We are living longer than ever in part because we are the beneficiaries of modern medicine. Many more life threatening conditions including heart disease and cancer are now curable or controlled by modern medicine than 20 or 30 years ago.
What about you? Are you here today because of advances in medical care? Did heart surgery prolong your life, or modern therapies or drugs help cure your cancer, or quick action by well-equipped medics and doctors save you from a serious accident? Take a few seconds to respond to our poll.
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Most of my grandparents, aunts and uncles died in their 50’s with heart problems. Probably with the root cause being high blood pressure and clogged arteries. They were farmers so they had a high fat, high sodium diet. I’ve made it to 75 due to blood pressure pills and statins.
Nine years ago I was having gall bladder problems and during the ultrasound scan the tech noticed an abnormality in my left kidney. It was a golf ball size tumor. The kidney and gall bladder were removed a week later. I had no kidney cancer symptoms!
At age 61, in good physical shape, I had a blood clot from my right leg stop the blood flow to the muscles in the right side of my heart. I was revived twice on the life flight, the hospital put me on a heart pump and said I needed transferred to a heart transplant hospital. I was moved to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. After spending 3 weeks in an induced coma my heart recovered enough that I was sent home. Two different pacemakers and 5 years later I was put on the heart transplant list. After just over 3 months in SMH waiting for a new heart I got one on 16 Feb 2016. Recovery went well, no real side effects from the new meds. After two tours in Nam, retired Army Armor 1SG, and retired diesel/heavy equipment mechanic, I feel good, best since my heart attack in 2009. I’m still taking a bucket of meds daily and will be for the rest of my life, doing monthly blood work that requires 3 tubes of blood and seeing my transplant care team twice yearly. Life is Good.
Absolutely after an on the job injury causing me to develop Osteomyelitis, VRE and MERSA having over 150 surgeries several 6ft clots and now being a double right side amputee above knee and elbow I almost died several times. But I survived and my wife being a big part of this for this reason we never had vacations in our 39 years of marriage. So in 2020 we decided to buy our first Motorhome and to go and make some memories together before its to late. I know being a double amputee it will have its moments but we will do this together.
Wow, Dennis! What a harrowing life you’ve had. We hope you and your wonderful wife have many happy, healthy, stress-free years and miles of RVing. You have certainly earned a “vacation” — for the rest of your life! Take care, and huge hugs to you and your wife. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I am a Cancer survivor and lost one kidney. The next year I suffered Heart Failure and now wear a pacemaker. The Good Lord has kept me around for a reason with the assistance of modern medicine.
I think we all are – Think antibiotics, vaccines and preventative diagnostics.
I have had the misfortune to have had rabbit fever, malaria, and about fifteen years ago bacterial meningitis. I obviously survived these as I wrote this. Nearly eighty and still on the road going strong.
Wow! Keep up the good work, Philip! And we wish you many more years “on the road going strong”! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I will say that because of modern medicine, my life is more enhanced, or comfortable and certainly more worry free.
Was told 1.5 years ago I had maybe 6 months due to cancer. Have had kemo and radiation. Not cured but still going and traveling in our RV is even more fun than ever. Setting here in campground right now. Every day is a blessing. Just lost my mother at 95 years. Hard to loose but she had a good long life and I very much believe in a better place now
Ovarian cancer, found early, radical surgery and 6 tratments with chemo. No evidence of recurrence for 13-1/2 years and very grateful to be alive.
Keith;
Type 1 diabetic for 56 years. new insulins, Testing, pumps & education & I am celebrating my 65th b’day in a few days.
23 years ago I was diagnosed with what was then a terminal blood ailment. Given less than a year to live. New drugs became available which literally saved my life making a deadly ailment manageable.
New method developed to treat my APL leukemia. 15 years ago, APL leukemia was a death sentence. Then a dermatologist and a hematologist were golfing. Talking, they discovered the dermatologist was treating the same protein for skin issues that was attacking red blood cells. Long story short, they developed a retin A treatment to basically cure APL leukemia. Great doctor golfing story.
I had emphysema due to smoking. On O2 24/7 until 2008 when I went to Duke University in NC for lung reduction surgery (I was too chicken to go for a transplant). After having 1/3 of each lung removed, I no longer use O2! We hit the road in June of that year and have been traveling the highways and by-ways of this great country ever since.
Congratulations. Keep spreading your good news. I”m a multiple myeloma survivor due to a Stem Cell transplant.
Several years ago I had kidney stones that blocked the connecting tubes. The resulting backup caused an e-coli blood infection. IV antbiotics every day for 2 weeks saved me. I’ve also survived two episodes of breast cancer and count myself among the blessed!
Thank God, the doctors and modern medicine in general, an ultrasound performed on my inflamed and sore left leg 9 years ago, when I was 55, showed a blood clot building. With short term medication, awareness and diet change, a potential for a stroke was averted.
Eleven years ago I had a MRI for a disc problem but it showed something on a kidney. Long story short after an ultrasound and a CT scan it was determined that it was a early and small malignant cancer. Had surgery to remove the tumor and still have 90% of the kidney. Still cancer free.
Husband had to take a drug for 3 months when he had a pulse of 160 due to infection. (Otherwise healthy man, at 74 totally clean arteries!) That started 18 months of hell as side effects included Congestive Heart Failure, Hypothyroidism & skin cancer. His aortic valve, which had been replaced with a human valve 28 yrs prior due to a congenital defect, started failing. Within a week of determining he need a new valve, a miracle device called a CORE TAVR was slipped over old valve in a 45 minute procedure (thru groin, like an angiogram). Procedure was done on a Thurs, went home Sunday. Lost all the fluid from CHF, only needs to take an aspirin a day, plus mild BP med. He is back to doing things, eating, sleeping well & we can start traveling again. It’s like the last 18 months never happened. Thanks Medtronics for designing the new valve. And thank the Lord because many people who took that drug have died from lung fibrosis, the number one side effect, which so far my husband has no evidence of. (The drug can take years to leave the body even after taking it only 3 months). We are hoping in the next 6 months he can stop taking thyroid medication & so far no more skiin cancer. Feeling very blessed to say the least.
Are people that I’ll informed who don’t realize you have yourself. Polio, heart disease, etc.
It amazes me, how we take for granted modern medicine. What amazes me more is that we want to socialize it, similar to Canada. You want proof, look at the survival rates of advanced staged cancer survivors up north. You are just left to die, not the way we Americans have approached anything until the recent past. But, times are a changin.
We are not just left to die! I have cancer. I’m in round 18 of chemo. I have paid for nothing out of pocket! I have cancer doctors that are second to none.
Please don’t say things like that when you know nothing about our system other then hear say.
I will never have to worry about not being able to pay to receive treatment,are you able to say the same?
Went for my annual physical in ’05. Discovered aortic aneurysm. It was a ‘4’ and had to be a ‘5’ before insurance would cover it. Had to wait about 6 months for it to grow to ‘5’.
My episode was about the same time the actor John Ritter died from his aneurysm. I had no problem with scheduling the surgery ASAP
UCLA Med Ctr installed a ‘pig valve’ in Jan ’06 and all is well today.