WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws
WOMEN'S REVENGE
"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked. "No," she replied, " but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."
UNDERSTANDING WOMEN
(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.
W O R D S
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day...
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
CREATION
A man said t o his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
" The wife responded, "Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible
that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament
and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says........ .."HEBREWS" (Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
See my Chinese physician
This afternoon was my appointment with my Chinese physician again at Thong Chai Medical Institution. I complained to her about my post-menopause symptoms, so my physician modified her prescription for me, hopefully can lessen these unpleasant experiences.
Thank God that there is this Chinese medical hall (Ming Tai) around OG Chinatown that still prepares Chinese herbal packages for patients at a reasonable cost and also fresh. The average cost for my prescription per day is about $4 to $4.50. If I get it near my home, it will almost double that cost. The shop also allows me to fax over my prescription for collection on another day.
I normally order 2 weeks’ supplies to maintain freshness. I still have to consume the herbs every day and will see the physician in a month’s time. After drinking this herbal drink for a year, I am so used to its bitterness that I drink it like plain water!
Thank God that there is this Chinese medical hall (Ming Tai) around OG Chinatown that still prepares Chinese herbal packages for patients at a reasonable cost and also fresh. The average cost for my prescription per day is about $4 to $4.50. If I get it near my home, it will almost double that cost. The shop also allows me to fax over my prescription for collection on another day.
I normally order 2 weeks’ supplies to maintain freshness. I still have to consume the herbs every day and will see the physician in a month’s time. After drinking this herbal drink for a year, I am so used to its bitterness that I drink it like plain water!
I Samuel 16: 7
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
The other day my daughter lost her one-month old new phone in the cinema. She had to get another phone to replace the lost one and her budget was not more than $60 (she was prepared to buy an old phone). I went with her to the nearby phone shops and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nokia sells brand new first generation hand phone which carries basic functions (no colour & warranty).
The first shop we went, we were served by a quiet man about 60 plus year old. He quoted $45 for the phone. We went to a nearby shop, the salesman asked $48 for the same phone. My daughter decided to buy from him even though it cost $3 more. She could have just gone back to the first shop but she chose otherwise. She was willing to pay more because this young sales guy has better look and talked well. This is opposite of me, where how much I paid matters most.
It seems to me that it does pay to employ a good-looking person who talks well to generate better income for a business. This is a showcase of our human weakness. We are enticed by responses of our human senses which can cloud our logical thinking. I ask myself, will the next generation Singaporeans (my children and their peers) make choices on critical issues such as life partners and national leadership based on objective criteria such as integrity, loyalty? For my generation, the fact that bulk of our current leaders does not have pretty faces is a great comfort.
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
The other day my daughter lost her one-month old new phone in the cinema. She had to get another phone to replace the lost one and her budget was not more than $60 (she was prepared to buy an old phone). I went with her to the nearby phone shops and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nokia sells brand new first generation hand phone which carries basic functions (no colour & warranty).
The first shop we went, we were served by a quiet man about 60 plus year old. He quoted $45 for the phone. We went to a nearby shop, the salesman asked $48 for the same phone. My daughter decided to buy from him even though it cost $3 more. She could have just gone back to the first shop but she chose otherwise. She was willing to pay more because this young sales guy has better look and talked well. This is opposite of me, where how much I paid matters most.
It seems to me that it does pay to employ a good-looking person who talks well to generate better income for a business. This is a showcase of our human weakness. We are enticed by responses of our human senses which can cloud our logical thinking. I ask myself, will the next generation Singaporeans (my children and their peers) make choices on critical issues such as life partners and national leadership based on objective criteria such as integrity, loyalty? For my generation, the fact that bulk of our current leaders does not have pretty faces is a great comfort.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Man's Prayer
A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: "Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen. God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman... He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the cheque book. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. By then it was already 1 P.M. ..so he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Rushed over to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper,he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint. The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: "Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back." The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied: "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were... You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."
LOL!!
LOL!!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
MY DAILY SURVIVAL KIT
to help me each day.............. I need:-
Toothpick .. to remind me to pick the good qualities in everyone, including myself.
Rubber band ... to remind me to be flexible. Things might not always go the way I want, but it can be worked out.
Band-Aid ... to remind me to heal hurt feelings, either mine or someone else's.
Eraser ... to remind me everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.
