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Top Comments: Regular Health Screening PSA Edition [1]

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Date: 2023-05-08

The look far too many people give when asked if they're getting recommended screening tests

Good evening! It’s been a medically busy time for Casa Brillig’s loved ones. My 87yo Father-in-Law said on Saturday he didn’t feel well, but didn’t have a fever or anything, so the plan was to take him to the doctor on Monday if he still felt off. We got a text last night around 9pm that he was headed to the ER because no fever was suddenly 100F fever, and that when they measured it in the hospital it was 102.5F (!). Around midnight we heard he was diagnosed with pneumonia and would be admitted for a couple of days to get things settled down.

Another loved one has been dealing with chronic gastrointestinal issues for a while (we can’t remember if it began before or after their recovery from Covid) and was scheduled for an endoscopy & colonoscopy tomorrow to try to glean what’s up. So of COURSE they’ve been suffering from bouts of vomiting since last Thursday. Given how many months ago this procedure was scheduled, there was a whole lot of concern it would need to be cancelled but thankfully, the nausea settled down and a go-ahead was given. I’m the designated driver tomorrow and good thoughts sent this way greatly appreciated.

It’s interesting the reactions you get when telling people you or someone you know is prepping for a colonoscopy. There’s the “There is NO way I’m doing that, eww gross no way” response, which has one of two root causes: either the speaker has heard ‘the prep’ is awful, or they’re squeamish about the doctor ‘looking up their butt’. Then there’s the “Oh I had that the prep was awful but I’m glad I did it because they found/did not find something” response which resonates with many of us, I suspect. Today, I got a new one: “I’ll do it if a doctor says it’s required.” It’s a friend who generally skips a lot of preventative maintenance doctor visits because… well, I don’t know. He just does. Because it’s a friend and not a family member, I can explain why I think it’s important but I certainly can’t drag them to the hospital!

Why are preventative screenings important to me? Because I’ve lost both my parents, my grandmother, three uncles, and untold friends to cancer. And because Mr. Brillig is a 24yr cancer survivor. My dad might have lived had he seen a dermatologist regularly, or at least after a mole on his left forearm turned black and ugly. And Mr. Brillig was unbelievably lucky his adenocarcinoma was in his appendix and not his colon (same cell type, different locations) because the appendix is small, and burst thereby allowing detection. At 34 and with no risk factors, he was 20 years too young for his first colonoscopy and by the time he’d have been symptomatic and tested, it likely would have been too late.

What do I do to make sure I’m doing all I can to outlive my parents’ lifespans (as I’ve mentioned before, my 62nd birthday is going to be HUGE because I enter uncharted waters where I have no parental reference for what comes next)? Lessee…

- I’ve had a mammogram every year for several decades. On two occasions, I had to go back for further tests, one of which I described back in 2021. Thankfully, everything has been fine. Too many friends were NOT fine, but the reason they’re here to celebrate anniversaries with is because they did another regular exam, the Breast Self Exam. So do I. - I had my first colonoscopy in March 2016, and they found nothing but clean guts. I’ve already got it on the calendar to schedule one in 2026. I’ve seen what chemotherapy and radiation look like and ‘the prep’ is EASY in comparison. - I get a skin check every year, because I’m at risk from being very lightskinned, having had multiple lobster-red sunburns as a child, and having a parent who had melanoma. I’m the person who insists they check EVERYWHERE. - I don’t have a prostate so don’t get that exam, but I DO see my gynecologist on the schedule she feels is best for me. - I see my dentist twice a year to try to keep gum disease from unfluoridated well water as a child plus two decades of dental phobia), and my doctor annually for my physical (super important since I have Type 2 diabetes and need my A1c checked).

I am absolutely aware of the immense privilege I have of being able to care for myself in this fashion. I hope that you, too, are able to access the care you need to keep yourself healthy.

What routine maintenance do YOU do on this one body we each get for our time here? Are there any you’ve been putting off, or have questions about? Ask away and hopefully we can give you answers!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/8/2168160/-Top-Comments-Regular-Health-Screening-PSA-Edition

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