To be, or not to be, that is the question

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether accept the fate and quietly suffer
The Slings and Arrows of unbearable pains,
Or to take Arms against the multiplying cells,
And by opposing  them with anticancer regimes

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

No more hope it is rather late, to say at end
The aches nausea the thousand mental shocks
That is my Flesh burnt by consummation
Devoutly I wished better to die and forever sleep,

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

To sleep, perchance to Dream of remote cure,
For in that sleep of death I see dreams may come,
When I have shuffled off this dreadful curse ,
I must give a pause. There's the hope of life.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

That makes Calamity of so long life
For who I bear the Whips and Scorns of cyto-toxins,
No one is  wrong, No one is right
But only I have to contemplate my plight

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

No Traveler  returns from the path I tread
The undiscovered country scares me not
Though false hope makes cowards of us all
Oh Lord, It is better to be dead than dying

“It is malignant”, “it has spread”, “there is metastasis”, or just “it is most probably ‘Cancer’”, these are the sentences which puts one in Hamlet’s position.

Hamlet was left to choose between seas of troubles- the slings and arrows, heart-aches and death. He was more worried about what lies ahead of him after he dies.

But for a Cancer patient, the greater worry is what lies ahead of him or her before he or she dies.

I am not against any cancer treatment be it chemotherapy, radio therapy, surgery or alternative medicine.  In my life, I have seen dear ones dying from cancer in spite of attempting the best possible treatments available as per modern science and also as per alternative medicines.

My cousin, age 49 was diagnosed of colon cancer last year. Various investigations showed that the disease had spread to other parts of her body.  A very senior cancer physician, Oncologists from Nanavati Hospital, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai wanted to start chemotherapy and radio therapy immediately.

“How much time you are giving to the patient, doctor?” I asked

“What do you mean?” snapped the doctor.

“How long do you think the patient will live with the treatment, and how long without the treatment?”

And to my surprise, the most distinguished oncologist replied, “six months to a year with treatment and may be six months to one year without.”

For me, doctor’s statement said it all. I brought my cousin home against medical advice. 

There was great hue and cry amongst all relatives on my so called irresponsible action.  All decisions were reconsidered and my cousin started chemotherapy at Raheja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai.

Six months later, after spending Rs900,000/-, 12 chemotherapy cycles, unimaginable, pain, nausea, loss of all hair and blacking of skin, she died.

My elder sister too died of pancreatic cancer. I shall narrate her story in some other post with different references.

The point I want to raise is: do we get a true picture when we go to our doctor/ hospital for cancer treatment?  Or, are we treated as guinea pigs for the newer molecules or treatments when these doctors and pharmaceutical companies themselves are not sure of what they are doing.

There are many ways to look at this situation. I agree that we cannot just give up and sit helplessly if one is diagnosed as a cancer patient.  At the same time, we must accept the inevitable fact and take proper course of action.

Even the person who is condemned to the gallows is in a better state of mind than a cancer patient. The uncertainty of life, constant fear of inevitable death with false glimmer of cure makes life miserable for the patient and for the persons associated emotionally with the patient.   I honestly feel that many cancer patients undergoing Chemo or radio therapy would agree with me.

“Oh Lord, It is better to be dead than dying”

This will be ongoing topic for many posts to come.

I sincerely invite reactions, criticism and also various experiences from all readers.

In my blog, I want to spread awareness about Symptoms, Causes and Prevention of various cancers.

I have dared to put in my words in Hamlet’s monologue and I hope I shall be pardoned for the same.

Happy Mind Is Healthy Mind