No treatment???
What is the protocol for giving a patient the option of just living out his/her days the best way possible after a diagnosis of terminal cancer?
Is there something in the “How to talk to a patient” handbook that says don’t forget this option?
I hope it’s there because it needs to be part of the multiple choices available to patients who might get more misery than management of their disease with chemotherapy or radiation or even joining a clinical trial.
And that’s another piece of this equation: Does offering the no treatment option squash all hope the patient, care giver and loved ones hold on to?
I think back to what a wise woman once told me about hope. She said HOPE changes as the cancer journey moves along toward its end.
We begin with hope for a cure. When that is taken away, our hope is that quality of life will remain good. When the disease starts to cause changes in that quality, we
hope the palliative measures will soothe any pain and finally we hope for peace.
Living the best you can, while you can with terminal cancer and without treatment is the right choice for some individuals, I’m convinced of that.
I’m also convinced it takes a strong person to make that decision.
It’s a no armor, head to head battle with a very nasty enemy.
July 28, 2015 @ 1:25 pm
This post really got to me, although as a patient, I am not yet at that point. I recently heard the words, “there are many other treatment options” now that the chemo I have been on is no longer working. I am still in too good a shape to have to choose between taking treatment or not, but the imagination does go there… For now I’ll soldier on to the next concoction, see what the side effects are, and try my best to adjust to them.
I just heard another “Hey, I’m here” from my caregiver and am in tears over his generosity, patience, and love. I’ve said it to people in person and several times here (over the years): We patients would be nowhere without our caregivers. I am so-o grateful to all caregivers and THANK you!!
July 28, 2015 @ 12:37 am
It didn’t seem an option for us…hoping for a miracle was always there. My sister took the no treatment option and while I admired her bravery I initially begged her to change her mind. When it was obvious she would not, we all made our peace with it. No winners either way.
July 27, 2015 @ 6:58 pm
Thank you for putting words to this process of HOPE.