So, it has been a while..... but I was in elective Gynecology theatre last week. It is those dreaded four hour long cases that leave one tired like hell. This lady is wheeled in, she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, she had received 4 courses of chemotherapy to sort of shrink the tumor in preparation for complete excision.To cap it all, she had retroviral disease. so we go in, open the abdomen and walala!!! The seemingly docile ovarian tumor had reared its very ugly head all over our patient's abdomen! you know how cauliflower looks? Now imagine pieces of that cauliflower all over the intestines, the liver, the abdominal wall on the insides and a huge ugly bigger mass resting on her ovary and the uterus! The situation was grim........
At this point I asked myself.......the surgery we were to do is called debulking....we remove as much tumor as we can so that as we then continue with chemo, it has a higher chance of being effective. in this instance, the monstrous cancer had reared it ugly head all up in this abdomen, even if we removed the primary one, would it be enough to cure the "rest of the many cauliflower pieces in the abdomen"? Furthermore, this lady had retroviral disease to add icing to this cake, if the cancer didn't get her, the chemotherapy combined with her status was surely going to win!
Needless to say, we were on our feet for more than five hours, the uterus and affected ovary were removed......(this was so tedious and painstakingly difficult) but it was done, then upon recovery, we embark on chemotherapy.... Sometimes I wonder, is it worth wile to do all these? do we add life into these cancer patients...a long, painful, bedridden life with our "heroic"measures? sometimes, why don't we just let them have more peace into the short time left? The mighty have fallen from it, am sure they had the best care in the world.....R.I.P Prof Wangari Maathai the next Nobel, may it be about a cure for the scourge,, R.I.P Steve Jobs.... the next APP, quick detections???
This piece I dedicate to my friend, she is so keen on being a cancer specialist, I pray one day, you will give us solutions.....<SIGH>
At this point I asked myself.......the surgery we were to do is called debulking....we remove as much tumor as we can so that as we then continue with chemo, it has a higher chance of being effective. in this instance, the monstrous cancer had reared it ugly head all up in this abdomen, even if we removed the primary one, would it be enough to cure the "rest of the many cauliflower pieces in the abdomen"? Furthermore, this lady had retroviral disease to add icing to this cake, if the cancer didn't get her, the chemotherapy combined with her status was surely going to win!
Needless to say, we were on our feet for more than five hours, the uterus and affected ovary were removed......(this was so tedious and painstakingly difficult) but it was done, then upon recovery, we embark on chemotherapy.... Sometimes I wonder, is it worth wile to do all these? do we add life into these cancer patients...a long, painful, bedridden life with our "heroic"measures? sometimes, why don't we just let them have more peace into the short time left? The mighty have fallen from it, am sure they had the best care in the world.....R.I.P Prof Wangari Maathai the next Nobel, may it be about a cure for the scourge,, R.I.P Steve Jobs.... the next APP, quick detections???
This piece I dedicate to my friend, she is so keen on being a cancer specialist, I pray one day, you will give us solutions.....<SIGH>
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