Today was definitely a day like no other. I shadowed Dr. Eisenbeis, a doctor at the UNC Rex Hematology and Oncology Clinic. At the clinic, patients can receive chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments, as well as receive bloodwork and labs for various reasons. In fact, a majority of Dr. Eisenbeis’s patients don’t have cancer, they are just sent by their primary care doctor after observing abnormalities in their bloodwork or labs. The nurse practitioners are the ones who do most of the chemotherapy treatment and bloodwork, Dr. Eisenbeis mainly helps monitor patients’ wellbeing and helps diagnose different diseases as well.
An interesting thing I saw today was that there is actually a device, called a Dignicap, that helps cancer patients prevent hair loss during chemo treatment. It was quite interesting and is rather new, and in my opinion, is definitely a big game changer because many people are insecure about hair loss or they want to keep their cancer private, so this cap helps give them that choice. Dr. Eisenbeis explained that the cap basically uses cold water to help prevent the hair follicles from breaking, as chemo treatments cause a break in the hair, which is what causes the hair loss. I didn’t get to snap a picture, but it is basically the large yellow helmet that fits around a patient’s head during chemo treatment.
Overall, the day was very interesting and definitely widened my exposure and understanding of a career in oncology and just cancer in general. Treatment is very difficult because each person’s cancer is different and requires different attention and treatment. What really inspired me was how most of the patients are so well-spirited and gregarious, it made me feel like there’s no reason not to be happy and you can always find a reason to smile.
