The big C
The number of cancer patients I got to see in hospital isn't a big number. I've seen 4 in total so far. 2 were in hospital, 1 was during a outpatient clinic, and another was at a cancer centre receiving treatment (I did my cancer project with this patient).
It's really sad to hear about them being diagnosed with cancer. It's very difficult to break such news to them as well. I've always admired doctors specialising in cancer, because it requires a lot to enable them to hold back their emotions should their patients breathe their last one day. Some get well of course, but there are cases whereby things just don't go the right way for them, and it seems as though they are destined to leave within a short period of time.
I used to wonder if this specialisation was a good one. I don't think I can take it. First, I'm not someone who gets along very well with people, and if I were to specialise in this, I definitely will have to foster a strong bond with the patient, and when the bonds are strong, it's hard to accept it when they bid an eternal goodbye to you.
The cancer patients I have encountered left a deep impression in some ways. One had brain cancer which was diagnosed too late, and just when the doctors realised he has got cancer, he died 2 days later. Everything happened so quickly, and of course, his family couldn't take it. I wasn't around to witness his death, but I heard from the doctors that it was bad the day he died. The only thing I saw was the bad news being told to him and his wife. I can still remember the look on his face as well as his wife's. I can still remember the way he grabbed his wife's hands so tightly when she heard about it from the doctor and the way she looked at him. It was a very sad, yet touching sight.
Another had pancreatic cancer. She, too, passed away after being sent back to nursing home. She was too ill and there wasn't a point of her being in hospital anymore. The cancer had an effect on her bilirubin levels in the blood, causing her to get jaundice and because the levels were so high, it got her into a confused state (called kernicterus). She wasn't able to speak very well, and was sleeping all the time.
The patient I did my cancer project on had oesophageal cancer. He was lucky because it was the initial stage, and he managed to do well with treatment.
A patient I met at outpatient clinic last year had cancer of somewhere which had spread to his liver, and it was an extensive one. He, too, heard the news only when he went to see the doctor. Accompanied by his wife, both of them couldn't take the news. It was quite bad that the doctor and I had to leave the room for them to let them have some peace and quiet. I could see tears in their eyes as well. I did tear when I went out of the room, cos I felt really sad for them, and even though I was just a stranger, I could feel their pain.
Today, there was a patient which came in with a chest problem. His chest X ray was abnormal, and despite past treatments for infections, it seemed as though it was not getting any better. He had signs of a sinister diagnosis and with all the info gathered, there's a high possibility he's got lung cancer. I guess the registrar I was with today was highly suspicious of it, so he went to look for the consultant to discuss about it. While he was away, I had a chat with the couple, and from the things they told me, I was more confident in my bet for lung cancer. The registrar didn't mention anything about it when he came back, but told the patient to be admitted today and to go for further investigations.
When the patient and his wife left...
Doc: Any ideas what this patient might have?
Me: CA Lung
Doc: Yeah, I would think so too....
Yup, I got the kick for making a good guess, but it wasn't a happy thing for me because it's not a nice thing at all. And I remembered what the patient's wife said to me during our little chat..."He's not been feeling very well for the past 6 mths...I certainly hope he will get well soon...". How can one not feel anything after hearing that? I'm not saying that lung cancer's incurable...it can be cured for certain cases..but even so, the prognosis isn't good. Very few people get to live through 5 years. However, it's a good thing if it's picked up now, so that treatment can be given without delay. It would be disastrous if it's not. A textbook I read today said that untreated mild cases will enable 2-3 mths of life, while untreated severe cases has only 4 weeks. It's scary isn't it?
Also, in the Doctors' Meeting this afternoon, an interesting case was discussed. It was about a lady who went into hospital with chest pains which sounded like muscular pains. However, days later, she came back to hospital complaining that her pains got worse, during which investigations were carried out, and she was admitted. The signs she got sounded like a cardiac, respiratory or musculoskeletal problem, so all sorts of investigations was done for those. However, it was noted that her blood tests had abnormal values. She slowly went into jaundice, and her abdomen started hurting. It was then the doctors diverted their attention to the disgestive system, and went to investigate her liver and pancreas. There, they found a number of metastases (meaning there's cancer) in the organs. 2-3 days later, she died. Hence, the interesting part of this case was...is chest muscular pains a benign issue? Definitely not for this case. I was pretty fascinated by it because muscular pains are always known to be a benign issue...who would actually imagine all that to be related to the liver and pancreas?
*Yawn* Very tired today manz. I shall go have my bird's nest and then go to bed. Really cannot tahan much longer... (I was so tired that I actually dozed off during the 2nd half of the doctor's meeting. I hope no one saw it...haha..oh yah..even the consultant said he dozed off...lol...).
OH OH...LET ME TELL U SOMETHING INTERESTING!!!! Viagra sent their drug rep to the hospital today..wah liew..such a waste I didn't grab freebies (too many consultants crowding around the booth..so I was too shy to go and "steal" stuffs). It'll be so cool grabbing a few Viagra pens, Viagra post-it pads, and Viagra torniquets hor? Hahhahaa... Too bad there are no free Viagra pills for grabs, so guys who are reading this, pls don't ask me if I've got free samples... (even if I got also I won't give u...hahaa..nahz..juz kidding..I really don't have any). :)
It's really sad to hear about them being diagnosed with cancer. It's very difficult to break such news to them as well. I've always admired doctors specialising in cancer, because it requires a lot to enable them to hold back their emotions should their patients breathe their last one day. Some get well of course, but there are cases whereby things just don't go the right way for them, and it seems as though they are destined to leave within a short period of time.
