Since his cancer diagnosis last year, Kent Manuel has regularly seen an oncologist near his home in Indianapolis. After spinal surgery for paralysis caused by his cancer, he is regaining the use of his legs with physical therapy, but still uses a wheelchair. He has been dealing with pain and his oncologist recommended palliative care, a medical specialty that helps people with serious illnesses cope with discomfort and distress and maintain quality of life. So, in November, Manuel started seeing Dr. Julia Frydman, a palliative care doctor. The first two medications she prescribed to reduce pain had troublesome side effects. On the third try, “I think we’ve landed on something that’s working,” he said. His pain hasn’t fully abated, but it has diminished.
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