As stated Dr. Pass, most patients have symptoms of mesothelioma ranging from two weeks to six months before seeking medical treatment . Symptoms may include shortness of breath and loss of appetite, pain in the side or back, and cough.
After interviewing hundreds of people, I learned that it is often a life-changing event or other significant incident that triggers the first trip to the doctor.
In my experience, women seem to have a greater pain threshold, so they tend to ignore it and push on. I heard all kinds of self-diagnostics and excuses the female pleural mesothelioma patient. Yet when I ask them why they first sought medical attention, the majority of them complain of pain under the shoulder blade or mid-side backwards. Most women I have spoken tell me they do not know the shortness of breath or cough until they were diagnosed. All have stories to tell, and I listen. I listen to every word they say to me.
A woman, recently divorced, began to change his life for the better. I'll call her Iola. She said when she paid her husband defaulters, she decided it was time to shed weight. His goal was to lose 50 lbs., And she began a moderate exercise program that included aerobics and swimming. Iola was loyal to the regime and dropped 20 lbs. in six to seven weeks. She decided it was time to add weight to his training program. Iola had normal pain with weight training, but continued to move forward. The "pain" lingered for nearly two months. Then one Saturday morning, she took it upon herself to rearrange his living room furniture, and the pain was thrown to the ground.
Iola told me excruciating pain kept her pinned down for nearly 20 minutes. She said she had to crawl and scoot on his belly to reach the phone to call her son for help. When the son of Iola and his family arrived, they panicked. Afraid to move, they called the ambulance and Iola was rushed to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.
After describing the events that led to his downfall, Iola was diagnosed with a strained muscle or stretching, prescribed a muscle relaxant with a couch, and was told to follow with his primary care doctor if pain persists. Odd but true, no X-rays were taken. After 48 hours, the sharp agonizing pain faded to a dull throbbing presence.
Have Iola followed with his doctor? Not, as the holidays quickly approaching, Iola was flooded with preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas baking, charity work with his church, and shopping for Christmas gifts. Iola is pumped with ibuprofen and told her family she was fine.
Then, in late January, Iola realized that his pain was only a symptom of a problem anymore. She was constantly tired and not interested in working out. It was all she could do to walk upstairs to his room. Iola finally decided enough was enough and contacted his doctor. About four weeks later, after a battery of tests, Iola was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma the right. Iola first symptom appeared nearly seven months before she was diagnosed.
I find that a number of men I have spoken were on vacation or away when their first symptoms appear. Normally, they put off seeking medical attention until they return home or their wives forced to go to the doctor. As a member of Congress Vento, they experienced severe shortness of breath and pain in the middle back or just under the shoulder blade.
I was told by the wife that people with a cough had a morning cough for months, sometimes even years. The cough progresses to the point where the patient can not finish a sentence without coughing or clearing his throat. They assume it is allergies and take counter medications to relieve symptoms.
The problem is that mesothelioma is hidden so well for so long. Even those with a known history of exposure to asbestos and have been diagnosed as having pleural scarring or asbestosis, and have their health monitored with regular films of the chest may be mesothelioma victim even after receiving a certificate good health a few months earlier.
These men are very active in their mid-60s and recently retired. They spent their time pursuing their hobbies, such as woodworking, sailing, hunting or fishing. They are men who have worked hard all their lives, saved for retirement, and was planning to take 20 or 30 years to do what they loved.
These men and women were the builders of America.
