The experiential approach for understanding disease is the approach that may have the most meaning to anthropologists, and people in general, when comes to understanding the circumstances of a disease. The experiential approach is using information from the person experiencing the disease to understand what is happening. It is the first person description of a disease, and it is how they communicate their experiences with friends, family, and health care professionals. The experiential approach can be used to describe pancreatic cancer and possibly come up with a series of ways to prevent and diagnose the disease. By having a personal account of how a person feels with pancreatic cancer, anthropologists and other professionals can start to piece together a number of symptoms that can be used to assess if a person has pancreatic cancer. The detection is not the only piece of information that can be gathered from the experiential approach, it can shed light on how people feel about their current situation with the disease and how the disease has affected their friends and family.
My Grandfather:
Abstract:
My grandfather has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, like many other cases, it was detected in a very late stage. The cancer was detected because he was starting to lose his appetite and had a case of jaundice because his bile duct was blocked by a tumor. My grandfather is still going through treatment now and is somewhat accepting of his current diagnosis. His diagnosis is not favorable and he is not projected to make it to the 5 year mark at this point in his treatment. His narrative seems to be a mixture between the chaos narrative, because he accepts the disease as permanent, and the quest narrative because he feels that he can help others with his experience.
Orientation
My grandfather was diagnosed with his pancreatic cancer about 4 months ago in Saudi Arabia because he noticed that he was frequently having diarrhea and was not able to eat substantial amount of food. He was also starting to turn yellow, a sign of jaundice, and went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor there said that he had a tumor that was lodged in his common bile duct and was creating an excess amount of bilirubin to build up in his extracellular fluid. The situation caused for him to seek medical treatment from a specialist and he went to Jordan to get treatment for his pancreatic cancer. He is now in Jordan with family members receiving treatment.
Complicating Action
The complicating action did not come when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but came when he learned about the unfavorable outcome of his current diagnosis. At this point his narrative became a chaos narrative, and he had to learn with the fact that his disease was permanent and was most likely going to be a great obstacle for him for the rest of his life. With the knowledge of the disease, he was very indifferent of receiving treatment and only wanted to receive treatment after he was urged by family members. This change in his demeanor was tough for us, as a family, and him as well. He almost seems accepting of a final outcome that is statistically unfavorable and does not want to go through the stresses of rigorous chemotherapy.
Evaluation
This chaos narrative is very interesting because it shows how different cultures perceive sickness and health. My grandfather is a very traditional Muslim and was brought up to understand that sickness is natural and to have faith in God as the entity that will ultimately make the decision on whether he lives or dies. This fact has contributed to his chaos narrative because he believes in an afterlife and that there is only so much time on this planet. It seems, from a third-party perspective, that he is only receiving treatment as a means to stay connected to his family. So it does not look like he is trying to get well for his own personal ambition to stay alive, but rather, he wants to do it to make his family happy.
Resolution
My grandfather is currently receiving treatment and he spending time with his children and grandchildren in Jordan. He is still able to walk and is getting around with a cane. He can drive around, and is starting to eat more. I think that his current state is a quest narrative, because he really wants to impact the lives of his family with his story and make them feel at ease with his current situation.
Coda
The original diagnosis was one that was considered unfavorable and only time can tell whether or not he will make it to the 5 year mark with his pancreatic cancer, but at 72 years old he is making the best of his situation and positively affecting everyone around him. He is making all of the right decisions and is a very brave man for doing what he is doing right now.
Bibliography:
My Grandfather:
Abstract:
My grandfather has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, like many other cases, it was detected in a very late stage. The cancer was detected because he was starting to lose his appetite and had a case of jaundice because his bile duct was blocked by a tumor. My grandfather is still going through treatment now and is somewhat accepting of his current diagnosis. His diagnosis is not favorable and he is not projected to make it to the 5 year mark at this point in his treatment. His narrative seems to be a mixture between the chaos narrative, because he accepts the disease as permanent, and the quest narrative because he feels that he can help others with his experience.
Orientation
My grandfather was diagnosed with his pancreatic cancer about 4 months ago in Saudi Arabia because he noticed that he was frequently having diarrhea and was not able to eat substantial amount of food. He was also starting to turn yellow, a sign of jaundice, and went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor there said that he had a tumor that was lodged in his common bile duct and was creating an excess amount of bilirubin to build up in his extracellular fluid. The situation caused for him to seek medical treatment from a specialist and he went to Jordan to get treatment for his pancreatic cancer. He is now in Jordan with family members receiving treatment.
Complicating Action
The complicating action did not come when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but came when he learned about the unfavorable outcome of his current diagnosis. At this point his narrative became a chaos narrative, and he had to learn with the fact that his disease was permanent and was most likely going to be a great obstacle for him for the rest of his life. With the knowledge of the disease, he was very indifferent of receiving treatment and only wanted to receive treatment after he was urged by family members. This change in his demeanor was tough for us, as a family, and him as well. He almost seems accepting of a final outcome that is statistically unfavorable and does not want to go through the stresses of rigorous chemotherapy.
Evaluation
This chaos narrative is very interesting because it shows how different cultures perceive sickness and health. My grandfather is a very traditional Muslim and was brought up to understand that sickness is natural and to have faith in God as the entity that will ultimately make the decision on whether he lives or dies. This fact has contributed to his chaos narrative because he believes in an afterlife and that there is only so much time on this planet. It seems, from a third-party perspective, that he is only receiving treatment as a means to stay connected to his family. So it does not look like he is trying to get well for his own personal ambition to stay alive, but rather, he wants to do it to make his family happy.
Resolution
My grandfather is currently receiving treatment and he spending time with his children and grandchildren in Jordan. He is still able to walk and is getting around with a cane. He can drive around, and is starting to eat more. I think that his current state is a quest narrative, because he really wants to impact the lives of his family with his story and make them feel at ease with his current situation.
Coda
The original diagnosis was one that was considered unfavorable and only time can tell whether or not he will make it to the 5 year mark with his pancreatic cancer, but at 72 years old he is making the best of his situation and positively affecting everyone around him. He is making all of the right decisions and is a very brave man for doing what he is doing right now.
Bibliography:
- "Map of Middle East." Sayan. http://archives.sayan.ee/img/map_middle_east.jpg (accessed July 31, 2014).
- "Jaundice Image." I am Pregnant. http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/images200/62210315.jpg (accessed July 31, 2014).