I am a 17 year old kid from Texas. I was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, and for the past few months have been taking many chemo treatments, and finally a huge surgery that removed a large portion of my back.

Ask me anything!

Heres a link to the original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/3dnmwr/my_son_had_a_synovial_sarcoma_tumor_removed_from/ [NSFW]

My Proof: http://imgur.com/0aoFFNY [NSFW]

Original picture: http://imgur.com/oS4oSZ1 [NSFW]

EDIT: I am official done answering questions now! Sorry! Thank you to everybody who asked questions and supported me during this AMA. It really was a cool experience!

See you, Space Cowboy.

Comments: 2312 • Responses: 79  • Date: 

DontExcgarate3456 karma

Did you get any advice off Stephen Hawking? I hear he is an expert on back holes.

Edit: I was quite proud of this when I wrote it, but I wasn't ready for some of the conversations it spawned that have taken place here. OP, you're da real MVP, and some of you others have stuck me right in the feels bone.

gejichan4058 karma

I have been trying to get ahold of him but it seems he isnt interested in underage boys.

That_Guy_Just_Owned1755 karma

Hi my dad is about to have chemo for cancer in his spine. To be honest I'm scared for him. Can you tell me what to expect?

gejichan2685 karma

No problem man, thanks for posting!

Chemo is different for everyone depending on the specific drug they are using. I am currently on a combination of Doxorubicin and Ifosfamide. Doxorubicin is a heavy hitter and is what really makes me feel terrible. Also, mesna, if he gets it, is the worst source of nausea any cancer patient can have.

He will probably feel fine until about six hours into the chemo, after that, depending on the drugs he gets for nausea, he might get super loopy. (I thought my dad was spiderman, for example)

His hair wont fall out until probably in between the second and third round of chemo, and even then its better to just shave it off.

Now to get to nausea...

Everybody responds differently to different drugs, and you will probably have to find the right combination for him. I am currently taking Ativan, Zyprexa, Marinol, and a few others I cant remember.

Also, if you live in a state with legal medical marijuana, I highly suggest it. Its a wonder drug.

That_Guy_Just_Owned750 karma

Thank you dude. He lives in Aus so unfortunately medical weed isn't an option. Its sounds tough I couldn't even begin to imagine what your going through.

How have your friends and family reacted to this? If you don't mind me asking?

gejichan1470 karma

My mom reacted pretty bad at first, but honestly they have taken it pretty well. Most people just try and reassure me that everythings going to be okay, its kind of funny. I think I have taken it better than anyone.

cowsonmeth1210 karma

When's it's all healed will you have feeling in it? Will you get a giant scar?

gejichan2874 karma

I dont think I will have any feeling in it sadly. As for the scar, I hope its absolutely massive.

your_mom_naked1455 karma

I hope it's massive, so you can say to your potential sexual partners something like "you know the scar on my back ? it's not the only thing that massive about me ;)"

Voodoogumbo1105 karma

Agreed. Potential sexual partners LOVE a massive IQ, and let's be honest, /u/gejichan is already showing great promise with his sharp wit.

Can anyone back me up?

gejichan614 karma

Haha thanks man.

pigwhalian996 karma

Are you worried about people injecting things into it while you sleep?

How do you feel about an exciting career as a drug mule? Free holiday AND a back stuffed full of heroin!

Hope you're doing alright mate, all seriousness.

gejichan797 karma

Haha no im not. Thanks though, besides the few days of throwing up after chemo, im doing great!

Norfolkingchance281 karma

Glad to hear that OP! So are they going to wait for this thing to heal up or will they do some kind of graft?

gejichan479 karma

I get the surgeon follow up on the 27th. We are hoping to get this wound vac off within the next two weeks, have plastic surgery do their thing, and then be done with the surgical part.

But to answer your question, yeah I think ill be getting a skin graft done most likely.

TattoosAreUgly946 karma

Does rule 34 apply here as well?

gejichan3166 karma

Yes, my hole is open to anything.

Reva_B_S_852 karma

[deleted]

gejichan1036 karma

Of course I will. I might do another AMA.

odokemono329 karma

RemindMe! 9 days "Check user /u/gejichan 2nd AMA about his back hole"

I like the cut of your jib. Looking forward to more.

gejichan228 karma

Thanks man!

EddardCorleone819 karma

Did you know your dad was a Redditor?

gejichan1282 karma

Yes I did. We talk about reddit and 4chan all the time.

Pixel66921562 karma

I can't talk about 4chan even with myself.

gejichan685 karma

Haha. I try not to.

The_Oasis666 karma

4chan as well? What boards do you visit?

gejichan5514 karma

/a/ and sadly /b/ mostly. Im pretty sure thats where I got cancer.

