MT was a breast cancer patient who had battled cancer for some years and had gone through several rounds of chemo. If I am not mistaken, she also had a couple of surgeries to insert plates to support her spinal column as the cancer had spread there.
When M first introduced her about 2 years ago, she still looked good despite having gone through so much chemo.
Some time after that, she called to ask about alternative medicine. She had been so conditioned by the doctors against taking traditional medicine while undergoing chemo that she found it hard to accept that I had done exactly that. She was concerned about side-effects and contraindications. I explained that I had none and that the only side-effects I had were from chemo which were confirmed by the doctor. Still, she was not convinced.
One day, she told me that the doctors have told her they have run out of drugs for her, that there is nothing else they could do. She sounded shocked and could not believe that there was such a thing as running out of drugs to treat her cancer. She told me she was going for a second opinion.
MT last called me sometime before she passed on. She was in great distress. She realized how wrong she was to have listened to her doctors about alternative medicine. She said she should have gone for alternative treatment much earlier.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Monday, 27 December 2010
Check-up 27 Dec 2010
My appointment with my onco Dr JC was supposed to be on 20 Dec 2010, but as I was warded, it was postponed to 27 Dec 2010.
When I saw him, I mentioned that I was warded due to the fasting and the liquid contrast for the ctscan had upset my stomach, he asked why did I go for the ctscan. Caught me by surprise as he was the one who asked me to go for the ctscan.
He mentioned that he will be transferring me to another onco, as he will be switching over to colon cancer.
Was it a coincidence? That was what my previous onco said before I was transferred here, and I found out from another breast cancer patient that she is still seeing my previous onco.
I wonder why I was transferred from one onco to another. Was it because I did not agree to continue with conventional treatments?
When I saw him, I mentioned that I was warded due to the fasting and the liquid contrast for the ctscan had upset my stomach, he asked why did I go for the ctscan. Caught me by surprise as he was the one who asked me to go for the ctscan.
He mentioned that he will be transferring me to another onco, as he will be switching over to colon cancer.
Was it a coincidence? That was what my previous onco said before I was transferred here, and I found out from another breast cancer patient that she is still seeing my previous onco.
I wonder why I was transferred from one onco to another. Was it because I did not agree to continue with conventional treatments?
Friday, 24 December 2010
CTScan, Blood Test, X-Ray
Blood test done on 13 Dec 2010 - cancer marker CA153 is 26.3.
As I had not had another CTscan in recent months, this scan was compared to the one done on 7 Jul 2008.
There is
interval appearance of isodense (same) to hyperdense (more) nodules in right chest wall, suggestive of metastases - I have new nodules on my right chest wall;
interval resolution of bilateral pleural effusions - meaning no more fluid in lining of lungs;
interval appearance indeterminate tiny hypodense focus in segment 2 of liver - there is still nodules in my liver, and there is one that has grown from 0.9cm to 1.1cm
largely stable extensive osteolytic (loss of calcium from bone due to cancer) / sclerotic skeletal lesions - stabilized, there is no new spread to the bones.
Chest x-ray, done on 20 Dec 2010 when I was admitted, showed several thoracic and lumbar vertebra show end plate deformities, likely suggestive of bony metastasis. - These were the old ones from before.
The CTscan and X-ray results recommend further action.
As I had not had another CTscan in recent months, this scan was compared to the one done on 7 Jul 2008.
There is
interval appearance of isodense (same) to hyperdense (more) nodules in right chest wall, suggestive of metastases - I have new nodules on my right chest wall;
interval resolution of bilateral pleural effusions - meaning no more fluid in lining of lungs;
interval appearance indeterminate tiny hypodense focus in segment 2 of liver - there is still nodules in my liver, and there is one that has grown from 0.9cm to 1.1cm
largely stable extensive osteolytic (loss of calcium from bone due to cancer) / sclerotic skeletal lesions - stabilized, there is no new spread to the bones.
Chest x-ray, done on 20 Dec 2010 when I was admitted, showed several thoracic and lumbar vertebra show end plate deformities, likely suggestive of bony metastasis. - These were the old ones from before.
The CTscan and X-ray results recommend further action.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
CT Scan
I had an appointment with my onco, Dr JC on 20 Dec 2010, and he wanted me to have a CTscan of my chest and abdomen, and blood test before my appointment.
13 December 2010, I went for my CTscan and blood test.
I had to fast for four hours before my CTscan. Before the CTscan, I had to drink 2 cups (one upsized followed by one regular much later) of liquid contrast. Before I finished the upsized cup, I was already feeling bloated. While waiting, I was feeling mild pain and my stomach felt distended. When the nurse brought the second cup, she took one look at my face and told me I don't have to take it if I didn't want to. I didn't.
Before I went through the machine, I was hooked up on intravenous feed for more liquid contrast. The procedure did not take long, but when I left the hospital, my stomach was already not feeling good.
