Had a good meeting with Prof Wang at NUH this morning. He explained in meticulous details the current condition of my blood vessels and what he will have to do to ensure (as much as humanly possible) that the radioactive beads destroy only the cancer cells, and not leak to other organs like the lungs and pancreas. He was also very patient in answering our 101 questions on what to expect and possible post-surgery side effects.
Anyway, here's the deal:
- Will check into the hospital next Mon afternoon (6 Nov)
- Will do first angiogram on Tue to check blood vessels and do embolisation (blocking) of any vessels which may leak the radiation to any healthy major organs
- Will do second angiogram on Wed to inject Y-90 radioactive beads into vessels which feed the tumours
- Will stay till Thu or Fri for observation
After checking out of the hospital, will have to isolate myself at home for about 2 weeks cos will be slightly radioactive. Doc even told my hubby he won't be able to hug me for the first few days, sob sob... And I'll definitely stay away from babies, children and pregnant ladies (including those who are planning to get pregnant) just to play safe.
In the meantime, please pray for Alex. He started having high fever on Sat nite, and even though he'd seen the doc and taken medication, the fever kept coming back, reaching 40C. Very stressed cos have never seen him quite so sick. Didn't know what else to know except to check his temperature every other hour and sponge him down. Really worried that it may be dengue. Sending him for a blood test tomorrow. Pray that it's not dengue or anything serious, that his fever will be gone, and he will recover quickly.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Doc says to standby
Dr Goh was very cheerful and friendly as usual today. But he told us that Prof Wang still had not reviewed my reports nor confirm if I can proceed with the actual internal radiation treatment. Apparently, Prof Wang zips around the world constantly and has a super-packed schedule.
Anyway, Dr Goh promised he'd track down Prof Wang in his office today (G had been paging and calling W non-stop since knowing W was back in town) and get a final verdict from the horse's mouth.
Thank God for Dr Goh, who's such a caring doc that we can see he's even more agitated than us with this long wait, and especially for the fact that, being of the same ranking, he can help us to really chase after Prof Wang and communicate on our behalf more effectively. Imagine if my doc was a registrar trying to pin down a department head like Prof Wang... think my tumour would have fossilised by then, ha!
So now we're just on standby, waiting for that call from NUH. If we get the green light, will check into the hospital and go through a similar procedure like the last time. Overnight fasting, blood tests, daytime surgery (LA, catheter inserted through hepatic vein at groin area and injection of the actual high-level radioactive Y-90 microspheres into the tumours) and stay-in for observation for 2-3 days. Then, we pray very very hard for the cancer cells to ALL DIE OFF QUICKLY.
If this option doesn't come through, we'll meet again with Dr Goh to look at the clinical trial option which involves taking a new oral drug which is supposed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Anyway, Dr Goh promised he'd track down Prof Wang in his office today (G had been paging and calling W non-stop since knowing W was back in town) and get a final verdict from the horse's mouth.
Thank God for Dr Goh, who's such a caring doc that we can see he's even more agitated than us with this long wait, and especially for the fact that, being of the same ranking, he can help us to really chase after Prof Wang and communicate on our behalf more effectively. Imagine if my doc was a registrar trying to pin down a department head like Prof Wang... think my tumour would have fossilised by then, ha!
So now we're just on standby, waiting for that call from NUH. If we get the green light, will check into the hospital and go through a similar procedure like the last time. Overnight fasting, blood tests, daytime surgery (LA, catheter inserted through hepatic vein at groin area and injection of the actual high-level radioactive Y-90 microspheres into the tumours) and stay-in for observation for 2-3 days. Then, we pray very very hard for the cancer cells to ALL DIE OFF QUICKLY.
If this option doesn't come through, we'll meet again with Dr Goh to look at the clinical trial option which involves taking a new oral drug which is supposed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Makan by the river...
Being a holiday today (Hari Raya Puasa), we took the opportunity to check out another new food joint with our good pals - Sam & Serene, and their adorable and super-energetic 3-year-old son Matthew.
