cancer as a caregiver view
analytical Essay
1903 words
Facing a serious illness is not just about helping a loved one through a difficult and uncertain time, and surviving a life-threatening illness is not about making through any way you can. It's about making it through the best way you can. Subsequently, the importance of spiritual care for the patient and the importance of spiritual care for the caregivers are essential.
The book is written by Pamela Tucker Burton, an ordinary person who experienced the death of four family members, she shares her experiences and how a family stay positive, when they faced a deadly disease. In Pamela’s family were no cancer survivors, there were no encouraging sentiments to alleviate their pain. For a family with strong Christian beliefs the only healing and strength for their family was to pray, don’t be afraid and be spiritually prepared for the final journey.
To understand more about this disease I did a research on it, and according to the National Cancer Institute: “Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph system”. Also, there are more than 100 different types of cancer. Cancer is not a single disease, but a group of related diseases.
Many things in our genes, lifestyle, and the environment may increase our risk of getting cancer. To reduce our chances to develop cancer, we may change our diet and lifestyle, also, if the cancerous cells are found earlier, and medicines to treat precancerous cells may keep cancer from starting. Some types of cancer can be found before they cause symptoms. By having screenings, doctors can find and treat cancer early. Screening examinations are applied to...
... middle of paper ...
... support for people with cancer. The story of the patient and his family is inspiring, encouraging, informative, also comforting, all at once. This book has given me new understandings as a student nurse about how I should look at our patients, their families, and their caregivers. As a family member that played the role of caregivers they took their concerns and fears to God, they had the strength and courage to face their painful journey. I learned how to deal with the most complex of challenges which includes fear, denial, and how to find the way to spiritually prepare the patient and the caregivers. The most important part that cough my attention was the genuine compassion from the nurses changed and helped the family to reach that internal peace by giving the greatest care to the terminally ill and encourage the family to find the spiritual peace and comfort.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that surviving a life-threatening illness is not about making through any way you can. spiritual care for the patient and caregivers are essential.
- Analyzes how pamela tucker burton, an ordinary person who experienced the death of four family members, shares her experiences and how a family stay positive.
- Explains that cancer is a group of related diseases that can spread to other parts of the body.
- Explains that many things in our genes, lifestyle, and the environment may increase our risk of getting cancer. by having screenings, doctors can find and treat cancer early.
- Explains that they took the book "still standing" because they identified their family history with s had with cancer.
- Describes their experience as a cancer caregiver, starting when their mom called them in 2012 letting them know that their aunt had terminal stomach cancer and spread all over her body and main organs.
- Narrates how their aunt found out about the illness to late, after several tests, screenings, and few specialists, she had cancer and had only a few weeks to live.
- Narrates how they spent many days consoling their mother and telling her everything was going to be fine, but couldn't console themselves. they felt at peace with themselves because they were there for her final days.
- Narrates how they felt lost and helpless when they called their aunt on sunday morning to talk to her, but she died a few hours later.
- Narrates how their uncle was diagnosed with cancer and died months later. he was cancer free for 2 years, until the doctors found cancer cells in his lungs.
- Narrates how they chose the book because they thought it would be another story of someone who couldn't bear with the pain of a loved one, but realized that the one that have the sorrow, and couldn’t let go the sadness of loss is me.
- Analyzes how pamela of the book explains that we all feel fear at some point of our lives, like on those when a love one is on the last stage of cancer.
- Narrates how pamela was afraid of the appropriated words she was going to say to chris and her sister amelia, but when she arrived to the hospital, she realized the gravity of his condition and realized that he was terminally ill.
- Explains that when a loved one is facing cancer, there are no plans you can make, they can change. the family was not prepared to accept the possibility of losing another family member.
- Narrates how pamela and her sisters waited for chris's bed, but his condition didn't improve. they prayed, read, and hoped for his wellbeing but the nurses were essential to his health.
- Opines that family support is essential to survive a tragic situation when there is union encouragement and strength. pamela states the importance of nurses on caring the body of the medically ill, but also the spirit to the family.
- Explains how the nurse's intervention is not only to help the patient, but the whole family. family members are typically in a state of fear and shock and need to be supported by nurses.
- Concludes that caregiving is an essential support for people with cancer. the story of the patient and his family is inspiring, encouraging, informative, and comforting all at once.
Related
- explanatory
- comparative
- opinionated
- Social Work In The Workplaceexplanatory essayRuth presented aspects of “An education model for explaining hospice services” (Welk, 1991). She discussed the four dimensions of support for the patient and family within hospice care, which are physical, emotional/psychological, social, and spiritual and gave examples of how the various dimensions of support could occur. She explained the purpose of hospice is to allow the patient to live as full as possible and comfortably until the end of life. She explained hospices services takes the “…conflict out of social situations, helps to subside the fear emotionally, attempts to remove as much pain physically and addresses decreasing despair spiritually thus easing the suffering” (Welk, 1991, p. 16) of the patient and
In this essay, the author
- Opines that hospice is a place where one goes where the end of life is imminent. they opine that even though it is working with death and dying, it could be fulfilling.
- Explains that the class discussed host settings, which are organizations that social workers work in controlled or led by others who are not social worker. they discussed both the medical and disease models and the difference between the two.
- Discusses the impact of consistent family involvement, the encumbrances of caregivers, and working with the family system as a whole.
- Explains that interventions will focus on wendy savage since it appeared that initially she wanted to take care of her father, lenny.
1224 wordsRead More - Treating Cancer Essayexplanatory essayWhat treatments are the most effective to curing cancer? Cancer has become a very common illness which has affected more that 12 million people over the world since the 1970’s (Ahmedin, 2011). The diagnosis of cancers has been on the increase and many new kinds are being discovered. There are over 200 different kinds of cancers, most of which many people are unfamiliar with. Each type of cancer has different symptoms and many are diagnosed differently.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer has affected more than 12 million people over the world since the 1970's. the diagnosis of cancers has been on the increase and many new kinds are being discovered.
- Explains that cancer is the change of normal cells to abnormal cells. cancerous and non-cancerous tumours can have an effect on the body if not treated.
- Explains that fig.1 shows the difference between a normal cell and cancerous cells.
- Explains that cancer can be caused by a fault in your genetic make-up, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. cancer can also be primary or secondary.
- Explains the different methods used for diagnosing cancer, including biopsies, blood tests, genetic testing, x-rays or scans, and tumour markers.
- Explains that biopsy is a quick method of testing for cancer and is more accurate.
- Explains that blood tests can be used to diagnose certain blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukaemia.
- Explains that x-rays provide doctors with an image of what is happening inside the body without having to have a surgical procedure.
- Explains that genetic testing is often used if cancer runs in your family and may be hereditary.
- Explains that tumour markers can be used to diagnose cancer and treat it. they are produced if cancer cells are present in the body.
- Explains that cancer can be treated using radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, stem cell and bone marrow treatments.
- Explains that there are two types of radiation used to treat cancer: external radiation and internal radiation.
- Explains that chemotherapy is different from radiation as it does not involve x-rays but involves drugs which are used to kill cancer cells and prevent them from dividing.
- Explains that fig.2 shows the process in which the cells divide after being "attacked" by chemotherapy drugs.
- Explains that surgery is one of the most common treatments for cancer and involves removing the affected organ.
- Explains that hormone therapy was first discovered in 1896 by george beatson who discovered hormones are involved in the growth of cancer.
- Explains that stem cell and bone marrow transplants are another method of treating cancer.
- Explains that although cancer can be cured for some people, there are many side effects of the treatments received. these include infertility, chronic pain, hair loss, numbness, fatigue, osteoporosis, nausea and vomiting and the damaging of healthy cells.
- Explains that nausea and vomiting can be a common side effect from several cancer treatments. not every type of chemotherapy will cause vomiting.
- Explains that infertility can also be caused by some drugs and may stop you from having children in the future.
- Explains that hair loss is the most common side effect caused by cancer. it is usually chemotherapy that causes the loss of hair. hormone therapy and biological therapies can also cause this.
- Explains that if you haven't had a high dose of chemotherapy drug, your hair can grow back. it may take up to several months for it to grow again and it is most likely to be very soft.
- Explains that fatigue is a major side effect of cancer and that it affects 70-90% of people who have any cancer treatment. chemotherapy, hormone and biological therapies and painkillers can cause fatigue.
- Explains that osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become very thin and soft, it increases the chances of the bones breaking.
- Explains that cancer treatment can affect the nervous system, which is made up of the spinal cord, the brain, and nerves throughout the body.
