We are reading Gulliver’s Travels with the kids. In it Jonathan Swift describes doctors and medicine. He doesn't have much good to say. He talks about doctors making disgusting medications from vile things in order to cause vomiting and evacuations. Overall, his opinion seemed to be that physicians made things worse, rather than better, especially with their "imaginary cures" for "imaginary illnesses." He also mentions that many illnesses were lifestyle-based -- related to excessive food, drink and laziness.
I like to think that we have come a long way in the medical arena in the last 400 years, and in a million ways we have. We can cure things that physicians in the 17th century couldn’t even diagnose, surgery and medicines are safer and more effective and we have the ability to prevent many diseases.
But I am not sure that Rev. Swift’s observations would be entirely out of place in a modern context. A lot of treatments and medications still come under the umbrella of what my mother’s chemo nurse called “friendly fire.” I saw this not only in my mother’s trial with chemo and then radiation, but also with my son’s recent antibiotic therapy.
The side effects of cancer treatment – fatigue, nausea, hearing loss—can be nasty. For many thousands they are worth it in the end. That wasn’t the case with my mother who is now on hospice treatment. I am grateful we had the chance to try to get past her disease. We know we did everything we could.
In my son’s case, we allowed the doctor’s at Children’s Hospital to do as they thought best. They prescribed antibiotics targeted at the specific bug that was making him so sick. In the hospital, I didn’t worry about them. While I wouldn’t make different choices, I think I am glad I didn’t know what I have learned since.
Here are some quotes from a website about his medications:
"Because [name of drug] therapy has been associated with severe colitis which may end fatally, it should be reserved for serious infections where less toxic antimicrobial agents are inappropriate, as described in the INDICATIONS section."
Intravenous [name of drug] has been associated with a higher incidence of hepatotoxicity than [names of other drugs], or other intravenous antimicrobials in children. The onset of hepatitis occurred after 6 to 43 days of [name of drug} treatment."
Jordan actually now has a seriously lowered white count because of one of his antibiotics. His iron count is down also. Despite the probiotics he is taking he is experiencing diarrhea.
Scary, eh? Still, he needed those meds. Without them, he may well not have survived. It has made me very thankful that I live in this time and not centuries or even decades ago,
In the future, I hope medical research invents and discovers less “toxic” means of treating cancer and serious infections. In the meantime, we work with what we have and thank God he has given us so much knowledge.
I like to think that we have come a long way in the medical arena in the last 400 years, and in a million ways we have. We can cure things that physicians in the 17th century couldn’t even diagnose, surgery and medicines are safer and more effective and we have the ability to prevent many diseases.
But I am not sure that Rev. Swift’s observations would be entirely out of place in a modern context. A lot of treatments and medications still come under the umbrella of what my mother’s chemo nurse called “friendly fire.” I saw this not only in my mother’s trial with chemo and then radiation, but also with my son’s recent antibiotic therapy.
The side effects of cancer treatment – fatigue, nausea, hearing loss—can be nasty. For many thousands they are worth it in the end. That wasn’t the case with my mother who is now on hospice treatment. I am grateful we had the chance to try to get past her disease. We know we did everything we could.
In my son’s case, we allowed the doctor’s at Children’s Hospital to do as they thought best. They prescribed antibiotics targeted at the specific bug that was making him so sick. In the hospital, I didn’t worry about them. While I wouldn’t make different choices, I think I am glad I didn’t know what I have learned since.
Here are some quotes from a website about his medications:
"Because [name of drug] therapy has been associated with severe colitis which may end fatally, it should be reserved for serious infections where less toxic antimicrobial agents are inappropriate, as described in the INDICATIONS section."
Intravenous [name of drug] has been associated with a higher incidence of hepatotoxicity than [names of other drugs], or other intravenous antimicrobials in children. The onset of hepatitis occurred after 6 to 43 days of [name of drug} treatment."
Jordan actually now has a seriously lowered white count because of one of his antibiotics. His iron count is down also. Despite the probiotics he is taking he is experiencing diarrhea.
Scary, eh? Still, he needed those meds. Without them, he may well not have survived. It has made me very thankful that I live in this time and not centuries or even decades ago,
In the future, I hope medical research invents and discovers less “toxic” means of treating cancer and serious infections. In the meantime, we work with what we have and thank God he has given us so much knowledge.
Well spoken, Melinda. As usual.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDelete