This is not an original title by any means, or even idea, but yesterday on a forum I visit everyday I saw a thread about a woman who had suffered with Parkinson's for many years. It was to say the least very touching. I want it clear I never knew this woman, and I am repeating a story. A friend of mine whom I have only talked to on the forum told the story and it struck very deep.
Today I received a copy of the book it was written in. The book is called ,"The Peripatetic Pursuit of Parkinson's Disease". The woman after years of living with Parkinson's had developed a form of cancer. We don't get just one thing in life to deal with, the longer we are here the more there is. She discussed options with her Dr and came to a decision. Seems Drs don't generally take all the treatment they prescribe for their patience and she did what the Dr said he would have done, she opted for radiation to reduce the size of the tumour, cashed in her life insurance policy and decided to travel. Unfortunately she never was able to travel. The thing is when she developed cancer, it was her way out.
Now I have really paraphrased this story greatly, much more than it deserves and for that I apologize to everyone connected, but her story is only a starting point for this. After I saw the thread yesterday the book that I ordered came today, I was so happy to see it, Shelley, my wife said she has never heard me sound so excited opening a package. I found that story and had her read it. Afterwords with tears in our eyes we hugged, held on tight for a while, and softly almost inaudible she said,"are you scared?" The best I could do was kind of gurgle a yes, she said she was to we hugged and sobbed, composed ourselves and made dinner.
The thing with Parkinson's is there is no cure, I could be given a diagnosis of cancer tomorrow and have a chance, I could have a heart attack and get a bypass operation and be fine. With this there is no chance of either at this point. When the woman in the story found out she had cancer she knew her "way out." Most of us with Parkinson's will not die from it, it will be something else, pneumonia perhaps, but all the pills and all the exercise programs in the world will not stop the progression of this disease. It may help slow it a bit, but like all neurological diseases there is no stopping. Some live long and productive lives, some live a fast terrible decline.
So far as I can tell I seem to be one with a rather slow decline, my first symptoms started about 15 years or so ago hopefully it will stay that way, but her story did hit home. As our population grows there will be more and more of us with neurological diseases. It is thought that Parkinson's can be caused by exposure to certain chemicals ans solvents. The incidents of Parkinson's I's highest in the rust belt, if we let people like the Koch bros.have their way and do away with water protection and allow got the continued expansion of fracking, limit research, those of us with these types of diseases will continue to increase.
As long as profit over caution rules,as long as we continue to fight against the right of people to healthcare, and make the dumbing down of our children more important than knowledge we will continue to deteriorate. If we continue on the path of denying simple scientific fact each of us will be looking for our "own way out"
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
My Christmas story
After a very long and fruitful discussion on holiday travel and visiting things went rather well this year. A week or so brfore.Christmas we did the.trip to the in-laws, went ok, came home, Thursday before Christmas my wife had carpal tunnel surgery in both hands, so I became the caregiver,I hope I'm never that demanding...only kidding, my poor wife could do almost nothing for herself, but we got through it. Her mother had to come and drive her the 80 mile round trip for surgery. Her mother is Iin her 80s and for the first time I really felt helpless, but I made up for it. Her mother came back the day after Christmas and stayed with us till the day after New Years, and it couldn't have been more pleasant. I got some work done my wife was well cared for, her mothers visit was extended by Wisconsin weather, but all went well. The real story came on Saturday after Christmas, I am still allowed to drive to town 7 miles away or to the town dump about 3 miles away. So coming home from the dump a mile or so from the nearest house walking along the road looking quitescared was a young puppy. I drove by at first but it just didn't seem right, it was to young AND to to far from anywhere, I turned around and after about 30 and half dozen wurthers candies I got her to trust me, got her in my truck and took her home. The temp that night was forecast to be-11, she never would have survived. She was just a pup, but had already had puppies, I was starting to get mad at someone. We called the sheriff, we called the humane society, twice. Once to.report her, and once to ask if we could hold her until someone called about her, we were told sure, and if no one claims her we could keep her after 7days, which was up last fFriday. Friday we took her to our vet, no micro chip, no inquires about her, Sofie is now sleeping at this minute on our bed. Last May I lost my best friend a beagle corgi mix, Sofie is a beagle bassett hound mix, and loves our other two, a beagle fox hound mix and a corgi. Carmen and Lucy. I felt like a kid bringing home a lost puppy. We think she either escaped from a puppy mill, I think she was way to young to be bred or she was a drop off in the country. Either way we saved a life, and I got my best Christmas present ever. Not much to do with pd, but then neither do the really good things in life.