Name: rivercafé www.rivercafe.com.sg
Location: 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore Tyler Print Institute Building
Thumbs-up for the ambience and decor. Very mod-Oz casual bistro look, with al-fresco seating facing our now-relatively-clean Singapore river, and the interior featuring a whole floor-to-ceiling shelving holdings bottles of wine and books, mostly related to food and drinks.
The menu was rather limited though, or rather, didn't contain items that really shout out to us. Middle eastern spatchcock, anybody? Serene ordered a seafood pasta, Sam had a soup and the pan fried escolar (fish) fillet with maple soy glaze, Alex decided on the tenderloin with carbernet glaze, and we all shared some bread and an entrée of garlic butter squid rings.
I'd always wanted to try ricotta hotcakes with bananas and honeycomb butter since reading about this recipe by renowned chef Bill Granger in a food magazine, and was quite excited to see this item in the brunch menu. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it at all. The dish was served cold and it was just plain boring. Looks like I may have to schedule a trip to Bill's restaurant in Sydney to check out the real thing!
(Incidentally, I was surfing Bill's website and found that rivercafé's brunch menu was the exact copy of Bill's sample breakfast menu. Wonder if they have any official tie-ups...)
Little Matthew was kept entertained throughout by his Uncle Alex. According to his parents, this kid lives on sunshine, air and water. But somehow, he started eating bits of stuff from Alex's plate! Even mommy Serene commented, "Seems like everything from Uncle Alex tastes good." Although he did spit out the veg after chewing a bit...
After lunch, we had a nice leisurely stroll around the quayside area. Sam and Serene also checked out the showflats of 2 condos in the area. Absurdly expensive for such tiny little places. My kitchen alone is the size of this condo's living/dining area, just imagine!
Name: rivercafé www.rivercafe.com.sg
Location: 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore Tyler Print Institute Building
Thumbs-up for the ambience and decor. Very mod-Oz casual bistro look, with al-fresco seating facing our now-relatively-clean Singapore river, and the interior featuring a whole floor-to-ceiling shelving holdings bottles of wine and books, mostly related to food and drinks.
The menu was rather limited though, or rather, didn't contain items that really shout out to us. Middle eastern spatchcock, anybody? Serene ordered a seafood pasta, Sam had a soup and the pan fried escolar (fish) fillet with maple soy glaze, Alex decided on the tenderloin with carbernet glaze, and we all shared some bread and an entrée of garlic butter squid rings.
I'd always wanted to try ricotta hotcakes with bananas and honeycomb butter since reading about this recipe by renowned chef Bill Granger in a food magazine, and was quite excited to see this item in the brunch menu. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it at all. The dish was served cold and it was just plain boring. Looks like I may have to schedule a trip to Bill's restaurant in Sydney to check out the real thing!
(Incidentally, I was surfing Bill's website and found that rivercafé's brunch menu was the exact copy of Bill's sample breakfast menu. Wonder if they have any official tie-ups...)
Little Matthew was kept entertained throughout by his Uncle Alex. According to his parents, this kid lives on sunshine, air and water. But somehow, he started eating bits of stuff from Alex's plate! Even mommy Serene commented, "Seems like everything from Uncle Alex tastes good." Although he did spit out the veg after chewing a bit...
After lunch, we had a nice leisurely stroll around the quayside area. Sam and Serene also checked out the showflats of 2 condos in the area. Absurdly expensive for such tiny little places. My kitchen alone is the size of this condo's living/dining area, just imagine!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Upper East Coast Road
Well, Jo's feeling better from the Saturday ordeal although still far from being 100% well. The pain is still at her liver area and she needs to walk slowly and not make any sudden moves. The pain killers been helping and we pray she'll gradually wean off it in the next few days.
I've had to effectively cancel my activities since Saturday morning till today and perhaps beyond... Really no issue with me, been there done that. Anything that concerns Jo, I'll drop and ensure that she's attended to before anything else.
This afternoon, she felt better enough to leave the house in search of a new joint called Zuko! www.zuko.com.sg Don't ask me where she gets these cravings or ideas from, all I know is that when she says "I want to try out this new place..." I just get READY! So armed with her foodie guide books (IS Food Guide 2006 and one other I can't recall or find it now) we set off for 17 Upper East Coast Road.