- Explains that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause secondary cancers, such as leukaemia and testicular cancer. the dose of radiation, the age of the patient, and the area treated are factors that may lead to a secondary tumour.
- Explains that cancer treatments kill damaged cells within the body, but radiotherapy can damage normal healthy cells, and chemotherapy can also damage cancerous cells.
- Explains that there are many different ways of treating cancer, each of which is more effective than others. there are certain types of cancer that require a specific type of treatment.
- Explains that surgery is one of the most effective ways to treat cancers as it allows surgeons to remove the entire cancerous tumour and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
- Explains that chemotherapy is an effective way of killing cancer cells. testicular cancer and hodgkin's disease are two types of cancer that can be cured using chemotherapy drugs.
- Explains that radiation therapy is the most effective way of reducing the risk of cancer reoccurring as the high electrical beams target the area affected and reduce the tumour by killing some of the damaged cells.
- Explains that hormone therapy is one of the least effect ways to treat cancer as it can only be given to patients who have a type of cancer that depends on hormones to allow it to grow.
- Explains that nitrogen mustard gas was used to treat lymphomas during the second world war, which led to the discovery of new drugs that have allowed cancers that were once fatal to now have a chance of being cured.
- Concludes that there are many different types of cancer each of which have a specific way of being treated. surgery is the most effective way, followed by radiotherapy to reduce the cancer cell count.
3406 wordsRead More - Cancer Essayexplanatory essayCancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of American families each year. In cancer, cell division isn't controlled. Usually, cells have to go through a set of checks and balances before they divide, in cancer that is nonexistent. The cells just keep duplicating until they eventually form disorganized clumps called tumors. Tumors can either be, benign, meaning that they do not possess the power to metastasize to surrounding areas. If a tumor has the power to metastasize, it is classified as a malignant tumor. In simple terms, a benign tumor is not cancerous, and a malignant tumor is. Cancer cells cannot perform the necessary functions they were created for. Some types of cancers, like pancreatic cancer, cannot be cured. Other cancers such as melanoma and breast cancer have high survival rates when caught early. The four major types of treatments used to treat cancer include, surgery to remove the affected organ, radiation, chemotherapy, or biological treatments.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of american families each year. the four major types of treatments used to treat cancer include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or biological treatments.
- Explains that most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas, which form in the colon, the largest part of the large intestine.
- Explains that certain risk factors can lead to a higher chance of contracting colon cancer.
- Explains that treatment options for colon cancer vary on an individual’s personal case, the stage of the cancer, and how much it has spread.
- Explains that the 5-year survival rate for colon cancer is varied. it affects older people who have health problems and die from heart disease. cancer research is always improving so the numbers may be higher.
- Opines that even though colon cancer is deadly, when it is found early, there is a high chance that an individual will survive. smoking, drinking, and being overweight may increase the risks of getting cancer.
741 wordsRead More - Cancer Essayexplanatory essayDefinition of cancer. Cancer is a wide range of diseases which form a subset of Neoplasm. A tumor is a group of Neoplasm that have undergone unregulated growth. Neoplasm serves no physiological function and will often form a lump.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer is a subset of neoplasm, which has undergone unregulated growth. cancer can result by genetic that are inherited from ancestors.
- Explains that a tumor's impacting potential determines whether it is benign or malignant, whereas metastatic tumors can influence nearby sites.
- Explains that a diagnosis is the development of the infection and what it reflects is evidence. a prognosis is based on the information the diagnosis provides, which provides essential information about the treatment.
- Explains metastasis, where tumors spread from one infected area in the body to another. the cancer cells travel through the blood, the lymph, or directly access areas via body cavities.
- Explains that cancer signs and symptoms are quite different and depend on where is the cancer located, how deep it has spread, and what is size of the tumor.
- Explains that cancer is formed by a mutation in cells. stem cells divide to produce more cells called progenitor cells and transition into differentiated cells with specific functions.
665 wordsRead More - Informative Speech On Cancercomparative essayCancer can harm the body by allowing abnormal cells to build up inside the body and form a tumor. Two types of tumors can form a malignant or a benign. A malignant tumor spreads throughout the body and enters different parts of the body whether is uses the blood to do so or the lymph and creates the process of metastasis. A benign tumor grows slowly and does not spread. A benign tumor can put pressure
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer is one of the most known non-communicable diseases in the world.
