Beppo Cancersweeper

Just a guy trying to make sense of this all - one tweet at a time. Diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in early 2022. #PayItForward

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Day 1: "You have #cancer."
In one tweet, what was your initial reaction, how did you cope?
#AskingForAFriend #ThanksForSharing #OneTweetAtATime #PayItForward

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@TodayWithJose Hm. Thx. Good to know what may be coming. I’ll keep the scissors ready…

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Day 3: "Back home. Alone. What's next?"
First cycle of #chemo went well. All felt quite surreal. And now? Will the next cycle be harder? Will I be able to continue working? If so, for how long? With #covid and #omicron, should I self-isolate? So many thoughts & questions...

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@ChariteBerlin @ModestDominik @StintzingS @AIO_Onkologie @LMU_Uniklinikum Interesting. @StintzingS @ModestDominik How do patients express interest in possibly enrolling?
PS: Yes, I'm at @ChariteBerlin

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Day 2: "How bad will this get? Cause I feel fine, tbh."
I know its been less than 48 hours. I know it will get worse. But it feels surreal being in hospital with no #cancer symptoms, no #chemo side effects, nothing. So: Do I prepare for the worst? Or keep on going until...?

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@KerrieNation @ThanksCancer Just started following @ThanksCancer ;-) ! And yes, I have a plan, but likely to change once results come in (MSS/MSI, gene testing etc). So far: Bevacizumab (antibodies), Oxaliplatin (standard), Calciumfolinat and Fluorouracil (?) every two weeks for 2-6 months, then operation.

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Day 1: "You have #cancer."
In one tweet, what was your initial reaction, how did you cope?
#AskingForAFriend #ThanksForSharing #OneTweetAtATime #PayItForward

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@gabe_a_brooks @marklewismd Again, Thank you. Will raise this with my excellent team around @StintzingS here at @ChariteBerlin. I believe I'm in very good hands here, just wasn't aware of increased risk for #neuropathy when being treated with #oxaliplatin.

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@gabe_a_brooks @marklewismd Thank you for explaining. Does "find a balance" mean titration, i.e. reducing the dose per treatment, or rather keep an eye on number of treatments at the current dose and possibly stop / reduce earlier should symptoms arise?

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@marklewismd @gabe_a_brooks Especially important to me as I have lived with diabetes type 1 for 2 decades now, so I already carry an increased risk for neuropathy...

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@marklewismd @gabe_a_brooks Thank you for sharing. I'm all new to this, had my first chemo treatment start yesterday night - and it does contain Oxaliplatin :-/ Are there alternatives with less risk of side effects I should ask my HC team about?

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

@marklewismd @MayoHemeOnc Thank you! It is so important to have HCPs join patient advocates in raising awareness around how #LanguageMatters !

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Someone just pointed out I should correct the info given above: I’m stage 4 as they found a large (8cm) metastasis in the liver and more in the peritoneum. Apparently that is especially bad news?

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

PS: Just a guy trying to make sense of this all - one tweet at a time. Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer two weeks ago. Today is my first day in hospital, Chemo just started... Thanks for sharing, for your comments, tips, life hacks, support. Truly appreciated. #PayItForward

[Beppo Cancersweeper @CancerBeppo]

Day 1: "Who do I call?"
In one tweet: Who did you tell when and how? Family, friends, neighbors, colleagues...? How did you balance wanting to talk with needing privacy? What helped you cope? And is there anything you wish you had done differently? #Confused #WhereToStart #Cancer