What is Mesothelioma? And What is the Deal With the Ads?

I see a lot of advertisements on TV for lawyers helping those who have Mesothelioma. All I can really tell from these commercials is that it is caused by exposure to asbestos. I actually remember in my early high school days when we got the day off of school while they removed asbestos. I am assuming this was around the time they realized, hey this stuff is bad. Still I never really knew much about this cancer. I can actually really understand the anger involved when a person is diagnosed with it because most likely they were exposed while working or from what I hear you could get it from being exposed to another person who was around asbestos. I am not really sure how true that all is but according to www.cancer.gov Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

That sounds pretty scary to me. According to their website it is still a relatively rare cancer even though there has been an increase in the past few years. What are the symptoms? They may not appear for 30 to 50 years after exposure. That sounds kind of scary and it's really hard to say you can do anything about it. We have all been exposed to things that are probably bad. I can't imagine how much lead my toys were covered in as a kid. Still, it's not going to give me cancer. Asbestos can. I have read it causes pain in the chest and shortness of breath. I experienced both of those with my cancer too, so my guess it's not easy to diagnose based on just those symptoms. There are other symptoms here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

I think what concerns me most is these ads screaming at you about suing whomever exposed you to the asbestos. I can understand finding yourself this ill and wanting to get legal representation. I absolutely have no problem with that. It's just the whole attitude of the commercials that bothers me. It's like they are announcing you won the lottery or something. They seem to be hoping you do have it. They yell like an infomercial would. This is just my opinion. I feel like they could make these ads a little more tasteful and somber. It after all is a serious situation and needing your medical bills payed is not a laughing matter. I know! Trust me.