- Explains that cancer has no cure, but there are treatments to get the cancer removed or controlled. surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy all save lives by killing cancer cells.
- Advises people to have self-examinations and medical examinations to reduce their risk of contracting cancer.
- Explains that they have learned much about how this disease can affect the body and destroy the immune system. they have also learned how simply watching what you eat and weight can reduce the risk of contracting cancer.
436 wordsRead More - Cancer Essayexplanatory essayIntroduction Cancer, the big “C”, is a broad term used for many different diseases. Cancer is a term that describes abnormal cell growth. Neoplasia is a “new growth”, usually defined as abnormal. This growth can be benign, a simple tumor that is easily treated based on location and symptomatology or the growth may be malignant. A malignant neoplasm, cancer, is defined by the nature of the cell growth.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that a malignancy is defined by anaplastic cells (variation of cell size and shape, enlarged nuclei, abnormal mitosis), rapid growth, infiltrative and metastatic qualities.
- Explains that the pathologist or physician performs grading and staging to "predict clinical tumor behavior." the international tnm system is the generally accepted framework for staging.
- States that pain control is an important step to allow the patient to pursue treatment, and live with the cancer diagnosis.
- Explains the physiological and psychological side-effects of cancer care, and the american cancer society's website.
- Opines that the centers for disease control and prevention's weekly morbidity and mortality report highlights the need for futher research into prevention and treatment programs to combat this continuuing blight.
- Explains that cancer is a broad term used for many different diseases, including cancer, neoplasia, and malignant cancer.
- Explains that there are several subtypes of carcinoma, including adenocarcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
- Explains that sarcoma is a cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.
- Explains that leukemia starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.
- Explains that the diagnosis of cancer is not a simple process, but it is essentially folows similar paths for each type. copstead and banasik present the acronym c.a.u.t.
- Explains that diagnosing and staging of central nervous system cancer is the first step toward deciding on and beginning treatment, dealing with the complications and sequelae, and starting the journey toward living with your cancer diagnosis.
1278 wordsRead More - Summary: Final Gifts By Maggie Callanan And Patricia Kellyopinionated essayFinal Gifts, written by hospice care workers, Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelly, includes various stories detailing each of their life changing experiences that they encountered with their patients. Hospice care allows the patient to feel comfortable in their final days or months before they move on to their next life. This book contains the information considered necessary to understand and deal with the awareness, needs, and interactions of those who are dying. Not only are there stories told throughout the book, there are also tips for one to help cope with knowing someone is dying and how to make their death a peaceful experience for everyone involved. It is important that everyone involved is at as much peace as the person dying in the
In this essay, the author
- Explains that final gifts, written by maggie callanan and patricia kelly, includes various stories detailing each of their life changing experiences with their patients.
- Explains that final gifts refers to the knowledge, love, and faith the dying person shares with the living within their last final moments.
- Explains the five stages of grief in final gifts: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
- Concludes that it is important to pay attention to what the patient is saying at all times. when a person is dying, they often don't know how to communicate and express what they need or feel.
- Opines that final gifts by maggie callanan and patricia kelley was interesting and made them realize that death can be a beautiful thing.
- Opines that final gifts was well written and easy to keep up with. the stories told by callanan and kelley were very in-depth and allowed the reader to understand the emotions behind each narrative.
1103 wordsRead More - Cancer: What Everyone Should Knowexplanatory essayCancer: What Everyone Should Know Cancer bombarded an estimate of 1,638,910 people in the United States alone and killed roughly 577,190 people (cancer.org). Nearly half of the people who were diagnosed with cancer died, why? It is not because Oncologists are not caring for the patients properly or that cancer research is not progressing. It is simply because awareness about cancer is at a bare minimum.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer bombarded 1,638,910 people in the united states alone and killed roughly 577,190 people. awareness about cancer is at a bare minimum.
- Explains that cancer is when a gene mutates and causes cells to multiply rapidly.
- Explains that the main cause of cancer has been around since the first person diagnosed with cancer. there are many explanations and hypothesis to what causes this vast group of diseases.
- Explains how cancer spreads through the human body. mutations in genes contribute to the development of tumors and many mutations occur over the years.
- Explains that as cancer becomes more prevalent, research and knowledge on the subject is being discovered faster than any other time throughout history.
- Explains that cancerous tumors are divided into three categories: carcinomas, sarcomas, and lymphomas.
