Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#81

Post by calebm » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:25 AM UTC

calebm wrote: post #29

My uncle had stage 3 colon cancer and beat it using a mixture of both traditional and alternative medicine (such as a raw food diet and some other treatment which wasn't available in the US). I strongly recommend looking outside the mainstream. I recommend watching the Burzynski documentary and checking out the Burzynski clinic.

Just to clarify: there is value in mainstream medicine, but there is also danger. I believe in evidence-based medicine, but I also believe that human greed is very active in the pharmaceutical industry, and that greed causes all kinds of lucrative drugs to be put on the market, even when they are totally ineffective and even harmful.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#82

Post by kr4 » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:30 AM UTC

rev_bird wrote: post #80

kr4 wrote: post #74

Good advice from Thomas but I think any disease especially like cancer should be taken as indication to stop for a moment and reflect on our lifestyle. Remember we need to reflect, transform but not to worry about the disease, job and other stuff. I strongly recommend that curious readers must read [0] – a book on practical wisdom to live a healthy life with virtually no disease. The knowledge elucidated is not rando…

> Why do certain foods harm some people and help others? How come the same weight loss program shows different results on different individuals? And, why do some people fall sick more often than others? Answers to these questions and many more lie in Ayurveda where your body is not just looked upon a holder of flesh and bones but the finest vehicle of experiencing all pleasures and sorrows. This sounds like a book ab…

Your comment sounds a reply made in rush. I feel sorry for the OP and regarding the book I specifically mentioned "curious readers" and not a specific recommendation to OP.

But then didn't I know that I'd receive this kind of response very quickly? I knew most would respond like this here, but I care for the single one who might get inspired to proceed and read the book till the last page. If I can help transform one life for the better my job is done!

Everyone is entitled to have his own opinion. But a lightbulb is required to remove the darkness.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#83

Post by Blueliner » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:39 AM UTC

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. There is a lot of good advice from other posters and I would like to offer you my suggestions having performed the role of patient advocate for all the members of my immediate family who all were diagnosed and treated with various forms of cancer (5 out of 6 family members, everyone except me). I have built an extensive library of info, articles, resources, etc. through the process of caring for my family members which I would be happy to share with you and could offer more help if we could speak so if you want to do that please provide me a way to contact you.

1) Get a definitive diagnosis & treatment recommendations from the best doctor you can find (I know a number of internists, oncologists, oncology radiologists, cancer surgeons, etc. that I could possibly recommend depending on where you are located).

2) Get a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis is accurate and also a second opinion on treatment recommendations.

3) Much of what to do next will depend on #1 & 2 above but there are a number of things you can do immediately to greatly improve your chances of fully beating your illness including:

-try and switch to a vegan diet and eat plant based foods. All cancers are fueled by animal foods and there is proven evidence vegans get fewer cancers and do better with cancer treatments than non-vegans. There are a number of foods that are especially good at preventing and fighting cancer including allium foods (e.g. garlic), cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.), spices such as turmeric, ginger, etc., green tea, nuts & seeds, and others on the list of top cancer fighting foods.

-significantly reduce and/or eliminate as much sugar as you can from your diet, especially high fructose corn syrup and other highly processed forms of sugar. Sugar fuels cancer growth and to limit its growth and possible spread, cutting out sugar will really help.

-try and get as much cardiovascular exercise as you can ideally at least 30-40 minutes at least 5-6 times per week. Highly oxygenated blood which results from exercise inhibits cancer cell proliferation plus it will make you stronger and give you more energy especially before/after treatments.

-try and get as much sleep as you can. Proper rest is critical to help your body rejuvenate your normal cells and boost your immune system to fight the cancer. Maximizing your immune system is one of the most important things you can do to fight and beat the disease.

I don't have the space to include more but I can offer you advice & suggestions if we can speak. One thing to know is that there are many new promising approaches to treating cancer that are proving to be highly successful including immunotherapy and others. You are young and if you caught it early your chances of a successful treatment and full remission and a long cancer free life are very good.

Best of luck to you.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#84

Post by calcsam » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:50 AM UTC

(1) Buy COBRA. Do it now. You have 60 days from when you left your old job. Fill out the COBRA form, either your old carrier or old employer should have sent it to the last address you had on file. If you haven't received it or lost it, call your old HR person & ask to discuss in person.

(2) When you start at your new job, they will submit forms for you to be covered. Those forms will take 30-45 days to process, because carriers do all this stuff by hand. It will be retroactive to the day you start. Most doctors are cool with waiting, but it's a risk.

(3) Some small percentage of the time, this will get goofed up by the outsourced data entry people carriers use, or the insurance broker your startup uses, and you won't get covered. You would find this out when you go to the doctor's office.

(4) Because of (2) and (3), you should sign up for COBRA from your old employer, so you can start using it now (it is retroactive to your end date at your old job). As soon as you are confirmed to be enrolled on your new company's plan, you can, if you want, drop the old COBRA.

(5) From the financial perspective of your employers, startups buy insurance from carriers on the "small group" market. Rates are determined by your employees' age, gender, smoking status, zipcode, etc, not past medical history. In other words, you will NOT raise everyone else's premiums.

(6) I'm an engineer at Zenefits, so I hear about & deal with this stuff day-in, day-out. If by chance your new employer uses us for health benefits (quite likely in the startup space) please ping me (email in profile) and I will personally make sure everything works out on your insurance enrollment. If you're not sure, ping me and I can check.

