We had the privilege of caring for Mrs. P. and supporting her husband through the difficult course of cancer care from diagnosis until she died. She always came to her appointments smiling, dressed in her finest outfits, with meticulous makeup and styled wig, despite an exhausting 2-hour drive from her home 90 miles away. When asked how she was doing, she always responded "Oh, I'm, fine; I'm okey-dokey." On occasion she would say, "I am a little queasy" or "I have a little ache here or there" but would always end her statements with, "Oh, its nothing, I'm fine." When encouraged to expand on her little aches or queasiness, she minimized her symptoms, and was reluctant to take medications because her "symptoms were not that bad." Our team worked to try to alleviate reported symptoms but also recognized her need to have control over her experience.
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