News & Events, Oncology

Positive Counselling Changing Lives Of Cancer Patients

“With great power, comes great responsibility,” said the friendly neighborhood superhero. Doctors, who save lives, are no less than superheroes to their patients. With them they carry immense responsibility of not only curing ailments but ensuring that their patients have the willpower to fight the big battle. At SRMS IMS, doctors never aspire for God like status. They firmly believe they are humans just like their patients, their friends and colleagues working towards the same goal of curing them. This is one such story of humane touch that made all the difference to a patient’s life.

When the fear sets in

The word Cancer in itself is debilitating. Getting the first diagnosis and the aftermath is one of the hardest things to go through. This story is of a patient, who was diagnosed with the cancer of submandibular gland. She was at the number one apex institute of the world, Memorial Sloan Kettering in the US. Unfortunately, when she was counseled at the hospital the fear only grew stronger. She was told about the side effects of radiotherapy without any personal connect. The result was her feeling demotivated and detracted from wanting to get the treatment done in the US.

Second SRMS IMS Opinion

The reason for almost brutal counseling in the US is partly their consumer forums. Fearful of being sued by their patients, doctors tend to warn them of worst-case scenarios. That proves to be counterproductive as patients can turn away from treatments. At SRMS IMS doctors are encouraged to own up to the responsibility. Dr. Piyush Kumar Agarwal, Radiation Oncologist, Professor and HOD says, “While we tell our patients what to expect we also add that we will help them get through the storm. We do our best to instill confidence amongst our patients, which is exactly what we did in this case.”

The Power of Positivity

At SRMS IMS the patient was offered the ground reality while being encouraged to go for the treatment. The doctors made her believe in the treatment and also assured her that she was in capable hands. Her spirits lifted with the positive counseling, she agreed to get the treatment done. She was offered counseling throughout the course of the treatment to ensure that she stayed in good spirits. And the results speak for themselves. The patient completed her treatment and has beaten cancer with all her strength. The story goes on to show the difference positive words of counseling can make to the morale and lives of cancer patients.