Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 50)

Savers Screen Meet three people who were glad they got diagnostic health tests Y our doctor, your mother, maybe your spouse and certainly Vim & Vigor tell you all the time-get your screenings. A health screening may make the difference between life and death. Yet, fear of bad news, busy schedules or other factor prevents some of us from getting the tests. But nonscreeners, take note: The odds of a positive result rise exponentially with regular screenings. The American Cancer Society estimates that if more Americans were properly screened, breast cancer deaths and colon cancer deaths could be greatly reduced using the most basic test, to even 90 percent with periodic colonoscopies. Heart disease mortality, too, could be reduced if more individuals submitted to testing. If you're among the screening squeamish, it's time to think differently. 1 I'm Glad I Had a ... ColonosCopy Sandy Bumgarner was firmly in her 50s. "I read somewhere that once you're over 50, you should have a colonoscopy," she says. "For whatever reason, I decided to have one." The colonoscopy revealed serious problems. Bumgarner was diagnosed with stage T4 colon cancer, which means it had progressed beyond the colon. The cancer had invaded her lymph nodes, ovaries, bladder and rectum. Fortunately, the grave diagnosis was not a death sentence. Four surgeries, plus chemotherapy and radiation, appear to have saved Bumgarner from a worse fate. That, she says, and her colonoscopy. "The screening was the key to everything," she says. "It literally saved my life." Ten years after her diagnosis, Bumgarner is considered disease-free. She says her attitude is forever changed, too. "Now I'm very attuned to what's going on with my body," she says. "I feel blessed that the doctors were able to help." 50 SU M M E R 2 014 2 I'm Glad I Had a ... Heart CatHeterIzatIon Craig Chatfield was feeling optimistic. Gastric bypass surgery two years earlier had helped the 45-year-old lose more

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Parrish Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Parrish Medical Center
Contents
Tasty Tips Chef
Opening Thoughts
Community Calendar
Hospital Specialists
I’m Allergic to That Medication ... I Think
Stress SOS
The Truth About Sunscreen
The Transformers
Get Your Head in the Game
The Journey Continues
On the Cover
The Foot Follies
Friendly Fat
Virtual Health
Life After Leaving the Hospital
Screen Savers
People to Support You in Your Fight Against Diabetes
Foundation Focus
Ask the Expert

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Parrish Medical Center