Monday, 31 August 2009

Pet Therapy

Email from a friend :

Lucky Dog.....

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'

Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.



Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.


When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body f felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.


Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards.. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.


A small request
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.

My update

I went for my check-up today. As usual, I had my blood test done on Friday so that I could collect the test results today.

Cancer marker (CA 153) => 13.8


Though I am feeling fine, for some reason, my cancer marker seemed to have a mind of its own and had been steadily heading north since January this year. It is now 13.8, up from 12 in January. As expected, my onco is not bothered as it is still well within the normal of 25. But I am curious to know why and when it is at least going to stabilise or head south again.

I am still fine and my onco seemed to think so too, after getting 'no' for pain, breathlessness and discomfort. Again, he asked about the medication I am on. When I said ayurvedic herbal brew, he said he just wanted to know. Oh, so he wanted to know what is keeping me alive. Okay, then I should have told him it's actually ayurvedic herbal brew plus a lot of Buddha's blessings. I was slow. I must remember to tell him this on my next visit. Really, this new onco seemed more open, receptive and friendlier.

I told him I am not going for any hormone therapy as I don't want any foreign stuff interfering with the natural functions of my body. He explained that the hormone therapy is not exactly interfering and is actually good for me - whatever, I am not taking it. My next appointment is 10 weeks' time in November.

My appointment today was for 11.40am but I waited until 1.15pm before I could see him. I read some to kill time, but having to breathe through the facemask (thanks to the H1N1) all the time, kept making me tired and drowsy. Occasionally, I had to lift up the mask to get a bit of 'fresh air' - yeah, right, the air in hospital buildings is never fresh, but still it is slightly better than having to breathe through the mask.

I had lunch and then went to check on my sister-in-law in block 7. Then it's back to NCC again to see J who has an appointment with her onco (same onco as me). By the time, J was done, it was past 3pm. M was there with another patient, A, who lived somewhere near my area. A was alone and I found out from M that she would be taking a bus back. I really wanted to stay and accompany A as we would be heading in the same direction, but A hadn't seen her onco yet, and I was already shagged by then. I had been up at 5am to get breakfast for my kids, and even though I had a 1.5 hour nap before I set out this morning, I was feeling the strain.

I reached home at 5.15 and had to down another cup of coffee before I was able to do this post.

Sunday, 30 August 2009

J - update

J had turned up as usual for her herbal brew. However, upon arrival, she refused to alight from the car, saying that her arm was very painful and she could not walk. No amount of coaxing was able to move her.

The night before she had vomitted due to indigestion. Her husband was concerned about her lack of appetite and weight loss and had given her Nestum cereals. Unfortunately, due to her weakened stomach, she had problem with digestion and had vomitted.

AM's advice was that, for the time being, it was okay if she doesn't want to eat, and that she could take up to 10 cups of milk+ghee+honey a day. Her husband was also advised to keep her warm, meaning no fan and aircon.

AJ update

26 Aug, Wednesday, AJ went for her checkup and got the results of her ctscan which she had done about a week ago.

According to her onco, her prognosis was not good. Onco's interpretation of the ctscan was that there was a new lump on her lung and her current tumour had become bigger. Her onco wanted to put her on chemo again with stronger drugs. AJ asked for a 6-week break.

AM said the supposed 'new lump' was not a lump at all, rather it was a shadow that the ctscan happened to capture. Her current tumour had not grown bigger, it had simply smoothened out. The chemo had caused the tumour to shrivel and since AJ had stopped chemo, the tumour had smoothened out. Even with medication, it takes time for the tumour to shrink. The AM told AJ not to worry and assured her that he would take care of it.

The ctscan results and the prognosis her onco gave her caused AJ's relatives to be very concerned, and in turn put a lot of stress on AJ. I had been stressed too as I had been sharing my experience with AJ which could have influenced her and led her to stop chemo. Although AJ had felt fine, she had been unduly worried too as her confidence in the AM had grown with her progress, and she had not expected that kind of ctscan results. I must admit that until we saw the AM on Friday, my confidence had taken a hard knock.

With the AM's assurance, I hope AJ is more at ease now. Dealing with an illness like cancer, the condition of the mind is very important. We ought to remain steady, and not to panic as that will stressed ourselves out.

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

Gracious Singaporean

I was queuing at the counter of the NTUC supermart earlier and met a very gracious Singaporean.

