"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Carl, that's devastating news about Karen :( Really hoping she's going to be OK my friend, I think all of us know how close the two of you are. It WILL be a hard time, with a happy outcome at the end I hope sincerely. You have friends here who care, and who will try to help in any way they possibly can, however small that is :thumbsup:

Take care pal, was thinking of you and Karen only yesterday, talking about you in fact, when I was walking along a section of canal :thumbsup:

Love to the both of you.

Your friend

Jack

AW Ebony Lambsfoot 27-3.JPG
 
Smoke raised and good vibes to you and your wife, J jackknife . Cancer has left its greedy, grubby fingerprints all over my family. It is a helpless feeling, and trusting those that you don't know can be hard, but waynorth waynorth is right- treatments have gotten much better, much more accurate, and much less harmful to the rest of the body. I sincerely hope for the best for the two of you. You will provide a level of support that you will probably never understand.

All the best.
 
smoke and prayers up for you and Karen -- cancer is scary stuff, but as stated above, the state of medicine these days is such that the diagnosis isn't an automatic death sentence like it was 20-40 years ago.
 
So sorry to hear that, Carl. I hope everything goes well for you and Karen, and that you both come through this thing even stronger than before.
 
Carl, at a crisis time like this I want to respect your privacy but I'd suggest that the love and comradeship you feel for your wife IS your way of fighting back- far more effective than a blackthorn club or a gun!

All the best, Will
 
jackknife said:
Fear.

It's a human response to prime you for fight or flight. Not being a MD I guess it speeds up your reflexes and sharpens your focus. I've felt real fear only a few times in my life, like in my young wilder days running around D.C. with the wrong crowd doing things that we weren't supposed to be dong, in a part of town we weren't supposed to be in, when a gun went off in my face at 2am in the morning, or later in my settled married life when my son John was 12 years old and got hit by a car while ridings bike. The mad rush to the hospital after getting the call, with he the worst case scenarios going through my mind. But all that was needed was a cast for broken leg.

But now I feel real fear again, and there's nothing I can do. There's nobody I can shoot back at. My better half, and I do mean better half, Karen, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and it's a helpless feeling that I have to rely on others now. Doctors, MRI tech's, people I don't know. Having been a stubborn and self reliant cuss, I don't do well relying on others. Surgery is scheduled for next week, and all I can do is just stand by. This woman is more than a wife's he's been a best friend, lover, shooting buddy, and a few times my co-conspirator. I really think she saved my life from the wild and sometimes dumbo I was in my younger days to a real person. Now after a lifetime together, I'm unable to see any kind of life without her.

I hate fear. I know I've got a sometimes pugnacious personality, and I don't handle inaction well. I want to reach across a desk and clobber the enemy, try to break a blackthorn stick over some skull, or shoot something. But theres no enemy I can confront. A disease leaving nothing to strike against for the layman, so I have to rely on some doctors that we don't know, to get my wife through this. The surgeon and oncologist all seem like nice people, but this is just another job to them.

It's going to be a hard time.
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Carl, FWIW I'll be praying for Karen and you to get through this ordeal successfully and with as little pain as possible. I'm sure you're right that it's going to be a hard time, but you strike me as a tough-as-nails couple that can deal with adversity. And I'm sure you feel real fear, but I'm not convinced there's nothing you can do. Sure, you can't shoot back and you have to rely on strangers, but I think knowledge and information can help to reduce the fear. You can find lots of info online about survival rates, treatment options, improvements in success rates over time, etc. Knowing, for example, that at least the odds are in your favor can ease some of the fear, I hope.

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Carl, FWIW I'll be praying for Karen and you to get through this ordeal successfully and with as little pain as possible. I'm sure you're right that it's going to be a hard time, but you strike me as a tough-as-nails couple that can deal with adversity. And I'm sure you feel real fear, but I'm not convinced there's nothing you can do. Sure, you can't shoot back and you have to rely on strangers, but I think knowledge and information can help to reduce the fear. You can find lots of info online about survival rates, treatment options, improvements in success rates over time, etc. Knowing, for example, that at least the odds are in your favor can ease some of the fear, I hope.

- GT
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Carl, I can't put my thoughts into words any better than GT has done. If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion: contact the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Central Texas. (https://bcrc.org) I've worked with fund raising organizations and met some of their volunteers, and they are some kind, helpful folks who know how to help navigate the medical system. You are not alone.
 
Really sorry to read about Karen, Carl. It's frustrating to feel helpless like you are feeling. As husbands, we like to be the big strong protectors, and it's hard to have to put your trust in someone else's hands. Have faith in the doctors, and just be there for your Karen, she will need you to lean on.

I do wish and pray the very best for you two.
 
Carl, prayers sent for Karen. Be strong for her, it’s hard I know from experience exactly what you are going through! Prayers sent for you for strength to be able to deal with all the things you have before you.
 
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J jackknife / Carl,
This is really the first time I've really ventured into this thread, and I've enjoyed reading it, but I am so sorry that my first introduction is during such a difficult time.
Please allow me to express my sincere support for you and your wife. You and your wife are in our prayers!

Dennis
 
Chin up Carl.
Stay strong.
It is treatable and survivable these days.
The best people in the world are on both of your sides. Sharing the burden of that unknown fear is brave and good.
My very best wishes.
Jon
 
Thanks guys, of the well wishes and prayers. The surgeon is being very upbeat and he's been in this business many years, so I'm hopeful. Not a young guy, maybe late 50's with a long reputation in the Austin area for his work. He told us the good news from the two kinds of MRI's was that the cancer has been caught very early and the tumors are small enough that he's going to do two small lumpectomies to followed by radiation. It's still up in the air about any chemo, he's going to wait until after the surgery to see if it's in any lymph nodes.

We checked him out online and he does seem to have a great rep in this field, so we're just going to trust his expertise. We'll see. Again, thanks for the prayers, encouragement.
 
Carl, Smoke sent for Karen. Very happy to hear the prognosis is good. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
 
Carl, sorry for the trouble that has touched your life. I pray that Karen's health be regained with the least amount of medical intervention and that your peace be restored completely. -James
 
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