My Journey

A startling diagnosis All of a sudden, I was sitting on the other side of the table from another physician, not a patient. I was not discussing my cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or anemia, but instead reviewing the implications of stage 4 ovarian cancer. I was born and brought up in Bangalore, India, and faced many challenges as an immigrant both before and after I finished my residency and finally settled down with my family in Atlanta. In the summer of 2018, while working a regular hospitalist shift—balancing work, home, and two small children—I started to notice random abdominal pain and bloating accompanied by right shoulder pain. The right shoulder pain was particularly bad when I lay down. I decided to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist (GI) and go from there. After examining me, my GI doctor felt my symptoms most likely were secondary to gallstones and we even talked about which surgeons I should seek out. A CT of the abdomen and pelvis was the natural next step. I completed the CT scan one morning and went back to finish my clinical rounds. The nurse from my GI doctor’s office called and said the doctor “would like to discuss the results with you in person.” I knew right away that something was not looking good. I braced myself for the discussion and went back to see my doctor. She told me “You have metastatic lesions all over your abdomen and the primary seems to be ovarian.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The dreadful word...
Source: The Hospitalist - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Essay Source Type: research