Justamom, thanx for that post.
I'm in medical research at M. D. Anderson myself (pancreatic cancer team currently) and I can NOT begin to tell you how many people of all ages let symptoms or other signs go on for weeks, months, or even YEARS before they seek out some kind of medical attention. It is rarely a matter of not having insurance, either: "I'm not going to the hospital unless I'm sick." Well, being transferred to our ER from a local hospital is the threshold of "sick" for some people.
Every day, we see patients - again of all ages - who could be cured of their disease if they had just gotten to the doctor when things "felt bad". Many of them die unnecessarily.
So, this voice from the trenches is reiterating Justamom: if you feel bad, listen to your body and your gut instincts and get it checked out. If your doctor blows it off, get another opinion.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled GC.
Adrienne