katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378 
|
Post by katybee on Jul 1, 2015 15:06:33 GMT
I worry about getting cancer ALL THE TIME. My mother died of cancer, my brother is currently battling cancer, and I know so many other people that are currently battling cancer – including many on this board.
So the Diet Coke thread got me thinking – about how many things in this world supposedly cause cancer. So how much do you try to avoid those things? I don't feel like you could possibly avoid them all! Let's see...
Of course exposure to the sun causes skin cancer. But when you do not get enough sunlight, your vitamin D levels drop, which also has been linked to multiple cancers. Not to mention sunscreens. Many sunscreens have been linked to cancer.
High fat, processed diets have been linked to cancer, among other health issues. But of course the pesticides sprayed on fruits and vegetables have also been linked to cancer. So you have to be extra careful to make sure that you buy only organic produce. What about the steroids and antibiotics given to animals that we eat, and that show up in dairy? So make sure those are organic, as well. Don't burn your food or grill it on the grill… Because all of those little black crispies (Yum) are carcinogenic. I think I'll just cut out meat, and move towards fish. No, wait – the fish that come out of today's oceans are practically radioactive.
Drink lots of water – but do not do it out of plastic bottles. Because the BPA's (Whatever those are) cause cancer. But I just read an article that says BPA free plastics are not any safer. I think I should just remove all plastic from my kitchen.
Moving onto personal hygiene – I'm pretty sure everything in my bathroom causes cancer.
Then there's the paint on my walls, and the formaldehyde in all of my furniture… I seriously think I will just live in a bubble. But not a plastic bubble…
Screw it... I think I'll live my life and take my chances. But I'll be stressed about it, which will cause heart disease and dementia.
|
|
mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
|
Post by mallie on Jul 1, 2015 15:08:24 GMT
I'm not stressed about it. I take reasonable precautions, eat decently, etc. Life is going to happen. So is death. It's inevitable.
|
|
NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,856
|
Post by NoWomanNoCry on Jul 1, 2015 15:11:08 GMT
I'm always worried about DH getting it or in general something happening to him. If something happens to me it's just whatever I guess...I don't worry about myself like that.
|
|
anniebygaslight
Drama Llama
I'd love a cup of tea. #1966
Posts: 7,394
Location: Third Rock from the sun.
Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
|
Post by anniebygaslight on Jul 1, 2015 15:11:06 GMT
I'm not stressed about it. I take reasonable precautions, eat decently, etc. Life is going to happen. So is death. It's inevitable.  Life is too short to worry about this. We are all going to die one day. Why use up energy worrying about cancer if you have no diagnosis, when you are just as likely to be hit by a bus. |
|
|
|
Post by pierkiss on Jul 1, 2015 15:12:53 GMT
I worry a lot about it. I worry about heart issues more though (they run heavily in my family). Like full blown panics.  |
|
marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,282
|
Post by marimoose on Jul 1, 2015 15:14:08 GMT
katybee - turn off the tv  ! I do. Every single thing you posted has crossed my mind too. Sometimes we just have to live and keep our fingers crossed. I remind myself that I could walk across the street or drive my car and be hit so all my previous efforts to add years to my life would be for not.
|
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Jul 1, 2015 15:14:34 GMT
I struggle a lot with fatalism - most of my mom's siblings have died of cancer. She really tried to be healthy to avoid the same fate. She didn't die of cancer (probably didn't live long enough to get the cancer that killed her older siblings) but she and my dad were hit by a boat and killed. My dad's only brother, in perfect health, died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm at the age of 64. My dad's dad died of cancer before he was 60. I have a hard time imagining myself living past 60 or so, and at the age of 42, that's pretty scary.
I tend to think that when it's your time, it's your time, and if you've managed to live a healthy life and avoid disease, well, there's always a drunk in a boat waiting to mow you down. Cheerful, huh? But mostly I don't think about it too much at all. I'm trying every day to make healthier choices (including giving up the Coke Zero periodically) just because it helps me feel better in the present. I don't feel like anything I do has much effect on my future longevity.
|
|
katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378
|
Post by katybee on Jul 1, 2015 15:15:47 GMT
Here's another thought... I'm not sure that anyone could ever know what caused my mom's or my brother's cancers. When my brother asked me if I thought it was something he had done – I told him NO. And I truly believe that. I think it was crappy luck. I don't think there's anything he did to get cancer, and sadly, I'm not sure there's anything he could have done it to NOT get cancer.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 15:55:44 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 15:16:13 GMT
Not even a blip on my radar. Lost a sister, uncle and aunt to cancer. Life is way too short and we all die eventually anyways. I drink out of plastic bottles, smoke, and lived in a house with lead paint and asbestos.
I refuse to live my life in fear.
|
|
oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828
Location: Ontario,Canada
|
Post by oldcrow on Jul 1, 2015 15:21:17 GMT
What will be will be and no amount of worrying will change it.
