So I never dived deep into the few weeks before my cancer detection and how I actually came to realize what's going on...well here we go:
It was early 2010 and I had just come back from a 3 month work/pleasure trip to Germany and excited to start my consulting career for the company here in the US...for some reason though I kept getting sick - first a cold; then bronchitis; and then...strep throat (no I didn't kiss anyone to get it!)...somehow my immune system was just acting unusual...then one morning around 6am (my then usual time to wake up for a coffee n jog) I felt like a knife had gone into my belly and I was about to throw up every/anything that was inside of me...luckily nothing came up :-) but from then on I was accompanied by a stomache ache that wouldn't let go.
Obviously my first thought was food poisoning as the night before I hosted Dai Amean n Anne-joon for a Mexican dish night and well...I ain't Mexican...they were OK though (and I still wasn't Mexican), but the damn stomach ache kept on aching...
A few days later I went to my doc and he gave me the usual "I don't know what's happening with you" speech...first it was the strep throat antibiotics I had used...the it was a lack of pro-biotics in me...then it was acid reflux...makes me feel like sometimes doctors just guess at things, and prescribe drugs for the fun of it - like 'lets see what side effect this guy will have when mixing Viagra and Cialis' (no my libido is just fine...thank you very much!)
This PhD guessing game went on for a few weeks and during the time I took it on my own to try some non-prescribed methods of healing as well...obviously being part of the binary generation I consulted the mighty Google gods first and diagnosed myself with having an ulcer...acid reflux...monthly cramps...etc...hah...imagine me at CVS Pharmacy at 8am buying "colon-aid...nobody told me what it's supposed to do, but it had "Aid" in the name - so why not try it for a stomach ache...
Actually the only thing that was effective at all was exercise and hanging out with Rebecca...my body became balanced (90% of the time) when I exercised and 100% of the time when I shared the amazing company of Rebecca (which always involved the gym, jogging, soccer, kung-fu, tai-chi, soccer-tennis, tennis, etc...)...so I exercised...ran, swam, lifted weights, etc at least 2x every day...this though was just a short remedy for an ache that keps moving and spreading...
Finally after a few weeks of no answers from my doctor (and now a lack of trust in Persian non-family related doctors) I got some great advice from the family advice giver...maman joon...and went to a GI specialist. By now my symptoms had gotten worse (obviously) so I was glad to get some real expert help from a trusted specialist Dr. H...he's fantastic! but he couldn't even figure out what was happening until...he asked me to go for a CAT/PAT scan...and BOOM! it was all clear now...I have cancer...what type?...a good one :-)...now lets start healing!
So good news / bad news...
The good news first - I know I have cancer and walking the path of healing and health...I don't know how long it will take, or if it will ever - but I'm optimistic and realize that NOW, this very moment is what my life is...so I choose to be happy...and I have found so much love around me that it makes my heart skip a beat sometimes.
For the bad - well I am going through a lot...A LOT...as a 31 yr old starting my own business it was probably the worse time for this to happen...but the bright side is that you 21 /31 /41 /51 /61 year olds reading my post might be able to have a moment of clarity about cancer and early detection...
At our age doctors discriminate...unless symptoms of a sickness fall into a special category they think that at this age we won't find cancer or other threatening challenges in our path...WRONG...if there's one thing I would like for all of you to be aware of is early detection and managing your docs to make sure they are giving you all the attention necessary...
OK, well that's how it happened, and through it all I have felt so many things...the best in life like falling in love with RN, realizing a mothers dedication, and feeling the love of family and loved ones gush into my heart...and I have felt the worst in life...but no need to get into that part...because life is good baby!
LOVE
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God I love you. Thank you for writing about early detection cous. As was the case with me, with no family history (until now) mixed with ignorance and a OBGYN who brushed off my lump as a cyst, I waited until the lump was too hard to ignore - which got me to Stage 3 - almost Stage 4. I also had strep throat about 2 months prior to diagnoses - weakened immunity.
ReplyDeleteNot to live in a state of fear, but to address your point - listen to our bodies, advocate for ourselves - doctors are not omnipotent and the great ones will admit that.
Do what you can to treat your body well - consume good things for your body, love well and your body will do it's very best to return the favor.
Thank you for posting today. I love hearing your voice. :)
ME
I am so proud of you. You will overcome it.
ReplyDeleteI pray for you everyday. Victory will be soon.
AG
Amir already knows this, but he caused me to investigate my "minor" medical complaints that I had been ignoring as too small to care; but with his encouragement, I went to a GI to check something out, I knew things should be ok, but it felt amazing to find out with certainty. I had both an endoscopy and colonoscopy just a month ago, and as a result my 2 issues have been investigated and taken care of. I am the same age as Amir, 31, and yes, I have to say in this day and age, you have to be your own doctor... especially since insurance companies would rather you wait until 50. Well, I want to let you all know that the process and procedure of a colonoscopy and endoscopy was no big deal at all... It didn't hurt, the prep of colon cleansing wasn't as bad as people say and the piece of mind totally worth it. Though they took some biopsies nothing hurt at all... and like I mentioned, they prevented something from potentially getting worse. As the technology exists and is affordable, you all should make it a priority to put yourself and loved ones first and have things checked out, including getting extensive baseline blood work. I'm by no means a hypochondriac, but waiting until the magic number of 50 is silly, and at a minimum, having the baseline for comparison can be useful. Just think, executives and directors get full medical exams, why shouldn't the rest of us... we pamper our cars when they get sick and we even do preventative maintenance on them, and they are totally replaceable. Let's treat our bodies better... Thank you Amir for the encouragement... you are most definitely my brother from another mother :) and I thoroughly enjoy the time we spend together hanging out; you are one of two of my longest friends, dating back nearly 20 years. I look forward to many many more years of friendship as we support your healing. With love, Jason E.
ReplyDeleteAmir, you are an inspiration to me... to take it one day at a time, to live in the moment, and to be happy! Thank you for that little morsel today. :) -Sophie
ReplyDeleteso great to see you back at the blog Amir joonam...I know a few other 20 and 30 year olds who ignored the little signs, and sure enough it was the big C when they finally investigated further. with all the garbage in our food, water, air and soil these days we should be aware that 'normal' today is much, much, MUCH more different than what it was for just a generation before us...what may have been acid reflux in our grandfathers became ulcer in our fathers, and worse in us...it's a blessing that you are such an athlete, your body and mind is stronger than most and so handled this with much more ease than a coach potato would have. Doctors are only human too, with limited knowledge of a great, complicated machine that is our body...we should always keep that in mind and be adamant about proper care.
ReplyDeletehugs to you, tubes and all...
t
Ok, the cat is outta the bag, isn't the dude handling life great? I know you all love good news on Amir so here it is Team Amir.
ReplyDeleteJust got back from ...
as the doc put it ...
oil and filter checks and the result is ...
drum roll please ...
all body parts and plumbing are draining great and as they should ...
all body fluids at or near ranges they should be ...
ANNNNNNND ...
ready team AMIR ...
I said drum roll please ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Bili boy down to 1.8 and heading lower (so I added the heading lower on my own, sue me ;)
Celebrating good times ... come on ...
Celebrating good times ... come on ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M
Daee "not sure why that tune popped up in my head" E :D
YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
ReplyDelete1.8 WOW!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! Woooohooooooooo! We're almost there... :DDD
Now I have to go back and read my previous guesses to see if I won a trip to Hawaii!
MAAAAACH MAAAAAACH!
Thanks Daee-e Amir! Thanks for the Great news!
Thanks Eamen for the good news :)
ReplyDeleteIm so happy to hear the good news. Thank you Daie Eamen
ReplyDelete:)))
ReplyDelete