And now for the Men

Doing my morning reading today, I was immediately drawn to the headline "Cancer Gender Gap." It seems that word "Cancer" jumps out at me from all over the place these days, when in the past I may not have paid all that much attention to it.

In any case, a new study has found that 32 of the 35 types of the disease are more prevalent in men. I have to say this shocked me a bit because it seems that women's cancers seem so much more publicly discussed, probably because of the huge focus on breast cancer in particular.

The authors of this study suggest that gender differences could be explained in part by different exposures to environmental and behavioral factors such as smoking, occupation and alcohol consumption, but the majority of the gender gap probably results from key biological differences between males and females. "If we could find out what causes the male excess of cancer and somehow eliminate it, we could prevent roughly one-third of all cancer," said Dr. Ellen Chang, the study's senior author. One third!!

So men (and women who love them), you can't shirk your health responsibilities either! I implore you, too, to get your annual check ups, milestone preventative care procedures and - most of all - don't ignore changes in your body or how you feel.

2012 - The Year of the Patient

I've been healthy all of my life. Oh sure, the typical things....wisdom teeth out, a little lasik eye surgery, and the natural birth of two wonderful boys. But that's it. Until now.

Imagine my shock when during my annual physical the results of my pap test came back not just abnormal, but CANCER abnormal. I got the call from my doctor on Halloween, just as I was about to board a plane. It felt like I was playing a scene in a movie, and in some respects it still does.

Throughout November, during a flurry of tests and procedures to determine exactly what I was facing, I began to understand the health care system from the REAL inside. You see, I've spent virtually my entire career working in health care. I know the good, the bad and the ugly. And while I always prided myself on having a "patient perspective," now I've got the real thing, first hand.

It is my hope that through this blog I can do a couple of things. First, chronicle my journey as therapy and to speed my journey to 100 percent recovery. Second, to give voice to the patient, who in this country still very much lacks the information, tools and control they so deserve to make the right choices for themselves and their families. And finally, to challenge to every reader to take control. Take control of your health, your body, your choices and your decisions. There's really nothing more important.