I
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Do I really have Parkinson;s, and more
I have asked myself this so many times, the same things, the same reasons, the only answer I can come up with is.......yes. I just think back over the last 15 years and look at what has happened and what has changed. The list is almost frightening.
1. Balance, I was an avid sailor, airline pilot. I could strut through a terminal or a boat yard, and people would see confidence in every step. Now I walk through my house from handhold to hand hold, shuffle through Wal-Mart like an old man who is afraid to take a BIG step.
2. Although as a pilot I had a very varied sleep pattern, I slept, I got rested, I never needed to nap, now I need to sometimes twice a day.\
3 I loved to cook, I could copy restaurant recipes by taste and smell, now I can't smell fresh herbs or spices or tell the difference from cardboard. I do still smell a few things. I used to love salmon, now the smell makes me sick. I can no longer smell a fresh mowed lawn, I recently walked through a horse barn and didn't notice the smell. And on and on..
4. When I had my boat I could bend and twist and squeeze into the engine compartment, now I can barely bend well enough to get into a passenger seat in a car.
5. When I lay down to rest, I t feel like I was shaking apart on the inside, I still don't have a "visible" tremor, I stress visible, the invisible ones are every bit as real and as draining
6. I used to be able to have and enjoy sex
7. It was never a calendar event to have a bowel movement
The unfortunate part is that this list goes on and on, it is never one thing, it is the everyday thongs that don't work. I just went for physical therapy for Parkinson's and did the exercises in the "Big" part of Big and Loud. The therapist said we had to train our brains to do what we once did, by concentrating we could strut like I once did through the terminal. He was right, for a few steps I did, my wife saw it. But the effort it took, drained me. I could kind of do the exercises along with him, but as soon as they were over, I was the new and degenerating me again. As I lay he re at 3:15 am thinking about this, knowing the only thing that gets me mobile in the morning is my handful of pills, and the only thing that allows me to sleep are more pills, I know it's Parkinson's, what else could take and take and respond to only one pill, or specific bunch of pills. My voice grows softer, my face less expressive, my typing worse my handwriting illegible, and my ability to find the word I'm looking for more difficult, what else could it be. What else could sap the joy out of life by robbing my body of the brain chemical for joy and enjoyment, control of my body, it must be either some new unheard of illness, or it is Parkinson's. On the days I feel good, I don't for a minute believe I have Parkinson's, right now as I lay here in bed, hurting, thinking, and remembering, I know the truth, it's Parkinson's. Always hope, Always believe it will get better, but I think it is best to accept and understand the demon we fight. When I finally got the name of my demon at least I knew who I was fighting, it wasn't something in a made up, am I fooling myself world, it was a true demon named Parkinson's.
To the good days that let us forget for a while.....
Another discussion had was about becoming inconvenient and a burden to family and or care givers. It was really a good discussion and many things were talked about. I was surprised how many felt that they were or will become a burden. I know taking care of anyone with a disease or injury is very hard work. It is demanding, frustrating, and even makes you feel inadequate, but caring for someone you love should never make them feel like caring for them an inconvenience.
When we make a commitment to someone for life, we say we will be there what ever the problem. Not be there until something goes wrong. A commitment is just that, it means doing what it takes to love and care for one and other. In both the good and bad. There was talk about how one person deserved to be cared for more as revenge for a life that was not what was expected, or for some wrong during the marriage. That can only lead to more hard feeling and maybe worse. If you are or with someone who makes caregiving a burden and an inconvenience you need to find someone to help, or maybe just find someone else to do it. I am not so naïve as to believe that care giving is a bed of roses, it is the most demanding thing a person may ever be faced with in their life, caring for someone you love, and watch them deteriorate is a thing hard for most to imagine. In the case of our life I am the one deteriorating, and my we is the one who has to help, and watch me slip away.
I had a chance for a short while to see what being a care giver is like. She had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and was almost helpless, it wasn't as bad as expected, but still she could do very little. It was very hard, frustrating, and at times I felt inadequate, but I never felt it was a burden. If you love someone it is just one of the things that you do. I had for a time been a caregiver for my best friend at the time. It was a old beagle corgi mix that just got old. He developed diabetes, became blind, and took a lot of care. I did it out of love and the desire to make his life the best I could till the end. As I would do for anyone I love. It is what love is, commitment and giving for the sake of love. I hope that no one has to go through what caregivers do, I am grateful everyday that I have someone to help and care about me, someone who does what she does for me out of love.
I hope to write more often again now that the Holidays are over, which is a whole new blog and I think will be next.
1. Balance, I was an avid sailor, airline pilot. I could strut through a terminal or a boat yard, and people would see confidence in every step. Now I walk through my house from handhold to hand hold, shuffle through Wal-Mart like an old man who is afraid to take a BIG step.
2. Although as a pilot I had a very varied sleep pattern, I slept, I got rested, I never needed to nap, now I need to sometimes twice a day.\
3 I loved to cook, I could copy restaurant recipes by taste and smell, now I can't smell fresh herbs or spices or tell the difference from cardboard. I do still smell a few things. I used to love salmon, now the smell makes me sick. I can no longer smell a fresh mowed lawn, I recently walked through a horse barn and didn't notice the smell. And on and on..
4. When I had my boat I could bend and twist and squeeze into the engine compartment, now I can barely bend well enough to get into a passenger seat in a car.
5. When I lay down to rest, I t feel like I was shaking apart on the inside, I still don't have a "visible" tremor, I stress visible, the invisible ones are every bit as real and as draining
6. I used to be able to have and enjoy sex
7. It was never a calendar event to have a bowel movement
The unfortunate part is that this list goes on and on, it is never one thing, it is the everyday thongs that don't work. I just went for physical therapy for Parkinson's and did the exercises in the "Big" part of Big and Loud. The therapist said we had to train our brains to do what we once did, by concentrating we could strut like I once did through the terminal. He was right, for a few steps I did, my wife saw it. But the effort it took, drained me. I could kind of do the exercises along with him, but as soon as they were over, I was the new and degenerating me again. As I lay he re at 3:15 am thinking about this, knowing the only thing that gets me mobile in the morning is my handful of pills, and the only thing that allows me to sleep are more pills, I know it's Parkinson's, what else could take and take and respond to only one pill, or specific bunch of pills. My voice grows softer, my face less expressive, my typing worse my handwriting illegible, and my ability to find the word I'm looking for more difficult, what else could it be. What else could sap the joy out of life by robbing my body of the brain chemical for joy and enjoyment, control of my body, it must be either some new unheard of illness, or it is Parkinson's. On the days I feel good, I don't for a minute believe I have Parkinson's, right now as I lay here in bed, hurting, thinking, and remembering, I know the truth, it's Parkinson's. Always hope, Always believe it will get better, but I think it is best to accept and understand the demon we fight. When I finally got the name of my demon at least I knew who I was fighting, it wasn't something in a made up, am I fooling myself world, it was a true demon named Parkinson's.
To the good days that let us forget for a while.....
Another discussion had was about becoming inconvenient and a burden to family and or care givers. It was really a good discussion and many things were talked about. I was surprised how many felt that they were or will become a burden. I know taking care of anyone with a disease or injury is very hard work. It is demanding, frustrating, and even makes you feel inadequate, but caring for someone you love should never make them feel like caring for them an inconvenience.
When we make a commitment to someone for life, we say we will be there what ever the problem. Not be there until something goes wrong. A commitment is just that, it means doing what it takes to love and care for one and other. In both the good and bad. There was talk about how one person deserved to be cared for more as revenge for a life that was not what was expected, or for some wrong during the marriage. That can only lead to more hard feeling and maybe worse. If you are or with someone who makes caregiving a burden and an inconvenience you need to find someone to help, or maybe just find someone else to do it. I am not so naïve as to believe that care giving is a bed of roses, it is the most demanding thing a person may ever be faced with in their life, caring for someone you love, and watch them deteriorate is a thing hard for most to imagine. In the case of our life I am the one deteriorating, and my we is the one who has to help, and watch me slip away.
