Читать книгу Start & Run a Medical Practice - Michael Clifford Fabian - Страница 28

In the situation of a patient with cancer, it can obviously be very traumatic for all involved — especially the family, but the medical staff too. I can remember one child coming to the hospital very ill with fevers, loss of weight, and a recent history of bruising easily. After several investigations, which were all done on that day in the professional building where the doctor’s office was located, he was sent to the local hospital. All of this occurred because the family doctor was very concerned about some type of blood cancer. After the appropriate history and clinical examination in the emergency room, the child underwent an urgent bone marrow biopsy, in order to send some of the aspirate for analysis. A diagnosis of leukemia was made on that same day. As the patient was already in the hospital, he was started on chemotherapy. All of this happened within 24 hours.

Chemotherapy can be a very difficult time for the patient as there are many side effects. Also, there is no guarantee that a patient will be cured and will subsequently survive. I was doing pediatric training at the time and was able to follow this particular patient through the entire treatment phase. Fortunately, this patient responded well to chemotherapy and was cleared of the blood cancer, at least for the short term, and maybe forever. Seeing the patient almost on a deathbed in the emergency room and then seeing a healthy child walk out of the hospital is an amazing experience. This is just one example of how rewarding a career in medicine can be.