DoesntGetYourJoke1352 karma

I love you. This is such a great AMA. Get well soon man.

gejichan900 karma

Thanks!

lemonyellowdavintage7 karma

Yay! /a/ represent. What are you watching this season?

gejichan17 karma

EVERY SHOW

Delzak789 karma

How has your range of motion been affected?

gejichan1054 karma

I cant move my left arm all the way up, or back. I also have little strength in my left arm now. Its mostly from the wound vac though, it pulls tightly on my wound and the surrounding area.

chub79728 karma

My best to you really! This is quite impressive and I hope you'll do well.

Will the hole gradually reduce somehow?

gejichan992 karma

Thats what the wound vac is on there for. Its theoretically supposed to create negative pressure to allow the wound to heal faster and close up. However, I am going to have another surgery within a few weeks to close it up before that happens.

ropefrog654 karma

Just had my vac off, they may seem annoying but are super effective.

gejichan696 karma

Thanks for sharing man. It is pretty annoying, but if it helps im cool with it.

psychotropic710 karma

How do you feel about your dad taking your sweet, sweet karma?

gejichan1292 karma

Ha im fine. Im on front page now too so I think we are equal.

CaptainMudwhistle679 karma

Is your dad's favorite song "Back Hole Son"?

♫ Back hole son ♫

♫ Won't you come ♫

gejichan404 karma

Lol. I have no idea what his favorite song is, although I can say that "Anal Cunt" has given me some wonderful feelings throughout this experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvCDQZ3pnu0

ii_Feed_Ducks665 karma

Do you have to stay off of your back? If so how do you keep yourself off of it when you sleep? What keeps it from bleeding? What kind of meds do you have for it? How do you clean it? Does it hurt? How difficult are showers now? Do you still have to go through chemo? Was this a last resort? Sorry for all the questions im just very curious. Please dont answer any that youre not comfortable with. I truly hope it heals up well.

gejichan1135 karma

Ill do it in order.

  1. I just cant lay on it for the most part, I can lean back on it though.
  2. I sleep on my side, I guess I instinctively dont roll over.
  3. The wound vac sucks out any blood or fluids
  4. I was prescribed codeine, but I quit taking it.
  5. A nurse comes to my house to clean it every few days.
  6. It hurts a little
  7. Cant take showers, the most I can do is sit in shallow water and carefully bathe.
  8. I have two more chemo treatments after surgery.
  9. No this was expected from day one.

Hope that answers your questions! Thanks for posting.

gejichan554 karma

Hey guys, OP here. I am super tired. (I have been up fro about 38 hours) I am going to go to bed for now, but I will try to answer more questions whenever I wake up.

Thank you to everyone who has posted or asked questions! You guys have been awesome and it amazes me how much support people can give! OP OUT

brneyedgrrl462 karma

Hey, thanks for doing this. You seem so upbeat - which is probably helping your healing process. If you don't mind me asking, what were your symptoms prior to realizing you had the sarcoma? Was it just a routine school physical that found it or what?

gejichan855 karma

No problem, thanks for posting!

Its funny, there werent any symptoms at all. I found it one day leaning against the wall and noticed that my back was uneven. I looked in the mirror and noticed a bump on my back. We got it checked out, and everybody assured us it was a lipoma and not cancerous.

Well, it grew. A lot.

The doctors still thought it was a lipoma, but I had surgery to remove it. I didnt find out it was cancer until after I woke up in rehab.

Not before shouting "The battle was hard, but the war has been won" however.

brneyedgrrl261 karma

Awesome, thanks for replying!I'm a surgical nurse and we see tons of lipomas. In fact, those lumps and bumps are almost always lipomas. I'm so glad yours is a happy result. Your prognosis is good, then?

gejichan348 karma

Yep! Hopefully I just have two more rounds of chemo and im done.

ecskater394 karma

What's the 1st thing you want to do when it is all healed?

I hope you have a speedy and great recovery!!!

gejichan872 karma

I want to swim, and get fit again. I hate being 105 pounds.

Kinglord12376 karma

How does it feel? Do you touch it and think something is missing?

gejichan780 karma

It itches a lot, and when i go to scratch it, nothing is there.

cowsonmeth348 karma

Did you ever see the tumor after it was taken out? Do you feel lighter?

gejichan584 karma

No I never did see the tumor after surgery, I wish I could though.

To the weight question, I actually gained weight after surgery believe it or not.

iNovae292 karma

What is your favourite Muse song and why is it Supermassive Back Hole ?

gejichan256 karma

lol my favorite muse song is resistance

Aketchupman255 karma

Could someone use the hole as a cup? it's gross but I can't stop thinking of it.

gejichan797 karma

Are we talking about a water cup or an athletic cup? Im down for both.