In all honesty Jo should be writing this section, as I don't do justice as an online food / restaurant critique...but she's asleep. Oh well, I promise to do my best. Anyway, if you don't like my write up, check out the one by STOMP http://www.stomp.com.sg/stfoodiesclub/diningout/18/index.htm
Zuko is situated along Upper East Coast road. If you know where Siglap Shopping Centre is -you're doing fine. Along that road, you'll drive by a whole bunch of eateries. They're located just
beside a little road named Jalan Tua Kong and directly opposite the public car park.So it was 1:35pm when we stepped in. All quiet except for us. Greeted by the waiter and presumed restaurant owner? (Jo said so...) We took sometime to decide our menu and so it went like this:
1. Bruschetta
2. Zuko! Pork Ribs
3. Crabmeat Linguine with White Wine sauce (pictured above)
The Bruschetta was pretty good with finely chopped tomatoes on a crispy yet soft bread (yeah, I don't even know the name of the bread...what a great food critique) layered with olive oil. The Pork Ribs were ok. Jo felt that the texture was somewhat tough and initial serving of sauce was insufficient. But the staff were very obliging and brought more for us.
Now my fav! The Crabmeat Linguine (your choice of pasta, but Linguine does it best for seafood, trust me) was beyond words man. I was initially apprehensive of the white wine as base for sauce, but man was I wrong. It had such an aroma and gave it that zest. The linguine was done excellently, just the right texture - bouncy yet not tough. Crabmeat was abundant and nicely integrated with the dish with lotsa tomatoes...ahhh mama mia!
Ok enough I'm salivating. 2 thumbs up!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Staring Pain in the Face (literally)
How often have you seen your loved one in pain...I mean such severe pain that tears well up in their eyes. Well this is like too many for me.
I awoke at 5:30am just to see a faint shadow bent slightly over. It was Jo and she seemed in pain. I rushed over to her side of the bed and asked what was wrong. She pointed to her tummy / liver area and I immediately knew what it was...flashbacks of our recent encounters of early morning scares filled my memory again. I uttered "God, please not again..."
But it did happen and she was in such utter pain I was so distraught myself.
She was sitting on the bedside clutching her tummy. Her face was wincing, contorting, frowning, closed. I just stared helpless sitting on the floor. I could feel her pain. It was awful. Time froze and felt like an eternity.
I quickly prayed and pleaded with God to remove the source of pain. I remembered what we learnt in Elim Small Group last night about claiming the Promises of God:
Know, believe, claim and speak it.
She took a pain killer and subsequently went back to sleep. It was 7am by then...a 90-min ordeal, gosh!
I awoke at 5:30am just to see a faint shadow bent slightly over. It was Jo and she seemed in pain. I rushed over to her side of the bed and asked what was wrong. She pointed to her tummy / liver area and I immediately knew what it was...flashbacks of our recent encounters of early morning scares filled my memory again. I uttered "God, please not again..."
But it did happen and she was in such utter pain I was so distraught myself.
She was sitting on the bedside clutching her tummy. Her face was wincing, contorting, frowning, closed. I just stared helpless sitting on the floor. I could feel her pain. It was awful. Time froze and felt like an eternity.
I quickly prayed and pleaded with God to remove the source of pain. I remembered what we learnt in Elim Small Group last night about claiming the Promises of God:
Know, believe, claim and speak it.
She took a pain killer and subsequently went back to sleep. It was 7am by then...a 90-min ordeal, gosh!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Foodie or piggy??
Having a bit of sore throat and cough. Gonna blame it on the haze cos it's definitely not the chilli crab, fried chicken wings and orange juice I had the other day.
Went to check out VivoCity with hubby yesterday nite. Boom town charlie, man! It's a weekday nite and yet there were tons of people in the spanking new mall. The place is really huge and quite a lot of shops are already opened, including the highly-anticipated GAP boutique. Not quite sure what to make of the fashion nowadays though, the designs somehow don't seem very wearable. Or maybe it's just me falling behind the times...