All the best.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#85

Post by quangv » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:54 AM UTC

Hey Friend,

That sucks to hear. You are young yet, you can beat this. At risk of sounding like a snake-oil salesman. You should look into a Green/Vegan diet. I'm talking about wheat grass and kale. Mix it up, juice it, doesn't taste all that bad.

I don't think you should worry about your co-workers premiums. It's all money, honestly who can't go without an extra $50-300 a month or whatever. People spend what they have usually, it'll all work it. It'll all work out.

It's called Insurance for a reason. Don't worry about the Insurance companies. Focus on getting well, and staying stress-free as possible.

Good luck my friend.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#86

Post by kr4 » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:55 AM UTC

rev_bird wrote: post #80

kr4 wrote: post #74

Good advice from Thomas but I think any disease especially like cancer should be taken as indication to stop for a moment and reflect on our lifestyle. Remember we need to reflect, transform but not to worry about the disease, job and other stuff. I strongly recommend that curious readers must read [0] – a book on practical wisdom to live a healthy life with virtually no disease. The knowledge elucidated is not rando…

> Why do certain foods harm some people and help others? How come the same weight loss program shows different results on different individuals? And, why do some people fall sick more often than others? Answers to these questions and many more lie in Ayurveda where your body is not just looked upon a holder of flesh and bones but the finest vehicle of experiencing all pleasures and sorrows. This sounds like a book ab…

> based on the "wisdom" of people who were written about hundreds of years before the rise of the concept of a spherical earth.

This might be true for the West, but not to the east:

Multiverse, relativity and quantum theory. “Both Bohr and Schrödinger, the founders of quantum physics, were avid readers of the Vedic texts and observed that their experiments in quantum physics were consistent with what they had read in the Vedas.” Bohr received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1922, for his theory of atomic structure (Quantum Theory). He is on record as saying that he goes into the Upanishads to ask questions.

Alan Watts, a professor, graduate school dean and research fellow of Harvard University, drew heavily on the insights of Vedanta. Watts became well known in the 1960s as a pioneer in bringing Eastern philosophy to the West. He wrote: “To the philosophers of India, however, Relativity is no new discovery, just as the concept of light years is no matter for astonishment to people used to thinking of time in millions of kalpas, ( A kalpa is about 4,320,000 years). The fact that the wise men of India have not been concerned with technological applications of this knowledge arises from the circumstance that technology is but one of innumerable ways of applying it.”

0]: https://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/quantum-consisten... 1]: http://www.hinduwisdom.info/quotes141_160.htm

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#87

Post by SteveCoast » Sat, May 30, 2015, 5:58 AM UTC

azea wrote: post #76

Stop sugar. Cancer feeds on sugar. Stop sugar for win the fight man. Good luck.

This. Read "Tripping over the truth" by Travis Christofferson and "cancer as a metabolic disease" by Seyfried.

I'd start with a 3 day water-only fast and then stay low calorie keto for a long time.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#88

Post by pcl » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:07 AM UTC

mistermann wrote: post #57

allworknoplay wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a phenomenal comment.

What it ignores though is the interesting part, if the hiring manager knows of his illness. I'm quite right wing, but that's why imho medical costs should be socialized. But of course, there are many problems that come along with that.

> medical costs should be socialized

I couldn't agree more. Most importantly, our career choices shouldn't be coupled to our health needs. It's ridiculous, and it's even more amazing that the US health care industry has somehow convinced conservatives that this is a good situation. As we can see from the OP, the coupling of job to health care in the US literally stifles innovation and job mobility.

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#89

Post by hmmmmm1 » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:12 AM UTC

If you were my sibling, I would probably entertain a discussion similar to the following: 0) I am sorry 1) if you think about cancer like most people, then you are looking death in the face ... Do so. Let it focus you on what is truly important. http://paulgraham.com/todo.html 2) define the problem to the greatest degree of specificity possible - this likely means biopsy and pathological analysis and discussion of further workup at an academic medical center or somewhere that genomic sequencing would be possible, if indicated 3) as stated elsewhere - start indicated treatment as soon as you have an answer for #2 4) if cancer is the answer, then two things (depending on the type) the outcomes may be better than you think, however, find a second oncologist - the running joke is that oncologists keep giving chemo after their patients are dead - find another experienced voice (not neccessarily an expert in YOUR cancer type) who seems comfortable with hospice as a possibility -- not all are -- a life well lived and fighting tooth and nail to the bitter end are not neccessarily the same thing. 5) get all of the insurance you can asap - don't worthy about the premiums

Re: Ask HN: I Have Cancer. What Should I Do?

#90

Post by bjam » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:16 AM UTC

I was diagnosed with cancer at 25, and underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and was out of work for some months. I was working at a small software company ~25 people. Outside of the advice that has already been given, I was very glad everyone around me so understanding and willing to help. When I say willing to help, I mean people can really rally together. I took paid my vacation and short term disability, and my employer continued to cover my insurance and hold a position open for me without ever asking when I was coming back. They never gave up on me, and I wouldn't expect any less of your employer. Once you have a diagnosis, the doctors and nurses can really help point you in some good directions if you need any financial or insurance assistance. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. Write down questions and answers, write down prescriptions, doctors orders, ect. Don't be afraid to lean on those that care about you and ask if you need help (not financially, but with tasks, errands, or just to hang out).