While most of the events that affected downwinders occurred many decades ago, there is still a sizeable amount of people out there who suffer from the effects that this terrible tragedy caused. As a downwinder, it is essential that you prioritize your health and well-being, and that includes seeking regular medical attention, even if you don't experience any current symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can disappear for years on end, only to slowly come back when you least expect it. Here are a few reasons why it is so crucial you seek regular medical attention if you, or anyone you know, is a downwinder. 

Monitoring Your Condition

As mentioned above, you do not always present symptoms all the time as a downwinder, but that does not mean you shouldn't keep up with a regular medical schedule. Doctors and healthcare professionals who specialize in treating downwinders will monitor your case much more closely than they would a regular patient, looking for all the common signs that downwinders portray, from poor respiratory health to the early onset of different types of cancer. None of these conditions are to be taken lightly, and due to your increased risk of developing these diseases, you need to be more vigilant than the average person.

Managing Symptoms

On the other hand, you may have lived with symptoms for so long that they just feel normal to you, and you might forget to be as proactive as you should be. Some of these symptoms of toxic exposure can be as minimal as slight fatigue or minor skin conditions to something far more obtrusive to your everyday schedules like major weight loss and painful headaches. It is important that you do not write these symptoms off as just part of your life and something you need to put up with. This will have a huge impact on the quality of life that you live as you get older and older, and they can have a domino effect where they compound on each other and make you feel even more miserable. 

Preventative Care

In addition to conventional medical care, if you keep up to date with your healthcare professionals, they can help give you preventative care and lifestyle tips that will reduce your overall pain and suffering. From minorly changing your diet to incorporating certain foods to connection to community groups that have been established around surviving downwinders, there are many not-strictly medical reasons to keep up to date with your healthcare check-ups that work well as preventative care.

For more information, contact a downwinder near you.