WARNING SIGNS THAT THE BODY SENDS WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG.

This article has been shared in support of Macmillan, one of the biggest charities that helps and supports patients suffering from cancer in the United Kingdom.

WARNING SIGNS

1. PAIN

Pain is without a doubt, one of the biggest warning signs that our body sends to indicate that something is wrong.

2. DYSPNOEA OR DIFFICULTY BREATHING

Another sign that we cannot ignore is having a breathing difficulty, especially if it deteriorates.

3. SWEATING

Extreme sweating, the same that menopausal women experience but without any ambient heat to account for it, is also a warning sign. This type of sweating stands out especially if it occurs during the night and soaks our clothes.

4. COUGH

A cough that is either dry, phlegmy stained with blood or is the same type of cough that smokers have every morning, which deteriorates and lasts for a period of three weeks, needs to be examined by a doctor as quickly as possible.

5. DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING

Another warning sign is having difficulty swallowing or feeling as though there is something stuck in your throat.

6. FAECES

Two important warning signs that our body emits are bloody stools or stools as black as tar.

We should also take into account any changes to our bowel habits, especially if we have gone from experiencing constipation to diarrhoea or vice versa.

 7. ABDOMINAL INFLAMMATION

Constantly feeling that the abdomen is inflamed.

8. ACID REFLUX

Intense acid refluxes especially if the pain worsens regardless of the food that is consumed.

9. URINE

Urine stained with blood or with both pain and blood has to be consulted as quickly as possible, especially if the patient is a man.

10. CHANGE IN MOLES

If your moles change either in size or colour or bleed, are itchy or painful.

11. HOARSE THROAT

You should consult a doctor if you experience a hoarse throat for more than three weeks.

12. ORAL ULCERS

Oral or lingual ulcers, painful or not, that have evolved over a period of weeks, should be examined.

13. LUMPS OR TUMOURS

Lumps and tumours should be urgently examined, regardless of where they appear; these include those that appear above the collarbone, neck, armpits, groin, etc.

14. BLEEDING POST MENOPAUSE

Bleeding after having sexual intercourse or spontaneous bleeding in menopausal women needs to be medically examined urgently.

15. BLOODY VOMITING

A medical consultation is urgently needed if blood is found in vomit.

16. RAPID WEIGHTLOSS, LOSS OF APPETITE OR EXTREME TIREDNESS.

Cancer blood test / Análisis de sangre para detectar el cáncer.

Una sola gota de sangre ya puede detectar la mayoría de tipos de cáncer.
Este nuevo análisis puede detectar los primeros indicios de cáncer con una precisión del 71 al 96%.
Consiste en extraer las plaquetas de la sangre y examinarlas.
Las plaquetas son componentes de la sangre en forma de discos que ayudan a la coagulación de la sangre. Estas también juegan un papel en el crecimiento y evolución de los tumores. 
Las plaquetas de los pacientes que tienen cáncer contienen marcajes únicos de RNA. 
Los marcajes de RNA contienen las instrucciones del ADN de diferentes tumores. 
Pueden ser utilizados para detectar la presencia de cáncer y hasta pueden identificar el tipo de cáncer del que sufre el paciente.                                                                                   
Los científicos están perfeccionando el análisis para mejorar su precisión.

Nuevas technologias para diagnosticar el cancer

Nuevas tecnologías en color para la detención de tumores cancerosos para su fácil eliminación.

 

Is there more than Tobacco to Lung Cancer?

A Tribute to my Parents

My parents always took pride in the fact that they never suffered a cold, that the flu vaccine that they had every year was enough for them to go through the winter without needing to know what a tissue was… My mother was 78 years old, when the cold that wasn’t expected appeared one day, a cough with phlegm that didn’t appear to go away, that was her only symptom, but after taking mucolytics for three weeks and not getting better, she decided to pay a visit to a Specialist that she trusted, who after obtaining an X Ray of her thorax found the fateful patch. Diagnostic…Lung Cancer… Adenocarcinoma, one of the most common types found in non-smokers, however it can also be found in smokers or people with scars due to pneumonias or tuberculosis that have happened in the past… she died three years after that diagnostic.

My father was 83 years old… He had been feeling dizzy for a while when he woke up and went to bed, that timed with a watch lasted 16 seconds, he consulted it with his General Practitioner who prescribed him a number of drips for his circulation as well as 

an X-Ray of his vertebrae… they came back normal, however the fateful patch appeared on his lung, Diagnostic… Lung Cancer, the Microcytic type that is common in smokers… He died a year and a half after the diagnostic. My mother never smoked, but she had had Tuberculosis when she was younger… My father smoked from the age of 15 until he was 40 years old... It had been 43 years since he had stopped.

Lung cancer is the type of cancer that kills the greatest number of people worldwide. It is most commonly found in 90% smokers whilst the remaining 10% is due to the inhalation of gases, mainly Radon that I will be talking about at the end of this article.

