cancer sucks


this is me and my kinda sorta girlfriend at a wedding back in september. she had hodgkin's lymphoma at the time, and was having a really bad week, but insisted on going to the wedding anyway. at this point, she'd lost a lot of her hair and decided to dye it red because she thought she was going to lose all of it to chemotherapy.. she didn't lose much more than this, though, and now that she's in remission with only two chemo sessions left, it'll grow back soon.

this is what she looked like before chemotherapy



I keep telling her that she shouldn't worry about it, because she'll grow her hair back and I won't, but she doesn't take much consolation from that... she keeps saying that she doesn't think she's hot anymore, and nothing I can do can convince her that she is, or that there's so much more to her than that anyway...

I've been going with her to Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston every two weeks for chemotherapy, and starting in January she has to go in 5 days a week for 3.5 weeks for radiation to get rid of what was once a 3" tumor in the center of her chest, right next to her heart. she has a blood clot in her jugular that's restricting blood flow to or from her brain and has to take a blood thinner shot once a day. she was on oxy contin but has dropped that and is now taking percoset several times a day. it's not a pleasant thing to go through, and trying to be there for her knowing there's nothing I can do has been a little hard.

Draegloth 19 years ago

this is me and my kinda sorta girlfriend at a wedding back in september. she had hodgkin's lymphoma at the time, and was having a really bad week, but insisted on going to the wedding anyway. at this point, she'd lost a lot of her hair and decided to dye it red because she thought she was going to lose all of it to chemotherapy.. she didn't lose much more than this, though, and now that she's in remission with only two chemo sessions left, it'll grow back soon.

this is what she looked like before chemotherapy



I keep telling her that she shouldn't worry about it, because she'll grow her hair back and I won't, but she doesn't take much consolation from that... she keeps saying that she doesn't think she's hot anymore, and nothing I can do can convince her that she is, or that there's so much more to her than that anyway...

I've been going with her to Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston every two weeks for chemotherapy, and starting in January she has to go in 5 days a week for 3.5 weeks for radiation to get rid of what was once a 3" tumor in the center of her chest, right next to her heart. she has a blood clot in her jugular that's restricting blood flow to or from her brain and has to take a blood thinner shot once a day. she was on oxy contin but has dropped that and is now taking percoset several times a day. it's not a pleasant thing to go through, and trying to be there for her knowing there's nothing I can do has been a little hard.
Xandare 19 years ago
that rough, i'm sorry to hear about anyone going through that..
and if its any consolation at all.. I say shes a Hottie in both pictures (i have a thing for redheads : ) )
to most of us it's just the right thing to do to support and be there for someone going through something as tough as this, but you'd be surprised how many people can't handle something like seeing a loved one go through Chemo. It's a testament to your character that you've stuck by her through it all.
Xandare 19 years ago
that rough, i'm sorry to hear about anyone going through that..
and if its any consolation at all.. I say shes a Hottie in both pictures (i have a thing for redheads : ) )
to most of us it's just the right thing to do to support and be there for someone going through something as tough as this, but you'd be surprised how many people can't handle something like seeing a loved one go through Chemo. It's a testament to your character that you've stuck by her through it all.
Maeya 19 years ago
I'm sorry that bad things have to happen to good people, it's always hard seeing the ones we love suffer, and feeling helpless to ease their pain.

It won't mean much coming from a strange internet girl, but I thought your girlfriend looked really good in that picture. The red is a cute color on her, and her hair looks perfectly normal to me. Not knowing her from before, I'd say she looks pretty darn healthy to me. =)
Maeya 19 years ago
I'm sorry that bad things have to happen to good people, it's always hard seeing the ones we love suffer, and feeling helpless to ease their pain.

It won't mean much coming from a strange internet girl, but I thought your girlfriend looked really good in that picture. The red is a cute color on her, and her hair looks perfectly normal to me. Not knowing her from before, I'd say she looks pretty darn healthy to me. =)
Draegloth 19 years ago
I think she is beautiful no matter what she looks like, but that doesn't help her. She's actually dealing with this whole thing pretty well, considering. We met another girl that went into remission a few years ago and she had a much harder time with it.

in a couple of months when she's starting to feel better, I'm sure she'll be fine... I hope she'll still want to hang around with me then. =)
Draegloth 19 years ago
I think she is beautiful no matter what she looks like, but that doesn't help her. She's actually dealing with this whole thing pretty well, considering. We met another girl that went into remission a few years ago and she had a much harder time with it.

in a couple of months when she's starting to feel better, I'm sure she'll be fine... I hope she'll still want to hang around with me then. =)
Rikr 19 years ago
I'm sure she will. You're a good man Drae..Keep standing beside her and keep her spirits up. I don't know why she feels the way she does about her looks. /boggle But I guess a lot of people would feel like that, in this type of situation. I'll keep you both in my prayers.
Rikr 19 years ago
I'm sure she will. You're a good man Drae..Keep standing beside her and keep her spirits up. I don't know why she feels the way she does about her looks. /boggle But I guess a lot of people would feel like that, in this type of situation. I'll keep you both in my prayers.
Mylec 19 years ago
Rikr
I'm sure she will. You're a good man Drae..Keep standing beside her and keep her spirits up. I don't know why she feels the way she does about her looks. /boggle But I guess a lot of people would feel like that, in this type of situation. I'll keep you both in my prayers.


What he said.
Mylec 19 years ago
Rikr
I'm sure she will. You're a good man Drae..Keep standing beside her and keep her spirits up. I don't know why she feels the way she does about her looks. /boggle But I guess a lot of people would feel like that, in this type of situation. I'll keep you both in my prayers.


What he said.
ROzbeans 19 years ago
Did you kiss her yet?
ROzbeans 19 years ago
Did you kiss her yet?
Draegloth 19 years ago
her white blood cell count is too low for anything like that. =(
she can't even go to the movies without a mask on.

but she should be mostly ok on that front by the christmas, and we're going to disney world for new year's, so we'll see what happens then.
Draegloth 19 years ago
her white blood cell count is too low for anything like that. =(
she can't even go to the movies without a mask on.

but she should be mostly ok on that front by the christmas, and we're going to disney world for new year's, so we'll see what happens then.
telloran 19 years ago
Good luck with that. It's a rough thing to go through. Best thing you can do is give her moral support.

I went through the same thing when I was a kid (as in, I was the one with cancer), and actually spent quite a bit of time in the hospital and at Dana Farber. I had tons of support from people (granted, I was only 9 years old at the time) throughout it, and it really did help improve my spirits.
telloran 19 years ago
Good luck with that. It's a rough thing to go through. Best thing you can do is give her moral support.

I went through the same thing when I was a kid (as in, I was the one with cancer), and actually spent quite a bit of time in the hospital and at Dana Farber. I had tons of support from people (granted, I was only 9 years old at the time) throughout it, and it really did help improve my spirits.
Draegloth 19 years ago
If you have to get cancer, Dana Farber is a great place to go. They have the most amazing nurses there...
Draegloth 19 years ago
If you have to get cancer, Dana Farber is a great place to go. They have the most amazing nurses there...
telloran 19 years ago
Yep.

Might sound a bit weird, but, if you're going to get cancer (like people plan for it, lol...), get it in Boston. We've got some of the best treatment facilities in the country here, for all ages.