A physician as a cancer of the neck patient: getting irradiated

Abstract

This manuscript presents my personal experiences as a physician undergoing radiation therapy for throat cancer. I describe the physical and emotional effects of the radiation treatment and how I coped with them. The side effects that emerged during of the radiation treatment included: fatigue, mental cloudiness, pain and dryness in my throat, food aversion, inability to taste, and skin burning around the neck. It is my hope that both patients and health care providers will benefit from reading my personal story. I hope that my perspectives will assist individuals who undergo radiation treatment cope better with them. It is also my hope that health care professionals who care for these patients will gain insight into what their patients experience and feel so that they would be able to better assist them during this difficult time.