A young man, probably in his 30s or so, was making payment. An NTUC staff member was with him when I caught part of the conversation and heard the customer said, "give it to the auntie". Straightaway, he turned to me and asked if I had the NTUC card. I fished out my LinkPoints card and showed it to him and he said, that's the one.

He asked the cashier to credit the points from his purchases to my card. His total purchases came to nearly S$1400. NTUC awards 2 points for every dollar spent, which meant that my card was credited with nearly 3000 points. The cashier said that 3000 points will qualify me for a S$20 NTUC voucher. Thank you very much! A pity I didn't ask for his name. Well, this is one of those times where I don't mind being called an 'auntie'.

When asked, he confirmed that the purchases were for charity and the items (mostly staples like rice, etc) were meant for a Buddhist temple in Simpang Bedok. Later, I learnt from the cashier that this customer comes regularly to make similar huge purchases.

NTUC currently also has a promotion on, where 1 point is given for every S$20 spent. These points are printed after the receipt and they can then be exchanged for stainless steel cookware. This customer did not want them too and asked the cashier to give them to 'this auntie' too. However, the cashier was quick to tell him that 'if you don't want them, then we want them', and promptly stashed all the slips away.

I admired him not only for his philanthropic act, but also his quiet demeanor while he carried out his transaction.

Sunday, 23 August 2009

Flora (Fleur) - RIP

I came back from taiji this morning and checked her blog. I learnt that she was already gone at 0530 hours.

Though I don't know her personally, I felt a sense of loss. She was so young. I wanted to post an update on her, but I suddenly felt very tired and was not in the mood for any posting.

I am especially affected when cancer patients die so young. I know practically all of us put up a big fight, and yet inevitably not all will win. For the victors, we don't know how long victory is ours, but we do know that we won the last round.

Flora, rest in peace.

Saturday, 22 August 2009

J - update

J went for her ayurvedic medicine last night - her third dose.

I was really glad to see her, and best of all, she looked so much more improved than from 2 weeks ago. Then, she was all hunched over even when sitting. She was also one very unhappy J and wasn't talking much.

Last night, she was sitting upright in the wheelchair. She was smiling and so chirpy, and was very excited about seeing a dog, a Pomerian mixed, at the premises. She was trying to get the dog's attention, unfortunately, the dog is very old, unstable on her feet, can hardly see and has problem with her sense of balance. M, her husband, told me that their dog died last year and that J loves dogs and cats. An animal lover - I wonder if she should get another dog to brighten up her spirits.

She was clearly in much better mood last night and even M appeared more relaxed. She could even carry on a conversation with me and AJ. I was really pleasantly surprised. I am very happy for her and hope she continues to be on the mend.

Sometimes, I must admit I am glad when oncos tell cancer patients that they have tried their best and that there is nothing else they can do for the patient. Confronted with this, cancer patients should put oncos, chemos and rt's aside and concentrate on alternative therapy. At least, they do not have to have nagging doubts of whether they are making the right decision to stop conventional and go for alternative, because there is no choice. Oncos have given up, so what else is there for cancer patients to deliberate over?

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Fleur - breast cancer patient

I don't know Flora (Fleur) personally and found her blog through Molly Lee's blog at wearewonderwomen.com. Fleur's blog is here, and the url is embeded in the title as well.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in Nov 2001. She had a stage 4 relapse, meaning the cancer had mets to her liver and bones in August 2006 and, if I am not mistaken, she has been fighting cancer till now.

I checked her blog once in a while to find out how she is doing. Her absence from blogging for 2 weeks caused a lot of concern among her blog followers. It has been made known that her liver has failed totally and she is in a lot of pain. Her family is requesting for prayers for her.

I just checked her 'my treatment trail' and I am amazed, totally amazed at the amount of chemo that has been pumped into her body. I wonder how much chemo toxins can one's body, comprising of flesh, blood and skin, take? When do the oncos decide when it is time to stop? When will I ever hear oncos say, "okay, you have enough chemo for now, you should try alternative and natural therapy to build up your immune system so that it can continue the fight for you"?

Chemo drugs cause damage to the liver and kidneys and that is why before every cycle of chemo, we have to have our blood tested for liver and renal functionality.

I am not against chemo totally, but I always feel that chemo should only be used when necessary and sparingly. Afterall, chemo does not cure cancer. All it does is kill the cells, cancerous and healthy ones as well. After the chemo has done its job, we still need to depend on our good cells and immune system to free ourselves of cancer. So, of what good is an immune system if it has been battered so thoroughly by chemo?

