When I was diagnosed with breast cancer 25 years ago, a nurse practitioner told me that cancer is a yang disease and it requires a yang treatment -- in my case it was still localized so serious surgery was the cure, but chemo and radiation if it had been needed.
There won't be a happy outcome here, I don't think. When there's pressure on an artery that supplies heart and brain -- I can't even. I'll say this. People with terminal cancer often undergo the ravages of aggressive chemo/radiation in hopes of living just a few months more, especially younger people with young children. BUT, if this gives these folks peace of mind and their loved one isn't ravaged by aggressive treatment...it may be the best option for them.
I've done end of life hospice care for two elderly family members who decided not to undergo additional treatment after surgery removed the bulk of their respective terminal cancers. One lived indepently four more years with a very good quality of life and was doing the New York Times cross word puzzle the day before she passed. The other, with an extremely aggressive type of cancer, died within six months. For both, it was the right choice.
One more thing. I've also known several younger people who continued working through chemo and radiation treatments. Their cancer was not terminal; the chemo and radiation were to make sure that any little cancer cell that may have escaped didn't stand a chance. They were very tired, but just kept on keeping on, so treatment for some cancers isn't as debilitating as it has been in the past.
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