For the next few days, my stomach was in turmoil. If I didn't eat, I would feel faint. If I ate, I would get all jammed inside, followed by fever, vomiting. I tried home remedies but I just couldn't get rid of the gas trapped inside. I had lost my appetite. I was also having problem holding down plain watery porridge seasoned with salt and sauce. It got so bad, that when I looked at the food shows on tv, I felt like puking.
I lasted one whole week before I decided that I had had enough, called an ambulance and went back to the hospital.
At the hospital, I was immediately put on drip, and was seen by a fresh-faced, young intern (I think). He was asking questions concerning my medical history. As I was running a fever, he ordered urine and blood tests, and x-ray. I told him my stomach was the cause of my problem, but he did not accept that. He wanted to know if I was menopausal and when was my last period. My menstruation had stopped when I started chemo in January 2008. 2 years later (which was about 6 months ago), I had one last menstrual flow, which my ayurveda master attributed to clearing out the system.
When he heard my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago, he included a test for pregnancy. I insisted that I was not pregnant, that I was already menopausal, but he would listen. I gave up, I was sick, I had not eaten properly for a few days and I was in no mood to argue with him. When the nurse saw the request for pregnancy test, she pointed out that I was already menopausal, but he still referred to the fact that my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago. I am sure that when he pulled up my records on the computer, he would have seen that I was diagnosed as having advanced and terminal metastatic breast cancer, that I just had a CTscan which would have ruled out any possibility of pregnancy, I was past 50, and yeah, I forgot to mention that I had gone through ligation. Pregnant?? That was it! I told him firmly - I can assure you that I am not pregnant. That did it - no pregnancy test.
Next, a nurse took me for an x-ray. I was weak from not eating well, I had one arm hooked onto a drip, I was cold and I had to struggle to get out of my top and into hospital gear for the x-ray. Fortunately, I had some help with the undressing and dressing up from the nurse.
Then, the x-ray machine jammed. The nurse left me standing there holding the drip while she went to get help. I was feeling weak and cold and near collapse, when she finally returned with a senior nurse. The senior nurse was shocked to see me standing there with the drip. She quickly got me a chair to sit down and found something to hang the drip, and at the same time, telling off the nurse for leaving me in that manner. I was so grateful that I smiled as I was too weak to reply.
I was warded and discharged on the third day.
13 December 2010, I went for my CTscan and blood test.
I had to fast for four hours before my CTscan. Before the CTscan, I had to drink 2 cups (one upsized followed by one regular much later) of liquid contrast. Before I finished the upsized cup, I was already feeling bloated. While waiting, I was feeling mild pain and my stomach felt distended. When the nurse brought the second cup, she took one look at my face and told me I don't have to take it if I didn't want to. I didn't.
Before I went through the machine, I was hooked up on intravenous feed for more liquid contrast. The procedure did not take long, but when I left the hospital, my stomach was already not feeling good.
For the next few days, my stomach was in turmoil. If I didn't eat, I would feel faint. If I ate, I would get all jammed inside, followed by fever, vomiting. I tried home remedies but I just couldn't get rid of the gas trapped inside. I had lost my appetite. I was also having problem holding down plain watery porridge seasoned with salt and sauce. It got so bad, that when I looked at the food shows on tv, I felt like puking.
I lasted one whole week before I decided that I had had enough, called an ambulance and went back to the hospital.
At the hospital, I was immediately put on drip, and was seen by a fresh-faced, young intern (I think). He was asking questions concerning my medical history. As I was running a fever, he ordered urine and blood tests, and x-ray. I told him my stomach was the cause of my problem, but he did not accept that. He wanted to know if I was menopausal and when was my last period. My menstruation had stopped when I started chemo in January 2008. 2 years later (which was about 6 months ago), I had one last menstrual flow, which my ayurveda master attributed to clearing out the system.
When he heard my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago, he included a test for pregnancy. I insisted that I was not pregnant, that I was already menopausal, but he would listen. I gave up, I was sick, I had not eaten properly for a few days and I was in no mood to argue with him. When the nurse saw the request for pregnancy test, she pointed out that I was already menopausal, but he still referred to the fact that my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago. I am sure that when he pulled up my records on the computer, he would have seen that I was diagnosed as having advanced and terminal metastatic breast cancer, that I just had a CTscan which would have ruled out any possibility of pregnancy, I was past 50, and yeah, I forgot to mention that I had gone through ligation. Pregnant?? That was it! I told him firmly - I can assure you that I am not pregnant. That did it - no pregnancy test.
Next, a nurse took me for an x-ray. I was weak from not eating well, I had one arm hooked onto a drip, I was cold and I had to struggle to get out of my top and into hospital gear for the x-ray. Fortunately, I had some help with the undressing and dressing up from the nurse.
Then, the x-ray machine jammed. The nurse left me standing there holding the drip while she went to get help. I was feeling weak and cold and near collapse, when she finally returned with a senior nurse. The senior nurse was shocked to see me standing there with the drip. She quickly got me a chair to sit down and found something to hang the drip, and at the same time, telling off the nurse for leaving me in that manner. I was so grateful that I smiled as I was too weak to reply.
I was warded and discharged on the third day.
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