I believe moderation in all things is the best I can manage so that is how I live.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 15:55:44 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 15:28:52 GMT
I admit, the idea of someday finding out I have cancer has been a nagging thought in my head for a long time, but I try not to give into it. When I was 18, my mom was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, stage IV. After her first round of chemo (which did not shrink her tumours) her doctor told her she had 6 months to live, and he could do nothing else for her other than keep her comfortable. My mom said NO. And researched, and found a new doctor an hour from where we live, and pushed for a stem cell rescue, and now, almost 15 years later, she is cancer free and her doctor considers her CURED. That is fucking amazing.  In the past 6 months two of our uncles have been diagnosed with cancer: DH's uncle has skin cancer that metastasized to his brain, and my uncle has brain cancer. They are in their 50s. It has been very sobering and hit home for DH and I, that in the next 10-15 years there is a very real chance that one of us may be diagnosed with some type of cancer. So... I guess what I'm trying to say is that life is uncertain and even cancer is not a certain disease. I try to be reasonable with how I treat my body... don't drink, don't smoke, eat somewhat healthily (I eat crap but also eat lots of good vegetables and other healthy stuff), stay out of the sun, etc. There are so many uncertainties and variables, I can't let myself be terrified to live the life I do have, because that would be a waste. |
|
valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,816
Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
|
Post by valleyview on Jul 1, 2015 15:33:23 GMT
What will be will be and no amount of worrying will change it. I believe moderation in all things is the best I can manage so that is how I live. I agree! My takeaway is to treat yourself like a car that you want to drive for 200,000 miles - get regular tune-ups and use the best gas. |
|
|
|
Post by disneypal on Jul 1, 2015 15:39:35 GMT
Honestly, not is isn't something I worry about. I have had a very close friend die of breast cancer and 3 other friends and an aunt, who are breast cancer survivors. I have a few relatives that have had melanoma but were successfully treated.
My friend that died, was a health nut - rode her bike everywhere and seldom drove. She watched her diet and did everything right but she still got cancer somehow (no family history of it). The others had no family history of it as well.
I am careful in that I don't smoke, I wear sunscreen, etc. but I don't worry about getting it nor do I take extra precautions (such as checking for BPA's). Worrying about it won't change anything....if I get it (which I hope I never do), then I will deal with it at that time. |
|
|
|
Post by compwalla on Jul 1, 2015 15:43:49 GMT
I worry about getting cancer ALL THE TIME. My mother died of cancer, my brother is currently battling cancer, and I know so many other people that are currently battling cancer – including many on this board. So the Diet Coke thread got me thinking – about how many things in this world supposedly cause cancer. So how much do you try to avoid those things? I don't feel like you could possibly avoid them all! Let's see... Of course exposure to the sun causes skin cancer. But when you do not get enough sunlight, your vitamin D levels drop, which also has been linked to multiple cancers. Not to mention sunscreens. Many sunscreens have been linked to cancer. High fat, processed diets have been linked to cancer, among other health issues. But of course the pesticides sprayed on fruits and vegetables have also been linked to cancer. So you have to be extra careful to make sure that you buy only organic produce. What about the steroids and antibiotics given to animals that we eat, and that show up in dairy? So make sure those are organic, as well. Don't burn your food or grill it on the grill… Because all of those little black crispies (Yum) are carcinogenic. I think I'll just cut out meat, and move towards fish. No, wait – the fish that come out of today's oceans are practically radioactive. Drink lots of water – but do not do it out of plastic bottles. Because the BPA's (Whatever those are) cause cancer. But I just read an article that says BPA free plastics are not any safer. I think I should just remove all plastic from my kitchen. Moving onto personal hygiene – I'm pretty sure everything in my bathroom causes cancer. Then there's the paint on my walls, and the formaldehyde in all of my furniture… I seriously think I will just live in a bubble. But not a plastic bubble… Screw it... I think I'll live my life and take my chances. But I'll be stressed about it, which will cause heart disease and dementia. Hmm. What a question to ask me right now. LOL! I made a huge lifestyle change about six years ago because so many of my relatives were being stricken with heart and vascular disease. I lost a lot of weight, started eating very healthy, got really fit. Then I got a tumor anyway, a kind of tumor with no known cause. You can live the healthiest lifestyle imaginable and still get adrenal cancer. When I was in the hospital I told the physical therapist how much I missed feeling strong and healthy. She said that the reason I was back on my feet so soon was because I had been fit and healthy before I got sick. She said, "You didn't know it at the time but you were training to beat this." She made a lot of sense to me. It's important to take care of yourself not because doing x,y, and z will prevent cancer but because you never know what's going to happen. You don't ever know what battle you might be training to fight and whatever comes - a grapefruit-sized tumor, a car accident, whatever - you're going to have a better shot at recovery if you are healthy before it happens. As for environmental risks, I don't think there is a whole lot you can do to mitigate that outside your own house. I try to pick the least toxic option but once you leave the house, things are out of your control. All you can do is take care of yourself and hope that's enough. |
|
|
|
Post by chichi on Jul 1, 2015 15:48:08 GMT
I've had it
Lived it
Now "no active disease"
Not worried
What will happen will happen
I have no control over my cells
|
|
|
|
Post by meridon on Jul 1, 2015 15:53:18 GMT
Concerned enough that I've had two prophylactic surgeries in 5 years, but I am also a BRCA1 carrier. I've done all I can to eliminate my risk, but it will never be zero.
|
|
|
|
Post by icedcoffee14 on Jul 1, 2015 16:09:12 GMT
Well considering I have survived a rare form of cancer from 2010 I do not think too much on it anymore. I just try to live the best I can for the here and now. No clue how I got it or why. It has approximately 500 cases worldwide annually and usually hits older ethnic men. This is what I was told and there is very little on the net to research. I am a white female and was 33 at the time. WOW come to think of it my 5 year anniversary is coming up on July 12th of when I found out I had cancer. Man time flies by!
