Cancer in Pregnancy; A Young Mother Fights for Her Life

by Larry Puls @larrypulsauthor

Pregnancy and Cancer

Even now, I still remember the unspeakable sadness and the tragic outcome. It was twenty years ago, and counting. The events still flash back into my mind every time I walk onto the floor where the saga culminated... And ended... The beginning of the two-year journey started something like this--as my mind remembers it anyway: A colleague called and asked me to see a patient she believed had cancer... And was thirty-six weeks pregnant. 

Within an hour, a young woman walked into our facility. She was graced with beautiful long blonde hair, a subtle trace of a German accent, and a very gravid abdomen. Her pleasant smile and handshake could not hide the trepidation I sensed was trickling through her veins. I'm just sure that that morning when she woke, her life had felt so full of promise. And now in the blink of an eye, it was marked with a growing sense of uncertainty.

Remission; A Cause for Celebration

By Larry Puls @larrypulsauthor

Remission from Cancer, Celebration

Remission. A coveted word. The sought-after goal. A destination that encapsulates both hope and light in the midst of a precarious future.

Over my career, I have witnessed numerous reactions to that word, to that idea. And in all those observations, one thing I have undoubtedly learned was that achieving remission could incite unpredictable responses.

Walking into the room, I had finished studying the chart and her CT scans. I was hopeful that her chemotherapy was now relegated to the past. Remission, which is what I was hoping for, had at one time seemed almost untenable. But now I had a hunch it might happen. Call it the oncologist's sixth sense. We had likely achieved what initially seemed impossible. The patient sitting before me was probably wondering where our conversation would go. In some ways, I wondered too.

Supporting Women with Ovarian Cancer; A South Carolina Foundation

by Larry Puls  @larrypulsauthor

Ovarian Cancer, Patient Support

Today I am going to do something a little different. Normally, this blog is dedicated to telling medical stories (usually about cancer) from both the physician’s vantage point and from the patients’. Hopefully, the tales will be heart felt, often informative, and at times may deal with some complicated subjects (that is life's journey). My sagas will always be sprinkled with a dash of emotion and may even require some kleenex. I will commonly bring to light the personal side of cancer, from the individual stories I have been allowed to watch. But today, I will take a slight detour and pause from my normal conversation in order to relate to you a story about a most inspiring collection of individuals. These people have done a beautiful work, bringing increasing awareness to an often-ignored malignant process, ovarian cancer. This story is being told by me today to bring more “voice to the silence”. 

A Step of Faith; Allowing the Chemotherapy to Flow

By Larry Puls @larrypulsauthor

Fear of Chemotherapy; Ovarian Cancer

I sit across from a widow. A new patient. A terrified face. Tears filling her eyes. Somehow, I think she knows where this conversation will land. I utter the first word concerning her treatment—chemotherapy. Before I even make it to the last syllable, her head drops and she shivers. A weighted tear hits her lap. Her daughter reaches over and offers a hug. The start of a journey.

I explain the dreaded C-word. But her preconceived fears about that topic cannot be erased. She tunes me out. I now witness a mind heading to default. I try to soften the blow, but my efforts fail. Paralysis owns her.