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I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

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Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#51

Post by mlboss »

xbar wrote: post #39
epistasis wrote: post #8

Individually, a person can reduce their cancer risk with a few things like not smoking, and avoiding sunburns, etc. but that does not eliminate the risk of cancer. It's not a disease that primarily comes from unhealthy living. That said, there is a toooon of cancer that we can prevent as a society though better public health messaging and better environmental laws, such as creating housing and cities that ban cars, s…

My sincere admiration for the author's strength in the face of this terrible hardship. A person can also avoid cancer by choosing a career that is not cancer-inducing. Given the author's cabin crew history: 3.4% of female flight attendants reported having had breast cancer compared with 2.3% of women in the general population group 2.2% of female flight attendants reported having had melanoma skin cancer compared wit…

Maybe it is related to irregular sleep schedule. Also more exposure to uv radiation while flying.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#52

Post by Hnrobert42 »

agent86 wrote: post #32
refurb wrote: post #3

I recall a study that estimated ~2/3rds of all cancers are due to uncontrollable factors outside of lifestyle choices - genetics, random mutations, etc.

That's me and my experience with testicular cancer. No known causes, no family history, no risk factors other than being a white male. I was even outside the typical age range. Sometimes life just kicks you in the nuts. Literally in my case :-)

I am sorry you are having to deal with that.

Did you perform monthly self-exams? My doctor gets onto me for not doing them, but everything on those lumpy bastards feels like cancer. I don’t know what I am doing. I suppose if I’d felt a few pair that did have issues, I would know what to look for, but short of going on Craigslist, that’s not going to happen.

Anyhow, I sincerely hope your issue is just an “oh yeah. that happened” that you tell whippersnappers about when in your 80s.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#53

Post by whizzter »

andi999 wrote: post #22
epistasis wrote: post #8

Individually, a person can reduce their cancer risk with a few things like not smoking, and avoiding sunburns, etc. but that does not eliminate the risk of cancer. It's not a disease that primarily comes from unhealthy living. That said, there is a toooon of cancer that we can prevent as a society though better public health messaging and better environmental laws, such as creating housing and cities that ban cars, s…

Dont forget radon, depending on your location: https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/rhm/basic-info/1st/02-05-07.h... Edit: of course country averages are mildly pointless, since it can strongly vary between different places in that country, so it might be worth to check on the city level

The high values in Sweden (and partly perhaps Finland) was partly(there are also geological reasons) due to a popular popular brand of concrete (called Blue Concrete colloquially) being made with Alum Shale that happened to contain a large amount of Uranium (and thus the radiation/decay will eventually produce Radon gas).

This combined with Sweden being a fairly cold country (with people keeping their windows shut) was a recipe for disaster with the further combined effect of smoking and radon gas leading to quite a few fatalities.

These days multi-family housings are regularly inspected to make sure that Radon gas amounts aren't too high (even if the required limits are fairly high in an international context).

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#54

Post by mjbeswick »

epistasis wrote: post #8

Individually, a person can reduce their cancer risk with a few things like not smoking, and avoiding sunburns, etc. but that does not eliminate the risk of cancer. It's not a disease that primarily comes from unhealthy living. That said, there is a toooon of cancer that we can prevent as a society though better public health messaging and better environmental laws, such as creating housing and cities that ban cars, s…

Half of cancers in the developed world are due to lifestyle; so how you live has a huge impact in you chances of developing cancer. People often overlook other factors that increase your chances of developing cancer such as obesity, exposure to viruses, immunodeficiency, background radiation etc.

