Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: chrisgixer on 20 November 2013, 22:09:19
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Pros and cons?
We (well she mostly) continually hear of so and so getting cancer, this person died of a brain hemorhhage, that person died of ...whatever. Let's not go into all that too much on a Friday. ;)
But, as title, is there anything to gain by a full body scan to try and pre empt any nasties...?
Browsing the web suggests it can potentially be more trouble than its worth, as suspicious images call for testing and possibly invasive testing that could lead to further complication such infections etc... Only to find there's nout wrong anyway,
On the other hand, if a nasty is caught early, obviously that's beneficial.
Any experience, thoughts, suggestions? (Not from you Esta ;D )
:)
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Not sure it is worth the money unless you have a family history for particular problems.
If the scanner is an x-ray scanner then this radiation dose will increase your risk of cancer.
Somebody I know died recently of bowel cancer, where he missed the NHS poo on a stick at 60 test as he was moving house at the time and it was sent to his old address. Having this test may have prolonged his life. Mass NHS testing is normally done on a cost effective basis where it is cheaper to pay for the test and catch something early than the cost of the treatment later on, so this may not be the best age to maximise lifespan.
I'm a great believer that you are what you eat and drink. This along with keeping fit can increase your lifespan. Fitness amongst the middle aged and old has increased along with the age we live to. My great uncle was fitter at 80 than most people at 50 and was still doing hard physical work and lived until he was 98.
We all know that on average smoking, heavy drinking, obesity, a sedate lifestyle and a poor diet is going to decrease our lifespans and quality of live in our later years. It is up to individuals to make the choices that suit them and live with the consequences. I guess the same also applies to preventive medicine.
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
That reminds me ronnyd... :y
The problem I have is unexplained aches and pains. Twinges and odd sensations come and go and are unexplained. I put these down to skeletal problems and aggravated nerves, or whatever.
What concerns me is something more serious could arise, and I dismiss it along with all the other historical symptoms that amounted to nothing in the past. ...well, nothing serious anyway. (Fingers crossed)
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Rods there is no family history of serious issues. :)
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
That reminds me ronnyd... :y
The problem I have is unexplained aches and pains. Twinges and odd sensations come and go and are unexplained. I put these down to skeletal problems and aggravated nerves, or whatever.
What concerns me is something more serious could arise, and I dismiss it along with all the other historical symptoms that amounted to nothing in the past. ...well, nothing serious anyway. (Fingers crossed)
They're growing pains! ::) ::)
If I went to the docs with every ache & pain I ever get I'd live at the docs surgery! It's a symptom of getting old! ???
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Any experience, thoughts, suggestions? (Not from you Esta ;D )
If you're male and over 40, get that camera stuffed up your jacksey at least once a year!
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Any experience, thoughts, suggestions? (Not from you Esta ;D )
If you're male and over 40, get that camera stuffed up your jacksey at least once a year!
That's what I was gonna say, except it wasn't a camera ;D
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There is a huge medical ethics issue on these lifespan scans. As Rods2 said, they dose the entire body unnecessarily with radiation on the premise that they will find anything that is wrong with you. Scans cannot diagnose every illness or even every type of cancer. They play on people fears and need for peace of mind but people who go through this scan can also fall in to a false sense of security.
Because every dose increases your chances of getting cancer, normally, a body area is only doses with radiation with good reason, eg pain, swelling, etc. The irony being that people who are afraid they may have cancer actually increase they susceptibility by having a scan which in all likeliness will increase their chances of developing it.
Better to find a good GP, change GPs if you have to (I did twice when finding my diagnosis), and go through things that way. A good one will check for all the obvious things they can think of and then realise when it is more than they can deal with and send you to the relevant specialist. A good GP also keeps up to date with current trends and thinking in the medical world but there is little to guage this latter element with GPs....I have my own thoughts on it but my medical friends find my proposals a little draconian. ::)
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Any experience, thoughts, suggestions? (Not from you Esta ;D )
If you're male and over 40, get that camera stuffed up your jacksey at least once a year!
That's what I was gonna say, except it wasn't a camera ;D
Look Esta, we all know your obsessed, at least try not to make it so obvious ;D
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There is a huge medical ethics issue on these lifespan scans. As Rods2 said, they dose the entire body unnecessarily with radiation on the premise that they will find anything that is wrong with you. Scans cannot diagnose every illness or even every type of cancer. They play on people fears and need for peace of mind but people who go through this scan can also fall in to a false sense of security.
Because every dose increases your chances of getting cancer, normally, a body area is only doses with radiation with good reason, eg pain, swelling, etc. The irony being that people who are afraid they may have cancer actually increase they susceptibility by having a scan which in all likeliness will increase their chances of developing it.
Better to find a good GP, change GPs if you have to (I did twice when finding my diagnosis), and go through things that way. A good one will check for all the obvious things they can think of and then realise when it is more than they can deal with and send you to the relevant specialist. A good GP also keeps up to date with current trends and thinking in the medical world but there is little to guage this latter element with GPs....I have my own thoughts on it but my medical friends find my proposals a little draconian. ::)
Yes I know what you mean. Gp's are infuriating at times and the good ones are always booked up for weeks.
Must admit I thought the scans where all based on Magnetic technology. :(
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Must admit I thought the scans where all based on Magnetic technology. :(
LifeScan use CT Scanners which hit you with a dose of radiation 200 times greater than an X-Ray.
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The problem I have is unexplained aches and pains. Twinges and odd sensations come and go and are unexplained. I put these down to skeletal problems and aggravated nerves, or whatever.
What concerns me is something more serious could arise, and I dismiss it along with all the other historical symptoms that amounted to nothing in the past. ...well, nothing serious anyway. (Fingers crossed)
[/quote]
I would say (or this is what my doc said when i went to him with back and shoulder pain) Its because I wear steel toecaps safety boots all day and apart from 30 minute lunch break i dont sit down for 9 hours a days. He said it is the weight of the boots and the shock wave going up my back. Iam now looking at buying some good composite boots. I dont know if you have the same problem chris but just thought I would mention it.
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
many cancer types, wont give any symptoms before its too late..
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
Agreed. :y
But.. Another way to think about it - if we're talking cancer, at any rate. Not many of the common cancers are slow to develop. I have precious little medical knowledge (next to none, in fact), but, from friends and loved ones who have succumbed to various cancers that have been caught late and treated late, they've lasted perhaps a year to 18 months at the most from initial symptoms (which may not have been attributed to cancer at the time). Obviously, with early detection and treatment the outlook is very much better.
Now, I don't have the medical experience to know at what stage in that process a "Lifescan" would have pickled up anything and how it would have changed the outcome, but it suggests to me that a one-off scan is pointless, as, putting it bluntly, you could still be dead in 18 months. Not really much peace of mind. Now, if it could economically be done every 6 months, and without the side-effects of scans adding to the risk, my observations suggest you might be getting somewhere, but that's not realistic.
Again, no medical expertise here at all, but it strikes me that a scan performed in response to a symptom would be more effective than one done whilst otherwise healthy in any case. In the former case, the consultant will already have an inkling what he's looking for, and will investigate anything he sees on a scan along those lines. In the latter, do you do a biopsy on every shadow you find anywhere in the body? Completely different thing, IMHO.
Do you strip your car down every 6 months just in case it's about to raise a fault code, or do you wait for the code and then immediately look in the area the code points to?
It seems to me that the best course of action is to look after yourself, take note of any symptoms, and have a doctor in whom you have the confidence to refer you if anything suspicious emerges.
With pretty much any other life-threatening disease, there will be signs that can more easily be picked up IMHO. Get your blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, liver and kidney function, etc. checked on a regular basis and you won't go far wrong. Luckily, I have a local surgery who do all that and with whom I'm confident, although my GP has just retired and I'm yet to see his replacement.
Frankly, I think, if you're worrying, it might be because you don't have confidence in your GP when he says you're healthy?
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
That reminds me ronnyd... :y
The problem I have is unexplained aches and pains. Twinges and odd sensations come and go and are unexplained. I put these down to skeletal problems and aggravated nerves, or whatever.
What concerns me is something more serious could arise, and I dismiss it along with all the other historical symptoms that amounted to nothing in the past. ...well, nothing serious anyway. (Fingers crossed)
Chris, as you age, your bodies capacity to produce anything -also including cartillage- decreases.. so its normal you may have pain in joints, muscles etc.. I strongly recommend several exercise sessions per week.. this will increase your blood rate and feed your liver, heart,lungs and all other organs by oxygen, vitamins and minerals that they need.. if you continue to live a relatively slower life, your digestive system wont absorb the nutrients that you eat daily and discard most of it unused.. besides when yo feed your organs better, especially liver, your immune system will be much stronger to fight with any problem.. if you test your blood before and after you will see better values for your blood specimen..
as a starters I can recommend glucosamine pills for cartillage build up.. but be careful for high doses as your liver will get tired and start to raise its related values.. also if your are consuming alcohol your liver wil give up quickly with extra load.. also must add alcoholic drinks damage or slow down cartillage build up process .. so its better you gave up for alcohol , start exercising and see if your condition advances.. if not, you may continue with those pills..
as for scanning, some of those tests involve very high doses of radiation & chemicals .. so must be done rarely and under requirement.. but if you are suspicious , go for it..
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and one more statement that I think it must be underlined twice..
your liver is a very critical organ and even more important than your heart or brain.. its an unbelievable chemical factory. its regulates all blood chemistry.. its the only organ that can not be made artificially.. and if its finished , your heart can not carry you any more.. and I can easily say that its the head of boss team in the body. so respect it.. dont feed it with saturated oils and alcohol.. at least not everyday..
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We are all so 'risk averse' these days, and to my way of thinking that is not a good thing.
We used to visit the quack because we felt unwell, now we go 'blooming with health' to see what he/she can find if they run enough tests on us.
The 'worried well' far outnumber the truly sick these days and all Lifescan and other supposed health checks do is magnify any irrational fears we all have about our health.
Is it any wonder that we are a nation that suffers from hypochondria. :-\ :-\ :-\
It's not rocket science........If you're sick then either self-cure or make an appointment see the doctor.........is you are well then avoid him like the plague. :y :y :y
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The problem I have is unexplained aches and pains. Twinges and odd sensations come and go and are unexplained. I put these down to skeletal problems and aggravated nerves, or whatever.
What concerns me is something more serious could arise, and I dismiss it along with all the other historical symptoms that amounted to nothing in the past. ...well, nothing serious anyway. (Fingers crossed)
I would say (or this is what my doc said when i went to him with back and shoulder pain) Its because I wear steel toecaps safety boots all day and apart from 30 minute lunch break i dont sit down for 9 hours a days. He said it is the weight of the boots and the shock wave going up my back. Iam now looking at buying some good composite boots. I dont know if you have the same problem chris but just thought I would mention it.
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Yes it is. :y
Lately I've been utterly amazed at the symptoms poor safety shoes can generate. I've come to learn that... At home, symptoms subside. At work, it starts at the side of the right knee, and radiates up and down the leg. Up, the pain creeps up what feels like the sciatic(?) nerve, up round the back of the thigh, next to the ring piece(steady Esta ;D ) up inboard of the hip, then points a needle at the base of the spine.
Down the pain creeps along the calf side, under the heal and the whole sole of the foot becomes painful. If I sit down pain in the foot is relieved until I stand again, where I then can't walk without hobbling across the floor like I need a walking stick.
Eventually the left leg always follows the same way.
I had trouble believing safety shoes could cause this, further complicated by wearing them at home when working on the car so it seemed constant, and the fact pain didn't start in the foot.
Proof in the theory was that I never throw the old ones away when acquiring new ones in case they rub or give blisters. So finding my third oldest pair in my locker I put them on instead and voila, no pain.
They where very uncomfortable on my feet, as the innards had worn away and the steel toe had no padding, but they where like slippers in comparison to the old ones, with the insole being a completely different shape to the ones I had and was used to, thinking they where flat. They aren't. Its amazing what can be got used to. ::)
New pair of Puma safety shoes on the way, as recommended by someone else at work who had similar issues. They have a composite toe, fell pads in the heal, soft soal, and naturally are twice the price, so had to acquire a Drs cirt to qualify work took pay for them ::) I just hope they fit after all the agro of work dealing with it.
But that's not the real concern with the aches and pains tbh. But are so your right. :y
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I should add, another symptom, unsinke to fully extend the knee. So had to walk with knees slightly bent. All symptoms caused discomfort at night causing sleep loss.
Some of you may have noticed me online at ungodly hours. Although I am abit of a night owl naturally anyway too.
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I think that these private screening clinics play on peoples fears re health. Best thing is to go to your doctor
if you have symptoms that you are unsure of.
Agreed. :y
But.. Another way to think about it - if we're talking cancer, at any rate. Not many of the common cancers are slow to develop. I have precious little medical knowledge (next to none, in fact), but, from friends and loved ones who have succumbed to various cancers that have been caught late and treated late, they've lasted perhaps a year to 18 months at the most from initial symptoms (which may not have been attributed to cancer at the time). Obviously, with early detection and treatment the outlook is very much better.
