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Covid

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People anxious about catching CV, are you equally worried about being diagnosed with cancer?

108 replies

Marcellemouse · 04/10/2020 19:53

Or is that not something you really think about?

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 04/10/2020 21:09

I'm sorry to hear you are worried about cancer personally @Marcellemouse but I found your 'apology' quite false. One can be worried about the capacity of the system to front up an effective screening programme to cancer without personalising it to the extent you did. Furthermore, the question you posed is not comparable in any way.

Regularsizedrudy · 04/10/2020 21:09

Can you seriously not see how astonishingly stupid your question is? If we disregard the fact that it’s a total none starter because it’s a false equivalency, you must realise the answer is YES. People who have anxiety about health probably are worried about getting cancer you fucking dunce. If people want to wear masks, or smoke, or some wearing masks or whatever I’ll thought out point you are trying to make - it’s got fuck all to do with you.

katieg03 · 04/10/2020 21:11

My dad found out he had cancer in the summer last year. He was then in an accident and smashed 4 limbs. Cancer treatment went on hold. Was due to have an op in March, obviously that got canned and he had it two weeks ago. He's having radio therapy just now and it's bloody awful. Watching him go it alone, the doctors and nurses are amazing, they can't even pat his shoulder for reassurance. My dad is super super fit. Eats a phenomenal diet, he was an RAF PT his whole life and doesn't drink or smoke... His BMI is always fine.... But he got cancer....

So what else could he possibly have done to prevent it? Nothing!!!! it's ludicrous to reckon you can prevent it from a personal level. Yes he's waited about longer because of covid but he's being treated to the best of nhs's abilities!

So, what is it that you are doing that makes you think you won't get cancer? You can't catch it like covid.

DianaT1969 · 04/10/2020 21:38

OP, are you worried about catching goadyitis? It's quite painful.

LemonTT · 04/10/2020 21:46

[quote Marcellemouse]@FallenMadonnawiththeBadBoobies
I was imagining how many deaths we could have prevented had the sole focus and billions of pounds been on cancer for 6 months. Cancer research, educating people, scaring people, daily death from cancer/ cases of cancer announcements, enforcement of cancer prevention measures ( ban on smoking, illegal not to exercise, illegal to drink more than safe amounts).[/quote]
The prevalence of cancer in the community at any given time won’t eat up the NHS entire critical care capacity the way COVID did in April. Nor will it decimate the workforce through illness, isolation and quarantine. Nor will it cause the staff treating and caring for patients to die. Nor will other patients or residents catch it and die.

Somebody deciding not to exercise will not cause someone else to get cancer.

Fyzz · 04/10/2020 21:52

Am I equally worried about cancer? Well no actually because I already have breast cancer, which in turn makes me more at risk of death if I get covid.

Thanksitsgotpockets · 04/10/2020 22:02

I'm not worried about cancer or covid. I've had a large breast lump treated over the phone with antibiotics in the last month, so it's a good job I'm not a worrier Confused

Someonesayroadtrip · 04/10/2020 22:02

I'm more worried about cancer than Covid but I'm worried about the ability to pass Covid into others, such as my mum.

greenlynx · 04/10/2020 22:05

Yes, of course. I don’t think that it’s unusual.

mac12 · 04/10/2020 22:14

My friend has cancer. Having chemo for it (yes, still being treated so no, we are not stopping all other treatments to just focus on COVID) But because we are now letting infections run rife in the community, she now has COVID despite living as quiet & careful a life as possible when you have young kids in school. She is now very unwell. Her chemo has had to stop.
I haven’t read the full thread because I find it’s premise deeply goady & upsetting. COVID will kill a lot of cancer patients if we don’t get it under control - or are you also one of those people who thinks anyone with an underlying condition should just be written off?
Wake up FFS.

1dayatatime · 04/10/2020 23:04

A common response on this thread seems to come back to the point that you cannot catch cancer but you can catch covid. Whilst accurate that you cannot catch cancer there are a number of life style choices that can reduce your chances of being diagnosed with cancer by 40% such
Don't smoke
Keep a healthy weight
Have a healthy balanced diet
Protect your skin from the sun
Cut out or reduce alcohol consumption
Exercise

These steps also reduce your chances of other main killers such as heart disease and diabetes.

Equally I can reduce my chances of contracting covid by wearing a mask and washing my hands with soap and water. However like cancer I will never completely eliminate my chances of contracting covid.

The key difference however is my probability of dying from cancer which is 1 in 3 compared to covid which on a simple average is 1 in 1000 and less if I weight it for my sex, weight and age.

So in conclusion and logically we should be a lot more worried about cancer.

That said I am absolutely petrified about the aftermath of covid, economically, Government debt, mental health, missed education, undiagnosed cancers etc etc.

shoofle · 04/10/2020 23:17

OP, use your brain.

SallySeven · 04/10/2020 23:19

I don't want to pass it on to anyone vulnerable. That is causing the worry.

SallySeven · 04/10/2020 23:21

And I do eat broccoli and I don't really relish it.

And I would like to drink more alcohol but don't.

saywha · 04/10/2020 23:21

I'm not worried about catching covid for myself, I'm worried about passing it on to people who are more likely to die. I'm worried about this shit going on for a very long time and the damage it's doing to our lives.
We're thinking about covid more now because we're constantly reminded of it. I'm sure the majority of people here have had times in their life where they were constantly thinking about cancer and might be going through that right now in addition to what's going on with the pandemic. Unfortunately we don't get to choose between them.

