My Christmas Wish

jason.2835
jason.2835 Member Posts: 337 Member
in Kidney Cancer #1

My wish for Christmas is for our medical system to do a better job of early detection in regards to cancer.  I feel incredibly lucky that my cancer was caught incidentally.  But a majority of cases aren't found until the cancer has progressed and either caused serious medical issues or metastasized.  And I'm sorry, but that's just unacceptable.  

We need our health care system, in the greatest country in the world, to make more of an effort to ensure that cancer is a beatable disease.  More funding needs to go to new and cheaper testing that can be utlized by everyone easily, at their regular doctor's visits.

Nobody should live in mortal fear of cancer.  It's almost 2015, for pete's sake!  As Marty McFly said, "You mean we're in the future!"  This needs to be a disease that, even if it cannot be fully understood, is more effectively managed.

I wish for everyone to have a wonderful Christmas.  For those of you dealing with chemo, radiation, immunotherapy... Neoplasms in your body... I want you to know that you guys are my heroes.  You are so strong.  I cannot imagine what you are going through.  I don't feel part of the "club" because I had such an Easy Street.  But take some time away, spend it with family and friends wherever you are, and keep fighting into the New Year. 

 

 

 

Comments

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #2
    Early detection

    Fortunately at least 1/2 the cases of Kidney Cancer are detected while still stage 1. Two ideas. One is to identify and create markers from our bloodwork to detect RCC. 2. Have routine abdominal ultrasounds at age 40 and every so many years after that. Not only would we identify RCC in the bud, but a host of other things as well. While a CT is more desireable it will never get approved as a routine test without a prior indication. Just a few thoughts for Santa to think about before next xmas and Chanuka.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • APny
    APny Member Posts: 1,995 Member
    #3
    icemantoo said:

    Early detection

    Fortunately at least 1/2 the cases of Kidney Cancer are detected while still stage 1. Two ideas. One is to identify and create markers from our bloodwork to detect RCC. 2. Have routine abdominal ultrasounds at age 40 and every so many years after that. Not only would we identify RCC in the bud, but a host of other things as well. While a CT is more desireable it will never get approved as a routine test without a prior indication. Just a few thoughts for Santa to think about before next xmas and Chanuka.

     

     

    Icemantoo

    I agree with everything

    I agree with everything except the routine CT scan. The radiation dosage would be horrendous over a life span if started at 40 and continued as routine yearly. 

  • jason.2835
    jason.2835 Member Posts: 337 Member
    #4
    Google nano probes

    While it sounds like sci-fi, Google is developing a technology that can detect cancer cheaply and quickly and it the future testing elements we need to be focused on, not the past ones. MRI has its drawbacks, and CT bombards the patient with radiation. X-Rays do too and are unreliable. My point is that there will be better version of tests in the future and the focus needs to be on developing ones that can be used by everyone in a doctors office or ER setting. It's not too much to ask. When a darn robot can operate on me as the surgeon sits ten feet away, when you can 3D print a personalised cast for patients' arms... I don't think tbat it's too much to ask that cancer detection get a boost of technology as well.  

  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #5
    jason.2835 said:

    Google nano probes

    While it sounds like sci-fi, Google is developing a technology that can detect cancer cheaply and quickly and it the future testing elements we need to be focused on, not the past ones. MRI has its drawbacks, and CT bombards the patient with radiation. X-Rays do too and are unreliable. My point is that there will be better version of tests in the future and the focus needs to be on developing ones that can be used by everyone in a doctors office or ER setting. It's not too much to ask. When a darn robot can operate on me as the surgeon sits ten feet away, when you can 3D print a personalised cast for patients' arms... I don't think tbat it's too much to ask that cancer detection get a boost of technology as well.  

    profit

    I think that when someone can figure out how to make money by curing cancer, it will be a done deal. Something easy like a blood test diagnosis with a vaccination treatment for under a couple hundred bucks. Affordable designer drugs. And not just for cancer.

    All future conversations will sound like this. "How long have you worked on cars?" "Just a couple years. Used to be a doctor. There was no money in it."

  • LesliePeters
    LesliePeters Member Posts: 17
    #6
    foxhd said:

    profit

    I think that when someone can figure out how to make money by curing cancer, it will be a done deal. Something easy like a blood test diagnosis with a vaccination treatment for under a couple hundred bucks. Affordable designer drugs. And not just for cancer.

    All future conversations will sound like this. "How long have you worked on cars?" "Just a couple years. Used to be a doctor. There was no money in it."

    I completely agree

    I will never understand cancer.... I found out yesterday that a 18 yr old lost her battle with cancer. It doesnt make sense how I could have it so easy and she had such a hard road at her age

     

    Leslie

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