Fear against Diseases



People are always afraid of ill health.
Especially afraid of being diagnosed as "severe diseased".
But don't miss a chance to treat because of the fear.

I know a few cancer patients who actually missed good opportunities of early treatments.

Patient A was diagnosed that he had a doubtful cancer. But he thought he was all right because the physician did not say that it was a sure cancer. He left it until it grew up into an obvious cancer.
He was done an extensive surgery and regretted not that he did not see a doctor for a close examination in the early stage, but that he could not find more skillful surgeon who could treat him more easily in the late stage.
Patient B was said from a doctor that he should come back again without fail, because if his lesion was not cured by a topical agent, it should be (a cancer and) removed surgically. Indeed his lesion was not cured by the ointment, but he showed up again fairly later, after over one and a half year.

Some diseases can be cured, others are not.
Some, which cannot be cured, could be improved or controlled well.
It depends on the current medical level.

In curable, restorable or controllable diseases, receiving treatments would be beneficial.
Treatments will bring them better health, so as to live a better life.
If fear interfere the desirable opportunity, ... I think it's regrettable.

Many people visit hospitals and clinics worrying whether their diseases are cancers or not, because cancer is a fearful life-threatening illness.
So if it is benign, any physician is willing to relieve the patient saying, "It is NOT a cancer, so don't worry."
When physicians say "doubtful", it means, of course, certain possibility to be a real cancer.

Therefore, patient A should have consulted specialist immediately to examine when he was said the lesion was a doubtful cancer.
It was a quite good chance of early detection, easier to cure for any surgeon.
If he did not ignore the advice, maybe just a standard minor operation would be enough. He had no need to search a miraculous surgeon.
He did not noticed the major cause he had to undergo a large hard surgery was delayed starting of treatments.

It would be human nature people tend to stick to more favorable diagnosis.

I can also suppose patient B's thoughts.
Probably for over 1.5 years until he came to the hospital again, he kept seeing the lesion every day, expecting it to become smaller naturally and hoping it could diminish in some day.

I think some severe allergic people tend to think similarly.

As reason is, severely diseased people may hardly respond to numerous trials for improvement. and need plenty of time to recover.
But some of them cannot have patience.
They think doctors always have to give them immediate cure.
Even though it was a long, long process to go back to the complete health, good healthcare professionals must know a special shortcut for them.

As I treat severe allergic patients daily, I deeply sympathize their inconceivable situations and always hope their earlier recovery.
Their deep-rooted diseases could be improved, but it takes pretty long persevering hard work for both doctors and patients.

Nevertheless, they often complaint "I deserve to recover at once, if my doctor is not incompetent."
I see through such idea that they have fear to their prolonged severe situations, and fear to be diagnosed as "incurably severe allergy".

I think it's important to control fear.
It's natural we have fear against severe diseases, but if we stand still in fear, we cannot go ahead.
Even if we avert our eyes from diseases, they surely exist and keep affecting us.

So we have to stare and receive our diseases as they are.
Fear -> dejected -> lose motivation -> lose hope
Fear -> underestimate -> avoid goodness -> worsening
Both routes will lead to failure of treatments.

We should do what we can, strive every day and never give up until we get better health.
That's what we can do.

2016.8.(translated in 2017.1.)@@

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