Entombed A.D. (and former Entombed frontman) LG Petrov has opened up on on his ongoing cancer battle. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, he spoke of how he found out about his diagnosis, his outlook on life, the treatments he’s been receiving and more.
Petrov went public with his Gallvägscancer’, (a form of bile duct cancer) diagnosis earlier this month, with this GoFundMe having been launched to help him stay afloat as he continues to receive treatment for the disease. When asked how he found out about his condition, he offered:
“A couple of months ago. I felt a lump in my solar plexus. And I was, like, ‘OK, I’ll ignore it.’ But then it started to hurt, so I went to the doctor, and they X-rayed it quickly and said, ‘You have to go to the specialist.’ That was weird. You can’t imagine what it feels like. Your whole body goes warm. It’s, like, ‘Fucking hell.’”
While Petrov‘s initial diagnosis has been deemed ‘uncurable’, his doctors hope to keep it contained with treatment and perhaps even shrink it over time. Petrov has accordingly changed his lifestyle in the face of the news, having largely given up both drinking and smoking. Speaking of the chemotherapy he has been undergoing as of late, he offered:
“It’s very, very hard stuff. It’s not water they’re putting in you. You’re very, very weak. You get all these pills filled with cortisones [a steroid for strength], and you can’t sleep. Pills for nausea as well. But if you take a sleeping pill, then it works against it.
I didn’t sleep at all last night. I waited until my local store opened at 8am, then put some clothes on and slowly walked there. It’s a mile but I had to sit down three times to rest. Your body gets so unimaginably weak. But like I say, I’m a positive person.”
As for his mental outlook, he shared:
“I’m a really positive person, but sometimes you get really depressed, of course. But I have so many good friends that call me, visit me. We sit outside – distanced, of course. My doctor actually ordered me to have cigars and rum. He said, ‘That’s about life quality.’ Not a lot of rum, just a taste. Same with cigars. But it helps.”
Petrov also revealed in the piece that it was Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg who encouraged him to launch the GoFundMe mentioned above. You can read more on Petrov‘s battle over at Metal Hammer.
