Oh my, yes. I have a very smart care team and am grateful for their knowledge. But, for the 4+ years of living with cancer, I’ve asked for two things over and over: (1) I want to be a partner in my care and (2) vitality is very important to me. It has been a steep uphill battle to be heard. I appreciate your words very much. Thank you.
As someone living with metastatic cancer since 2016, I read this and thought “Finally. Someone “gets” it.” Thank you for reflecting and changing your practice. It will make a HUGE difference to your patients.
I’m living with stage 4 breast cancer (diagnosed De Novo in April 2022).
Thank you for sharing this. I completely agree with everything you’ve said here; it’s so important.
My own Oncologist is also someone who really listens, takes time and never rushes through the appointment whether on the phone or in person. He has the ability to be completely present even though there’s a waiting room full of patients and he always allows me to end the appointment when I’ve finished asking everything I need to ask.
Because of this I have complete faith in him and his ability to see me as a person and not just a disease.
This was great to read. I’m a RN, worked in inpatient oncology/palliative for eight years. I can’t count the number of patients who were afraid to admit to their (brilliant, beloved) oncologists that they were “done” with a particular treatment. They didn’t want to feel like a failure, or make him/her feel like a failure. And this was despite their doctors being incredibly kind people. Knowing a patient’s actual experience of the treatment, being willing to assess values and adjust accordingly, is so valuable. Again, this was really great to read from your perspective. Thanks for sharing.
As you know, much of the care for a patient is helping them see their options with chances of success and side effects. Sometimes this takes more than one visit as they process their options. This was a great piece of writing.
Understanding your patient is so important. I’m someone who wants information, data, an understanding of the mechanisms and treatments as far as I’m able to follow, etc. Give it to me straight, unvarnished.
From the very first diagnosis - stage IV colon cancer - my comfort level is maximized by a clear picture of my status, where things stood, all the details.
I tried to explain this, repeatedly, to my first oncologist, but it felt like every meeting was a game of 20 Questions, like I had to pull anything beyond a brief summary from her.
Luckily I met one day with her colleague on the team as she wasn’t available, and he just got me, right way. I asked to switch to him and it’s been great since. (Well, as great as terminal cancer and treatment can be :-)
He is sociable and pleasant, he celebrates improvement but doesn’t shy away from bad news, answers questions clearly and is happy to expand on details at a level I can understand.
Someone I knew distantly, also stage IV colon cancer, as I understand it was pretty much my opposite: her greatest need was comfort and therapy, knowing only that her oncologist was doing what could be done. Details only made her more fearful.
Patients are different, and oncologists - all doctors - need to be able to accommodate. It’s one of the most important lessons they can learn from residency.
Great points. Being flexible and understanding your patient makes all the difference. Finding the right doc for you can make the experience much easier.
Data itself -- whether we mean more precise data or simply more of it, carries 0liabilities and responsibilities that are often not accounted for. This is a tough lesson for anybody. Everybody, really...
Nice article. I agree. Geriatric assessments should be built into all oncology practices. Would allow us to more fully understand the back story before recommendations are made.
Oh my, yes. I have a very smart care team and am grateful for their knowledge. But, for the 4+ years of living with cancer, I’ve asked for two things over and over: (1) I want to be a partner in my care and (2) vitality is very important to me. It has been a steep uphill battle to be heard. I appreciate your words very much. Thank you.
As someone living with metastatic cancer since 2016, I read this and thought “Finally. Someone “gets” it.” Thank you for reflecting and changing your practice. It will make a HUGE difference to your patients.
Thank you.
Care & compassionate are definitely important.
I’m living with stage 4 breast cancer (diagnosed De Novo in April 2022).
Thank you for sharing this. I completely agree with everything you’ve said here; it’s so important.
My own Oncologist is also someone who really listens, takes time and never rushes through the appointment whether on the phone or in person. He has the ability to be completely present even though there’s a waiting room full of patients and he always allows me to end the appointment when I’ve finished asking everything I need to ask.
Because of this I have complete faith in him and his ability to see me as a person and not just a disease.
This was great to read. I’m a RN, worked in inpatient oncology/palliative for eight years. I can’t count the number of patients who were afraid to admit to their (brilliant, beloved) oncologists that they were “done” with a particular treatment. They didn’t want to feel like a failure, or make him/her feel like a failure. And this was despite their doctors being incredibly kind people. Knowing a patient’s actual experience of the treatment, being willing to assess values and adjust accordingly, is so valuable. Again, this was really great to read from your perspective. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Leah. Your experience and that of oncology nurses is invaluable.
As you know, much of the care for a patient is helping them see their options with chances of success and side effects. Sometimes this takes more than one visit as they process their options. This was a great piece of writing.
Understanding your patient is so important. I’m someone who wants information, data, an understanding of the mechanisms and treatments as far as I’m able to follow, etc. Give it to me straight, unvarnished.
From the very first diagnosis - stage IV colon cancer - my comfort level is maximized by a clear picture of my status, where things stood, all the details.
I tried to explain this, repeatedly, to my first oncologist, but it felt like every meeting was a game of 20 Questions, like I had to pull anything beyond a brief summary from her.
Luckily I met one day with her colleague on the team as she wasn’t available, and he just got me, right way. I asked to switch to him and it’s been great since. (Well, as great as terminal cancer and treatment can be :-)
He is sociable and pleasant, he celebrates improvement but doesn’t shy away from bad news, answers questions clearly and is happy to expand on details at a level I can understand.
Someone I knew distantly, also stage IV colon cancer, as I understand it was pretty much my opposite: her greatest need was comfort and therapy, knowing only that her oncologist was doing what could be done. Details only made her more fearful.
Patients are different, and oncologists - all doctors - need to be able to accommodate. It’s one of the most important lessons they can learn from residency.
Great points. Being flexible and understanding your patient makes all the difference. Finding the right doc for you can make the experience much easier.
Data itself -- whether we mean more precise data or simply more of it, carries 0liabilities and responsibilities that are often not accounted for. This is a tough lesson for anybody. Everybody, really...
Related at least tangentially, this interesting article on a study of geriatric patient care.
https://substack.com/@quriosly/note/c-129593118?r=3a73h&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Nice article. I agree. Geriatric assessments should be built into all oncology practices. Would allow us to more fully understand the back story before recommendations are made.