Medical Question.. What would you think?

Question

My father refuses to go to a doctor and won't even discuss it with us. These are his symptoms...

Large Amount of Weight Loss (without trying)
Cough
Flu like symptoms that haven't gone away from months
fatuiged
Both parents died of cancer

I think that it's lung cancer, obviously I can't say for sure since he hasn't gone to a doctor. Just curious if anyboy thinks that this sounds like something familiar to them. It's very hard because he won't even open up to us about it. He hasn't seen a doctor in over 12 years.

oops.. I hate when I leave things out!!

He is 64, and is smoker. Has been since he was a teen.

I've heard that even if I take him to the doctor, he can refuse treatment? He's not stupid. He would know what we were up to if we tried to trick him. ;(

Answer 1

There is certainly something wrong, but it could be dozens of things. There's no reason to assume its lung cancer, but it could be, since the symptoms fit with lung cancer and a variety of other cancer types. Two people I know had these symptoms and were diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. My mon had these symptoms when she had viral pneumonia. As you say, there's no way to tell without going to a doc. The only thing that is certain about these symptoms is that they could indicate any one of several serious health problems.

Stubborn parents are probably worse to deal with than stubborn kids. I hope you can work something out with your father. You may just have to accept that your father would rather die than go to a doctor, but you can try to convince him that he is going to end up at the doctor's either way. If he goes now, he arrives at the doctor with the best chance of recovering. If he waits, and the conditions does not go away, he will still end up at the doctor's, but he will be more likely to be hospitalized and have a lower chance of recovery. So a person who wants to avoid doctor's as much as possible would be better off seeing a doctor sooner than later.

Answer 2

Large weight loss, chronic fatigue and lingering symptoms -- any of those would be enough to send me to a doctor. That there is a history of cancer in his family doesn't help.
Your Dad may be afraid of hearing bad news. But the longer he waits, the worse the news could be. It might not be cancer. For example, it could be something like Lyme disease (the tick-borne illness which can also cause fatigue and flu-like symptoms) which can be treated, but, if left, can cause all sorts of serious and sometimes life-threatening problems.
You don't say whether he smokes or not (although non-smokers can and do get lung cancer too; look at Chris Reeves' wife Dana, a non-smoker who recently died from lung cancer).
In any case, he needs to see a doctor. But how do you get him there?
Can you enlist your mother, siblings, other family members or people he'll listen to and confront him "intervention" style? Stress that you really love him and it's out of that concern that you all urge him to see a medical professional.
I hope you can get him to get checked out.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Sweetie, it is most evident that your father needs to see a doctor now. I know it sounds stupid, but your father is most likely afraid to go to the doctor because of what he thinks the doctor will tell him. Silly huh. But he has lost both parents to cancer if I understood you correctly. By not going to the doctor he is hiding from what he feels is inevitable and no news is good news. If he doesn't hear about it , it doesn't exist. Tell him how much you love him and how selfish it is for him to put this extra strain on your relationship. If the worst comes to pass, in knowing the relationships between him and others can become sweeter instead of bitter because he wouldn't take care of himself.

Answer 4

Just the fact that he has lost weight without trying indicates that something is wrong. It could be just about anything and only a professional is going to be able to tell what it is.
I hate to say, but I think you already know this, but he is in big trouble by not seeing a doctor and it's only a matter of ..................
I can't help you and you aren't going to be able to help him if he doesn't want help. I would say he has a death wish. I can only say that I feel sorry for you - maybe prayer will help since he has made it clear that he doesn't want any other help.

Answer 5

This totally sounds like the beginning stages of emphysema. You should take him to the doctor soon, b/c if it is caught earlier, he will be able to alleviate some of the symptoms and still live a productive life. Good Luck!!

Answer 6

Could be any number of things, including cancer.
You're right to try to get him to a doctor. Caught early, many lung cancers are curable. Caught late, they're not. Tell him that lung cancer is NOT a painless way of dying.

Having said that, all you can do is try. He's an adult and has to make his own decisions. If he chooses a way that will hasten his death, that's his decision. That doesn't make it easier on you.

Good luck.

Answer 7

properly on the choice of anybody that has responded your question I gotta say the scientific gadget labored in our case.My mom grow to be clinically determined with breast maximum cancers some months in the past and went to the typical public hospital for scientific care.We have been all very pleased with the outcomes and the scientific care she has recieved.anybody grow to be very friendly,all have been truly prepared to help her,to let us know.every time we get lower back there for a examine up(she has been of the remedies for sort of 0.5 a twelve months now) anybody is often truly friendly,asking her how each thing is going etc.beneficial the waiting lines are each now and then long and definite,we additionally paid the commonplace fakelaki for the operation yet that grow to be in simple terms simply by fact my father wanted the supervisor of surgical operation to accomplish the operation on my mom(if he hadn't persevered on that guy on my own and yet another,much less experienced scientific expert had accomplished it we would not have had to pay something).She grow to be additionally very pleased with the scientific care she have been given some years lower back while she mandatory surgical operation for yet another subject,diverse beneficial memories from my mom.i do no longer understand if our case is the exception of the rule,i understand nonetheless that we've the suited medical doctors in Europe perhaps,ok the centers are not consistently the suited,yet I do think of those anybody is making an attempt and doing the suited they are able to under the circumstances they could desire to paintings in.and you do no longer decide directly to hearken to appropriate to the horror memories i've got heard appropriate to the medical doctors in my different united states(Netherlands).My mom who's dutch says that she would have the capacity to by no skill go lower back to Holland for scientific scientific care no be counted what's incorrect together with her and that she might want every physique of her kinfolk being dealt with here fairly of everywhere else...

Answer 8

It sounds like he needs to go to the drs. soon. Just ask him if he would want you to be stubborn and not go to the doctors if you were sick. He's probably really scared too, and of course, he wouldnt ever admit it to his kids. Does he have any friends that might be able to help out?? Sometimes it takes just one special person to make them see that they need to go. Good Luck with this and I hope that its not anything too serious.

Answer 9

it might be and might be not, unless a professional medical doctor examines him no one can say anything. but there is sure something wrong , you can seek more professional information from health centers on line ,one example is the health information center http://google.com/coop/cse?cx=007185308018807068018%3Ax2z07lqx3mg where you can search the trusted health websites at one place. and you should try your best to convince him to visit a doctor. maybe his friends can help on that issue.

Answer 10

just make a appointment for him and take him out thinking he is going somewhere else. and tell him you have to stop at the doctor and to come in with you. sign him in and let him fill out the paperwork. by that time he'll be pissed but i doubt if he walk out since he is already there.