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A bit of a sore throat: Throat cancer and its treatment: a patient's perspective.
A patient's perspective on throat cancer and its treatment.I don’t know your reason for looking at my book, but before going any further, I do hope it’s not because you or a person close to you has cancer; it’s a horrible disease. My story is about my own experience of stage 4 throat cancer and what I have learned by researching - I’m not an expert; this isn’t a medical textbook and my description won’t necessarily match how things go for other people, but it should give you some insight and forewarning of what to expect. Some of it was frustrating, some painful and surprisingly other parts which went far better than I expected. This book is what I would have been very happy to read before the start of my encounter with cancer. Despite the serious nature of the topic, I think you'll find plenty of moments which make you laugh.
A review
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable and humorous medical memoir
"I’m giving this book five stars because the subject is so important and because I loved the writing. Yes, it’s a medical memoir; but much more than that.
One of the first section headings ‘ this book may contain jokes.’ I didn’t expect that, given the subject matter, but Mr Leslie does not disappoint. There are many laugh-out-loud moments.
This memoir of a serious health condition comes from an observant and witty raconteur, despite the distress he suffers from his diagnosis and treatment.
Leslie, who constantly asks questions and does not accept pat responses, makes clear his debt to the NHS. This despite the occasional inefficiencies he points out. Between the jokes and the medical memoir there were good suggestions about ways the administration of the NHS might be improved; how to reduce the number of late diagnoses.
Best of all is his take on how to read the reviews of hospitals and cancer services because nowadays we have more choice than heretofore; and more than most people realise. And he has ideas on how the NHS might persuade more patients to respond to requests for feedback.
There are sections ‘for nerds only’ where the author goes into technical detail. For example, exactly how does radiotherapy kill cancer cells? The ‘nerds only’ warning was I’m not about to undergo such treatment but if I were, that would have been a must-read for me.
Leslie clearly talks to everyone he meets. Not just the consultants and other doctors but nurses, bus-drivers, porters. And those conversations, not just chit-chat, inform his opinions and shine some light into how an overstretched service functions. I liked his hilarious mini-travel ‘how to get from Bristol Royal Infirmary to the (very adjacent) oncology department – a guide for pedestrians.’ It’s complicated, stressful for a patient, and inadequately signposted, so he makes a joke of it. But that’s what we do best in this country, isn’t it?
The outcomes of his own research into such matters as cancer survival rates, not just for his own condition, were an eye-opener for me. He’s worked out what would have been the cost just of his scans (more than £18,000) if healthcare were totally privatised. And that’s not including the radiotherapy and the hospital stays. So his fear of the wish in some quarters for a greater sell-off of NHS services to prioritise profit over care is understandable.
In erudition lightly worn, with wit, keen observation and a gift for storytelling. A medical memoir with jokes.
A review
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable and humorous medical memoir
"I’m giving this book five stars because the subject is so important and because I loved the writing. Yes, it’s a medical memoir; but much more than that.
One of the first section headings ‘ this book may contain jokes.’ I didn’t expect that, given the subject matter, but Mr Leslie does not disappoint. There are many laugh-out-loud moments.
This memoir of a serious health condition comes from an observant and witty raconteur, despite the distress he suffers from his diagnosis and treatment.
Leslie, who constantly asks questions and does not accept pat responses, makes clear his debt to the NHS. This despite the occasional inefficiencies he points out. Between the jokes and the medical memoir there were good suggestions about ways the administration of the NHS might be improved; how to reduce the number of late diagnoses.
Best of all is his take on how to read the reviews of hospitals and cancer services because nowadays we have more choice than heretofore; and more than most people realise. And he has ideas on how the NHS might persuade more patients to respond to requests for feedback.
There are sections ‘for nerds only’ where the author goes into technical detail. For example, exactly how does radiotherapy kill cancer cells? The ‘nerds only’ warning was I’m not about to undergo such treatment but if I were, that would have been a must-read for me.
