Getting Ready for Christmas (RBC)

From RBC's 12 December 2002 issue
READ: Isaiah 40:1-11

I glanced through some magazines and saw article after article warning about holiday stress and telling people how to prepare for Christmas. They gave the usual advice: Do your baking early; wrap your gifts as you purchase them; don't fill every minute with activity. These are good ideas, and I'm sure you've thought of some yourself. Personally, I like to shop through catalogs when I can.

The people who listened to John the Baptist had some preparing to do too. No, not for celebrating Christmas but for the start of Jesus' public ministry (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1). John's mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah by preaching a message of repentance (Luke 3:3). In preparation for the Messiah's coming, the people were to cleanse their hearts by seeking God's forgiveness for their sins.

As we get ready to celebrate the coming of Jesus to earth, we too should heed John's message of repentance (Matthew 3:2). What's most important is to enter this season of the year with a pure heart. To do that, we need to confess our sin, turn from it, and renew our fellowship with the Lord. Then we'll be able to celebrate the Christmas season with great joy and peace.
That's how to get ready for Christmas. —David C. Egner—

Take time this Christmastide to go

A little way apart,

And with the help of God prepare

The house that is your heart. —Anon.

To give meaning to Christmas, give Christ first place in your heart

What A Beautiful Morning!

Woke up this morning and wow! What a glorious view amidst the Monsoon season.


This pic on the left is what Jo had for lunch yesterday at home. Her good friend Kim came by to whip up a fabulous meal (courtesy of BBC's Good Food guide or was it from ABC's delicious mag) It's been awhile since our kitchen was put to good use, especially the oven. Mind you Jo eats about 30% of what ever is dished out...so don't even think that she's pigging out :)

The menu consisted of: Pan fried fillet steak with rocket leaves and cherry tomatoes, little sausage and mashed pie, spicy falalel, cheese & garlic filled mushroom.


Latest Update

Jo has improved quite a fair bit since Monday. She's walking well now and having a slightly better appetite. Amen!

Follow Up Doc's Appointment Today...Good News!

Jo had blood test done this morning for her liver function. Following this was doc's appointment at 11am @ NUH. I was really thanking God that Jo could walk a little better and that she didn't require use of the wheelchair.


In the Doctor's Chambers...
Dr Goh was all smiles as we entered his room and Jo started ranting away on all that
had happened during the procedure along with the many grouses she's had with the side-effects of liver pain, fever, aches and so forth. Dr Goh was still all smiles and countered saying that he was very happy importantly that Jo "survived" the ordeal very well. We were also quite comforted to hear that it was very very normal for post op patients to not walk properly simply because of the radiation and pain caused by the destroyed and dying tumour.

Dr Goh said that these were all positive side effects very normal to IRT patients.


The Blood Test Verdict
As Dr Goh pointed us to some numbers on his LCD monitor, he was interpreting the results with a big smile...that must be good I thought to myself... He was comparing the figures from those of pre-op and today's test and said that the rate of dying cells was significantly lower - meaning that the cells are starting to regenerate again. Also, Jo's liver function is quite normal with nothing abnormal noticed. Hooray!


Her Appetite
Doc did point to one particular result and said that her protein level had gone down or something and therefore needed to eat as much of this as possible. In short she needs to eat more meat...well she's been eating mainly noodles the last 2 weeks because she's not had the appetite for "solids". She didn't like Ensure or Prosure caused it tasted too milky. Not forgetting that Jo's liver function at this point is about 30%, mainly relying on the left lobe...whatever she eats takes a loooooooong time to digest.


The Pain Explained
The diagram on the left illustrates where our liver is located in respect to the rest of the human body. You'll notice that it's positioned within the right rib cage and right below the lungs/diaphragm area. Because of Jo's large tumour measuring some 11x10cm, it weighs down her entire liver which indirectly pulls upon the diaphragm muscle. This causes pain for her whenever she laughs too hard, coughs, sneezes or when she blows her nose. She cannot lie on her right side as it's tender and has to be careful not to jerk or move suddenly whenever she walks.

So we left Dr Goh feeling very happy, knowing that God had spoken to us at the end of the day. He'd wanted us to be reassured that all that has happened post op is normal and not extraordinary... phew...

Next appointment will be on Wed, 3 January 2007. A CT scan will be conducted subsequently to evaluate progress of the treatment.

Japanese Cuisine ...

Jo's not been out of the house since 2 and a half weeks ago...but she still gets to try the food that she likes, as long as the restaurant / outlet allows for take outs, we'll order it!

Today she was delivered again from Meidi-ya Supermart (B1 of Liang Court) and from Tampopo Japanese restaurant the following (pics following):


1. Katsu Curry Set

2. Japanese Cheese Cake

Chefs Preparing the Sushi and Bento Sets


3. King Crab Sushi from Hokkaido

21 November Updates

Come tomorrow and it'll be 2 weeks since Jo had the op.

The whole of last week was not too bad. Gradually getting better till Saturday came along. She just lost her appetite in the evening and on Sunday had the severe pains again when getting up from bed. So again, she was moving like an old lady...literally one step at a time. The aches are also present usually on her right shoulder area and sometimes on the left side of her body.

Next thing is the fever. Seems like it's getting shorter and shorter. Instead of the 6 hr interval, it's lessen to every 5 hrs and then the fever strikes again. So we've tried alternating between the Semplex anti-imflammatory pill and panadol. Semplex does wonders for at least 12 hrs. This helps her to sleep peacefully at least through the night.

Her appetite. We got her all the foods she likes but her appetite was still visibly poor - braised duck noodles, laksa yong tau foo, soy sauce chicken with rice etc etc. She's probably under 40kg now...and really bony... sigh....

Tastebuds are going bonkers. She's mentioned that it's numb at her tongue's end? Sometimes not being able to completely taste food. Also, certain foods taste strange when they normally do not.

Last but not least. Constipation.
She's been constipating for a bit and thank God that the medication we got last week worked. Only thing is that she gets diarrhoea once in awhile still.

So our prayer items for now would be:
1. Reduction and removal of the sharp pain (liver area)
2. Restoration of her appetite and tastebuds
3. Removal of the fever and aches
4. That she will no longer constipate and be able to move her bowels normally

Thank you all and God Bless

Isaiah 40:31

I've always loved Isaiah 40:31...

Those who hope in the Lord
Will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,
They will walk and not be faint.

We've begun this scripture memory exercise in our Elim SG whereby we
will memorise a promise weekly from the Bible. This has been great for us both, cos in times like these, we can count and claim upon His promises...providing for comfort and assurance.

Perhaps you'd like to take up this challenge too?
It's an excellent spiritual discipline that will help to strengthen your walk with God. All you need to do is to flip thru the Bible and locate God's promises. You can find some here http://ww2.intouch.org/site/c.7nKFISNvEqG/b.1034467/k.9C8E/Gods_Promises.htm or locate them on your own. Not difficult at all.

This verse is very apt for us cos' Jo has been really tired all day (more so at night) long. We pray for her strength to be renewed and that she will not grow weary.

God Bless!

Day 8 - Going Home

Jo was feeling ok to go home today and so we checked out of NUH @ 3:00pm.

All in all, pain to the abdomen area is mild, manageable but occasionally painful depending on the angle she sits / lie. Walking is still slow but at least she's mobile. Appetite is still little and she gets easily fatigued from what we've experienced today.

As a precaution, doc did mention that it would be best to visit Jo after the 14 days have passed. That would mean from Tues, Nov 28 you can catch up with her.

In the mean time, do drop me a note or call my mobile for anything.

We serve a God who is truly Faithful and true, as mentioned we're so thankful that

1. The Op went well
2. She's recovered relatively well in a couple of days

We again thank you for your prayer support.

Day 7 - NUH

This morning looked well for Jo.

She's been able to move to and from the toilet all day and we look forward to being discharged tomorrow.

This would've been the longest we've stayed in any hospital so far.
Her appetite's almost back. Pain is still there but importantly - manageable.

God Bless.

Day 6 - NUH (Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary!)

Jo woke up with pain this morning and was in a bit of a depressed mood...she's been lying here for 5 days now, not being able to leave the room or move about much for that matter. Besides the pain gets to her too, imagine having a major thorn by your side 24 / 7. Now we know what Paul felt like.

I swung by Tampopo at Liang Court again to get a bowl of Shoyu Ramen @ 12noon, however they have a strict policy of not allowing take outs for their noodles due to quality and hygiene controls. I was flustered and frustrated, but that's life. Since Meidi-ya Japanese supermart was just outside, I thot to myself that I'll just get her several different types of instant cup noodles. Unhealthy? Well at this point that's all she has cravings for and I'm only delighted that she's eating more. I also found Jo's fav juice - Ceres 100% Pure fruit juice blend. She likes the "Medley of Fruits" flavour consisting of Guava, Pineapple andother fruit.

By the way Jo finished the entire mini-bowl of instant noodles. :)

We're 6 years Today!
Yes we do have quite an interesting Wedding Anniversary date - it's 11-11-00 or 11 Nov, 2000. In fact thereshould be another 11 infront as we got married at 11:00am too! How coincidental, totally unplanned for. Instead of celebrating at some restaurant like we did last year, we'll be making the best of our mini "break" tonite. Our menu will consist of:
1. Main Course: Kopi Tiam's Chicken Chop for 2
2. Dessert: Almond Jelly
3. Drinks: Ceres Fruit Juice
4. Entertainment: HBO Channel (courtesy of NUH)

What We've Learnt Over the Years
For those who are married, even though bad things may happen, together as a praying couple with God's help even situations such as these can be turned into something good. A marriage is a covenant between two persons who love and cherish each other, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health...

The road ahead is never easy but when you love someone, it's never a burden to take care of them. Let's never take each other for granted, say words of love daily, say "sorry", spend time together, be gentle and kind to one another and above all - always put your spouse first.

Ok, am heading down to buy our anniversary dinner... :)

Appetite is Back!

Jo's eating again! In the afternoon she told me that she had cravings for mum's spaghetti...that was a fantastic sign! I called her mum and made the order.

Some pix for you: Above - my bed! Below - that's Jo lying in bed watching TV. The isolated room is really nice. We have our own TV (with HBO, no ESPN or Starsports though sob! sob!)and bathroom. She's definitely better this afternoon. Even the docs commented that she'd looked more vibrant.

She was given a stronger dosage of Kytril and which helped her throwing up. Furthermore, Morphine dose in the afternoon helped ease the pain and allowed her a peaceful rest.

The Pain
The pain emanates from her liver area and is a result of the tumour destruction according to the doctors. Even prior to this Jo was experiencing occasional spasms of pain at the liver area which would just cause her to go into like a "frozen" state until the pain eases off. This time round it occurs when she twists or turns a certain way. The nurses and staff always ask her "what's the pain factor from 1 to 10" and Jo would replying when it was really excruciating with a 7 0r 8. 10 being totally unbearable.

So there you go. In most likelihood, we're looking at a Sunday discharge - God willing. As mentioned I'd rather stay as long as needed till she can be fully mobile with as little pain as possible. Right now movement is still difficult for her.

Day 5 - NUH

Jo vomited only once last night, which was not too bad.

She had a higher dosage of Morphine given as the pain was still quite strong. It took 30 mins just to get her out of bed and to the toilet. She slept well throughout the morning. Had fever about 8am but gradually subsided after taking panadol. Doc will provide stronger dosage of Kytril (anti-nausea) via IV as this will allow her to take food in. So far she's had some cheng thng and 2 pieces of Meiji plain cracker biscuit. She had vomited just once this morning due to the ribena I guess. Still didn't take the breakfast that was served.

I'll be seeing if I can get her fav foods later. Appetite is mildly back. Looking better than yesterday. She still can't have visitors for now as she's radioactive as mentioned. In fact they will have a radiometer / gigometer (?) to measure the amount of radioactivity in and around her before releasing her.

