title: A physician's experience as a cancer of the neck patient.
abstract: This manuscript presents my personal experiences as a physician undergoing several surgical procedures including radical neck surgery for removal of pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma. I am telling my personal story in hopes that health care providers will realize the difficult challenges that a patient diagnosed with cancer and undergoes extensive surgeries must face. Facing and living through the difficulties and tribulations of a post-laryngectomy patient has illustrated to me how dependent and helpless one can be after this surgery. Being unable to speak, eat, and breathe normally, while dealing with a potential fatal illness, makes the patient extremely vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. During this difficult and challenging time, a proficient, competent, compassionate and caring approach that understands what the patient is experiencing should be practiced.
authors.affiliation: Georgetown University School of Medicine, NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA. ib6@georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brook
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D056144:Pyriform Sinus / Q000601:surgery; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal / Q000523:psychology