I have not read her blog from beginning to the end, so I am not exactly sure of all the details, but I do wonder, which is taking the toll on her body, the cancer or the chemo?

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

Time for a laugh

A few days ago, I chanced upon a website that has a wide collection of bloopers, blunders, mistakes, grammatical errors, etc, in the English language.

My second one and I had a hilariously fun time reading some of the stuff there. We really went hysterical. I have not had such a good laugh in a long time that my tummy still hurt the following morning. I had to apply oil and drink ginger tea to get rid of the bloatedness, but it was worth it. Also, I must say it was a good opportunity for bonding between my elder daughter and myself.

A friend called while I was visiting the website today, and I read some of the stuff to her. I was all broken up with laughter and had to control myself before I could continue. Oddly enough, my friend did not find it funny at all and even commented that it sounded 'lame'. She wondered why I had found it so funny and laughing so hard, well, I wondered why she was not finding it funny and not laughing at all.

I guessed everybody responds to different stimuli when it comes to laughter. Well, laughter is the best medicine and I always enjoy a good laugh.

I cannot resist the temptation to share my mirth and am taking the liberty to reproduce some of the stuff here. I have included the link to the website in the heading of this post.

I hope the unwitting contributors of the articles are not hurt or affected in any way, but rather look at it from the angle that their contributions are doing people a lot of good by providing laughter which is something that money cannot buy. It is obvious from most of the scripts that English is not their native language. I guess that if I am learning a foreign language, my answers would probably sound just as hilarious to others as well.

From the website :

Funny Student Science Test Mistakes

These are actual answers from test papers and essays submitted to science and health teachers by junior high, high school, and college students around the world.

“When you breath, you inspire. When you do not breath, you expire.”

“H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water”

“To collect fumes of sulphur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube”

“When you smell an oderless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide”

“Nitrogen is not found in Ireland because it is not found in a free state”

“Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water.”

“Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes and caterpillars.”

“Blood flows down one leg and up the other.”

“Respiration is composed of two acts, first inspiration, and then expectoration.”

“The moon is a planet just like the earth, only it is even deader.”

“Artifical insemination is when the farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull.”

“Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire.”

“A super-saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold.”

“Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas.”

“The body consists of three parts- the brainium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowls, of which there are five - a, e, i, o, and u.”

“The pistol of a flower is its only protections against insects.”

“The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of Indiana.”

“The skeleton is what is left after the insides have been taken out and the outsides have ben taken off. The purpose of the skeleton is something to hitch meat to.”

“A permanent set of teeth consists of eight canines, eight cuspids, two molars, and eight cuspidors.”

“The tides are a fight between the Earth and moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.”

“A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is.”

“Many women belive that an alcoholic binge will have no ill effects on the unborn fetus, but that is a large misconception.”

“Equator: A managerie lion running around the Earth through Africa.”

“Germinate: To become a naturalized German.”

“Liter: A nest of young puppies.”

“Magnet: Something you find crawling all over a dead cat.”

“Momentum: What you give a person when they are going away.”

“Planet: A body of Earth surrounded by sky.”

“Rhubarb: A kind of celery gone bloodshot.”

“Vacumm: A large, empty space where the pope lives.”

“Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative.”

“To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose.”

“For a nosebleed: Put the nose much lower then the body until the heart stops.”

“For drowning: Climb on top of the person and move up and down to make artifical perspiration.”

“For fainting: Rub the person’s chest or, if a lady, rub her arm above the hand instead. Or put the head between the knees of the nearest medical doctor.”

“For dog bite: put the dog away for sevral days. If he has not recovered, then kill it.”

“For asphyxiation: Apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead.”

“To prevent contraception: wear a condominium.”

“For head cold: use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops in your throat.”

“To keep milk from turning sour: Keep it in the cow.”

Water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. There are 180 degrees between freezing and boiling because there are 180 degrees between north and south.

A vibration is a motion that cannot make up its mind which way it wants to go.

There are 26 vitamins in all, but some of the letters are yet to be discovered. Finding them all means living forever.

There is a tremendous weight pushing down on the center of the Earth because of so much population stomping around up here these days.

Lime is a green-tasting rock.

Many dead animals in the past changed to fossils while others preferred to be oil.

