TREATMENT NIGHTMARES – PAEDIATRICS
The prevalent treatment over the last many decades for cancer has been found to be very difficult to cope up with. The patient is emotionally and physically traumatised and there is a sense of hopelessness among them.
A cancer diagnosis can be shocking to say the least. Feeling of depression, fear and anxiety are common and normal responses for everyone involved. Unfortunately, the mental health of the patient is often overlooked, as is the mental well-being of those around them.
There is a strong need to review this approach, however there is an enormous scope to consider any alternative approach to avoid this painful method.
One of the most challenging situations is in case of paediatric patients. Their innocence is shaken and confidence shaken by the pain and sufferings that come with the available therapies.
PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS
- Chemo intolerability- the known side effects like nausea, loose motions, vomiting, recurrent hospitalization is similar to the adults.
- The cancer types most prevalent at a young age are brain cancer, lymphoma and leukaemia.
- The bone marrow transplant, the maintenance chemotherapy makes the children extremely vulnerable to fear, irritability.
- The children are seen to cry out of fear and pain, palpable to the family as well as the doctors.
- Injectable medicines come with their own set of side effects. The children are deprived of being their usual playing nature.
- A major problem with children is that they cannot express themselves and are unable to communicate their anguish. The doctor therefore must be sensitive to the emotional needs of the child as he administers his treatment.
- Clinical trials are not sufficiently available as per research study since the young patients are unwilling for the trials. It also becomes ethically disputable whether to administer medicines to the patients of paediatric age which could possibly show adverse ramifications.
- The cancer at paediatric age often shows late presentation of symptoms and therefore a delayed diagnosis. This often worsens the situation and a late-stage cancer patient is found to be more difficult for management.
- There is often seen a distinct lack of education of parents and in many cases, a limited access to healthcare. The patients are often found to come from less fortunate backgrounds to comprehend the situation.
- The socio- economic environment in many cases is found lacking in contributing to challenges of the treatment.
- Patients often refuse to continue treatment and this becomes a major cause of concern for paediatric cancer treatment. The reasons behind it are economic or the sufferings of the child is unbearable for the parents.
Rasayu Opines
Rasayu Cancer Clinic is sensitive to the needs of our young patients. They are made to understand that there are no more injectables, in fact, only oral medicines that are to be taken mixed in honey. There is no hospitalization, no hospital beds to get into, but, in fact, to live in the comfort of your own home in the midst of the loved ones.