Re: OT: Troll or not troll [was Re: Experimental Treatment for Liver Cancer (inoperable)?]

From: J (astimegoesby_at_example.net)
Date: 06/25/04 

Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 18:28:50 -0400

"Thomas T. Veldhouse" wrote:

> Jake Maplethorpe Jnr <maplethorpe@catholic.org> wrote:
>
> Guys ... can you take this debate elsewhere? I don't care about trolls,
> or not trolls, or lame, or not lame, I just want information per the
> subject.

Hi Thomas,
This newsgroup's intent was/is mostly for doctors. However, patients,
family, carers and loved ones sometimes post here.
Steph, madiba, Peter Moran, Orac are doctors.
They can talk about whatever they want.

If some posters bug you, you can filter them out as follows: (if you're
using Outlook Express)
How to Block Senders in Outlook Express (some newsgroupers call it
"plonk"ing)
Highlight/select the post.
Click on 'message' between 'tools and help' at the top of OE...
Then click on block sender...
>From there it is automatically done...
It asks you if you want all their messages deleted right now (yes or no) and
voila...
You will never see another message from that sender.

You may want to do that for the poster names that Orac mentioned.
However, if the exchanges are ongoing, you'll still see the posts through
their replies.
So you'll just have to ignore them, unless you want to be on
alt.support.cancer (it has rules in the Charter).

I can't remember if you mentioned lymph node removal or not but here it
says
http://www.oncologychannel.com/coloncancer/staging.shtml
Stage II: T3 N0 M0; T4 N0 M0
Cancer has spread to other organs near the colon or rectum. It has not
reached lymph nodes.
Stage III: any T, N1-2, M0
Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, but has not been carried to distant parts
of the body

So maybe:
during surgery they did not remove lymph nodes or the lymph nodes they
removed showed no sign of cancer and/or at the time they scanned there was
no sign (as you mentioned "deep") of the liver involvement.

It's a shame your father doesn't want you involved. It's a shame if he's
taking Avastin (only) for nothing.
Not only does that cost in perhaps actual costs or monetary resources that
might be needed later for hospice, and perhaps providing false hope to him.
(I'm not a doctor, so I don't know)

I'm not sure the doctors can be blamed, I can visualize a conversation
something like this:

Patient: Well, can surgery be done?
Doctor: No, not as far as I know. Feel free to get a second opinioin.
Patient: Well, what would you suggest for a cure?
Doctor: There's no cure.
Patient: Are there any new meds?
Doctor: Well, yes there's Avastin...we could try it, if that's your wish.
(and then it's left up to the patient to ask the right questions or research
it themselves).

Otherwise, I think we've exhausted all options? Haven't we?
J