<p>Playing into that is the amount of women who swear early detection saved their lives, when quite possibly what’s been removed might never have threatened them.</p>
<p>Yes. The definition of “breast cancer” has changed. This has added to the number of procedures, and the number of survivors.</p>
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</p>
<p>Yes, let’s get real. The media is not “hyping” cancer. A cancer diagnosis does, and should, invoke fear. If you believe that it should not, you obviously haven’t been diagnosed. There have been modest rates of decline in cancer deaths but not close to enough to make any cancer patient comfortable. I, myself, can give you many, many cancer horror stories. </p>
<p>Are these good numbers?</p>
<p>The American Cancer Society’s estimates for colorectal cancer in the United States for 2013 are:</p>
<pre><code>About 102,480 new cases of colon cancer
About 40,340 new cases of rectal cancer
About 50,830 deaths from colorectal cancer
</code></pre>
<p>And, that’s just one type of cancer.</p>
<p>Unless you have lived it I don’t think you are in any position to say that the media is promoting fear and reporting second hand horror stories.</p>
<p>Appreticeprof, </p>
<p>What kind of brain tumor is your friend dealing with? JPA? PXA? Something else?</p>
<p>apprenticeprof-you make a good point that cancer is easier to diagnose than ALS and MS. ALS is basically diagnosed by ruling out everything else. It wasn’t until my mother was seen out-of-state by the then foremost expert in the world on ALS that the diagnosis was made.</p>
<p>spiderplants-there actually are dedicated ALS treatment facilities where the patient can make an appointment and in one day and in one place see the neurologist, physical therapist, nurse, speech pathologist, etc. I suspect these are almost always located in major metro centers. My mother was “treated” in one of them in a major metro area, and I have a son who has spent a couple of summers working in the clinical research department of another major metro area hospital.</p>
<p>
Of course, how it looks to you from the outside may not be what it really is. Cancer patients may not all have access to those wonderful “teams” and even within the teams, things may not be so copacetic.</p>
<p>It also depends on where you live. Around here, we have a medical center dedicated to cancer. We also have coordinated cardiac centers, which have the “team” mentality, and coordinated neurology centers, also with the team mentality. There are more Alzheimer’s care units that one can shake a stick at. We also have an entire hospital dedicated to ophthalmologic and otolanryngolic diseases and treatments.</p>
<p>There are more cancer treatment centers (and I’m talking about the legitimate ones) around the country because there are more patients around the country. Any dedicated center must have a critical mass of patients or it cannot sustain itself. I’m not talking about making a profit; I’m talking about staying open. Same reason that there are pediatric hospitals around the country. Not every area can support a pediatric hospital, even though there are children everywhere.</p>
<p>The numbers matter.</p>
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</p>
<p>Sorry, can’t let this go either. What makes you an authority that I should have logical hope? I have been living with a stage 4 diagnosis for a while. I have had three oncologists tell me that colon cancer will be what kills me. Is that supposed to give me hope that it’s not an “immediate” death sentence? I may not see my youngest son graduate from college. I may not see my oldest daughter get married. The chances are slim that I’ll see grandchildren. I live with this reality every day. It’s a reality my doctors agree with. </p>
<p>Do you live with that? Is that how you know so much about this?</p>
<p>From my vantage point the media is not doing enough. Did you know that March is Colorectal Cancer awareness month? Maybe you know about October and breast cancer and pink ribbons, but I’ll bet you don’t know too much about all the other cancers out there. There is very little awareness about other types of cancer. The media needs to get more and more “horror” stories out there so people will get screened.</p>
<p>I’m stunned that anyone would think that there is too much media attention given to the negative impact of cancer. Every newscast should have a “horror” story about the impact of a cancer diagnosis. Perhaps, only then will people stop smoking, adopt healthier lifestyles and get the proper screening.</p>
<p>Viewer, I dont know why people have opinions when they dont know.</p>
<p>It is annoying and or disturbing.</p>
<p>I am fine but I have to deal with certain issues in my life and I dont want to hear opinions from people that dont have the experience.</p>
<p>My wife and I have come up with 3 categories of people.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Those that say sorry, talk about people with positive outcomes or say nothing at all. Our Favorite category.</p></li>
<li><p>Those people that say they are sorry and then ask us did we get second opinions or give us contact numbers. Or they give us advice. People we have things under control. You are annoying us. I know you are just trying to help and you have your own psychological needs but just saying sorry is enough. Dont want the rest.</p></li>
<li><p>Worst caregory. People that talk about negative outcomes or switch the conversation to their problems or ask me to lend or give them money. Seriously? Echhhh. I dont want to hear about negative outcomes. Geez. I dont have the energy to listen to your bs problems of your own making. I am dealing with serious crap and you are asking me about giving you money?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>See ya. Forever.</p>
<p>I dont live with stage 4 cancer. I have no idea what it is like. I never want to find out. I am sure it is hell. Except for the hell part, I am mot going to pretend to know what it is like. I am sorry Viewer. </p>
<p>I am also sorry to read about the issues other posters are dealing with.</p>
<p>It sucks.</p>
<p>COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma), is also a condition that is quite nasty, in literally taking the patient’s breath away. Very little is being done for folks with this condition and there is no cure or even any way to stop its progression. It is the 2nd leading cause of disability and 3rd leading cause of death in the US. In many nations, it is the 2nd leading cause of death! Over 15 million US adults have been diagnosed with COPD and its likely an equal number remain undiagnosed. </p>