- Explains that benign tumors are non-cancerous growths in the body, and do not spread to other parts.
- Explains radiation therapy, which uses high energy x-rays, electron beams or radioactive isotopes to kill cancer cells without exceeding sage doses. photon radiation is the most common type of radiotherapy.
- Explains that chemotherapy is the use of medicines and strong drugs to combat and treat the cancer.
- Explains that remission is the first five years after being diagnosed with cancer, and that there is no trace of cancer in the body.
- Opines that prevention is key to stopping cancer, and that research plays a monstrous role in bringing cancer down.
- Explains that advances in genome sequencing allow scientists to analyze dna of cancer cells much faster than just a few years ago.
- Opines that there are many misconceptions and myths about cancer, such as that chemo and radiation can cure cancer but it cannot cure it.
- Explains that cancer is a dreadful disease that many people aren't aware about, and that schools should be incorporating more in depth information about cancer in the curriculum.
- Opines that understanding cancer's causes, symptoms, and treatment could help prevent the development of cancer or help someone overcome its overwhelming struggles.
- Cites arbanas, caroline, "genetic errors identified in 12 major cancer types." sciencedaily.
- Explains that why do we need to be aware of childhood cancer anyway?
- Explains that frater, jamie, "top 10 misconceptions about cancer." listverse. n.p., 06 jun 2009.
- Opines that everyone's guide to cancer therapy: how cancer is diagnosed, treated, and managed day to day.
- Explains krans, brain. "benign tumors." healthlines rss news.
- Explains nathan-garner, laura, and mdanderson's "cancer myth busters."
- Analyzes neporent, liz, "cause for hope in fight against childhood cancer." abc news.
2363 wordsRead More - Cancer Essayexplanatory essayIntroduction The body is composed of cells. Normally, these cells divide at a composed and calculated manner. If cells die or are destroyed, the body creates more cells through the division of existing cells. However, occasionally, problems with some cells in the body may occur.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control and form new, abnormal cells.
- Explains the purpose of this paper, which is to describe the diagnosis and staging of cancer, and the side effects of the cancer treatment. staging allows doctors to accurately understand how far along the patient is in the illness.
- Explains the common elements considered in most staging systems are as follows: • site of the primary tumor and cell type (e.g. adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma); • regional lymph node involvement;
- Explains the tnm system, which is based off of certain requirements, including the size and extent of the primary tumor, the amount of spread to nearby lymph nodes, and the presence of metastasis.
- Explains that physical exams, laboratory tests, surgical reports, etc., can be used to determine the stage of the cancer in a patient.
- Explains that cancer can impact various parts of the body, and pain is one of its most evident complications.
- Explains that radiation and chemotherapy therapy can cause side effects such as irritated skin, throat pain, and hoarseness, as well as damage to other vital organs, including liver, brain, heart, bladder, digestive system, etc.
- Explains the various methods to lessen the physical and psychological effects of cancer, including exercise, sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet.
1094 wordsRead More - Cancer Essayexplanatory essayCancer Cancer is a broad category of the disease characterized by undefined outgrowth of cells that divide uncontrollably to form nasty tumors within an individual. The cancerous cells causing the tumors grow and divide creating new blood vessels to feed themselves in a process called angiogenesis (Veeratterapillay, 2012). The tumors often spread to other parts of the body swiftly due to the unregulated growth and dividing of the cells through the bloodstream or the lymphatic systems in the body (National Cancer Institute, 2014). These tumors grow relatively, destroy the health tissues in the body, and create interferences creating interferences that alter with normal body functions such as such as the digestive and the nervous system. The most vulnerable parts in the body that can easily beget the tumors include the breasts, lungs, cervices, colon, and rectum.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer is a broad category of the disease characterized by undefined outgrowth of cells that divide uncontrollably to form nasty tumors within an individual.
- Explains that the symptoms associated with cancer vary depending on the body part affected by the cancerous cells and the magnitude of the tumors.
- Explains that cancer is one of the major causes of deaths in the world amongst men and women.
- Explains that cancerous cells can affect any system within the body regardless of importance in bodily functions.
- Explains that the method of treatment for cancer depends on the type of cancer and the stage of the cancer in the body.
- Explains that chemotherapy is a treatment method that is used in the treatment of cancer.
1188 wordsRead More