But I am definitely not the same woman as I was two years ago. Being a physician has indeed helped me some, but it has also been a handicap. It HAS been an advantage to be able to review my scans with the radiologists after they're done, to have a reasonable idea of what they're talking about. One night, depressed that my post-radiation scan earlier in the day showed a new lesion that looked like a donut, I was studying my new scan at home and realized that the donut was a scar along the biopsy tract. But having an MD has been a handicap, as well.
Most patients receive concrete guidelines about time off from work, activities, etc. after surgery.
More profoundly, my experience as a patient affected me as a person and physician. So, I started to seek ways to heal my mind, heart and spirit. I began to read books by Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra and Bernie Siegel. I listened to imagery tapes and attended the San Diego Brain Tumor Support Group. I began seeing an acupuncturist, initially to relieve chronic sinus discomfort, but then to learn from her as I found her to be one of the most spiritual people I'd ever met.