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 15:55:44 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 16:12:35 GMT
I don't worry about it. I have family history of cancer, so I'm at risk. I live a healthy lifestyle, get appropriate medical screenings and call it good. There's nothing more that I can do to stop it from happening, so I don't see the point in worrying about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by KelleeM on Jul 1, 2015 16:13:45 GMT
I'm a year out from finishing treatment for breast cancer. I worry it's not completely gone. And I assume cancer will kill me at some point. No basis for this thought...just a bad feeling.
|
|
|
|
Post by padresfan619 on Jul 1, 2015 16:14:36 GMT
Worried enough to get proper screenings at the recommended times, not worried enough that it is in my head day after day.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zee on Jul 1, 2015 16:16:27 GMT
I don't worry about it at all. It could happen, but I could also be in a car accident or be murdered or any number of other things. I don't like to live in fear.
And I run around sans sunscreen all summer long (except my face), and might get skin cancer, but I hate how awful I feel if I don't get enough sunlight!
|
|
|
|
Post by cadoodlebug on Jul 1, 2015 16:21:37 GMT
I worry about Alzheimer's Disease more than cancer. Having lost a grandmother, mother and sister to AD, it is always out there. Cancer is curable/treatable.
|
|
|
|
Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 1, 2015 16:21:53 GMT
...overall, not too worried. 'Getting cancer' isn't really on my radar of things to worry about on a day to day basis.
Which might seem kind of strange considering I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few years ago (stage 1A, had surgery and that was all- no chemo or radiation required) and that my older sister had breast cancer that was diagnosed when she was 39 (she's been cancer-free now for close to 15 years). Maybe my thinking is a bit simplistic, but neither of these cancers had a genetic component to it, and there's plenty of stuff out there in the world that can cause health problems of all kinds.
I do see my oncologist for regular check-ups every 6 months, am trying to get healthier habits into my life, and I've gotten mammograms ever since my sister was diagnosed (when I was 28). Other than that, I figure that worrying and stressing over everything that 'could, maybe, possibly, someday' cause health issues is almost as bad as the thing itself, and that's not how I choose to live my life.
|
|
loco coco
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,662
|
Post by loco coco on Jul 1, 2015 16:28:39 GMT
It does scare me but more about my mom or DH getting it. Its almost like my family has been too lucky the last 50 years to never get hit with cancer so the time will come plus my mom has smoked since she was 16. I know thats a horrible way to think but I cant help it
|
|
georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
|
Post by georgiapea on Jul 1, 2015 16:30:19 GMT
Worrying does nothing to help and in many ways it's detrimental to your overall health. Some of us are predisposed to cancer but clean living can help much more than worrying will. I hope things go well for you.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 15:55:44 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 16:31:37 GMT
How worried about cancer am I? Not in the slightest, I don't live my life that way.
|
|
stittsygirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,580
Location: In the leaves and rain.
|
Post by stittsygirl on Jul 1, 2015 16:37:26 GMT
I do what I can to minimize the risk of getting the three most prevalent cancers in my family - colon, skin, and breast. I have a skin check and a mammogram every year, and a colonoscopy every three years. But I don't worry about it on a regular basis.
|
|
|
|
Post by originalvanillabean on Jul 1, 2015 16:39:16 GMT
I worry about Alzheimer's Disease more than cancer. Having lost a grandmother to AD, it is always out there. Cancer is curable/treatable. Same with me. Maternal Grandmother and Paternal Grandfather. I'm always reading about developments, studies, etc....on this. |
|
grinningcat
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,663
Jun 26, 2014 13:06:35 GMT
|
Post by grinningcat on Jul 1, 2015 16:46:36 GMT
I don't even think about the possibility of getting cancer. It's not on my radar. I don't see the point of making worry where there is none. Life is way too short to play the "what if" game.
|
|
janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,174
Location: Alabama
|
Post by janeinbama on Jul 1, 2015 16:51:38 GMT
I worry somewhat about disease, but I (we) are more concerned about doing the best we can to save so that we can pay our own way through sickness, retirement, death. We feel our family will have enough to deal with without worrying how to pay for it. Both of us have multiple health issues in our family trees.
|
|
Life is too short to worry about this. We are all going to die one day. Why use up energy worrying about cancer if you have no diagnosis, when you are just as likely to be hit by a bus. 
! I do. Every single thing you posted has crossed my mind too. Sometimes we just have to live and keep our fingers crossed. I remind myself that I could walk across the street or drive my car and be hit so all my previous efforts to add years to my life would be for not.
