Posts Tagged ‘Feeding Tube’
Esophageal cancer is common amongst alcoholics and smokers
I recently heard that an uncle of mine has been suffering from esophageal cancer for about a year and a half. My first reaction was, I’m amazed he has even survived that long. My second reaction was, yet another one in the family with cancer. Finally, it must have been his drinking. I do not recall this uncle smoking or drinking when I was younger, and it was very probable that he didn’t or he managed to hide it well. However, as he got older and underwent a midlife crisis, he became a heavy smoker and especially, drinker. He always appeared at functions drunk or extremely red-faced. That included my wedding and my mother’s funeral.
Alcohol-related illnesses are extremely costly. Similarly, smoking-related illnesses are a huge burden to the medical system. The combination, therefore, is enormous. But, though esophageal cancer is not rare, it does not get the same attention as other alcohol and smoking-related illnesses, namely, cirrhosis and lung cancer, respectively. But cancers of the stomach and esophagus are very common amongst smokers and drinkers. That is because the toxins from cigarettes and alcohol come in direct contact with the lining in the esophagus and stomach, causing damage.
My uncle has undergone surgery to remove the tumour. It is possible that he has managed to survive because all the tumour has been removed. He had had a feeding tube prior to the surgery and it was removed right after. Yet, he still has difficulty swallowing and eats very little. Consequently, he is very weak; though reports are that he is improving somewhat. His immediate family are frustrated because they feel he is not putting in much effort to eat and walk. Yet, it must be remembered that cancer weakens a person, and tumours have been shown to produce a chemical that causes depression.
Surgery is one option for esophageal and stomach cancers. However, sometimes the tumours are too extensive to be entirely removed. As a result, sometimes radiation is offered. Yet, radiation has its own risks, especially scarring and the possibility of radiation-induced tumours. Which ever course is taken, feeding tubes will often be necessary to provide adequate nutrition. With increasing ethical problems regarding feeding tubes, decisions to have the tubes placed and/or removed need to be made early on.
Having been physically and emotionally separated from my family for many years now, I do not have the inside scoop on my uncle’s condition. However, I have been able to make contact with several family members recently and I’m sure they’ll keep me updated. Unfortunately, as with many other cancers, the survival rate is low for esophageal cancer, so I can only look forward to hearing more bad news.
Have advances in medicine caused people to become complacent?
We always greet advances in medicine with enthusiasm. We hope and pray for new treatments for serious health problems. We are grateful for technology that saves lives. Yet, there is a downside to all this technology.
We have extended lives and in doing so, we have created new problems, new illnesses. Take Alzheimer’s, for example. When people started living longer, we began to see a rise in what was initially thought to be senility. Now we have multiple diagnoses for dementia, one of which is Alzheimer’s. We have machines to keep people alive. Now we’ve run into ethical issues regarding end-of-life and right-to-die. When is it permissible or ethical to turn off the ventilator or remove the feeding tube? But another serious issue is that people start thinking that they can ignore serious health consequences because there are means of overcoming them.
I read an article about an HIV/AIDS survivor who expressed his concerns that young people are taking chances with their lives because they are no longer scared of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Had they witnessed first hand all the horrific side effects of HIV, they would not be so complacent. As it is, HIV treatment has allowed many survivors to live normal lives. Of course, this only applies to those who are being treated. But it is rare for young people in developed countries to see the consequences of AIDS. Perhaps, they need to visit Africa and see the devastation there.
Now, I’m not saying that medical advances are bad. They’re not. It’s great that we can conquer illnesses, but the fight is never won. The battle is never over. There will always be obstacles. Unfortunately, we shouldn’t have to keep fighting so many battles. If people could take responsibility for their actions, we might prevent disease, rather than have to tackle them afterwards. HIV/AIDS is still a major issue, but it does not attract attention as it did in the 1980s. People have forgotten how scary it was when we first heard about it. Young people today were not around to experience it. So, they ignore it. If they were to receive the diagnosis now, they probably would shrug it off and ask for the treatment. Their complacency means that they might not be compliant with the treatments.
Yet, I wonder if behaviour would change if young people knew first-hand about the seriousness of sexually-transmitted diseases. Would there be the same rate of unprotected sex and teenage pregnancies? Would there be any changes in attitude towards sexual activity? Is it really the advances in medicine that have produced this complacency or is it a generational attitude?
