OT: The Avalounge: Steamed Hams, despite the fact they are obviously grilled

[Bonzai12]

Roxette’s love ballads got me to 2nd and 3rd base a few times growing up. So I guess you can say I thoroughly enjoyed their music.

 

[Pokecheque]

My teen years were in the 90s so there was no escaping Roxette, not that I would want to anyway, they were catchy as all hell.

 

[UncleRisto]

You might've heard one of these songs, they've been in quite a few movies.

Finally an excuse.

Also, there's like a Eurodance cover of this one you might have heard in the 2000s.

Also, if you've had the pleasure of discussing 80's music with me before, I've undoubtedly brought this song up.

 

[5280]

I’ll have to admit “Listen to your heart” is a really f***ing good song.

She’s pretty damn good looking, too.

 

[UncleRisto]

I’ll have to admit “Listen to your heart” is a really ****ing good song.

Of course @S E P H brings up three songs and they're all the wrong one.

 

[5280]

Of course @S E P H brings up three songs and they're all the wrong one.

that’s funny.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I don't know why but Marie Fredriksson always reminds me of Aimee Mann.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Both are under-rated and unfortunately forgotten singers that never quite got their due.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Both are under-rated and unfortunately forgotten singers that never quite got their due.

Good comparison

 

[expatriatedtexan]

So...I was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It started in my colon and has spread to my liver. I don't feel anything yet. Only realized this because my wife dragged me to a dermatologist to work on rosacia this past summer. The meds' she had me on required a monthly blood panel and it showed that I was anemic. Thank the lord for this, if I wasn't doing this, I would have not found out about this until it was too late to treat.

Anyways, I just wanted to explain why I might be asking you all to quit attacking each-other personally in some of these threads. I like you all. I respect you all. Life is too short to hurl insults at each other. I encourage you all to debate topics but not the posters.

Not sure how I'm going to react to treatment. I get my powerport next week. That is minor surgery that will allow me to receive chemo without becoming a human pin-cushion. It's a surgurically implanted port that all my doctors can connect to. It will be in my chest.

Kinda weird, yesterday I was pissed off at folks driving in the slow in the left lane. Today, I realize that is kinda small potatoes. It sucks that it might have taken me this long to figure this out, but seriously, we've got a nice place here with a lot of folks that love something we all love. Let's not hurl insults at each other.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Holy hell... I'm at a loss for words at the moment.

Be strong, bro.

 

[UncleRisto]

Hate to hear that.

All the best, you'll get through that!

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Like I said, I don't feel anything yet. Pretty sure the first punch from this will come from the treatment. Chemo will be tough. Not sure what cocktail I'm going to be given yet. But if it affect my hair at all, I'll be shaving it off well before just so i can own it. My only hope is that it will leave my goatee. I saw myself in bootcamp as a 17 year old kid and I did not have a pretty bald head. I'm hoping years and fat and maybe a goatee will make it look a bit more...rugged. *LOL*

Appreciate the well wishes, but don't want this to become a thing. I just want all of the folks here to be a bit kinder to each other and maybe just attack comments and not the commentators so much. Stop with the "your are an idiot" or because you don't believe as me, you must be x....stuff. Listen to each other. You don't have to agree, hell disagree as much as you want. But stop with the personal attacks when you disagree. Just because someone thinks we should allow for redemption does not mean they support racism. I've seen entirely too many people confusing that here.

We should always allow for redemption. I've been flawed in my life. None of us were born perfect. We've all grown, and learned to become better humans. Don't lose sight of that. We also have a commonality. We all love this team...hell many of us where here talking about the team when they sucked and we had no right to be fans...except we were. We felt a community. We were bound by our love of this team even when it sucked balls.

I'm not sure how often I will be on, it depends on how much the treatment effects me. But what i do know, is that when I am able to check in, I don't really want to read pages and pages of folks hating on each other. I'd much rather read about how much y'all love the Avs and think they may do better. Keep it on topic, keep it civil and a remember...this place is not the real world. The real world is where scary and horrible things happen. This place is about sports. That's it...an entertainment outlet that hopefully gives us some joy. There is absolutely no reason to bring garbage in here and make it nasty.

/rant

Sorry for that. feel free to ignore me if you want.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

One last bit of wisdom....Don't wait until you are 50 to get a colonoscopy. Especially if anyone in your family has had cancer. Waiting until 50 is like putting your life savings on black at a roulette wheel. You are really playing some wicked odds. See your doctor yearly, get blood work done yearly. And don't be afraid of the big black mamba. Trust me, the pre-colonoscopy routine is much worse than the actually procedure. You basically take an overdose of laxitives and drink a non stop soup of miralax and gatorade for a day before. You basically are tied to the toilet and poop piss. But the procedure itself...they talk to you, you wake up in recovery. That's it.

