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Waiting for the diagnosis of cancer
Cancer is a diagnosis that many of us fear, but have we ever considered the emotional turmoil that the threat of this diagnosis can have? It is a time when everything remains uncertain, not even knowing whether you will live or die. |  |
The ‘not knowing’ is harder to deal with than anything else. Life becomes a series of waiting for the next step in the chain, never knowing when the final diagnosis will be made. Each delay is another set back, with fear of the unknown accumulating like a heavy burden placed upon the patient’s shoulders.
I have been very privileged to be given the personal diary of my father, which he began when a suspicious x-ray prompted immediate referral to the hospital. This diary shows the emotional impact of waiting for a conclusive diagnosis of cancer throughout the 54 days (7.5wks) it took to receive this news. My father first presented with signs of lung cancer, but due to a previous fractured arm, there was to be a long delay in getting a diagnosis. Although the lung tumour was operable, increasing pain in the arm needed to be fully investigated prior to surgery. Eventually my father learned on the same day, that he not only had primary lung cancer, but that the cancer had already spread to his arm, and may even have been the reason for the fracture one year earlier. Therefore the lung cancer was now inoperable.
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There were many reasons for the diagnosis taking so long. Most of them were due to having to wait for a week for an x-ray, then another week for a biopsy and so on. After the initial shock of realising that there must be something more serious than an infection, my father describes this period of waiting like having “the sword of Damocles hanging over me. It was as though I had been kicked in the stomach. I didn’t want to eat and I was loosing weight. No need to diet!”
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The odds kept being moved upwards from an initial 50% chance of cancer, to 90% four days later, but still another month later there was no news. The emotional turmoil can be seen through descriptions of lack of sleep, frustration, worrying about impending news, funeral preparations and turning to alternative medicine, which my father describes as a “dying man clutching at straws!”
Throughout the diary there are periods were relief can be glimpsed for a few moments. These times are when family and friends have visited, creating memorable occasions. The one thing that did help was when the doctors or nurses kept him fully informed at all stages, explaining the next step and why there were delays in arranging further investigations. It is also important that the medical team did not give false hopes because clearly this can be experienced as a further set back. One thing that was essential to feeling cared for by the medical profession, was having a contact nurse who could deal with any questions or problems encountered during the period before the Cancer Specialist was involved. Knowing that the nurse is doing her best to get investigations organised as quickly as possible and that they were willing to try and resolve any problems that had been encountered, made all the difference to the emotional wellbeing of my father. Whilst nobody can take away the feelings associated with knowing that the outcome maybe terminal cancer, making the rest of the hospital visits and procedures run as smooth as possible, helped my father to feel less stressed throughout this traumatic ordeal. A friendly smiling face with a few kind words goes along way to those who are suffering. It costs us nothing, but means more than words can ever express to those in pain emotionally and physically.
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Remember that a week may not seem very long in your life, but a week with the sword of Damocles hanging over your head seems like forever. We all know how long, one minute, feels when we are desperate to go to the toilet, imagine 54 days like that! Perhaps then we can begin to understand why it is essential that everyone aims to get a speedy diagnosis, if there is any suspicion of cancer. |  |
Further Recommended Reading
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