# Customer having chemo/you have cooties

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customer-having-chemo-you-have-cooties/653832>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 24, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customer-having-chemo-you-have-cooties/653832 "2013-03-24T18:34:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customer-having-chemo-you-have-cooties/653832/41 "2013-03-25T18:42:25Z")

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> [@aruvqan](#):
>
> [@Woeg - you are lucky, my sister was a guinea pig for various treatments for leukemia back in the early 60s. It sounds like your son is a survivor though alas my sister was not.]

I am lucky **aruvqan**. Treatment for leukemia has come SO far, especially in the last 10-15 years. In fact, the treatment for Riley’s kind of leukemia (Acute Lymphoblastic, Type Pre B) is incredibly successful, with an 85% chance of remission (which he’s hit) and a 95% chance of it not coming back. Just ten years ago, the stats for that same cancer were much more grim.

In the words of our pediatric oncologist: “Look, cancer sucks. And having cancer sucks. But if your kid is going to get a cancer, this is the best cancer to get - we can beat this. He can beat this.”

He was a great oncologist. Pity he retired shortly after starting our boy’s treatment. His new doc is good too though, and just as commited to making him well again.

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**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customer-having-chemo-you-have-cooties/653832/42 "2013-03-26T02:19:35Z")

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> [@grude](#):
>
> My mom had chemo for the relatively easy to kill anal cancer, I warned her going in to expect to feel like death and to keep her strength up as possible. She said her doctor told her it was a breeze and called me up after her first treatment to tell me told you so, she felt like dancing.
> 
> Three weeks later she called barely able to speak between crying tears, she needed three pints of blood because her bone marrow was essentially not functioning.
> 
> Chemo essentially is the process of trying to kill part of you by poison, but just enough to kill that part and not kill the rest of you.

When my mom had chemo two years ago she didn’t have any nausea or vomiting. This time around she’s have a really hard time. You never know what to expect.

Mom has what used to be called “pre-leukemia” (Myelodysplastic syndrome), unfortunately this, at her age, has a very poor prognosis. I am not even sure she knows this, and seems to expect that if chemo works she’ll be cured. ☹

> [@Woeg](#):
>
> I am lucky **aruvqan**. Treatment for leukemia has come SO far, especially in the last 10-15 years. In fact, the treatment for Riley’s kind of leukemia (Acute Lymphoblastic, Type Pre B) is incredibly successful, with an 85% chance of remission (which he’s hit) and a 95% chance of it not coming back. Just ten years ago, the stats for that same cancer were much more grim.

Best of luck to your kid.

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