Farrah's Story

OK, I know the special about Farrah Fawcett's battle with anal cancer was on TV a looooong time ago, but I just tonight got up the nerve to watch it (I taped it 'cause I was busy the night it was originally on, but since then I've been too scared to watch it!).

Anyway, man -- she has been through a LOT in the three years since she was diagnosed! Back and forth many times to Germany and a hospital in Los Angeles, with painful treatments that left her exhausted in bed. My treatment has been a breeze compared to hers, so I feel like our experiences are miles apart.

For one thing, she didn't have surgery like the doctors suggested in the beginning. Instead, she opted for just radiation and chemo. She only had the surgery much later, when the tumor came back.

Plus, she apparently didn't have a "port" put in like I did. So she got all of her treatment through the veins in her arms, which eventually got so bad it took the nurses TWO HOURS to find a vein during one of her later treatments! And, she had lots of bruises on her arms, from the repeated and painful needle sticks, I'm supposing.

And, even though the cancer had spread to her liver, they didn't even mention having lymph nodes removed, so I'm wondering if perhaps she didn't have that surgery (which really can have some bad side effects and complications -- such as necrotic tissue and lymphedema, or swelling -- my lymph-node surgeon really SCARED me about it before mine was done).

But, all in all, I'm glad I watched the program. I applaud Farrah for baring her soul and cancer experience (she even showed viewers her bald head, her vomiting and her writhing in agony -- I'm not sure I could do that). Hearing her talk about cancer made my heart wrench, but I thought her words were pretty much "right on" in many ways.

Even though my treatment hasn't been all that bad, I still wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's lost time -- from treatments and doctor visits (I hate using my "vacation" days for chemo treatments). It's lost energy, which means a lot of things get "postponed" (like regular house cleaning -- hey, on second thought, maybe that's a PLUS!). It's all the little side effects that are so annoying. It's sort of a loss of innocence, too, because every time you have a scan, you're afraid the doctors might find something ominous. And it's a loss of money, ha, because even though you have insurance, you still have to pay a portion of the bills yourself -- that's money you would have rather used elsewhere.

But enough of my whining (I almost spelled it "wining" -- a Freudian slip because of my affinity for wine?). On the plus side, I still feel pretty good. I don't sweat "the small stuff" anymore. I enjoy the simple things in life even more. And, amazingly, I'm still happy most of the time!

As for Farrah, I'm amazed at her courage to show her struggle to millions of people nationwide, and I've gained a new respect for the actress. So I'm adding her to my prayer list and pulling for her to beat this!

Until next time ...
P