Day 73 - A Lazy Sunday

I only took a half a sleeping pill last night. That will be the plan tonight also. It was a very normal night, and I got up early feeling refreshed.

The one grab bar by the toilet feels like a good thing. There should be another by the toilet, and a few in the shower. I walked to the mall today. 6.2km. I looked at raised toilet seats, and bought two more grab rails.
I almost bought a raised toilet seat, but wasn't sure if Maddie would want to use one, so I needed one that goes on and off easily. The height worried me, so when back home I stacked books as a test to the same height as the one I think will be best. It is a good height for me. I'll buy it tomorrow.

While walking today, I was thinking how, when I introduce myself and my cancer type at chemo, none of the other cancer patients have ever heard of Angiosarcoma. I would like more people to know about it.

People think that cancer is cancer. Some cancers are trivial and not threatening at all, and some are very aggressive. Angiosarcoma has to be one of the worst.

So here is a short course on cancers, so you can be informed, and inform others.

Difference between sarcoma, and cancer.

Characteristics of Carcinomas

• Most common cancers in the world
• Comprise more than 90 percent of all cancers
• Primarily affect people age 50 or older
• Spread throughout body through blood and lymph
• May spread to lymph nodes, lungs and bones

  Carcinomas, originate in epithelial (like the lining of lungs) tissue.
Carcinomas include cancers of the breast, lung, kidney, colon, prostate, stomach and many other soft tissues.


Characteristics of Sarcomas

• Comprise about only 1 percent of all cancers
• Affect both young and old people
• Grow in ball-like masses
• Spread by satellite nodules
• May spread to lungs

Sarcomas are a rare form of cancerous tumors of the connective tissues.  Normal connective tissue include, fat, blood vessels, nerves, bones, muscles, deep skin tissues, and cartilage.

 Angiosarcomas - Angiosarcomas represent 1% of all sarcomas. It starts inside the veins. That makes it spread very quickly. One-third of the cases occur on the skin like mine did . Angiosarcoma is a type of Soft Tissue Sarcoma.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are approximately 11,280 new cases of soft tissue sarcoma in the United States each year and approximately 3,900 people die from it each year.

The most successful treatment for angiosarcoma is amputation of the affected limb. Chemotherapy may be administered if there is metastatic disease. If there is no evidence of metastasis beyond the limb,  chemotherapy may be given anyway due to the possibility of micrometastatic tumors, again like me. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of chemotherapy is, in many cases, unclear due to a wide variety of factors and rarity of angiosarcoma. However, there is some evidence to suggest that drugs such as paclitaxel (what I get), doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and gemcitabine slow tumor activity.

There is also Basil cell and Squamous cell carcinomas, but these grow slowly, and do not metastasize.

When talking with the dietitian, I thought about how I have terminal cancer, and they are chopping my leg off to try to slow it down, and she thinks I should eat another egg for breakfast. She doesn't see the elephant in the room.

I managed to hook up my refrigerator and washing machine to the solar inverter. I'll do laundry in the morning after the sun starts shining.