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British stiff upper lip


Sprogster
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Interesting report showing that UK's poorer cancer survival rate compared to some other countries could be due to a British culture of 'stiff upper lip' and reluctance to go to a doctor until it can be too late, rather than the standard of health care.

By comparison we all know the French are a nation of hypochondriacs and visit the doctor with the slightest hint of a sniffle!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21242871


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There was a very interesting interview with a colon cancer expert on R4 today; he said that English people were shy about mentioning ''bums, blood, poo and bowels'' and need to get used to saying them and were very concerned not to waste a doctor's time. The colon cancer tests which people over 60 were offered had a good take-up, partly, he thought, because it was a case of marking bits of cardboard and didn't involve a face to face meeting.

It was also interesting that outcomes in Denmark were similar to those in UK, despite the Danes not being concerned about visiting a doctor and telling him/her about their symptoms.

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Two people, very dear to me, have died from colorectal cancer. In both cases, it was not their reluctance to discuss embarrassing symptoms which was the cause of their demise, but the arrogance and complacency of some general practitioners who chose to dismiss them with trivial diagnoses. I think that in both of these cases my loved ones were unfortunate and that, perhaps, consultations with others working in the same practices may have had different outcomes. In one case, repeated consultations about worries with bowel habits generated little more than "irritable bowel syndrome". At no time was any suggestion that appropriate investigations which would rule out more serious problems even considered.

The problem - from my viewpoint - is not that patients are concerned with wasting the doctor's time, but that many doctors, with their grossly inflated incomes, have an equally inflated view of their own importance and the value of their time.

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I also suffered from a first specialist who didn't read the results of my lab analysis till  a year later, despite saying I would be called if there was anything to worry about.

I soon moved on from him, but I don't think I would have needed as big an operation as I actually had if he hadn't wasted that time.

If anyone has symptoms or a family history of this disease, do not be afraid to be tested, and chase your results up!.

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Our family has been luckier than your two examples, both in England.

One member of the family was rushed in to hospital as an emergency and was operated on two days later; very successful surgery, followed by 6 months of chemotherapy, and she's now a happy, active 78 year old. The other was picked up via the colon cancer screening system sent out to all those aged 60+ (which the first member of the family had had about a year before her emergency admittance to hospital), every 2 years. For those who don't know it, you put 2 samples on each of 3 sections of card and post it off. He had 3 separate tests as they found suspect samples in 2/6  on the first test, so was sent another, which showed all 6 were clear, and a third was sent to be certain, and 1/6 was suspect. Apparently even a tiny amount of blood from your gums can show up on the test, as it's so sensitive. Anyway, a colonoscopy is taking place next week. 

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I know for a fact that mis diagnosis doesn't just happen in the UK.  

In 2008 in France I found a breast lump and went to the dr, had a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and was given the all clear and told to go away as it was just hormonal!

9 weeks later after seeing 5 specialists with no improvement of symptoms I was given the diagnosis of an aggressive, stage 3 cancer.

It wasn't me being embarrassed by going to the dr as I did so as soon as I found something untoward, I just suffered several incompetent specialists.

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