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raindeerpie t1_iy8apca wrote

Reply to comment by jeb_hoge in Congressman Donald McEachin Dies by Soloemilia

thanks for the reply. this makes me feel better since I don't have any family history of cancer. i just hate seeing these diagnosed to dead in under a year stories. scares the shit out of me.

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jeb_hoge t1_iy8bb5k wrote

I suspect that a lot of times, people have symptoms that they just talk themselves out of worrying over. Sort of the opposite of hypochondria.

A co-worker I used to have talked about how every year, his birthday present to himself was to get a physical and go for every screening that his doctor recommended, because he loved his life so much that he didn't want to ever be caught by surprise. It was the most positive, life-affirming way I've ever heard to talk yourself into seeing a doctor, and I've adopted it since I hit my mid-40s and needed a reality check over getting "old."

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raindeerpie t1_iy8csbw wrote

i do the same. sans the wife. yearly physical, optomoligist, and bi annual teeth cleaning. super easy and free with any basic insurance. no reason not to and it will avoid so many expensive problems when you really get old.

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bmore_in_rva t1_iy8k8nc wrote

Congressman McEachin was diagnosed back in 2013 or 2014 and had rare complications that arose from the treatment.

CDC says you can wait until you're 45 unless you have family history. (In my case, my doc wanted me to get a baseline colonoscopy 10 years before the age at which my family member was diagnosed. Because my mother was diagnosed in her late 30s, I was supposed to get one in my late 20s.)

They didn't do general anesthesia for mine, it was the "twilight" stuff, but even though they say you might not be asleep from the twilight stuff, it always puts me out.

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