Oncology Experience and Personal Health Behavior - Essay Example

"Oncology Experience and Personal Health Behavior" is a good example of a paper on cancer. The patient's name is Elaine Omarley who is a twenty-nine years old female diagnosed with a hematological malignancy in the form of acute myeloid leukemia. The patient has been experiencing complications from the disorder of late and has had to be transferred from hospital A to B after she experienced seizures after dinner with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend stated that she began to experience facial twitches before being unresponsive and entering tonic-clonic seizures. The patient does not recall any of the previously stated events. She also stated that she was experiencing gingival bleeding which she attempted to treat with baking soda as she thought it was gingivitis. However, bleeding continued and was noticeable after brushing her teeth. The pathology is required chemotherapeutic treatment which was the reason for the patient to visit the hospital. The patient has prescribed a treatment cycle of twenty-three days. The treatment regime is a combinative therapy which is comprised of morphine fifteen milligrams for pain relief. The patient is also on lorazepam one milligram which is used to treat her anxiety and nausea. She also receives eight milligrams of arsenic trioxide, a chemotherapeutic drug that is administered over a period of two hours.

            The patient understands her conditions and its seriousness and has come to terms with what she needs to do for a better prognosis. She also understands the severity of her conditions and the possible side effects that can arise from the treatment. She also understands that there are aspects of her disease that are within her control and those that are not within her means. Therefore, on the health belief model, the patient is likely to engage in health-promoting behavior that will help her improve her condition and make the treatment more effective (Becker, 1974).

            Unfortunately, the patient does not have a very strong support system and this is likely to affect her psychological well being. Currently, she lives with her boyfriend. Her parents are still alive and she also has a brother, however, their relationship is very strained and they keep very little contact. Fortunately, she does not live very far from the hospital where she receives chemotherapy however; she requires some transportation to her place of care.

            The patient also has a very positive character which helps her cope with her current condition. However, sometimes she depends on her boyfriend for support. She also a member of different cancer support groups and these provide her with both comfort and advice on ways to improve her well being.

            The patient is in good spiritual status for someone with her condition. However, it is clear that at times she withholds her emotions inside and it would help if her family members and other people around her were more supportive. She is also in an unsatisfactory mood before taking her chemotherapy as she is aware of the side effects from this medication which are unbearable and include headaches, muscle aches, nausea, malaise, and many other health implications that affect her mood and everyday life.