97Chocoholic207 karma

Were you expecting the reception you reveived on Reddit when the photo of your back was posted? Or was it a "Let's see what happens when..." kind of situation? I hope you get better soon and everything gets better, I lost my grandfather on Thursday to cancer so I'm glad you're on the up and on the final stretch :)

gejichan384 karma

I had no idea it was posted until after my dad sent me a text and a link to his post saying "You're anonymously reddit famous". To be honest I think its awesome that so many nice people responded to it.

And Im sorry to hear about your grandfather, its never fun losing a family member :/

PaulD92196 karma

Have you ever gotten some free stuff on account of the hole?

(P.s hope you feel better soon)

gejichan509 karma

My dads work was awesome enough to get me an xbox one and Ipad. Along with other small gifts from family members and such.

DrummerBoy217165 karma

Dude add me on XBL! GT: CoionelMustard

gejichan214 karma

GT: Kyousha

PM_ME_PLASTIC_FORKS178 karma

What music have you been listening to lately?

gejichan371 karma

A little bit of electro and some nujabes. How about you?

PM_ME_PLASTIC_FORKS126 karma

Mostly industrial and drum and bass, with some metal and synthpop sprinkled in. Any recommendations?

gejichan224 karma

Im sure none of what I recommend would suits your tastes, but some of my favorite artists are shirobon, au5, nujabes, flume, and singularity.

PM_ME_PLASTIC_FORKS100 karma

Despite what my current sampling of music may tell you, I don't have any super specific tastes. I'll check them out! Hope you have a good day :)

gejichan120 karma

Thanks man you too.

ItsMeMora4 karma

If you like Flume, you might enjoy Cashmere Cat. Get well dude!

gejichan8 karma

Cashmere Cat - do you is one of my favorite songs.

PeriwinkleTheCat125 karma

I fucking love nujabes. You ever watch samurai champloo?

gejichan197 karma

Hell yeah man! If you cant tell by my name, i'm a big time weeaboo.

PeriwinkleTheCat60 karma

Me too!!! What kind of anime do you like to watch? Like, any recommendations?

gejichan206 karma

Oh man thats too much to type. My top ten are probably..

Angel Beats, Clannad, SAO, Deadman Wonderland, Kill La Kill, Your lie in April, Rurouni Kenshin, Guilty Crown, Fate/Stay Night UBW, Madoka Magica (Dont let this show fool you, its not a little girls show)

nayahs23 karma

Nujabes is amazing. What's your favourite track? Mine's "Imaginary Folkore".

gejichan38 karma

I like every Luv (sic.), and shiki no uta.

mohallor177 karma

Do your friends ever give you a hard time about it? If so, what kinds of things do they say?

gejichan762 karma

They usually just makes jokes out of it like calling me cancer stan. I do the same back for the most part. I am lucky to be blessed with friends that are like family to me.

50bmg169 karma

wow, that is crazy... was anything functional removed? bones? muscle? are you expected to make a full recovery?

gejichan274 karma

No bones, but a lot of muscle. I hope to make a full recovery.

Invokationz135 karma

DotA or LoL? CSGO or CoD?

gejichan278 karma

LoL, COD. I suck ass at CS

vvingnut124 karma

Are you in pain? I hope you're not in pain.

gejichan153 karma

I was in a little pain at first. Now its not bad though.

PmYourWittyAnecdote85 karma

Are you a fan of the Shia LaBeouf classic Holes?

All jokes aside, I wish you a speedy recovery man, I've had too many friends go through cancer, so I know how taxing it can be physically and how mentally difficult it can be, even if you are being a great sport. Get well soon and let's hope those two rounds of chemo are the last you have to worry :)

gejichan269 karma

It been tough, but all I can say to push me through this is "JUST DO IT"

soupdahero84 karma

Do you have any plans to scare the living daylights out of people with your hole?

gejichan184 karma

Ive already tormented my friends. haha

JFeth84 karma

How old were you when you got the diagnosis? What was going through your head?

gejichan201 karma

I was 16, and kind of in disbelief that I was the one to get cancer.

Iowas78 karma

Would that be the VAC system on your back? My Dad used to sell those I'm just wondering how much they charge to use it now.

gejichan128 karma

It its a vac. I have no idea how much it costs, thats a question for our insurance.

wumboisms76 karma

What's the smell like?

gejichan143 karma

I dont smell anything actually. Besides sterile gloves and utensils when they are working on it.

j_overland_f64 karma

Would you be willing to do the most accurate Aang cosplay ever? :D

http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/103/9/4/aang_tattoo_ref_by_crushedtulips-d61m7d4.png (sort of ATLA spoilers)

gejichan93 karma

Haha sure. Im def gonna be mr clean for Halloween.

eurodditor60 karma

Aren't you concerned that now your dad knows your reddit account?

gejichan103 karma

Not one bit.

jasongilmour58 karma

Your hole looks huge! Does it effect your breathing and lung at all?

gejichan97 karma

Not one bit.

