Wasn't going to look at breast cancer survival rates. Have been reading only about my disease and stats on recurrence to try and make some decisions. But, I found myself looking up survival rates and grabbing the xanax. And its not like breast cancer survival rates are dismal, but it seems any percentage that isn't 100% has your stomach clenching.
So here is what I have learned from over studying survival rates. Cancer survival rates are stated as a 5 year survival percentage. Well fuck. Who cares about living another 5 years? You can find long term survival rates of 15 to 20 years but, here's the deal. Long term rates mean the people reflected had treatment that was around 15 to 20 years ago so that's not good reflection on what the current day survival rate is thus the 5 year. And the bottom line is that survival rates are a score card for the medical profession but, really mean nothing to the person with cancer. How? how? well, here's how, they got to keep track of deaths because how is the medical profession going to know if the treatments they are doing are helping or not? by how many people live and how many die. But, that really has nothing to do with the individual and what is going to happen to them. Plus with a lot of stats you will see a disclaimer that says, these percentage do not take into account people that died from natural causes or accidental deaths. Sometimes that means they didn't count those people other times well, they tried not to but some might have slipped in.
So here is my conclusion from reading all these rates and how they apply to me... my survival rate is this... I'm either 100% alive or 100% dead. I think these rates can be applied to anyone and are reflective of what is true.
From watching many people including myself struggle with big things, I have concluded that worrying over something five years out is unproductive. Also, thinking we have control over any life or death thing is delusional. I think the best I can do is find a way to feel grateful about today. Not trying to preach, just agreeing that we are all floating corks.
ReplyDeleteMelanie
Yea, it really is crazy. Its why I just stopped looking. Its a score card for the medical profession. How else are they going to be able to tell if they are doing better or worse than take a head count. But, to try and apply that to the individual really doesn't make any sense.
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