A quickie for today, as I deal with a computer problem and a day full of activity:
A video from the NCCN, The National Comprehensive Cancer Network, from Dr. Samual Silver, Director the cancer center at the University of Michigan and a lymphoma survivor himself.
In the brief video, he talks about how being a cancer survivor changed the way he approaches the task of meeting with a newly diagnosed cancer patient. It's a lesson that all doctors can learn (and most certainly the GP who gave me my diagnosis): you might deal with this a lot, but it's very likely our first time in this sitauation.
As the brilliant Louis CK wrote, "It's called empathy. Trying to understand people who aren't the same as you. You should try it sometime."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Thanks. The surgeon who did my biopsy called himself Friday afternoon before Memorial Day and said the biopsy showed "follicular lymphoma," never used the word "cancer," but recommended an oncologist. Wait, oncologist? "You're going to live to be an old man," he said, trying to be nice. Within 15 minutes I had a medical article online that said "almost everyone" who gets NHFL dies from mit. If it weren't for a lucky call to a Lymphoma and Leukemia society counselor I might not have survived the weekend. -p
Wow, P. Good that the LLS came through for you. I feel for doctors who have to give bad news, because it can't be easy. On the other hand, if you didn't know that part of the job is giving bad news, then you have a problem...
Post a Comment