Being a doctor and a patient

As part of their ongoing series on the 40 year war on cancer, The New York Times did a profile on the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Among the stories were the unique perspectives of both a nurse and a physician who faced a cancer diagnosis and treatment in the place where they have cared for so many patients.

The article touched on how being a patient might affect a physician's perspective:

“A common question people would ask is ‘Are you a better doctor since
you’ve been sick?’ ” Dr. [Martin] Raber said. “My first answer is that I
thought I was a good doctor before. I was worried about being a worse doctor.
Having lived through these biopsies and all these tests, would I be hesitant to
order all these things patients need because I had experienced them and knew
they were not pleasant?

“Then I realized I am not better, but I am a different doctor,” he said. “I
talk to patients differently. I understand more of what their situation might
be.

“My life was very different than it was before that day in the CT scanner,”
Dr. Raber said. “It’s not the life I thought I would have. But my life is still
really good."