Never too young for colon cancer.. Where I've been

Justin so glad to hear that you are still able to work. i have had a half dozen co-workers who were forced to quit to qualify for full medical for their treatment.

under our worker's rights here, employers cannot fire you if you are too sick to work. i know a very close friend who quit about two months ago due to multiple bouts of cancer covering about 3 years now. at times she was so weak and sick that she could not work more than 2-3 hours at a time.

although our employer did alter her schedule (just about allowed her to work anytime she could. we must be logged into our computers to be paid so there is very little opportunity to slack off here.) to meet her ability to work, many times she simply could not do it enough to pay her basic medical.

she was already sleeping on the couch of another friend, had pretty much sold everything she owned. but our medical coverage options are EXTREMELY Expensive and i am guessing she took the cheaper option to save on the premiums (top premium rate for singles is over $200 a month) but then she was basically told that there was only one real hope of extending her life significantly and it was a drug her insurance would not cover and it would run about $2500 a month. so off she went.

it was very sad to see her go from independence (i met her right after her divorce about 5 years ago and she was a wreck but recovered her confidence and was doing very well when this all started) to pretty much nothing.

 

all,

Not to make light of this thread, but if you think the monthly insurance premiums mentioned in the previous 2 posts are bad, try $1225 per month for 2 people (& that was for calendar year 2009---up from $998 per month for calendar year 2008). Those figures are for a group plan through my former employer (health only---no dental) & after a $625 per month subsidy. Seeing that more than $200 increase in one year made me think that the expected increase for calendar year 2010 would entirely wipe out my pension check, I decided to drop it & go with my wife's poorer but more affordable plan. Now we have some breathing room as far as finances go.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

we are 55 and pay $1200. per month through my company. age doesn't matter, everyone pays the same thing. one person = $400./mo. family = $1200. kids or no kids.

 

We need medical schools, hospitals and institutions that emphasize prevention.

 

Thank you,

You have a unique experience and sharing may help others . . . not that I've had to come this close. Many years ago I'd briefly thought about 'hanging my own shingle' and had it been just me or my wife's health better . . . but I knew the true costs and continued to work for medical.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi F8L,

We were both 60 last year when we had the $1225 per month premium.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

I emphasize prevention every day in my doctor role, and the people that I see with lifestyle illness *rarely* are receptive.

 

My family of 4 pays about $350/month with two 50+ year olds to insure against catastrophic illness. We "self-insure" the rest through healthy lifestyle.

Choices, choices.

Justin (f8l) definitely was very unlucky, but people should realize that his experience of having colon cancer at his age is very unusual, and represents a *tiny* fraction of the national health budget. The lion's share is preventable morbidity.

 

Justin-

I haven't visited FHoP in quite awhile...Sorry to hear that you've had a number of setbacks, but delighted to read that you've found a good woman. I'm glad you'll be getting the Avastin. They are finally making some progress in advanced colorectal cancer (I'm a medical writer and I always keep an eye on this topic in my newsfeeds--and think of you) and I am hoping you'll benefit from these small but important advances.

On a related note, last week I found out that my friend's 18 year old niece was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. How is that even possible?

Anyway, keep the faith and stay strong, Justin.

 

where i work, my employer has HUGE emphasis on prevention as the #1 way of controlling health costs. they pay you $200 a year to simply fill out a health survey (paid out at like $6 per paycheck, every other week hmm. 6*26= $156...ok, maybe its not $200...)

they also pay us $4 per paycheck if we dont smoke or have quit smoking for at least a year.

we get weekly emails on healthy living tips, etc so what is the general consenus??

daily i hear someone in the breakroom eating pastries and sucking down their 2nd energy drink of the morning complaining about them. (energy drinks needed to move the extra 100 lbs they are carrying!!) saying that they are trying to tell them how to live their lives, etc.

trust me; teaching doctors to instruct patients on how to live a healthier life is pretty much a waste of time on the people who need to hear it most. they have listened to health advice all their lives, they are bombarded by it on TV, talk shows, etc. nothing will make them change their lifestyles except themselves.

 

if a patient comes in who is overweight, and one comes in at a reasonable weight, same age, do you ask them the same questions about their diet?

 

Good question, but I think diet is vital even for someone who isn't overweight. It can make a big difference to cholesterol, for instance. And, it helps to know what you're doing right. My doctor always asks people if they get enough exercise. She says the ones who do say no, and the ones who don't say yes.

 

Bisco,
most commonly, I explain to patients the connection between the illness that brought them into the hospital or co-morbidities they happen to have, and how habits and lifestyle choices are involved. I tend to emphasize that medicines are a poor, expensive substitute, and lifestyle modification is the smartest thing they can do.

As Dave said, rare is the case that people take the information to heart and act on it except when the problem is advanced. Lung cancer diagnosis in a tobacco user comes to mind.

 

i don't dis agree with you, but i think diet and excercise are important for the obese and non obese alike. i know many people with a very poor diet that are slender and their doc never brings it up because he/she doesn't see a problem until they become ill.