“Soon after getting a sore throat, my voice became gruff. I could not swallow either and rapidly started losing weight.” - Bimla Singh.

Bimla is 71 and lived with her husband in Patna. These symptoms prompted Bimla to see a doctor who told her she had tonsillitis.

A couple of weeks later, when there was still no improvement in her condition, Bimla’s son, who otherwise lives in Delhi and was visiting Patna, took his mother to an ENT doctor who suspected cancer. A CT scan confirmed it. At her son’s request, the diagnosis of cancer was not revealed to either Bimla or her husband.

Bimla’s son brought his parents to Delhi and got his mother tested at the cancer institute in Dilshad Garden, where she was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx that had already advanced to stage three. Considering her age, the doctor did not suggest an operation, but put her on oral chemotherapy drugs and referred her to CanSupport for palliative care at home.

“Cancer and its treatment cause physical symptoms and side effects, as well as emotional, social, and financial effects. Managing these effects is called palliative care or supportive care. It is an important part of care that is included along with treatments intended to slow, stop, or eliminate the cancer.”–Palliative care doctor, CanSupport.

When the news about Bimla’s diagnosis was shared with both her and her husband, Bimla took it bravely and said it didn’t bother her much since she had already lived a fulfilling life and had completed all her social responsibilities. However, her husband, Rajinder could not accept this news and went into a denial mode. He kept insisting that the doctor in Patna who

had said Bimla had tonsillitis was right and that his wife couldn’t have cancer.

Luckily for Bimla and her husband, all their five children that comprise four daughters and a son are married and live in Delhi. They all rallied around their mother to support her emotionally.

When the palliative care team from CanSupport visited Bimla, her primary concern was how could she help her husband accept her diagnosis and not remain depressed. Bimla’s own physical symptoms included difficulty in breathing. Since she has also been a patient of asthma for many years, combined with cancer of the larynx made it harder for her to breathe easily and because of that, she was really in a lot of discomfort.

The team doctor, after viewing and going through all her medical documents, gave her proper medication that gradually calmed her breathing issues.

The team nurse was in a key position to coordinate the care received by Bimla and her family in order for Bimla to have a reasonable quality of life. She also assessed Bimla’s general state of nutrition and advised a liquid diet plan she could intake easily. She helped her so she takes care not to strain her voice or throat.

Luckily for Bimla, her son and daughter-in-law are very supportive and always willing to help. The four daughters who live in Delhi and Ghaziabad also regularly visit Bimla on their free days, or they take time off from work to meet and support their mother.

Thoughts of her mortality increasingly started to haunt Bimla and she worried about how and when she would die. The team counsellor helped both Bimla and her husband with their psychosocial issues by having regular counselling sessions with them.

The couple had lived all their lives in Patna, in their own small cosy house. They were financially secure since Rajinder had worked in the government sector and gets a pension. Even though Bimla and her husband were being well taken care of by her family and the palliative care team, she missed her own space / house and the familiar surroundings in Patna. She wanted to return to her Patna, her comfort zone and shared this with the team counsellor who empathised with her but made her realise the need for her to continue to stay in Delhi so that her symptoms arising out of cancer could be managed by the team at home. Whereas, if she returned to Patna, she would have to visit a hospital for symptom management, which would cost money, as well as a lot of physical discomfort.

The counsellor also made Bimla realise the fact that, by being in Delhi, she was in proximity to her children, who met her regularly and cared for her. If she returned to Patna, they would also come under stress and would be forced to visit her all the way at the cost of not being able to attend to their work and families.

This touched a chord with Bimla and both she and her husband decided to stay on in Delhi.

Now Bimla is getting looked after by the home care team of CanSupport, surrounded by her loved ones. She’s happy that the home care team visits her regularly and gives medical and emotional support not only to her but also listens and supports her husband deal with his emotions.

“Having cancer in the throat was a daunting and life altering experience for me. However, with the help of the wonderful team from CanSupport as well as the support from my family, particularly my son- and daughter-in-law - I’m able to carry on living a normal life,” Says Bimla.