Candy Kiss ... to remind me everyone needs a hug or a compliment every day.
Mint ... to remind me that I am worth a mint to my family & me.
Bubble Gum ... to remind me to stick with it
and I can accomplish anything.
Pencil ... to remind me to list my blessings every day.
Tea Bag ... to remind me to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.
This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day.
Wishing every day there are love, gratitude, friends to cherish, caring, sharing, laughter, music, and warm feelings in my heart.
to help me each day.............. I need:-
Toothpick .. to remind me to pick the good qualities in everyone, including myself.
Rubber band ... to remind me to be flexible. Things might not always go the way I want, but it can be worked out.
Band-Aid ... to remind me to heal hurt feelings, either mine or someone else's.
Eraser ... to remind me everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.
Candy Kiss ... to remind me everyone needs a hug or a compliment every day.
Mint ... to remind me that I am worth a mint to my family & me.
Bubble Gum ... to remind me to stick with it
and I can accomplish anything.
Pencil ... to remind me to list my blessings every day.
Tea Bag ... to remind me to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.
This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day.
Wishing every day there are love, gratitude, friends to cherish, caring, sharing, laughter, music, and warm feelings in my heart.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Medical Insurance
Around June 2007 after reading an article in The Edge’s magazine on health insurance, I decided to change my NTUC INCOME Medishield insurance from basic to enhanced scheme. That proved to be a wise decision when I found out I have ovarian cancer in Oct 2008.
This policy enabled me to foot bulk of my medical bills throughout my cancer treatments & surgery/hospitalization in a government restructured hospital. Initially, there are a lot of questions been asked by the insurance company to ascertain that this is not a case of pre-existence illness. So I had to use my own monies to settle the medical bills first until claims are approved by NTUC INCOME. The reimbursements come in almost 3 months later, thereafter, the hospital/medical centre just have to sent the bills direct electronically to NTUC INCOME for settlements,and I only have to pay my own share through my medisave.
The amount that I can claim per policy is capped at $150k. My deduction is $2k, the balance will be shared at a ratio of 90%:10%. For my chemo treatments, the size of the bill for each cycle (consists of 3 consecutive treatments) is from $1700 to $4500. When Avastin drugs were administered, the chemo treatment cost went up by around $3200 as it is a very expensive drug.
With escalating medical cost, my advice is that since all working adults have comfortable level of medisave, one should have in place a medical insurance policy (when one is fit) with coverage at least equivalent to NTUC INCOME’s Enhanced Medishield policy. This coverage is sufficient for anyone who chooses to have medical treatments in a government restructured hospital with B1 ward.
This policy enabled me to foot bulk of my medical bills throughout my cancer treatments & surgery/hospitalization in a government restructured hospital. Initially, there are a lot of questions been asked by the insurance company to ascertain that this is not a case of pre-existence illness. So I had to use my own monies to settle the medical bills first until claims are approved by NTUC INCOME. The reimbursements come in almost 3 months later, thereafter, the hospital/medical centre just have to sent the bills direct electronically to NTUC INCOME for settlements,and I only have to pay my own share through my medisave.
The amount that I can claim per policy is capped at $150k. My deduction is $2k, the balance will be shared at a ratio of 90%:10%. For my chemo treatments, the size of the bill for each cycle (consists of 3 consecutive treatments) is from $1700 to $4500. When Avastin drugs were administered, the chemo treatment cost went up by around $3200 as it is a very expensive drug.
With escalating medical cost, my advice is that since all working adults have comfortable level of medisave, one should have in place a medical insurance policy (when one is fit) with coverage at least equivalent to NTUC INCOME’s Enhanced Medishield policy. This coverage is sufficient for anyone who chooses to have medical treatments in a government restructured hospital with B1 ward.
Lesson on faith
Morning is always the worst time of the day for me. This is especially so nowadays with the more pronounced menopause symptoms like sweaty, depression,sleeplessness, nervousness (may be aggravated by the removal of uterus). I just have to learn not to get myself drown by these unpleasant things.
Moments like these are testing time of my faith which I faced almost every day. It is very easy to praise God when things turned out exactly what we prayed. What about the other way? Someone wrote that there are different levels of faith in the Christian experience. The first is that we only have faith in God when our emotions,circumstances are favourable, which we are good at. The second is we believe God even when emotions, people, circumstances seem to tell us otherwise. This is the hard part.
This reminded me of famous Psalm 23:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Moments like these are testing time of my faith which I faced almost every day. It is very easy to praise God when things turned out exactly what we prayed. What about the other way? Someone wrote that there are different levels of faith in the Christian experience. The first is that we only have faith in God when our emotions,circumstances are favourable, which we are good at. The second is we believe God even when emotions, people, circumstances seem to tell us otherwise. This is the hard part.
This reminded me of famous Psalm 23:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
This psalm was written by King David at a time when he was pursued by his enemies at a place where the surroundings are barren with treacherous path where travellers often got robbed and beaten up. This is not an idea place and moment for someone, who is in trouble & danger, still able to write such a beautiful and reassuring psalm. This is a faith lesson for me.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A tribute to my mother
My mother was born in Hainan Island. She could only vaguely remember how her ailing biological mother looked like as she was given away when she was very young, been ‘adopted’ as daughter by my grandfather as he had only a son. However, she lived more like a maid than a daughter of a rich family. She had to do all the household chores, took good care of her younger ‘brother’, my ‘uncle’, and was not well- treated by my ‘grandmother’. When my grandfather passed away, my mum did not receive a single cent from his inheritance though he was a wealthy entrepreneur.
Life after marriage continued to be tough. She gave birth to 10 children(9 girls & 1 boy), almost one after another. In early years, my father’s meagre income as a delivery driver (most of the time away from home) could hardly support the family. My mother had to work as a rubber tapper, reared poultry, grew vegetables to feed many mouths. On one occasion she almost died in hospital from sickness due to her weak body. To relieve her of heavy burdens, she reluctantly gave away 2 of my sisters when they were infants. One sister was adopted by a young widow while the other was given away to a childless couple. It is heartening for my mum that both are well loved and taken care of.
My eldest and second sisters suffered the most during their younger days. They were the ones who often got beaten up by my mum when things went wrong( I fully understand why my mum was so hot temper then).Besides having to take care of the younger siblings; they also had to help my mum tapped rubber trees when they were as young as 5 years old. They never had the opportunity to even step into any classroom. We can never pay back the sacrifices they made for the family.
My parents were subsequently been persuaded by my rich 'uncle' to work for him in his newly bought rubber plantation as a supervisor and rubber tapper respectively. There was no electricity or water supply in the plantation.We were the only family staying there. My parents were paid miserable wages just like the other workers.
My mum gave birth to me ( I am no.9) when she was 39, after that she didn't conceive again. Hence,she was shocked when she found herself pregnant again with my youngest sister 10 years later when she was 49. She was so worried how to care for my youngest sister then. However it turned out to be a blessing in her later years.
Having gone through so many years of hardships and pains, she was finally been rewarded with better life. After my dad passed away, she took a bold step to break away from her long-held idea that parents should not stay with daughter(s). She decided to stay with my youngest sister, her miracle child, for the last couple of years in Malaysia until she died (after a short period of illness) on 27th June 2010 at the age of 92. My youngest sister (who has nursing & nutrition qualifications) took good care of my mum, taught her to eat wisely and brought her for medical check-ups regularly. Her efforts easily added 7-8 years more to my mum's lifespan. I am forever grateful to this dear sister of mine and my brother-in-law (who proved to be a better half-son of my mum than her own son) for helping me to shoulder this responsibility. A big thank-you to both of them.
Life after marriage continued to be tough. She gave birth to 10 children(9 girls & 1 boy), almost one after another. In early years, my father’s meagre income as a delivery driver (most of the time away from home) could hardly support the family. My mother had to work as a rubber tapper, reared poultry, grew vegetables to feed many mouths. On one occasion she almost died in hospital from sickness due to her weak body. To relieve her of heavy burdens, she reluctantly gave away 2 of my sisters when they were infants. One sister was adopted by a young widow while the other was given away to a childless couple. It is heartening for my mum that both are well loved and taken care of.
My eldest and second sisters suffered the most during their younger days. They were the ones who often got beaten up by my mum when things went wrong( I fully understand why my mum was so hot temper then).Besides having to take care of the younger siblings; they also had to help my mum tapped rubber trees when they were as young as 5 years old. They never had the opportunity to even step into any classroom. We can never pay back the sacrifices they made for the family.
My parents were subsequently been persuaded by my rich 'uncle' to work for him in his newly bought rubber plantation as a supervisor and rubber tapper respectively. There was no electricity or water supply in the plantation.We were the only family staying there. My parents were paid miserable wages just like the other workers.
My mum gave birth to me ( I am no.9) when she was 39, after that she didn't conceive again. Hence,she was shocked when she found herself pregnant again with my youngest sister 10 years later when she was 49. She was so worried how to care for my youngest sister then. However it turned out to be a blessing in her later years.
Having gone through so many years of hardships and pains, she was finally been rewarded with better life. After my dad passed away, she took a bold step to break away from her long-held idea that parents should not stay with daughter(s). She decided to stay with my youngest sister, her miracle child, for the last couple of years in Malaysia until she died (after a short period of illness) on 27th June 2010 at the age of 92. My youngest sister (who has nursing & nutrition qualifications) took good care of my mum, taught her to eat wisely and brought her for medical check-ups regularly. Her efforts easily added 7-8 years more to my mum's lifespan. I am forever grateful to this dear sister of mine and my brother-in-law (who proved to be a better half-son of my mum than her own son) for helping me to shoulder this responsibility. A big thank-you to both of them.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do
not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a
few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no
more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it
just means the tests are unable to detect the
cancer cells because they have not reached the
detectable size .
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times
in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the
cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming
tumours.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to
genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies,
changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune
system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the
bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ
damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns,
scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation
will often reduce tumour size. However prolonged use of
chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumour destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or
destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of
infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells
to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can
also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the
cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:*
a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it
cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar
substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful.
A better natural substitute would be Manuka
honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has
a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is
Bragg’s aminos or sea salt. *
b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in
the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By
cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk, cancer
cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A
meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken
rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock
antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful,
especially to people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food
including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are
easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to
nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes
for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2
or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
e. Avoid coffee, tea and chocolate, which have high
caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has
cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water!
Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a
lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic build up.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to
attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer
cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6,
Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.)
to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.
Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or
programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of
damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells. *
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a
survivor . Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a
stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and
forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life. *
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more
oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means
employed to destroy cancer cells. **
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
My daily diet
After I contracted ovarian cancer, I received a lot of ideas from close friends,relatives & my husband on what and how to eat 'right'. They are so overwhelming that at times I got so 'stressed up' with that because they reminded me that all is not well with me.
My chemo doctor discouraged me from taking any Chinese herbs, even vitamins, when my chemo treatments were on as they might interfered the effectiveness of chemo drugs. It was after I completed my treatments in mid-May 2009 that my older sister introduced me to Thong Chai medical institution at Chin Swee Rd in June to a particular Chinese physician who specialised in tumours. I was told that my stage of cancer is bad and need to take the Chinese herbs everyday. Since then I have been taking them religiously everyday. I see her once a month.
I read that whey protein isolate power helps to strengthen one's immune system and drink this brand,Immunocal. I take two packets per day on empty stomach when I woke up and have my breakfast half an hour after that.
My daily meals are very plain & simple to prepare. Come to think of that, if I am committed to take this kind of meals all the way when I was young, I am very sure that my health would be in much better shape than now & I won't develop irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)! Being what we are, we know what are good for us, but we only put them into practice when we are in dire situations.
I break my meals into smaller meals ( 5 times a day) so that I can digest them well. They are brown rice porridge with shredded carrot, chicken meat,spinach,ginger,or brown rice with steam fish, carrots,red pepper,garlic,turmeric power,ginger,olive oil. I have been eating more or less these combinations since then. They may be extremely boring to a normal person,but to me, the very fact that I can eat is already a great blessing by itself.
Since the chemo drugs have a very devastating effect on my bones, I take Bio-Calth,multi-vitamins & iron supplements everyday. Some of the effects of the treatments are still evidenced such as numbness of fingers,dryness of skin,weak teeth & gum.
My chemo doctor discouraged me from taking any Chinese herbs, even vitamins, when my chemo treatments were on as they might interfered the effectiveness of chemo drugs. It was after I completed my treatments in mid-May 2009 that my older sister introduced me to Thong Chai medical institution at Chin Swee Rd in June to a particular Chinese physician who specialised in tumours. I was told that my stage of cancer is bad and need to take the Chinese herbs everyday. Since then I have been taking them religiously everyday. I see her once a month.
I read that whey protein isolate power helps to strengthen one's immune system and drink this brand,Immunocal. I take two packets per day on empty stomach when I woke up and have my breakfast half an hour after that.
My daily meals are very plain & simple to prepare. Come to think of that, if I am committed to take this kind of meals all the way when I was young, I am very sure that my health would be in much better shape than now & I won't develop irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)! Being what we are, we know what are good for us, but we only put them into practice when we are in dire situations.
I break my meals into smaller meals ( 5 times a day) so that I can digest them well. They are brown rice porridge with shredded carrot, chicken meat,spinach,ginger,or brown rice with steam fish, carrots,red pepper,garlic,turmeric power,ginger,olive oil. I have been eating more or less these combinations since then. They may be extremely boring to a normal person,but to me, the very fact that I can eat is already a great blessing by itself.
Since the chemo drugs have a very devastating effect on my bones, I take Bio-Calth,multi-vitamins & iron supplements everyday. Some of the effects of the treatments are still evidenced such as numbness of fingers,dryness of skin,weak teeth & gum.
Monday, July 12, 2010
My cancer experience
I have drafted this blog since April this year and put it off for a while until recently decided to publish it. It is not easy for me to re-tell what I went through the past almost 2 years as it inadvertently involved recalling those miserable moments, sufferings & pains. A special thank go to my close friend,CMH, for her valuable inputs, encouragement & help in putting up this blog.
I always have troubles with my menstruation since puberty with heavy flows. When I reached my late 30s, I started to have fibroid and got it removed for the first time after giving birth in 1998 but it comes back subsequently(with a few of them), so was my heavy menstruation. I was followed up by the SGH O & G dept as a subsidized patient.
I used to do annual health screening. In 2006, my health screening package at my G.P. included cancer marker called CA153 (which is for breast cancer). In June 2006, my reading was 26 (max 25). I consulted a senior gynaecologist at SGH as a private patient and was assured that I was OK since I go regularly for mammogram.
I menopause in early 2007. However, in mid-2007, I had `spotting' intermittently. My gynaecologist recommended me to go for day surgery to `cleanse' the vagina lining on 17th Aug 2007. In Nov 2007, my CA 153 jumped to 33 (max 33). My G.P said that it does not mean that I have cancer and not to worry since I am already been seen by my gynaecologist.
Beginning of 2008 I started to experience intermittent lower back pelvic aches on the left especially when I walked too much. I also felt 'heaviness' around that area. I assumed it was fibroids causing those symptoms. Mid-2008 I started to have occasional bloating stomach. I thought it might be just gastric/stomach wind problems( I have irritable bowel syndrome), and I took Actal to relief the discomforts. I consulted my G.P. in May 2008 who recommended x-ray for the pelvic area. The result was OK. I did not probe further after that( now I realised that tumours cannot be captured by x- ray. You need to do a CT scan to confirm).
On 28th May 2008 morning I suffered severe cramp in my lower abdomen and was in great pain. I couldn't even stand up and walk. My gynaecologist did an ultra sound in his room and said that I probably having a urinary infection. After resting for one or two days, the pain went away.
I started to lose weight though I was eating well, from 49 kg to 46 kg. Year 2007 to 2008 were difficult ones for me,as I was so caught up with house work and office tasks. The family members were drifting apart.I felt life was so miserable without purpose and kept all these to myself. Despite this, I hardly go on leave, being very committed to my work & helping my colleagues.
From Sept 2008 onwards, I felt increasingly unwell for no apparent reason eg. nausea and fever on and off. On 15th Oct 2008, I decided to go for an early health screening instead of year-end. My cancer marker CA153 went up to 78. My G.P. told me not to be alarmed as high reading does not mean absolutely I have cancer,and I was advised to monitor the trend and to re-do the test 3 months later. However I decided to call cancer centre hotline to consult any oncologist available. The doctor on 21st Oct 2008 carried out a blood test and the result was shocking, it was my CA 125 (ovarian cancer marker) that was giving me problem (probably it also pushed up CA153), with a reading of 2100 points. I was referred back to my gynaecologist who carried out the operation of removing the whole uterus the very next day. I was diagnosed to be in stage 3(d) ovarian cancer and the tumour was about 10cm in diameter, attached to the left end of the uterus(which explained the left-side pelvic pain).According to my doctor,the tumour apparently grew from behind the left ovary and wrapped it to the front. The surgery cut is from centre of the body, just below the chest to the end of private part.
On 4th Nov 2008 I saw my chemo doctor (recommended by my former ex-colleague who has the same cancer), and she gave me another shocking news. There was another big tumour that my gynaecologist (who did not tell me when I hospitalized) had not removed because it was too near the aorta. So she advised me to do the chemo first to shrink it to a smaller size before going for the 2nd operation. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes, so she ordered for a full body CT scan. If it spreads to the lung, she would not treat me.
The CT scan result was OK. 25th Nov 2008 was my first chemo and I had to undergo aggressive chemo treatments, 7 rounds, each round 3 times, non-stop every week( so total about 21 treatments on consecutive weeks). Every week, I had to do blood test to check my blood count whether I could go ahead with the chemo treatment.Once every 3 weeks, I also had to do liver and kidney blood tests to ensure they were not damaged by the ongoing chemo treatments.
I still remember the 2 special occasions I felt so miserable: on the Christmas Eve in 2008,and on my birthday in Feb 2009 after my treatments,being the last person to walk out of the treatment ward,and feeling so drained,nausea and drowsy, wondered how to finish that many round of harsh treatments.Each session normally lasted 3 to 5 hrs(first round lasted the longest). Long needle was plugged into my hand's vein causing bruises, and towards the tail-end of the treatments, the nurses had a hard time finding 'good' vein on my skinny hands to insert the needle.
My chemo doctor said by mid-Jan 2009 I should be ready to go for the second operation. By then, my head was totally bald from the effect of chemo drugs.
On 15th Jan 2009 I was operated by a very senior oncologist(not my gynaecologist whom I lost faith). The operation was highly risky as the tumour was very near to the aorta and I needed 2 packets of blood to standby. The surgeon used the same surgical cut I had for my first operation. I was also put in ICU for 3 days after operation for observation, with tubes and wires all over my body. The nurse would check my blood pressure every hour and I was also given morphine to relief my pain. This was first time I got the taste of staying in an ICU ward. I was surrounded by patients in critical conditions and there was chronic shortage of nurses especially at night that one had to wait at least one hour after pressing the emergency bell to be attended to.
I resumed my chemo treatments about 3 weeks after my 2nd operation. They lasted till late June 2009. The effects of the chemo are obvious-fatigue,dizziness,constipation, teeth & gum weakened & susceptible to bleeding, numbness of fingers,dryness of skin,get flu easily & take longer time to recover as immune system run down, cannot take hot stuffs (burnt the lips), mouth ulcers and got bruises easily. Nothing can beat the sense of big relief when I finished my last chemo. I am so thankful to God that I managed to complete the treatments.
As my case is severe, my chemo doctor told me my chance of surviving more than 4 years is only 5%. I need to see her once every 3 months instead of 6 months for most other cases. My prayer to God then was that He would let me live to see my youngest girl got her PSLE result end of 2009. I dare not ask for more as I know I have not live a life that pleases God. God's grace has so far exceeded my expectations.
I quit my job in end-May 2009 and take a complete rest with a maid helping me till now. In late March this year, God granted me wellness to visit my aged mother in Malaysia(I did not tell her about my condition) before she passed away with little pain on 27th June 2010 at the age of 92. I was able to attend her funeral. Thank God for that.
This health experience has far more positive impacts on my life than the negative aspects. The downsides are:
1. My physical body has becomes severely weakened from two big operations and gallons of chemo drugs in my body. Till early April this year, I still experienced shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea after walking a bit too long, just like car ran out of battery.This is especially so in the morning after my bowel movements.
2.I know how I would eventually leave this world, and the type of severe pain that would come along.
The positive sides of this experience are:
1. My spiritual health has improved. I confessed & repented my sins, & re-commit to God. I know He allowed it to happen to discipline me for my own good. Though I stumble in my faith, it is through His bountiful grace & mercy that I am still alive now against all odds.
2. Re-prioritized my goals in life . In the past, I was very much a task-oriented person, busy for many unworthy worldly pursuits in life. Now I value relationships & investing more time in re-building them.
3. My family has grown stronger and closer through this experience. We treasure and love each other more. Life is short and I learnt no matter how right I am, accepting others as who they are rather than trying to change them is more important, and forgiving rather than drown in bitterness gives me the capacity to live a more love-centred life.
4. I learn to treasure each day and live one day at a time. Now I am not so worry or anxious as before, as I realized that I have no control over my destiny, and can't even add a single hour to my life (Matthew 6:27). Whatever I have on earth cannot be brought along when I leave this world. So I learnt to be contented and thankful.
5. I am not fearful of death per Se (rather the pain that comes with it) as I have made right with God, and He will receive me when I leave this world.
It is my hope & prayer that my sharing will encourage you, and also bring positive changes to your life too. I want to thank all those who prayed earnestly for me throughout this period.
I always have troubles with my menstruation since puberty with heavy flows. When I reached my late 30s, I started to have fibroid and got it removed for the first time after giving birth in 1998 but it comes back subsequently(with a few of them), so was my heavy menstruation. I was followed up by the SGH O & G dept as a subsidized patient.
I used to do annual health screening. In 2006, my health screening package at my G.P. included cancer marker called CA153 (which is for breast cancer). In June 2006, my reading was 26 (max 25). I consulted a senior gynaecologist at SGH as a private patient and was assured that I was OK since I go regularly for mammogram.
I menopause in early 2007. However, in mid-2007, I had `spotting' intermittently. My gynaecologist recommended me to go for day surgery to `cleanse' the vagina lining on 17th Aug 2007. In Nov 2007, my CA 153 jumped to 33 (max 33). My G.P said that it does not mean that I have cancer and not to worry since I am already been seen by my gynaecologist.
Beginning of 2008 I started to experience intermittent lower back pelvic aches on the left especially when I walked too much. I also felt 'heaviness' around that area. I assumed it was fibroids causing those symptoms. Mid-2008 I started to have occasional bloating stomach. I thought it might be just gastric/stomach wind problems( I have irritable bowel syndrome), and I took Actal to relief the discomforts. I consulted my G.P. in May 2008 who recommended x-ray for the pelvic area. The result was OK. I did not probe further after that( now I realised that tumours cannot be captured by x- ray. You need to do a CT scan to confirm).
On 28th May 2008 morning I suffered severe cramp in my lower abdomen and was in great pain. I couldn't even stand up and walk. My gynaecologist did an ultra sound in his room and said that I probably having a urinary infection. After resting for one or two days, the pain went away.
I started to lose weight though I was eating well, from 49 kg to 46 kg. Year 2007 to 2008 were difficult ones for me,as I was so caught up with house work and office tasks. The family members were drifting apart.I felt life was so miserable without purpose and kept all these to myself. Despite this, I hardly go on leave, being very committed to my work & helping my colleagues.
From Sept 2008 onwards, I felt increasingly unwell for no apparent reason eg. nausea and fever on and off. On 15th Oct 2008, I decided to go for an early health screening instead of year-end. My cancer marker CA153 went up to 78. My G.P. told me not to be alarmed as high reading does not mean absolutely I have cancer,and I was advised to monitor the trend and to re-do the test 3 months later. However I decided to call cancer centre hotline to consult any oncologist available. The doctor on 21st Oct 2008 carried out a blood test and the result was shocking, it was my CA 125 (ovarian cancer marker) that was giving me problem (probably it also pushed up CA153), with a reading of 2100 points. I was referred back to my gynaecologist who carried out the operation of removing the whole uterus the very next day. I was diagnosed to be in stage 3(d) ovarian cancer and the tumour was about 10cm in diameter, attached to the left end of the uterus(which explained the left-side pelvic pain).According to my doctor,the tumour apparently grew from behind the left ovary and wrapped it to the front. The surgery cut is from centre of the body, just below the chest to the end of private part.
On 4th Nov 2008 I saw my chemo doctor (recommended by my former ex-colleague who has the same cancer), and she gave me another shocking news. There was another big tumour that my gynaecologist (who did not tell me when I hospitalized) had not removed because it was too near the aorta. So she advised me to do the chemo first to shrink it to a smaller size before going for the 2nd operation. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes, so she ordered for a full body CT scan. If it spreads to the lung, she would not treat me.
The CT scan result was OK. 25th Nov 2008 was my first chemo and I had to undergo aggressive chemo treatments, 7 rounds, each round 3 times, non-stop every week( so total about 21 treatments on consecutive weeks). Every week, I had to do blood test to check my blood count whether I could go ahead with the chemo treatment.Once every 3 weeks, I also had to do liver and kidney blood tests to ensure they were not damaged by the ongoing chemo treatments.
I still remember the 2 special occasions I felt so miserable: on the Christmas Eve in 2008,and on my birthday in Feb 2009 after my treatments,being the last person to walk out of the treatment ward,and feeling so drained,nausea and drowsy, wondered how to finish that many round of harsh treatments.Each session normally lasted 3 to 5 hrs(first round lasted the longest). Long needle was plugged into my hand's vein causing bruises, and towards the tail-end of the treatments, the nurses had a hard time finding 'good' vein on my skinny hands to insert the needle.
My chemo doctor said by mid-Jan 2009 I should be ready to go for the second operation. By then, my head was totally bald from the effect of chemo drugs.
On 15th Jan 2009 I was operated by a very senior oncologist(not my gynaecologist whom I lost faith). The operation was highly risky as the tumour was very near to the aorta and I needed 2 packets of blood to standby. The surgeon used the same surgical cut I had for my first operation. I was also put in ICU for 3 days after operation for observation, with tubes and wires all over my body. The nurse would check my blood pressure every hour and I was also given morphine to relief my pain. This was first time I got the taste of staying in an ICU ward. I was surrounded by patients in critical conditions and there was chronic shortage of nurses especially at night that one had to wait at least one hour after pressing the emergency bell to be attended to.
I resumed my chemo treatments about 3 weeks after my 2nd operation. They lasted till late June 2009. The effects of the chemo are obvious-fatigue,dizziness,constipation, teeth & gum weakened & susceptible to bleeding, numbness of fingers,dryness of skin,get flu easily & take longer time to recover as immune system run down, cannot take hot stuffs (burnt the lips), mouth ulcers and got bruises easily. Nothing can beat the sense of big relief when I finished my last chemo. I am so thankful to God that I managed to complete the treatments.
As my case is severe, my chemo doctor told me my chance of surviving more than 4 years is only 5%. I need to see her once every 3 months instead of 6 months for most other cases. My prayer to God then was that He would let me live to see my youngest girl got her PSLE result end of 2009. I dare not ask for more as I know I have not live a life that pleases God. God's grace has so far exceeded my expectations.
I quit my job in end-May 2009 and take a complete rest with a maid helping me till now. In late March this year, God granted me wellness to visit my aged mother in Malaysia(I did not tell her about my condition) before she passed away with little pain on 27th June 2010 at the age of 92. I was able to attend her funeral. Thank God for that.
This health experience has far more positive impacts on my life than the negative aspects. The downsides are:
1. My physical body has becomes severely weakened from two big operations and gallons of chemo drugs in my body. Till early April this year, I still experienced shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea after walking a bit too long, just like car ran out of battery.This is especially so in the morning after my bowel movements.
2.I know how I would eventually leave this world, and the type of severe pain that would come along.
The positive sides of this experience are:
1. My spiritual health has improved. I confessed & repented my sins, & re-commit to God. I know He allowed it to happen to discipline me for my own good. Though I stumble in my faith, it is through His bountiful grace & mercy that I am still alive now against all odds.
2. Re-prioritized my goals in life . In the past, I was very much a task-oriented person, busy for many unworthy worldly pursuits in life. Now I value relationships & investing more time in re-building them.
3. My family has grown stronger and closer through this experience. We treasure and love each other more. Life is short and I learnt no matter how right I am, accepting others as who they are rather than trying to change them is more important, and forgiving rather than drown in bitterness gives me the capacity to live a more love-centred life.
4. I learn to treasure each day and live one day at a time. Now I am not so worry or anxious as before, as I realized that I have no control over my destiny, and can't even add a single hour to my life (Matthew 6:27). Whatever I have on earth cannot be brought along when I leave this world. So I learnt to be contented and thankful.
5. I am not fearful of death per Se (rather the pain that comes with it) as I have made right with God, and He will receive me when I leave this world.
It is my hope & prayer that my sharing will encourage you, and also bring positive changes to your life too. I want to thank all those who prayed earnestly for me throughout this period.
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