One doesn't pay close attention to the nuances of the treatment for cancer until one needs to. It makes sense that unless we have an unusual penchant for or fascination with reading up on amazing medical treatments, we don't take the time to learn of the problems, the solutions, the symptoms, or the side effects. Such is the case with my best friend of twenty-nine years.
She is a clinical nurse with specialization in Geriatric Nursing. She is well equipped about all aspects of medical knowledge as well as other types of knowledge. Surprisingly however she was not aware of cancer and the latest treatments that are available unless she was diagnosed as suffering from invasive cervical adinocarcinoma. We were both unaware of cancer and only had knowledge about the side effects that comes with chemotherapy and radiation techniques. Now of course we know much more than we knew at that point of time. She now goes for her treatments and I would here tell you the process of the treatment of cancer that she underwent.
It was in 2005 that Vaness was diagnosed with cancer. She was taken for surgery and the malignant growths that threatened to overtake her lymph nodes were removed by a radical hysterectomy. She next had to go for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. This test helps to verify the diagnoses and helps doctors decide on the further course of treatment. PET and a few other tests showed that the cancer was spread up to her lungs and reached down to the vaginal area. A reputable surgeon then called Vaness and told her to discard the standard method of treatment of the disease and advised her to extricate the affected lymph nodes. (It is not possible to remove all the lymph nodes as these aid our endocrine system and help in secretion and in other systems). A lot of suggestions came her way but she opted to follow the surgeon's advice and on the 14th of February she underwent surgery for the second time.
This was followed by the radiation and chemotherapy sessions. The doctor at first explained to her clearly about these two methods and also showed with the help of statistics the chances of the occurrence of a side effect. It opened our eyes. We realized that the rate of not having control over our bowels or losing hair was very low. We also learnt how most of the symptoms were actually psychogenic, that these were brought on to us by our own thinking and had nothing to do with the effects of the chemo and the radiation therapy.
Yesterday (approximately two months after initial diagnosis), Vaness, who had had an oncology nurse come to the house to administer an IV that runs the course of one side of the body-through the heart, etc.-was sent to the pharmacy for two medications. Glutamine is thought to boost the immune system with vitamins that help keep her strong; and Compazine, an anti-emetic, is used to combat the nausea brought on by the Amaphostine injection(s).
Today, at 9 a. m., Vaness went in for her first treatment of cancer. She will take chemo, then, on day 1 (for four days in a row), day 29, then weekly. At the same time, she will take palliative radiation treatments five days a week for ten weeks. Palliative radiation relieves symptoms and "improves" quality of life, but does not cureas there is no "cure".
These two treatments combined can only last for ten weeks, as they first will not cure the cancer and as they second can kill her. Such is the irony: the treatment for cancer is deadly enough to treat the cancer but deadly enough to kill the cancer patient. In another respect, however, the mind, friends, and brilliant medical practitioners have contributed to the miraculous and rare recovery of a percentage of women who live to tell about the scare. And that percentage, that number of survivors, grows every year. - 15266
She is a clinical nurse with specialization in Geriatric Nursing. She is well equipped about all aspects of medical knowledge as well as other types of knowledge. Surprisingly however she was not aware of cancer and the latest treatments that are available unless she was diagnosed as suffering from invasive cervical adinocarcinoma. We were both unaware of cancer and only had knowledge about the side effects that comes with chemotherapy and radiation techniques. Now of course we know much more than we knew at that point of time. She now goes for her treatments and I would here tell you the process of the treatment of cancer that she underwent.
It was in 2005 that Vaness was diagnosed with cancer. She was taken for surgery and the malignant growths that threatened to overtake her lymph nodes were removed by a radical hysterectomy. She next had to go for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. This test helps to verify the diagnoses and helps doctors decide on the further course of treatment. PET and a few other tests showed that the cancer was spread up to her lungs and reached down to the vaginal area. A reputable surgeon then called Vaness and told her to discard the standard method of treatment of the disease and advised her to extricate the affected lymph nodes. (It is not possible to remove all the lymph nodes as these aid our endocrine system and help in secretion and in other systems). A lot of suggestions came her way but she opted to follow the surgeon's advice and on the 14th of February she underwent surgery for the second time.
This was followed by the radiation and chemotherapy sessions. The doctor at first explained to her clearly about these two methods and also showed with the help of statistics the chances of the occurrence of a side effect. It opened our eyes. We realized that the rate of not having control over our bowels or losing hair was very low. We also learnt how most of the symptoms were actually psychogenic, that these were brought on to us by our own thinking and had nothing to do with the effects of the chemo and the radiation therapy.
Yesterday (approximately two months after initial diagnosis), Vaness, who had had an oncology nurse come to the house to administer an IV that runs the course of one side of the body-through the heart, etc.-was sent to the pharmacy for two medications. Glutamine is thought to boost the immune system with vitamins that help keep her strong; and Compazine, an anti-emetic, is used to combat the nausea brought on by the Amaphostine injection(s).
Today, at 9 a. m., Vaness went in for her first treatment of cancer. She will take chemo, then, on day 1 (for four days in a row), day 29, then weekly. At the same time, she will take palliative radiation treatments five days a week for ten weeks. Palliative radiation relieves symptoms and "improves" quality of life, but does not cureas there is no "cure".
These two treatments combined can only last for ten weeks, as they first will not cure the cancer and as they second can kill her. Such is the irony: the treatment for cancer is deadly enough to treat the cancer but deadly enough to kill the cancer patient. In another respect, however, the mind, friends, and brilliant medical practitioners have contributed to the miraculous and rare recovery of a percentage of women who live to tell about the scare. And that percentage, that number of survivors, grows every year. - 15266
About the Author:
Dane Masters is an accomplished author. To learn more about skin cancer charts graphs, please visit Prevent Skin Cancer for current articles and discussions.
