A veterinarian diagnosed with cancer offers pet advice and tips!

Her cancer was discovered during the annual checkup that is customary in the field of gynecology.

During surgery, it was discovered that the cancer had secretly grown outside of her uterus to her uterosacral ligament. As a result, she had to go through 25 doses of radiation and “a whole amount of chemotherapy,”

. It’s highly possible that the surgeon’s observation of the teeny-tiny metastasis saved her life.

The veterinarian, although having spent her entire career to the treatment of cancer, struggled to come to terms with her own illness until she found that she could draw strength from her patients who were animals and from her own family’s pets.

She discussed her experience with TODAY, which was as follows:

Why does cancer strike such a high percentage of living things?

Cancer occurring in both people and animals should not come as a shock to anyone. Every single day, we make a few insignificant modifications to our DNA.

Quite frequently, our body is able to either repair the broken strand of DNA or put a stop to the division of the affected cell.

Both animals and people, as they age, experience a slowing of the mechanisms that repair damage and a diminished ability to even recognize when they have made a mistake.

Sometimes, though, that cell does not die and eventually develops into cancer. It is now capable of dividing in an uncontrollable manner.

In both dogs and cats, lymphoma is the most frequent form of cancer.

The vast majority of the medications that we employ are virtually identical to those that are administered to patients, but in far higher or lower doses. Dogs, thankfully, suffer from different or fewer adverse effects than humans.

I had no problem uttering the word “cancer” in front of my patients, but when it was directed toward me, I felt my knees go weak and I didn’t want to be associated with that illness. I referred to it as “the C word.” Because it is now written with a lowercase “c,” I am assigning it less importance.

If we were having this conversation in person, I’d give it the finger right between the eyes.

 

This organization provides persons with impairments with the opportunity to partner with service animals. 

What differences did you notice between human medicine and animal medicine as a patient?

I think that knowledge is power, so when someone comes in with their pet, I inform them about the ailment and the available treatment choices.

We discuss the many adverse effects, as well as the differences in prognosis and cost. Thus, they will be able to make the greatest decision for their pet and their family.

When we see our doctor, we are generally offered a single treatment plan, which we blindly adhere to. We are not offered the available alternatives. We are not informed of the various processes and what they could be. It was more difficult for me to simply follow along blindly.

Another challenging aspect for me was that none of my doctors ever discussed prognosis. In veterinary medicine, it is common to state that, for the average dog, a certain percentage will enter remission, and that this remission will last a specific number of months or years.

No one, including the surgeon, radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist, would answer my question. Their reasoning, which I can appreciate, was that it doesn’t matter what the majority do; what matters is what you do.

It does not matter what the averages are if you are among the 10% who perform really poorly or the 20% who defy all chances.

My hunch is that if they informed you it wasn’t going to be amazing, you would enter with a negative attitude, whereas you should always have a positive outlook.

What lessons did you learn about surviving your therapy from your animal patients?

We can employ dogs as guides during our hardships.

They seldom squander time with anxiety. I attempt to constantly remind myself: What has worrying ever accomplished for me? It is our method of attempting to control something over which we have no authority.

However, such negative energy simply helps to bring us down, particularly during times of stress or difficulty.

I am certain that my dog is delighted every morning when the sun rises. It is simply a more nicer and better way to live.

We have dogs living with us who demonstrate this on a daily basis, so perhaps we should just remember to halt and gaze at them as a reminder.

Another lesson is that dogs never pass judgment on humans. It makes no difference if you recently lost your job or made a mistake and felt like an idiot. They never pass judgment. I have an inner voice that may be really harsh and critical of me.

Sometimes she won’t stop talking, which is not a healthy way to live. It serves no purpose other than to tear us down. Never do dogs have that. When I was lying on the couch with chemo hair glued to my head, my dog stared at me with the same adoration as before.

Dogs accept us as we are, allowing us to be ourselves. It should be OK for us to love, accept, and cherish ourselves inside.