It's a Saturday evening and I'm sitting at the nursing station, ready to leave for home in the next 15 minutes. Engrossed in the thoughts of the recent events that took place on our unit, I feel emotionally overwhelmed and cannot help but gaze time and again at room number 10, the room of one of my most unforgettable patients. Ms A, a sweet lady in her 40s was admitted to our team with abdominal pain about three weeks ago. CT imaging of her abdomen revealed new masses. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of her periaortic lymph nodes confirmed a high-grade metastatic adenocarcinoma. No primary site could be identified. She was initiated on the first cycle of chemotherapy but her clinical status deteriorated rapidly with worsening dyspnea, diarrhea, intermittent fevers, and loss of appetite.
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