The treatment of cancer my friend underwent
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.
A clinical nurse specialist specializing in geriatric nursing, my friend has a wealth of medical and other knowledge that rivals the minds of MENSA members. But she knew nothing of Cancer or of the latest treatment for Canceruntil she was diagnosed with invasive cervical adinocarcinoma. Neither of knew much before this, save the limited and exaggerated details of the side effects of chemo and radiation. We now, however, know a bit more. Today she goes for her first of many treatments, so in tacky form, I relay the process of one treatment for Cancer as she experiences it.
After Vaness was diagnosed with cancer, she was immediately operated upon. She underwent a radical hysterectomy that removed the harmful growths that were spreading the disease to her lymph nodes. After that she was taken for a PET scan which is a Positron Emission Tomography test that is done to know what would be the further course of treatment. The scan showed that the cancer had hit her lymph nodes; it reached up to her lungs and downward to the vaginal region. One of the reputed surgeons suggested her not to follow the standard procedure of the treatment of cancer and to extricate the malignant lymph nodes (all the lymph nodes cannot be extricated as these aids in secretion and are necessary for the running of our system). She got a lot of suggestions but she followed the surgeon’s advice and two months later 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.
She was then administered an IV on one side of the body. She also had to take two medicines, Glutamine as well as Compazine. While Glutamine keeps the immune system strong; Compazine reduces the feeling of nausea that came as the result of using 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”.
The two treatments together can be used for a total of ten weeks. After that it would not be used as these will not cure the cancer and instead might kill her. The irony is in the fact that while the treatment is strong enough to counter the disease, it is also strong enough to kill the patient. There is however a percentage who with the help of the doctors, their friends and their own mind have miraculous recoveries and they actually survive to tell the tale. What is heartening is that this percentage of survivors is growing with each passing year.