Leslie clearly talks to everyone he meets. Not just the consultants and other doctors but nurses, bus-drivers, porters. And those conversations, not just chit-chat, inform his opinions and shine some light into how an overstretched service functions. I liked his hilarious mini-travel ‘how to get from Bristol Royal Infirmary to the (very adjacent) oncology department – a guide for pedestrians.’ It’s complicated, stressful for a patient, and inadequately signposted, so he makes a joke of it. But that’s what we do best in this country, isn’t it?
The outcomes of his own research into such matters as cancer survival rates, not just for his own condition, were an eye-opener for me. He’s worked out what would have been the cost just of his scans (more than £18,000) if healthcare were totally privatised. And that’s not including the radiotherapy and the hospital stays. So his fear of the wish in some quarters for a greater sell-off of NHS services to prioritise profit over care is understandable.
In erudition lightly worn, with wit, keen observation and a gift for storytelling. A medical memoir with jokes.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2022
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July 4, 2024
The proverbial "checkered" past.
We've all heard or read of someone with a checkered past. This author's past is so checkered it could be cut up and used to start ten seasons of Nascar races with some left over. He's been married and divorced twice. The second divorce ended in him being homeless for some time (Covered in another Kindle book.)
He has children (number never specified) and at least one grandchild. One son lives in Germany and has some contact with his father. He's lived in France and at least one other country, but he can't talk about that since he was there illegally. At 75, he's back home, presumably to take advantage of the free National Health Service.
He never tells us what work he did, except to say that he has little formal education, but considers himself a scientist. One story about his teen years has him attending what sounds like a private boys' school. His childhood may have been unhappy (mother was clinically depressed and sometimes suicidal; witchy grandmother called him "Satan's child") but he wasn't economically deprived.
He mentions that his work history was "sketchy", which he blames on his habit of speaking his mind. He says that also caused both marriages to end badly. He's a fast man with a one-liner, a talent not always appreciated by angry wives or tired medical personnel.
He reminds me of Groucho Marx, who claimed that his habit of making inappropriate jokes at the worst possible times resulted in three divorces and a near arrest by U.S. customs agents. At least Marx made a living with his wit. This author wasn't so lucky. Then he got cancer.
I bought this book because it looked amusing and because there are very few stories of serious illness written by men. Women "share." Men have another drink and try to forget. I was also interested in a story about getting medical care (a LOT Of it) during the worst of the Covid pandemic. Many of us postponed care during that time, but he had no choice.
His cancer went undiagnosed for months because of atypical symptoms. Finally a scan revealed throat cancer. He's angry that his doctors didn't act sooner. Cancer rates and deaths are rising and there's a push to diagnose cancers earlier, but (so far) little has been done. Cancer rates and deaths among young people are rising in the U.S., but our system only promotes testing of seniors on Medicare. Young folks can't afford the price or the time from work.
On the other side of the Atlantic, doctors hesitate to order tests because they work for the government and are rated on how well they keep down expenses. In the U.S. doctors are quick to test because they're afraid of getting sued and because they work for hospitals or clinics that make money from those tests. They're rated on how much income they generate. Americans are (definitely) over tested and our former rulers are (maybe) undertested. Which is worse?
He claims the greatest risk factors for throat cancer are heavy alcohol consumption, diet, and obesity. He pleads guilty to the first two, but says the medical profession should strongly warn the public of the dangers of obesity. He says he didn't know he was so obese and didn't know obesity is a risk factor for cancer.
Here's the shocker (for me, anyway.) Early in the book, he says he weighs 170 kg. Not being on speaking terms with the metric system, I used an on-line converter and almost fell out of my chair when it said 376 lbs! I'm overweight enough to affect my energy and stamina, so I can't cast stones. But unless this man is seven feet tall, he must look like he should be on ropes floating over the Macy's Day Parade. How could he NOT see that as a problem?
Even more astonishing are his stories of getting to the hospital for treatments. A non-driver, he was forced to take a bus (or cab, if the bus didn't show up) to the foot of a steep hill and walk the rest of the way to the hospital. That's a trot that would be difficult for me and I'm not close to 376 lbs.
