Me, a bogeh?

My teeth seem to be rotting silently without any warning......oh tolong-tolong, I don't want to become a "bogeh" (a person without teeth)!

That was how I cried out to my dental surgeon, Dr Un when I went to see her this morning. After checking my teeth, she told me the middle row of teeth on my lower jaw were loose & the enamel was getting soft & chipping off bit by bit. Dr Un did the best she could to repair my teeth by filling up the cavities. I was advised to use a tooth mousse a few times a day to protect my teeth. As far as possible, I must also try not to use the front teeth to bite food so as not to impede the healing process.

Eating is already a struggle for me & now I must be careful not to use my front teeth. See how challenging my life can be?

thanks for journeying with me,
tsk tsk

As light as a feather......at 42kg

I had my two-monthly consultation with my oncologist Dr Wee today.

As usual, loss of weight is my greatest problem. I now weigh 42.1 kg. To date, I have lost 8 kg since I started radiation in Sep 2006. Dr Wee recommended me a new drink called "Fortisip", a high energy & nutritionally complete milkshake-style supplement drink. Maintaining good health is important in cancer recovery so please pray with me that I will be able to take to this drink without feeling nausea or yakky, & that I will stop losing weight.

Besides my weight, I have a mucus problem. Dr Wee said this is a side effect of radiation. Having sore throat every morning is also another side effect. He advised me to drink water whenever I wake up at night. I also notice that my teeth on the lower jaw are decaying. I will be seeing my dentist on Monday. It's quite frightening to see all these things happening 6 months after radiation.

thanks for journeying with me,
tsk tsk

tsk tsk, how r u?

I know I have been silent for so long. My sore eyes really wore me down. It has been 3 weeks since I last wrote. So what's the latest progress?

1 May (Tue)
I had to miss BSF tonight due to sore eyes. Apart from being away from BSF in Oct 2006 due to cancer, this was the second time I had to take leave in my 9-year BSF leadership. Somehow, I "hate" missing BSF classes on Tue nights. BSF has become so much a part of my life since I joined in Feb 1995. What attracts me to BSF? It is the disciplined study of God's Word.

4 May (Fri)
I went to the monthly NPC support group meeting tonight. I did not want to miss the talk by Dr Swee Yong Peng on "The use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of cancer". This is an area which I have always wanted to know since I was diagnosed with cancer in Aug 2006. Dr Swee's main point was that TCM cannot cure or treat cancer but it manages or complements conventional treatment of cancer. TCM relieves symptoms, complements conventional treatment to improve the outcome, improves survival rate & provides palliative care (note : "palliative" means medical treatment that reduces pain without curing its cause).

8 May (Tue)
I was so happy to be back to BSF tonight. My sore eyes were completely healed. While it takes most people 2-3 days to recover from sore eyes, it took me 2 weeks to recover. Must be careful not to go near infected people in future due to my low immunity.

15 May (Tue)
I had very bad tummy upset today. My tummy started feeling funny late morning. I thought it would go off as soon as it came, as was normally the case. I have been suffering from a condition known medically as "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" (IBS) since birth. It's self-manageable in the sense that I understand how my stomach behaves & then learn to live with it. Some friends said I should seek medical help but I don't think I want to subject myself to lifetime medical treatment or medication. Back to my tummy upset, I was going to toilet every 10-15 min. Oh dear, of all days, it was Tuesday. When I didn't get better by 5pm, I sms-ed my co-leader. But somehow I was confident I would be able to make it to BSF tonight. After my last toileting, I prayed, "Lord, please let my toileting stop as soon as I step out of this house. Lord, please also take away my urge to go to toilet the whole night.” And to cut the whole story short, the Lord wonderfully answered my prayer. As soon as I stepped out of my apartment, the discomfort disappeared. My tummy behaved itself the whole class night. God is ever so faithful to His children, especially when we are doing His work. Thank You, Lord!

19 May (Sat)
My tummy upset came back again this morning. My tummy felt uncomfortable the whole of Leaders' Meeting, although not as severe as Tue. I had to go toileting twice. I had to try to control the discomfort. When I came home, I tried to analyse what could be the cause. Two tummy upsets in a week; and it seemed to come after I drank the brewed TCM herbal drink. I suspect it might have to do with the newly prescribed TCM herbs, but I just can't be 100% sure. I have to go back to consult my TCM physician next week.

thanks for journeying with me,
tsk tsk