I had a chance for a short while to see what being a care giver is like. She had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and was almost helpless, it wasn't as bad as expected, but still she could do very little. It was very hard, frustrating, and at times I felt inadequate, but I never felt it was a burden. If you love someone it is just one of the things that you do. I had for a time been a caregiver for my best friend at the time. It was a old beagle corgi mix that just got old. He developed diabetes, became blind, and took a lot of care. I did it out of love and the desire to make his life the best I could till the end. As I would do for anyone I love. It is what love is, commitment and giving for the sake of love. I hope that no one has to go through what caregivers do, I am grateful everyday that I have someone to help and care about me, someone who does what she does for me out of love.
I hope to write more often again now that the Holidays are over, which is a whole new blog and I think will be next.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Hallelujah
Tonight as I do most nights I make the rounds of the Parkinson's sites and I saw the words to a Leonard Cohen song that many fans of "House" tv series heard many times. The song was "Hallelujah". The words were slightly modified, but brought me to tears. The song itself is powerful, these words added to it were.......overwhelming to say the least. It will make this post a rather long one, but you must hear Leonard Cohen's song first and the read the words with the melody still in your head.
http://www.youtube.com/v/YrLk4vdY28Q?version=3&list=AL94UKMTqg-9D0EnTkiR5PRGsnOVCQTI-i&feature=share&showinfo=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=RZ-9zScpkkVT2eJNO06HnQ&autoplay=1
The song is so powerful, but now try to remember the music with these words which came from my internet friend and a very wise man when it comes to living with Parkinson's. Thank you Al.
I'm sorry it didn't copy quit right, but bear with the fact it isn't written out as.lyrics normally are. It is worth it.
By LOHENGR1N On 2013.11.05 01:11You may want to skip this post if you're looking for a picker upper. Just a Leonard Cohen song (Hallelujah) With an introverted look from my parkinsonion perspective. (added between verses) "Hallelujah"I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the LordBut you don't really care for music, do you?It goes like thisThe fourth, the fifthThe minor fall, the major liftThe battle king composing Hallelujah("You have Parkinson's Disease." Diagnosis, go home thinking they're wrong maybe it is a mistake? Maybe there is something anything I can do and God will take it away! Okay I'm in for a battle but God will cure me I've just got to praise Him more)Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahYour faith was strong but you needed proofYou saw her bathing on the roofHer beauty in the moonlight overthrew youShe tied you to a kitchen chairShe broke your throne, and she cut your hairAnd from your lips she drew the Hallelujah(I know God won't let this be...life is too beautiful, too much to do to much to enjoy this wasn't in my/our plans! I am in the prime of my life or I'm just ready to retire and enjoy everything! I'll soon be feeble my illusions of being in control are harshly falling away. But God will save me.)Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahBaby I have been here beforeI know this room, I've walked this floorI used to live alone before I knew you.I've seen your flag on the marble archLove is not a victory marchIt's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah(Parkinson's, I've been here before you moved into my body. You've bent me, twisted me made me slower and trembling, my foot steps are halting and shuffling, I wear you like a flag draped over my shoulders for all to see. The future imagined for love is gone, we've got no stroll into the sunset just a shuffle into the darkness looming ahead and whatever it holds. What praise I've got left sounds hollow and cold truly broken)Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahThere was a time when you let me knowWhat's really going on belowBut now you never show it to me, do you?And remember when I moved in youThe holy dove was moving tooAnd every breath we drew was Hallelujah(Seems my questions don't get answers, We use to talk God, now it is more of a one way conversation and I feel I'm talking to myself....remember when We did talk and do things I could feel You with Me! Those were such happier times)Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahMaybe there’s a God aboveBut all I’ve ever learned from loveWas how to shoot at someone who outdrew youIt’s not a cry you can hear at nightIt’s not somebody who has seen the lightIt’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah( I don't know I'm not as sure as I used to be, love at the best of times is hard now it is easier to retort than hug it seems. Now if you hear it, it's not a praise be! No it's more like a Wolf howling, a long drawn out lonely forlorn wail) Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahYou say I took the name in