Hard Questions
Hard Questions
Presence
We met in the hospital, but I was adamant to “keep” you as my patient when you got to the clinic. I made swaps to see you, to get the continuity I...
Hard Questions
‘How did I get cancer?’
My answers do not always satisfy their questions. Because it’s not a question seeking an informational answer. The truth is, medically and...
Hard Questions
Snapshots of an oncologist
You teach about this disease in your classes and never thought it would happen to you. It started simply enough – you were bruising. Your joints...
Hard Questions
Curative intent and palliative care – compatible goals?
Whenever I order chemotherapy, the electronic record prompts me for my intent: Is this palliative or curative intent? I always type curative...
Hard Questions
Illusion of options
Advances have exploded; it’s an exciting time to be learning and practicing. And yet, we are still gently holding hands and saying that we have no...
Hard Questions
Whose needs come first – the patient’s or the trial’s?
“Not eligible.” The two words that took away everything reverberated in her mind.
Hard Questions
Dear Marisol
I know you don’t remember me. We met when you were just a baby. Now that you’re older, I want to tell you a story about your mom you may not know...
Hard Questions
Blast crisis, no crisis? Caring for the apathetic patient
There’s no right or wrong or sensible reaction to cancer. There’s only a swirl of messy, overwhelming feelings. It’s trying to bring effective...
Hard Questions
Doctor, will you please lie to me?
Looking for hope in the face of terrible news is a common reaction. It’s natural. We tend to be optimists, and we look for a silver lining. We...
Hard Questions
Charity case
I deliver a lot of bad news in oncology, but I usually get to blame the disease. What I hate perhaps even more is the other type of bad news: We...
Hard Questions
Aftermath
It was Marty who showed me, early in my career, what happens after leukemia. I frequently see related issues in my patients now, and I credit...