Lake Norman Med-Surg week

My patient at Lake Norman was a 76 year-old man with recently diagnosed lung cancer. The cancer was discovered only four weeks ago, but it has already spread to his neck, shoulder, back, etc. According to his wife, he has gone downhill really fast, and they don't expect him to live more than three months. He also has a lot of other complications such as COPD, pneumonia, hypertension, and an extensive history of surgeries. As you might suspect, he was on a myriad of medications, so many in fact that it was a benefit vs. risk evaluation for the physician when making decisions regarding medical treatment for this patient. My patient and his wife were both really sweet to each other and everyone providing care. I really bonded with my patient and found myself becoming attached to him. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience.