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.