Friday, July 29, 2011
Facing Death
An excellent video, called "Facing Death," from PBS's Frontline about what end of life is really like in the hospital. It really should be suggested/required viewing for those making decisions about Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Intubate, Health Care Proxies, etc. Way better than what med professionals can explain.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Med student vs. surgery resident - best YouTube video ever!
This is the best "make fun of medicine" video I've come across so far. Funny thing is - it is so true!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Heartbreaking
I'm on the oncology inpatient service this month. We see patients here for bone marrow transplants as well a mix of leukemia/lymphoma and solid tumors. It is very, very difficult, and as we've been reminded a number times by attendings, our inpatient experience does not accurately reflect oncology as a whole. That's fortunate, because I want to do heme/onc, and if it's always going to be like this, I really don't think I could take it.
Questions I've been asked this month:
1) "Why is nothing [the anti-nausea meds] working? Can't you give me something else?" ~By a young guy puking his guts out just as I walked into his room. He's been on zofran, compazine, reglan, ativan, a scopolamine patch, and heck, we even tried marinol. Can't get Emend b/c of an interaction with one of the chemo drugs. At that moment, he was pleading for us to stop the nausea, and we really have nothing else to try. It's the chemotherapy. And the worst part is, he's likely only got months to live.
2) Is the cancer getting worse? ~By another young guy with CNS lymphoma who developed a headache just the same as he had when he was diagnosed.
And the worst of all:
3) Am I dying? ~By a lovely woman with metastatic disease who felt well but had started coughing up blood and subsequently desatted into the 60s. We frightened her by imploring her to stay in bed while we sorted out the cause of her hemoptysis.
It's hard to describe in words, but this stuff is so heart wrenching to watch and even harder for the patients and their families. I've felt so helpless at times during this rotation, despite the fact that our goal has been to cure or palliate the patient and their disease. No one, no one should ever have to suffer like this.
Questions I've been asked this month:
1) "Why is nothing [the anti-nausea meds] working? Can't you give me something else?" ~By a young guy puking his guts out just as I walked into his room. He's been on zofran, compazine, reglan, ativan, a scopolamine patch, and heck, we even tried marinol. Can't get Emend b/c of an interaction with one of the chemo drugs. At that moment, he was pleading for us to stop the nausea, and we really have nothing else to try. It's the chemotherapy. And the worst part is, he's likely only got months to live.
2) Is the cancer getting worse? ~By another young guy with CNS lymphoma who developed a headache just the same as he had when he was diagnosed.
And the worst of all:
3) Am I dying? ~By a lovely woman with metastatic disease who felt well but had started coughing up blood and subsequently desatted into the 60s. We frightened her by imploring her to stay in bed while we sorted out the cause of her hemoptysis.
It's hard to describe in words, but this stuff is so heart wrenching to watch and even harder for the patients and their families. I've felt so helpless at times during this rotation, despite the fact that our goal has been to cure or palliate the patient and their disease. No one, no one should ever have to suffer like this.
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