CANCER-PATIENTS REPORTED EXPERIENCES OF SUFFERING

This study describes the nature and content of experiences of sufferin g by patients with incurable cancer. The main body of data was collect ed in interviews. A structured questionnaire was administered for addi tional information. Three different dimensions were identified in pati ent experiences of suffering: physical, psychologic, and social. Suffe ring has a physical foundation, which was divided into two categories: that caused by the illness itself and that caused by treatment of the illness. The primary sources of physical suffering were fatigue, pain , and the side effects of chemotherapy. The causes of psychologic suff ering lie in the physiologic changes associated with the disease and i n the imminence of death, Psychologic suffering was most typically man ifested in depression, which most of the patients suffered during the initial stages of the disease, when the disease metastasized and when they were in a particularly poor condition. General deterioration and fear of infections very much restrict the social life of cancer patien ts, causing them to withdraw into their home or the hospital.