When I think about the aspects of health that concern me the most, my biggest fear is developing heart disease. My job as a telemetry technician is to monitor the electrical activity of the hearts of several patients, so I am able to see the effects that heart disease has on a person. Heart disease runs in my family. My mother lost her father when she was fifteen to congestive heart failure, a massive stroke, and polycystic kidney disease. In my own practice, I try to consume a healthy diet, include moderate exercise every week, and attempt to keep my daily stresses in life to a minimum, in hopes that it will make an impact in my life as well as those for whom I set an example.
I interviewed two women from different walks of life, and their responses are included in the text below. For their privacy, they have chosen to remain anonymous.
I'm 43 and a beautiful African American Woman. The health issues and concerns that frighten me the most are Diabetes & Breast Cancer. Diabetes concerns me because this disease runs in my family and I have lost several family members to it. Today, it seems as if it's a common disease, everyone gets it not matter how you take care of your self. Cancer, because I'm a smoker (I know I should quit) and my grandmother developed breast cancer at the age of eighty, had a mastectomy, and she is still here ten years later (personal communication, June 8, 2009).
I am a fifty-one year old, Caucasian woman, and my health concerns and reasons why are as follows:
1. Dementia/Alzheimer's disease
2. Having had my grandmother suffer with dementia and perhaps my father in the very early stages, I would like to see more research done. To me, this is a very demeaning disease that robs the sufferer of any kind of lifestyle. I worry about not knowing my family and friends, not having any memory of life as I have known it. I feel that too many times, people who suffer from this disease are locked away and left to the care of those who aren't familiar enough with it. As we are all living longer, I feel this disease is a terrible drain on both the health system and the families of the sufferer (personal communication, June 8, 2009).
After speaking with these women, I have concluded that most common factor among our concerns is loss of family members and our own mortality. I also think about genetics and the diseases mentioned above, and all have the possibility to recur amongst family members. Knowing this fact can instill the question, “Is this going to happen to me?”
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The million dollar question..."Is this going to happen to me?" I'm sure, at times, for those plagued with family history of such detrimental diseases as Alzheimer's Disease, Breast Cancer and Heart Disease, it must feel like a ticking time bomb inside of you. The two-million-dollar question, "If you could cure the disease before your body was affected by it, would you?"
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about Gene Therapy? Gene Therapy, in essence, is a way to implant genes that will correct the disease-controlling functions of cells that aren't doing their job. Sounds perfect, but would it be too risky for some? Is it safe and morally correct to manipulate human DNA?
You make some great points Rebecca, many of us are concerned about getting what our family members had (or have). Medical professionals put great emphasis on our family history. It not only hurts us to see our loved ones suffering, it instills fear in us for our own well-being. I believe that fear is healthy. It keeps us aware and reminds us to take all the precautions we can to prevent illness and stay healthy. Many people are embarrassed to talk about their colon and bowel movements. This is understandable, but being embarrassed should not stop us from talking to our doctor when we think there may be a problem. I have seen in my own life that those whose family members have suffered from colon cancer are much more likely to take action in maintaining their colon health.
ReplyDeleteAudra Jones
I can totally relate with everyone in assignment because each individual is concerned with suffering from some type of extremely ailing disease. We can never be certain if one will develop a disease or not, but one thing we can try is practing preventative actions. Diabetes, cancer,and heart disease all have measureable practices that could prevent these diseases or lessen the serverity. My personal health concerns include diabetes and obesity, I know that both of these issues can be prevented but it surely doesn't stop me from worrying. I believe the greatest way to prevent or lessen illness is awareness and once you have that you can become healthier.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate with everyone in assignment because each individual is concerned with suffering from some type of extremely ailing disease. We can never be certain if one will develop a disease or not, but one thing we can try is practing preventative actions. Diabetes, cancer,and heart disease all have measureable practices that could prevent these diseases or lessen the serverity. My personal health concerns include diabetes and obesity, I know that both of these issues can be prevented but it surely doesn't stop me from worrying. I believe the greatest way to prevent or lessen illness is awareness and once you have that you can become healthier.
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