So we'll see how lunch goes. Doc said that she'll most likely be staying through the weekend. We pray to be discharged by Sunday.

Day 4 - NUH

It's pretty comforting to know that our God sends his messengers when we need them most.

I didn't mention this before but when we first checked into Ward 58 on Monday, there was a lady next to us with 3 kids and she was suffering from a relapse I believe from cancer of the kidneys. Apparently her last treatment dosage was too high and it caused "burning" on her skin
and within her throat area. Poor lady. Then on Tuesday, 2 ladies from her cell group (I believe) came by to support and pray for her. They spoke with Jo in Chinese and we shared with them that we are Believers too and they so freely prayed for the both of us (in Chineses...I learnt stuff :).

It's comforting to know that that's what Peter meant in Acts 2, that though we were seemingly strangers...we were not in the body of Christ.

When we moved to the isolation room, they somehow managed to track us down this morning. They were genuinely concerned and therein they prayed for Jo and myself once again. Truly, I believe these were His messengers he'd sent to comfort us during this time. And that was really really relieving for me. Seeing Jo vomit and feeling her pain once again...was really tough.

So as you see on the left, we can't quite have visitors because of the radioactive content still within her. What about me? Do I care seriously? All the stuff that she eats are in plastic and her hospital gown will need to be disposed off and burned. They've got separate bins for each item. Nurses seldom come in unless necessary and they stand on her left side instead of the right. Pregnant staff not allowed nearby at all. I feel like I'm in some sci-fi movie...

So this morning the pain was still excruciating and so doc provided for Morphine in liquid form to relieve this. It worked well however she was very drowsy after taking it. She was able to eat tiny bits of lunch. As for dinner she ate a little more, fish porridge with soup. But I think she at the jelly dessert most. :) That's Jo for you.

Also on another note, as I was touring the floor below us - it was the NKF Children's ward below and it was also quite sad to see many kids in hospital. Please keep them in your prayers for all the young ones whom are suffering and in pain also. Pray that our good Lord will touch and heal them too.

We pray she's ok to be discharged tomorrow...it may or may not happen, but that's fine.

Day 3 - IRT @ NUH

She was wheeled in sharp from her bed again @ 0745 hrs. I slept rather uncomfortably the whole night as I was half sharing the tiny bed with her...didn't want to make too much noise as this was a C class ward with 6 other patients. Thank God later she will be moved to the isolation ward just a few doors down the corridor.

0830 hrs - After being sponged she was dressed and sent to the operating theatre once again.

12 noon - Wheeled out after 3.5 excruciating hours.

Thank goodness I bumped into Audrey (SG friend) who was the radiographer involved with Prof Wang in Jo's procedure this morning, how coincidental can you get?

She informed me that there was no major complications just that instead of using the same puncture opening on Tuesday, doc had decided to use the neck/chest artery instead as it was a more convenient route to reach the liver area as from Jo's left thigh. A cathether balloon was made to ensure the artery to the lung was blocked for that duration to ensure no Y90 material flowed that way. Prof Wang wanted to ensure a very slow delivery of the Y90 to minimise any possible side effects and risk.

So up till this point now. Jo has vomited about 3 times, still feeling nauseas and lack of appetite.
Thank you for your prayer support in this area. Doc said that she may remain nauseas for the next 48 hrs as the Y90 destroys the tumour and the only way to get rid of this is via vomiting. She's only had some juice, a little soup and a fraction of an apple.

I can only thank God for a smooth operation, that was really all that mattered. Amen again to our Almighty Father!

Okay, have to run back to the hospital now. God Bless to all!

Day 2 - Internal Radiotherapy Treatment @ NUH

Again my sincere gratitude goes out to the many "prayer warriors" - the Elim and Shalom Small Group (SG) and countless others from Wesley Sunday School, friends and colleagues of Jo. Thank you all.

