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

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

#91

Post by hmmmmm1 » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:17 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?

#92

Post by kika » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:26 AM UTC

Cancer is basically a problem of the immune system. We have a lot of cancer cells in our bodies and our bodies manage to kill them quite efficiently. Something went wrong in your body and a cell or two survived. I'm in no way a doctor (I have experience with cancer, but as a, hm, 'user', or better, observer) but IMHO the thrill of working in the startup and doing stuff that you really like can substantially help your immune system to fight the hostile lifeform in your body. "Positive" hormones stimulate the immune system. On the other side, having not enough sleep, eating shit, having a lot of excess weight (having a little is considered good) would actually harm your immune system. That said, if I were you, I'd take the startup job, but would take extra care of myself, not working 6x16+1x10 hours, eating right (not necessarily fancy or organic, just basically good food), exercising enough and having enough fresh air and rest. One doctor once said to me that I can cure any illness by just sleeping 10+ hours a day. He was joking, but every good joke is just partially a joke.

Yeah, and buy COBRA. Just in case. Most likely you will just waste a couple grand on it, but this is your life on the line. Small companies use complete idiots as insurance brokers (large ones do too, but they learned how to hide this) these idiots may screw up you forms/submissions/cards/accounts/whatever even multiple times in a row. You'd better be covered while you sort this out.

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

#93

Post by stractract » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:27 AM UTC

Do not worry about your job or feel guilty for being ill. Recovering will help your company. Find an Oncologist that has treated this specific type of cancer 100s of times if not 1000s. THIS is key to getting a good outcome. Like engineers doctors are not interchangeable. Their level of experience makes a hughe difference. See https://medium.com/backchannel/should-surgeons-keep-score-8b...

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

#94

Post by stractract » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:29 AM UTC

Do not worry about your job or feel guilty for being ill. Recovering will help your company. Find an Oncologist that has treated this specific type of cancer 100s of times if not 1000s. THIS is key to getting a good outcome. Like engineers doctors are not interchangeable. Their level of experience makes a hugh difference. See https://medium.com/backchannel/should-surgeons-keep-score-8b... This is true for things other than surgery. Good luck

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

#95

Post by ams6110 » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:30 AM UTC

ot wrote: post #42

The fact that this thread exists makes me want to move back to Europe. It's really hard, for someone who grew up with state-provided healthcare, to understand how dealing with an illness involves decisions about employment. To the OP: the system is deeply unfair, and you shouldn't feel bad for obtaining what in the rest of the civilized world is an unalienable right.

Whose health care system has contributed most to research and development of increasingly successful diagnostic tests and treatments for cancer?

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

#96

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

ot wrote: post #42

The fact that this thread exists makes me want to move back to Europe. It's really hard, for someone who grew up with state-provided healthcare, to understand how dealing with an illness involves decisions about employment. To the OP: the system is deeply unfair, and you shouldn't feel bad for obtaining what in the rest of the civilized world is an unalienable right.

> The fact that this thread exists makes me want to move back to Europe.

I'm sorry to break it to you, but TTIP wants to export the "American" healthcare model to Europe. So maybe when you come back things are not to so great.

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

#97

Post by rwmj » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:39 AM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #95

ot wrote: post #42

The fact that this thread exists makes me want to move back to Europe. It's really hard, for someone who grew up with state-provided healthcare, to understand how dealing with an illness involves decisions about employment. To the OP: the system is deeply unfair, and you shouldn't feel bad for obtaining what in the rest of the civilized world is an unalienable right.

Whose health care system has contributed most to research and development of increasingly successful diagnostic tests and treatments for cancer?

I don't know. You seem to know, so please provide evidence.

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

#98

Post by CONTRARlAN » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:42 AM UTC

bitJericho wrote: post #35

ams6110 wrote: post #20

Be sure you don't let your insurance lapse. Go on COBRA if you have to until your new policy is in force. If you let coverage lapse more than about 30 days you are more likely be hit with a pre-existing condition exclusion. You say fiance; if you are not actually married her plan may not cover you? Unless they cover "domestic partners" not actually married (some will, some won't). Anyway, manage the insurance situati…

Pre existing conditions is not a thing anymore. Thanks a lot Obama.

That's actually not entirely true, unfortunately.

Ask me how I know.

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

#99

Post by calcsam » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:44 AM UTC

calcsam wrote: post #84

(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, beca…

7) As an aside, it will be difficult to enroll on your fiance's health insurance. You are not dependents of each other & not married.

If you guys did tie the knot, you would have two qualifying events (marriage & you losing your coverage from old job), either of which on its own would let you sign up for coverage under her plan.

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

#100

Post by rasputhin » Sat, May 30, 2015, 6:45 AM UTC

dumbass wrote: post #72

butwhy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, you've got the cure for cancer when you don't even know what OP has? No worries mate. Don't know why all these scientists waste time on cancer cures when you can just starve yourself so the body eats the tumour and corrects the mis-generation of cells.

how do you know? did you do experiments or something? https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regene... Science!

Is this similar to nk cell therapy? http://stemcellthailand.org/natural-killer-cells-nk-cell-can... My brother was recently diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma and after reading about chemo we just think stem cells are a better option. Also living in Bali at the time and our options are very very limited