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First of all I am not sure how or why my rebuttal to your post would be hostile or in your face? Not sure how your call my a jerk for adamantly disagreeing with your views is being a jerk. Furthermore you feeling incumbent to discuss moderator actions or to take moderator actions into your own hands crosses the line you accuse me of doing.
Perhaps you truly believe that your tone in post #16 is polite in its adamance. It didn't feel that way to me, and it doesn't make me a junior mod wannabe to remind you. I apologize if I came off whiney or over-sensitive.
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The article you linked was not peer reviewed. It is actually well referenced which is surprising around this section.
However it is asinine to suggest that to someone else. You attempted to do that in the PSA threads and now this thread.
Um, did I suggest to you that you or anyone else that they should not be tested? I do not think it is asinine for people to attempt to understand what they are being tested for, and any possible side effects from either tests or prescribed medicine.
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Originally Posted by charolastra00
My cancer could have been caught at Stage I and been 95% curable. Instead it was caught at Stage IV and I only have a 70% 5 year survival rate - and I'm only 23 and have absolutely ZERO family history of cancer. Don't put off testing. By the time you have symptoms, most cancers have already spread.
I am so sorry about this, Charolastra.
All good wishes to you. My paternal grandmother was in the same position as you at 35, but ended up living till 88.
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Originally Posted by Charley
We don't do nearly enough about promoting wellness,preventing diseases or diagnostic testing.
Yes. And not to get all warm and fuzzy, but perhaps sometimes the medical community may discount the mind/body connection. Stress can be a real factor in maintaining one's health, and healing one's illness.
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From an economic standpoint, the cost of healthcare would decrease significantly if we could prevent disease or treat it at it's earliest stages. From a humanistic standpoint, the improvement in our general well-being would be immeasurable.
As far as this discussion is concerned, my feelings are simple. If you don't believe in being tested, then that's your business. Don't be tested. But please don't try to justify for the rest of us why we should avoid testing that could very well save our lives. I'm a cancer survivor and now I've gone through almost three years of pain and trouble to get where I am. If I can help someone else avoid what I'm experiencing by urging them to avail themselves of preventative testing, then that's exactly what I should be doing.
I am glad for you, Charley.
I guess for me it's less To Test or Not To Test, but more Educate Yourself. Tests are going to happen. So is prescribed medication.
In my opinion the time to educate yourself is BEFORE you are in the middle of a health crisis.
The thing is the average person here is not a physician. However, the patient is their best advocate for their healthcare. What this means if you don’t feel right have it checked out. If the results are not up to your expectations then seek a second opinion. As patients you have choices, and as many flaws as there are in the healthcare system, choices are one of the advantages.
So for the average person if something doesn’t feel right and lingers, yes seek help. Don’t delay. Yes, common sense plays into it as well. You have a 101 degree fever and aspirin doesn’t break the fever and it lingers visit a doctor. If you have a cold or a flu virus antibiotics are not helpful. So dispensing antibiotics is foolish in some cases. However, cancer is far more involved than flu or other viral infection.
You ask what does that mean when dealing with cancer. Rest and plenty of fluids won’t allow cancer to run its growth. The body isn’t able to fight cancer like it does with other infections. Cancer has a nasty habit of growing and spreading. So waiting with cancer is just plain stupid. Early detection and treatment is paramount to success.
As a patient if it doesn’t seem right don’t delay. Don’t key some poster here try to argue otherwise.
I've read several of your posts and guess I don't get it. Where are you getting the information to NOT do testing or wait a decade to do so?
Here is what got me going to start with... Had I not gotten the PSA test when I did (showing no symptoms), I would clearly been close to, if not shovel ready had I gone with these type of recommendations.
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Panel Faults Widely Used Prostate-Cancer Test
BY JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN AND THOMAS M. BURTON
A key federal advisory panel is poised to recommend that healthy men shouldn't be screened with a widely used blood test for prostate cancer, indicating that the test offers more harm than benefit.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force will recommend a "D" rating for prostate specific antigen, or PSA, testing, said a person familiar with the draft document. A "D" rating means "there is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the ...
This was as far as the story goes, but before you can read further, you have to subscribe, which I wasn't interested in doing, but if you desire you can. Full story at:
My point is that you are always "Healthy" before you find out you have a cancer... If you are sick and then find out you have cancer, it may be too late.
Starlight, I found out about another case of breast cancer diagnosis that otherwise would have gone undetected. The patient is in good health, there was a spot in her breast about the size of if the tip of my pinky finger.
By early detection, they caught the cancer, there was no spread, nor need for chemo (mainline or adjunct.) or further treatment.
If you were to follow the logic of delaying screening or other forms of detection are delayed the need for treatment is more involved and invasive.
Starlight, I found out about another case of breast cancer diagnosis that otherwise would have gone undetected. The patient is in good health, there was a spot in her breast about the size of if the tip of my pinky finger.
By early detection, they caught the cancer, there was no spread, nor need for chemo (mainline or adjunct.) or further treatment.
If you were to follow the logic of delaying screening or other forms of detection are delayed the need for treatment is more involved and invasive.
That is yet another reason to ignore people with an agenda to delay testing for cancers. Mostly those that are vested in some way of having to write checks for the screening, be it insurance companies or Obama's health care plan. Much cheaper to diagnose someone near death and bury them than to treat them in the early stages when it is curable. Yeah, if I sound skeptible, I am.
