On the subject of cancer awarness

[Kathy]

Readying about the colonoscopy made me want to remind everyone aware of oral cancer too. My best friend hated the dentist so didn't ever go for check ups until it was to late. She had an ulcer that wasn't healing and was diagnosed with oral cancer one year ago. She went through partial removal of her tongue, radiation, chemo and a full year of terrible pain from a surgery that never healed. Unforturnately she passed away two weeks ago from something that most likely could have been nipped in the bud if diagnosed early. So don't be blind and ingnore anything that is unusal to your normal health. Life is to precious.

Kathy Morlang

 

[rimmerpaints]

Im so sorry about your friend. Any kind of cancer is hard to handle.Cancer really sucks.

 

[~Dan]

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend (((hugs)))

I always try to keep up to date with all physicals and dentists appointments. Due to his diabetes, my dad gets his eyes checked yearly. One day they noticed that there was a freckle on the back on his eye, so they decided to watch it. Eventually it began growing so they removed the eye and removed the freckle and attached a radiation patch. It turned out to be malignant melanoma which will often attack the liver and kidneys if not caught in time. There are no symptoms, until it is too late. Thankfully, they did catch and so far, it has not come back. I second always going to the doctors and specialists regularly.

Dan.

 

[Genie]

My husband went to the eye doctor for a regular check up. The optometrist noticed blood spots behind both eyes and said that if it was just one eye he would suspect diabetes.

Because it was both eyes he said to go to your G.P. as it could be a problem with the carotid artery.

When he went to the G.P. he said that one carotid artery was totally blocked and sent him to a specialist. The specialist said that his body had bypassed the blcokage on it's own but he said he didn't know how he avoided a stroke while that was happening. The other artery is 35% blocked and he goes once a year to keep an eye on it.

Regular visits to eye doctors and dentists and G.P.'s are important.

Optometrists and dentists will notice a lot of things that might be missed on a regular doctor visit.

So sad that your friend didn't get help soon enough. Cancer is such a mystery it seems. I wonder why, with all the money that is raised to look for cures?

 

[vickie gee]

Sorry about your friend. My mom passed away 3 years ago (this month) from what also began as "an ulcer" on her tongue. She did not ignore it. It was so painful she went to several doctors...all local unfortunately. She got topical meds for a couple of years. One doctor actually sent her to a dentist to have a tooth pulled that was rubbing. Both the dentist and doctor thought the rubbing initiated the "ulcer." I knew better but could not convince my parents to go elsewhere. The doctor finally sent her to a local ENT doctor. They figured out that it was cancer and took that small area off her tongue. A few months later she has a gland in her neck hurting and not getting well. The gland turned out to be a tumor. She had surgery to remove that....then radiation. Shortly afterwards she has rib pain. Doctors wanted to say she likely cracked a rib overdoing housework for the holidays and lifting great-grandbabies. She was in so much pain she could not sleep. When the rib was checked out it turned out stage four lung cancer eating away at the rib, not an injury. She had radiation treatments and was so weak and sick never decided whether or not to do chemo. We were on the waiting list for Cancer Treatment Centers of America (Oklahoma). She passed away a few days before she was scheduled there. She was at home. The last week of her life we had hospice put her a hospital bed in the living room. My brother cared for her around the clock for two weeks. Then I took leave from work and took care of her during the night so my brother could sleep at night and then during the day have to deal with my dad and visitors. I don't know how he did it. At least at night it was just me and Mom. She never smoked or drank...but those last few weeks my brother and I were having to administer morphine and all sorts of addictive drugs to her. Thankfully other than the two years of tongue pain she had already endured her major suffering was for a brief time. I honestly believe Fosomax gave her the cancer. Her ob/gyn had her on it for 9 years. I believe 5 years max is the norm. I know when I took it I felt "like I was dying." I think it is a horrible drug. My husband's boss' father has esophagus cancer. He also took Fosomax. It is very ironic that in all likelihood a drug that is supposed to prevent bone loss along with doctors with their heads up their rears killed my mom.