Ignoring your inner voice can cost you your life. At the very least, it can set you up to face a battle that you might have been able to avoid.
We are talking about your health and wellness here. Your instincts should always be trusted. I have two examples of women who knew something was going on in their bodies. One is still here and the other, tragically is not.
My friend Dena was a smart woman. College educated, master gardener, freelance writer and just a really giving, loving soul. We met through a site called eHow and became fast friends. We corresponded daily (several times a day) and spoke on the phone but never met in person.
Dena's story is tragic. She had been going through some stressful times and knew something was wrong. She tried everything to fight back against her symptoms that one doctor called "depression" and "arthritis". Dena was a fighter. Unfortunately, her doctor misdiagnosed what was really going on in Dena's body. She had cervical cancer and it had spread.
It was a complete and total shock to me (and everyone who knew her) when she finally received the news. By this time, she had lost a drastic amount of weight and was in extreme pain. Her loving husband Rick had taken her to the hospital and that is where she received her diagnosis. There was nothing the hospital could do but make her comfortable. She died 9 days later.
When Dena told me the news, I frantically searched for clues that we missed. I read through all the months of emails, thinking that maybe somehow I should have known it was more serious. I am not a doctor but I felt like "why didn't either one of us see that she was dying?".
Dena's story is a lesson for us all. Take control of your health. She did, up to a point, but she probably was behind in routine screenings that should have caught her cervical cancer. I know she had had a mammogram because I had a breast cancer scare and we talked about the importance of going for this routine test.
The other woman whose story I want to share is Alaina Giordano . Right now, Alaina is trying to overturn a judge's insane ruling that gave her soon-to-be ex-husband custody of their two children because Alaina has stage 4 breast cancer. There is more to Alaina's story than just this custody dispute.
Alaina Giordano has stage 4 breast cancer because she also was misdiagnosed. She KNEW something was wrong and had been to several doctors. She was told she had fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and it wasn't until a lump was visible that she finally was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 years old.
Alaina told me "you need to listen to your instincts". She did listen. She went to several doctors and fought but it was advanced by the time she got her diagnosis. She is currently in good health for someone whose breast cancer is in her bones and is able to function getting monthly cancer treatments.
It shouldn't be this way! Doctors need to come off of their pedestals and realize that although they have the schooling, a patient knows when something is not right.
Women (and men) need to get in touch with their inner voice and learn how to listen to it. Your body sends you signals; sometimes they are whispers but if you are not listening, by the time your body is screaming it could be too late!
We are talking about your health and wellness here. Your instincts should always be trusted. I have two examples of women who knew something was going on in their bodies. One is still here and the other, tragically is not.
My friend Dena was a smart woman. College educated, master gardener, freelance writer and just a really giving, loving soul. We met through a site called eHow and became fast friends. We corresponded daily (several times a day) and spoke on the phone but never met in person.
Dena's story is tragic. She had been going through some stressful times and knew something was wrong. She tried everything to fight back against her symptoms that one doctor called "depression" and "arthritis". Dena was a fighter. Unfortunately, her doctor misdiagnosed what was really going on in Dena's body. She had cervical cancer and it had spread.
It was a complete and total shock to me (and everyone who knew her) when she finally received the news. By this time, she had lost a drastic amount of weight and was in extreme pain. Her loving husband Rick had taken her to the hospital and that is where she received her diagnosis. There was nothing the hospital could do but make her comfortable. She died 9 days later.
When Dena told me the news, I frantically searched for clues that we missed. I read through all the months of emails, thinking that maybe somehow I should have known it was more serious. I am not a doctor but I felt like "why didn't either one of us see that she was dying?".
Dena's story is a lesson for us all. Take control of your health. She did, up to a point, but she probably was behind in routine screenings that should have caught her cervical cancer. I know she had had a mammogram because I had a breast cancer scare and we talked about the importance of going for this routine test.
The other woman whose story I want to share is Alaina Giordano . Right now, Alaina is trying to overturn a judge's insane ruling that gave her soon-to-be ex-husband custody of their two children because Alaina has stage 4 breast cancer. There is more to Alaina's story than just this custody dispute.
Alaina Giordano has stage 4 breast cancer because she also was misdiagnosed. She KNEW something was wrong and had been to several doctors. She was told she had fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and it wasn't until a lump was visible that she finally was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 years old.
Alaina told me "you need to listen to your instincts". She did listen. She went to several doctors and fought but it was advanced by the time she got her diagnosis. She is currently in good health for someone whose breast cancer is in her bones and is able to function getting monthly cancer treatments.
It shouldn't be this way! Doctors need to come off of their pedestals and realize that although they have the schooling, a patient knows when something is not right.
Women (and men) need to get in touch with their inner voice and learn how to listen to it. Your body sends you signals; sometimes they are whispers but if you are not listening, by the time your body is screaming it could be too late!
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