6mths Later, A Life To Look Forward To.

Tenshi no Hashigo (Angel's Staircase)

Hello Everyone,
WOW ~!

After 6 mths of visiting the hospitals, the sheer pain, the constant dreams, the love & care which my family had given me.... I have finally finished this chapter of my life.
Now, I'm entering into a new chapter & I'm so glad that you all have read & supported me all the way.
Nothing touches me more than the care that you had showed.... THANK YOU.

Having cancer, as I found out, is not the end of the life journey. ( no doubt I did have the DEATH thought).
Its just another chapter, just like any story book when the lead character seems to hit a roadblock & all seems lost. But at the end, the book always have a happy or meaningful ending.

Morning sky at my home

Let me sum the pain which I had gone through... the side effects which I had when I did the bronchoscopy before being diagnosed with cancer. I vomited & blood was oozing from my nose, my head was turning non stop. It was so nauseous & it lasted till the next day.

Evening sky at my home

Right after my 1st chemotherapy, my wisdom tooth made my left cheek swollen & it was pus infected as well. I cant sleep at night & it was such a horrible painful  experience. The extraction was also very painful as well.... lots of blood & I turn white. First time I collapsed at home due to the pain.

Evening at Sepang Golden Palm

Then, there was the operation at Mt Elizabeth. I had to go through a major operation just to extract the cancerous trachea & some lymph nodes. Now, I have a 1ft scar top down on my chest.
That was painful as well since the rib cage & flesh tissues were cut open during the operation.

The side effects were horrible too. I have physical body pain, lots of pimples all over my body, ulcers, wind in my stomach, constant vomiting, nauseous, wild dreams... it's just too many to tell.

Its 4 wks now since my last chemotherapy.
I saw the oncologist doctor & am so glad that I just need to go back in 1.5 mths time for an Xray to see the progress of the recovery, as well as to monitor any cancer recurrence.

Based on the color of my face, my enthusiasm & my fighting spirit, the doctor doesn't seems worried about my condition. Even my chinese doctor also told me the same thing.
The first 3yrs will be vital & I need to take care of my diet, my lifestyle & exercise regularly to avoid recurrence of cancer. There are still many food which I'm not allow to touch.
Well, its better to listen to the doctors advise & lower the chances of  getting cancer again.








I just came back from a short trip in Singapore with my family
I made a visit to meet Dr Agasthian & nurse Audrey as well. Was very happy to meet them & introduced my son to them.

Tokyo Disneyland

At Sg Flyer

Ryusei's B-day cake

Then I had a wonderful trip to the Singapore Flyer, Singapore Zoo & to Universal Studio Singapore, together with Alan, Felicia & Javier.
Really thankful that they had spent some time with us. Ate lots of good food & spent a few hundred bucks at UniQlo Sg. Our timing was just right for the Great Singapore Sales.

Rykiel & Ryusei

Xmas Tree

Met Rykiel on Sunday. Was so glad to see her after so long. Ryusei received a very nice present & he was so thankful to Rykiel. Kept saying how he loves his toy & going to show off to his friends at school. 
Stayed at Value Hotel Thomson. Even though the room was small, it was clean & we had good rest for the 3 nights.Had a good swim at the pool as well.

Haddyai

Alan, Felicia & Javier

Singapore Zoo

Now, I have to take things easy. Lead a quality life. Start to stop & take notice of the things which I had been missing. Life just isn't about work. Its about your family, relatives & friends. Apart from that, there is the WORLD which we need to see.... so many places which we have not been.

Family pix at Orchard Rd

There are also so many experience to look forward to... Fathers Day, Mothers Day, Weddings, Birthdays, Family Gatherings, Friends Gathering, Sports Day, Christmas, Chinese New Year... how can we miss all of these? Every event brings a wonderful memory.

Hotel Swimming Pool

You know what I would like to do now?
1. Have a nice holiday with my family
2. Have a good dinner with my parents & my in-laws whom had helped me so much
3. Maybe take up MBA
4. Finish payment for all my liabilities
5. Rare a dog (BINGO)
6. Help other cancer patients to go through their journey
7. Trip to UK & EU
8. Renovate my house
9. Catch up with all my buddies
10. Buy a condominium

Beautiful Hybrid Hibiscus

With these objectives in life, I have to move forward & not to look back nor think of the cancer anymore. With so many things to do, I can't afford to go through another round of therapies.
Therefore, think positive, have goals in my life, take things easy & take 1 step at a time.
Life is worth living once we know what to live for.
This is the start of a quality life.

