water and chemotherapy

[Pats]

I took my daughter in law's mother for her first chemo treatment this past Thursday. With all the teaching, one thing stood out to me that I just can't get off my mind.
So this chemo drugs destroys cells - all growing cells, not just the bad ones. And it's handled as any bio-hazard. She was asked if she shares a bathroom, which she does. Then she was instructed to flush twice after every use so the next person would not be at risk of any residual splashing up on them. That's how bad this stuff is. Also these chemo drugs are carcinogens and bladder cancer is a high risk of anyone receiving chemo therapy.

Well, I know they are finding medication residuals in our water supply from discarded meds being flushed. Yes, the water is filtered and recycled and put back into our rivers and lakes, which eventually becomes our drinking water again. I know it's filtered, but they can not filter out 100% of the toxins we are putting in it. And some drugs, like chemo drugs, put cancer causing particles into the air if boiled. I would think that spring water would be the safest water to drink, but all in all, we are poisoning all the ground water with every kind of toxin.

I'm not saying chemo is not good, but they need to come up with a way to get the residual wastes to a bio-hazard dump, instead of into the water supply. (Don't know why I'm letting this bother me so much - I don't even drink water because it gives me heartburn.)

 

[Pats]

And to add to how insane this world is:
We know to avoid xrays and all these radiology tests as much as possible because too much exposure is harmful. Could there be any correlation in having so many mammograms and breast cancer? So let's keep a close check to make certain you don't have cancer by exposing you to a cancer causing gamma ray.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

And to add to how insane this world is:
We know to avoid xrays and all these radiology tests as much as possible because too much exposure is harmful. Could there be any correlation in having so many mammograms and breast cancer? So let's keep a close check to make certain you don't have cancer by exposing you to a cancer causing gamma ray.

I thought mammograms caused autism.

Explains why a lot of women seem to have it these days....

There couldn't possibly be another explanation.

(Runs and hides)

 

[Pats]

I thought mammograms caused autism.

Explains why a lot of woman seem to have it these days....

There couldn't possibly be another explanation.

(Runs and hides)

(We will find you.)

 

[Bolletje]

And to add to how insane this world is:
We know to avoid xrays and all these radiology tests as much as possible because too much exposure is harmful. Could there be any correlation in having so many mammograms and breast cancer? So let's keep a close check to make certain you don't have cancer by exposing you to a cancer causing gamma ray.

In screening with radiology, there's always a calculation of risk of cancer vs chance of finding cancer and benefits of detecting said cancer at an early stage. If the risks are greater than the benefits, the screening isn't implemented. In the case of breast cancer screening, the dosage of radiation over the period of time at which you're screened (one dose of radiation once every five years in my country) isn't enough to significantly increase your risk of cancer. One of the reasons for increased incidence of breast cancer is that the age group in which screening is performed has been expanded to include older women. This has lead to cancer being detected in women in which it could otherwise have been missed.

 

[Pats]

In screening with radiology, there's always a calculation of risk of cancer vs chance of finding cancer and benefits of detecting said cancer at an early stage. If the risks are greater than the benefits, the screening isn't implemented. In the case of breast cancer screening, the dosage of radiation over the period of time at which you're screened (one dose of radiation once every five years in my country) isn't enough to significantly increase your risk of cancer. One of the reasons for increased incidence of breast cancer is that the age group in which screening is performed has been expanded to include older women. This has lead to cancer being detected in women in which it could otherwise have been missed.

Here they want women at age 45 to begin yearly screenings. And until you're 75, they want you to have one every 1-2 years, at least. I've never been one to stick to guidelines - but every 5 years seems much more appropriate.

 

[Mia]

Here they want women at age 45 to begin yearly screenings. And until you're 75, they want you to have one every 1-2 years, at least. I've never been one to stick to guidelines - but every 5 years seems much more appropriate.

I'm part of a breast cancer study, in the control group. Mammogram every year. I hate going for these things, they hurt. Wish it was every five years.

 

[Ken S.]

Chemotherapy is hell on earth and if treatment doesn't kill you the after effects are no better.

 

[clg114]

I took my daughter in law's mother for her first chemo treatment this past Thursday. With all the teaching, one thing stood out to me that I just can't get off my mind.
So this chemo drugs destroys cells - all growing cells, not just the bad ones. And it's handled as any bio-hazard. She was asked if she shares a bathroom, which she does. Then she was instructed to flush twice after every use so the next person would not be at risk of any residual splashing up on them. That's how bad this stuff is. Also these chemo drugs are carcinogens and bladder cancer is a high risk of anyone receiving chemo therapy.

