POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN THE CANCER TEAM
WHILE PAINTING TODAY, MY THOUGHTS WENT
BACK TO MY HUSBAND'S CANCER BATTLE. HIS
RADIATION TREATMENTS WERE STOPPED ABRUPTLY,
AFTER HAVING THEM FOR A LITTLE OVER 5 WEEKS,
TO TREAT HIS LUNG CANCER. THERE WAS NO
EXPLANATION BY THE RADIALOGIST.
BEFORE THIS, R HAD TOLD HER HE WAS SET UP TO HAVE AN
ABLATION TREATMENT TO FURTHER DESTROY HIS DISEASE,
THAT THE RADIATION TREATMENTS COULDN'T ENCOMPASS.
THIS WAS TO BE DONE BY A PIONEER IN THE FIELD...WE
HAD BEEN VERY IMPRESSED BY HIS CONFIDENCE AND ANAZING
BACKGROUND, FILLED WITH HONORS AND ACLAIM FOR HIS
WORK.
M, THE RADIOLOGIST, WHO HAD BEEN ADVERSARIAL WITH R SINCE
MEETING HIM, SAID, RE. THE PROCEDURE..."WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT".
SHE PUT HIM IN A SITUATION THAT LEFT HIM IN LIMBO...SHE TOLD
THE ABLATION GROUP THAT "HE IS CURED". SHE, THEN, UPPED
THE DOSAGE OF THE RADIATION AND FAILED TO TELL HER
PATIENT ANYTHING, WITH NO TESTS TO BACK HER OPINION UP.
HE, THEN, HAD TO WAIT 3 MONTHS, FOR A CAT SCAN. STAGE 2
WENT TO STAGE 4 DURING THAT TIME. INITALLY, THE OTHER
PROCEDURE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A WEEK AFTER RADIATION
FINISHED. THERE WAS SUCH A BLATANT POWER PLAY AT WORK,
THAT RISKED R'S HOPES OF STOPPING THE NEVER ENDING
PAIN HE ENDURED, ONLY MAKING IT WORSE.
I'VE NEVER KNOWN SUCH A HELPLESS FURY THAT COULD
CHANGE NOTHING TO HELP MY HUSBAND.