Day 2 - Tuesday

I rushed back to the ward at 7:10am and they were already preparing Jo for the 830am procedure. She went to the toilet one last time before being wheeled down to the 2nd level operating theatre area.

8:30am - They whisked her in and that was it.

11:00am - She was wheeled out and Jo was awake to say that doc did not have to perform any blockage of the arteries because all seemed well. Amen to that! So all she had was 1 right thigh puncture instead of a possible 4!

She had a big craving for lunch and so she sent me of to Tampopo Katsu-don restaurant at the basement of Liang Court. Got her the Katsu-don Set A with miso soup and honey dew. Not forgetting her Strawberry Shortcake dessert...yeah tell me about it.

Evening came, Sunday school friends came by and her mom brought along popiah which she had ordered them to get before coming by! Glad she's got good appetite!

Tomorrow the op will be at 8:30 am, same time. May the Lord watch over her tomorrow.

This Is It

Well friends and all, it's finally here.

We checked into NUH @ 4pm today. Jo will undergo the procedure at approx. 0830 hrs tomorrow morning. Prof. Wang will be performing the op on both days.

The Y-90 radioactive beads are delivered through a catheter placed in the femoral artery of the upper thigh and threaded through the hepatic artery (the major blood vessel of the liver) to the tumor site. The spheres are trapped in the tumor’s small blood vessels, where they destroy the tumor from inside.

I'll cut to the chase and explain in detail what's happening over the next 2 days with Joanne:

Tuesday: Prof Wang will be mapping out Jo's liver arteries and blood vessels to ensure that those which lead to other organs or outside of the liver will be blocked. This process is complicated and time consuming because each artery or blood vessel that needs to be blocked takes nearly 20-30mins to do so. Also, there are possible complications that come with this -
rupture of a blood vessel etc.

Wednesday: Radioactive Y-90 will be administered via cathether to the tumour in the liver area. This will take only 30 minutes.

All in all, the attending doc had to spell out in no uncertain terms ALL that could possibly happen in this op - from liver failure, vessel rupture, cathether puncture, the list goes on.

So may your prayers for Jo and us be over the next 48 hours simply this: that our good Lord
will allow His Will to be carried out.

Jo's at a C-class ward today so not quite possible for me to bunk over even if I'd wanted. Tomorrow she should be moved over to an isolation ward once the op is over. After the whole procedure she will continue to remain very mildly radioactive and doc has advised against going out or coming into contact with friends for the next 14 days. Even I am not allowed to hug her :(

Ok will update more in the next 12 hours.

Almost Well

Thank you for your prayers.

It's been a harrowing last 5 days. Caught the fever last Saturday from dunno what..
Saw the doc on Sunday. Medication wasn't effective and fever was recurrent round the clock just like Jo's. Suspected Dengue fever, but inconclusive at this time.

As of Tuesday evening the fever had totally disappeared, Amen to that!
I was left with intense body aches. Legs and arms felt like lead, especially after seating for too long or waking up from bed. Took blood test and met up with doctor friend at the Polyclinic for consultation. Results were good but were hard to determine if dengue or not.

So please pray the aches go away by Monday. Am walking around like a 70 yr old :)

May the Lord Bless and Keep you all.

Sometimes He Comes In The Clouds

By Steven Curtis Chapman, "My Utmost for His Highest" CD Vol. 1

"In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by Faith. They are a sign that God is there."

These are the places I was so sure I'd find Him
I've looked in the pages And I've looked down on my knees
I've lifted my eyes in expectation to see the sun still refusing to shine, but...

Chorus:
Sometimes He comes in the clouds.
Sometimes His face cannot be found
Sometimes the sky is dark and gray
But some things can only be known
And sometimes our faith can only grow
When we can't see
So, sometimes He comes in the clouds

Sometimes I see me, a sailor out on the ocean
So brave and so sure,
As long as the skies are clear
But when the clouds start to gather,
I watch my faith turn to fear, but...

Sometimes He comes in the rain
And we question the pain
And wonder how God can seem so far away
But time will show us
He was right there with us.

(C) 1995 Sparrow Song