Well, I know they are finding medication residuals in our water supply from discarded meds being flushed. Yes, the water is filtered and recycled and put back into our rivers and lakes, which eventually becomes our drinking water again. I know it's filtered, but they can not filter out 100% of the toxins we are putting in it. And some drugs, like chemo drugs, put cancer causing particles into the air if boiled. I would think that spring water would be the safest water to drink, but all in all, we are poisoning all the ground water with every kind of toxin.

I'm not saying chemo is not good, but they need to come up with a way to get the residual wastes to a bio-hazard dump, instead of into the water supply. (Don't know why I'm letting this bother me so much - I don't even drink water because it gives me heartburn.)

I think it is kind of scary that so many bad things go into the sewers. About ten years ago I had bladder cancer. I was treated with Immuntherapy instead of Chemotherapy. They injected something called BCG directly into my empty bladder. This stuff is so nasty that I was told to pour bleach in the bowl after I urinated for the first time after treatment. This was to kill the tuberculosis bacteria that is in the BCG. I do not know how well the water treatment plants work. But they better be very good, or all this will catch up to us some day.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I think it is kind of scary that so many bad things go into the sewers. About ten years ago I had bladder cancer. I was treated with Immuntherapy instead of Chemotherapy. They injected something called BCG directly into my empty bladder. This stuff is so nasty that I was told to pour bleach in the bowl after I urinated for the first time after treatment. This was to kill the tuberculosis bacteria that is in the BCG. I do not know how well the water treatment plants work. But they better be very good, or all this will catch up to us some day.

Let's all drink coke.

Oh wait....

 

[Peter Morrison]

Well, I know they are finding medication residuals in our water supply from discarded meds being flushed. Yes, the water is filtered and recycled and put back into our rivers and lakes, which eventually becomes our drinking water again. I know it's filtered, but they can not filter out 100% of the toxins we are putting in it. And some drugs, like chemo drugs, put cancer causing particles into the air if boiled. I would think that spring water would be the safest water to drink, but all in all, we are poisoning all the ground water with every kind of toxin.

This is all part of our consciousness of pollution. We created a problem that can't be remedied without removing ourselves completely from nature. We produce waste above and beyond what nature was able to handle on a small scale. Our organic waste enhances the earth while our advancement in chemistry has ruined those resources that are meant to keep us and other living things alive. Our advanced brains are extremely short-sighted. The damage has been done and nature has to manage its repair on its own. Nature is amazingly powerful and will not be controlled just because humans find it inconvenient. We don't respect nature and we are too lazy and selfish to act responsibly. We may have to move to another planet once we ruin this one, if we even make it to that point. In the meantime, protect yourself on your own terms. There are no rules or authorities to oversee corrective measures, just personal consciousness.

 

[Progster]

She was asked if she shares a bathroom, which she does. Then she was instructed to flush twice after every use so the next person would not be at risk of any residual splashing up on them. That's how bad this stuff is. Also these chemo drugs are carcinogens and bladder cancer is a high risk of anyone receiving chemo therapy.

I have had chemotherapy, and was not given such instructions, though the chemicals given are not the same for every cancer and vary in toxicity. If that's getting into the water supply, then it's a concern. This may be old news, but I heard about things like the contraceptive pill releasing estrogen into the water supply, which was affecting wldlife and potentially affecting humans too - both their fertility and putting them at greater risk of breast cancer.

Could there be any correlation in having so many mammograms and breast cancer? So let's keep a close check to make certain you don't have cancer by exposing you to a cancer causing gamma ray

I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago after having my very first ever mammogram - x-rays (not gamma rays; that truly would be very dangerous ) X-rays are known to increase the risk of getting cancer, but as @Bolletje points out, it is a caluculated risk; in a woman's lifetime , there is a 1 in 8 chance that she will develop breast cancer, and the benefits of early cancer detection outweigh the risk of the x-ray exposure of one mammogram per year. As part of my treatment, I had radiotherapy. There is an increased risk of cancer from this treatment, but again, it is balanced against the risk of recurrence, which is greatly reduced by having the treatment. A thing about cancer is that it is often not possible to pinpoint any one particular culprit, as both environmental factors and genetics can play a role. Ther may be one obvious cause or major contributing factor such as smoking or exposure to radiation, or there may not be any obvious cause and you just got unlucky.

 

[Ken S.]

