I concurr ....see a Dr.
Health Advise Needed.
by RottenRiley 34 Replies latest jw friends
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cofty
RR go to the doc and get the facts. Its a no-brainer. There are no guarantees with cancer but time of diagnosis is a key factor.
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nonjwspouse
My father died of stomach cancer. His diagnosis at first was 30% survival rate. We found out later his diagnsis was missed for at least 11 months, are still thankful for the eventual diagnosis. At least he did have some chance with treatment.
Our very good friend around his middle 60s when diagnosed, survived after having cancer removed from esophangus, stomach, liver, pancreas and all the "plumbing" that connects them all was removed and refashioned, called the whipple procedure. The chances for his even surviving the procedure were about 5% then even surviving a year after that were 1%. He is five+ years post treatment. ( lots of chemo and radiation) he mows the yard, is a leader in after school engineering related education for citywide schools, with competitions etc..and does many other energy requiring things. He travels extensively to hobby club type events, and just enjoys going new places. He recently found he does have prostate cancer but they just watch it as it is so slow growing.
So RR there is no predictions that are guarenteed. You decide how to proceed, but as the daughter of one who did not survive, we are still grateful for the knowladge and the time able to spend with him. Our friend's success is completely remarkable. His early diagnosis and subsequent treatment allowing him to be here with us each day is a blessing. People love you RR. Why not go find out that either you don't have what you are so afraid of, or you do and you give a treatment a chance.
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jgnat
I guarantee the best gift you can give your children is the assurance you are doing all you can to be around for them longer. My children are in their thirties and I've tried to have a frank conversation with them about death several times but then I see the panic in their eyes.
...and I'm going to be around for a lot longer. I took the Death Clock quiz and I will be around until I am 84. This put me at ease, paradoxically, because I could plan my retirement.
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hamsterbait
I have been regularly screened for over ten years now. They just found cancer - but because it is so early, I stand to make a 100% recovery.
Its better to go sooner to the Toubib, than to die sooner because you went too late...
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cofty
I'm pleased to hear your good news Hamster.
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Finkelstein
why should I go see a doctor if the last four people I loved all died of Cancer once they got their Dx?
Thats a very irresponsible position to take giving that your own health is your responsibility to look after
and you can do so with proper medical screening and if Cancer is detected, you can start treatment right away.
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Cancer survivors are on an increases in recent years by virtue of early detection and new sourses of treatment.
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Needless to say I'm sorry you had to endure this personal predicament, it isn't easy to be sure.
I had two in my immediate family who had Cancer and both survived to this day totally cured of the
disease.
Wishing you all the best.
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RottenRiley
Here's another angle why I have a fear of doctors, my friend was troubled with stomach problems for seven months, during the San Diego Summer District Convention we had to rush him to the Emergency Room. They shook their heads while our brother was suffering, the MDs thought he was there for "pain killers" even though he never had a history of pain medication usage or did he have any prescriptions.
Two years went by as I watched a very close friend shrivel up while the doctors scratched their heads trying to figure out why he was so sick. The doctors after having negative CT-Scans, HIDA, MRIs, all panels of blood tests told him "we think you need to see a psychiatrist because your pain is not showing up on all our tests."
I was on the list of brothers who took many friends to the Emergency Room, some of the friends did have serious addiction problems with Xanax and Oxycontin, they ran out of their medications two weeks in to their prescription cycle and called me telling me "I think I am going to die from the Flu", I thought they were really sick and sat back for three hours until the brother or sister got their shot of Demoral and magically their illness went away. I said often "I thought you had the Flu and needed to be hospitalized?" only to find out they were going through withdrawls. I did not judge them for their drug problems, I wanted to make that point clear because I believe our Cult adds more anxiety and stress to each Witness whether they know it our not. I read books to help our friends, George Washington University has a great book on Stomach Disorders and their clinic was the first to discover celiac syndrome, we had a friend who suffered from celiac, after decades of no problems with gluten, it attacked our sister like that! Our bodies and stress placed on them, the Organization that adds more anxiety plus a nervousness plus great insecurity does not help us, do you feel like you received anxiety and stress from the Organization?
I saw the way the doctors treated these brothers and sisters, even the ones who were not pretending to be extermely sick (Bird Flu H1-N1) claiming they had all forms of illnesses just to get a shot of pain medication. I am afraid of going to the doctor and he looks at me and say's "Oh, you just have a nervous stomach or IBS" and sends me off with a pain medication I don't want. Have any of you had to go through the insane challenge of trying to figure out what is wrong with you? It seems like if the problem is not staring the doctor in the face, he or she will assume it's not physical in origen and toss you out with a Somatoform disorder (that's what the brother in the first story was told, I use to lift weights, run and cycle long-distance until his body imploded with a disease.). The doctors sent him to a Psychiatrist and all the medications he was given made him even sicker until he killed himself.
Have any of you here ever had to fight to get a diagnosis and how do you get your doctor's attention, maybe I watched too much "Dr. House" or took too many friends in to the ER and saw the ugly side of the medical system. I need to go to the doctor and putting my head in the sand like a Ostrich won't help, I just don't want to get blown off and told I am paranoid if something is really wrong. My friend who suffered, his parents did a autopsy and they found his liver and pancreas had all kinds of little hard tumors, he was going insane and all those psychiatric medications just tooned his brain out while he suffered severe pain. What did you do to fight to get your DX or do you still have problems the doctors have not figured out? That's the other reason why I stay away from doctors, I know how judgemental some doctors can be after watching many of my Witness friends get treated like crap. Thank you everyone for your kindness, this forum is great!
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Hortensia
Go to the doctor, lay out the facts. Your parents and two siblings have been diagnosed with stomach cancer and you are starting to feel the symptoms. You need the right tests to let you know whether or not you have cancer and you need them now. If you're straight with the doctor, lay out the facts, and still get blown off, well, go right down the road to another doctor and don't pay that first one.
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Hortensia
Hamster -- I'm glad you got this diagnosis so early -- you might have a tough road ahead of you, but you will get better! So glad.