Mi pasado

Mi padre tiene ahora 73 años. Él es una etapa avanzada. Cáncer de Prostata paciente. Todo empezó hace tres años cuando ni siquiera habíamos oído el término Cáncer de Próstata ni conocíamos su significado.

Diagnóstico de cáncer de próstata

Mi padre solía enviarme a buscar sus medicamentos para problemas de orina y otros problemas de salud. Pensé que todo esto era normal para su edad y no me preocupé mucho por eso.

One fine day (in fact, on this 70th birthday), he got admitted to the hospital as he was not feeling well. There was some problem with his urine, and he suggested to get admitted to the hospital. We took him to the hospital, and it turned out that he was a Prostate Cancer patient and needed an operation immediately. After the operation, the doctor took a sample to send it for the Biopsia.

We came back home after the operation, and after a few days, the doctor called me. Somehow, I could not pick up his call, and later in the week, he called me again and asked me to come to the hospital. I asked him whether I could come later to pick up the reports, but he asked me to come as soon as possible. That's how I got to know that my father was diagnosed with advanced-stage Prostate Cancer.

Tratamiento de cáncer de próstata

It has been three years since his Prostate Cancer diagnosis, and he has gone through three major issues during this time. The first issue is prostate cancer, and there have been no significant issues due to it. But what hurt us was the other two issues. He had to undergo two brain-related surgeries; one for a blood clot and the other for a fall he had. The saddest part was that in June 2020, immediately after recovering from COVID-19, he suffered a brain stroke as well and has been bedridden since then. These recent months have been the worst in terms of his health.

My father is on medication-based treatment instead of chemotherapy. Moreover, he is not a very positive-minded person and already has several chronic diseases like BP, Thyroid, hearing deficiency, visibility defect in his eyes, etc. It all made us confine the news about cancer from him. He used to think that he had some prostate problems and was treated by a Urologist and not an Oncologist.

I believe that depending on the patient's situation, and mental and physical health to absorb it, and strongly fight it out, we can decide if and when the disease can be shared with the patient. I am grateful to the doctors and staff for understanding our concerns and agreeing to cooperate in this manner.

Atención a los cuidadores

Equally important to the patient's experience is the caregiver's experience. When we say caregiver, we include everyone in the immediate family, whether or not living in the same household. We immediately absorbed it and decided to fight it with a positive spirit. We were initially shocked, but once we realized that time was of the essence, we managed everything together as a team.

Siendo el cuidador principal, visitaba a los médicos la mayor parte del tiempo para entender más sobre los medicamentos. Mi vida personal y profesional se vio afectada, pero ser fuerte era la única opción que tenía y me mantuve firme. Siempre estuvimos ahí para nuestro padre e hicimos todo lo posible para brindarle la comodidad que necesitaba en su viaje por el cáncer.

Si bien los pacientes son la prioridad, debemos darnos cuenta de que los cuidadores también necesitan un descanso. Los cuidadores deben tener cuidado de no sacrificar su salud, ya que primero deben estar en forma para cuidarlos.

Siempre debes hacer lo que amas, manteniendo como prioridad la salud y el cuidado del paciente. Puede intentar escuchar música mientras está con el paciente o tomar un breve descanso mientras el paciente duerme.

Even though I knew how to take care of myself, I couldn't draw a line. My family members believed that when you do your best, something good will come out of it. This kept me going, to such an extent that I sacrificed my health and did not indulge in anything to de-stress myself.

My family gave me strength throughout this journey. My mother was always there to understand what I was going through and supported me a lot (although she has also suffered a lot, not just because she is the patient's wife but also because she is getting older & prone to diseases). My wife proactively took some of my load related to household chores & made me retain my faith in God. My brother settled in the US sacrificed his other commitments, visited India multiple times, and also kept feeding me about the research & treatment related to Prostate Cancer. My sister (a single mom) and kids also exceeded our expectations of them by managing the tough times pretty well.

Lecciones de vida

Everyone has reaffirmed that we have done so much for our Father that God is looking at it and showering his blessings. I believe that if we do good karma in our lives, they do come back in the shape of blessings and support that we receive.

Mensaje de despedida

There would be days when you wake up and feel happy that your patient is doing fine, and you can take some time for yourself. Simultaneously, there would be some days when you would not have slept properly but still first thing the next morning will have to attend to the patient. But, always stay positive and with like-minded people. Keep yourself healthy, give back to society, and above all believe in the Almighty.