Dear Prayer Warriors,
The day has finally arrived. Today (12 Sep) is the first day of my 33-days of radiation therapy (RT). As I walk through this journey into the unknown with God as my Guide, I would like to share with you something about radiation so that you can pray alongside me for the next 33 RT sessions & beyond.
Radiation therapy or Radiotherapy (RT) is the use of high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells or to destroy their ability to grow or multiply. RT can stop cancer cells from growing & spreading; in some cases, it can control or slow down the growth & spread of cancer cells or even shrink the size of the cancer tumour. RT is known to affect all cells, good or bad. However, generally, cancer cells are more sensitive to radiation damage than normal cells. RT is usually given on an outpatient basis, 5 days a week, for several weeks depending on the cancer.
The common side effects of RT are fatigue, skin changes and/or loss of appetite. For nose cancers, RT will affect the head & neck areas. The side effects will be :
mouth & throat - dry mouth, mouth ulcers, sore throat, lesser saliva resulting in difficulty in swallowing food, loss of taste
skin & ears - redness of skin, esp on the neck
dental - possible tooth decay (tooth extraction cannot be carried out during & after RT period)
hair loss - possible hair loss but only to the area that is treated
weight loss - possible to lose weight during RT (could lose 1 kg a week in some cases)
low immunity - because of low white blood count, can get easily infected with cold, flu & other viruses
long-term after effects of RT - some of the above problems may persist even after RT eg dry mouth, loss of taste, dental. Other effects include the possibility of secondary cancers (after 10 years?) due to the high radiation exposure (30 min per RT session)
Please PRAY with me over the next 33 RT sessions :
(1) "Lord, please protect every healthy cell, tissue and organ from the RT. Let the RT destroy only the cancer cells.”
(2) that the side effects and after effects of RT will not affect me adversely during and after RT, that is, I will eat, rest well and have a good appetite. I will not be tired, I will not lose weight, I will not have problems swallowing, I will not lose my voice, I will not lose hair, I will not suffer from toothache or tooth decay. I will be protected from cold/flu viruses and if I do suffer any of these symptoms, that God will give me His grace to go through them and recover.
(3) that the RT will be successfully administered, that God will guide the Radiation Oncologist, Therapists and all the other backroom medical staff to administer the radiation correctly, accurately and appropriately.
Our God is the God of the Impossible, the God who has said, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). "If You can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23).
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." (2 Cor 1:3-4)
Grace be with all of you,
sockkim
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