Leading Us Through CancerLand

What do you wish your doctor knew? CURE has partnered with Inspire in their #IWishMyDoctorKnew campaign. The campaign asked patients and caregivers to finish the sentence, “I wish my doctor knew…” in hopes of creating a more understanding relationship. Please share your story in the discussion group.

You feel a lump.

A bump.

A something-isn't-right.

You walk into the doctor's office.

Your heart is racing.

You can't breathe.

You see your future disappearing before your eyes.

Clipboard

Forms

Insurance

Blood pressure

Temperature

Weight

Check

Check

Check

I wish my doctor knew

check

I wish my doctor knew

check

I wish my doctor knew

check

What it feels like

check

to be a patient

check

to have to be a patient

check

to have to be patient

check

White coats

Cold hard statistics

Medical jargon diagnosis

Gobbledy goop prognosis

Protcols

Hear me!

Standard of care

See me!

Aggressive

Know me!

Maintenance

Love me!

Stable

check

check

check

check

Know my fear.

so scared

Take my life in your hands.

all control is you

I am more than my diagnosis.

know my heart

You hold all the power.

your words swim around my head

I wish I was your one and only.

please treat me like your one and only

You don’t want to give false hope.

it’s the only thing keeping me from drowning

You hold my hand

Check.

Please guide me

Not just my body

But me

Not just my body to healing or healed or at-least-not-dead-yet

But me, my whole me, my whole self

Please know how much it hurts

Not the body, but the knowing

Please pretend that you care.

I wish my doctor knew.

Tori Tomalia is many things: a mom, a wife, a theatre artist, a mediocre cook, a Buffy fan, a stinky cheese aficionado. She is also, unfortunately, a repeat visitor to CancerLand. Stay tuned for her continued adventures.

Facebook: facebook.com/lungcancerblogger

Twitter: twitter.com/lil_lytnin

Blog: "A Lil Lytnin' Strikes Lung Cancer" lil-lytnin.blogspot.com