I have Cancer :/ -- another new nodule 2/20/26

[HellToupee]

Geez this sucks. Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers ,  I’m a semi-good Catholic. You’re one tough hombre and no doubt you will beat this battle 

 

[edjr]

get better man! -Pearl Jam

 

Some on this board applaud cancer

[mmmmm...beer]

Praying for you Jerry.

[Hawkeye21]

Keep kicking ass.

[Twinsdad]

Keep fighting Jerry!! Kick it's ass!

[Fnord]

Best wishes, Jerry. Let us know if you need anything. 

[jerryskids]

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

[FrancieFootball]

1 minute ago, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

That sucks, bro.

[The Elevator Killer]

I hate to hear that Jerry. God's speed in your recovery. 

[Meglamaniac]

20 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

Go ahead and buy some sunburn lotion now before your first session, you are going to need it

[DonS]

Fuuuuccccckkkkkk. Sending you my best, my throat cancer Eskimo brother. 

[thegeneral]

8 hours ago, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

Damn man. Sorry to hear. Hoping for better news for you down the road.

[artista928]

23 hours ago, Meglamaniac said:

Go ahead and buy some sunburn lotion now before your first session, you are going to need it

They have creams specific for radiation burns. I used Miaderm with Aquafor on top.

[Meglamaniac]

3 minutes ago, artista928 said:

They have creams specific for radiation burns. I used Miaderm with Aquafor on top.

Yea, I know, I don't recall what my wife used I was just letting Jerry know he would be sunburned

[naomi]

I'm sorry to hear this, Jerry. And apologies if you find it frustrating (I know people can get overwhelmed by others giving health "advice"), but I just want to say that ample (above ample) Vitamin D is really important. 

Both the UK and the US have recommended Vitamin D levels that are most likely below what they should be. And most labs reference optimal levels with the bone system rather than the immune system in mind. People respond to cancer treatment better when they're getting enough high quality Vit D.
 

 

[Big Blue 06]

On 2/23/2026 at 11:42 AM, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

#####!   Sorry to hear this brother.

 

and the DOCTOR is out sick?   If you can show up, I think he can too.

[artista928]

I

18 hours ago, Big Blue 06 said:

#####!   Sorry to hear this brother.

 

and the DOCTOR is out sick?   If you can show up, I think he can too.

You want a sick dr to show up, even if he something like the flu?? Tbh, starting rads 4 days later isn't a big thing. I was 2 months late for surgery because my surgeon & plastic surgeon's schedule didn't match up.. 1 month late with chemo due to infection of the drainage areas & 1 week late to start rads due to pneumonia. My TNM didn't change & I had an aggressive fast growing tumour.

[Big Blue 06]

21 minutes ago, artista928 said:

I

You want a sick dr to show up, even if he something like the flu?? Tbh, starting rads 4 days later isn't a big thing. I was 2 months late for surgery because my surgeon & plastic surgeon's schedule didn't match up.. 1 month late with chemo due to infection of the drainage areas & 1 week late to start rads due to pneumonia. My TMN didn't change & I had an aggressive fast growing tumour.

Fair enough and a fine point.  It just struck my ear funny that the doctor called out sick after what Jerry was talking about.

[Big Guy]

On 2/23/2026 at 9:42 AM, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

praying for you man!

[jerryskids]

22 hours ago, artista928 said:

They have creams specific for radiation burns. I used Miaderm with Aquafor on top.

 

22 hours ago, Meglamaniac said:

Yea, I know, I don't recall what my wife used I was just letting Jerry know he would be sunburned

 

17 hours ago, naomi said:

I'm sorry to hear this, Jerry. And apologies if you find it frustrating (I know people can get overwhelmed by others giving health "advice"), but I just want to say that ample (above ample) Vitamin D is really important. 

Both the UK and the US have recommended Vitamin D levels that are most likely below what they should be. And most labs reference optimal levels with the bone system rather than the immune system in mind. People respond to cancer treatment better when they're getting enough high quality Vit D.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the suggestions.  Artista, your recs during my chemo were invaluable (I've passed them on to others) and thanks for the reminder of Miaderm, which I used during my last radiation, probably on your rec.  I just ordered a new tube.  Megla, I appreciate any insights you have from your wife's experience.

Naomi, non need to apologize.  I probably get "enough" Vitamin D, as I eat all of the foods that have it (red meat, egg yolks, salmon, etc.) and I spend a lot of time outdoors in Phoenix.  But I just looked it up and see that there are benefits in both immune response and elimination of irradiated tumor cells.  I'll definitely ask the doctor about it.

Also Artista, I appreciate the comments about the delay not mattering.  The onc said the same thing 5 years ago when I was about to start chemo, but was going on a trip for a week.  Thing is, I'm sensitive because back before my laryngectomy, I took some time to mull over the decision to have the surgery (it was life changing of course, and I could have tried chemo/radiation) which caused maybe a two week delay in surgery.  The tumor was in my neck, and I could feel and see the size difference in that time.  I'll always wonder if I had just accepted the surgery, if I could have avoided metastasis.  Couple that with the size of this one:  it is 2.6 cm, which is 2.5x larger than the largest one they targeted with chemo.  And that is misleading, because diameter is a linear measurement, but a tumor is 3D, so you need to cube 2.5 which is 15X the volume of that earlier one.  And it is growing quickly, it didn't show on the CT scan 3 months ago.  IMO, every increase in size, even if they can get it, is a larger part of my lung which needs to get pulverized.  Which reminds me, I need to ask the rad onc about lung function after all of this.

Hopefully the doc is feeling better and I'll meet him tomorrow.   

[artista928]

20 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

 

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the suggestions.  Artista, your recs during my chemo were invaluable (I've passed them on to others) and thanks for the reminder of Miaderm, which I used during my last radiation, probably on your rec.  I just ordered a new tube.  Megla, I appreciate any insights you have from your wife's experience.

