Doctor at National Cancer Center

My younger sister called this morning. She was very distressed and emotional. She was sobbing and incoherent. Her doctor just told she will die. She just finished her followup visit with her doctor at National Cancer Center. I had to calm her down before she can tell what had transpired between her and her doctor, a Senior Consultant. My sister was going for her 2nd course of Chemotherapy. She was warded to General Hospital two weeks after her first chemo for fever. Her white blood cells(WBC) count were low. She was given a drug to stimulate white blood cells production. This drug has cause lots of pain to her bones - hip, spine and all the joints.

The Senior Consultant, a female doctor told my sister that she is prescribing the drug for stimulating WBC. My sister thinking of the pain she has gone through asked if possible to avoid taking this drug. Maybe if the blood test shows the WBC count is low, then she will take the drug. The Senior Consultant look at her straight into her eyes and said if you don't take this drug you will die. This is so traumatic to the patient. She is at a weak emotional state first discovering she has cancer, then having her breast removed and worrying and wandering why all this has happened to her...

I wonder what kind of doctor she is. Why is she so callous? Did she has a bad day? Why would someone who is supposed to save lives be out to cause such emotional distress? Is it because my sister is a subsidised patient? Maybe she is in the wrong profession...

My elderest sister called me in the evening. She told me my younger sister is still crying... I drop by to visit her right away. She is an emotional wreck. My heart bleeds for her. My wife and I stay with her for an hour. We talk and she improved and calm down.

I am so sorry my younger sister has this doctor.