Politicaldisbeliever43 karma

What does it feel like? Like is it noticeable there's a hole without looking or sore or ...?

gejichan72 karma

Its like the hole itself itches, but nothing is there.

ChronoTravis8540 karma

Wars or Trek?

gejichan112 karma

wars

AttachedSickness33 karma

Would you be willing to take on a career as a human piggy bank?

In all seriousness I wish all the best for you and your family. I lost my father to lung cancer (2 years ago) and my best friend to leukemia (almost year to the day today).

gejichan38 karma

Thank you and i'm sorry for your loss. Some of the nicest people are the ones that get the worst diseases.

meritmyth31 karma

Yay, they got it! Smooth recovery wishes. How long ago was your surgery (how many days after surgery are your Dad's and your picture taken)?

gejichan51 karma

Both of these pictures were taken yesterday. Surgery was last friday.

bacon_waffle26 karma

First of, happy you're cancer free! Question, was the cancer the size of the hole or did they cut extra flesh to be safe? How does this affect your daily life now or in the future? Feel better soon.

gejichan51 karma

They cut extra tissue to have clear margins. As for how it affects my life, I have been doing the same thing I have before I got cancer. The wound vac I got after surgery has started to limit me though.

avaseyrockz9 karma

It reminds me of old super hero movies. Are you fan of it?

gejichan28 karma

Am I a fan of the hole? Not exactly. I am happy that I am now cancer free. (Presumably)

Jackin_The_Beanstalk7 karma

"Hey gejichan, how do you feel about gaping holes?"

hobguy79965 karma

Can you give more details about how medical marijuana has or hasnt helped you?

gejichan7 karma

I could care less if its illegal. It shouldnt be. I tried it when we went out of state into a legal state. It does wonders for nausea.

Marinol on the other hand is like a crappier factory-made version of what should be readily available. I'm personally not a fan of marinol, however it does help nausea a bit.

TheDarkSideOfTown3 karma

Do you smoke weed?

gejichan10 karma

Sorry man. Not gonna incriminate myself. But im pretty sure you know the answer.

Micokerts2 karma

How old are you?

gejichan1 karma

17

Immortails2 karma

Favourite movie?

gejichan16 karma

Thats a tough one. Probably Catch me if you can, or Romio and juliet. Im a fan of Leo.

AnotherKeven1 karma

Dude... your 17 and you got giant hole in your back!! Please tell me... Wtf happen to your spine?!

P.S. You are a fucking trooper. Keep on smiling.

gejichan1 karma

My spine is perfectly fine man!

RecessKingBob1 karma

Do you have any suggestions for a future physician? Did you ever feel mistreated by your physicians or did they do anything where you would have liked something different? Or do you have any good stories where they did something that was very helpful to you?

gejichan2 karma

I only have wonderful things to say about my sarcoma specialist Dr. Leavey with Childrens Hospital.

SteelTofu1 karma

Hey thanks for the AMA! Are your back muscles in that region fully gone or are there some remnants left for rehab? Do you have limited mobility or can you move your arms relatively fine? Do they have you doing any form of therapy soon?

Get well soon!

gejichan2 karma

I have limited mobility for now with the wound vac on, but once plastic surgery takes care of me, I should be in perfect working order.

Thanks for posting!

Derpoholic1 karma

Hi! I'm certain you will be ok. May I ask how this all started? I've never seen cancer develop like this before.

gejichan2 karma

It all started with a small lump on my back. I dont think anything caused it.

throwawaypalaboy1 karma

I change wound vac dressings. How often do they change your dressing and have they started trimming down the foam size yet? Do you go to a hyperbaric chamber?

gejichan1 karma

I have only had one dressing change so far. It took the a week to do it and had pretty much stuck into my developing tissue. It sucked. To answer your second question, I have no clue what that is.

xmariota1 karma

fellow mirai nikki lover i only wish you the speediest recovery you are a strong human being. may i ask how did u feel upon being diagnosed with it?

gejichan2 karma

I was kind of in shock. Nobody thinks that they are the person that is going to get cancer.

dewin-1 karma

Do you have like a before after pic? Hope you heal soon dude :)

gejichan2 karma

Of my face? Not yet.

dewin-1 karma

Or like of your back?

gejichan1 karma

Sorry, I dont have any back pics of before.

TehBrian-1 karma

Have you ever thought of doing juicing, before having chemo treatment[s]? Juicing has helped countless people with any type of cancer.

gejichan5 karma

I think I would just rather eat fruit normally.