I didn't know the topic of the lectureship in advance so I was a bit surprised when it was focused on end of life for AYA patients and how to support them through this diagnosis. It was led by a psychiatrist, and a lot of it did resonate with me in terms of facing your own mortality and the feelings associated with that. It was a bit hard to sit through though, I kept thinking about Carmen and I am not that far out from treatment myself, so I think I was a bit sensitive. I do get that they are educating their staff on this though, most of the room was hospital staff, and that of course is a benefit. It is more than just the medical side of things. AYA patients, especially those with a terminal diagnosis, face many different challenges and grieve their life being cut short. They need someone who will listen, who is compassionate, and who will help them navigate the time they have left, with as little pain as possible.
A couple things the doctor lectured about did really resonate with me.
One was when she said AYA patients feel robbed in the sense that they now worry about their own mortality. It is not something the average person from 18-39 worries about, and there is a lot of grief related to the "old you" and life before the cancer diagnosis. She also talked about anticipatory grief for those that are mourning their future. Pretty heavy stuff, but she also went into the do's and don'ts of caring for AYA terminal patients and I am sure people took things away from her material.
In another part of the lecture, she talked about how doctors think about their patients quite a bit, when they aren't with them. Whether it is planning treatment or ordering and reviewing test results, etc. It made me think of times when Dr. Amir said things that demonstrated this to me. For example, when I arrived for my first chemo I had done my bone scan the day or two before. He had looked at the scans himself before he saw me next, and he said that they looked good to him, but he had to wait for the radiologist to confirm, "because they go to school for XX years to be able to do that" - and he smiled. I liked that he was eager to look at my test results, even if it wasn't the official process, and that he took the time to try to reassure me when he saw me. He listened and remembered details too. When I took that one week break, I came back in and he asked right away "How was the cottage?" It's the little things that go a long way to show a doctor genuinely cares.
Finally the lecture wrapped up and the ceremony began. I think there were maybe a dozen nominations, and it was interesting to hear some of the nominators words for each. There were doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, and radiation techs nominated. Dr. Amir came in at the end for the certificates, I expect he didn't have time to attend the full event. He looked really happy when he accepted the certificate, and I am glad I got to see that. I am glad I nominated him. He is a great doctor, and deserves the recognition! I am hoping he appreciated the nomination.
No comments:
Post a Comment