a warning to my friends
I lost a patient today to cervical cancer. I implore all of my dear friends out there, please get regular exams. Do not wait for the problem to emerge before you seek treatment. Many of today's killers are almost entirely preventable through early detection screening. I am only 23 years old and already I have had to have 2 cervical biopsies, which showed pre-cancerous cells. Imagine what could happen if I had not gotten preventative care. Pap smears, mammograms, colonoscopys - all of these tests are designed to save lives. I know they're uncomfortable, unpleasant, invasive, and a plain old pain in the butt to get done, but imagine how much worse cancer is. Breast cancer metastasizes quickly. If you have a family history of breast cancer, your doctor may want you to begin having mammograms earlier than 40 years old(mine wants me to start at 30). I have seen women lose their breasts. They're the lucky ones. I have seen an otherwise healthy woman reduced to nothing in a matter of months. I've seen cervical cancer spread and meld to the bowels, leaving that entire region in one big, muddled mess. One poor woman had fecal fluids draining from her vagina. Isn't a pap smear worth preventing that kind of torment? Think of what your loved ones must go through, watching you deteriorate - all because you didn't make the time to get screened for these diseases.
These tests are not limited to women, either. Tell your husbands, boyfriends, brothers, fathers - get a prostate exam! Get a colonoscopy! I know a man, a wonderful, kind man who just adopted a child, and now he is dying of prostate cancer. It's horrible to watch.
While we're at it, stop smoking. If you don't smoke, don't ever start. I have seen so many people die because one day they picked up a cigarette; and it's not just cancer(although that seems like it would be reason enough). There's also emphysema, COPD, and all manner of pulmonary disease. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease. I know another woman who end stage lung disease. When I met her, I thought she was in her 70's. I came to find out she is only about 55 years old. She is confined to a wheelchair and on oxygen, still she smokes. I know another one who needs a lung transplant to save her life and she still won't put the cigarette down.
My friends, please take care of yourselves. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, limit alcohol consumption, and please, please get yearly exams. Someone out there loves you. We want you to stay around and be healthy. I know you all have so much to give the world, so live long enough to give it!