Cheers : )

p/s : I will be back to work in 1 1/2 wks time. Trying to get the body up to it.
Nxt topic - Seeking HELP When You Have Cancer

Diet - Recommended for Cancer Patients

Hello again,
Finally managed to capture some time to pen a new topic.
This time round, I'm going to emphasize on DIET... the food that I eat.

My findings are based on what Dr Cheung, my Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner shared with me, along with a book which my dear sister had bought for me, titled "The Power of Food - CANCER, Food, Facts & Recipes".
This findings of this book areu by Dr Clare Shaw of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Eupore's largest cancer hospital. 

The cause of cancer is seldom straightforward or attributable to a single factor. But diet has been identified as possible contributing to the risk of a third of all cancers, so eating the right foods can be a great step forward and means that reducing the chance of developing cancer is now a real possibility for us all.

I will cover things like carcinogenic agents(cancer promoters), tumour promoters, protective nutrients (eg. antioxidants), protein, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs, fats, oils, salt, alcohol & exercise.


1. Causes of Cancer
1. The environment which we live.
Carcinogens can actually cause cancer. Eg. cigarettes smoke, sun rays, radiation, asbestos.
If you are surrounded by this, take preemptive measures to protect yourself.

2. Heredietary

Cancer like colon & breast cancer may run in families. It doesn't mean that all members will develop cancer, but they are at higher risk than the general population.

3. Viral Infections

Some viruses alter our genetic material of cells, in turn becomes more susceptible to developing cancer in future. Eg. Genital wart virus HPV (cancer of the cervix), hepatitis B(liver cancer), Epstein-Barr virus (naso-pharyngeal cancer), tuberculosis (lung cancer).

4. Incidence of Cancer
Normally happens to older people. But nowadays, more and more young people are diagnosed with cancer but have successful treatment and are therefore living with the disease.
Common cancer are breast, large bowel, lung, narsopharynx, prostate, stomach, lymphoma, cervix, blood, ovary, head & neck,

2. How can diet influence the development of cancer?

A damaged cell needs to replicate in order to grow into a group of cancer cells.
Some substances in our diet may either encourage the replication process and promote cancer growth or slow it down, so protecting against cancer.

1. Carcinogenic Agents

These agents may directly influence DNA or protein in cells. Eg. include aflatoxins, which are found in mouldy food, alcohol and certain compounds produced by some cooking and food processing methods.

2. Tumour Promoters
These agents stimulate the genes and encourage replication of cancer cells. Eg. include alcohol, high fat or high energy diet which promotes the production of harmful substances such as free radicals (which influence DNA disorganization).


3. Things to Include into your Diet

a. Protective Nutrients

1. Antioxidants

For DNA cell maintenance and repair, which reduce the production of free radicals, preventing early damage to cells & reducing chance of becoming cancerous. 

Eg. vitamin C, D, E, E-beta carotene, selenium, cartenoids, folic acid
Food Eg. Broccoli, choi sam(vegetable), bread, eggs(steam), fish(wt scales), meat(a bit), nuts, seeds, wholegrains, tomatoes, papayas, persimmons

Brinjal with chicken

Lightly simmer carrots

2. Phytoestrogens

Works similar like oestrogens in our body.
Food eg. beans, lentils, soya, oil seeds, wholegrains

3. Other bioactive compounds

Eg. Allium compounds (chives, onions), flavonoids (broad beans, broccoli, onions, tomatoes), plant sterols (cereals, apple, nuts, seeds, choi sam), terpenoid (oil of citrus fruits), isothiocyanates (broccoli, brussels)

b. Starchy & Protein Rich Foods

Red Bean

Porridge

Starchy foods include cereals (wheat, rye, oats, barley, rice), vegetables(potatoes, sweet potatoes).