vainI don't even know the nameBut if I did, well, really, what's it to you?There's a blaze of light in every wordIt doesn't matter which you heardThe holy or the broken Hallelujah(Sometime We think what did we do wrong to be punished like this, but really it's just the cards we're deal in life. How're you doing? We hear that and see friends not listen they don't want to really know doesn't matter most hear what they want to hear)Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, HallelujahI did my best, it wasn't muchI couldn't feel, so I tried to touchI've told the truth, I didn't come to fool youAnd even though it all went wrongI'll stand before the Lord of SongWith nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah(We do what we can, never seems enough, we reach out and try to make contact. I've not whitewashed or fibbed about it. I don't mislead or trick anyone. I've tried to live right and do good and not harm or hurt. To be a good role model even as life fell to pieces around me and in me. So in the end if there is a judgement seat I'll stand and make no excuses, I'll utter what ever it is that's left of my cold and broken Hallelujah) Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, Hallelujah By jcoff012 On 2013.11.05 09:19I love this song, Al...when it was part of "House", it may be cry every time they used it. Still does. The first time I heard it was years ago, and it made me cry then, too.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
At least it's not Cancer
At least its not cancer,
How often have you heard someone say
that to you, and you agree. I've seen people with it and their doing
great after all these years. MJF has it, look at him, he's hes had
it for years, he just shakes some, no big deal hell he's even back to
work. Besides they got pills for that, can't be all that bad, ya d ya
da yada.
Lets say it was cancer, there are
several types so first pick you r cancer. Now what are the survival
rates for your cancer? Each one has a survival rate,, do you know
what it is, we can look some up. Let me say now my cutting and pasting skills need s bit of work. But with a little patience you will get the idea.
Learn
About Cancer » News
and Features » News
» Cancer Death Rates and Incidence Down, Annual Report Shows
News
» Filed under: General
Information
Cancer Death Rates and Incidence Down, Annual Report Shows
Article date: November 25, 2008The cancer death rate in the United States continues to go down, a new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations says. What's more, cancer incidence -- the rate at which new cancers are diagnosed -- also appears to be dropping.
The findings come from the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2005, Featuring Trends in Lung Cancer, Tobacco Use and Tobacco Control.
According to the report, cancer death rates for both sexes combined declined about 1.8% per year from 2002 through 2005, almost double the 1.1% per year decrease seen from 1993 through 2002. And for the first time in the 10-year history of the report, incidence rates for all cancers combined decreased, falling by 0.8% per year from 1999 to 2005.
"The drop in incidence seen in this year's Annual Report is something we've been waiting to see for a long time," said Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS). "However, we have to be somewhat cautious about how we interpret it, because changes in incidence can be caused not only by reductions in risk factors for cancer, but also by changes in screening practices. Regardless, the continuing drop in mortality is evidence once again of real progress made against cancer, reflecting real gains in prevention, early detection, and treatment."
RESOURCES:
The Annual Report to the Nation is a joint
report of the American Cancer Society, the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
(NAACR). It will be published online today and is slated to appear
in the December 3, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute. This year's report includes a special section
on lung cancer rates and tobacco control.
Good News, Bad News
Cancer death rates declined for 10 of the 15 most common causes of cancer death among both men and women, but increased for a few individual cancers, such as esophageal and bladder cancers among men, pancreatic cancers in women, and for cancers of the liver in both.The decline in cancer incidence was largely due to declines in the most common cancers: lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer for men and breast and colorectal cancer for women.
Lung cancer death rates in women leveled off from 2003 through 2005, but incidence rates are still rising, though more slowly than they have risen in the past. Lung cancer death rates have been decreasing in men since the 1990s.
The report shows significant differences in lung cancer deaths in different parts of the United States. In California, for instance, the lung cancer death rate dropped by about 2.8% per year among men between 1996 and 2005. That decline is more than double that seen in some Midwestern and Southern states, and may be due in part to California's strong tobacco control policies.
"We can see that, in areas of the country where smoking and tobacco use are entrenched in daily life, men and women continue to pay a price with higher incidence and death rates from many types of cancer. This type of geographic variation in smoking-related cancers is due to smoking behaviors, not regional environmental factors," said Betsy A. Kohler, MPH, executive director of the NAACCR.
CDC Director Julie Gerberding, MD, said, "We must recommit ourselves to implementing tobacco control programs that we know work if we are truly going to impact the staggering toll of tobacco on our society."
Opportunities to Save More Lives
Although the news from the new report is encouraging, more could be done to reduce cancer deaths even further, the study authors point out.The medical community needs to apply what it knows about prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer much more broadly, they say, so that all segments of the US population benefit from it. Right now, there are still differences among ethnic and racial groups. Cutting tobacco use is another important avenue for reducing cancer deaths. And, there needs to be more research into better methods of prevention, early detection and treatment, they write.
Reviewed by: Members of the ACS Medical Content Staff
ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases.
Related Searches: Statistics Prevention Early Detection
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Me again, I then went looking for the
survival rates for people with Parkinson;s disease.
Rates of survival in Parkinson’s disease
Total
Health | January 4th, 2012
Parkinson’s disease is a very common neurodegenerative condition amongst older people but until now, information on survival rates and risk factors has been inconclusive. A new cohort study of 138,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease has established links between the disease and demographic causes.
It has been found by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in the USA that survival rates in Parkinson’s were “significantly predicted” through sex and race with women, Hispanics and Asians having an improved prognosis reduced risk of mortality. Black patients had the highest death rate of just over 66% whilst almost 65% of white patients died after contracting the disease. Another risk factor was the development of dementia which approximately 70% of patients were diagnosed with. The mortality risk for patients with both Parkinson’s disease and dementia is greater than for patients only suffering from Parkinson’s.
Treatments to ease the effects of Parkinson’s disease include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy as well as medication and drug therapy. None of these treatments can cure the disease however. An innovative form of neurosurgery, known as neuromodulation or deep brain stimulation, can be used to electrically stimulate the brain in order to improve movement problems but up to 70% and can be highly effective at improving the quality of life for patients.
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My reason for all this information is
basically this,with cancer there is treatment there are frequently
remissions.
For those with Parkinson's there is
nothing to look forward to continues deterioration until you are
overcome by another disease that will cause death. In addition many
develop dementia somewhat similar to alzhiemers. Basically cancer can
be cured, Parkinson's will just continue to eat away at the
person, brain and body. For us there is no hope of a cure or
remission as with cancer So my suggestion is more appropriate to say
to a cancer patient,At least it's not Parkinson's.....
At least its not cancer,
How often have you heard someone say
that to you, and you agree. I've seen people with it and their doing
great after all these years. MJF has it, look at him, he's hes had
it for years, he just shakes some, no big deal hell he's even back to
work. Besides they git pills for that, can't be all that bad, ya d ya
da yada.
Lets say it was cancer, there are
several types so first pick you r cancer. Now what are the survival
rates for your cancer? Each one has a survival rate,, do you know
what it is, we can look some up.
This is a bit awkward I realize, you
have to hit the control key and then click on the item you are
interested in. There is a tremendous amount of information,
To get the most relevant
information for your area, please enter your zip code OR city and
state.
GO Cancel
Get Global Information
GO Cancel
Get Global Information
Learn
About Cancer » News
and Features » News
» Cancer Death Rates and Incidence Down, Annual Report Shows
News
» Filed under: General
Information
Cancer Death Rates and Incidence Down, Annual Report Shows
Article date: November 25, 2008The cancer death rate in the United States continues to go down, a new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations says. What's more, cancer incidence -- the rate at which new cancers are diagnosed -- also appears to be dropping.
The findings come from the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2005, Featuring Trends in Lung Cancer, Tobacco Use and Tobacco Control.
According to the report, cancer death rates for both sexes combined declined about 1.8% per year from 2002 through 2005, almost double the 1.1% per year decrease seen from 1993 through 2002. And for the first time in the 10-year history of the report, incidence rates for all cancers combined decreased, falling by 0.8% per year from 1999 to 2005.