I used to wonder if this specialisation was a good one. I don't think I can take it. First, I'm not someone who gets along very well with people, and if I were to specialise in this, I definitely will have to foster a strong bond with the patient, and when the bonds are strong, it's hard to accept it when they bid an eternal goodbye to you.
The cancer patients I have encountered left a deep impression in some ways. One had brain cancer which was diagnosed too late, and just when the doctors realised he has got cancer, he died 2 days later. Everything happened so quickly, and of course, his family couldn't take it. I wasn't around to witness his death, but I heard from the doctors that it was bad the day he died. The only thing I saw was the bad news being told to him and his wife. I can still remember the look on his face as well as his wife's. I can still remember the way he grabbed his wife's hands so tightly when she heard about it from the doctor and the way she looked at him. It was a very sad, yet touching sight.
Another had pancreatic cancer. She, too, passed away after being sent back to nursing home. She was too ill and there wasn't a point of her being in hospital anymore. The cancer had an effect on her bilirubin levels in the blood, causing her to get jaundice and because the levels were so high, it got her into a confused state (called kernicterus). She wasn't able to speak very well, and was sleeping all the time.
The patient I did my cancer project on had oesophageal cancer. He was lucky because it was the initial stage, and he managed to do well with treatment.
A patient I met at outpatient clinic last year had cancer of somewhere which had spread to his liver, and it was an extensive one. He, too, heard the news only when he went to see the doctor. Accompanied by his wife, both of them couldn't take the news. It was quite bad that the doctor and I had to leave the room for them to let them have some peace and quiet. I could see tears in their eyes as well. I did tear when I went out of the room, cos I felt really sad for them, and even though I was just a stranger, I could feel their pain.
Today, there was a patient which came in with a chest problem. His chest X ray was abnormal, and despite past treatments for infections, it seemed as though it was not getting any better. He had signs of a sinister diagnosis and with all the info gathered, there's a high possibility he's got lung cancer. I guess the registrar I was with today was highly suspicious of it, so he went to look for the consultant to discuss about it. While he was away, I had a chat with the couple, and from the things they told me, I was more confident in my bet for lung cancer. The registrar didn't mention anything about it when he came back, but told the patient to be admitted today and to go for further investigations.
When the patient and his wife left...
Doc: Any ideas what this patient might have?
Me: CA Lung
Doc: Yeah, I would think so too....
Yup, I got the kick for making a good guess, but it wasn't a happy thing for me because it's not a nice thing at all. And I remembered what the patient's wife said to me during our little chat..."He's not been feeling very well for the past 6 mths...I certainly hope he will get well soon...". How can one not feel anything after hearing that? I'm not saying that lung cancer's incurable...it can be cured for certain cases..but even so, the prognosis isn't good. Very few people get to live through 5 years. However, it's a good thing if it's picked up now, so that treatment can be given without delay. It would be disastrous if it's not. A textbook I read today said that untreated mild cases will enable 2-3 mths of life, while untreated severe cases has only 4 weeks. It's scary isn't it?
Also, in the Doctors' Meeting this afternoon, an interesting case was discussed. It was about a lady who went into hospital with chest pains which sounded like muscular pains. However, days later, she came back to hospital complaining that her pains got worse, during which investigations were carried out, and she was admitted. The signs she got sounded like a cardiac, respiratory or musculoskeletal problem, so all sorts of investigations was done for those. However, it was noted that her blood tests had abnormal values. She slowly went into jaundice, and her abdomen started hurting. It was then the doctors diverted their attention to the disgestive system, and went to investigate her liver and pancreas. There, they found a number of metastases (meaning there's cancer) in the organs. 2-3 days later, she died. Hence, the interesting part of this case was...is chest muscular pains a benign issue? Definitely not for this case. I was pretty fascinated by it because muscular pains are always known to be a benign issue...who would actually imagine all that to be related to the liver and pancreas?
*Yawn* Very tired today manz. I shall go have my bird's nest and then go to bed. Really cannot tahan much longer... (I was so tired that I actually dozed off during the 2nd half of the doctor's meeting. I hope no one saw it...haha..oh yah..even the consultant said he dozed off...lol...).
OH OH...LET ME TELL U SOMETHING INTERESTING!!!! Viagra sent their drug rep to the hospital today..wah liew..such a waste I didn't grab freebies (too many consultants crowding around the booth..so I was too shy to go and "steal" stuffs). It'll be so cool grabbing a few Viagra pens, Viagra post-it pads, and Viagra torniquets hor? Hahhahaa... Too bad there are no free Viagra pills for grabs, so guys who are reading this, pls don't ask me if I've got free samples... (even if I got also I won't give u...hahaa..nahz..juz kidding..I really don't have any). :)
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