If only we had known about mesothelioma a while ago, we might have been able to do more to save my Uncle Ronnie. It is a deadly disease that is awful to endure.
My Uncle was a very proud man who worked very hard all of his life, to provide for his family. He owned and operated a construction/demolition business in New York, and hardly ever missed a day's work. Little did we know then about the dangers of Asbestos exposure. Back in the 60's and 70's no one was aware of the dangers of Asbestos exposure and that it is linked to Mesothelioma, a very destructive form of cancer.
Continued and daily exposure over the years allowed the asbestos fibers to either be inhaled or ingested by my Uncle Ronnie every time he was working in a contaminated area. Only he wasn't aware of the dangers of asbestos then. Only when he was given the dreaded mesothelioma prognosis, did he realize that all those years ago while working at the company, every single day, that he was exposed to the asbestos fibers with every single building they tore down, or every wall they replaced, or the blown in insulation that the company did. It was really heartbreaking for him when he realized that his livelihood was now taking his life away.
Now, there are 3 types of Mesothelioma with each affecting a different part of the upper body.
1. Pleural Mesothelioma - Lungs
2. Peritoneal Mesothelioma - Abdomen
3. Pericardial Mesothelioma - Heart
The most common form of mesothelioma is the first one that affects the lungs after breathing in the asbestos, but the other kinds are also just as bad. The way the asbestos travels in the body is unreal. Treatment for these diagnoses is usually grim. Once diagnosed you are usually given less than a year to live, because it takes years for the symptoms to show up, and get diagnosed correctly, sometimes decades later, so by then the cancer is in the advanced stages, just as it was with my Uncle. The most common way to get a correct diagnosis is with an MRI, CT Scan or a PET Scan, or perhaps all three. From there your physician will decide what treatment (if any) will be best for you. Sometimes surgery can help, or chemotherapy or radiation, and sometimes medication might help.
Did you know that the manufacturers of the Asbestos knew about its dangers long before they ever revealed it to the public? Thousands of workers and people were exposed to this unnessesarily!
There is a great book written by Paul Kraus, called "Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide" and for a limited time, Mr. Kraus is giving away free copies. Please head over to www.survivingmesothelioma.com to get your free copy while they last. It may help with the pain you are suffering, or help you with the path that you are on.
God Bless,
Take Care,
Kat
One of my high school friends husbands died of the disease as well so I know the evils however this is a great post and thanks for doing it so those unsuspecting may have more information to know what to expect if a member in their family is affected.
Blessings,
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
Dorothy,
I agree, the word really does need to get out there. So many people may have this from being exposed and don't even know it....
That is the hard part...when you have symptoms and find out, it is usually too late!
Take care,
Kat :)
Oh, I'm so sorry for your uncle. Yeah, mesothelioma is just terrible. The more people know about the dangers of asbestos, the better. Actually, I have recently written an article about the topic, which mentions mesothelioma. Too bad it's just starting to become well-known.
Best regards, Julie