Ive been in Aviation for 34 years. Before that i was working with wood and creosote for 6 years. This was before health and safety so ppe was non existent so its highly likely that somewhere along the line petrochemical products got where they shouldnt. But at the end of the day even used engine oil can be carcinogenic and ive been messing with cars and bikes for 40 years. I guess it will never be proven, no "smoking gun". Ultimately ive got it now and its not going away. However, when i was in Addenbrooks a nurse said to me that they are on the cusp of it being something you die with not die from. Who knows whats 5 or 10 years down the line. I saw a video of a Dr talking about Myeloma and he said when hes asked whats the best way to combat the disease he just says "stay alive!" Medicine is moving so fast the longer you can keep going the closer they are to finding a permanent fix.
Very good news regarding Cancer treatment today
- Thread starter Mr. Cricket
- Start date
Mr. Cricket
Committee Member
Do you mind sharing what side affects you suffered Andy?
We are very close to seeing Chemo without side affects which will be amazing and then offer those with underlying health issues the opportunity to now have Chemo and for patients to receive as much as they need not just the minimum safe amount (MTD) Avacta have promised PK data before year end to hopefully demonstrate this.
Roscobbc
Moderator
Seem to recall reading a survey a few years ago about employment risks in certain sections of society relating to illness and disease in retirement and attributed to specific trades....I'm sure it was an American survey, also including the military. There was a disproportionate percentage of aircraft fueling, servicing and arnament personnel who suffered various cancers, both during service and later in retirement. One would be tempted to blame handling gasoline due to lead content fuels. But I would have thought that military use of the (now) lo-lead gasoline would be very limited and mainly used by private aviation. I wonder if ultra high lead content gasoline is available/used in vintage warbirds......didn't some use 130 or higher octane gas?
Going back in the early 80's when 5 star petrol was phased out in the UK the factory 'saturday night special' Mustang I owned at the timr had 12.2 compression ratio as stock and I needed to use tetraethyl lead additive to hype-up the octate level. It was later discontinued (classed as a dangerous chemical) - very nasty stuff and so easy to get lead poisoning by ingested into your body even by accidently spilling on your skin!
Going back in the early 80's when 5 star petrol was phased out in the UK the factory 'saturday night special' Mustang I owned at the timr had 12.2 compression ratio as stock and I needed to use tetraethyl lead additive to hype-up the octate level. It was later discontinued (classed as a dangerous chemical) - very nasty stuff and so easy to get lead poisoning by ingested into your body even by accidently spilling on your skin!
The bit in bold, exactly what my brother in law was told.
Side effects of chemo were tiredness, not sleepy type tired but just no energy tired. I would get up after a good nights sleep and within 30 mins be knackered and felt like going back to bed. A change in bowel movements, very loose stools. Just generally feeling meh. Tinnitus. Was on liquid morphine which has its own side effects. I was on chemotherapy to kill the cancer but also more medication to stop it killing me too! The chemo also caused peripheral neuropathy in my feet which 2 years on i still have. Pain and altered sensation. Its really not nice but much much better than it was to begin with. It may be that i have permanent nerve damage in my feet now.
Transplant was far far worse. Never felt so ill. Was in Addenbrooks for almost a month. I can fully understand why some choose not to go through with it or not to repeat it after a relapse. Thats a decision i will need to make in the future but unless youve been through it you cant really understand why someone would choose a shorter life rather than having to go through it a second time. It totally wipes your immune system and that plays havoc with your body.
Im now on Lenalidamide which is a less nasty form of Thalidomide that i was on during my chemo. It keeps the cancer at bay and increases the time before a relapse. The list of possible side effects is impressive, especially the one right at the bottom that simply states may cause death....
Long term side effects for me are, tiredness still, inability to walk more than a few minutes without needing to rest, peripheral neuropathy in my feet, tinnitus, headaches, loss of strength in my legs, possibly due to compression of my spinal cord due to the damage to my spine, inability to eat even mildly spicy foods without it going through me within minutes. Random cramps. At night i get bad cramp in my calves and more annoyingly i get cramp in my fingers and i cant move them. Theres no pattern to it, it just happens randomly.
Now this all may sound really quite awful but in reality its just my new normal. You just adapt and live with it. And lets be honest, its better than the alternative!