Aridane · 04/10/2020 23:22

Nasty goady posting by OP

solidaritea · 04/10/2020 23:22

@1dayatatime

A common response on this thread seems to come back to the point that you cannot catch cancer but you can catch covid. Whilst accurate that you cannot catch cancer there are a number of life style choices that can reduce your chances of being diagnosed with cancer by 40% such Don't smoke Keep a healthy weight Have a healthy balanced diet Protect your skin from the sun Cut out or reduce alcohol consumption Exercise

These steps also reduce your chances of other main killers such as heart disease and diabetes.

Equally I can reduce my chances of contracting covid by wearing a mask and washing my hands with soap and water. However like cancer I will never completely eliminate my chances of contracting covid.

The key difference however is my probability of dying from cancer which is 1 in 3 compared to covid which on a simple average is 1 in 1000 and less if I weight it for my sex, weight and age.

So in conclusion and logically we should be a lot more worried about cancer.

That said I am absolutely petrified about the aftermath of covid, economically, Government debt, mental health, missed education, undiagnosed cancers etc etc.

You're not comparing like with like there. Yes, your overall life chance of dying of cancer is 1 in 3, but your chance of dying of cancer this year is much, much lower.

My chance of dying of covid this year is probably similar to my chance of dying of cancer this year (I am 30, no known health conditions). Both are extremely small.

frozendaisy · 04/10/2020 23:23

I hope by contributing to the rules to reduce the risk of catching Covid-19, hence reducing risk of ending up in ITU, we help increase the number of people already suffering with cancer (and other conditions) being able to start/continue their treatment in a Covid free environment.

JS87 · 04/10/2020 23:24

@Shooglywheel

I get what you’re saying OP, it’s about risk. Statistically we are far, far more likely to develop cancer than catch Covid. I’d like to know how many have died of cancer during this pandemic as a result of not being able to access the correct care.
But whilst statistically over our lifetime we are more likely to develop cancer in the next year we are statistically much more likely to catch covid (unless you are very elderly in which case cancer might be more likely?).
Thinkingg · 04/10/2020 23:27

This seems a pretty goady thread.

No I'm not because:

  1. At my age, weight, non smoker, it's less likely.
  2. Afaik, I can only control my risk of cancer by general healthy living, which I do anyway, so there's no need to "worry" about day-to-day precautions and local infection rates.
  3. I wouldn't risk passing it on to friends and family.

Flowers to anyone affected by either illness.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 04/10/2020 23:45

@frozendaisy

I hope by contributing to the rules to reduce the risk of catching Covid-19, hence reducing risk of ending up in ITU, we help increase the number of people already suffering with cancer (and other conditions) being able to start/continue their treatment in a Covid free environment.
This.

If you are genuinely worried about cancer patients this year the one big thing you can do for them is to reduce your risk of catching covid and of passing it on as much as possible and encouraging others to do the same.

Someonesayroadtrip · 05/10/2020 09:03

@mac12

My friend has cancer. Having chemo for it (yes, still being treated so no, we are not stopping all other treatments to just focus on COVID) But because we are now letting infections run rife in the community, she now has COVID despite living as quiet & careful a life as possible when you have young kids in school. She is now very unwell. Her chemo has had to stop. I haven’t read the full thread because I find it’s premise deeply goady & upsetting. COVID will kill a lot of cancer patients if we don’t get it under control - or are you also one of those people who thinks anyone with an underlying condition should just be written off? Wake up FFS.
That's awful. So sorry for your friend.

The point about treatments being stopped etc is based on your postcode. My area isn't doing much "because of Covid".

Madhairday · 05/10/2020 09:23

If you are genuinely worried about cancer patients this year the one big thing you can do for them is to reduce your risk of catching covid and of passing it on as much as possible and encouraging others to do the same.

This.

These posts so often seem to imagine some parallel universe whereby if we somehow hadn't taken all these measures and restrictions for Covid - and, in this case, spent all the money on cancer - then everything would be just fine, all the cancers treated and no issues whatsoever in the NHS. They appear to grasp hold of some strange and unfounded belief that this pandemic would not have affected this in any way at all, and that it is somehow the measures causing the problems rather than the virus (which 'only kills those close to dying anyway,' remember.)

They also conveniently forget that it is actually many of the very cancer patients they purport to suddenly care so deeply for who are counted among those pesky 'underlying conditions' which render them not at all worth counting anyway, apparently.

It's just utterly baffling to me that people cannot see that this virus ripping through the population will not suddenly let up on the NHS when the restrictions are lifted, as if the virus is saying ah well then, this is no fun anymore, I'll just lie down and submit and stop being a pest.

It makes no sense at all. Confused

bibbitybobbitycats · 05/10/2020 09:25

No, for all the blindingly obvious reasons. Why do you ask OP?

BTW OP, billions have gone into developing treatments for cancer and survival rates are far better now than they used to be. But it's taken a long time to get here because it takes a long time to understand how diseases work.

The NHS spends 2 billion a year on cancer drugs.

Littlegoth · 05/10/2020 09:26

I’m not worried that I might catch cancer down the pub.

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