For my patient, I chose a breast cancer patient who is in the second stage of the disease. The patient is currently a thirty-year-old female. The patient is married and has two children, one who is six years old and the other four years old. The patient’s lab reports that as it is less than growth, it is small and still contained within the breast, and it extends to only the nearby lymph nodes. Her specific form of stage two cancer is 2B, which means that the size of the tumor is 2-5 centimeters in length. There are less than four lymph nodes that have been affected.
Monetary income is the total sum of money that a person receives as payment on a regular basis. The income includes taxes that have yet to be paid out and social expenditures. The patient is a casual worker. She does not currently have any permanent job with a stable income. Her level of income means she currently cannot afford insurance, and her current employer does not provide for it either. She can be classified as a lower middle-class earner, however. This is because, with the amount of work she currently does, juggling various jobs in a day, working for fourteen hours a day, she earns enough money to support herself and provide for all her needs and those of her family. Maxine, the cancer patient, has worked in many jobs, and she has sufficient experience in the job market. She initially worked at Walmart as an assistant, where she helped stock the shelves and make sure that the customers got the items they required within the store. She also worked in marketing for a long time, where she took part in product promotion and showed off her products at trade fairs, shows, and exhibitions. She comes from Texas, where most of her cultural influences may be traced back to. She likes eating a lot of steak. Some studies have shown meat to have some relation to cancer, especially when the animals that produce the meat are infected or exposed to excess chemicals.
In terms of access to the proper medical attention, Maxine has had many barriers that may stop her from being able to access the care that she so critically needs. She has two children who are both not old enough to be left on their own. This means she has to dedicate a lot of her time to taking care of the children, which leaves her with very little extra time. Furthermore, as a mother, she has many other duties that she has to attend to in her home. On the other hand, she also works for fourteen hours a day. This means she only has ten free hours daily to perform other duties. This tight schedule does not leave her with extra time, which she can then use to seek medical attention. From a financial standpoint, she is not any better. She has to pay for her rent or mortgage, pay for her kids’ school fees, and put food on the table. With her meager earnings, she is rarely left with a lot after expenditures. She does not have a medical cover either, and the current legislation has left her without it. This means every time she goes to the hospital, she has to pay for the medication, which for a cancer medication is very expensive.
For the patient to be able to control breast cancer, she should first understand the nature of the illness, treatment procedures, and the prognosis of the condition. Breast cancer, like cervical cancer, is one of the most common cancers among women. It is also one of the most deadly cancers in women after lung cancer. Breast cancer has been on the rise in the past decade, and in 2017, around 200000 new diagnoses of this illness were recorded, and an alarming number are also expected to die from the same. Breast cancer, though uncommon, can also attack men.
The causes of this condition still remain unclear, but a number of factors have been perceived as the likely causes of breast cancer. To begin with, it is Genetics. Just like diabetes and other genetic disorders, breast cancer is also genetically related. If one’s close relative has or has breast cancer, her chances of contracting the same are higher. For the patient, if she also sires a female, her risk of getting breast cancer is high. Secondly, is the age factor? As age increases, so does the chance of getting breast cancer. The probability of contracting breast cancer is six times higher in a 70-year-old female than in a 20-year-old one. Other causes include the level of alcohol consumption, body weight, and high density in breast tissues, among others.
Various symptoms are attributed to breast cancer, and these include:
- Morphing of the breast and change in size
- Rash or rashes on or around the nipple
- Reddening of the skin around the breast and on it
- Nipple discharge
- Swollen and painless lump under the arm
The patient should also be able to know the treatment procedures of breast cancer, which include surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and biological therapy.
The patient should be able to engage in self-care practices so as to control the condition. This includes modification of the diet and exercise.
The patient, who has two kids who are girls, should be able to modify their diet so as to decrease their chances of contracting the disease. This includes foods rich in fiber content, such as whole grains. She should also include milk, which is low-fat, in her diet. Foods rich in vitamin D should also be included in the patient’s diet. A wide array of fruits and vegetables have also been found to be beneficial in the fight against breast cancer. They comprise tomatoes, citrus fruits, carrots, kale, onions, and apples, among others.
Exercise is also key in patients with breast cancer. A middle-class person earning money should not focus on purchasing equipment such as treadmills and dumbbells but should rather focus on outdoor activities. After various medical procedures such as radiation therapy, exercise is key to help reduce side effects related to the procedure. Radiation therapy after surgery has been found to reduce arm mobility, and exercise helps one regain full use of one’s arms.
The middle-class earning patient has access to multiple healthcare services. The patient is able to undergo various procedures, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This is possible due to the patient’s comprehensive insurance coverage. The patient also has access to several support services which include counselling and nutrition services. The patient also has access to treatment plans, which are prepared by the practitioners and include frequent meetings with specialists. Due to the insurance coverage the patient has, she also has access to new and improved treatment options, such as clinical trials and medical combinations.
References
Cuzick, J. (2000). Future possibilities in the prevention of breast cancer: Breast cancer prevention trials. Breast Cancer Research, 2(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/bcr66
Du, L., Dewally, M., Shao, Y., & Singer, D. (2016). Banking and income inequality of the American community: an analysis. Banks And Bank Systems, 11(1), 52-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/bbs.11(1).2016-06
Erban, J., Smith, B., & Taghian, A. (2010). Breast cancer. New York: Demos Medical Pub.
Glied, S., & Smith, P. The Oxford handbook of health economics.
