One doesn’t pay close attention to the nuances of the treatment for cancer until one needs to. It makes sense that unless we have an unusual penchant for or fascination with reading up on amazing medical treatments, we don’t take the time to learn of the problems, the solutions, the symptoms, or the side effects. Such is the case with my best friend of twenty-nine years.

My friend is a clinical nurse who has specialization in geriatric nursing. She has an incredible knowledge of medical matters. Surprisingly however she was totally ignorant of any information about cancer or of the latest treatments of the disease. That was until she was reported to be suffering from invasive cervical adinocarcinoma. We were both in the dark about cancer and were aware of only the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and the radiation. Now we know much more than we knew at that point of time. I would give you here one of the treatments of cancer that she underwent.

Vaness was diagnosed in December of 2005. Immediately, they took her in for surgery: to remove the offending growths, which were malignant and threatening to spread to her lymph nodes, surgeons performed a radical hysterectomy. Next she went in for a PET scan. A PET scan is a Positron Emission Tomography test done to verify the diagnoses and to enable further consideration of treatment for cancer. The PET and other tests revealed the cancer was in her lymph nodes, reaching as far up as the lungs and extending down to her vaginal area. A reputable surgeon, knowing of her case, which is in the 1 to 10 percentile of cases, called Vaness, suggesting she blow off the standard treatment for cancer and get the affected lymph nodes removed. (We cannot have all of our lymph nodes removed, as they run our endocrine, secretion, and waste and other systems.) Though she was now getting opposing suggestions/recommendations, she opted for the latter: on Valentine’s Day, she had a second surgery.

After the surgery she went for consultations about the chemo and the radiation. The doctor explained to her in great detail the many pros and cons of the therapy and also showed with the help of statistics the possibility of a side effect occurring. In contrast to what we knew, we came to realize that you do not lose hair or bowel control as you expect to. The rates were very low in those regards. We were also made to realize that most of the symptoms were psychogenic. The patient, by his/her thinking brings them on to himself/herself. If you think you would vomit, very soon you would.

Yesterday (approximately two months after initial diagnosis), Vaness, who had had an oncology nurse come to the house to administer an IV that runs the course of one side of the body-through the heart, etc.-was sent to the pharmacy for two medications. Glutamine is thought to boost the immune system with vitamins that help keep her strong; and Compazine, an anti-emetic, is used to combat the nausea brought on by the Amaphostine injection(s).

After a few days Vaness went for her very first treatment of the disease. She had to undergo chemo for a few days in a row and then on a weekly basis. The Palliative radiation therapy took care of the symptoms and also brought about an improvement in the quality of life but it however did not cure, there has never been a cure for cancer.

The treatments of chemo and radiation cannot last for more than ten weeks as these are potent enough to kill the person. While the treatment is strong enough to take care of the disease it also has the power to kill the patient. The medical experts, friends and the patient’s own mind have in many respects helped in the amazing recovery of a number of women. It is heartening to note that the percentage of women who survive to narrate the tale is on the rise.