What is your biggest fear?

[Kimby]

I am not normally a fearful person, but lately I’ve come to realize that I’m scared spitless of getting ovarian cancer.

I have no family history of ovarian (OR breast) cancer, and I took oral contraceptives for three decades, which supposedly confers a protective after-effect.

But not having given birth ups my risk. And Ovarian Cancer is called the Silent Killer because it presents almost no symptoms - or vague complaints easily dismissed as minor maladies - until it’s WAY too late to be treated successfully. Then your choice is to die quickly, or go through horrendous chemo, losing your hair and your energy and dying anyway.

Since Christiane Amanpour has just come out (wearing a wig BTW) about her early-caught and presumably treatable ovarian cancer, I am becoming mildly obsessed about catching MY cancer early, too.

There’s a fine line between being a hypochondriac (i.e. a “difficult” patient) and being an advocate for your own well-being.

I have a doctor appointment in January and can discuss all my vague complaints with my MD then. But three months can be a costly delay if someone does have ovarian cancer.

My imagination is running wild.

[mich64]

Same fear, same reasons and most likely reading and listening to the same reporting Kimby. Ovarian symptoms are difficult to detect, it is challenging not to over react when that could possibly be your early warning.

[questa]

Never be afraid to over react or think you are panicking
unduly. As one GP told me,"I would rather have a panic merchant in my surgery who sees me weekly than a considerate calm patient whom we will never see again."

My biggest fear has been somewhat relieved by our state Parliament passing the Right to Die laws recently. I am afraid I will wind up with dementia, especially "Locked in Syndrome." However now I need only to specify certain parameters and the document gives the right to suspend all treatment, and administer a lethal dose of whatever.
Between now and then I just keep my thesaurus handy...I am losing short term memory and...umm...the other thing...you know...

[Kimby]

Yeah, I’ll worry about my impending dementia after I get a clean bill of health on my ovaries!

[bjd]

My fears are more common and banal: snakes, heights. I don't worry about my health in general.

This morning I walked for October's annual breast cancer research. The weather was really nice, so lots of women turned up and they ran out of pink t-shirts before I got there to sign up. My daughter learned last night that a friend, aged 35, was just diagnosed with severe breast cancer, so she came and ran the 6 kilometres. The choice was running or walking.

[mossie]

I am nowadays a bit unsteady on my feet and have arthritis in my ankles which doesn't help.
My great fear is of falling down the stairs, luckily my staircase is a double flight, 7 stairs at the bottom and 6 at the top, so I wouldn't have too far to fall

[onlyMark]

Mine is being confronted by a problem I don't have an answer to, or can find out one. Meaning important ones like Kimby's where I'm powerless to do anything about it.

[lagatta]

Being demented and shut up somewhere as a thing more useless than chamber pots and dial telephones is definitely up there. To be more precise, not having assisted death directives respected...

I was going to be jocular and say one of my greatest fears is being forced to wear a pink t-shirt (I have refused to wear pink since I was a little girl). But obviously I don't want to diss people who are doing so in a sporting event, in solidarity.

[tod2]

Aah! Lagatta, don't you know pink is the new red!

My mind keeps going over and over the fact that I am soon to turn 77 and that I could with good health live as long as my mother - 93. So every little twinge of pain anywhere in my body shakes me up thinking this is it.....
I do need pain tablets several times a month when my sciatic nerve aches too much, but other than that I am so ready to hit the airport and fly to Paris !!

[whatagain]

I am fearless...
Well to be honest i did experience fear of spending my time alone on a bed linked to machines when i was in ER.
My mind was playing tricks but being assisted on dialysis for one week and hardly able to move frim the bed put the hell ofvfear in me.
Then i would wake up and realise it should not be the case.
Then night came again...

I sometimes wear pink.

[kerouac2]

Just got a glimpse of Mr. Blobby for the first time. Won't sleep tonight.

[whatagain]

Why did I google it ?