Not at all surprising is that he welcomed the weight loss from his radiation treatments, although his "team" was concerned about him losing weight too quickly. Cancer is a brutal weight-loss plan.
I join him in his dislike for the "Fat is Beautiful" movement. This PC silliness is particularly harmful for minorities. In the U.S., being overweight is more culturally acceptable in the African-American, Hispanic, and Native American communities. This MUST have some bearing on the fact that those communities are many times more likely to get cancer and to die from cancer than Caucasians and Asians. There are times when we shouldn't "feel good about ourselves" and that's one of them.
I also agree with him that there's nothing like talking to a friend (even a newly acquired one) who's survived treatment for the same cancer. He complains that medical personnel gave him generalities ("everyone is different") when he wanted specifics on what odds he has of surviving, of suffering specific side effects, etc. To me, the practice of medicine is still more of an art than a science and maybe that will never change.
I was impressed by his description of the matching uniforms worn by various medical specialties. In the U.S. ratty scrubs seem acceptable for all groups. Sadly, even women doctors wear scrubs, while male ones look professional in dress shirts and slacks and white coats with their names on them. Ladies, we CAN do better!
I like that he gives full credit to the NHS, as do most of his countrymen. Americans are convinced that people in countries with "socialized medicine" hate their systems, but that's not true. Judging from what I read and hear, Americans are more disastisfied with their medical care than Europeans and Canadians.
Sometimes his story is choppy and disjointed, but I skipped the parts I wasn't interested in. I like his snarky humor and his "world view." Through experience and some hard knocks, he's gained compassion and a sense of humanity. I'm impressed enough that I'm going to read his other book.
We've all heard or read of someone with a checkered past. This author's past is so checkered it could be cut up and used to start ten seasons of Nascar races with some left over. He's been married and divorced twice. The second divorce ended in him being homeless for some time (Covered in another Kindle book.)
He has children (number never specified) and at least one grandchild. One son lives in Germany and has some contact with his father. He's lived in France and at least one other country, but he can't talk about that since he was there illegally. At 75, he's back home, presumably to take advantage of the free National Health Service.
He never tells us what work he did, except to say that he has little formal education, but considers himself a scientist. One story about his teen years has him attending what sounds like a private boys' school. His childhood may have been unhappy (mother was clinically depressed and sometimes suicidal; witchy grandmother called him "Satan's child") but he wasn't economically deprived.
He mentions that his work history was "sketchy", which he blames on his habit of speaking his mind. He says that also caused both marriages to end badly. He's a fast man with a one-liner, a talent not always appreciated by angry wives or tired medical personnel.
He reminds me of Groucho Marx, who claimed that his habit of making inappropriate jokes at the worst possible times resulted in three divorces and a near arrest by U.S. customs agents. At least Marx made a living with his wit. This author wasn't so lucky. Then he got cancer.
I bought this book because it looked amusing and because there are very few stories of serious illness written by men. Women "share." Men have another drink and try to forget. I was also interested in a story about getting medical care (a LOT Of it) during the worst of the Covid pandemic. Many of us postponed care during that time, but he had no choice.
His cancer went undiagnosed for months because of atypical symptoms. Finally a scan revealed throat cancer. He's angry that his doctors didn't act sooner. Cancer rates and deaths are rising and there's a push to diagnose cancers earlier, but (so far) little has been done. Cancer rates and deaths among young people are rising in the U.S., but our system only promotes testing of seniors on Medicare. Young folks can't afford the price or the time from work.
On the other side of the Atlantic, doctors hesitate to order tests because they work for the government and are rated on how well they keep down expenses. In the U.S. doctors are quick to test because they're afraid of getting sued and because they work for hospitals or clinics that make money from those tests. They're rated on how much income they generate. Americans are (definitely) over tested and our former rulers are (maybe) undertested. Which is worse?
He claims the greatest risk factors for throat cancer are heavy alcohol consumption, diet, and obesity. He pleads guilty to the first two, but says the medical profession should strongly warn the public of the dangers of obesity. He says he didn't know he was so obese and didn't know obesity is a risk factor for cancer.
