I'm always fascinated to see how medical professionals face their own cancer diagnosis. What options for treatment do they choose and why? How do they manage the symptoms, the stresses, and the obstacles?
Gail Cooney, former president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer nearly three years ago. Currently, she's the assistant medical director at Hospice of Palm Beach County. She still treats patients. She's still active. How did she do it?
Dr. Cooney started her cancer treatment by taking charge of the plan. She received a very aggressive course of chemotherapy. This is the kind of thing that usually knocks people off their feet, but she was smart. She used palliative medicine to help her balance the negative side effects of the treatment. By managing her symptoms, she was better able to tolerate the chemotherapy. She also had surgery. Dr. Cooney chose acupuncture and conventional drugs to avoid the nausea that accompanies a lot of chemotherapy. She managed to keep her weight and strength up by consuming milkshakes.
But Dr. Cooney didn't just stop there. She joined a support group for ovarian cancer patients, got counseling from an oncology social worker, and met with a nurse educator to understand the powerful drugs she was using.
Last fall, she learned the cancer had started growing again, Dr. Cooney resumed treatment with chemotherapy. She is hopeful that this will help her.
What should you know about palliative care and cancer? Studies on lung cancer patients showed they lived an average of three months longer with palliative care than with standard cancer treatment. Imagine that. If you treat the negative side effects, you might just live longer. Why is that a big deal? The success of cancer treatment often depends on the little things. If you lose too much weight, it negatively affects your health, and that can overwhelm your system when the chemo kicks in. Being able to maintain a healthier weight means tolerating the unpleasant side effects better. If you live a day longer because of it, you might live a week longer because of it. That week could turn into a month, and that month could turn into a year. That year could give you enough time to get a new treatment, and that new treatment could help you go on managing your cancer for years to come.
Dr. Cooney still faces an uncertain future, but she clearly wants to go on treating other people as assistant medical director as long and as well as she can. She's not backing down or giving up. Using these resources to help manage her cancer may help her succeed with that goal. If nothing else, Dr. Cooney is preserving the quality of her life, addressing her needs as a human being.
So many people treat palliative care as "dying care", but it's really about comfort and quality of life. If it can help you live longer, why not take advantage of it? Why not attack your cancer with every tool you can? Embrace life by embracing what cancer support can do for you as a whole person. You'll live longer and live better.
If you would like to read more about Dr. Cooney and the positive benefits of palliative care, check this out:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/treatments/story/2011/02/Palliative-care-prolongs-life-reduces-suffering/44046292/1
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