Radiated on purpose as an infant in the 1950's, cancer developed years later

cathyand80

Why give medical professionals a pass ! You did not read AMA or JAMA article did you??? I am outraged that anyone would give doctors passes on using radiation on benign surgery like tonsil adenoids that I had in late 1960’s ! 69 yr and just finding out. My health has been on downhill slide for over 10 yrs! The AMA feared legal repercussions! Are you kidding they wrote the reason ! It was cheap quick surgery and another crime is no “ standardized dose “ given !! This is blatant criminal of med pros !

cathyand80

also done to children impacts the DNA ! Nice

cathyand80

RECA should be helping w cost of implants of any NRI person ! If still can’t get help ! Medicare I have gotten so I can’t advocate for myself !
death w dignity needs to be in every state for pts like mystic who want out!

wrwoolley1

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1725057#Comment_1725057

I share your anger about the use of radiation to treat childhood problems. And my anger is heightened because the radiation done on my thyroid as a newborn was utterly misguided and absolutely unnecessary. It was supposedly a preventative against SIDS, but was based on completely wrong assumptions as to the size of a normal thyroid. Here is just one website on the matter: https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/article/poverty-the-thymus-and-sudden-infant-death-syndrome/

bonnibakes

I'm part of this group because I had my thymus irradiated in 1944 as an infant because I was wheezing. The above article contains misinformation. Radiation was not initially done to infants to prevent SIDS "in the late 19th and early 20th centuries". Sudden Death Syndrome was first called SIDS in 1969. Stress can cause the thymus to shrink, but it's only temporary, not a permanent situation.

cathyand80

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1725114#Comment_1725114

I feel for you absolutely! I don’t know what has become of our American health system ! I was a RN took pride in my ability to care and advocate for my patients and I saw things other RNs got away with that were cruel causing pts to suffer because they did not feel comfortable giving a Rx the doc prescribed! We know we have to call the doc if an
order is concern but these RNs that were the hospital head nurse were her favorites so they got away w causing the pt undue pain suffering !

I had to research this after 2 Endocrinologist both asked me “ had medical radiation in past” for dominant thyroid nodule I said “ wouldn’t I know?” Now they knew this fact as did the ENT doc who removed my epiglottis tumor 2 inches in circumference was benign squamous cell ( big red flag for radiation) but no I got sicker older more pain and I still am not back on palliative or hospice due to Maine is the dumbest state of incompetence and they judge people of ethnicity color etc ! And doctors will not operate if my heart goes on bumb had prior heart attack ? I am just a big mess and docs keeps you going to visits for what !??? They will not treat my NAFLD that 4 months went to NASH F1 the Gzi “ not severe enough. It seems like to make us Medicare pts suffer ! I am DNR also ! Nothing makes sense esp $46,000 I had to pay teeth implants could not have dentures due yo radiation drying my mouth for decades rotten teeth and no jaw bone in back.

I applied to RECA for radiation compensation but I don’t think they take pts like us that were radiation given in childhood using “ no standardized doses” this fact alone makes it criminal in my eyes and we were nothing more than guinea pigs !
why isn’t a class action lawsuit being filed ! J&J baby powder and asbestos got class action lawsuits ! And look at what the fed govt did god CoViD one women in Fl scammed the fed govt for 3 million dollars!
are you kidding me ! I hear from few immigrants docs who tell me America is becoming a 3rd world country in health care

cathyand80

Why isn’t this a public announcement to the millions not knowing they had radiation and doses were not standardized and AMA article stating “ legal repercussions “ disgusting! What about people health isn’t that a priority!!