Genetics explain why you look like your father and if you don’t why you should.

Vacuums are nothings. We only mention them to let them know we know they’re there.

Some oxygen molecules help fires burn while others help make water, so sometimes it’s brother against brother.

Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.

We say the cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation. Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on.

To most people solutions mean finding the answers. But to chemists solutions are things that are still all mixed up.

In looking at a drop of water under a microscope, we find there are twice as many H’s as O’s.

Clouds are high flying fogs.

I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.

Clouds just keep circling the earth around and around. And around. There is not much else to do.

Cyanide is so poisonous that one drop of it on a dogs tongue will kill the strongest man.

A blizzard is when it snows sideways.

A monsoon is a French gentleman.

Thunder is a rich source of loudness.

Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.

It is so hot in some places that the people there have to live in other places.

Wind is like the air, only pushier.

J - advanced breast cancer patient

I had posted about the family of a cancer patient who was seeking an alternative treatment for her. She is J, who has advanced and mets breast cancer.

Her family had a hard time persuading her to go for ayurvedic medicine. Upon arrival at the ayurvedic master's place, she had a change of heart and was unwilling to alight from the vehicle. She finally relented after much persuasion.

I was mistaken about her chemo. Apparently she had already started chemo, but could not continue at the moment as there was some problem with her blood.

She was in a bad shape. The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and she was in a lot of pain. She was hunched over and her right arm was very painful to the touch.

She was perspiring profusely only from her head, which according to the ayurvedic master, was a sign of severe liver damage.

The AM reproached me for not bringing her for treatment before she went for her chemo. When I visited LY in hospital, M had brought me to see J as well, and that was the only time I had seen her. But, I had introduced J to the AM as my friend, to save all the explaining. Thus, the AM had assumed that I had known J for a long time and thought I had not shown enough concern for her as a friend should.

Anyway, his comments did not affect me, rather I am more concerned with whether anything can be done for J. All who know me are aware that I am taking alternative medicine. I have always been very open about my health and the treatment I am on. I cannot force others to do as I have done, but I am always ready and willing to share my experience whenever I am asked. And with J, as well as with LY, I have done whatever is possible within my means.

J's husband drove a vehicle that is a combination of a car and a truck, and the undercarriage is quite high. We had a hard time getting J onto the passenger seat for the trip home. As her right arm was painful, she could not be physically held and helped onto the seat and a lot of maneuvering was required.

Friday, 7 August 2009

Value of 'face'

On Wednesday and Thursday, I passed by a private house where a funeral wake was ongoing.

The first thing I noticed was the dozens of floral wreaths displayed - an indication of prominence and social standing.

In my opinion, sending a wreath or scroll to the family of a deceased is only a public showing of support and contribution to the deceased's family. It does nothing to help the family in monetary terms, like defraying the cost of the funeral, or in case the deceased was the sole breadwinner, help the family with the unexpected financial crisis. On the other hand, if the family is financially independent, monetary contribution could give them the freedom to re-direct the funds to other meaningful causes.

The only people who gained from this form of contribution are the giver itself, in terms of 'face', the florists and the nurseries, and the maker of scrolls. Unfortuantely, this practice is the norm, especially in the business world, where 'face saving' is of paramount importance.

I am not saying that we should all do away other forms of contributions and stick to monetary ones only, as it is a matter of preference. And for businesses, this gives them publicity too. I just feel that it is a waste as all those stuff are on display for a few days only, until the funeral, and the cost of those wreaths and scrolls could come to thousands of dollars. From my guess, those that I saw from this wake alone, could easily come to $15k to $20k. Imagine what one could do with that kind of cash.

Once in a while, I do notice the obituaries of some prominent people requesting for 'no wreaths or scrolls', and the monies collected would be donated to charities. What a nice, final parting gesture this would be. Unfortunately, not many people in the business world would like to take the initiative to send cash instead of wreaths/scrolls for fear of offending the family of the deceased, unless the family indicated so.

LY's wake and funeral were done according to Buddhist rites. When I was at the wake, I saw a set of guidelines encouraging prudence and simplicity instead of extravagance. The extravagance that was discouraged included placing an obituary. A small, semi-display obituary usually starts from a few hundreds of dollars. Accordingly, LY's son had informed us through smses.