"The drop in incidence seen in this year's Annual Report is something we've been waiting to see for a long time," said Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS). "However, we have to be somewhat cautious about how we interpret it, because changes in incidence can be caused not only by reductions in risk factors for cancer, but also by changes in screening practices. Regardless, the continuing drop in mortality is evidence once again of real progress made against cancer, reflecting real gains in prevention, early detection, and treatment."
RESOURCES:
The Annual Report to the Nation is a joint
report of the American Cancer Society, the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
(NAACR). It will be published online today and is slated to appear
in the December 3, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute. This year's report includes a special section
on lung cancer rates and tobacco control.
Good News, Bad News
Cancer death rates declined for 10 of the 15 most common causes of cancer death among both men and women, but increased for a few individual cancers, such as esophageal and bladder cancers among men, pancreatic cancers in women, and for cancers of the liver in both.The decline in cancer incidence was largely due to declines in the most common cancers: lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer for men and breast and colorectal cancer for women.
Lung cancer death rates in women leveled off from 2003 through 2005, but incidence rates are still rising, though more slowly than they have risen in the past. Lung cancer death rates have been decreasing in men since the 1990s.
The report shows significant differences in lung cancer deaths in different parts of the United States. In California, for instance, the lung cancer death rate dropped by about 2.8% per year among men between 1996 and 2005. That decline is more than double that seen in some Midwestern and Southern states, and may be due in part to California's strong tobacco control policies.
"We can see that, in areas of the country where smoking and tobacco use are entrenched in daily life, men and women continue to pay a price with higher incidence and death rates from many types of cancer. This type of geographic variation in smoking-related cancers is due to smoking behaviors, not regional environmental factors," said Betsy A. Kohler, MPH, executive director of the NAACCR.
CDC Director Julie Gerberding, MD, said, "We must recommit ourselves to implementing tobacco control programs that we know work if we are truly going to impact the staggering toll of tobacco on our society."
Opportunities to Save More Lives
Although the news from the new report is encouraging, more could be done to reduce cancer deaths even further, the study authors point out.The medical community needs to apply what it knows about prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer much more broadly, they say, so that all segments of the US population benefit from it. Right now, there are still differences among ethnic and racial groups. Cutting tobacco use is another important avenue for reducing cancer deaths. And, there needs to be more research into better methods of prevention, early detection and treatment, they write.
Reviewed by: Members of the ACS Medical Content Staff
ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases.
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Me again, I then went looking for the
survival rates for people with Parkinson;s disease.
Rates of survival in Parkinson’s disease
Total
Health | January 4th, 2012
Parkinson’s disease is a very common neurodegenerative condition amongst older people but until now, information on survival rates and risk factors has been inconclusive. A new cohort study of 138,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease has established links between the disease and demographic causes.
It has been found by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in the USA that survival rates in Parkinson’s were “significantly predicted” through sex and race with women, Hispanics and Asians having an improved prognosis reduced risk of mortality. Black patients had the highest death rate of just over 66% whilst almost 65% of white patients died after contracting the disease. Another risk factor was the development of dementia which approximately 70% of patients were diagnosed with. The mortality risk for patients with both Parkinson’s disease and dementia is greater than for patients only suffering from Parkinson’s.
Treatments to ease the effects of Parkinson’s disease include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy as well as medication and drug therapy. None of these treatments can cure the disease however. An innovative form of neurosurgery, known as neuromodulation or deep brain stimulation, can be used to electrically stimulate the brain in order to improve movement problems but up to 70% and can be highly effective at improving the quality of life for patients.
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My reason for all this information is
basically this,with cancer there is treatment there are frequently
remissions.
For those with Parkinson's there is
nothing to look forward to continues deterioration until you are
overcome by another disease that will cause death. In addition many
develop dementia somewhat similar to alzhiemers. Basically cancer can
be cured, Parkinson's will just con continue to eat away at the
person, brain and body. For us there is no hope of a cure or
remission as with cancer So my suggestion is more appropriate to say
to a cancer patient, al least it's not Parkinson's
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