Dr_ROZ

In 1958, at the age of 2.5 years, my swollen tonsils were removed. My swollen adenoids were then irradiated to shrink them. The swelling haad also impacted the eustachian tubes and ability to hear, which severely impacted my learning to speak. Fast forward to 1977. A CBS 60 Minutes episode featured the issue of childhood radiation therapy, like mine, being linked to thyroid cancer. My Mom scheduled an appointment with an ENT Doctor whom then scheduled tests. The good news was my thyroid was fine, but I had a Grade 2 /Stage II Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in the left Parotid Gland which was removed. Fast forward again to 2024, when a lump in my right parotid was detected and removed and determined to be benign. It makes me wonder if both of my salivary gland issues had its beginning in 1958.

bonnibakes

Growing up, my parents casually mentioned that my thymus was irradiated when I was an infant because I was wheezing. There was no sense of alarm or further discussion. I was 33 years old when I saw that same CBS 60 Minutes episode and I was alarmed! My parents were extremely upset that something they did out of love, on doctor's orders, might have put me in danger. Our family doctor who ordered the tests had retired and moved out of state years earlier. I tried to find any medical records that could shed light on the details of my treatment but hit a brick wall. We never would have known about the potential danger without that 60 Minute segment. I've never seen/heard/read any similar public discussion since. I mention it to every doctor I see and most have a blank stare and say they never heard about it. While we patients are still alive it's important that this information be publicized because there are so many others out there who might not know they're harboring a ticking time bomb. In 1997 I was diagnosed and successfully treated for aggressive breast cancer and haven't had a recurrence. When I asked a Duke research oncologist if it might be related to the infant irradiation, he said "Yes" without hesitation.

cathyand80

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1725114#Comment_1725114

that was horrible what happened to you ! We Americans deserve better than what we are receiving from medical professionals, I hate to use professional due to the negligence, judgement of patients and lack of empathy !! It is a disgrace to all of us who have been radiated!
I have been trying to get gov officials aware of this damaging surgical technique that is usually used on poor children decades ago but what is really cruel is to find out you have been radiated in childhood in my 6 decade of life !if only I would of known since childhood but my parents were not told my TA surgery was done using radiation! I could have maybe halted the bone damage , dry mouth, teeth breakage , cardiac and vascular issues that have left me living a poor quality of life ! But to add insult to injury I was told recently that back in 2018 my GI I was seeing but dropped her due to her not releasing my pathology report after colonoscopy and endoscopy! I have had SCC anal margins since 2018 and she never told me but I found out by my current GI ! I want to hire attorney as every pt has the right to know their diagnosis! But hiring attorney would mean I would have to do this that and I don’t have the energy as I am practically bedridden!
I have lost all trust in our medical community!

cathyand80

Yes that blank stare ! I have had that too many times esp w oncologist who I have no respect for because unless you have a high WBC or some thing easy to diagnose they don’t want to do “ due diligence “ but rather do more harm by gaslighting female pts!
why isn’t a Class Action Lawsuit being filed for pts who had childhood radiation for benign surgical because it was fast cheap and could treat millions of children and like I posted in prior messages what makes this NRI dangerous and blatant negligence is “ NO Standardized Dose “ used !

cathyand80

I did not know about 60 minutes documentary abt this ! What year was is ?

Dr_ROZ

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1725438#Comment_1725438

If you are asking because of my comment on November 9th, then all I can add is that the year was 1977, and my appointment was in March. My best guess would be that the episode aired between January & early March of the 9th season. I couldn't find the exact episode. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123338/episodes/?season=9&ref_=ttep

bonnibakes

I found it!! The CBS show,

“Deadly Medicine,” 60 Minutes, January 16, 1977

is referenced in an article on the NIH (National Institute of Health) website. If you want to read it, and all of the references, the article is at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6366520/#bib40

Here's a paragraph from that article that sums up the history.

In January 1977, the CBS News program 60 Minutes devoted a program to investigating the actions being taken by medical centers and national health authorities across the country to inform former irradiated patients about the late health effects of radiation. The program began by critically showing that, in most medical centers, no effective campaign had been launched to warn and bring in former patients for medical examinations, and only a few hospitals had taken it upon themselves to alert the public and trace former patients. The program ended by showing that, even though the national medical organizations involved (i.e., the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and the NCI) encouraged all medical centers to start recall programs, only a few had done so. 60 Minutes investigators called 20 of the largest hospitals in the United States and found that no recall program was launched.

Dr_ROZ

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1725440#Comment_1725440

Thank you for finding this. Some of the article's links are also interesting.