to spend with family and friends. Hiding and running away doesn't make the pain any better. I can understand if you just want to go with the flow and live life freely with no drugs, but just think how many other years you can spend your life pain free...Just because you have cancer, doesn't mean your going to die. It just reminds you of how strong you really are, how far your body can take it and you have seem to come far along. Not only does it mean that, but it means that you are real and just think not a lot of people out there are as tough as you to conquer this deadly sickness. Good Luck and I wish you the best!

Answer 4

I would want to continue treatment. No one wants to think that they can't survive longer than expected. Our minds aren't programmed like that. I can name several stories of doctors diagnosing a patient incorrectly and that patient beating the odds and living a healthy life. Just the challenge of seeing how long I can live would allow me to endure the treatment and the sickness.

Answer 5

I have done chemo and radiation and would do it again if necessary. (Tyler M, chemo doesn't hurt any more than donating blood). Current treatment therapies have improved tremendously even in the past 10 years and they continue to find new ways to treat cancer. I believe that God does work miracles through the oncologists and scientists that are working so hard to stop this disease in its tracks.

Answer 6

You have asked a very significant question, the modern medicines have lots of shotfalls hence even the american cancer society also now recognises the improtance of alternative and herbal treatment of cancer. They have put a lot of weight on ayurveda the indian herbal medicine system. I have come across a web site of an institute
http://www.ayurveda-cancer.org
that deals with cancer through ayurveda herbal treatment.
Try visitisting this site I am sure it will enlighten you on this subject. Cancer is not the end of life that is the confidence i gained after reading the wealth of information on this web site.

Answer 7

I would first check out all the options, like that Cancer Center of America they always advertise on TV, and look at the natural health alternatives, but if chemo et al, was only going to prolong the misery, I'd probably just let nature take its course.

Answer 8

I have an agreement with my family that at each stage, I will be asked if I wish to continue, by the doctor in charge of my treatment, and my decision will be respected.
If I am unable to understand the question, it will be assumed that I have had enough. I also have a living will refusing extreme measures.

Answer 9

I would want to check into all of my options. If nothing else will work, i think i would go with pallative care - just treatment for symptoms and not anything to cure it. I have seen how sick chemo and radiation make people and wouldn't want to make myself sicker if my time was limited and nothing more could be done medically. Just my opinion.

Answer 10

well if its a proven fact that once u lived your extra year u gained by the theropy u will then be weak then as much as it probally doesnt make sense i would continue because just think that is the extra year that u could see your family and mabey even could explore the world. I dont know of one person who survived cancer but fortunatly i dont even know of any one close to me who has it i would still keep my faith and want to live.