Decided to dine at Food Republic, the retro-themed food court. Cool deco, complete with dark wooden tables/chairs, uneven stone flooring and piped-in 60s/70s Chinese songs. Food and drinks are priced a bit higher (fishball noodles for $4.50 and watermelon juice without ice for $2.70), but the place was packed! Took us a while to find an empty table and some more time to queue and get the food which was quite good actually. So will probably brave the crowd and go back another time to try the other stalls. That's the Singapore spirit, right? : )
Most of my frens will know that I'm a die-hard foodie. If you give me $500, I'll choose to blow it all on a really good meal instead of buying a branded bag or pair of shoes. Naturally, one of my worst nightmares is that, if the cancer spreads to my mouth or throat, then I won't be able to eat all my favourite food! So I'm always on the look-out for eating places with good reviews, either through TV programmes, newspapers/magazines or frens. Then depending on my craving for the day, I'll bully my hubby and make him bring me there or ta-bao.
Went to check out VivoCity with hubby yesterday nite. Boom town charlie, man! It's a weekday nite and yet there were tons of people in the spanking new mall. The place is really huge and quite a lot of shops are already opened, including the highly-anticipated GAP boutique. Not quite sure what to make of the fashion nowadays though, the designs somehow don't seem very wearable. Or maybe it's just me falling behind the times...
Decided to dine at Food Republic, the retro-themed food court. Cool deco, complete with dark wooden tables/chairs, uneven stone flooring and piped-in 60s/70s Chinese songs. Food and drinks are priced a bit higher (fishball noodles for $4.50 and watermelon juice without ice for $2.70), but the place was packed! Took us a while to find an empty table and some more time to queue and get the food which was quite good actually. So will probably brave the crowd and go back another time to try the other stalls. That's the Singapore spirit, right? : )
Most of my frens will know that I'm a die-hard foodie. If you give me $500, I'll choose to blow it all on a really good meal instead of buying a branded bag or pair of shoes. Naturally, one of my worst nightmares is that, if the cancer spreads to my mouth or throat, then I won't be able to eat all my favourite food! So I'm always on the look-out for eating places with good reviews, either through TV programmes, newspapers/magazines or frens. Then depending on my craving for the day, I'll bully my hubby and make him bring me there or ta-bao.
My current fav restaurant is Wild Rocket @ Mt Emily A cosy little place with fantastic food and friendly staff. So far, have tried their crabmeat linguini with pink cream sauce, roasted Chilean seabass with sweet chilli marmalade, lamb rack marinaded with garam masala, rib-eye steak burger, pandan panna cotta and the fabulous strawberry cheesecake served in a martini glass. It's one of those rare places where you feel like going back everyday until you've tried everything on the menu, and then you continue going back again and again.
Hmmm, must start planning for my next climb up Mt Emily soon...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Supernatural Healing
Not much happening these days apart from the erratic haze. Jo has been experiencing more pains to the liver area though. Digestion is still slow along with her small appetite these days. Each Panadol now seems to last only between 5.5 to 6 hrs at most before her fever sets in again (not to take more than 4 per day) She's been eating a fair bit over the last few days.
On Sunday after Church we went by Liang Court to have some Japanese ramen (basement level). On Monday evening she had a set dinner (Degustation menu, whatever that means?? Includes 4 appetisers, 3 soups, 1 main course and dessert, coffee and pralines) with sis, dad and myself at Gordon's Grill. Off course we could not leave till we had sampled the renown Crepe Suzette ala Gordon Grill styed. And yes, Jo had her Banana Flambe to top it off...
Yesterday she had an impromptu gathering of her girlfriends for dinner at our place after having spent half an afternoon @ Wild Rocket Restaurant at Mt Emily. Apart from the sumptuous "zhi-char" (which was home delivered from nearby zhi-cha restaurant! Min. order of $20 bucks only) which included chilli crab, venison, fried rice, prawn paste chicken and mom-in-laws famous char bee hoon!
Ok enough about food. I thought I'd share on a passage that we read together quite often from "Prayers to Move your Mountains". It's a prayer format that helps us whenever we've run out of words to say...whenever we're at a loss of what to even say... Won't you spend sometime to read and meditate likewise.
