“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectations of something better than tomorrow.” – Orioson Swett Marden
Great article, “The Role of Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Multiple Myeloma” over at The Myeloma Beacon authored by S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D. (a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. His research focuses on clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory research for myeloma and related disorders. Dr. Rajkumar writes a quarterly column for The Myeloma Beacon).
In the past, Dr. Rajkumar has expressed his opinion on the fence of delaying SCT, and QOL issues being of concern to him. I have always appreciated that he is very clear about “his opinion” while honestly and without bias, expressing the science and the debate. His recent article is, in my humble opinion, one of a physician that truly expresses his views while allowing for the patient to have the fullest story they can, and participating in the ownership their own decision for treatment.
In this day and age, with the internet and an active E-Patient environment, it is unfortunate when physicians don’t share up-to-date, factual information with their patients to enable them to be more proactive in their healthcare decisions, but instead directing them through the chute of “their” choice. It reminds me at times of when my children were little and I asked our then pediatrician about his thoughts on the vaccine debate. This was 24 years ago, and yes it was going on even then. His response to me was, “What debate?” Shocked I said, “Well, like children can have seizures if there is a family history.” He responded, “Oh, do you have that in your family?” Ok, he clearly was ignorant or arrogant, I decided, he was both, a very dangerous combination in any field. That was our last appointment with him. I prefer an open dialog with my doctor to tease out his thought processes and help me figure out mine. It helps me to know if he is up-to-date on what he is administering to me or my family. When a doctor freely shares with me that something is in debate and presents honestly without comment, both sides of the debate, I have great respect for him/her and a robust, insightful and enlightening conversation can then occur for me.
Anyway, great article by Dr. Rajkumar. Need more like him. Go over and have a read, please do leave a comment as it helps TMB and the “other” doctors to see what folks most want in their physicians and the dialog.
