Dr Ng called me today, just as he said he would once he received the result. That was fast as I did the blood test only yesterday.
The thyroid result was not much different from the test I did last year. The free T4 thyroxine is normal while TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is slightly higher than normal. A normal T4 & a high TSH is considered mild thyroidism. Dr Ng said there was no need for treatment, just an annual follow-up would do.
When I compared the result with last year's, I noticed that the TSH reading had actually gone down marginally. The reduction might be considered small but to me, any small improvement is a good sign. Test results such as this will help me to gauge the effectiveness of TCM treatment.
Lord, thank You for the little, little improvements each day.
tsk tsk
Thursday 24 July 2008
Wednesday 23 July 2008
ncc & liver clinic
The 1st 5 years are said to be most critical for cancer survivors. Research done on NPC survivors shows that the 5-year survival rate is as follows : Stage 1 : 80-90%; Stage 2 : 60-70%; Stage 3 : 50%; Stage 4 : 20-50% (NPC = nasopharyngeal cancer or nose cancer). I was diagnosed with Stage 2 NPC in 2006.
Being my second year of survival, I now go to NCC for review once every 4 months. Today was my 2nd review this year. Dr Wee, my oncologist was away on conference leave, so I was attended to by Dr Ng.
Dr Ng asked me some standard questions & decided to do a blood test to check for thyroid. The same test I did one year ago showed I had mild hypothyroidism but not critical enough to be on medication. Dr Ng wanted to do the test again to check if it had become worse. Some symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, breathlessness & intolerance of cold. I seem to have all of these. I understand that thyroid problems are common in cancer survivors who had head or neck radiation. I am one such survivor.
October is my "cancer anniversary month" so I have been scheduled to do CT scan in Nov to check for metastasis or spread of cancer. The scan I did last year had revealed 2 cysts on my right lung. Are the cysts still there? Have they grown in size? This is one concern on my doctor's mind. It's also my concern.
I went for my 2nd appointment in the afternoon. This time it was the liver clinic. The purpose was to review the AFP tumour marker. The 2-hour wait was long & tiring, and I almost slept while waiting for my turn. The liver clinic opens only on Wednesday afternoons & the long waiting time has become something like a norm for the clinic. Why is there such a shortage of liver specialists (hepatologists), I wonder? Or have they all gone into private practice?
The liver consultation was a non-event. Dr Leong went to some length to assure me there was nothing wrong with my liver & said the AFP test was unnecessary in the first place. I could sense his annoyance with the O&G clinic for ordering this test & giving me unnecessary anxiety. For this, Dr Leong said he would waive the consultation fee for today. He apologised that it was a wasted trip for me. Isn't that nice & thoughtful of him? Doctors do have a heart too. He reminded me to come for the once-a-year liver ultrasound scan & review in Nov.
To me, it was not a wasted trip. Dr Leong's assurance confirms what my body has been telling me all this while. I am one who looks out for external signs or symptoms which I believe would warn me if there is something not right in my body. So far there are no such signs or symptoms so I believe I don't have liver problems.
What a long day! I was exhausted by the time I reached home after 7pm. Maybe I am hypothyroid? I will wait for my oncologist's call. He has promised to call me when the blood test result is out in a few days' time.
thanks for reading & for praying,
tsk tsk
Being my second year of survival, I now go to NCC for review once every 4 months. Today was my 2nd review this year. Dr Wee, my oncologist was away on conference leave, so I was attended to by Dr Ng.
Dr Ng asked me some standard questions & decided to do a blood test to check for thyroid. The same test I did one year ago showed I had mild hypothyroidism but not critical enough to be on medication. Dr Ng wanted to do the test again to check if it had become worse. Some symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, breathlessness & intolerance of cold. I seem to have all of these. I understand that thyroid problems are common in cancer survivors who had head or neck radiation. I am one such survivor.
October is my "cancer anniversary month" so I have been scheduled to do CT scan in Nov to check for metastasis or spread of cancer. The scan I did last year had revealed 2 cysts on my right lung. Are the cysts still there? Have they grown in size? This is one concern on my doctor's mind. It's also my concern.
I went for my 2nd appointment in the afternoon. This time it was the liver clinic. The purpose was to review the AFP tumour marker. The 2-hour wait was long & tiring, and I almost slept while waiting for my turn. The liver clinic opens only on Wednesday afternoons & the long waiting time has become something like a norm for the clinic. Why is there such a shortage of liver specialists (hepatologists), I wonder? Or have they all gone into private practice?
The liver consultation was a non-event. Dr Leong went to some length to assure me there was nothing wrong with my liver & said the AFP test was unnecessary in the first place. I could sense his annoyance with the O&G clinic for ordering this test & giving me unnecessary anxiety. For this, Dr Leong said he would waive the consultation fee for today. He apologised that it was a wasted trip for me. Isn't that nice & thoughtful of him? Doctors do have a heart too. He reminded me to come for the once-a-year liver ultrasound scan & review in Nov.
To me, it was not a wasted trip. Dr Leong's assurance confirms what my body has been telling me all this while. I am one who looks out for external signs or symptoms which I believe would warn me if there is something not right in my body. So far there are no such signs or symptoms so I believe I don't have liver problems.
What a long day! I was exhausted by the time I reached home after 7pm. Maybe I am hypothyroid? I will wait for my oncologist's call. He has promised to call me when the blood test result is out in a few days' time.
thanks for reading & for praying,
tsk tsk
Saturday 5 July 2008
results of tumour markers
Tumour markers are substances, usually proteins, that are produced by the body in response to cancer growth or by the cancer tissue itself. Tumour markers may be used to help diagnose cancer, predict a patient’s response to particular therapies, check a patient’s response to treatment or determine if cancer has returned. Different tumour markers are found in different types of cancer. In general, tumour markers cannot be used alone to diagnose cancer; they must be combined with other tests.
So far, no tumour marker has gained acceptance as a general screening test. Most tumour markers are not sensitive or specific enough to be used for cancer screening (too many false positives, leading to expensive and unnecessary follow-up testing). A study done in the USA showed only about 3 out of 100 women with elevated CA-125 actually had ovarian cancer. And 1 in 5 women with ovarian cancer never had an elevated CA-125 level. This goes to show tumour markers are not 100% reliable.
On 12 Jun, I took blood tests for the following tumour markers :
So far, no tumour marker has gained acceptance as a general screening test. Most tumour markers are not sensitive or specific enough to be used for cancer screening (too many false positives, leading to expensive and unnecessary follow-up testing). A study done in the USA showed only about 3 out of 100 women with elevated CA-125 actually had ovarian cancer. And 1 in 5 women with ovarian cancer never had an elevated CA-125 level. This goes to show tumour markers are not 100% reliable.
On 12 Jun, I took blood tests for the following tumour markers :
- AFP (alphafoeto protein) - to test for liver cancer
- CA-125 - to test for ovarian cancer
- CEA (carcino-embryonic antigen) - to test for colon cancer
On 3 Jul, my gynae showed me the results of the above tumour markers. Two of the markers have high reading : AFP & CA-125. In the coming weeks, I am scheduled to do more tests to verify the results. I think there is no harm in doing more tests as long as the results can confirm there is nothing wrong with my liver & ovary. Early detection is always better. I pray that the additional tests will show the tumour marker results to be false positives, meaning that I do not have the disease even though the tumour marker result is higher than normal.
After receiving the TM results, I went to Chinatown to collect my TCM herbs. I returned to SGH for my next appointment at the National Dental Centre. My teeth are posing a great challenge to me as I constantly fight against tooth decay caused by radiation. Dental problem is a major side-effect faced by NPC survivors (NPC=nasopharyngeal cancer). It will be a lifetime struggle to fight against tooth decay.
Thanks for reading my blog. I'm always encouraged when someone tells me he/she reads my blog. Why? Because I know that as you read, you will join me in praising God for His goodness. Because I am assured I am not alone on this road to recovery.
tsk tsk
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