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV)
Almighty God, I come before You in the name of Jesus, knowing that You hear my prayer and care about my needs (Rom 8:32). Your love is stronger than my sin (Rom. 8:38-39). Your faithfulness is greater than my suffering (Lam. 3:23) Your power is mightier than my sickness (Ps 103:3). You are Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals me (Ex. 15:26)
I present myself to You asking that You would touch me. Breathe into me Your breath of life (Gen 2:7). May the creative power of Your life-giving Holy Spirit course throughout my body and make me whole again.
Lord Jesus, You bore my griefs. You carried my sorrows. You were esteemed stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But You were wounded for my transgressions. You were bruised for my iniquities. You took the chastisement for my peace upon Yourself, and by Your stripes I am healed (Isa. 53:4-5)
Your blood is more than sufficient to cleanse me, heal me, and secure my salvation (Heb. 9:13-14). Cover me with Your precious blood. Your Word says,"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16 NKJV). Examine my heart. Convict me and purge me of any sin that hinders the flow of Your healing power. I resolve to come clean with all my sin so that You would wash me and restore my body.
Throughout Your earthly ministry, You demonstrated Your love and compassion by healing the physical and emotional infirmities of men and women just like me (Matt 14:14). And everyone who touched You was made well. Lord Jesus, I reach out to touch even the hem of Your garment that You would heal me just as You healed them (Mark 5:27-28).
I place my confidence in Your love, Your faithfulness, and Your power to overcome any ailment, disorder, or malady. And I rejoice in advance as I anticipate Your intervention on my behalf.
I cast all my cares upon You because I know You care for me (1 Peter 5:7)
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Back Again...
Well I guess we've taken some sort of break from blogging over the past week...
Since Jo's discharge from NUH last Friday evening, things have been going quite fine so far. Our next appointment with the docs would be on 25 October - a little long we felt. We'll see what we can do to bring this forward sometime next week, God willing. Please continue to pray for good results.
Also, interestingly the angiogram tube insertion was really quite small as I observe the tiny 3-4mm incision on Jo's upper right thigh. Pretty amazing. Jo was walking slowly all of last week for fear of aggravating the wound.
Last Tuesday we went by TTSH for her follow up visit with the ENT and doc commented after the nose scope that all was clear there. Thank God for that!
She had craving for Katsu-don and so we ended up at Tonkichi at the Suntec "Food Alley" - the circus area below the Fountain of Wealth. Again we over ate and arrrghhh.
We've stopped the TCM appointments last week and probably for the coming week for now. Think it'll be good not to take too much additional stuff just for now and let the liver do what it can.
Jo's appetite is still the same...low. She complained of further pains to the rib area since Wednesday and that's why I really want to push for an earlier appointment with the docs. If the results aren't good then we wouldn't have to delay in considering other treatment options. Time is of the essence now.
Glad that the haze situation is getting better. That allowed me for another night ride from West Coast to Tuas with the usual bunch. Started off 8:30pm last evening and ended back at midnight. Total trip distance of 51.14km. Had a great stop-over at a friend's office with food provided for...decadent :)
Friday, October 06, 2006
Discharged at 6pm today?
Ok we're still here at NUH. Doc had advised us to stay on till this evening to ensure full healing takes place to her thigh.
Jo was wheeled out looking very well since she only on LA. There was a bandage round the right upper thigh near the groin area. Apart from the dye that was infused, some microscopic radioactive beads or spheres were injected. At the end of the day, the scans would map out exactly where her tumours and related blood vessels were, aiding the doctors to direct the radioactive beads to it's target.
No she isn't glowing with Radiation because the amount used is very minute with an approximate effective radii of 2-3 cm only.
A quick summary of what transpired from yesterday till today:
Thursday, 5 October
2:10pm - Jo wheeled into the Op Theatre.
4:00pm - Procedure completed and Jo wheeled out of Op Theatre.
4:10pm - Jo wheeled to the MRI Scan room for further scans. She was placed in between what looked like a huge sandwich maker :) Uncannily we bumped into Audrey (from our Elim SG) who was working in the Radiological department. It was such a Blessing to have met her! She made Jo at ease with the scanning machine and gave us an overview of what kind of scans was being done...that was unfortunately not even mentioned by the doctors... humph! Anyway this was a Gamma Scan to scan her lungs and liver for the flow of the radioactive particles.