Choose wholegrain cereals like brown rice or multigrain rice , wholemeal bread rather than white bread.
Muesli with chopped bananas, nuts with sprinkles of sesame or pumpkin seeds are good as well.

c. Vegetables & Fruit

Choy sum pork soup

Light stir fry choy sum

Vegetables & fruit are rich in vitamins, minerals & compounds that help protect against cancer. 

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, choy sum, sweet potatoes leaves.

Fruits are red apples(skin & room temperature) or papaya (room temperature).

d. Meat, Fish & Eggs  

Mayau fish

Avoid intake of red meat. Look into poultry, preferable "Kampung Chicken (free-range)" in small amount.

Teriyaki sauce salmon

Fish with scales like mayau fish (threadfin fish), sek pan (garoupa fish), salmon (but must least fat).

Eggs should be steam or properly cooked. Half boiled eggs are avoided.

Avoid cure meat like ham, sausages, lap cheong(cured sausage) as it contains nitrates and nitrites that preserve the meat or fish against bacteria.

Avoid smoked meat or fish too. It has carbon particles from the burning wood. Its often salted and may represent additional risk for cancer. 

e. Fats & Oils

Economy rice

Oats & carrot cake

Cut down on saturated fats which are mostly animal origin, but also coconut and palm oils. 
These oils tend to be solid at room temperature.
Polyunsaturated are mostly from vegetable origin, tends to be liquid at room temperature. 
Found in oily fish, avocados, nuts, rapeseed, sunflower & corn oils.
Monounsaturated oils are found in olive oil, fish, some nuts & seeds.
These are safe to take in small amount. Cut down on creamy desserts/sauces, crisps, deep fried snacks, salted nuts & chocolate. Avoid chicken/pork skin & fat. 


f. Milk
Avoid dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese. 

Dairy products causes the body to produce mucus & cancer cell feeds on it. 

Herbal soup

g. Salt

Reduce intake to less than 1 1/4 tablespoons/day.
Anything salty, try to avoid it. Or use sea salt in very small amount.




h. Sugar
Sugar substitutes like nutrasweet, equal are made with aspartame. 
Try avoidning sugar or substitute it with honey in small amounts.
Anything salty, try to avoid it. Cancer cells feed on it.

i. Alcohol
Less concentrated drinks like beer & wine are better choices than spirits. 
But, avoid alcohol if possible. 

j. Can Food
As it has preservatives, avoid it at all times.

k. Cooking - Maximum Freshness 

Potato Tuna salad

Egg Potato salad

Food must be fresh for maximum vitamin & mineral richness. 
Avoid cooking meat & fish at very high temperature. Avoid charred meat & meat juices. 

Steam or bake vegetables.






l. Weight & Exercise 

Always exercise regularly. Practice qiqong or do morning brisk walks for an hour, preferable daily. 
Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment.


m. Cold Food

Suet Yee

Avoid food which are cold in temperature. Let the food rest at room temperature before consumption.

Ultimately, eat sparingly. Do not eat too much on a single food source. 
It could cause the body to automatically repel & make you uncomfortable.
I have tried this when I took too much onion. 
Like Dr Cheung said, be like a dragonfly.
It fly & taps lightly onto every leaves or flower or water surface when on air. 

What I had recommended above is based on my current diet, & does not guarantee or serve as a recommended food source by a dietrician.
But if we eat healthily, it might prevent a recurrence of cancer, why not try it? 
We are what we eat.

What is Chemotherapy?

CHEMOTHERAPY

Reached the hospital very early. Center wasn't open yet.

I believe you & me are the same. What do you think of 'CHEMOTHERAPY' ?
The word chemotherapy sounds BAD & PAINFUL.
It means tying a bandanna on the head, the feeling of fatigue & leaving scars on the body.

Cancer Day Ward

[4th Apr'11 -  I'm on my 4th chemo cycle now. The recent side effects had changed my view towards chemotherapy. If our body is not up to it, it actually sucks all the fighting power in a person, making it helpless & just wants the whole process to end].

Putting in the IV Line

BUT did you know that the process is not that bad ?
Its only the side effects which kicks in thereafter..... making a person so weak & spiritually low that as a cancer patient, we just hope all will end in a single snap.
Did you know that the process is just intravenous (hereafter referred to as 'IV') drips into the body via the hand?