I was healthy and showed no signs of cancer, and if I waited until Signs of cancer, I would be to the Point of untreatable.
I'm going to chime in here to vent and if others have an opinion and want to share-please do.
I was found the have a thyroid nodule a few years back. I had no health insurance at the time but did work with a fabulous and kind lady who is a nurse. She happened to be married to an Endo and he kindly ordered blood testing and did a needle biopsy and all was fine. Blood test showed no problems and biopsy showed benign. Doc said benign would always be benign. he never ordered ultra sound. Either because I had no insurance or he didn't see the need. I never asked.
Fast forward to NOW. I have insurance and nodule(which is clearly visible)has grown. The GP I've been seeing the last 3 years has never so much as touched it but each year I go in and ask for my thyroid levels to be checked.They are always fine. Just recently I noticed the nodule seemed larger and off and on I get the choking sensation. (not so much at all in the last 2 weeks) So my GP sent me for additional bloodwork up ( I had just had blood test done a couple weeks prior) and an ultrasound.
So he calls after thats all done to say bloodwork is fine and the ultra sound shows multiple nodules and the larger one is larger than what I knew it to have originally been.
He now wants me to have another biopsy on same nodule; and is to be done through the ultra sound dept.
Now--a couple of things (A) I was told this nodule was benign and would always be benign
(B) benign or not--if the nodule is bothering me and at least a partial thyroidectomy is to be done; can't they biopsy the nodule when they remove it. And to my knowledge no chemo or radiation is typically done.
(C) I saw the bill for just the ultra sound and even though it is a pre-insurance statement I was shocked at the cost. Somewhere around $800.00 Therefore I'm assuming the biopsy done via ultra sound dept is going to be crazy high priced.
(D) I just am not so concerned about it being cancer. I don't think it is.
Was all that confusing enough?? LOL
I am not making light of the situation but I had long ago been through the "OMG, I might have cancer" meltdown and I didn't and I thought I was done with that topic. So I honestly think my doctor is milking the insurance company AND/OR going by text book practice. He has never,ever concerned himself with this nodule at all. Not in 3 years. He knows the original biopsy shows benign.
Anyone want to give me your opinions/advice? My biopsy is scheduled for day after tomorrow (Dec. 28)
I'm going to chime in here to vent and if others have an opinion and want to share-please do.
I was found the have a thyroid nodule a few years back. I had no health insurance at the time but did work with a fabulous and kind lady who is a nurse. She happened to be married to an Endo and he kindly ordered blood testing and did a needle biopsy and all was fine. Blood test showed no problems and biopsy showed benign. Doc said benign would always be benign. he never ordered ultra sound. Either because I had no insurance or he didn't see the need. I never asked.
Fast forward to NOW. I have insurance and nodule(which is clearly visible)has grown. The GP I've been seeing the last 3 years has never so much as touched it but each year I go in and ask for my thyroid levels to be checked.They are always fine. Just recently I noticed the nodule seemed larger and off and on I get the choking sensation. (not so much at all in the last 2 weeks) So my GP sent me for additional bloodwork up ( I had just had blood test done a couple weeks prior) and an ultrasound.
So he calls after thats all done to say bloodwork is fine and the ultra sound shows multiple nodules and the larger one is larger than what I knew it to have originally been.
He now wants me to have another biopsy on same nodule; and is to be done through the ultra sound dept.
Now--a couple of things (A) I was told this nodule was benign and would always be benign
(B) benign or not--if the nodule is bothering me and at least a partial thyroidectomy is to be done; can't they biopsy the nodule when they remove it. And to my knowledge no chemo or radiation is typically done.
(C) I saw the bill for just the ultra sound and even though it is a pre-insurance statement I was shocked at the cost. Somewhere around $800.00 Therefore I'm assuming the biopsy done via ultra sound dept is going to be crazy high priced.
(D) I just am not so concerned about it being cancer. I don't think it is.
Was all that confusing enough?? LOL
I am not making light of the situation but I had long ago been through the "OMG, I might have cancer" meltdown and I didn't and I thought I was done with that topic. So I honestly think my doctor is milking the insurance company AND/OR going by text book practice. He has never,ever concerned himself with this nodule at all. Not in 3 years. He knows the original biopsy shows benign.
Anyone want to give me your opinions/advice? My biopsy is scheduled for day after tomorrow (Dec. 28)
Well it sounds like a second opinion is in order. If you have an abnormality, and it clearly is getting bigger, bothers you and not your doctor, I'd say the Doc isn't in it for your health.
Well it sounds like a second opinion is in order. If you have an abnormality, and it clearly is getting bigger, bothers you and not your doctor, I'd say the Doc isn't in it for your health.
had it today. Sore tonight!! The radiologist said it looked to be benign but the pathologist will look over the slides and my doctor will call in a few days.
had it today. Sore tonight!! The radiologist said it looked to be benign but the pathologist will look over the slides and my doctor will call in a few days.
Well I hope the results are good and you don't have anything to worry about then!
I have a friend who had a non-malignant tumor in her neck. The problem was even though it was a benign one, it was growing and causing increasing discomfort. Just because a growth isn't cancerous does not necessarily it can't be dangerous, especially if it interferes with being able to breath normally.
Although hers wasn't a thyroid growth, the whole thyroid gland had to be removed to get rid of it at that point. Fortunately the surgery went well, her voice wasn't affected, just a small barely noticeable scar to show for it. That was about three years ago and she's been doing fine since except she will always need medication to keep her thyroid levels normal.
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