Hoppus Reports Feeling Better
- Blink-182 singer Mark Hoppus is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment and tells fans during a Twitch broadcast that he’s doing well.
- Hoppus cited some difficult side effects though, saying he felt “hellish” one day; some chemotherapy side effects can be mitigated with some newer technologies, like cooling caps and advanced antiemetics.
- The singer is keeping a positive attitude through his cancer, which can, in some cases, help the prognosis.
Hoppus recently shared on Instagram that he is battling cancer. It is not clear what type of cancer he has.
"For the past three months I've been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. I have cancer. It sucks, and I'm scared, and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this," Hoppus wrote.
Coping with Chemotherapy
As Hoppus alludes to, coping with the side effects of chemotherapy can be very difficult. Some common side effects of chemo include fatigue, nausea, pain, hair loss, loss of appetite and more.
Related: Can You Get Chemotherapy for Cancer at Home? The New Push During COVID-19
Thankfully, with new technology, some effects of chemo can be mitigated, to a degree. For example, cooling caps can help lessen the impact of potential chemotherapy-related hair loss.
Dr. Michael Ulm says in an earlier interview that extreme nausea no longer needs to be an issue for most people getting chemotherapy. “One of the things that patients worry most about is nausea with chemotherapy,” he says. “With modern medicine and modern antiemetics that you should never have severe nausea. And you should never throw up.”
Maintaining a Positive Outlook While Fighting Cancer
Hoppus is impressively keeping a positive outlook as he battles his cancer, and other cancer fighters may take comfort in both his optimism, as well as authenticity. Cedars-Sinai colorectal surgeon Dr. Zuri Murrell says that staying positive through cancer is important, and may positively impact prognosis, too.
“My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer,” says Dr. Murrell, “from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.”
“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow,” he says. “But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
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