 

[Freudian]

Take care, xpatriatedtexan. Beat this thing.

 

[CB Joe]

So...I was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It started in my colon and has spread to my liver. I don't feel anything yet. Only realized this because my wife dragged me to a dermatologist to work on rosacia this past summer. The meds' she had me on required a monthly blood panel and it showed that I was anemic. Thank the lord for this, if I wasn't doing this, I would have not found out about this until it was too late to treat.

Anyways, I just wanted to explain why I might be asking you all to quit attacking each-other personally in some of these threads. I like you all. I respect you all. Life is too short to hurl insults at each other. I encourage you all to debate topics but not the posters.

Not sure how I'm going to react to treatment. I get my powerport next week. That is minor surgery that will allow me to receive chemo without becoming a human pin-cushion. It's a surgurically implanted port that all my doctors can connect to. It will be in my chest.

Kinda weird, yesterday I was pissed off at folks driving in the slow in the left lane. Today, I realize that is kinda small potatoes. It sucks that it might have taken me this long to figure this out, but seriously, we've got a nice place here with a lot of folks that love something we all love. Let's not hurl insults at each other.

My wife is going though a cancer scare too. Two years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went though a couple surgeries and chemo. She was great up until a few days ago when we found a new lump. Fortunately I think we were diligent enough with her checks that we may have caught it early again. She'll likely have to go though surgery and chemo again plus radiation this time but probably won't know for sure for another month or so. Maybe we'll get lottery win lucky and the lump is just a cyst or something else benign.

The hardest part for us was always the initial diagnosis. Our brains were just on constant overdrive thinking and overthinking all the scenarios and possibilities. It gets easier from there, even if it's just a little bit at a time. The biggest boost for us is when she started her treatment. It felt great to know we were doing something and fighting back. Don't be afraid of chemo. There are a lot of horror stories out there but they are outliers and outdated. Research has come a looong way and they have great new meds to help with things like nausea. My wife never got sick once. Her grandfather who also had colorectal cancer a few years ago, and is still kicking, never got sick either. My wife said she even enjoyed chemo a bit because she was able to stay home with our pet bunnies all day, watch her favorite shows/movies and do all her hobbies like drawing, and watercolor. Plus she was encouraged to eat whatever she wanted. Ice cream and cookie smoothies for breakfast!

Thrilled to hear about your new outlook. I was fortunate enough to experience the same thing even though I'm only the caretaker. I can't believe the stuff I used to get upset about. It really is small potatoes. Life is simply more joyful when you put the focus on the good things.

Make sure you get rest when you can, make time for the things that you enjoy, and good luck!

 

[Ivan13]

All the best Tex. Having belief and a positive attitude is a great way to battle this.

 

[Foppberg]

Maybe having rosacea was a blessing in disguise seriously though all the best Tex!

I suddenly now have an urge to have every screening test imaginable performed on me though.

 

[henchman21]

Wish you all the best @xpatriatedtexan

 

[tucker3434]

One last bit of wisdom....Don't wait until you are 50 to get a colonoscopy. Especially if anyone in your family has had cancer. Waiting until 50 is like putting your life savings on black at a roulette wheel. You are really playing some wicked odds. See your doctor yearly, get blood work done yearly. And don't be afraid of the big black mamba. Trust me, the pre-colonoscopy routine is much worse than the actually procedure. You basically take an overdose of laxitives and drink a non stop soup of miralax and gatorade for a day before. You basically are tied to the toilet and poop piss. But the procedure itself...they talk to you, you wake up in recovery. That's it.

Best of luck, bud. I had very minor cancer a few years back. Some of the most stressful days of my life were between the “we think you have cancer” and finding out the extent and action plan. Sounds like you have your action plan. Give it hell.

And my PSA to the guys here in their 20’s and 30’s: check your nuts, and if you feel something weird, don’t wait for it to go away. Let a doctor check it out. It’s worth it. Early detection, as with any cancer, is important.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

My wife is going though a cancer scare too. Two years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went though a couple surgeries and chemo. She was great up until a few days ago when we found a new lump. Fortunately I think we were diligent enough with her checks that we may have caught it early again. She'll likely have to go though surgery and chemo again plus radiation this time but probably won't know for sure for another month or so. Maybe we'll get lottery win lucky and the lump is just a cyst or something else benign.

The hardest part for us was always the initial diagnosis. Our brains were just on constant overdrive thinking and overthinking all the scenarios and possibilities. It gets easier from there, even if it's just a little bit at a time. The biggest boost for us is when she started her treatment. It felt great to know we were doing something and fighting back. Don't be afraid of chemo. There are a lot of horror stories out there but they are outliers and outdated. Research has come a looong way and they have great new meds to help with things like nausea. My wife never got sick once. Her grandfather who also had colorectal cancer a few years ago, and is still kicking, never got sick either. My wife said she even enjoyed chemo a bit because she was able to stay home with our pet bunnies all day, watch her favorite shows/movies and do all her hobbies like drawing, and watercolor. Plus she was encouraged to eat whatever she wanted. Ice cream and cookie smoothies for breakfast!

