As Important As My Doctors… Maybe More So

he vast majority of my treatment has been below the physician level. I see nurses and therapists and technicians who are the nuts and bolts of my treatment much more often than the doctors they work for. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for taking care of me.

Ask about my cancer and it won’t take long before the subject moves to care. No complaining. My care received has been excellent even beyond my amazing outcome.

Compassionate care makes all-the-difference. Remember, these are the people I’m trusting to hurt or even wound me in the name of medicine! I need to trust they’re on Team Geoff.

I traded emails with Nicole, physician’s assistant to my oncologist, yesterday. At this level of care I have easy access to him through her. My email was about Creon and all the commercials I’m seeing for the Neulasta patch. At the end I wrote:

To your last point — the care I’ve received in the Hoag system has been incredible (plus the USC Treatment Center). Every medical professional has been kind and caring. I need to trust you to allow you to hurt me — and I do. Knowing I’m being served by people who care makes it easier.

Not such a big deal. I told her I appreciate her and her colleagues. She replied:

Wow! In 15 years, I have never heard it put in those exact words before…..
But what you say is so true.

Early on and with Helaine’s encouragement every medical professional we’ve dealt with has been personally told of our gratitude for their work. I want them to know. I want to encourage them to always be this way.

The vast majority of my treatment has been below the physician level. I see nurses and therapists and technicians and phlebotomists, the nuts and bolts of my medicine, more often than the doctors they work for. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for taking care of me.

4 thoughts on “As Important As My Doctors… Maybe More So”

  1. Geoff, the nurses, PAs, everyone who works with the doctors have always been lovely. When my mom was in the hospital for the last time, the staff treated her as though she was their mom. They told me what was happening in terms I could understand and helped me get through the grief towards the end. They are truly the unsung heroes of health care.

  2. Geoff, My husband has been on Creon for about a years and 1/2 now. Please tell me what you think of it and he is till going to the bathroom a lot?

  3. “…Not such a big deal. I told her I appreciate her and her colleagues. She replied:

    Wow! In 15 years, I have never heard it put in those exact words before…..
    But what you say is so true. ”

    Well, Geoffrey, you have always had “a way with words” so no surprise here. 🙂

  4. I think everything needs to fall in place… being strong and know how to persevere is one of the pieces needed. My mother got 10 more years when they told her she only had 6 months, my aunt was told the got it all … she only made it 5 months…. my dad … the strongest person I ever knew … just 2 months. Everything needs to be aligned…..

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