There's alot to be mentioned about bedside manners in our local hospitals I must say: On each of the 2 occasions the hoarde of doctors that have swamped into Jo's room, NONE of them had even identified themselves! I guess we were expected to peer at their tiny size 8 font details on their hospital identification cards bobbing on their moving bodies.
6:00pm - Back to our lovely Ward 62A. By then her bum and back was quite sore as she'd being lying in the same position for nearly 6 hours without changing at all.
6:30pm - A doctor came by trying to chart her family tree for research purposes.
7:00 - 10pm - We were having dinner "part 1" when she said that she wanted Crayfish Pasta from The Coffee Connection. Thanks Sam and Serene for going out of your way to get this for us! Pasta has been Jo's all time fav foods for "all seasons." Boy, did her appetite come back! She later had Delifrance peach tart for supper and finished it too!
Friday, 6th October
Doctors came by at 1045am and told us that it was better for her to stay till 6pm to ensure full healing.
Jo was wheeled out looking very well since she only on LA. There was a bandage round the right upper thigh near the groin area. Apart from the dye that was infused, some microscopic radioactive beads or spheres were injected. At the end of the day, the scans would map out exactly where her tumours and related blood vessels were, aiding the doctors to direct the radioactive beads to it's target.
No she isn't glowing with Radiation because the amount used is very minute with an approximate effective radii of 2-3 cm only.
A quick summary of what transpired from yesterday till today:
Thursday, 5 October
2:10pm - Jo wheeled into the Op Theatre.
4:00pm - Procedure completed and Jo wheeled out of Op Theatre.
4:10pm - Jo wheeled to the MRI Scan room for further scans. She was placed in between what looked like a huge sandwich maker :) Uncannily we bumped into Audrey (from our Elim SG) who was working in the Radiological department. It was such a Blessing to have met her! She made Jo at ease with the scanning machine and gave us an overview of what kind of scans was being done...that was unfortunately not even mentioned by the doctors... humph! Anyway this was a Gamma Scan to scan her lungs and liver for the flow of the radioactive particles.
There's alot to be mentioned about bedside manners in our local hospitals I must say: On each of the 2 occasions the hoarde of doctors that have swamped into Jo's room, NONE of them had even identified themselves! I guess we were expected to peer at their tiny size 8 font details on their hospital identification cards bobbing on their moving bodies.
6:00pm - Back to our lovely Ward 62A. By then her bum and back was quite sore as she'd being lying in the same position for nearly 6 hours without changing at all.
6:30pm - A doctor came by trying to chart her family tree for research purposes.
7:00 - 10pm - We were having dinner "part 1" when she said that she wanted Crayfish Pasta from The Coffee Connection. Thanks Sam and Serene for going out of your way to get this for us! Pasta has been Jo's all time fav foods for "all seasons." Boy, did her appetite come back! She later had Delifrance peach tart for supper and finished it too!
Friday, 6th October
Doctors came by at 1045am and told us that it was better for her to stay till 6pm to ensure full healing.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
In NUH Till Tomorrow
We were awaiting a call from our NUH Onco for the next appointment and suddenly I got it at noon today. Dr Goh asked if Jo could come in this evening for the Hepatic Angiogram (think I spelt it right?) test to see if she would be suitable for the Internal Radiotherapy Treatment (IRT).
I rushed back by 4.30pm and whisked her off to NUH. We got all the admin paperwork done and we thank God for the wonderful nurses and staff at the NUH Cancer Institute.
We checked in at 8pm and right now I've rushed back to bathe and grab some other stuff for tonite's stayover. Well, they got ESPN, HBO and whole bunch of other channels.
So what is the Hepatic Angiogram procedure?
An angiogram is an X-ray test that uses fluoroscopy to take pictures of the blood flow within an artery (such as the aorta) or a vein (such as the vena cava). General angiogram can be used to evaluate the arteries or veins in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen. Special angiogram tests can look at the arteries near the heart (coronary angiogram), lungs (pulmonary angiogram), brain (cerebral angiogram), and aorta (aortogram).
During an angiogram, a thin flexible tube called a catheter is placed into the femoral blood vessel (femoral artery) in the groin or just above the elbow (brachial artery) and guided to the area to be studied. Then a dye (contrast material) that contains iodine is injected into the vessel to make it more visible on the X-ray pictures. This method is known as conventional or catheter angiogram. The angiogram pictures can be produced on regular X-ray films or stored as digital images in a computer.
