At a time when hospitals are overcrowded and doctors overburdened, its rare to find a medical practitioner who will go beyond diagnosis and treatment and help counsel you about your health condition. But thats just what these doctors do-mostly because they understand the nuances and can give you insights into what youll go through and how best to take care of yourself, because they are cancer survivors themselves. It makes me value life. Dr Rajendra Kerkar, gynae-oncologist, at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, beat back tongue cancer 26 years ago. When a painful pea-sized white patch on the tongue was diagnosed as squamous carcinoma, a common type of oral cancer, Kerkar was shattered. Even after I had overcome the initial shock and denial and the anger of Why me?, the fear of going under the scalpel, of being left with a tiny stub of a tongue, of not being able to speak normally again continued to haunt me, says Kerkar who was only 28 then. But he surrendered himself to his surgeon Dr RS Rao at Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai. Post-surgery, Rao had warned him not to speak, to prevent the stitches from snapping. He obeyed. I realised then that speech is a gift, Kerkar says. He was out of hospital in 3 days but had to undergo 6 weeks of radiation. The first 3 weeks were okay, but then the side effects surfaced-a loss of taste and a perennially dry mouth that burnt with every morsel of food. The skin on his neck blackened and then peeled off. He bore it all without complaint. He is able to speak from that experience even today, The treatments are toxic but they are required. And they will come to an end, so dont drop out, I tell my patients. Learning to speak again was a Herculean task. I practised before the mirror, framing every syllable and word separately and repeating sentences over and over again. Words with s were the biggest roadblock, he says with a slight slur that you would hardly notice if you didnt know his story. Kerkar had always been keen on a career in gynaeconlogy. And after his cancer diagnosis, his resolve grew stronger. He first went to train at TMH as soon as his treatment was done. Then, 2 years later, he went to the UK for further training. He returned, 9 years later to join TMH as a consultant gynaecological oncologist, and now heads the department. He doesnt make a big deal of his cancer story, but he knows that it has shaped his very being. When you get cancer at a young age, your perspective changes-you value every little aspect of your life and make the most of the time you have, he says. As a doctor he is very empathetic and can almost feel what his patients go through. He tends not to give his example but makes an exception when the situation calls for it. Cancer is not the end of the world. Dont let it make you a bitter-but a better person, he says with the confidence of being on top of it. My understanding of my patients has changed. Dr Namrata Biswas, anaesthetist at Columbia Asia Hospital, Kolkata, had leukamia 9 years ago. In 2003, Dr Namrata Biswas, an anaesthetist at Columbia-Asia Hospital, Kolkata, had felt unusually weak during her pregnancy. A number of blood tests later, doctors told her she had leukaemia. At Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, Biswas and her husband were told that they would have to abort the child immediately to begin her treatment. Looking back, I still remember the shock and denial my family went through at the time. All of a sudden, our lives had been turned upside down, says Biswas. While going through her treatment, Biswas decided to not delve into the statistics and survival rates as they would only depress her. No matter what the statistics tell you, you have to fight for your life. I would not give up, says Biswas. Biswas joined work after a tumultuous 2 years, but her approach to her patients had changed completely. When I was undergoing treatment, I realised how we, as healthcare providers, do not communicate with patients enough, making them scared and sceptical about the treatment, she says. Ever since her return to work, Biswas has ensured that she explains the tiniest of details to patients before administering the treatment. Her belief is that listening to patients queries, putting them at ease and communicating with them goes a long way in helping them cope with their illnesses. I was an excellent patient. Dr Urvashi Prasad Jha, gynae-oncologist at Fortis Hospitals, Delhi, won against breast and thyroid cancer 1 year ago. It was during a routine mammogram that Jha felt something wasnt quite right with the report. But the radiologist assured her that all was well. Two years later, she was sure there was a problem. She went for an MR mammography and found she had a big lump in one breast. A PET scan the next morning revealed a thyroid malignancy as well (though the two were not connected). The next day she was admitted in hospital, Medanta-The Medi-city, Gurgaon, where her husband practises. The following day, she had both the surgeries one after the other in an 8-hour operation. Dr Deepak Sarin was her thyroid surgeon and Dr Hemant Singhal was her onco-surgeon. They advised her to conserve her breast, an advice she took. It was great. I was relatively pain-free. And she went back to work in 3 days! Acceptance was never an issue-my children were settled and I am professionally fulfilled, she says. Soon she underwent radiotherapy which she found awful. As an onco-surgeon, I used to think it was a song, but it wasnt. I used to get exhausted, and you feel terrible lying on the machine with this thing going around you. She talks about it to her patients today, especially the feeling of exhaustion (both physically and emotionally) that theyll likely face after. Much like the way she deals with life, Jha was matter of fact about her illness. It has been the hardest on my husband, and my daughter; my son is much like me-practical. My mum, then 86, handled my diagnosis with faith in the unknown, she says. And what about Jha herself? Well, I simply thought of it as something that was coming in the way of work, she says non chalantly. So when a patient is diagnosed with cancer, she reassures them that its not the end of the world, often sharing her story with them-especially with those who are worried and scared. Its been very helpful for my patients, because I can tell them, look Ive had two cancers but Im working and getting on with life. You dont let it affect your life. You accept that its there and get it treated. As before, Jha continues to talk about breast self-exams and the importance of screening-Do it on your birthday, then youll remember each year, she says, rather pragmatically. Mammograms cost as much as sarees. Dr P Ushalakshmi, gynaecologist from Hyderabad conquered breast cancer 12 years ago. A retired gynaecologist at the Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad, Dr P Ushalakhsmi is proud of her breast cancer survivor status-it has given her the passion and desire to educate women about the disease and ensure that they learn how to prevent it. As a doctor, I felt bad that I had not followed the advice that I gave to my patients-to have regular check-ups, says Ushalakshmi. However, when she felt a lump in her breast in a bath, she realised that it had the potential to be more serious. Early detection had helped her treatment and she wanted to educate more women about it. Ushalakshmi was treated in London. After comparing her experience with medical care in the UK to that in India, she requested her son to set up a similar specialised breast cancer facility in Hyderabad. In 2007, the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation was started as a collaboration between Breast Care Centre, UK and Dr Reddys Foundation for Healthcare Education. Ushalakshmi is working with the Foundation to train health workers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to give breast examinations to rural women and educate as many women as possible. It is so easy for women to forget that they have to take care of themselves as well. It is important for her and her husband to ensure that she gets a mammogram and a pap smear every year and it doesnt cost more than a saree, says Ushalakshmi.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 06:05:35 +0000