A Fighting Spirit Won’t Save Your Life
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/opini ... f=homepage

I don't know what your technique is, but according to my mom's surgeon and ostomy nurse (mom has an ileostomy) the technique they taught us was change the wafer when you're lying down, that way the skin is flat around the stoma. Then put a light layer of Karaya powder on the excoriated skin, the the...

My mother was diagnosed with cancer recently. Cancer took away her sense of control over things. As her caretaker, it's given me time to appreciate my family more, has made me realize that it's OK if things don't go according to plan, and has made me a vegetarian.

My mom has an ileostomy and wears normal clothes, but prefers pants with elastic waists and tunic tops. You can only see the bag if it is really full (with air or otherwise). Usually it gets emptied when it is 1/3 of the way full. She tucks the bag into her normal undies and you wouldn't be able to ...

Thank you all for your replies and thank you for listening. I know it's not as hard on the caretaker since we don't have cancer, but it's hard when you have to do everything yourself (ostomy helper, nurse, psychiatrist, life coach, errand boy, cook, maid, etc.), and on top of that deal with someone ...

My mother was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. She has an ileostomy due to surgery complications and has been very (what I perceive as) overdramatic, emotional, and uncooperative. My mother started her first round of chemo this week. She's on the chemo as a prophylactic and as of December her ...

Thank you for sharing your story, wifeandmom. My mom's situation is similar to yours. She has an ileostomy now and still needs to go through chemo, but it's good to know what the road ahead might be. Good luck to you and your recovery!

You all know how much I hate the "cancer battle" metaphor. War of any kind is the antithesis of everything I've ever believed, and waging war against my own body just made how I felt worse. I totally agree. I also hate the "cancer battle" metaphor and terminology. As harsh as th...

I think what you're going through is perfectly normal. My mother has been recently diagnosed with Stage III cancer, and on the days when I find it too difficult to stay positive, I tend to be more angry rather than sad about things. Perhaps this isn't the healthiest of responses, but I feel less hel...

Thank you everyone for your advice. I don't think there is a correlation between pessimism and optimism and the immune system, but I do think there is a correlation between depression and the immune system. One can be depressed and be a pessimist, and one can be depressed and be an optimist. Since r...

My mother has cancer and she chose to tell only her boss, and some of our close family members who were helping out. My dad only told his brother and his boss, and I only told my boss. My mom sees it as a personal thing. She doesn't want to be pitied or gossiped over, and she doesn't want people to ...

Thank you for your replies, everyone. How should I respond when my mom talks about her feelings, symptoms, and pain? Is it enough to just listen? For those who have been in this situation, what response would you have wanted to hear? My mom does use maxi pads and this spray (?) type thing to clean t...

Thank you for your reply, Gaelen. I spoke to her doctor about her mindset and he told me that her response to this is normal, and he's seen his patients improve psychologically as they physically heal. My mom has always been a very anxious and depressive person even before her cancer diagnosis as we...

Hello all. I've been lurking on this board for awhile and I was wondering how others have dealt with depression and complications while going through cancer. My mother was recently diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer. She had a colon resection to remove the tumor, but has developed some complicati...