17th July 2015, 11.00p.m.:

Post Surgery (Admitted to HDU):

11.00 a.m.

The visiting hour for SunMed's HDU/ICU centre start at 11.00 a.m. and they are pretty strict about this, tried to enter at 9.30 a.m. but the security guard didnt allow.

My father had post-surgery fever and it is not a good sign, plus his blood pressure was really low, as low as 78. The cardiologist stationed there suggested that they increase the dosage antibiotics together with NSAIDs. There is a concern of kidney failure if the blood pressure is too low, and they must by all means prevent that from happen.

His temperature stands at 38 degrees, so I am really concerned, the first thing I ask the cardiologist was:
"How long will it take for you to ascertain that it is not infection?"

Yoon:" The chances of him getting infection is very high, the operation although is successful but there are things that we cant control, but right now we will try our best to increase his blood pressure and stop the fever."

My father's blood taken for blood culture immediately after this. It will take around 3 days, but since its raya, i suspect it might be longer.

5.00 p.m.

There's only 2 visiting slot: 11 am - 1 pm and 5 pm - 8 pm, me and my family went there to check him up again. He had alot of phlegm, but the nurse suggested he himselves to clear it out instead of using suction.

Nothing else I can do beside standing there to watch him, he is weak and uncomfortable.

Saw alot of sad scene there - alot of different family groups, some of them were crying and shedding tears.
There were at least 3 family groups there, and the patients are not looking too well.


Added Plot:
While waiting for the cardiologist to come up with heart screening result, we talked to one of the aunty sitting outside the visiting lounge.

The aunty was 70 which nothing of her looks like 70 except for some age spots. So I asked who is she seeing and it was her daughter. Her daughter has a very rare disease - Muscle degenerative disease, she was shedding tears while explaining that her daughter is now unable to speak, walk and move. It has been 2 months since they found out about her rare disease.

Of course the conversation lasted for at least 20 minutes where she tell me about her granddaughter is actually a doctor! But there is no cure for this disease.



16th July 2015, 10.40pm:




15th July 2015, 10.00pm:




14th July 2015:


This post has been edited by cannyeo: Jul 18 2015, 12:05 AM

Practically all cancer in this world are cut, poison and burn. If you are daring, can try alternative as chemotherapy only works like max 30+%. Min work about 10%. But that is uncharted waters.

Must also see if cancer got spread to other place. If is still at the colon, chances of survival is better. No need to pay so expensive for private hospital. Government hospital also can handle cancer patients. Government hospital also have oncologist.

hmm.......age group plus weight loss plus altered bowel habits.......and suggestive biopsy....

ok.......

1. if not already done.......have you taken the HPE block from the lab(private lab i presume) and send it for second opinion at government hospital lab?

2. treatment all depends on the HPE result and staging........as for staging.......seems still haven't spread to other areas as there's no liver lesion. if HPE confirms cancer and no metastasis, surely the surgical side and oncology side will suggest for surgery (likely laparascopy/ laparatomy anterior resection with colonostomy) if not keen for surgery then there will be the option of chemo or paliative.

so, it's best to present all the options and outcomes to him, and ultimately he should be the one deciding treatment option.

1. Will call Mahkota tomorrow regarding this.

2. Dr Pang mentioned that he found similar cell (no idea what he meant) around my father's stomach, I was devastated because this would mean that he is a stage 3 and he followed by saying that the staging can only be certain after a general surgery.

Thanks for the advice!

Appreciate it!

You can start with anticancer food. Turmeric + black pepper + any oil. Green tea. Spirulina, cholrella. Raw garlics.

Avoid any carbohydrates, sugars. Look up ketogenic diet.

Start juicing. Get the veggie wash to remove the pesticides from the food if you cannot afford organics.

This are among the things you can do for your father. Although giving up carbs is hard, you choose you want the cancer to progress or you want to "enjoy" your carbs. Drop fast food pizza, mcd and other stuff.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jul 14 2015, 11:46 PM

You can start with anticancer food. Turmeric + black pepper + any oil. Green tea. Spirulina, cholrella. Raw garlics.

Avoid any carbohydrates, sugars. Look up ketogenic diet.

Start juicing. Get the veggie wash to remove the pesticides from the food if you cannot afford organics.

This are among the things you can do for your father. Although giving up carbs is hard, you choose you want the cancer to progress or you want to "enjoy" your carbs. Drop fast food pizza, KFC

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jul 14 2015, 11:43 PM

I would highly recommend ketogenic diet as well. Keto is minimizing as much carbs as possible (no rice,pasta,bread,noodles,anything sweet) and eat adequate protein and lots of healthy fats (excluding trans fat and excessive omega 6 oils). Cancel cells thrive on sugar, so a ketogenic diet would be highly effective.

All the best to your dad

Couldn't expressed how grateful I am right now for the info.

Thanks! Will look into the ketogenic diet and ask my mom to monitor !

http://authoritynutrition.com/ketogenic-diets-and-cancer/

And other various sites but I like authority nutrition because there are evidence/links in all their articles (click the number).

KFC chicken is bad because of the potentially recycled oil and the method of deep frying which maybe greatly introduce tons of free radicals to your body.

Nice article !

Run over to your friendly pharmacy, and ask for the very old (it's been
around since 1958), very common drug for diabetes - metformin.

It costs just 10 cents a tablet.

Get your dad to take a couple a day. It will boost his chances.

Metformin is quite a safe drug.



You won't be surprised if any oncologist which you are going
to consult for your dad shows you a dumbfounded face if you
ask him about this.

Neither will the pharmacist - he did not learn this in university.

Dr Samuel Tay is a good surgeon, but he is unlikely to know this either.