I rushed back by 4.30pm and whisked her off to NUH. We got all the admin paperwork done and we thank God for the wonderful nurses and staff at the NUH Cancer Institute.
We checked in at 8pm and right now I've rushed back to bathe and grab some other stuff for tonite's stayover. Well, they got ESPN, HBO and whole bunch of other channels.
So what is the Hepatic Angiogram procedure?
An angiogram is an X-ray test that uses fluoroscopy to take pictures of the blood flow within an artery (such as the aorta) or a vein (such as the vena cava). General angiogram can be used to evaluate the arteries or veins in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen. Special angiogram tests can look at the arteries near the heart (coronary angiogram), lungs (pulmonary angiogram), brain (cerebral angiogram), and aorta (aortogram).
During an angiogram, a thin flexible tube called a catheter is placed into the femoral blood vessel (femoral artery) in the groin or just above the elbow (brachial artery) and guided to the area to be studied. Then a dye (contrast material) that contains iodine is injected into the vessel to make it more visible on the X-ray pictures. This method is known as conventional or catheter angiogram. The angiogram pictures can be produced on regular X-ray films or stored as digital images in a computer.
In Jo's case doc said the procedure should be about 30mins long.
Prayer Items
- Appreciate your covering prayer for the 30min procedure tomorrow morning/afternoon. Not confirmed at this time
- Pray for Jo for calmness of heart. She will be on local anasthesia only and will be awake throughout.
- Pray that the results hold good for her to proceed with the IRT.
Thank you all!
Got to rush back to the ward before they shut me out! :)
Monday, October 02, 2006
Lots and Lots of Medicine
Some frens have been quite surprised to receive my SMS in the early hours of the morning recently. By the way, my definition of 'early' is any time before noon, which is when I get out of my very comfortable bed.
No, I've not decided to change my sleeping pattern for good. It's just that my life has been taken over by lots of pills, capsules and powders. I now have to write down a daily schedule of when to take my medicine and even set alarms on my mobile to remind myself.
Here's a typical timetable:
5am Omeprazole x 1 (anti-gastric) + Indomethacin x 1 (anti-fever)
9am Enzyme supplement x 2 (improve immune and digestive systems)
12nn TCM powder/drink x 1 + Lingzhi capsules x 4 (overall well-being)
2pm Panadol x 2 (anti-fever) + Antibiotic x 1 (nose infection)
4pm Pien Tze Huang x 1 (detox)
6pm TCM powder/drink x 1
8pm Omeprazole x 1 + Indomethacin x 1
10pm Antibiotic x 1
11pm TCM powder/drink x 1 + Lingzhi capsules x 4 + Pien Tze Huang x 1
Fun, huh?
Then there are those times when I don't take my fever medicine in time and I really suffer (I have 24/7 fever due to the large tumour). Even in tropical Singapore, I'll get chills with numb fingers and uncontrollable shivering. Once, Alex had to try and warm me up with a hair dryer while I was already wrapped up in a quilt in bed!
But thank God, so long as I follow my schedule, life goes on as per normal. Which is really great, cos I still get to meet up with frens to do lunches, high-teas and dinners : )
And by the way, I do go back to sleep after taking my medicine at 9am. So apologies if you don't get a reply on your SMS till after noon : )
No, I've not decided to change my sleeping pattern for good. It's just that my life has been taken over by lots of pills, capsules and powders. I now have to write down a daily schedule of when to take my medicine and even set alarms on my mobile to remind myself.
Here's a typical timetable:
5am Omeprazole x 1 (anti-gastric) + Indomethacin x 1 (anti-fever)
9am Enzyme supplement x 2 (improve immune and digestive systems)
12nn TCM powder/drink x 1 + Lingzhi capsules x 4 (overall well-being)
2pm Panadol x 2 (anti-fever) + Antibiotic x 1 (nose infection)
4pm Pien Tze Huang x 1 (detox)
6pm TCM powder/drink x 1
8pm Omeprazole x 1 + Indomethacin x 1
10pm Antibiotic x 1
11pm TCM powder/drink x 1 + Lingzhi capsules x 4 + Pien Tze Huang x 1
Fun, huh?
