View Full Version : new worry is going to be about kidney cancer
unsure_about_this
15-10-13, 14:49
I been warned to stay away from the television (have I seen the latest advert or you)
Yes kidney advert are currently doing it rounds (I know it important to be aware what could be kidney cancer) if it saves lives it is good. I dread to think how it would effect people with health anxiety.
my mum did not want to tell me about this advert.
I am 29 and like I have always done has checked my pee in the bowl.
We don't have any family history of cancer, I am not over weight. I have a few scans of the abdominal and have my kidneys exam in the ultrasound, I did have a wee sample taken as well which was fine. also had blood test done which came back fine.
Ok - you need to get this in some perspective. It is a public health message. A tiny minority of people who have blood in their urine may have kidney cancer. However in someone who has the disease it is the most frequent presenting early indicator.
The great news is that if renal cancer is diagnosed early it is phenomenally treatable. Also the number of people who have it at your age without predisposing factors is minuscule.
Funnily enough this is something that played on my mind for a while as my father had kidney cancer when he was 38 and it was advanced. The good news is that he is now 63!!
unsure_about_this
15-10-13, 20:52
Thank you for your reply I do need to get this in some perspective about being a public health message. I was the same with the bowel cancer advert and the lung cancer advert.
I been the same with testicular, breast awareness in the newspaper and on the breakfast programmes.
I don't know what I be like with the next awareness to be broadcast
I saw this yesterday on BBC teletext, and I think it is ludicrous to freak people out with this.
Anyone (especially those with HA and those without for that matter) who the moment they see blood in their urine is going to seek medical advice I would have thought. What is the point of imforming people that this may be indicative of cancer??? What purpose does it serve except to scare??
A public health service such as the one about not leaving a long-standing cough I can understand, as a cough is something many would naturally think is no big deal....but blood in urine??
This now speaks for itself, as you only need to see the number of HA posts related to blood in urine this week alone!
It would be great if you could reframe this a bit maybe. I know I sometimes have to laugh at myself and in this case, I'd be thinking, "Ha! I'm not going to let Kidney Cancer be my next worry!"
Show your brain who's boss! ;)
To be honest Debs I think their major concern is raising awareness of what is one of the few early signs of kidney cancer, I suspect they are less worried about whether or not the message will make people worry about it. I think they are absolutely right to show it. The issue with HA isn't the message it is the disproportionate way in which we all react to it. To me we must deal with the reaction (which is in our control) rather than attempt to avoid the stimulus which isn't.
To be honest Debs I think their major concern is raising awareness of what is one of the few early signs of kidney cancer, I suspect they are less worried about whether or not the message will make people worry about it. I think they are absolutely right to show it. The issue with HA isn't the message it is the disproportionate way in which we all react to it. To me we must deal with the reaction (which is in our control) rather than attempt to avoid the stimulus which isn't.
My point was rather this - do people honestly require awareness raised about the concern of ignoring blood in their urine, kidney cancer sign or not? I fully understand the need for 'raising awareness', but I also believe that in the same token, there is a lot of scaremongering created by using the word 'cancer' in many of these campaigns, which by knock on effect, places enormous burdens on GP surgeries and the NHS.
I did not say they were 'wrong' to show it incidentally, and I agree that those with HA can't expect the world to walk on eggshells around them, I was just expressing an opinion that a lot of these well-meaning campaigns have a knock on effect that is not entirely helpful either.
My point was rather this - do people honestly require awareness raised about the concern of ignoring blood in their urine, kidney cancer sign or not? I fully understand the need for 'raising awareness', but I also believe that in the same token, there is a lot of scaremongering created by using the word 'cancer' in many of these campaigns, which by knock on effect, places enormous burdens on GP surgeries and the NHS.
Frankly, yes. There is a huge issue, particularly amongst men of people ignoring symptoms such as this ad not visiting their GP. I think comparatively there are far more substantial burdens placed on the NHS than the potential outcome of a campaign like this.
Fine. Whatever you say.
Sigh.
Perhaps if you had worked in the NHS and dealt with the pressures that entails, scrabbling around for basic oxygen saturation monitors during the winter and sharing them between patients, because the ward can't afford to buy more, you might feel and see things differently.
Not entering into a spat on here. That is my opinion, you have yours.
No spat, just different views :)
And I do work for the NHS...
Debs, I totally understand your frustration (having once worked in the NHS myself) but my Nan was hacking up loads of blood for months before we dragged her to the doctors - she thought it was just a touch of pleurisy.
What I'm trying to say is, a lot of people really do need to be made aware of when they should see their doctor. A lot of people are still of the mindset that you only go to the doctors when you can barely stand up and those adds are aimed at them.
It does unfortunately have the down side of causing panic in perfectly healthy people but if it saves even one life, I'd happily panic forever.
I haven't seen this ad but there are similar ads that run in the US all the time and the word "cancer" is used in them. For the vast majority of people, they'll see the ad, hear the word cancer, maybe give it a moment of thought and go back to whatever they were doing and watching. The ads are meant to bring awareness is all and they accomplish their task effectively.
However, to someone with HA, it can and will create stress and another reason to focus on a negative.
Positive thoughts and prayers
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