health screening?

joliea

I was recently diagnosed at the age of 30 with cancer, I'm on the road to recovery now please God, only 2 more chemos to go, but because what I went through I would like my husband to undergo some sort of medical screening. We have 3 young children to think of. My question to you is what screening and where? Would you recommend I pay privately like the screening in the mater private, or is that comprehensive enough, do they screen for cancer? Is it just a rip off, we are not exactly flush at the moment but I'd happily go into debt, Would I be better off sending him to our GP for a full medical or would he just run some blood tests and what would they tell us? I don't know if its just that I'm being treated for cancer now that I'm more aware of it but it really scares me the number of young people who are being diagnosed. I suppose being diagnosed is better than not being diagnosed and discovering when its too late. Anyway what would you recommend we do? Would REALLY appreciate some advice.

Chunky Monkey

First of Joliea nice to hear you're getting better. Okay I'm not a doctor or a nurse, just a care assistant and admittedly having worked at the MPH since I was sixteen I have a certain loyalty towards them but I have heard that the health check there is quite thorough although also quite expensive. According to the page below they only screen for prostate cancer. Forget the number for health check but if you ring 01-8858888 they'll switch you through. Might as well ask before spending your money. Good luck

http://www.materprivate.ie/about/HCMaleScreening.asp

joliea

Thanks for that Chunky Monkey. Yeah I've heard in passing that they're good but expensive, but then I suppose you can't put a price on your health, can you? Good health is something I had always taken for granted. I'm being proactive with my health now, albeit through necessity & trying to think of my families future health. Its just as a 'joe soap' there are so many scans and tests you can have you wonder whats necessary and whats not. Thanks again for you reply & good health to you!

Dr Galen

great to hear your getting over things!

i can understand your worries about the better half alright, especially after what you've been through but you'll have to be careful not to go too far.

is there anything in particular that your worried about with regard to your husband? I assume he's about your age? 30's or so? if so the chances of prostate cancer would be relatively low, but its a fairly simple process that your GP can carry out if he wants to get checked. At his age, you'd be more thinking of testicular cancer, which can be a sneaky bugger! But again easy (and fun ) to check for...........a nice warm bath and an extra pair of hands can put your mind at rest fairly quickly. Just look for any lumps or bumps that don't feel right.

Realistically, you could hundreds for full body CT's etc in some private clinic but personally i don't recommend this sorta thing at all. Once you start down the road of looking for sickness its hard to get off it.

You talk about being proactive with your health......well thats a good idea in my book. Eat well, get some excercise, don't smoke and keep the alcohol to a moderate level.
If there is something in particular that worries you, head down to the GP and get it checked out, but other than that unless your going to get checked for everything and anything that "might" come up, try not to worry

N8

Hi Joliea, I must say that it is harsh developing cancer at thirty and I am not sure what else to say but good luck and I wish you and your family only the best. I can understand your desire for your husband to be screening for pre-symptomatic problems and the consideration in all of that for your young children. I think you could be right that it would be part and parcel of the anxiety and trauma associated with such a diagnosis.

A full health or well being check wouldn’t do any harm and would probably go a long way to allaying any fears you might have and so help you recovery in the process. I really wish you the best.

I think Chunky monkey is right and I too have heard about the Mater Private check. But I might go to you local GP and get a round of blood tests done as well as the other standards of cardiovascular health. As Mystik Monkey stated, in your husbands age range the cancer that springs to mind would be testicular rather than prostate.

I have no idea of your lifestyle or that of your family but I would make another suggestion to you and it’s the idea of Health Ensurance – i.e. ensuring your health. Here the principle focus of attention is not the reduction of symptom per se but the increase in the function of a person being.

Believe it or not we still have people today who think looking after yourself is for hippies. My reply is simple: try telling that to your neurologist, orthopaedic surgeon or cancer specialist in twenty years or sooner still.

The reality is that we are seeing a rise in ill health never seen before; asthma, allergies, neurological disorders, and now even heart disease in our children.

Joliea you are right, more and more young people are being diagnosed with cancer. In the general population, it too is on the rise with 1 in 3 occurnence that is approaching 1 in 2. This has, I am sure, as much to do with increased mental stress as environmental triggers meeting reduced physical robustness of the body.

Health and wellbeing are more often than not, the product of looking after ourselves and establishing the healthy common sense habits associated with health; a nutritious diet, a robust yet supple posture, and exercise toning and revitalising our bodies.

