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| Oncology lab http://wellcomeimages.org/ |
Thinking about the many people who have helped us over
the 10 years since Prostate Cancer entered our lives, I’m particularly keen to
draw your attention to the wonderful people who work in our medical services.
From receptionists, radiographers, GPs, phlebotomists, nurses, secretaries,
doctors, we’ve relied on dozens of special people in so many different sectors and
centres.
Cancer brings fear, depression, pain, panic. It also brings isolation. No matter
how strong the character it cannot fail to reek havoc.
Until, that is, you walk into a clinic where everyone is at some stage of the
same experience or else doing everything they can to beat the disease. You chat and begin to understand there's a massive community and for some there could be answers. Suddenly the World is not quite as small. You realise too that there is no standard
treatment, there seem to be plenty of variations, so maybe it isn’t such a good
idea to make assumptions or to listen so closely to well meaning sympathisers. It is your prostate gland and no one else has an identical copy. Your appointment time overruns but hey this is serious stuff, maybe someone needs more than their 10 minute slot. There are people around in a bad way but calm prevails, we all understand and recognise the dignity of the individuals and their companions. People know your name, no formality, it’s first names, they also know your situation.
You are called, measurements, tests are explained and taken.
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| Operation prostate cancer using minimal invasive robotic surgery http://wellcomeimages.org/ |
As you leave, having learned the next stage in your private
battle, you realise your Consultant may already be talking to another man about
controlling his pain and monitoring the progress of the cancer as it moves
further through his frail body and into his bones and organs. I have no idea how a Doctor
copes with this conversation over and over again. I don’t know how the case nurse
sits down and discusses treatments and homecare and hospices over and over
again, knowing the outcome will not be good. I don’t know how the MacMillan
team goes into the man’s home, meets his family and gently does what is
necessary to support him as the invasion of cancer gains force. In the UK over
30,000 men are diagnosed annually, over 10,000 men die annually. That’s an
awful lot of bad news to carry around with you. If only he had come to you sooner.
I just know every victory must do some good and fuel the
determination to go on for those who work and volunteer in oncology settings. The euphoria of being able to tell a man
you don’t want to see him again because the treatments you set in motion have
worked must be beyond measure. Maybe a flash of intuition based on decades of
learning, seeing good and bad outcomes just made you suggest that one route of
treatment or someone spotted that tiny detail on a scan which opened the door
to success. It must be like stepping into Geoff Hurst’s boots scoring the hat trick
for England in the World Cup and better. Then there’s the team, the family, the
supporters, everyone who has the slightest interest, they’ve played their part as
well and the euphoria cascades. But there is no end to the line or to the bad
news.
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