Today, I saw several patients in clinic. Many of these men were accompanied by their wives. One man in particular who was a former music teacher was the most memorable not only because of his history but also his story. He had surgery for prostate cancer in 1996, and despite that his PSA blood test became abnormal. This meant his cancer had come back. He received radiation in 2005, but his PSA blood test became abnormal again in 2010. He came to see me because his PSA was rising.
The good news for him was that his cancer was not visible on scans and was unlikely to show up during his lifetime because his PSA was changing so slowly. Because he was already 76, he was apt to die of something else and to die before his cancer could cause serious problems in the coming years.
As I asked him about his past history, I also inquired for how long he had been married to the woman by his side. His companion said that they were not married but that they were together. I then asked how long they had known each other. They both smiled and said since first grade.
At that point, I wondered two things- how could two people possibly stay together for that long and what were they smoking? The patient said that while they had been friends in first grade, they had largely grown apart and lived separate lives. Each married another person, and the patient moved away for many years. However, 15 years ago after he moved back, one of his friends "re-introduced" them. The rest is history, and she has been by his side through all of his treatments and recurrences and also many high notes.
Their story was inspiring and brought to mind one of the greatest love stories ever told- "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. I mentioned that to the patient, who said he had a copy at home but that he had never read. Why would he need to, when he had lived to tell his own tale!
No comments:
Post a Comment