I'd been contemplating on this, and maybe when my time comes, I could send a personal, final good-bye message to all relatives and friends via sms. But, I am sure this is going to freak out a lot of people. (lol) Perhaps those who do not wished to be freaked out by such a notification should let me know so that I can remove them from my list. I understand that not everybody talked of death as openly as cancer survivors do.:)

Thursday, 6 August 2009

Rules are rules

I had gone to the CPF office with the necessary documents for the GST offset package cheque, and got their 'okay' before going to the bank to encash the cheque (my brother's).

At the bank, I handed the documents to the cashier, who then disappeared with the documents behind a door, presumably to check with the manager.

She reappeared twice, once to ask where my brother was located at the present, and secondly to ask about the relationship between the payee (my brother) and myself.

Finally, the branch service manager appeared. He told me that he cannot allow the cheque to be encashed because there is no documentary proof that we are siblings, even though my brother had duly completed the official LOA that he had printed from the CPF Board's website, provided a copy of his passport and I had produced my IC. The manager claimed that there had been complaints from payees who accused the bank of allowing cheques to be encashed without their permission, which meant that the bank was liable and could have done so without ensuring that all required documents are in order.

I had assured him that I had been given the 'okay' by CPF; that I have an account with the bank; and that as they would be keeping a copy of my IC, they could easily refer to me should there be any dispute. He claimed that in the case of a dispute, the CPF would go after the bank, but the bank would not be allowed to come to me. I don't understand the logic - if I acknowledge receipt of the cash, and should there be a dispute, shouldn't I be held accountable?

Then, I offered to call my brother on my mobile and let the manager talk to him and get him to verify himself by asking him to furnish his passport details. Again, no way.

I told him I had conformed to the CPF's guidelines on their website, but he said the bank had their own rules to follow before the release of the cash otherwise they would be held accountable. The money belonged to the CPF and it is in their account with the bank. The bank is just their agent, so why should they have their own set of guidelines? Can't see the logic here, too.

The manager insisted that I go back to CPF to get the release letter from them, and he volunteered to accompany me. The amount wasn't even substantial, it was not mine and I hated to be doing all the legwork unnecessarily. The manager was adamant and I had no choice.

At the CPF office, the staff referred to their website, pointed out the guidelines to the manager and concurred that as I had the necessary documents, no release letter was needed and the bank was obliged to release the cash to me. He couldn't argue his way out and before we left the office, the manager asked the staff for his name. The CPF staff told me to go back and see him if the bank again refused to release the cash.

Then, we went trooping back to the bank. Fortunately, it was within walking distance.

At the bank, the manager tried to rationalise his actions, and said he would be writing to the CPF Board. I think, be my guest.

In his absence, I asked the cashier if the manager is new. She said he is not newly promoted, but just transferred to this particular branch not long ago.

I can understand that the bank has to exercise caution before the release of funds. But I think it was excessively cautious of him to ask for additional documents which were not required, and when all conditions had been met. By insisting that the CPF provide a release letter, he showed a lack of confidence and unwillingness in accepting responsibility.

Seeking an alternative

M had passed my contact to the husband of a patient, with advanced mets breast cancer, when he asked about alternative treatment.

Last night, the husband's sister called. After she introduced herself, she asked, 'what do you want my sister-in-law to do', or something to that effect. I didn't know what she was expecting, and told her that it was not up to me to tell her what to do, and the most I could do was share my experience with her, but the decision is up to them.

During the course of our conversation, she realised that I was not the one providing the ayurvedic treatment, but actually one of those receiving it. This explained her opening question. I was not surprised, when messages got passed on, especially in a situation like theirs, sometimes the meanings become distorted.

This patient's cancer had advanced to a stage where the doctors ruled out surgery as not possible now. She was supposed to start chemo but they are still waiting for her condition (from blood tests results) to improve before they proceed. Meanwhile she is in a lot of pain and the doctors are not optimistic. She has given up the fight and has to be persuaded to eat. Her husband and daughter are not giving up and wanted a second or alternative opinion.

I can relate to their situation. For the patient, when the docs have given up, it will take a lot of courage and determination to stay positive and put up a good fight while enduring the pain. This lady, like some others would prefer to let go and hope that it will be all over soon. Whereas, the family members would be trying their utmost looking for alternatives or getting confirmation before they are ready to admit defeat.

Although I have not said so, I am hoping to see them there when I go for my medicine on Friday, and I am also hoping that it will not be too late for the ayurvedic master to do something for her.