This is such a strange feeling....

[Sparkster]

Ellen, I am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

This is a very good reason why women should have their check ups. Also, many women here might want to consider getting the Gardisil vaccination. If you do get vaccinated though, you should still have regular pap smears.

And ladies, it''s not just about us. You MUST MUST MUST make sure the men in your life get tested for prostate cancer.

 

[Beacon]

Thanks for your post Ellen. I totally empathize with your anger; I could see how I might be angry too if I were in your shoes. It is hard to say what happened to her. Yes, maybe she did neglect herself but also she could have developed a very aggressive cancer. Crazy things happen, so it is hard to say.

Your post is very good for all of us to keep in mind and get our check ups and do our follow-ups and not let doctors tell us to just wait and see.

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of such a young person.

 

[Ellen]

sparkster, thank you.

And yes, our men need to go to. I''m sure they don''t want to for the very same reason some women put it off, not a day at the beach...but so necessary.

 

[Ellen]

Thank you Beacon.

Yes, way too young.

 

[diamondfan]

It is sad to lose someone so young.

It also reminds us to be on top of things, and get to the doctor for routine things.

The scary part is stuff that is mostly asymptomatic til it is too late. Those are the things that scare me no end.

I am so sorry about your friend.

 

[Sparkster]

Date: 10/7/2007 7:46:23 PM
Author: Ellen
sparkster, thank you.

And yes, our men need to go to. I''m sure they don''t want to for the very same reason some women put it off, not a day at the beach...but so necessary.

Convincing a man to see a doctor is hard enough as it is (I know I''m generalising here!). But getting one to take a prostate check is even harder. FI is good in that sense - his father had prostate cancer (all in the clear) so FI knows that it''s something that he HAS to do. He was reluctant at first until I told him to stop whining and be thankful that he doesn''t have to have pap smears and what they actually involve, he stopped whining!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, Ellen.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

I''m sorry Ellen. Very sad.

 

[Ellen]

Thanks guys.

 

[MoonWater]

Ellen, I'm sorry for your loss. Anger is definitely an understandable emotion. My favorite aunt currently has lung cancer (but is doing amazingly well) and it's a result of 30+ years of smoking. She is a serious life line for me, so it's frustrating to know that she essentially brought this on herself.

Haven, thank you so much for sharing your story. I had an abnormal pap 6 months ago and I'm having my follow up appt today (TMI!!). I think prior to reading your story I would have went with whatever the doctor said. I am certain to be more aggressive about getting answers this tiime around.

 

[Ellen]

Moon, thank you. And I''m sorry to hear about your aunt, I know it''s frustrating.



I''m not going to go into any details, but I can clarify with absolute certainty now, my friends death could have been avoided. *sigh*

 

[larussel03]

I''m sorry for your loss, Ellen. Every time I hear about someone passing away from cancer I remember the people I''ve lost to cancer and how they could have been treated if they''d found out sooner, but unfortunately they just didn''t. Life got in the way for them, one in particular. She was so busy caring for her troubled daughter and dealing with the drama that the daughter caused, that she didn''t take the time to take care of herself and she passed away from colon cancer almost 2 years ago. It''s not the daughter''s or the mother''s fault, but it''s just too bad that she couldn''t focus on herself.

 

[Ellen]

Sweetpea, thank you.

And so sad about the mother....

 

[Delster]

Ellen I''m so sorry you''ve lost your friend. My father had prostate cancer last year and it still hurts so badly to think we could have lost him. I''m thinking of you. >>HUGS<<<

 

[Allisonfaye]

I am really sorry about the loss of your friend.

My stepmother died at 45 of cervical cancer after she buried after she buried my father 5 years before from prostate cancer. I didn''t really know the details because we were not close but she went FAST. She had been treated once for it a few years earlier and it came back and she was gone just about 3 months later.

Is it possible that your friend just didn''t realize how sick she was until it was too late? I mean, since she was so young, maybe she just didn''t realize.

 

[Ellen]

Delster and Allison, thank you for your thoughts.


Allison, I wish I could elaborate, and answer your question in depth...However, the information I have become privy to, I was asked not to share. Now, I realize none of you know who I''m talking about, but I still want to honor these wishes. I know that if my friend were in my position, she would definitely do the same.

So out of respect for her, I''ll just leave it at, this could have and should have been avoided.

 

[MoonWater]

I think we all need to put more effort into taking care of ourselves. Regular check ups are very necessary. Another aunt developed colon cancer and we found out at the same time as the aunt I mentioned. We were all so focused on the one with lung cancer because it always seem like a death sentence in the media, but it was the one with colon cancer that passed away. The sad thing is, she NEVER went to the doctor. She never got check ups and it was very very very preventable. Worse, toward the end she had the option of getting surgery which could have saved her life, but her iron was so poor (another thing which was preventable) that there was a huge chance she would bleed to death. She decided against the surgery and passed a few days later. It''s beyond frustrating.

Sorry, not to hijack the thread but I think people really need to pay a lot more attention to their health and stop taking things for granted.

 

[Linda W]

Ellen,

I am so very sorry to hear about your friend. I wish all women, would NOT put off any kind of pain or discomfort they have in the pelvic area, or any area for that matter.

September was Ovarian Cancer month, and I supported that cause. I had Ovarian Cancer and was lucky it was caught in time because I DID have symptoms I did not ignore.

I tell my friends and their adult daughters, teenagers too, please please please, any symptom you have, have your doctor check it out. It may be lifesaving!!!!!

I''m sorry for preaching.

Linda

 

[Ellen]

Linda, thank you.

I am so glad you listened to your body! And preach away, I don''t think we can be reminded enough.