Now, I don't have the medical experience to know at what stage in that process a "Lifescan" would have pickled up anything and how it would have changed the outcome, but it suggests to me that a one-off scan is pointless, as, putting it bluntly, you could still be dead in 18 months. Not really much peace of mind. Now, if it could economically be done every 6 months, and without the side-effects of scans adding to the risk, my observations suggest you might be getting somewhere, but that's not realistic.
Again, no medical expertise here at all, but it strikes me that a scan performed in response to a symptom would be more effective than one done whilst otherwise healthy in any case. In the former case, the consultant will already have an inkling what he's looking for, and will investigate anything he sees on a scan along those lines. In the latter, do you do a biopsy on every shadow you find anywhere in the body? Completely different thing, IMHO.
Do you strip your car down every 6 months just in case it's about to raise a fault code, or do you wait for the code and then immediately look in the area the code points to?
It seems to me that the best course of action is to look after yourself, take note of any symptoms, and have a doctor in whom you have the confidence to refer you if anything suspicious emerges.
With pretty much any other life-threatening disease, there will be signs that can more easily be picked up IMHO. Get your blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, liver and kidney function, etc. checked on a regular basis and you won't go far wrong. Luckily, I have a local surgery who do all that and with whom I'm confident, although my GP has just retired and I'm yet to see his replacement.
Frankly, I think, if you're worrying, it might be because you don't have confidence in your GP when he says you're healthy?
None at all. On a personal level.
Using the car analogy, imagine the cars loom is pinched. In fact imagine the entire car is crushed in the middle, so the driver feels all sorts if oddness from the car. It won't drive straight (and you know how I hate that ;D ) the electrics are all full of gremlins so it won't start, it's giving false warnings as things short out, when there is no fault at all. Other than the crush in the middle if course.
Now go see your mechanic, he dosnt notice, or refuses to accept the crush in the middle is a problem or even exists. So then proceeds to check and test every symptom under the sun, and of course comes up with nout. Labels you a time waister, if not directly but inferred, and cost a fair bit of time and money.
Now, let's say, the crank sensor starts to play up. Is this because of the crush in the middle, or is there actually a fault? In amongst all the symptoms its impossible to pick out what's real and what isn't.
If a car had a spine, the true diagnosis is a compressed vertebrae. Or is it?
Add in the utterly hopeless knowledge of skeletal problems among gp's its rather hopeless tbh.
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Just to add to my earlier contribution, if your old lady is over 40 then I suggest you
grope examine her tits and cervix more often ;D
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Using the car analogy, imagine the cars loom is pinched. In fact imagine the entire car is crushed in the middle, so the driver feels all sorts if oddness from the car......
Sounds like it's time to weigh it in, TBH. ;)
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The answer to this is easy as well as quite difficult.
Firstly, this life scan thing. Quite easy to answer. Usually a waste of time and often picks up tiny non important abnormalities that then lead onto significant stress/trauma for the person involved. So I would say no to it. Unless you are very lucky and there is a cancer/abnormality just starting and it shows up in your body scan, so it gets treated early and you benefit from the scan itself. From research so far, this type of scans don't help detect cancer early.
The other perspective is whether it is worth the NHS performing screening scans on a yearly basis to detect cancer early. This is something I have personally been interested in researching. The problem arises from the fact that a CT scan of your chest is around 1200 chest x-rays worth of radiation. Which is a lot and can cause cancer in itself, although the exact percentage is still unknown. This becomes an even bigger worry in children, and women (because the breast tissue is exquisitely susceptible to absorbing large amounts of radiation). The evidence so far is poor to suggest performing annual CT scans to pick up early cancer.
I could spend a day arguing the 2 sides of this argument.
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Unrelated to this particular subject, but I do know of one couple who's husband contracted cancer and it was thankfully spotted early. So he made a full recovery.
His life insurance paid out and cleared their mortgages. He is now retired at the age of 38.
...and bored shitless. ;D
But it seems to me, by the time symptoms are spotted, it's generally too late, and the treatment horrific. :(
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Using the car analogy, imagine the cars loom is pinched. In fact imagine the entire car is crushed in the middle, so the driver feels all sorts if oddness from the car......
Sounds like it's time to weigh it in, TBH. ;)
No doubt there. Should of done it long ago. ::) ;D