Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Happy Doctor

I had this patient who had prostate cancer with metastasis to the bones. Luckily for all of us, the metastasis is not giving him pain!

Prior to his discharge from the hospital, he asked his daughter why is it that I was always seem so happy? My first reaction was to laugh out loud and shake my head in disbelief!!! Apparently, the patient was perplexed at this weird doctor who kept on smiling. He seems to be used to doctors who are very serious and quite frankly some even a bit snobbish.

Well, I guess I can claim that I am just trying to project to the patients that Laughter truly is the best medicine, and who else but the doctor him/herself should deliver it!!!

How can it get better than that!!!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Family support

For some unknown reasons, I am getting a lot of patients now with liver cancer, metastatic. All of them above 65.

Whats good about them is that even if their doctors have pronounced a Death sentence, they still believe and I agree with them, its not over until the FAT LADY sings or in this case when St. Peter calls them.

So whats more apparent in these persons is that I can't say anything about the family support. As I said to one of them, 80% of your survival now is entirely up to you! If you decide, "lets call it quits!" then there is nothing else we can do about it.

Twenty percent of the person's survival chances is the family and friends support. Time and time again I have seen it, if the family support is strong, our treatment does wonders to them, but if the family is passive, unsupportive or frankly hostile, we won't go anywhere.

So where does the doctor's or healer's help come in to play? Whether you believe it or not, its not inside the 100%, its only an extra or should we say placebo? of course a lot of people, especially doctors will disagree!

I guess its only an interesting point of view of mine.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Paranoid schizoprenia

I am humbled to meet and help a 48-yr old male who is currently semi-employed, meaning he's earning like less than $4 in lets say a week!

He was referred to me by a patient of mine, who gives him money for his anti-psychotic medications. He was on Thorazine 600mg daily! I couldn't believe he could even walk straight.

Anyway, afterwh we did Access, he was very much relieved of his paranoid delusions of someone trying to kill him. I feel so sad that he lost his job because of his delusions.

Will see him again next week I hope we can reduce the Thorazine soon!