My patient says he has gotten the word about his pancreatic cancer. Surgery equals a death sentence based on current status. He accepts his prognosis because he asked the question 'if there are treatments, how much time will i give me?" and the answer is possibly a few months. The patient did not give up. As a matter of fact he is fighting for his right to quality days - for whaterver time remains. It seems to be such a difficult shift from curing to doing everything possible to manage symptoms and allow the patient and family to pursue different goals. I am proud of this person. He says he made an informed choice, wants to make sure pain management is started early, and that he wants his family cared for after his death. He wants his family at peace with his decisions and that he has been given the gift of knowing there really is a limit on his time here. He says most never get the opportunity to finish the unfinished business. I hope I can be such a person when the time comes.
Monday, March 8, 2010
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