Naomi, non need to apologize.  I probably get "enough" Vitamin D, as I eat all of the foods that have it (red meat, egg yolks, salmon, etc.) and I spend a lot of time outdoors in Phoenix.  But I just looked it up and see that there are benefits in both immune response and elimination of irradiated tumor cells.  I'll definitely ask the doctor about it.

Also Artista, I appreciate the comments about the delay not mattering.  The onc said the same thing 5 years ago when I was about to start chemo, but was going on a trip for a week.  Thing is, I'm sensitive because back before my laryngectomy, I took some time to mull over the decision to have the surgery (it was life changing of course, and I could have tried chemo/radiation) which caused maybe a two week delay in surgery.  The tumor was in my neck, and I could feel and see the size difference in that time.  I'll always wonder if I had just accepted the surgery, if I could have avoided metastasis.  Couple that with the size of this one:  it is 2.6 cm, which is 2.5x larger than the largest one they targeted with chemo.  And that is misleading, because diameter is a linear measurement, but a tumor is 3D, so you need to cube 2.5 which is 15X the volume of that earlier one.  And it is growing quickly, it didn't show on the CT scan 3 months ago.  IMO, every increase in size, even if they can get it, is a larger part of my lung which needs to get pulverized.  Which reminds me, I need to ask the rad onc about lung function after all of this.

Hopefully the doc is feeling better and I'll meet him tomorrow.   

Not minimizing your fear because I was stressed about all my delays. I forgot one, when my insurance accidently dropped me just before my last chemo & it took a month to get it fixed. 

Try not to go to the what ifs. That can eat you up. My what if is had I gone in for a check when the sharp pains had started many months before, would I had been at a lower stage & not needed the harshest chemo (one is nick named the red devil).

The decision  you made at the time was the right one for you. 

Best wishes for tomorrow. You have a lot of supporters here & irl manifesting the best for you. For me, that was half the battle since I kept it all from my family & only told my 1 bro & my bff.

And yes, it was me tooting miaderm & using ice packs on your hands & feet to help prevent neuropathy. 

You got this. 

 

[jerryskids]

24 minutes ago, artista928 said:

Not minimizing your fear because I was stressed about all my delays. I forgot one, when my insurance accidently dropped me just before my last chemo & it took a month to get it fixed. 

Try not to go to the what ifs. That can eat you up. My what if is had I gone in for a check when the sharp pains had started many months before, would I had been at a lower stage & not needed the harshest chemo (one is nick named the red devil).

The decision  you made at the time was the right one for you. 

Best wishes for tomorrow. You have a lot of supporters here & irl manifesting the best for you. For me, that was half the battle since I kept it all from my family & only told my 1 bro & my bff.

And yes, it was me tooting miaderm & using ice packs on your hands & feet to help prevent neuropathy. 

You got this. 

 

My biggest what-if is similar:  I should have had my growing cough checked sooner; had it been found sooner I could have had simpler treatments and avoided the laryngectomy most likely.

Then again, this was spring/summer of 2020 when Covid was blossoming.  Face to face medical appointments were hard to get, and had I just complained about the cough, they probably wouldn't have found it.  It wasn't until I started coughing blood -- the ENT still wanted to do a Zoom call, and I said no, I need someone to look in my focking throat and see what's going on.  So it's hard to say how much I could have accelerated it.  

Thanks again for everything.   

[posty]

On 2/23/2026 at 11:42 AM, jerryskids said:

Update:  Pathology came in yesterday and confirmed it is cancer.  There really wasn't much surprise there; I'd have been shocked if it wasn't. 

I had an appointment with radiation oncology today to set up our plan, but they called and the doctor is out sick, so now I'm seeing him Thursday.  Three days wasted as my tumor grows...   

Man, this really sucks...  The Geek Club is pulling for you to kick its ass again...

 

[artista928]

52 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

My biggest what-if is similar:  I should have had my growing cough checked sooner; had it been found sooner I could have had simpler treatments and avoided the laryngectomy most likely.

Then again, this was spring/summer of 2020 when Covid was blossoming.  Face to face medical appointments were hard to get, and had I just complained about the cough, they probably wouldn't have found it.  It wasn't until I started coughing blood -- the ENT still wanted to do a Zoom call, and I said no, I need someone to look in my focking throat and see what's going on.  So it's hard to say how much I could have accelerated it.  

Thanks again for everything.   

They tell you if something feels off get in asap, yet they don't move fast themselves. Sometimes if you feel it's really off, you need to exaggerate what you are experiencing to get in sooner or like you did, stand your ground.

There is a yt channel that may be helpful to you or others called "The Patient Story." People who have or had cancer do interviews about their journies. My friend did one on his stage 4 stomach cancer. It's a great place to especially put out the lesser advertised / known cancers to share what the symptoms or lack there of were, & how they got through it. I had breastcancer.org which has the best community forums & info but this channel would have been nice to have as well at that time. 

 

[BeenHereBefore]

So sorry to hear that Jerry but you know what it takes to beat it again. Many Prayers for you! 

[MTSkiBum]

Best of luck, hopefully they get in to see you quickly and have a treatment available. 

[cmh6476]

22 hours ago, posty said:

Man, this really sucks...  The Geek Club is pulling for you to kick its ass again...

 

+1

[TBayXXXVII]

Sorry to hear @jerryskids.  Hope you make it through again. 

[WhiteWonder]

my thoughts are with you, bud.  kick it's ass 

[porkbutt]

sorry to hear jerrys. best of luck 

[BeenHereBefore]

Jerry I was so sorry to hear this and my bad for not addressing this sooner, You got this beat again and many prayers to you and your family and God Bless Buddy!!