The Importance of Continuing Cancer Screenings During COVID
I know firsthand how important it is to get cancer screenings and to not put something off when it does not feel right. Cancer screenings are the best methods for detecting cancer before it starts or at its earliest stages when it’s easiest to treat.
I am a 9-year cancer thriver! In 2011, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. A year after being told by another doctor that the lump that I felt in my neck was probably just a pulled muscle. Just think, had I been diagnosed a year earlier, 6 months of chemotherapy may not have been necessary. Maybe I would have been diagnosed at stage 1.
After that experience, I put my fears aside and get ALL my screenings done in a timely fashion and if something doesn’t feel right, I keep going and asking until I get satisfactory answers and care!
More than a third of American adults have skipped scheduled cancer screenings during the pandemic, a survey by the Prevent Cancer Foundation found. And weekly diagnoses fell by nearly 50% for the top six types of cancer during the early months of COVID, a recent study in JAMA Network Open found. Another editorial, authored by the National Cancer Institute, warned that drops in screening for breast and colorectal cancer alone may lead to as many as 10,000 additional deaths in the coming decade.1
See the video below, which explains why you should NOT put off critical cancer screenings.
Many hospitals and clinics are taking precautionary measures to ensure patient safety. Such as, requiring all patients, visitors, and hospital staff to wear masks and increasing physical distancing and rigorous disinfecting protocols throughout its facilities.
I know we are living in uncertain times and it seems like COVID is not going to go away anytime soon, it is still very important to take care of yourself and other areas of your health. In many cases, the benefits of getting your cancer screenings outweigh the risks. Especially, in locations with lower rates of the virus.
If you have been putting your cancer screenings off, I would like to encourage you to make the necessary appointments and take care of you! 💜
SEE ALSO: WINK News Article: https://www.winknews.com/2020/09/01/doctors-warn-not-to-skip-breast-cancer-screenings-amid-coronavirus-concerns/
If you have received a cancer diagnosis and you would like personalized support, please schedule a FREE 1-on-1 call. I am happy to support you! Please don’t face cancer alone! https://www.ontheotherside.life/talkwithtalaya
Blessings!
Talaya Dendy
The Cancer Doula
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References
Cover Image Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash