Blood Test & PET Scan

I remember Dr Alan Tan (my good friend Carol's husband) telling me to choose an oncologist I like (i.e. good chemistry) because it's a lifelong relationship.

Although my chemo is over and surgery and radiotherapy done with, I still go to Dr Karmen Wong on average once every 3 weeks. Still receiving Herceptin by IV drip, final dose in April. After that, will see her at least once every 3 months for regular blood tests to monitor the tumor markers etc.

At my last visit in January, I told her about this niggling pain in the right side of my back near the hip joint. Reuben was concerned about it although I thought it could be because I slept in a bad position. Anyway, we decided to bring forward my annual PET from April to February.

So it was that last Tuesday (10 Feb 09) I went to Dr Wong's clinic for a blood test and then off to Asia Medic for a CT/PET scan. The whole process for CT/PET scan takes about 3 hours.

The steps include:
1. changing into the surgical gown, taking a blood glucose test
2. drink something that gives contrast to my guts when they take the image
3. the Dr puts in a cannula into my vein
4. they inject some radioactive glucose into my blood stream
5. I lie still for 45-60 minutes
6. They put me in the machine for 45 minutes to do the scan.

Everything was going well but halfway through the scan the machine broke down! The scan had to be aborted as they could not get it fixed on time. By the time I reached home, it was 3.30 pm - the whole day almost gone! Oh dear, very upsetting! I could not afford to waste another morning in the same week to redo the scan so scheduled for today instead.

I went back to Dr Wong's on Wed to review the blood test and also for another Herceptin infusion. The blood report was not very good. The cancer marker (CEA) had gone up from 3.1 in the last blood test to 6.1 in this one (the normal range is below 4.7 ug/L). In addition the serum SGOT and SGPT (liver enzymes) were also raised.

That made the PET scan more urgent to see if the cancer had spread elsewhere in the body. The whole family was anxious about it, yet we could do nothing but pray for health, for peace and calm.

Today the scan was again delayed by 2.5 hours but thankfully I brought along my bible, bible study material, MP3 player etc for the wait. The study this week included Isaiah 43:1-4 a promise to Israel that God takes care of own beloved children. These words were a great comfort to me as I waited.

To compensate for all the delays, the Dr prepared my report within an hour. I am thankful and happy to inform you that there was no evidence of cancer tumors anywhere in my body.

Isaiah 43:1-4 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honoured, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

Sailing

During the 2008 year end school holidays, our 3 older kids Jonathan, Alisha and David attended a 4-day sailing course called "Get Kids Afloat". It was held at the SAF Yatch Club in Sembawang.

The aims of the course: 1. To introduce sailing to school going children; 2. To build self-confidence; 3. To promote teamwork; 4. To build self reliance.

We were nervous about safety but were assured about the small instructor-student ratio; the children would wear life vests; and their swimming competency assessed before being allowed to sail.

We took the kids to Newton MRT station daily where they met cousin Shan and travelled together to Sembawang MRT. A shuttle bus takes them to and from the club. The course was 9-5 with lunch provided. Fees: $210 per child (if I remember correctly) which is great value for money.

They were taught how to handle a boat, read wind direction, adjust their sails to "catch" the wind, etc. They also learnt to capsize their own boats and then turn it back upright again. The children enjoyed themselves very much and I think at the end of it enjoyed a sense of achievement.

Allowing them to undergo some of these life experiences for themselves is beneficial to their growth as persons and also in their experience of God. Alisha recently recounted her sailing experience in an essay she wrote at school. I asked for her permission to post it here.

"I could feel the heat of the afternoon sun against my skin. The wind pushed my sail boat further and further from the shores of Singapore. It was during the December holidays. My brothers and I had signed up for a sailing course in Sembawang. It was four days long and started at nine in the morning, ending at five in the evening.

On our second day, we had to sail solo unlike the day before when we sailed in pairs. Not being a confident sailor, I was constantly afraid of knocking into other boats, capsizing and drowning. Hence, this was a big challenge for me.

The brisk wind pushed my little boat far from the shore and the buildings in Johor Baru loomed larger and larger. Suddenly, dark grey clouds appeared in the sky, followed by large splotches of rain falling from the clouds above. Strong gusts of wind urged my boat onward. I saw in the distance several brightly coloured pink and blue boats capsizing one by one. I feared I would be next.

Vivid images of me drowning in the vast sea replayed in my mind. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, but I was drifting away from the group of people I was sailing with. Frantically, I tried to control my boat and head back toward Singapore.

To add to my worries, the tiller extension of my boat broke. I was on the verge of tears as I tried to keep my boat upright. My boat tipped side to side, threatening to capsize. I cried out to God silently asking for help. Within minutes, I was sailing on course back to where I had started.

As I was unrigging my sail boat with my brothers, I thought of how quickly God had answered me when I called on him for help. I was reminded that God had control over everything. After this experience, I know I can call and rely on God."

Psalm 50:15
"... call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour me."

Frenzy of Activity

Just discovered this entry in my draft folder, started on 10 January (2 weeks to Chinese New Year)... Since then I've been busy, truly a frenzy of activities and have had no time to blog.

We usually don't celebrate Chinese New Year in a big way, just a reunion dinner with our extended family (my mum & siblings, sometimes with Reuben's parents if they are visiting). Usually I make some pineapple tarts (I cheat with pineapple jam from Phoon Huat).

This year, since my sister Lilian and her husband Perry were coming to visit from Seattle, with 18 month old Caitlyn, I thought I'd make a bit more effort. My mum who's been in Seattle since September 08 also came back with them.

My helper Uswatun and I made pineapple jam (she did most of the shredding, cooking and stirring) - 10 pineapples worth of it! From 8 kg of pineapple pulp and juice and 2 kg of rock sugar, we produced 4 kg of pineapple jam. When you think of it, that was a lot of water which evaporated! I prepared 8 batches of pineapple tart pastry and then I got into a frenzy of baking.

In total I made 600 over pineapple tarts (i counted!). Every single pastry lovingly cut, crimped, given a coat of egg wash, filled with jam, topped with tiny pastry stars and then baked. Don't they look pretty?

Making CNY cookies quietly on my own is actually quite therapeutic. Making it with the children is a bit more chaotic but a fun family activity as you can see. I remember as a child, mixing, rolling, cutting, baking mountains of dough each year with my mum and siblings after school. I thought it would be nice to give my kids that same experience... and try to recreate some of that "CNY atmosphere" for them.

It requires effort, patience and is tiring but I want to create memories for my kids... Of course not just passing on recipes but even more importantly for me, passing on the faith. Helping my kids experience a real and vital relationship with God through Jesus Christ is my topmost priority although often the business of daily living threatens to overwhelm my attempts.

Psalm 78:3-6 (CEV)
3 These are things we learned from our ancestors,
4 and we will tell them to the next generation.
We won't keep secret the glorious deeds
and the mighty miracles of the LORD
5God gave his Law to Jacob's descendants, the people of Israel. And he told our ancestors to teach their children,
6so that each new generation would know his Law
and tell it to the next.