Taking blood samples

IV line

To me, the only pain is when the nurse poke the IV needle into the vein on the hand.
That's all.


 

Infusion Bags

 
Thereafter its just mixtures of  sodium chloride & medication on the hanging infusion bags of water.
I used to be so scared of syringes & blood... but now, its such a small thing. Courage gets bigger once you been poked around the body for so many times & went under the scalpel.







 

Tomotherapy

However, radiotherapy might hurt. I have not tried that & don't intend to.
You can refer to the below link to know more about the radiotherapy process.
The patient was so brave & went through quite a number of cycles to overcome the odds.
She took the signature "Tomotherapy" which was a very up to date machine.
http://munirah18.blogspot.com/2010/11/radiotherapy-week-1-and-chemotherapy.html

Children's ward

The process of the whole chemotherapy takes about 4 - 5 hours.
Upon arrival at the Oncology Clinic Center in the early morning, I will choose my preferred bed.
I prefer this bed for its privacy and closeness to the children's cancer ward.
Everytime Mimiko hears the children crying, she will cry too.
It is so heart wrecking to hear them scream & cry out " I dont want- ! I dont want-!"
People tell me I'm brave, but in reality these kids are even braver & deep in myself, I really wished that these kids do not suffer what the adults suffer.
Its so painful to see them with IV on their hands & hearing them vomiting...
Their parents are so strong & I salute them for their persistent loving care & iron braveness to see their child grow up normally.


Most of them are leukemia & brain cancer patients.
I really hope to do something for these kids... like when we see these children cries for help in the newspaper. They request for funds for their operation & therapy in order to ease the pain & lead a less painful life.
I have asked one of the nurse pertaining to the medication cost of a leukemia stricken child... it could well be in the region of $300,000 - $400,000 !!!
Half is for the chemotherapy/radiotherapy & the other half is for the bone marrow transplant.

Checking my BP

After getting into bed,  the nurses will come over to check the heartbeat & blood pressure.

Flushing the vein

Then they will insert the IV into the vein, followed by taking 2 veils of blood samples to test whether my white / red blood cells & hemoglobin are sufficient for the chemotherapy.

While waiting for the blood report, the nurses will start to inject the below medication.
These are to control nausea, vomiting, gastric & allergy while the chemo meds feeds into the body.

Controloc, Piriton & Kytril

Dexamethasone - Control certain side effects during chemotherapy
Controloc          - Prevent gastric
Piriton               - Prevent Allergy
Kytril                - Prevent nausea & vomiting







Once done & with the blood report cleared, the nurses will get the chemotherapy drugs ready.
They will perform a double confirmation by 2 nurses that the drug used are correct.
For my case, I'm taking the below drugs to kill the cancer cells( as well as the good cells. That's why the red, white & hemoglobin dive into low levels everytime after the chemotherapy).

Taxotere

Taxotere (extracted from the bark of thee yew tree)
Carboplatin (platinum based compound).

Taxotere is normally used for treatment in breast, ovarian & non-small cell lung cancer.
For my case, I was given a dosage of 120mg.
The response rate is rated as per below.
60% - Medium response. Tumor has gone smaller after chemotherapy
30% - Good response. Tumor is clearly smaller after chemotherapy
10% - Very good response. Tumor is not present after chemotherapy

Carboplatin

Carboplatin is normally used for treatment in ovarian, lung, head & neck cancers.
Its acts to kill or to slow down the cancer cells in the body.
I was given a dosage of 500mg.