Dietary concerns most of us would be most familiar with. I am sure with the cancer you have heard of the benefits of Gerson therapy or diet, and this has benefits to health when carried on well past dealing with a specific problem. Juicing is a great addition to your diet. There are also supplements that add easily to this like Juiceplus. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040500.asp
http://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/pages/Welcome.soa

Exercise like Tai Chi helps reduce and remove the tension carried in the body resultant from mental stress. It is also a good to have something else to do and to learn in what generally is a fun environment. There are a lot of Tai Chi groups all around the country. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055179263&highlight=tai+chi

The advantage of regular chiropractic care is hard to dismiss. As well as keeping the spine and posture toned and in check, chiropractors identify spinal subluxations which impact the nervous system running the body; the ramifications of which are reduced physical robustness, health and performance meeting diet, experience and environment. Chiropractic works on the inside. It is revolutionary. It allows all the good work to be integrated in. It also helps the body run itself and this includes the immune system. It’s a great idea for the whole family on a regular basis.

PM me for a good chiropractor in your area.

Massages. Seaweed baths. Flotation tanks. Time for walks through nature: the sea, forests and parks. Quality time with your family and loved ones and quality time away from the presure of family life. All very good and allow the body to relax the mind.

The mind. Often a taboo subject in Ireland but it requires attention too. Counseling in cancer is a great pace to start and perhaps then consider regular meditation and attaining an air of respect, gratitude, positivity, optimism and self belief.

I use all of the above and I recommend it to you. I have had my own fair share of stuff happen and decided it was no longer good enough that I left my health and that of my partner and kids to chance. Like you I began investing in our future good health and this is my advice to you in that regard.

The very best of good luck.

beeno67

Chunky Monkey wrote: »

First of Joliea nice to hear you're getting better. Okay I'm not a doctor or a nurse, just a care assistant and admittedly having worked at the MPH since I was sixteen I have a certain loyalty towards them but I have heard that the health check there is quite thorough although also quite expensive. According to the page below they only screen for prostate cancer. Forget the number for health check but if you ring 01-8858888 they'll switch you through. Might as well ask before spending your money. Good luck

http://www.materprivate.ie/about/HCMaleScreening.asp

The Mater screening test is a massive waste of money. They charge you for a range of blood tests but everyone is entitled to free blood tests from their GP whether public or private (Although GP will charge for physically taking test). Unless you are looking for a particular illness and the early signs are already there, then screening is unlikely to show anything. One exception to this is bowel cancer. If your husband has a family history of bowel cancer then referral for a colonoscopy may be worthwhile.
An example I often give of screening tests is John Smith, the leader of UK labour party before Tony Blair. After he had been given the all clear by his cardiologist he had a heart attack while leaving the hospital.
Much more important is healthy lifestyle. So 5-10 portions of fruit & veg a day, regular meals, no smoking, not to be overweight, low alcohol intake, plenty of exercise. Obviously you were very unfortunate to get cancer but the reality is that cancer is much more likely the older you get. The reason the incidence of cancer is rising is that people live longer, and the older you get the more likely you are to develope cancer.

joliea

Thank you all for your informative replies. I really appreciate it. I have an appointment with my oncologist tomorrow so I'm going to run it by her too, see what she thinks, shes really nice & approachable.

I hadn't heard of the Gersen therapy but will def look into it. When I was diagnosed first my first thoughts were get this out of me now, so I was only too deligthed to have an immediate mastectomy and then start into aggressive chemotherapy. I was so sick with the chemo, the first round I felt like I wanted to die, I was practacly retching my stomach up 24/7 for a week after chemo.The second round I developed peripheral neurapathy, my legs ached, I was falling over dropping things and I would get severe bone pain from the neulasta injection so I had little or no time to think about complimentary medicines or alternative therapies, I am soon finishing my chemo and starting radiotherapy for 6 weeks but during that 6 weeks I hope to make contact with the irish cancer society too see whats going on in my area . I have to say I went to a look good feel better course run by the cancer society and it was amazing. I left that course feeling better than I had in ages and I didn't have to have a drip up! Cancer recovery I feel 4 me only can start when the medical treatment is finished It was such a long road that is why I would like to get my husband screened as I would hate for anyone to have to go through what I did. Our family is now looking into an alternative way of living , excersizing more, eating more of the good foods, spending more time at the things we like both individually and together. Please God we got a second chance and we are taking it with open arrms.

N8

joliea wrote: »

Thank you all for your informative replies. I really appreciate it. I have an appointment with my oncologist tomorrow so I'm going to run it by her too, see what she thinks, shes really nice & approachable.

you're welcome. Just in case your oncologist needs any references in the future this is a great book on the topic.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Proof-Michael-Gearin-Tosh/dp/0743225171/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206099966&sr=8-1

The very best of luck to you

DrIndy

You've had a pretty good range of useful replies - I agree with N8 for most of what he has said too. A health mind is a healthy body.

Go to your GP and just say you want the kitchen sink in screening and it is easier than shelling out huge amounts for what really is a money making scheme for a private hospital. The trouble with screening is it only tells you the here and now and does not guarrantee against all possiblities.

However, it is easy to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, detect any liver problems or diabetes and intervene long before there are any complications so it is pretty sensible to be thinking about it.