Tonight we celebrate the wins.
A sweet, older patient with relapsed lymphoma with a PET scan showing a wonderful response to her current treatment. When we met, she was in the midst of a tough chemotherapy regimen. Almost debilitated, wheel-chair bound and transfusion dependent, her mental faculties were failing.
Today she is a completely different person. I suppose she is more like herself, but I didn’t know her before chemo. I find myself curious about her previous life now that we are no longer focused on acute, life threatening complications. Did she go to college? Was she married? I have met her kids, maybe she was a stay-at-home mom. She tells me she was quite active before this cancer. Did she hike mountains? Volunteer at the dog shelter? What are her favorite books? Maybe she is a musician.
Today we reviewed her PET scan, but next week I will ask about her.
My first job in oncology lacked schedule consistency, meaning I saw lots of patients but rarely the same ones in regular follow-up. Not ideal for patient care and certainly difficult for a PA still gaining experience. My current position follows a team-based care model, meaning I work with one physician and we share one roster of patients. Our close collaboration allows us to be intimately familiar with our patient’s cases and care — much better for all involved.
One of the biggest blessings of this set-up has been the connections I can make with patients. I celebrate with those who are cured from their cancer, those who remain in remission, who push through treatment and overcome side effects, who respond well to a targeted therapy or who have a scan showing continued NED (no evidence of disease).
And yes, I feel the losses more acutely. There are many patients who have been a consistent presence, week after week. Then the notification comes through that they are hospitalized or signed up with hospice care and I realize the last visit was our goodbye, we just didn’t know it then.
Here is how I truly feel about that.
Honestly, I would not change anything about these patient interactions. Connection is vital to establishing trust and providing quality care. I will continue to invest in my patients, knowing that they deserve a provider who will miss them when they are gone.
But today, I will celebrate the win of a current cancer therapy being effective and tolerable. I am grateful for PET scans showing remission and being able to deliver the good news.
Thank you for being here,
Recent letters to my patients:
Love the insights into your role as a cancer care provider. It gives me greater appreciation for all medical care givers.
Thank you for sharing! I see my PA tomorrow and it’s such a gift to be able to see multiple providers that are part of a team. You get a greater spectrum of experience and often my PAs have tips and tricks to treat symptoms that my oncologist didn’t have.
I’ll think of you tomorrow during my appointment!