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So, about 17 years ago I became a glassblower and had my doctor order up a chest x-ray so that I would have a baseline "look" at my lungs. Others in my profession have developed silicosis or other types of lung cancer and that was definitely a concern of mine. So after 7 years or so, I had another chest x-ray which showed a couple of "spots" on one of my lungs. Scared crap-less??? You bet! The next step was a CT scan in which the spots showed up and it was decided that another should be done in 3 months to determine if the spots were actively growing. Well, they weren't and it was determined that the spots were possibly scar tissue. Whew!!!
Anyways, I will have another chest x-ray done soon to see if another CT scan is warranted, because cancer scares the hell out of me! I have had 3 close family members die of lung cancer and as Brenda says, I'm sure genetics play a big part in whether we are prone to different diseases. All I know is that I'll never smoke again and hope that keeping an eye on those little spots in my lungs improves my chances of remaining cancer free. That's my story and I'm "Stickin to it", too!
Good way to put it, Lolly. I wouldn't criticize people for having or for not having the scans. We just don't know. We do the best we can. However, I think it's important to realize that our genetics often load the gun, but our behavior pulls the trigger. When it comes to the genes, I seem to have a lot of my mothers traits, but I'm sure Dad is in me somewhere. So whose genes do I have for cancer? Those of my mother or those of my father? Or perhaps those of a great-grandparent? Or a there's mutation?
I’m not planning on having it done. A dear friend of ours died of fallopian cancer last January. 5 years she was diagnosis with cancer, she had multiple CT scans and I don’t believe in what is called low dose CT scans. I heard of them before; they are X-ray images. These scans are multiple individual X-rays complied to give a 3D image of the target area. For the lung scan, the technician first does a CT scan for your baseline and then follows it up with more CT thereafter maybe every three to six month. I have heard of lives being saved, perhaps by removing part of a cancerous lung, but these scans can cause cancer in themselves. Remember, X-rays are to be kept at a minimum. For me, nearly 8 years quit, dad smoked for 40 years and no cancer. I’ll take a pass. This is me though not anyone else. Others should get the facts from their doctor to decide for themselves.
Stickin to it
As Josie says, it is not a forgiving addiction! I also know people who have died of cancer, who never smoked, and also many others who smoked until old age and never became ill. We take what life deals us!
One of my big motivations for quitting is cancer. I didn't smoke long and I'm pretty young so I'm hoping that I didn't do too much damage. On the one hand, I know and watched a good friend's mentor die from lung cancer brought on by decades of smoking. And on the other hand I have watched family members die and struggle with cancer that had nothing to do with smoking. You never know what is going to happen, but it's not fair to all of the people I love who have had cancer to do something that I know contributes to so many types of cancer. :(
Interesting and good idea to scan quitters after 15 years without cigs. I'd be interested in some of the results from that. It may catch some cancers a bit earlier. Certainly a scan after 30 years of smoking should do the same.
Saying that, my oncologist told me that my cancer was not a smoking related cancer...go figure! 40 years of inhaling thousands of toxins must have had an effect on the whole of my body, not just my lungs. I have not gone on a guilt trip about what I did, but I know (and knew then) that it has been my fault. I chose to ignore the dangers. I do have regrets, but what is done is done! There is no going back.
I remain in remission now and try to stay positive, to live for one day at a time and enjoy what life I have left.
On the news last evening, medical doctors in the US, are asking their patients who had smoked the equivalents of one pack of cigarettes for thirty years or more, to have their lungs checked for cancer by getting a CT scan. It went on to say that the doctors also recommend that the scan be done on those who have not smoked for 15 years. My doctor recommended that I do that, a couple years ago. I suspect a whole lot of us fall into the "should be tested" category. I'm pretty surprised that lung cancer could be present after 15 years of cessation.
Stickin to it
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