A story that showed me how cancer is a social disease

Young women get gynecologic cancers, and I have had my share of conversations about ovarian cancers with women in their 20s and 30s. It rarely happens, but when it does, it is devastating. I make it a point to talk with them about their present and their future; although it is something I try to do with all of my patients regardless of age, it is somewhat more important that I do it when my patients are young. Yet, even with all of my experience gained through years of practice, I was not prepared for Lyn*. I had read her chart before we met. I knew she was only 16, diagnosed with a rare ovarian germ cell tumor. She had had an ovary removed, but her surgeon had not taken the other ovary and had preserved her uterus. Her records stated she had a stage IC tumor: the kind that we would treat with chemotherapy for cure. I knew she was an only child and was in high school. I mentally prepared myself for the visit, knowing that she was a teenager facing a cancer diagnosis and the prospect of chemotherapy. I walked through the door and stopped in my tracks. She looked so much younger than 16, and in her face, I could not help but see my own daughter. She was dressed in grey sweats, her long hair was gathered in a thick ponytail. I greeted her, and she shyly greeted me with a “hello.” I looked in her brown eyes, and it was that look: deer in the headlights, bloodshot, like she had been crying. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions Cancer Source Type: blogs