Cancer Patients Deserve The Best Quality Of Life

Yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of my mother-in-law.  She died from cancer that originated in her breast and  metastasized to her lung and liver.  It was as painful to watch her wither away from cancer as it was my own mother.  She has been gone now eleven years.  Her death was clearly from the cancer, as she had begged us to not let the doctor order any more treatment.  Her quality of life was very poor.  She was too weak to walk or eat.   Her last days were spent in a hospice facility at the age of 68.  The kindness and compassion of the nurses is what I remember the most.

I personally feel that with all the greed that is going on the world today that we have lost the empathy and compassion that patients want.  They want to know their options and they want a doctor that will give them some quality of life in their remaining days.  Palliative care that will ease any discomfort they have and help them in their final days.  We had to beg for the palliative care for my mother and it was denied by a doctor.  He told our family it was his job to do any treatment to keep her alive despite the severe suffering she was in.  He offered no palliative care and would not sign any papers to allow hospice to help her or us.  She died two days later.  He would not speak to us and a nurse told us that he was there to generate money for the hospital.  Her death is one of the most gruesome deaths I have witnessed as a nurse.  It was greed of the hospital and administration.

I have witnessed greed one too many times in last couple of years.  We need drugs to help cancer patients conquer their cancer.  Patients need drugs that don't leave them bankrupt and unable to live the rest of their life.

We need oncologists to help cancer patients with a survivorship plan once they are in remission.  A plan that will give them the best quality of life.  My husband's oncologist of three years said there was no such thing as a survivorship plan on two different occasions.  My husband has been left with the burden of side effects that affect his daily life and the anxiety of an uncertain future.  I guess the institution got their money and doctor reminded us his job was to prescribe chemotherapy and no more. The NCCS states that all cancer patients should receive a comprehensive summary and follow up plan from their doctor.  This plan will help them improve  their health and the quality of life.  Google the NCCS to view the elements of the survivorship plan.   So I wonder whose job is it to ensure that  a patient has a survivorship plan.  These great ideas always look good on paper,  but they only work if they are instituted by the cancer center and the oncologist in charge of the patient.

Cancer is not just prescribing a drug to kill the cancer.  It is a life long partnership with a doctor that you have entrusted to help you live a quality life.
We have learned our lesson that large institutions may give us hope for a cure for cancer, but their false advertising of anything beyond the chemotherapy was just a bait.   Or was it just a burned out doctor ?  

God bless my mother and mother-in-law !  You have given me strength and purpose to make sure that patients are receiving the quality of life they deserve.

Life is beautiful !

Elizabeth:)

Tornado

When my children call the house after nine in the evening, I get a little concerned.  I was sitting last night on the sofa resting after a busy day and the phone rang and startled me.  The caller ID revealed my daughter was calling which made my heart do a few skips.  She never calls late not unless an emergency.  She started by saying are you okay.  I replied yes what's up.  Next she said, " Do you hear the sirens?"  I thought what sirens it sounded pretty quiet.  Then she said, "You and dad better take cover because there is a tornado on the ground coming towards you."  I immediately turned the television on and to my surprise she wasn't lying.   All I could say was holy crap.  In all my years of living here, I have never been the victim of a tornado.  We gathered some personal items in a backpack and prepared to bunker down in closet under our stairs.  I called my dad and warned him as he had no clue either that we were even under a warning.  Then my son called and we were all worried.  The tornado was moving at 20 miles per hour in direct path of us and by some miracle it shifted and went north west of us but did some destruction 4 miles from our house.  Thank goodness no one was killed by the tornado as it made its way north.  It just missed my brother-in-laws house and they lost power.  We are all thankful today, but not all is clear yet.  As I was writing this a bad storm has moved through the area.  We are expected to have more storms through the evening.

We have had such weird weather and the humidity has been bad.  I found out that we didn't hear sirens because our community doesn't have any.  My daughter lives close to an airforce base and she heard their sirens.  I will be on guard this evening as these storms are packing high winds and lots of rain. 

You never know from day to day what will happen.  Another lesson learned live your life to the fullest.


Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)