<p>In the US, there is NO national program for COPD, unlike heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other conditions. Until recently, the only treatments were taking asthma meds, which really don’t help much. </p>
<p>Yes, cancer is awful, but a lot of other chronic conditions are also awful. Nearly all chronic conditions would benefit from the navigator-type system that cancer patients are often offered. It is curious that it is so rarely available to other conditions.</p>
<p>Numbers are part of the story, but PR is also part of the story. For some diseases, there are advocacy groups that are very well organized and funded, and that have very savvy PR. There is no overlord to decide that too much private money is going to this disease vs. another. Thus, one reason there is a lot a attention on breast cancer is that some very wealthy people were willing to get advocacy organizations going. It may just be that nobody that rich has done so for COPD.</p>
<p>Yes, breast cancer does have great PR and marketing, as does AIDS/HIV. Treatments are also expensive, but treatments for COPD are getting more expensive as well, with projected losses of $50 billion each year from COPD according to NIH. It’s often blamed on the victim, so there is still a lot of stigma.</p>
<p>wait! words like “hope”, and “increasing evidence” these are not combative words. I haven’t read every post, but that one post did not deserve the snark reply.</p>
<p>I think it does when there are no facts to back up these words.</p>
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<p>This!! It applies to mental health issues, also. Yes, we’ve had our sons tested for Lyme’s and other diseases. Mental illness is not caused by lack of vitamins!! Nor is it a “spiritual issue.” </p>
<p>We don’t have the money to go down every little bunny trail that people suggest, so please just give us your moral support.</p>
<p>“This!! It applies to mental health issues”</p>
<p>Yes. It does. </p>
<p>I have two friends that have kids that are bipolar. It is terrible. There are many nights where the parents cant sleep. </p>
<p>I told one friend I hope I never said anything that brought up negative feelings or thoughts. </p>
<p>He said I didnt. I hope he wasnt lying. I am getting pretty good at not forming opinions when I dont know. I am not perfect though.</p>
<p>I follow my friends lead. They dont want to talk about bipolar much. So we dont.</p>
<p>This. I totally get.</p>
<p>It is very hard at times to support folks with serious health issues. People who are well-meaning often say hurtful things. It is sad and tiring, especially when coming from those who are near and dear. For YEARS after I got a diagnosis of an IDEOPATHIC severe chronic permanent condition, I was quizzed by loved ones and even healthcare professionals about whether I was NOW taking care of myself and wasn’t my health better and hasn’t the health condition resolved? They would also invariably mention some remedy they thought should be tried. This was VERY painful and destructive, especially coming from family members, several with medical training. </p>
<p>My treating MDs assured me that nothing I did or didn’t do caused the condition, which looks like a genetic condition that they have a treatment for but is NOT. </p>
<p>“Helpful” suggestions can make people feel criticized, like the “helpful” person feels that the patient overlooked treatments and isn’t properly pursuing the appropriate “cures.”</p>
<p>This applies even more strongly when it is our children who are the patients, and everyone says, “but they LOOK great!” It can FEEL like you’re being told, “I don’t really believe your kids are as sick as you claim and don’t understand why you keep allowing them to miss school.”</p>
<p>Context is everything, and its tough to have thick skin all the time. It takes time to heal from insensitivity, especially if you’re reeling from caring for self and loved ones, getting appropriate care, and expected to be understanding of repeated insensitivity that “means well.”</p>
<p>Sorry, back to the original thread.</p>
<p>Himom, I like your post.</p>
<p>It’s taken me over a dozen years to “forget” some of the hurt inflicted by these well-meaning folks when I and our kids were diagnosed with serious chronic health issues. Those who offered genuine sympathy and NO suggestions were actually the most helpful. I did get us to be seen and treated by many of the leading experts in the US and was not interested in any more “miracle” suggestions.</p>
<p>Informed, intelligent people who have resources and access to quality care and have seen nationally respected experts who are working with them don’t really have need of more “miracle” suggestions, which are more harmful than helpful at that point. We KNOW you mean well, but it is HURTFUL (and can erode relationships)!</p>
<p>OK, returning back to the original thread.</p>
<p>“Those who offered genuine sympathy and NO suggestions were actually the most helpful”</p>
<p>Yes. Category 1. :)</p>
<p>Yes to the rest of your post too.</p>
<p>I am sure I have said or done the wrong thing around sick friends. When my friend was diagnosed with ALS…well, there is no dress rehearsal for that. It wasn’t even able to genuinely offer hope that she would survive it. To complicate things, she was in an extreme level of denial about her diagnoses for years. We couldn’t even say ALS to her or in any way suggest that she had it. As her symptoms worsened, we were expected to look the other way and not acknowledge them or that she needed help. It was a very difficult thing to balance as her friend and I know that I did not always say and do the right thing. Although, I’m quite sure I never asked her for money!!! What the heck is THAT all about?!</p>
<p>Viewer, I am so sorry about your illness and all of the life altering difficulties that go along with it. I don’t think that anyone here thinks that cancer gets too much attention, too much media coverage or too much money. It’s more a matter of wondering why some other terminal or potentially terminal illnesses don’t get more of those and why many of the patients that are diagnosed with them are pretty much left to their own devises rather than having their medical care coordinated in a comprehensive way.</p>