Saturday, April 4, 2009

To Fight or Accept

This is for my dear Cancer patients who are still in a fight & for those who had resigned but embraced their fate with a smile!
As a doctor,it has always been a part of my daily business to meet people with ailment of different degrees. There are those with mild problems who could be sent home smiling with assurance that they will be back to their healthy states (that is if they will follow my instructions and take their medicines at the right dosage)
While there are patients who are moderately ill. They are the ones who leave my office still with a smile because they were pleased with the hope of recovery.
The last group of patients are those whom I consider special...not only because they have rare illnesses but also because theirs are the most difficult to deal with, not only in terms of treatment but on how to tell them what they have, as well. I find so much difficulty in explaining to these patients how formidable their ailments are...how obscure their chance of surviving the fight. These are usually the cases of malignancy. It is so disheartening to reveal to them such a sad & frightening news. I know that I will be adding another problem to their present dilemma---depression! To have Cancer is so hard to accept---it won't instantly sink in because your mind & heart refuse to imbibe it. You will deny that you have it because you believe that it's impossible...you can't accept it! You'll ask yourself & God why? why? why?...
As a doctor, my task is to give the cancer patients the options: either to fight with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy...but with so little guarantee of winning!...or the patient may choose to accept defeat...accept it without fighting...yielding to what is destined to happen...the impending doom! Death is the most feared endpoint of both options...actually, this is everybody's "prize". All of us will come to this most dreaded end, but to be a cancer patient is a very difficult ballgame...nobody wins whatever you do!!! But still we want our patients to "enjoy" the remaining days of their lives...we want to give everything, to give them comfort and accept their fate with a smile! May God's will be done...

2 comments:

CHE-CHE said...

That's so true Ninang! I think Cancer patients are the most difficult to treat. It's not just a physical problem we're dealing with. There's also the emotional and psychological aspect we have to think of. :(

doc_angel said...

I know that you also sympathize with your patients who have cancer because you have a kind heart...I can relate with my patients so well because my Mom lost in her own battle three years ago... I also know what the patient's relatives are experiencing during the fight!