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

My brother has survived having B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma twice throughout his mid teens and early 20s. The kind he had was pretty rare/aggressive as well. He's going on 30 this year and has been clean since. The diagnosis probably hit you and your family like a ton of bricks, but your chances of getting through it are likely good and I know treatments have improved quite a bit in the past 10 years.

If you do happen to have one of the aggressive forms, start treatment ASAP after having proper consultation. I know my brother started the day after he was diagnosed, but his was aggressive and already advanced. If yours is not, it may not need to be so rushed, but I'm not a doctor, so don't take anything I say as proper medical advice please.

If there's anything I can answer about the experience my family went through with my brother, just drop me an email (can be found at my github account linked in my hn profile).

hahahahahaa

Well, other people have said it all... but I think I should emphasize their words.

What were/are your symptoms?

I had Hodgkin's lymphoma some years ago, and I can tell you this: Don't panic. Not all cancers are the same, and the earlier the discovery and treatment, the better. I suggest to read as much as possible about your specific illness. There are lots of resources online, and many support/help forums. Also, seriously, don't blame yourself because it is not your fault, you don't control it. And finally: you should care about yourself first, forget money or other people's little problems.

Keeping yourself active is the best thing you could do. You have to care a bit, though, and try not to get sick. You probably won't be able to work for a few days after chemo (this depends on the treatment, though), and it may affect you in many different ways.

I don't know much about insurance and related things in the US.

Just ignore "alternative" medicine, it's just a waste of time and money.

Make sure to eat well, but also make sure that the food won't affect you.

My best wishes to you. Hope this helps.

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.

I expect that there are people reading this thread for whom it is the last straw that makes them move back to Europe or Canada. And there are some Americans for whom this thread convinces them to emigrate for good.

The Internet is making the world a much smaller place where people know what life is like in other places. Over time, this forces everyone to raise their game. The old ideas of independent nation states are fading and being replaced by the global village in which we are all family.