Bubonic Plague or Cancer?

Phyllis Johnson Been Through It Inflammatory Breast Cancer Survivor Phyllis Johnson grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Parents of... Send Message Subscribe: Phyllis Johnson

Saturday, November 15, 2008
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I'm hoping it's bubonic plague," I told my oncologist. She looked startled and poked on my swollen lymph nodes. Then she smiled and said, "That would be neat. I've never treated plague before, and it responds well to antibiotics. Have you traveled in the Southwest recently?" It's ...

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Valuable information, Phyllis
PJ Hamel
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 03:06 PM

Thanks so much for this post, Phyllis. As your "co-expert," I often feel I'm wallkng a dangerous tightrope answering questions on this site. Like you, I understand it's not always easy to get in to see a doctor, for whatever reason: long waits, distance to travel, no insurance, job inflexibility. Yet, how could we in good consicence NOT recommend that someone with an "iffy" symptom not get it checked out? As you say, we're not doctors; we don't know any more about the questioner's case than what she tells us. Yet we try our best to provide solid information, based on our own experience and the reading/studying we've done in the years since we've been dealing with cancer. We'll always err on the side of "see a doctor," for sure. Because—for sure—that's the ONLY way to ascertain whether you're dealing with cancer, or with something much less serious.

Thanks again for bringing this up. GREAT post. - PJH

re: Valuable information, Phyllis
Phyllis Johnson
Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 08:01 AM

I don't worry about someone waiting a week to see a doctor for cancer symptoms because even with an aggressive cancer, waiting that long is unlikely to have an effect on the ultimate outcome. What scares me is the possibility that something I write might encourage someone with an infection to wait to see a doctor. While most infections are much easier and quicker to treat than cancer, some of them can also kill you much more quickly if not caught immediately. We are in a partnership with our readers that requires accurate information and common sense from both sides. I also rely on you and others on this website to to chime in when you see another way to interpret symptoms.