Then there are those times when I don't take my fever medicine in time and I really suffer (I have 24/7 fever due to the large tumour). Even in tropical Singapore, I'll get chills with numb fingers and uncontrollable shivering. Once, Alex had to try and warm me up with a hair dryer while I was already wrapped up in a quilt in bed!
But thank God, so long as I follow my schedule, life goes on as per normal. Which is really great, cos I still get to meet up with frens to do lunches, high-teas and dinners : )
And by the way, I do go back to sleep after taking my medicine at 9am. So apologies if you don't get a reply on your SMS till after noon : )
The Decision
After consulting so many doctors (even one who's overseas, thanks to my sister's fren) and doing quite a bit of online research, we've decided at this point in time to go for the internal radiation (IR) treatment.
Why Internal Radiation
Main reason being IR is a one-off procedure (day surgery) with minimal side effects. Definitely not like those tedious chemo sessions where I get poked repeatedly with needles and having to suffer the usual chemo side effects week after week.
The IR treatment will involve delivering millions of microscopic radioactive spheres through a catheter into the tumour(s) in my liver. These spheres will destroy the tumour(s) from within, with little effect on nearby healthy tissues. Will then do follow-up scans to monitor effect on tumour(s).
For the sake of my dear family and frens though, I'll find out exactly how radioactive I'll be after the treatment. May have to become a hermit for a while : )
An Aggressive Alternative
Interestingly, one of the doctors listed liver resection - a major surgical operation involving general anesthesia - as an option. . Imagine CSI where somebody cuts open my tummy, puts his hand in and cuts out the whole tumour site, all 11cm of it, plus 1 or 2 other little tumours hiding around.
Essentially, that means 70% of my liver in the bin. But the doctor reassured us that the liver is one super-organ which can support the body even with just 30% physical volume, and more amazingly, it will re-generate and grow back to its normal size in a few months.
However, it's a rather invasive procedure with quite a few risks, possibly involving GA, bleeding, infection and liver failure. Also, will be required to go through many pricey scans and tests to assess my suitability even before the op.
Guess it would be quite amazing to wake up after a 6-hour op and know that the burdensome tumour is gone from my liver. But no guarantee that it won't recur or appear somewhere else in my body...
Anyway, we're sticking to our decision to do IR for now. Just waiting for an appointment with the surgeon who will be doing the op. Will still need to get the full details from him and understand any risks involved.
Why Internal Radiation
Main reason being IR is a one-off procedure (day surgery) with minimal side effects. Definitely not like those tedious chemo sessions where I get poked repeatedly with needles and having to suffer the usual chemo side effects week after week.
The IR treatment will involve delivering millions of microscopic radioactive spheres through a catheter into the tumour(s) in my liver. These spheres will destroy the tumour(s) from within, with little effect on nearby healthy tissues. Will then do follow-up scans to monitor effect on tumour(s).
For the sake of my dear family and frens though, I'll find out exactly how radioactive I'll be after the treatment. May have to become a hermit for a while : )
An Aggressive Alternative
Interestingly, one of the doctors listed liver resection - a major surgical operation involving general anesthesia - as an option. . Imagine CSI where somebody cuts open my tummy, puts his hand in and cuts out the whole tumour site, all 11cm of it, plus 1 or 2 other little tumours hiding around.
Essentially, that means 70% of my liver in the bin. But the doctor reassured us that the liver is one super-organ which can support the body even with just 30% physical volume, and more amazingly, it will re-generate and grow back to its normal size in a few months.
However, it's a rather invasive procedure with quite a few risks, possibly involving GA, bleeding, infection and liver failure. Also, will be required to go through many pricey scans and tests to assess my suitability even before the op.
Guess it would be quite amazing to wake up after a 6-hour op and know that the burdensome tumour is gone from my liver. But no guarantee that it won't recur or appear somewhere else in my body...
Anyway, we're sticking to our decision to do IR for now. Just waiting for an appointment with the surgeon who will be doing the op. Will still need to get the full details from him and understand any risks involved.
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