| Patrick Swayze
by peripatetically on 10 January 2009 7:02pm |
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| Sad news today about Patrick Swayze checking himself into the hospital with pneumonia. Due to his intense treatments, his immune system has become so weak. He's such a fighter, and I just want to express my support for him. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by tucsonmike on 10 January 2009 9:24pm |
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| I hope he pulls through as well. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by sighthound on 11 January 2009 12:41am |
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| Chemo leaves a person totally vunerable to any bacteria or virus they might encounter. I went through this with my cousin/virtual sister when she was fighting breast cancer. Any illness that is inconsequential to the rest of us can be life-threatening to a cancer patient. My cousin came out the other side and is now wonderfully healthy. I pray that Swayze will have the same fate. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by Spursfan on 11 January 2009 6:29am |
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Having an illness where the immune system attacks the muscles etc, I am taking immunosuppressant drugs to close it down and know just how, say, a cold affects me twice or even three times as bad as the husband (yes - even allowing for 'man flu'!!). I have to be careful and also have the flu vaccine (which I did on Friday - late because I was ill on the day I should've had it last October!) and have had a vaccine against pneumonia (you only need it once apparently).
To have to face all this as well as fighting cancer must be so hard for him. I hope he gets through it.
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by peripatetically on 11 January 2009 2:29pm |
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| Yes, I worked with patients on a daily basis during my entire career. Hematology was my main field. Of course, any patient, cancer stricken or not, had work done in my department of the laboratory. The least little thing that comes along can be fatal to suppressed systems. That's one reason why we saw these people so often, some daily, some less so. Everybody reacts to the drugs differently and snaps back at a different rate, if at all. patrick has a battle on his hands and I wish him the very best. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by bIG bLOGGER on 11 January 2009 3:05pm |
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Patrick Swayze,56 years old,was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January,2008,and has already undergone surgery to have part of his stomach removed,but they then told him his cancer had metastised.
He has had chemotherapy,radiotherapy,and other less conventional treatments.
It is ironic that although he has always led a vigorous outdoor lifestyle (he and his wife Lisa Niemi are keen horse-riders),he was criticised in the press for wilfully continuing to smoke 3 packs a day even when undergoing therapy at Stanford Medical Facility.
I'm very sorry to say,I don't think he is going to make it.
There are lots of unanswered questions on what is the best way to deal with an aggressive cancer like this.In many previous cases,chemotherapy has proven itself to be both dangerous and ineffective. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by peripatetically on 11 January 2009 5:02pm |
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| Yes, you are right, His odds are not good to recover fully. There have been some cases that have been cured, but it's very rare. My neighbor died from this about 7 years ago. Sad. He was an active, robust individual and the surgery he had helped to delay the inevitable. But a couple years later, he was gone. He beat the odds on how long he survived, however. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by mrsthing on 11 January 2009 10:16pm |
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Physical fitness seems to help with some cancers, but not all. My cousin's beloved partner was a rugged, outdoorsy type who was an athlete in high school and college and stayed fit her whole life. She had qualified for her captain's license and was running women's windjammer cruises (week-long shipboard retreats) the year before she found out she had ovarian cancer at the age of 65. She died the following year.
Then there are other people, like a woman I knew who was so fat she had to use crutches to walk, ignored her diabetes for 20 years, smoked for most of her adult life, and lived to be 60 years old with hardly any health problems of note. She also died of cancer, but not of the lung or pancreas, as you might expect. It was breast cancer. (Yes, I know obesity is a factor in that, but I just couldn't believe her morbid obesity didn't give her more health problems than she had.)
I know that being physically fit and eating properly boost the immune system and greatly increase your chances of resisting illness and living a long, healthy life, but they're not a guarantee. |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by peripatetically on 12 January 2009 1:58am |
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| Patrick has certainly led a physically fit life with all that dancing. The cigarettes surprise me, however. His performances usually required a lot of breath to complete . very physical. But, at this point, if he wants to smoke, I wouldn't take the pleasure away from him. He knows the risks and if it makes him happy, why fight it? |
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| Re: Patrick Swayze
by kazzzz on 12 January 2009 5:29am |
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| I'va known a couple of people that never smoked a cigarette in their lives to get lung cancer:( I agree that looking after yourself is always the best way but things like cancer are pot?bad luck:( |
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