When the doctor diagnoses you with mesothelioma, you might not believe them when they say there is no cure.
First, you want to make sure you have your definitions correct. A cure means the cancer is gone, and you don’t need to worry about it again. That’s what the doctor means – there is no way of getting rid of mesothelioma for good. Remission means that the doctors have the disease under control or that it’s responding to treatment. They generally can’t do that for mesothelioma, either.
If you have mesothelioma, the hard reality is that there is no cure. On average, you have between four and 18 months left to live and a one in ten chance of living another five years.
Doctors can’t cure it, but they can do something to help you
Doctors can make things more comfortable for you. When you know you have a limited time left, it would be nice to enjoy it as much as possible without too much pain. There are treatments and therapies available which could help you do that. Their success will depend on your unique situation.
You also need to remember that an “average” doesn’t necessarily apply to you
There are exceptions to every average. Some mesothelioma sufferers have lived for ten years after diagnosis. Remember, one person dying within a month of diagnosis (perhaps because they put off seeing the doctor because they feared the worst) hauls the average survival rate down.
Getting therapy and treatment will cost money, so it’s crucial to learn more about the compensation options available if you contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.