Raising One Billion Rupiah to Fight Cancer...: September 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

H1N1, Surgery & 7th Chemo ....

"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee " . "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come high thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in thy ways" ( Psalm 91 : 5 - 7, 10 - 11)

Dear all,

On August 28 afternoon, when Sarah went to the doctor for routine check up, suddenly she has a fever & runny nose. The doctor said that maybe she got infection due to the neutrophil is low, so she suggest Sarah to stay a while in out patient room rather than go home, just wait & see whether the fever came back. Then the fever came again, until more than 38.5 deg C, so Sarah must admitted to the ward that evening.

On that day, I came to Singapore with my mom & my nephew, Rey. They haven't seen her since few months ago. Unfortunately, when we landed at Changi, Santi inform us that Sarah must be stay in isolation room. We can't meet her, because the doctor worry if she will infected others. So we can only see her & Santi through the window that evening....

The doctor take the sample from her nose & sent to laboratory, wait for the result after 24 hours. They suspected that Sarah infected by H1N1 virus (swine flu), because the symptoms looks like it. Then the next day, we got the result .... Sarah positive infected by H1N1 virus !!

Oh my God.....

I just pray to God, that He will give Sarah extra strength to fight this virus , even her condition is not good. . We just gave all our worries to Him & we know God Almighty will take care of her.... And also we know Sarah is a fighter, a little brave girl !

No more fever & runny nose after that evening, it means that God answer our prayer...
She has to take tamiflu tablet for her treatment.

For patient that infected H1N1 virus/swine flu, they have to stay in isolation room minimum 5 days, according to their standard treatment.

But Sarah only need 3 days .... She can discharge from hospital & go back to our apartment. Amazing..!! Praise God Almighty..!!

She has to be quarantine at home for 10 days & ready for chemo on the 11th days

We thanks to God , because He never leave us & definitely HE is our healer !!

On September 1, Sarah got her 7th chemoteraphy for 5 days round at hospital.

She recover very well after infected H1N1 virus/swine flu, so she is ready for her chemo.

From last month, Sarah has a problem with her port catheter (where the chemo drug injected enter her body through that port, located in her right chest). So for this time, her chemo did through her hand.

She felt itchy in that area, reddish until black color liquid in side, indicated that maybe infection occurs. Sometimes she felt hurt if we touch it. So the doctor take the liquid sample inside the port. The lab result find that there is some bacteria inside the port, that will infected her if it spread to her body. So the doctor must do an operation to take out the port catheter as soon as possible. On the 4th days of chemo, Sept 4 afternoon, she went to operation theater to take out the port cath. Another surgery for her... we felt very sad because Sarah must did it again..

God help the doctor during the surgery, it takes only 45 minutes & she recovered very well after 1 hours. And at night she started her chemo again...

During this difficult weeks for us, we can see God works very amazing.
He takes care Sarah, He healed her, He is there when Sarah in the operation theater, He also healed her wound. Nothing else we can do, only fully depend & trust in Him .

He has a plan for Sarah future, He will use her as His testimony to others.

And God already did it !

We heard from her auntie, Rinah, in New Zealand, that Sarah has influenced many people.

She became inspired & a bless for others...

She still have another 3 chemos until end of this year. The schedule for her chemo is every 3 weeks, so please pray it will be on schedule. Because it's depend on her FBC (full blood count) result, if OK in 3 weeks, she can go for chemo. But if it's not, we have to postpone for another 1 - 2 weeks.

Hopefully at end of this year, on December 2009, she can go back to Indonesia and meet with you all....

God bless you !!

Best regards,

Dody

WHAT IS CHILDHOOD CANCER ?

Cancer is an uncontrolled and abnormal cell growth that can spread to other parts of the body, wreaking havoc and disrupting normal bodily functions. Childhood cancers grow more rapidly than adult cancers because the cancer tissues grow together with the fast-growing tissues of the child.

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Common types of childhood cancer :

Leukaemia
Leukaemia is the cancer of the blood-forming cells. These abnormal, immature white blood cells start to grow abundantly and invade other tissues and organs. They also crowd out and slow the production of normal blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets) in the bone marrow. The most common form of Leukaemia among young children is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Brain tumour
It is the most common type of solid tumours in children. It forms when cells in the brain or nervous system start growing abnormally and clump together to form a tumour which then disrupts the normal brain functions.

Lymphoma
It is the cancer of the lymph glands which starts in the lymphoid tissue found all over the body. Lymphoma causes swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, armpit and groin. There are two broad varieties of lymphoma: Hodgkin's disease and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the latter being more common in children.

Other types of childhood cancer
Osteosarcoma - cancer of the bone
Neuroblastoma - cancer of the sympathetic nervous system.
Wilms' Tumour- cancer of the kidney

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Different Modes of Treatment
Chemotherapy
The use of drugs to destroy cancer cells throughout the body.

Radiotherapy
The use of radiation to kill cancer cells.

Surgery
Usually combined with radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Bone marrow transplant
A bone marrow transplant is a procedure in which healthy bone marrow is given to replace the bone marrow of cancer patients who are not responding to conventional therapy.

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Side effects of treatment
Common side effects:
- Hair loss
- Changes in appetite
- Susceptibility to infection
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain and burning at injection site (especially for chemotherapy)
- Mouth soreness and ulcers
- Constipation
- Bone marrow depression (low blood counts)
- Skin damage (especially for radiation damage)

Less common side effects:
- Allergic reactions such as rash, shortness of breath
- Jaundice (yellow tint of the skin and eyes)
- Blood in the urine
- Tiredness
- Lack of co-ordination

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Psychological and social effects of childhood cancer :

Stress & behavioural changes in children:
Treatments can impact on the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of the child. They may experience mood swings or confusion about their diagnosis and their parents' reactions. It is important to spend time listening to children and trying to understand their feelings to help them cope.

Disruption to school: Children have to stop school temporarily until their doctor gives the go-ahead. Parents need to consider positive ways to engage and occupy the children. It is useful to inform the school of the children's conditions, maintain contact periodically and work with the schools to help with their re-integration after treatment.

Anxiety over long-term effects of illness & treatment: Some treatments may have long-term effects on children, and more information can be obtained from the doctor.

Impact on siblings: Siblings of the sick child may feel neglected as attention is focused on the child with cancer. Involve siblings by explaining to them what is happening and discuss questions and concerns that they may have.

Coping with marital strain & employment issues: Couples may experience strain and tension due to the stress of taking care of a sick child and having less time together. Stress may also take the form of employers not understanding the situation. It is helpful for couples to communicate their worries and feelings and work out solutions together. Support systems like extended family members can be tapped upon to help care for children so that parents can rest.

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Facts and myths about childhood cancer

Myth 1: Cancer is contagious and can spread like flu.
Fact 1: Cancer is not contagious.

Cancer cannot be spread from one child to another. We isolate children with cancer as their immunity is low and are vulnerable to infections.

Myth 2: Childhood cancers are inherited.
Fact 2: There is no known cause for most childhood cancers.

At least 95 % of the cancers in children occur spontaneously. Since the triggers of most childhood cancers are unknown, preventive measures are limited. Thus far, studies suggest that there is nothing a child or parent did to induce cancer, and therefore, should avoid doing in order to prevent childhood cancer.

Myth 3: Childhood cancers are a death sentence.
Fact 3: Most childhood cancers are curable.

For example, in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, which is a common form of Leukaemia in Singapore, 3 in 4 children will be cured with chemotherapy alone. A successful cure depends on receiving the current-day standard therapy, a positive attitude and determination to overcome cancer.

Myth 4: Children with cancer lose all reasons for living.
Fact 4: Children with cancer can still lead a normal childhood.

Children with cancer can lead a normal childhood. Many children return to normal school life after treatment. In other cases, the children and their families adapt and modify their lifestyle to achieve normalcy. This becomes much easier with care, understanding and support from family, teachers, friends and other caregivers.

Myth 5: All tumours are cancerous
Fact 5: Not all tumours are cancerous.

Tumours are either benign or malignant. Malignant tumours are cancerous cells that invade and spread to other parts of the body. In contrast, benign tumours invade tissues surrounding it and generally do not spread.
From : http://www.ccf.org.sg/

Raising One Billion Rupiah to Fight Cancer...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

H1N1, Surgery & 7th Chemo ....

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