by S.M. Calhoun I'm not a hypochondriac. I just have many reasons to live. When I suspect a health problem, I want clear answers
from an expert.
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My family doctor is a good man. He reads medical journals, consults with colleagues, and attends conferences to keep abreast of current medical news. But it is impossible for any doctor to stay on the cutting edge of every medical condition and still have time to spend with his patients. Three years ago, I went to the doctor, believing I had pulled a muscle in my side. I didn't really think he could do much, but I wanted to know why the twinges of pain lingered for so long. The doctor ordered gall bladder tests. But the ultrasound and CT scan revealed a "mass" on my pancreas--the opposite side from my pain. |
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"Many people have cysts on their pancreas," he chided. "and they never know it. It's nothing. A cyst does not cause pain, and it will eventually go away. Give it a few months." I waited a few months. When I began to have further discomfort (a feeling of fullness and pain under my ribs), I asked to be referred to a specialist. It was May when my family doctor made the appointment for me to see a specialist. It was mid-August before the specialist could fit me into his busy schedule. My doctor had assured him my case was not urgent. In August, the gastroenterologist ordered another CT scan. "It looks like a pseudocyst," he explained, "but I think it's something else--you don't fit the profile. You don't drink, you aren't old enough, and the cyst is growing." "No matter how many tests you have done," he continued, "you can never be 100-percent certain that it's not cancer. And pancreatic cancer is incurable. I highly recommend that you have the cyst removed--and soon!" He sent me to a large university hospital (not associated with his medical facility), where a surgeon removed the cyst. Pancreatic surgery is not a pleasant experience, and there were complications. I was in the hospital for 11 days, off work for two months, and feeding myself intravenously for twn weeks! Had I made the right decision in pursuing a second opinion? I had doubts...until the cyst analysis came back. The specialist had been right; it was not a pseudocyst. Mine was the type of cyst most likely to turn into pancreatic cancer. It's one thing to be an alarmist, but halting a life-threatening disease in the "early stages" is crucial. Many times, the symptoms are difficult to spot. With pancreatic cancer, most people are unaware they have it until it's too late. The "wait-and-see" prescription has proven lethal for too many people. When there is the slightest doubt in my mind, I ask to be referred to a specialist. I don't intend to abuse my insurance company by seeing a specialist for every little ache and pain, but I do value my life. It is unprofessional for a doctor to show impatience when a patient seeks answers to a health problem. Who better than the patient can tell when a part of her anatomy is no longer feeling normal? Many women (and men) feel intimidated to make an appointment unless they have undeniable proof of their symptoms. Therefore, by the time she actually calls the doctor, weeks or months have elapsed. When she is then told to wait a few more months to seeif more symptoms develop, the doctor is playing roulette with her life! |
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Ruth (not her real name) was 76 and in good health when she noticed an unusual lump in her right breast. Wearing a bra was becoming a bit painful. At the urging of her family, she went to her family doctor. She had undergone several needle aspirations on benign lumps in the past 20 years. The doctor assumed this one was no different. He told her to watch it and come back in six months. Doctors know best, she thought. So she waited. Her fear increased as the lump became more uncomfortable. But she silently bided her time. At her six-month check-up, the doctor was alarmed to see a slight discoloration on Ruth's ribs. He immediately set her up for an appointment with a specialist. Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer, no longer in the early stages. She underwent weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and to slow its progress so that a masectomy could be performed. The surgery was followed by weeks of radiation and five years of very expensive cancer medication. If Ruth had insisted upon seeing a specialist at her first "feeling" that something was unusual about this lump, she might have been spared the masectomy. She regrets not asking immediately for a second opinion. That Ruth even survived the cancer is a miracle. Several doctors on the team (having never laid eyes on her) read her paperwork, saw her advanced age, and decided the prognosis was so poor that an operation would be pointless. Ruth's specialist had to argue in favor of her surgery! Following the "wait-and-see" advice of her family doctor nearly cost Ruth her life. Ruth is now 83 years old. The disease has not returned. She is in good health and life is precious to her. The American Cancer Society tells us that the survival rate for most types of cancer is 90%--IF caught in the early stages. The society and other health organizations provide us with a vast amount of information designed to save lives. It is up to us to learn our personal risk factors, to make healthy changes in our lifestyles, to learn what early symptoms might look like, and to see our family doctors if any of the symptoms appear. That is common sense! A wall plaque in one doctor's office reads: The five most dangerous words: Maybe it will go away... He has obviously seen the end results of patients who procrastinate. Whatever your symptoms, don't wait. It's your body--you know when something is out of kilter. See a doctor. Then, if you feel uneasy about your doctor's diagnosis, get a second opinion. Help yourself stay healthy by visiting these websites for prevention tips, information about early detection of cancer, and exercise/nutrition plans for a healthy lifestyle: |
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The American Cancer Society urges you to see your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms:
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"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:30,31) |
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