Oncology and life

I've moved on from Palliative Care into a different, albeit related, field - Oncology (otherwise known as Cancer Medicine). It's quite a sobering specialty, and in many respects, is even more depressing than Palliative Care. Most of the patients we saw in PCU knew that they didn't have much time left, and had accepted that fact. In Oncology, the diagnosis was generally a lot more recent, and the emotions were a lot more raw.

Being on the same ward as PCU, I was kind of able to keep up with some of the patients that I saw earlier. This meant I was around on the ward when one of the patients I had met earlier in PCU unfortunately passed away. This kind of experience really makes you realise how lucky we are (most of us) to be healthy and be able to go and do the things we like. For this patient in particular, they had cancer at a very young age and had to deal with the ramifications of the disease for their entire life. At the end of the day, when I leave the hospital, I can go and play soccer, or go out with friends and leave those problems behind. For my patients, they stay in hospital, with their cancer and chemotherapy and have to live with the realisation that their clock is counting down.

Tags: Medical