“You are as well as can be yet still get a ‘ticket’ into a cancer clinic”. I’ve said those words for years since the most common cancer in men is rarely associated with much drama. Other cancer types bring added sickness with chemo, weakness and treatment- related symptoms which is rare here. For me, it is a unique experience to cover a specialty clinic.
99% of cases in this clinic are prostate cancer. It’s busier than normal now due to snowbirds choosing therapy while “vacationing” from the north and avoiding the added drama of commuting in snow.
In a busy morning I see 40 patients. The engagement is delightful and the energy high. Frankly at the end of the day I am exhausted but not drained. There was no rescuing to do. I get a momentum going and the patients are happy to share with a new doc. Some just want to talk about being in town for baseball’s Spring training camps. The Doc here is a specialist and there is much to learn as I admire his treatments and management.
Of the 100 men I cared for this week, every single one had a different story, even when the stage of the cancer was the same. See, when any disease happens, it does so in a very unique person. Whatever the insult is, the body, mind, age, fitness, family support, current employment or retirement, economic and living situation all differ. The nuances charter their path. In a center with disease homogeneity, there actually is none. Finding ways to help or support each individual is the challenge.
The camaraderie here is high with lots of chatter among those making new friends in the lobby, seeing each other daily for weeks at the same time. Some even went off to play golf together after therapy. They lift each other. For years we know that patients do well when they join support groups- documented especially for breast cancer patients. We tried with American Cancer Society to get these going for men. They may show up at their wife’s insistence, but rarely get into it. What I witness is how they do engage when thrown together in an environment.
Many had lots of questions for me, generated from these conversations with each other. The very best situation is knowing they are not alone. It isn’t how many treatments, whether they are or not on hormone therapy or had surgery first. No, its seeing others manage in spite of a cancer. There is safety, comfort and support in numbers. The healing happens before they enter the machine for radiation. Some at the end of the journey had tears as they describe the loss they will feel when they complete therapy this week. There is a reverence they all experience for each other. It’s a wonderful surprise just when they thought life had handed them one more insult as a senior, they appreciate that living is a group effort.
It was magical to watch the week unfold and I am grateful to be entrusted with the care of these many men. This physician’s practice is a sanctuary and it is humbling to step into the space. I am also delighted for my small part in aiding him to refresh and rejuvenate, then return to this sacred place of healing.
For information about prostate cancer symptoms, treatment, and recovery visit: American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) and NCI (www.cancer.gov)