The symptoms will always depend on the section of the lung that is found in:

• Cough with phlegm or phlegm that doesn’t seem to go away.
• Saliva with blood coming from the lungs, not from gums.
• Dyspnoea or fatigue.
• Dysphonia or alteration of the voice.
• Drooping of the eyelid or Palpebral Ptosis.

The diagnostic is completed with an X-Ray, but tumours only appear when they have reached a size that would be too late for its treatment… A CT scan would be ideal because it would find tumours that would easy to eradicate, especially the CT scan with low radiation.

The treatments, depending on their stages, would be:

• Surgery.
• Chemotherapy.
• Radiotherapy.
• In the near future, Immunotherapy.

When it comes to prevention, apart from smokers stopping smoking and not be present in places where people smoke, Radon will be highlighted at the end of this article, as it is something that is rarely spoken of about as often.

Radon is a gas that is emitted after Uranium or Thorium is disintegrated, which are present in rocks or land that is rich in Granite. This gas lacks a smell or a flavour and damages lung cells after is being inhaled making it the second cause of lung cancer. This gas is present in such a high number of houses, that a map has been created of locations both in the EU and United Kingdom where it can be located.

It can be found in the UK Maps of Radon for the UK and can be also found in Spain. This gas can be detected with simple devices that are sold in hardware stores and that way measures can be taken to eliminate it or reduce it.

Lastly, I wish my parents a peaceful rest; this is only a ‘see you tomorrow’ and a big hug, a very big hug until eternity.

Dr. J. Hurtado Martínez

Medical Director of HealthSalus

¿Hay Algo Más Que el Tabaco en el Cáncer de Pulmón?

En Homenaje a mis Padres

Mis padres siempre presumían que jamás se resfriaban, que con su vacuna de la gripe de todos los años, pasaban el invierno sin saber que era un pañuelo... Mi madre tenia 78 años, cuando un día apareció ese resfriado no esperado, tos con flema que no cesaba, era su único síntoma, pero después de tomar mucolíticos durante tres semanas y no mejorar, decidió visitar a su especialista de confianza, que tras una radiografía de tórax descubrió la fatídica mancha.... Diagnóstico....Cáncer de pulmón, tipo adenocarcinoma, uno de los más habituales en no fumadores, aunque se da también en fumadores o personas con cicatrices debidas a pasadas neumonías o tuberculosis.... Murió a los tres años del diagnóstico. 

Mi padre tenia 83 años.... Desde hacia un tiempo sentía al levantarse y al acostarse un leve mareo, que contado con reloj le duraba 16 segundos, lo consultó con su doctora y ésta además de mandarle unas gotas para la circulación, le mandó realizar una radiografía de cervicales.... estas estaban normales, pero en el pulmón apareció la fatídica mancha.... Diagnóstico... Cáncer de pulmón, tipo microcítico, el más frecuente en fumadores....Murió al año y medio del diagnóstico. Mi madre nunca fumó, pero había sufrido tuberculosis de joven.....Mi padre fumó desde los 15 hasta los 40 años... Hacía 43 años que lo había dejado.

El diagnóstico, se realiza con RX, pero aquí sólo aparecen tumores cuando ya han alcanzado un tamaño, que sería tardío para su curación......El TAC o Scanner sería el adecuado, porque encontraría tumores fáciles de erradicar, sobre todo el TAC de baja radiación.

Los tratamientos, según las etapas serian:

• Cirugía.
• Quimioterapia.
• Radioterapia.
• En el futuro próximo, la Inmunoterapia. 

El cáncer de pulmón es el cáncer que mundialmente mata a más personas. Se da, fundamentalmente en fumadores aproximadamente en un 90%, mientras el otro 10% es debido a la inhalación de gases fundamentalmente del Radón que hablaré al final.

Los síntomas, siempre dependerán en que parte del pulmón esté localizado:

• Tos con flema o sin flema que no cesa.

• Saliva con sangre de origen pulmonar, no de las encías.

• Disnea o fatiga.

• Disfonía o alteración de la voz.

• Caída del párpado o Ptosis.

En la prevención, además de dejar de fumar los fumadores y no estar en ambiente de tabaco, destacaré el Radón del que poco se habla.

El Radón es un gas que surge de la desintegración del uranio o del torio, presentes en las rocas o terrenos ricos en granito. Este gas, no tiene ni olor ni sabor y al ser inhalado daña las células pulmonares, siendo la segunda causa de cáncer de pulmón.... Este gas está en tal número de casas, que en EU cómo en Reino Unido se ha hecho un mapa dónde pueden verse las localizaciones dónde está... En UK lo pueden encontrar en UK Maps of Radon.... En España también puede encontrarse.....Este gas, se puede detectar con simples aparatos vendidos en ferreterías y así poder tomar medidas para eliminarlo o disminuirlo.

Sólo para acabar, desear a mis padres que descansen, que sólo es un hasta mañana y un abrazo fuerte, muy fuerte hasta la eternidad.

Dra. J. Hurtado Martínez

Directora Médica de HealthSalus