I have had chemotherapy, and was not given such instructions, though the chemicals given are not the same for every cancer and vary in toxicity. If that's getting into the water supply, then it's a concern. This may be old news, but I heard about things like the contraceptive pill releasing estrogen into the water supply, which was affecting wldlife and potentially affecting humans too - both their fertility and putting them at greater risk of breast cancer.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago after having my very first ever mammogram - x-rays (not gamma rays; that truly would be very dangerous ) X-rays are known to increase the risk of getting cancer, but as @Bolletje points out, it is a caluculated risk; in a woman's lifetime , there is a 1 in 8 chance that she will develop breast cancer, and the benefits of early cancer detection outweigh the risk of the x-ray exposure of one mammogram per year. As part of my treatment, I had radiotherapy. There is an increased risk of cancer from this treatment, but again, it is balanced against the risk of recurrence, which is greatly reduced by having the treatment. A thing about cancer is that it is often not possible to pinpoint any one particular culprit, as both environmental factors and genetics can play a role. Ther may be one obvious cause or major contributing factor such as smoking or exposure to radiation, or there may not be any obvious cause and you just got unlucky.

I have been through Chemotherapy myself and from my personal experience from it my life has been close to unbearable since. At one point a few years ago I can even tell you what the barrel of a gun taste like. If I had it to do over again I wold have let the cancer take me rather than deal with the crap I have had to deal with ever since. Chemo pretty much destroyed how I feel & who I was.

 

[LucyPurrs]

That's awful Ken S. Sounds like the cure was as bad as the disease. I'm sorry you had to experience that! I had breast cancer but thankfully didn't need either chemo or radiation. Now cancer free for 2 years. But it's shocking how many on this forum have had or have cancer.

 

[Pats]

I have been through Chemotherapy myself and from my personal experience from it my life has been close to unbearable since. At one point a few years ago I can even tell you what the barrel of a gun taste like. If I had it to do over again I wold have let the cancer take me rather than deal with the crap I have had to deal with ever since. Chemo pretty much destroyed how I feel & who I was.

I'm really sorry, Ken, that it has taken so much away from you.

I know many here have had to have chemo , are currently receiving chemo or will in the future and I wish there was an easier way for you all. My heart goes out to each of you, it really does.

 

[Ken S.]

Thank you Pat. My life hasn't been easy but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even the bad experiences.

 

[Ken S.]

That's awful Ken S. Sounds like the cure was as bad as the disease. I'm sorry you had to experience that! I had breast cancer but thankfully didn't need either chemo or radiation. Now cancer free for 2 years. But it's shocking how many on this forum have had or have cancer.

Thank You Lucy. It was quite a humbling experience and made me more empathetic to what other people have to deal with (Both NT & ND) so it was in a way a blessing. I'm still & always will be a smart ass though.

 

[Progster]

I have been through Chemotherapy myself and from my personal experience from it my life has been close to unbearable since. At one point a few years ago I can even tell you what the barrel of a gun taste like. If I had it to do over again I wold have let the cancer take me rather than deal with the crap I have had to deal with ever since. Chemo pretty much destroyed how I feel & who I was.

Chemo sucks The chemo itself didn't affect me so badly as it is known to affect other people, because I had a 'light' version - only 4 sessions. I was stage 1 and the cancer was removed on surgery, the chemo and radiotherapy were preventative, given to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence. Since then, I have not been myself though - I have had concentration and memory difficulties, I feel like I slowed down and lost a few IQ points along the way. I used to have a really good memory for facts, now it's hit or miss whether I will remember something or not. I feel kind of floaty and spaced out all the time. Coffee and exercise help, but definitely not myself I was thrown into premature menopause and I also take tamoxifen, an estrogen blocker, which also has similar side effects to the chemobrain, so it's hard to know what is actually causing these symptoms - the hormone therapy and premature menopause, or side effects of chemotherapy. My doctor told me that these symptoms should stop after two to three years, and that also it might be caused by PTSD, because I was in such a bad way when the cancer was first diagnosed, but two years on and I still have them

 

[LucyPurrs]

I also take tamoxifen, an estrogen blocker, which also has similar side effects to the chemobrain,

Wow, Progster, I'm taking something similar to prevent recurrence but I didn't know that it might be causing my difficulty concentrating and some memory issues. Since I'm older, I've already been through menopause so that hasn't been an issue. But now I wonder if some other things may be side effects which I'd never considered.

 

[Streetwise]

Wow, Progster, I'm taking something similar to prevent recurrence but I didn't know that it might be causing my difficulty concentrating and some memory issues. Since I'm older, I've already been through menopause so that hasn't been an issue. But now I wonder if some other things may be side effects which I'd never considered.

did you not read the side-effects before you began to take that it's the reason my mother never took the only medicine there was for Lou Gehrig's disease 20 years ago I've never seen a longer list of side-effects in my life