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Hello from Singapore


Enilorac

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I welcome you also Caroline.  Glad you found this site.  You were only diagnosed last month!  You are so young.  Has your Doctor set up a plan of care?

Where has your cancer spread to ?  Did you have any symptoms or problems that sent you to the Doctor ?  Is there plans for chemotherapy and/or radiation ?

Please keep us posted on how you are doing and feel free to ask questions.  Hopefully you have a supportive family and friends at your side also.

Donna G

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Caroline,

Welcome here.

I've visited your country several times.  It is a beautiful place and recall taking a chair lift up a mountain side with a wonderful view of the harbor and tropical jungle.  I purchased a beautiful jade bracelet for my wife in Singapore and she wears it often recalling our fond memories of your island nation.

I hope you are well and that treatment is not too difficult.  You might share details about your treatment so people who've experienced the same therapy can offer information about their treatment journey.

As Donna said, this is a good place to ask questions about treatment.

Stay the course.

Tom

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Hi Caroline,

 Welcome to LCSC! We look forward to getting to know you. I am sorry for your diagnosis, but I hope that you are encouraged by the people you meet on this site. Many are on a similar path.

If you share more details of your diagnosis and treatment, we can also help you find online resources to help you. 

We are here for you!

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you all for the encouragement. I have a very supportive family and love ones and now I found this community. I am thankful.

i was diagnosed in early July this year (2016), after experiencing severe back pain n numbness on the legs... And of cos the incessant cough which was disguised as bronchi- asthma attacks...haha! It was with every  cough and sneeze, which gave me such unbearable pain on my back n legs that prompted me to see the doctor. I led an active lifestyle, I was running, doing gym routines and eating healthily everyday... I thought the back pain was due to my sports injury. I could not bear with the pain and thought I better get it sorted out before going back to work. I went to a pain relief doctor, and did an MRI, even the doctor thought its gotto be a slipped disc. Half way through, they found a huge mass on my lower spine, and that explained the numbness and pain on my legs...the doctor was shocked and told my love one and The doc referred me to the oncologist. I did the pet scan the next day, and quite immediately, I was diagnosed and was wheezed away to see the thoracic specialist. He said to waste no time as there's liquid compressing my heart and there are widespread nodules on both my lungs. He could not conclude the diagnosis then but things do not seem to look too optimistic then. I was admitted the next day to drain the liquid around the heart and did the biopsy. The result was clear. The cancer cells has spread to my bones, my lymph nodes and lungs... Actually I didn't find out where else.. Haha. 

Thankful for an efficient healthcare system here in Singapore, I was diagnosed and put on Iressa a week after surgery. I am EGFR positive. 

It's been almost two months since Iressa. My condition is better. In fact, I told my oncologist, I did not feel sick prior to diagnosis, except for the pain in the legs and back. And now, except for the side effects of rashes, pimples and dry skin all over, plus feeling tired easily, I do not feel sick. It's mainly grappling with my own emotions which can be pretty erratic. I think my love one has got the brunt of these episodes... 

I just went for my blood test today. The CEA markers has come down. From a > 3000 value two months ago, today, Iressa brought it down to 498. My oncologist says we are heading in the right direction. I am grateful yet, I am confused. Having read up on Iressa, somehow I still feel unsettled because I never knew when Iressa will stop working its magic on me. What affects me more is not the fear of probably not being able to see the milestones of my children... It's the current unknown and the lack of control of my life and future plans... 

Sorry for ranting but I'm feeling just a little unmotivated.

And Tom, 

im glad you enjoyed Singapore! :) Sunny island set in the sea ?

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Caroline,

A sunny island indeed!

And it looks like some of that sun is shining on your treatment.   CEA markers are moving in the right direction and Iressa is having a positive impact on your cancer.

So, you are concerned about how long Iressa will keep working.  I knew a woman who took a similar drug, Tarceva, to treat her lung cancer.  It worked for about 10 years and might have worked longer but she passed from a heart attack.  Your fear is completely understandable.  I've felt it.  But, none of us know how much time we have left in this world.  More than 12 years ago, I was once told I might have 6 months to live.  Moreover, none of us can control the future.  It took me a long time to wrestle with my fear and you might benefit from my experience.  The more I tried to wrestle with it, the more frightening my fear became.  So, I just stopped thinking about it and focused instead on enjoying each day.

Today, I try and find a little joy in each day and succeed most days.  I let the future take care of itself.

You are not ranting at all and as far as feeling unmotivated, well that's understandable.  You are in cancer treatment.  How could that be exciting!

Stay the course.

Tom

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