Day 620 September 26th, 2008 Singapore 21.25 hrs

" Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
praise him for the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.
Sing to God a new song;
skillfully played with joyful chant." Psalm 33
A fitting prayer as we have good news. The CT scan shows that Nicole is making progress.
"The small nodules in the major and horizontal fissure of the right lung are significantly smaller compared to the last CT scan. The subpleural nodules in the posterior aspect of the lung in the mid zones are also smaller. The subpleural nodules in the right lower zone and lung base are stable."
The report continues: "The liver is normal and attenuation... The sclerosis of the right 7th rib is also stable."
Dr Karmen Wong is very satisfied with the progress so far. The blood tests are ok, according to her. She recommends that Nicole has a blood test in two months - end of November.

We both were very relieved on being told these results. Nicole was particularly happy as she has been very worried before she underwent the CT scan.

Nicole is not on chemo. She is following the protocol prescribed by Dr. Gonzalez. We did not argue with Dr. Wong regarding which treatment is working. She is monitoring Nicole's health by using modern medicine technology. Dr Gonzalez is treating Nicole using his knowledge of the immune system. We are happy the way it is.
Nicole will continue following the protocol of Dr Gonzalez.

I discussed Patricia's case with Dr Karmen Wong. She is recommending a CT scan to check if no other organ is affected. Unfortunately the results of the biopsy done in January 2005 did not revealed enough information. It found the tumour HER2 positive at 2+. When a tumour is scored 2+, oncology guidelines recommend another test (FISH) to get a definite result. Unfortunately this test was not done.
I am told that Patricia will be returning home soon. The doctor will have the CT scan done at City Clinic.

Day 620 Singapore September 25th, 2008 -21.54 hrs

In our anxiety to have the CT scan done, Nicole went to have her CT scan one day before it was due. And today we call Dr Wong before our appointment and were told that the appointment is for tomorrow. When we checked our diary we found that the CT scan was due today and the appointment of course is tomorrow. How can we be so confused?
So we do not know the results of the CT scan.
Meanwhile we continue to live one day at a time but looking forward to Pascal's wedding.

Day 613 Singapore September 19, 2008 -17.10 hrs

We have been back to Singapore since Sept 17 . Nicole went to Gleneagles this morning for her blood test. It has been a while since we last were there. Nicole remarked : " we are back again at this hospital..." with past feelings resurfacing.

We have got the results:

---------------Sept 19 ------June 17 -----Ref range
CA 19.9 -------38.4 -------- 43.5 ----------<39.0
CA 125 --------36.8 ---------23 -----------<35.0
CA 15.3 ------- 11.8 ---------n/a ----------<25.0

We have not met yet Dr. Karmen Wong. However, we note with concern the rise of the CA 125 reading, which was declining but bounced back from a reading of 23 to 36.8. However, the positive development is the lowering of the reading of CA 19.9.

Most probably Dr. Wong would want to have a CT scan done, which will happen next week.

It is not easy for Nicole to go through these tests as she is being reminded of her state with cancer. Our surrounding is not helping.

One of my brother in laws was found with cancer of the colon after surgery. We visited him during our recent visit in Mauritius.

Patricia, my younger sister, was found with cancer having spread to her spine near the neck. She is being treated with radiotherapy at Victoria hospital in Candos. She is not looking good and we hope that the radiotherapy will work. She was found with breast cancer in 2004 and had surgery to remove the tumor. But it now appears that the cancer is back.

I met with the doctor treating both my brother in law and Patricia. There is such a gap in the quality of treatment given in Mauritius and the one in Singapore. Plus the facilities at Victoria hospital cannot be compared to those at Gleneagles. There is a serious effort to be made in Mauritius to improve cancer treatment.

During our recent trip to Mauritius and New York, we met with so many persons - relatives and friends - who have been and continue to pray for us. It was so gratifying for Nicole to be able to thank these persons face to face. We met Mario in Mauritius . He is in Canada and we met him at the wedding of Vincent. We met the meditation group at St Luke parish in Roxboxo. I was so touched by the reception they gave to Nicole.
We continue to be united with all of you in prayers.

We are now looking forward to the wedding of Pascal, the son of my sister, Florise. This is going to take place in Mauritius on October 11. Pascal leaves in Singapore. He started this blog when we first returned to Singapore after Nicole was found with cancer. He has been a most valuable support to us.