Thrilled to hear about your new outlook. I was fortunate enough to experience the same thing even though I'm only the caretaker. I can't believe the stuff I used to get upset about. It really is small potatoes. Life is simply more joyful when you put the focus on the good things.

Make sure you get rest when you can, make time for the things that you enjoy, and good luck!

Thanks Joe...give your wife an extra hug and tell her it is from us. I'm ready to stand back to back with anyone fighting this. Cancer has no idea who it picked a fight with. The grim reaper will be crying when I'm done with this. Stu Grimson will be tapping his stick for us when all is said and done.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Maybe having rosacea was a blessing in disguise seriously though all the best Tex!

I suddenly now have an urge to have every screening test imaginable performed on me though.

It truly was. It required a monthly blood panel. If it wasn't for that I'd have no idea that i was anemic. In an otherwise healthy adult with a diet that consists of iron, there is no reason to be anemic unless you are bleeding internally. I have no symptoms. If it wasn't for this, I would have continued to go along my merry way until I something affected me, and at that point, it probably would have been to far along to actually treat.

That's why I'm saying and will continue to say....get your blood work done every year when you hit 35. Don't be afraid of the black mamba. Get a colonoscopy done early if anyone in your family has had cancer. If you have insurance it will pay for it. If you don't have insurance, just ask yourself....how much is a healthy checkup worth? The key for me was that the blood panel showed I was anemic. That meant I was bleeding internally. Blood panels are probably covered by most insurance companies.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Best of luck, bud. I had very minor cancer a few years back. Some of the most stressful days of my life were between the “we think you have cancer” and finding out the extent and action plan. Sounds like you have your action plan. Give it hell.

And my PSA to the guys here in their 20’s and 30’s: check your nuts, and if you feel something weird, don’t wait for it to go away. Let a doctor check it out. It’s worth it. Early detection, as with any cancer, is important.

Love your PSA...and while that is not where my cancer was, it is equally important to check both the hose, the lugnuts and sewer line. Men simply don't take good enough care of themselves and often shrug nagging things off. It's time to stop doing that.

 

[JLo217]

Got to ride in Cybertruck. If you like trucks and race cars.... it’s your thing.

 

[CB Joe]

Like I said, I don't feel anything yet. Pretty sure the first punch from this will come from the treatment. Chemo will be tough. Not sure what cocktail I'm going to be given yet. But if it affect my hair at all, I'll be shaving it off well before just so i can own it. My only hope is that it will leave my goatee. I saw myself in bootcamp as a 17 year old kid and I did not have a pretty bald head. I'm hoping years and fat and maybe a goatee will make it look a bit more...rugged. *LOL*

I'd second the idea of shaving your head if the chemo will affect your hair. The chemo won't affect you right away may even take several weeks, so there is no hurry to do it right away. My wife trimmed her hair to only a few inches long but found that even that irritated hair follicles. At the very least i'd recommend a close buzz. Not sure about facial hair, the wife never had to worry about that haha.

Don't worry about the weight, it might be a blessing in disguise. My wife had to take steroids the day before, day of, and day after chemo and those days she ate like a horse. The other days in between were hit as miss. Some days were nothing more than light snacking while others were quite normal.

I'd also recommend that anyone you see on the regular basis get their flu shots. Chemo will knock your immune system back a bit. It's just one less thing to worry about.

One last bit of wisdom....Don't wait until you are 50 to get a colonoscopy. Especially if anyone in your family has had cancer. Waiting until 50 is like putting your life savings on black at a roulette wheel. You are really playing some wicked odds. See your doctor yearly, get blood work done yearly. And don't be afraid of the big black mamba. Trust me, the pre-colonoscopy routine is much worse than the actually procedure. You basically take an overdose of laxitives and drink a non stop soup of miralax and gatorade for a day before. You basically are tied to the toilet and poop piss. But the procedure itself...they talk to you, you wake up in recovery. That's it.

Haha I'd like to second this one too. I had my first colonoscopy last year. I was having lower abdominal pain which luckily is just tied to poor mechanics in my hip. Fortunately for me though the colonoscopy did find a polyp which was easily removed during the procedure. The polyp ended up being nothing but if left long enough polyp's will eventually turn cancerous. I'll have to go again when I'm 40 but that's no big deal. Like you said the colonoscopy itsself was extremely easy. They didn't even knock me out, just a local anesthetic I guess. I was watching the screen and talking to the doc they whole time. No discomfort at all. The day before prep sucked but it nothing worse than a stomach bug.