Help for my friend

[Rolf]

Hi all.

I know this isn't the right forum for this. It belongs in the "Off Topic". But, as I know not many of you read the "Off Topic", I place it here.

The reason is that a very good friend of mine have for some years a tumor on his brain. So far it has been "of", keeping it steady with cytotoxic drug.

Lately he experienced some strange things, and on September the 19th, after tests he got the message that the tumor has increased by about 10mm, and had changed from "good" to "bad" ... that is cancer.

As I know there is hospitals in the US that can do more than hospitals in Norway, my question is:

Can any of you LHF members recommend anything? Hospitals, doctors ... what ever that can help my friend. He is only a year older than me. (57)

Any help will be appreciated.

[hjames]

I don't know if this will help your friend, but author and science writer Jerry Pournelle just went through a similar occurance with an inoperable brain tumor that he had worked over through targetted radiation therapy ...

"For those who don't know, I get Zapped with hard X-Rays daily at noon. They are burning out some growth near Broca's Area (extremely inoperable). Scans of the rest of me show it is unique: I don't have multiple myeloma that metastasized, and they can't get a biopsy so they are killing this thing on the grounds that it don't belong there even if they don't know what it is."

His weblog is a mess to wade through - but he blogged the whole process
starting around Feb or so through the end of the summer (2008)
Start around here where he is learning about and getting medical test ...
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/view505.html

I believe he had Kaiser Permanente out around LA

Prayer for your friend!

Hi all.

I know this isn't the right forum for this. It belongs in the "Off Topic". But, as I know not many of you read the "Off Topic", I place it here.

The reason is that a very good friend of mine have for some years a tumor on his brain. So far it has been "of", keeping it steady with cytotoxic drug.

Lately he experienced some strange things, and on September the 19th, after tests he got the message that the tumor has increased by about 10mm, and had changed from "good" to "bad" ... that is cancer.

As I know there is hospitals in the US that can do more than hospitals in Norway, my question is:

Can any of you LHF members recommend anything? Hospitals, doctors ... what ever that can help my friend. He is only a year older than me. (57)

Any help will be appreciated.

[Rolf]

Thanks for the fast reply hjamens. I will wait for more replies before I do something.

[BMWCCA]

Our little University of Virginia Hospital has operated on many people with tumors from around the world using gamma-knife surgery as well as targeted radiation. http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu...tment/surgery/

It's not the only place that does this kind of thing. The trick is not to simply trust the first diagnosis especially if they say the cancer is inoperable. I have many friends alive today because they didn't take the advice of their health-maintenance-organization's physician and sought out the best surgeon in the field of their particular cancer. But then I, myself, was raised as a Christian Scientist. I just haven't been "tested" yet. Regardless, a positive attitude is paramount.

[Doc Mark]

Hello, Rolf,

At the current time, we have 6 different family members and friends, who are undergoing treatment for various cancers. One had a brain tumor, and went through operations, chemo, and radiation. So far, knock wood, he's doing quite well, though full recovery takes a while to come around. We will offer up some prayers for your friend, as we do for our own family and friends who are undergoing similar things. If you would like, please let me know his first name, and I will include your friend in my nightly prayers. Best of luck to him in this fight. Please tell him not to give up, no matter what!! We have one very good friend, who was told he had less then 6 months to live, back in the early 1980's. He had testicular cancer. They removed his testicles, but the cancer had spread, and grew into a tumor the size of a can of Coke, which was attached to his heart and lungs. They opened him up, armpit-to bellybutton-to armpit, and removed the tumor, then told him it was moving too fast, and that there was nothing they could do for him. He told them to continue fighting for him, and to give him every single thing they could, even if they thought there was no chance. Interestingly enough, after all his operations, chemo, and radiation, he was cancer-free, and remains so to this very day!!! He is a very religious fellow, and part of what he thought to be his "payback" to God for helping to save him, was to run a cancer camp for terminally ill children, at his own expense. He's been doing that for years, and tells all the kids, "Hey, there is no guarantee that you will make it. But, look at me (as he shows them photos of himself at his very worst points)! I was told there was NO HOPE, and I am still here!!! Keep fighting, and do everything you can to help the doctors in their fight, too, and you just may beat this thing, just like I did"!! I'm so proud of him, I could just shout!!!

Take care, and God Bless your friend, Rolf!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[mech986]

Hi Rolf,

So sorry to hear of your friend's health problems. There are two cancer centers in the US I could recommend.

On the East Coast, Memorial Sloan-Kettering is a world reknowned center of excellence. You can find out information here:

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/44.cfm

On the West Coast, City of Hope here in Southern California is also a world class cancer treatment center. You can find information here:

http://www.cityofhope.org/

The difficult issue will be covering the cost of the evaluation and treatment if your friend does not have health insurance that will cover outside of his home country. But I suppose at this point, cost is a secondary issue.

Good Luck and best wishes for a positive outcome.

