Just found out that my wife's very dear Aunt has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. This just 2 years after Mrs. B.'s even dearer Grandma died.

I have just had to explain what will happen (chemotherapy etc.) and prepare Mrs. B. for the worst.

I really hate having to make her do that face.

http://xkcd.com/931/

(I am telling you guys because I need a space where I can say it out loud. However, East Germans being how they are, we are not telling the world. So if you could keep it within this forum I would appreciate it.)

As one of the hosts of a podcast I listen to says: "Fcuk the cancers!"

Unfortunately, that cartoon is pretty accurate. I've had people who've had say prostate cancer. They have it chopped out and they're technically "cured". But 10-15 years down the line, something happens - eg blurred vision, confusion, headache, or similar. They scan the head and that's when you see the metastases.

You cannot guarantee that you've killed every cancer cell, and it doesn't stop more cancer from developing.

My Dad survived 12 years after being diagnosed with prostate and he was very active for the majority of that only really going downhill in the last 6 months of his life. By the end it had spread to bones, brain and other organs. His brother has same cancer and it has only been a few years and he's already wheel chair bound. I think a lot of it is attitude and how you look after yourself. My dad kept busy, ate very well and has a lot of fresh, organic vegetables.

Sorry to hear the news. As someone who has seen it close up you can always have a vent or moan to me.

C

Exactly, C_W, and that's what I've had to tell Mrs. B. - in as non-scary a way as possible.

The worst part (for me) is that the Aunt in question is a consultant anesthesiologist, which means she knows the same level of horrible detail I do but , like me, can't really properly explain it to non-technical relatives. That must be torturous.

It's very difficult to explain to non-medical/in layman's terms especially if you're a medic. I've not recently had good health but despite this, I've not elected to tell my parents/family much.