Here's the shocker (for me, anyway.) Early in the book, he says he weighs 170 kg. Not being on speaking terms with the metric system, I used an on-line converter and almost fell out of my chair when it said 376 lbs! I'm overweight enough to affect my energy and stamina, so I can't cast stones. But unless this man is seven feet tall, he must look like he should be on ropes floating over the Macy's Day Parade. How could he NOT see that as a problem?
Even more astonishing are his stories of getting to the hospital for treatments. A non-driver, he was forced to take a bus (or cab, if the bus didn't show up) to the foot of a steep hill and walk the rest of the way to the hospital. That's a trot that would be difficult for me and I'm not close to 376 lbs.
Not at all surprising is that he welcomed the weight loss from his radiation treatments, although his "team" was concerned about him losing weight too quickly. Cancer is a brutal weight-loss plan.
I join him in his dislike for the "Fat is Beautiful" movement. This PC silliness is particularly harmful for minorities. In the U.S., being overweight is more culturally acceptable in the African-American, Hispanic, and Native American communities. This MUST have some bearing on the fact that those communities are many times more likely to get cancer and to die from cancer than Caucasians and Asians. There are times when we shouldn't "feel good about ourselves" and that's one of them.
I also agree with him that there's nothing like talking to a friend (even a newly acquired one) who's survived treatment for the same cancer. He complains that medical personnel gave him generalities ("everyone is different") when he wanted specifics on what odds he has of surviving, of suffering specific side effects, etc. To me, the practice of medicine is still more of an art than a science and maybe that will never change.
I was impressed by his description of the matching uniforms worn by various medical specialties. In the U.S. ratty scrubs seem acceptable for all groups. Sadly, even women doctors wear scrubs, while male ones look professional in dress shirts and slacks and white coats with their names on them. Ladies, we CAN do better!
I like that he gives full credit to the NHS, as do most of his countrymen. Americans are convinced that people in countries with "socialized medicine" hate their systems, but that's not true. Judging from what I read and hear, Americans are more disastisfied with their medical care than Europeans and Canadians.
Sometimes his story is choppy and disjointed, but I skipped the parts I wasn't interested in. I like his snarky humor and his "world view." Through experience and some hard knocks, he's gained compassion and a sense of humanity. I'm impressed enough that I'm going to read his other book.
February 4, 2022
Charming and enlightening
Not the most cheerful of topics - cancer - but Robert is able to put a lighter spin on the whole experience, without losing any of the gravitas.
For anyone who has just received a cancer diagnosis - or is fearful of one - reading Roberts story may well answer many questions and worries they have. Of course, everyone’s cancer journey will be different but it is heartening to read how Robert faces up to the more unpleasant aspects of his treatment with cheerful resilience. I never thought a book about cancer could be funny!
It is not just a narrative about his illness, however. There are fascinating facts and figures that certainly opened my eyes. Robert is never shy of giving his opinion (see ‘Robert’s Rants’!) and is the kind of person who is forthright enough to ask the doctor the questions we all want answering!!
Some may say it’s not for everyone. But I disagree. Considering about half of us will experience cancer in our lifetime - with the rest knowing someone who has - I would argue that it makes essential reading.
Not the most cheerful of topics - cancer - but Robert is able to put a lighter spin on the whole experience, without losing any of the gravitas.
For anyone who has just received a cancer diagnosis - or is fearful of one - reading Roberts story may well answer many questions and worries they have. Of course, everyone’s cancer journey will be different but it is heartening to read how Robert faces up to the more unpleasant aspects of his treatment with cheerful resilience. I never thought a book about cancer could be funny!
It is not just a narrative about his illness, however. There are fascinating facts and figures that certainly opened my eyes. Robert is never shy of giving his opinion (see ‘Robert’s Rants’!) and is the kind of person who is forthright enough to ask the doctor the questions we all want answering!!
Some may say it’s not for everyone. But I disagree. Considering about half of us will experience cancer in our lifetime - with the rest knowing someone who has - I would argue that it makes essential reading.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews