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For Providers > Charlie Case

Charlie

Charlie saw his doctor last week because he was feeling more sluggish than usual and he had a persistent cough for the last few months that he just couldn't seem to get rid of. At the appointment, he had several tests done including some blood work and an MRI.

The next day, Charlie received a call from his doctor's nurse. "Charlie, Dr. Smith has received your test results and would like you to come in for a follow-up appointment to discuss the results." She transfered him to the front desk, and Charlie made the appointment. He felt a pit in his stomach, but he thought he was just being silly.

When Charlie arrived at the doctor's office, his anxiety returned. When the doctor came in with another doctor, he suspected that it was not good news. "It was good you came in when you did," Dr. Smith told him, holding up a chest film. "The MRI showed several small tumors in your right lung. This is Dr. King, an oncologist here at the hospital."

At this point, Charlie's panic took over. On the outside, Charlie remained calm and collected while the oncologist spoke. "Now it isn't clear whether the tumors are malignant. We'll need to take a biopsy from the tumors to rule it out," said Dr. King, in as hopeful a voice as possible. "If it did turn out to be cancer," he continued, "It looks as though it is isolated in your lung. Chances were good that it will respond to treatment."

All Charlie heard was "cancer" and "lung" and he was flooded with all the news reports he had heard about the devastating effects of lung cancer. As Dr. King spoke, all Charlie heard was "blah, blah, blah CANCER..." He didn't know much about cancer and felt that all his questions were stupid. He made an appointment for the biopsy for later in the week and went home in a daze.

When he got home, Charlie told his wife that he he had lung cancer and was scheduled for surgery later in the week. After a brief stunned silence, his wife broke down. Then they began the hard process of breaking the news to their two teenage daughters.