Published 24 August 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2875
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b2875

Practice

A Patient’s Journey

Cancer and chemotherapy

Ann V Salvage, patient1, Barry Quinn, oncology matron/lead chemotherapy nurse2

1 London, 2 St George’s Hospital, London SW17 0QT

Correspondence to: B Quinn barry.quinn@stgeorges.nhs.uk

Ann Salvage found that her journey through colon cancer and chemotherapy was characterised by irony and paradox. This is her story.

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The irony is swiftly dealt with. Out of the blue, just as I was about to start analysing the results of my PhD study of palliative care nurses and their routes into hospice work, I was handed a diagnosis of advanced colon cancer. My interest in my PhD topic had arisen largely from my experience of the deaths from cancer of a higher number of "significant others" in my life than might have been expected for someone of my age (57). Suddenly, having believed that I was the one destined to accompany sick people, I now found that it was me who needed to be accompanied.

A speedy operation to remove the diseased section of my colon left me feeling better than I had for a long time. The anaemia that had alerted my gastroenterologist to the large tumour lurking at the intersection of my small and large bowels had . . . [Full text of this article]


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