Regards,

Bart

[Rolf]

Thank you very much for your kind recommandations. I am going to visit my friend, Jan, today, bring all recommendations to him. Then he can talk about it with the highly recommended specialists at the Norwegian "Radium Hospital".

Again thank you all.

[Robh3606]

Hello Rolf

I am sorry to hear about your friends troubles. Do you have any national research hospitals in Norway?? In the US we have the NIH, National Institute of Health. When my wife was diagnosed with a fatal autoimmune disease her doctors recomended that I take he there. That was 16 years ago and she is still here. They saved her life. She has stayed in touch with her physicians there and is still treated by one of them to this day. I don't know if the situation is the same there as she had to have her case reviewed to be accepted but it's certainly worth inquiring about.

I hope things work out well for your friend

Best wishes Rob

[Doc Mark]

Thank you very much for your kind recommandations. I am going to visit my friend, Jan, today, bring all recommendations to him. Then he can talk about it with the highly recommended specialists at the Norwegian "Radium Hospital".

Again thank you all.

Hey, Rolf,

One other very good place you might want to try, is the Mayo Clinic. They have hospitals in Minnesota, and Arizona, and they did wonders for my Mom, who had been treated for many, many years, by doctors from coast to coast, with no response. When she was referred to the Mayo Clinic, they finally diagnosed what her real problem was, corrected it, and she is finally having a pain-free life, after all her years of suffering! It's a wonderful facility, and well worth checking out! We will keep Jan in our prayers, and hope for the very best!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[Rolf]

Thanks Rob, doc and all. Anyone else who want to give in formations is very welcome.

I am sorry that I only mensiond my US friends. Of course all of you, nor matter what place you live is welcome to recommend alternatives.

Some asks about insurance. In Norway we are all granted medical help. It is in our tax system. That said, there is no granted help to be sent to another country. This is why many families go broke sending their family person or friend, who is sick, and can get help in Germany, the US or whatever places in the world. They have to pay them self. You know .. The richest country in the world: Norway, can't afford it. But they can afford giving billions of $ to the rainforest and to other stuff. I am sooo sick of the way our government is threading OUR money. Enough said, I don't want this to be a political discussion.

If it should come to a point I will go ask the Norwegian people to donate so Jan can be able to get the best treatment. I hope it will not be necessary.

Please give recommendations if you have .. from all over the world.

Thank you

[WDJ]

Texas Oncology saved my son. They have a website (texasoncology.com). They are great to deal with and extremely supportive. There is a "Gilda's House" close by which also helps.

Thoughts and prayers are with both you and your friend!

enjoy,
WJ

[JBLRaiser]

the prognosis by local doctors fifteen years ago. All I remember about his circumstance was that I went to see him and offer my sympathy and he would have none of it. He was sure he could beat it against all odds.
He researched the best facilities in the U.S. and chose MD Anderson at the University of Texas. They hit him with every conceivable toxin to kill the cancer. He lost 40 pounds.He lost his beer belly, but continued to wear his old clothes that hung from him like a kid wearing his parents clothes, convinced he would live to one day fill out those clothes again. I report to you he is today cancer free and living a much healthier life today than before his diagnosis. His attitude is what I will always remember about those trying times. It woke me up about the strength within him. Here is their website. Good luck and stay strong.

http://www.mdanderson.org/

[shaansloan]

Hi Rolf,

So sorry to hear about your friend......I will pray for Jan also....

and you too Heather....sorry to hear this....hope your treatments are helping to kill that thing....

I have seen several people in my church have various forms of cancer and beat it through treatments here locally in New Mexico and of course through much prayer and faith in God who heals whom He wills.....

There is a Cancer Center here at UNM and they have a program that may help Jan....it is a clinical trials program that lets certain people wwho qualify enter have they do developmental research and new treatment research for them......here is a link to the website......

http://cancer.unm.edu/content.aspx?s...ients&id=34852

Hoping the best for Jan and heather too....

Shaan

[JBL 4645]

This is a downer Rolf I’m sorry that your friend is in poor health and that I can only hope that someone who specializes in this type of field can cure the illness.

[JBLRaiser]

I don't know if this will help your friend, but author and science writer Jerry Pournelle just went through a similar occurance with an inoperable brain tumor that he had worked over through targetted radiation therapy ...

"For those who don't know, I get Zapped with hard X-Rays daily at noon. They are burning out some growth near Broca's Area (extremely inoperable). Scans of the rest of me show it is unique: I don't have multiple myeloma that metastasized, and they can't get a biopsy so they are killing this thing on the grounds that it don't belong there even if they don't know what it is."

His weblog is a mess to wade through - but he blogged the whole process
starting around Feb or so through the end of the summer (2008)
Start around here where he is learning about and getting medical test ...
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/view505.html

I believe he had Kaiser Permanente out around LA

Prayer for your friend!

Jerry Pournelle in your post.
William