The Ill Experience through the Story Telling of Patients with HCV―Caused Liver Cirrhosis or Cancer

Abstract

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate how patients diagnosed with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis or cancer face and deal with their illness. The study used semi-structured interviews of 12 patients with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis or cancer who had been told the true nature of their illness. The data were analyzed using a grounded-theory approach.

During the interview, the patients reviewed their experience with their disease. Many reported that they had come to terms with the strong wish to survive（which they had begun to be aware of after their first recognition of their diagnosis with a potentially life-threatening illness）by attaining the view that they had already lived good and full lives. The patients described the course of changes of their views about life. While their condition went through repeated cycles of recurrence, commencement of treatment and success in treatment, their feelings or perceptions about life swung like a pendulum. The central balance state was characterized as : “I have to accept the advance of this illness”. The two polar feeling states were expressed as : “My life will continue to be saved by this treatment” and “Death is inevitable and I am destined to die”.

The coming to terms with the strong desire to survive in the face of their first recognition they were possibly facing death can probably be explained by successful integration of memories surveying the courses of their lives. However, the feeling : “My life will continue to be saved by this treatment” persisted until the terminal stage, and this probably kept the patient from completely accepting death even though he/she was striving to accept it. Because, after the patients became aware they were facing death, their goal became achieving an extended life through treatment, their feelings about clinging to life continued to swing like a pendulum.