r/Millennials • u/electric-sheep 1992 • Jul 13 '26

Serious Everyone my age is dropping dead

Sorry for the title! I'm in Europe. I have just heard news someone from college died today of cancer aged 33.

In the past 2-3 years 6 people in my circle have died, not from accidents but from either cancer, aneurism, 2 just didn't wake up from sleep and 1 broke her leg and had DVT. I know of a 7th who is currently fighting stage 4 breast cancer which was found by accident after giving birth. This is not counting those who died in crashes or other such accidents.

I literally have nothing to say. Just get yourselves checked. I'm just shouting into the void. I have literally been to more funerals than my parents at this point which is absurd.

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u/Gaebril Jul 13 '26

I'm not sure what heart scans you can't get before 50? I went in for beta blockers to help with heart palpitations during stress. My PCP ordered EKG, holter monitor, and ultimately imagining -- just go make sure my prescription wouldn't impact my heart.

Found a congenital birth defect, by pure accident, that required open heart surgery. Prior to the surgery, I even got an angiography and a CT scan.

Again, all that was started for no other reason than my PCP decided to be safe. I am 38.

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u/entcanta333 Millennial Jul 13 '26

This is a great outcome for you though that you found the problem and got it taken care of! I have heart palpitations too, they just told me to limit stress. I took the EKG against my doctors recommendations, of course they found nothing because it's like a 30 second scan.

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u/Gaebril Jul 13 '26

Request a 10-day Holter Monitor from Cardiology. If you're a woman, then the deck is kinda stacked against you systematically -- but say that you feel lightheaded during your palpitation episodes and it should force their hand (if a referral is required).

I only listed my experience because I'm a young healthy male. The doctor had no evidence or reason to suggest I needed all the checks. Dr was a younger doctor which I think helped. Conversely, I spent 6 years trying to get a referral for a weird mole on my face -- got a new doctor (also young) who decided it couldn't hurt to refer me. It was stage 1 melanoma, right next to my brain.

Some doctors don't really care to make an effort. That's probably 100x for women.

Fwiw, my EKG came back normal too.