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I don't understand why you can't have healthy, active lifestyles that include screenings and other diagnostics. After doing those things then you can make an educated decision about pursuing treatment based on the seriousness, prognosis, and side effects of treatment.
I'm not in favor of just closing my eyes and sticking my head in the sand.
Yeah. There are so many things that are easily and successfully treated at nearly any age if you just catch them early.
"...get a terminal illness" is not the same as not getting any treatment after a given age.
If you get a terminal illness, that denotes something that cannot be effectively treated. That's why it's "terminal." You're moving the goalpost.
I'm in my late 60s. Through careful living and blessings, I'm not suffering any chronic illnesses. Sure, I take longer to heal from a wound, but my numbers are those of men 40 years younger. My blood elders were active into their 90s and even beyond 100.
Maybe some unpredictable form of rare cancer will yet blindside me within the next few years, but it's also very likely it will be treatable.
I thought I made that distinction. Apologies that it wasn't clear to you. I get most health care and testing, the ones that mean the most to me (lung Cat Scans, Hip MRI's, blood test every two years to monitor metal in the blood due to a recalled hip implant that is doing ok so far). I don't get certain tests, by choice. Terminal illness I will not treat. I would likely get a second opinion and then make a decision.
My illnesses were caused by genetic defects (lungs and hips). Through "careful living and blessings" both are so far decently managed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk
Yeah. There are so many things that are easily and successfully treated at nearly any age if you just catch them early.
I thought I made it pretty clear in more than one post that it is an individual choice. I do not expect you or anyone to do what I'm doing.
You don't die from cancer. You die from complicartions of cancer-- often poor nutrition causing decresaed immune function-->infection.
The older you are when you develop cancer, the slower it grows. Will old age get you before the cancer has a chance?...Conversely, the younger you are, the more aggressive the thing is likely to be.
Some cancers are curable-- treat it and it goes away....Some are treatable-- treat it but it never goes away really, but you wind up succumbing to something else eventually....There's a difference in dying from cancer vs dying with cancer. Cf- prostate ca- almost no one dies from it, but almost all men over 80 have it in situ when they die, hence it's inclusioin as "the 3rd most common cancer" on the COD list. Bogus.
The stats only apply to the group, not the individual, so five year survival for, say, lung ca may only be 25% among a group of 100pts, BUT- a few pts will have miracle cures with one of the newer chemo regiments. You don't know ahead of time if you'll be one of them....OTOH- chemo may be said to have increased survival by 25%!-- Big deal. That means you die in 8 months instead of 6 months. Is it worth it?
ALL management decisions must be made on an individual basis, not some socialized medicine, one-size-fits-all recipe.
You don't die from cancer. You die from complicartions of cancer-- often poor nutrition causing decresaed immune function-->infection.
Unfortunately that's a semantic difference. If you die from your body shutting down, it's effectively a death from cancer. The way it was explained to my senior law colleague, who lost his wife when she was 53, "the organs begin shutting down, in no particular order." The objective of earlier surgery and chemo is to delay the day that the cancer overwhelms the body.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
The older you are when you develop cancer, the slower it grows. Will old age get you before the cancer has a chance?...Conversely, the younger you are, the more aggressive the thing is likely to be.
Most forms, yes, but definitely not uterine and I believe not cervical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
Some cancers are curable-- treat it and it goes away....Some are treatable-- treat it but it never goes away really, but you wind up succumbing to something else eventually....There's a difference in dying from cancer vs dying with cancer. Cf- prostate ca- almost no one dies from it, but almost all men over 80 have it in situ when they die, hence it's inclusioin as "the 3rd most common cancer" on the COD list. Bogus.
Agreed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
The stats only apply to the group, not the individual, so five year survival for, say, lung ca may only be 25% among a group of 100pts, BUT- a few pts will have miracle cures with one of the newer chemo regiments. You don't know ahead of time if you'll be one of them....OTOH- chemo may be said to have increased survival by 25%!-- Big deal. That means you die in 8 months instead of 6 months. Is it worth it?
My opinion is no, since the two-month extension probably includes at lesat that number of miserable days and weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
ALL management decisions must be made on an individual basis, not some socialized medicine, one-size-fits-all recipe.
Here we don't totally agree. Society, in one way or other picks up the bill for late-stage treatment of almost all diseases, whether through private insurance, Medicare or otherwise. Most people and families are not insane enough to spend their own money. If I could write the laws I would abolish private coverage by eliminating its tax deductibility.
Thank you for sharing your story. If I were in your position I would have done the exact same thing. I have no idea why so many want to just give up on life. For me I would have done the treatment for sure, what is there to lose other than feeling crappy but still having hope? If after time I felt I was not going to get better, well I can always change my mind. If you refuse treatment you won't have that option, like with suicide there are no do-overs.
Well here's my story (and I realize that not everyone will share this opinion and I respect that). I have faith that there is another life after this one. I also currently have no real desire to live for very much longer and would be so pleased if tonight were my last night alive: my husband passed away suddenly and unexpectedly a few years ago and at that time all my earthly joy left me. Actually, if it weren't for my faith--as I would never consider taking my own life due to my religious beliefs--I would have killed myself shortly after my husband passed away. This life will soon be over quickly enough for everyone, and for me it really is not an interest of mine to prolong it.
check-ups are not prophesy.
he will die. i will, too.
when? why? how?
that is prophesy.
If I get a colonoscopy at age 70 that removes any pre-cancerous polyps, those removed polyps won't have a chance to develop into cancer by age 75.
If I don't get that colonoscopy, they probably will.
If I skipped the age-70 colonoscopy under the intention of not being treated for cancer at age 75, then I will have set the stage myself to have terminal cancer at age 75.
For those banging on about how USA should adopt some sort of universal health scheme similar to many European nations know this; often decision about treatment of mortal illness (such as cancer) will be made based upon statistical outcomes.
To wit if you're 70 or older the "state" may decide heroic measures to cure or treat said terminal illness are not reasonable use of resources (to put it nicely). Palliative or hospice care, yes that will be covered; but American way of performing endless rounds of various treatments until a patient or his/her family says *enough*, or dies like is off the table.
For those able to afford self insurance or otherwise have means to pay for private care, that's a different matter. Just look at all the well off or wealthy who fly to USA for healthcare from all over world.
Yeah, and then there's a lot of wealthy that die just like everyone else and some relatively prematurely at that.
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