Today we had a visit from a very special patient, an individual with a history of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Listening to her story definitely helped to put the laundry lists of drugs and diseases we have to know into perspective. The disease and treatment courses are long, painful, and sometimes dismal, but this patient showed a resolve and strength that was truly inspiring.
Put simply (even though nothing is ever simple), leukemias are a group of cancers that arise in the bone marrow. Progenitor cells are damaged and this leads to proliferation of abnormal cells. This leads to a "full" appearance of the bone marrow. Because the bone marrow is stuffed with abnormal cells, synthesis of cells normally made in the bone marrow suffers. A decrease in red blood cells, white cells, and/or platelets may lead to anemia, infection, and impaired clotting, respectively. This is manifested by the disease symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, bleeding, bruising, fever, weight loss, bone pain, etc.
Luckily, there are treatment options for leukemia, and in our patients case, it seems as though she has made a full recovery. It is great to see patients before the advent of our clinical years, since I feel this allows us a constant link to reality while we bury ourselves in textbooks. Also, the emotion we link to a patient and their story helps us to remember the details come exam time. The hippocampus is right next to the amygdala, after all.
Photo is a bone marrow aspirate of an individual with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment