Funny, I wrote that and mentioned both the oncologist and the friend who's Stage 4. I realized that her oncologist is in the same city, so I took a stab at it and wrote him back. Do you know...?
Yes, good friends.
Okay, two oncologists in the same city, on the East Coast, know each other. Big deal. Fine. BUT one was helping out a breast cancer patient in FRANCE and the other is treating another patient IN CALIFORNIA and the two happen to be friends too?? We're talking about major geography going on. Plus the fact that both he and I met his wife while living in London, so let's throw another city into this story...
The other Stage 4 woman is out of ICU but still in the hospital. 10 days. That's an eternity! I was driving everyone crazy after 6 days! Especially with kids. You kind of imagine what they're getting into... I hope we get good news soon.
I kind of get annoyed at anything I read about mammograms starting at age 30. It's wrong on too many levels. First of all, there is no effective screening method that can be done large-scale that doesn't have radiation involved. I was followed, not by yearly mammograms but occasional. I would guess at perhaps every 3-4 years, with the absence of any symptoms. Okay, I always had cysts so checking myself was a little useless. There was always a lump, or two, in there. Officially, I don't have a family history. Cousins no longer count. I call myself highER risk, not "high risk".
Here in France, they start mammos at age 50! Someone joked that I'd get the notification soon. Thankfully, someone stopped that memo and I didn't get anything in the mail. That would have been a slap in the face! They also only do them every two years, not yearly. They still caught mine! Really early too.
If someone does have a strong family history, then the story has to be rewritten. I had no problem getting mammos and ultrasounds done earlier for my fibrocystic problem. I think I had my first one here while still under U.S. insurance. So both systems paid for them, based on my condition, without a family history. Paying for a few screenings is less than paying for BC treatment! This disease passes quickly from being what I had, what I call a "health event" vs. a life-threatening menace.
Yes, good friends.
Okay, two oncologists in the same city, on the East Coast, know each other. Big deal. Fine. BUT one was helping out a breast cancer patient in FRANCE and the other is treating another patient IN CALIFORNIA and the two happen to be friends too?? We're talking about major geography going on. Plus the fact that both he and I met his wife while living in London, so let's throw another city into this story...
The other Stage 4 woman is out of ICU but still in the hospital. 10 days. That's an eternity! I was driving everyone crazy after 6 days! Especially with kids. You kind of imagine what they're getting into... I hope we get good news soon.
I kind of get annoyed at anything I read about mammograms starting at age 30. It's wrong on too many levels. First of all, there is no effective screening method that can be done large-scale that doesn't have radiation involved. I was followed, not by yearly mammograms but occasional. I would guess at perhaps every 3-4 years, with the absence of any symptoms. Okay, I always had cysts so checking myself was a little useless. There was always a lump, or two, in there. Officially, I don't have a family history. Cousins no longer count. I call myself highER risk, not "high risk".
Here in France, they start mammos at age 50! Someone joked that I'd get the notification soon. Thankfully, someone stopped that memo and I didn't get anything in the mail. That would have been a slap in the face! They also only do them every two years, not yearly. They still caught mine! Really early too.
If someone does have a strong family history, then the story has to be rewritten. I had no problem getting mammos and ultrasounds done earlier for my fibrocystic problem. I think I had my first one here while still under U.S. insurance. So both systems paid for them, based on my condition, without a family history. Paying for a few screenings is less than paying for BC treatment! This disease passes quickly from being what I had, what I call a "health event" vs. a life-threatening menace.
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