The side effects of these 2 agents are
- loss of hair - [I actually love being bald now. Wanted to keep the head shiny]
- loss of appetite/weight - [ This is bad... every food that you think.. you would want to vomit]
- stomach pain (lots or air) - [Just like an old car with bad exhaust... spitting all the air out & disgusting too]
- diarrhea / constipation - [it does feel good after a good "let out"]

Burst of pimples on my shoulder

- nausea & vomiting - [I hated this... its like a lifetime rocking on a boat]
- changes in taste - [ EVERYTHING tasted like metal. I hated this as well]
- changes in vision
- numbness / redness in fingertips
- mouth blister / ulcer
- fatigue - [gosh... so tired & cant think at all]
- cold - [especially the feet & after a sweaty head]

- reddish urine - [it sticks too & has a burning sensation]

- shortness of breath / wheezing
- black/tarry stools - [& its pretty smelly]
- heaty - [thats where all the pimples pops out on the whole body]
- drastic drop of white cells , red cells & hemoglobin
- waist (side) & back pain [you will feel fragile & old.... all actions slow]

* (I have experience the symptoms highlighted BLUE). 
At this stage, I strongly encourage acupuncture as it helps to ease the side effects & strengthen our body as well.

It really takes a lot of encouragement & very strong will power to get over the side effects. 

My special tribute to those patients whom suffer these side effects as well. 

Especially for those recurrence cases. Tons of will power & courage to face it again)

Terumo Infusion Regulator

During the infusion, I will not feel much side effects due to the pre-medication. The medication will automatically drip into the veins & regulated by a TERUMO machine. 
So, I will normally sit on the bed, read news paper or books, play with my phone, talk to the nurses & take short naps. 
Well, its better than to walk around & see the other patients... most of them have a gloomy look.
Honestly, psychologically not that encouraging. 

Blood Reversing

Each packet of the drug will take 1 hour infusion time. 

That means 2 hours gone. In between after each infusion, it will be flushed with 30mins of sodium chloride water. That's another hour gone.

Another 30 mins is for the for drugs to suppress the allergy, vomiting, nausea & gastric.

Taking the IV out

Plus the waiting time, inserting & taking out the IV line, seeing the doctor.... adds in another 1 - 2 hours.
All in will be 4 - 5 hours. 

3 days after my chemotherapy, I will need to go back to the hospital for 2 days consecutively to have myself injected with Neupogen. Its to promote my bone marrow to increase my white cells so that I won't fall to sickness(eg fever, flu) easily.

Kelly the councilor always tell me I'm full of strength

Many times, the nurses & the hospital personnel told me that I'm always smiling & cheerful. 
I look spiritually & physically strong. 
Whenever I hear it, I feel very happy. 
The urge to share this feeling with the other patients comes rushing into my head. 
This is one of the factors which drives me to move on.

Nurses at the Cancer Daycare ward

But all of these doesn't come without hard work.

1.  I sleep early around 10pm. 

2.  I try to walk everyday for around 3km in the morning.

3.  I watch my diet... eating nutritiously & avoid many types of food.

4.  I renew my urge to live everyday by flashing back what I have now & 
     living it happily & thankfully.

5.  I encourage other cancer patients whenever I talk to them. 

6   I take my herbs & attend my acupuncture regularly.

7.  I take my mind off from work & stress till I'm better. 

8.  I never stop loving & being loved by my family & friends. 
9.  I plan what I want to do & enjoy every aspect of it. 

Of course once in a while we do tend to run astray with our objectives...

1.  I did eat very little of McD, roast pork, a bit of hawker food... which I'm 
     totally off limits to it.
2.  I took a bit of ice cream & soft drinks
3.  I did sleep late(around 11pm) once in a while watching WWE on the TV. 
4.  I missed the acupuncture appointments by a few days in fear of the needles.
5.  It was too hot outside & I missed my morning walk.
     (I have walked around 65km in 3 mths time)
6.  I got impatient & venged my anger on Mimiko & my mother.
7. I do get very negative & selfish. At times I just want to let God decide my fate... just 
    stop fighting because I am very tired. BUT what will happen to my family whom ran every 
    mile with me?


As long as we know that is the bottleneck to our own self recovery, we shouldn't indulge ourselves into it constantly. Try to stay away from it. 
Know what is best for your family & yourself (take note self comes in second in priority)

I found this at one of the Sunway Pyramid restroom.

Lastly, I wanted to thank Mimiko for constantly being beside me & my mum, Doris How for constantly taking care of my diet. These 2 ladies are one of my source to a NEW me. 

Not forgetting all my family members & friends whom cheered for me during my journey to full recovery. 

Thank you very much. 

My special tribute to all other cancer patients.