Humans are in quite an unlucky position when it comes to developing cancer, due to our relatively small size and long lifespan. Cancer doesn't affect smaller animals so much, as they generally don't live long enough for it to develop. Larger animals that live long lifespans aren't affected so much, such as elephants and whales.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#55

Post by Gareth321 »

gambiting wrote: post #44
Findecanor wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most common cancer: colon cancer, would be 95% preventable if only people got over silly notions about their butts and got a colonoscopy when they have reached age 45-50. Colon cancer takes a decade to develop from polyp to tumour. The main purpose of a colonoscopy is to find and snip any polyps there could be in the colon. Then you'd be safe from colon cancer for a decade or more. You would normally not feel muc…

There is an interesting difference between the way countries approach this btw. In US, sedation is standard and used in 90%+ of colonoscopies. In UK sedation is rarely used unless specifically requested by the patient, you usually get some gas and air instead. It's not even due to cost, it's just that sedation for colonoscopy is generally unnecessary, it's an uncomfortable but not particularily painful procedure.

It's unnecessary but a lot of pain medication is "unnecessary." We use it to reduce pain because we don't like to feel pain. This seems self evidently common sense to me. In New Zealand my colonoscopies were carried out with ketamine, which is incredibly safe under medical supervision. Unless there are contraindicated medical conditions, I see no reason not to use something like ketamine or a light dose of oxygenated nitrous oxide.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#57

Post by heleninboodler »

Findecanor wrote: post #42
epistasis wrote: post #8

Individually, a person can reduce their cancer risk with a few things like not smoking, and avoiding sunburns, etc. but that does not eliminate the risk of cancer. It's not a disease that primarily comes from unhealthy living. That said, there is a toooon of cancer that we can prevent as a society though better public health messaging and better environmental laws, such as creating housing and cities that ban cars, s…

The most common cancer: colon cancer, would be 95% preventable if only people got over silly notions about their butts and got a colonoscopy when they have reached age 45-50. Colon cancer takes a decade to develop from polyp to tumour. The main purpose of a colonoscopy is to find and snip any polyps there could be in the colon. Then you'd be safe from colon cancer for a decade or more. You would normally not feel muc…

How many have you had? My understanding is the risk of a perforated colon is actually quite high, like 1 in 500. Do you worry about that risk? I got referred to a gastroenterologist before I was 45 and he talked me out of it because he didn't think it was going to show anything (my symptoms that I was referred there for were gone by then) and the risk wasn't worth it. Obviously if you're going to get some life-saving results, the risk-reward calculation changes.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#58

Post by Hnrobert42 »

mlboss wrote: post #51
xbar wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My sincere admiration for the author's strength in the face of this terrible hardship. A person can also avoid cancer by choosing a career that is not cancer-inducing. Given the author's cabin crew history: 3.4% of female flight attendants reported having had breast cancer compared with 2.3% of women in the general population group 2.2% of female flight attendants reported having had melanoma skin cancer compared wit…

Maybe it is related to irregular sleep schedule. Also more exposure to uv radiation while flying.

The sleep disruption is a good thought.

I would also think the exposure to jet exhaust. For me, that smell evokes a nostalgia for picking up grandparents at the airport. It is probably hazardous to work at an airport and breathe it all the time.

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#59

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

rags2riches wrote: post #31

People do all sorts of things to "be healthy". That's great, if they are doing it to have a better life. But I get the impression some are doing it in an attempt to overcome death.

Obviously everyone dies eventually, but being healthy can literally add years to one's life, so... Yes?

Re: I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer

#60

Post by Gareth321 »

Findecanor wrote: post #42
epistasis wrote: post #8

Individually, a person can reduce their cancer risk with a few things like not smoking, and avoiding sunburns, etc. but that does not eliminate the risk of cancer. It's not a disease that primarily comes from unhealthy living. That said, there is a toooon of cancer that we can prevent as a society though better public health messaging and better environmental laws, such as creating housing and cities that ban cars, s…

The most common cancer: colon cancer, would be 95% preventable if only people got over silly notions about their butts and got a colonoscopy when they have reached age 45-50. Colon cancer takes a decade to develop from polyp to tumour. The main purpose of a colonoscopy is to find and snip any polyps there could be in the colon. Then you'd be safe from colon cancer for a decade or more. You would normally not feel muc…

This is good advice but that laxative can be a doozy. I was pooping for 12 hours straight. I had to drink several litres of laxative. I'm sure it was squeaky clean inside afterwards.
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