1st July 2008= The diagnosis was clinched
Lymphoma Stage 4!!! High-risk Group. Critical. – These were the words uttered by the medical oncologist Dr Lim S T
I was devastated! A death sentence has been passed on us. Our dreams dashed, our hopes unfulfilled and our future seemed unfamiliar and uncertain.
Lim Gee who is a very fit sportsman, leads a super-healthy lifestyle and a health freak when it comes to food complained of gastritis symptom and stomach bloatedness on May 19th 2008. A few days later he saw his camp doctor who gave him antacid tablets.
He consulted the camp doctor again the following week as the symptoms persisted. This time he was referred to SGH on the 9th June. It was a long 12 day wait and his condition deteriorated with vomiting upon consumption of food, reflux whenever he lie on his back and so he had to lie in a semi-reclining position.
On the June 9th the doctor at SGH ordered some blood tests, endoscopy on June 10th and a CT scan on June 11th . No medication was given and we happily awaited for the test result on June 24th. In the meantime we even went to the church camp thinking that problem will be resolved eventually as we wanted to live by faith .
During the church camp, there was respite from vomiting but it was obvious that he had lost a lot of weight and was unwell. Upon returning ( June 16th 2008) all his previous discomfort came back and his legs were beginning to swell as his body had been deprived of proteins.
Met up with SGH doctor on 24th June who informed him that the test results were inconclusive and he was told to do another OGD scope on the 30th June. His parents and sister who worked in Mount Elizabeth visited us that night. She arranged for a second opinion at Mount Elizabeth on June 26th. We had to go down on June 25th to get a set of the test results and thank God we were able to get it seamlessly.
June 26th 2008 – Dr Ng P L’s opinion is 98% Lymphoma and it is going to be a long term and costly treatment and he must be admitted immediately. The NIGHTMARE has just begun. Reached SGH’s A &E at 4.40 pm and we only got a bed after 11 pm that night!
The button has just been activated and thus began a series of tests to clinch the diagnosis and subsequently another set of tests to determine if he was fit for treatment. Through out all this the Church has been praying and supporting us in all manner. The never-ending stream of people( friends, relatives, colleagues and church) who came and came repeatedly , the gifts( especially the MRET water from Elder Yoke Fooi), the kind encouragement and most important the fervent prayers at the hospital beds and in their quiet time was overwhelming that people asked me why I have write down their names in a notebook.
I jokingly said I was marking attendance and might even have to do a presentation and give out prizes for the person who made the most visits!
July 12th 2008- Received a call from Lay Bin to say that my father had no heart beat and no pulse! When I arrived his body was cold and the world suddenly seemed so bleak. Ther are only 2 men who love me very much in this world. One has gone to heaven and the other is probably going through Hell. My soul is in anguish. How could anyone so insignificant as I be made to go through so much in such a short period of time.
July 26th 2008 – Lim Gee is ready for discharge to go home after 2 rounds of chemo where all cancer cells has gone into remission! Considering the advanced stage, this is incredilble.We had cried out to God. We lifted our voices together seeking his mercy, his power and his healing. And He heard and answered with a true medical miracle!
He proceeded to go for another 4 rounds of chemo which ended in mid October. Given his presentation, the doctor felt that there is a 50 to 55% chance of relapse within the next 3 years.Subsequently we decided to go for autologous stem cell transplant in early November so as to further reduce his chance of relapse by 10 to 20 %.Through it all GOD IS GOOD there was minimal side-effects except for some mood swings and tingling of fingers.The last part before the stem cell transplant he was in great pain( because of the mouth ulcers) that even when morphine was given the pain was not markedly reduced. Fervent prayers from all and he was given relief and even the doctors attending to him remarked that his ulcers seem to disappear much faster than other patients!
Dec 18th 2008
This afternoon Dr Lim said that Lim Gee will be going back to work after Chinese New Year and I cheekily asked if Lim Gee is unreasonable can I scold him. Dr Lim replied that even if he is reasonable I can also scold him. Now isn’t that the best news any wife can hope to hear!( I have a medical permit for scolding my husband, I wonder how many wives have such a privilege)
Lymphoma Stage 4!!! High-risk Group. Critical. – These were the words uttered by the medical oncologist Dr Lim S T
I was devastated! A death sentence has been passed on us. Our dreams dashed, our hopes unfulfilled and our future seemed unfamiliar and uncertain.
Lim Gee who is a very fit sportsman, leads a super-healthy lifestyle and a health freak when it comes to food complained of gastritis symptom and stomach bloatedness on May 19th 2008. A few days later he saw his camp doctor who gave him antacid tablets.
He consulted the camp doctor again the following week as the symptoms persisted. This time he was referred to SGH on the 9th June. It was a long 12 day wait and his condition deteriorated with vomiting upon consumption of food, reflux whenever he lie on his back and so he had to lie in a semi-reclining position.
On the June 9th the doctor at SGH ordered some blood tests, endoscopy on June 10th and a CT scan on June 11th . No medication was given and we happily awaited for the test result on June 24th. In the meantime we even went to the church camp thinking that problem will be resolved eventually as we wanted to live by faith .
During the church camp, there was respite from vomiting but it was obvious that he had lost a lot of weight and was unwell. Upon returning ( June 16th 2008) all his previous discomfort came back and his legs were beginning to swell as his body had been deprived of proteins.
Met up with SGH doctor on 24th June who informed him that the test results were inconclusive and he was told to do another OGD scope on the 30th June. His parents and sister who worked in Mount Elizabeth visited us that night. She arranged for a second opinion at Mount Elizabeth on June 26th. We had to go down on June 25th to get a set of the test results and thank God we were able to get it seamlessly.
June 26th 2008 – Dr Ng P L’s opinion is 98% Lymphoma and it is going to be a long term and costly treatment and he must be admitted immediately. The NIGHTMARE has just begun. Reached SGH’s A &E at 4.40 pm and we only got a bed after 11 pm that night!
The button has just been activated and thus began a series of tests to clinch the diagnosis and subsequently another set of tests to determine if he was fit for treatment. Through out all this the Church has been praying and supporting us in all manner. The never-ending stream of people( friends, relatives, colleagues and church) who came and came repeatedly , the gifts( especially the MRET water from Elder Yoke Fooi), the kind encouragement and most important the fervent prayers at the hospital beds and in their quiet time was overwhelming that people asked me why I have write down their names in a notebook.
I jokingly said I was marking attendance and might even have to do a presentation and give out prizes for the person who made the most visits!
July 12th 2008- Received a call from Lay Bin to say that my father had no heart beat and no pulse! When I arrived his body was cold and the world suddenly seemed so bleak. Ther are only 2 men who love me very much in this world. One has gone to heaven and the other is probably going through Hell. My soul is in anguish. How could anyone so insignificant as I be made to go through so much in such a short period of time.
July 26th 2008 – Lim Gee is ready for discharge to go home after 2 rounds of chemo where all cancer cells has gone into remission! Considering the advanced stage, this is incredilble.We had cried out to God. We lifted our voices together seeking his mercy, his power and his healing. And He heard and answered with a true medical miracle!
He proceeded to go for another 4 rounds of chemo which ended in mid October. Given his presentation, the doctor felt that there is a 50 to 55% chance of relapse within the next 3 years.Subsequently we decided to go for autologous stem cell transplant in early November so as to further reduce his chance of relapse by 10 to 20 %.Through it all GOD IS GOOD there was minimal side-effects except for some mood swings and tingling of fingers.The last part before the stem cell transplant he was in great pain( because of the mouth ulcers) that even when morphine was given the pain was not markedly reduced. Fervent prayers from all and he was given relief and even the doctors attending to him remarked that his ulcers seem to disappear much faster than other patients!
Dec 18th 2008
This afternoon Dr Lim said that Lim Gee will be going back to work after Chinese New Year and I cheekily asked if Lim Gee is unreasonable can I scold him. Dr Lim replied that even if he is reasonable I can also scold him. Now isn’t that the best news any wife can hope to hear!( I have a medical permit for scolding my husband, I wonder how many wives have such a privilege)
We went on a holiday to HK-ShenZhen in March 2009 - using the travel incentive award given by the Navy and on 12th June 2009, we went to Hokkaido as Japan Hour was his favourite TV program during his long stay in SGH.
No comments:
Post a Comment