Metformin fights cancer at three levels :
metabolic, cellular and molecular.


Metformin: a potential therapeutic agent for recurrent colon cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896365/



Metformin: An Emerging New Therapeutic Option for
Targeting Cancer Stem Cells and Metastasis.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jo/2012/928127/



Metformin selectively targets cancer stem cells, and acts together
with chemotherapy to block tumor growth and prolong remission.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2756324/



Cancer stem cells and novel targets for antitumor strategies.

'' Several drugs have been identified by screening or other observations
(salinomycin, metformin, tesmilifene, sulforaphane, curcumin, piperine
and others). ''

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22390767



Cancer therapy targeting cancer stem cell.

'' Therefore, major clinical challenges towards the complete
eradication of minimal residual cancer are likely to target CSCs.

Several drugs (salinomycin, metformin) have been also
identified by chemical screening.''

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24597346



One of the molecular targets of the new generation
of cancer drugs is mTOR.

Metformin blocks mTOR.

Inhibiting mTOR is also one of the main aims of people who
attempt to live longer with supplements and drugs.

That is why many life extensionists take metformin daily (like me).


Understanding the benefit of metformin use in cancer treatment.

'' Moreover, metformin may exhibit direct inhibitory effects on cancer
cells by inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling
and protein synthesis.''

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/9/33



Glioblastomas are the most aggressive of brain cancers.

Metformin Inhibits Growth of Human Glioblastoma Cells
and Enhances Therapeutic Response.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4395104/



Metformin prevents aggressive ovarian cancer growth driven
by high-energy diet: similarity with calorie restriction.


http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/i...434&path[]=9066




Metformin Makes Headline News.

'' The problem is that it is illegal for metformin manufacturers to
promote this drug to cancer patients or oncologists. It's also illegal
to promote metformin to healthy people who want to reduce their
risk of cancer, diabetes, vascular occlusion, and obesity. ''


'' It turned out that only patients with severe kidney, liver, pulmonary,
or cardiac impairment had to avoid metformin because of lactic acidosis
concerns, and even these worries were overblown. ''

" If this study showing lactic acidosis is not a risk for metformin users is true,
then the multi-decade oversight that caused doctors to fear metformin
represents one of the great blunders in medical history. ''

http://www.lef.org/magazine/2012/11/Metfor...ne-News/Page-01



Diabetes Drug Metformin Safe for Patients With Kidney Disease: Review.

http://news.health.com/2014/12/23/diabetes...disease-review/


The study referred to above.

Metformin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Kidney Disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4427053/




The Phantom of Lactic Acidosis due to Metformin in Patients With Diabetes.

'' Metformin rarely, if ever, causes lactic acidosis when it is used as labeled. ''

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/7/1791.full





This post has been edited by Tham: Jul 15 2015, 08:07 AM

True on the part where final staging is done on the operating theater as there is limited vision in endoscopy and ultrasound.

Just curious. Since biopsy is also taken from the esophagus. Where is the report about that? If normal then fine.

Currently waiting for CT scan, will update you guys once the report is out

Thanks guys!

Hope your father get well soon, I think you have to use holistic treatment and some help of medical technology advancement from hospital. Holistic treatment like eating well is the difficult part.

No its not. All you need is discipline to resist temptation to all the fast-food.

1. Your dad has H.pylori
There will be a regimen and concoctions of anti-biotics he might be asked to gulp down. ( I see the doctor note a triple therapy given).
The cause is probably due to the H.pylori presence, causing Peptic ulcer in recent years. The "white" findings are suspect of erosion, due to bleeding-healing.

The antibiotics are very strong, so there are bound to have side effects in most cases.

Choice is your if the doctor wants your dad to start to start this 10-14 days course.
Alot of pills. IF the treatment fails, another dose of stronger antibiotics would be given.

IF you want to.... start observing stools colors. Tar-black stools shows bleeding.
(unless you are eating dragon fruit, or certain red pigment food )


2. Piles or hemmerroids. Mild, and no bleeding. So that is safe to say less complication there, but he has stricture on the rectum end....
HE needs to walk/stand more often than sit down.

You might want to be selective about diet from now on for him. Avoid making hard stools....( note, some people think fiber is good...but not necessary...those Oat Beta GLucen...are NOT entire good. Processed food again there ).

3. Internal organs looks OK except fatty liver. This renders difficult to detoxify the body...so, more water, less salt, sugar, fried diet... steam food and less processed food.
Less processed food would mean...getting it from A to your mouth with less processing between.

4. If you wish to go to Penang and meet with Chris Teo. CA Care org.
http://cacare.org
You need to personally go there and meet him, not make calls.
This are traditional meds options.

5. The overall focal is the stomach; atrum near the duodenum. That is the usual place H.pylori bacteria resides.
It can be many reasons....50%+ world population has it...
Older people are said to be more , due to the perception of low acid suppression at older age.


Chinese world population has one of the highest gastro related cancer due to our diet.
I suggest he stop eating..."dried, salty, perserved" chinese food....like dried duck/chicken, dried meat, and anything related to sour, salty and sweetness.

Reduce sweet intakes...

Because of his fatty liver, he must be a person that likes to eat all those "kuah" that comes with food...


Lastly, I am not a doctor. Please have your research done as well. Finally, please give your dad some strong emotional support. I wish you all the best and speed recovery for your dad.

Colorectal cancer is prevalent amongst the Chinese, largely due
to genetic mutations.


Genetic variants identified by GWAS was associated with
colorectal cancer in the Han Chinese population.

http://www.cancerjournal.net/article.asp?i...ast=Qiao;type=2




IL-27 rs153109 polymorphism increases the risk
of colorectal cancer in Chinese Han population.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4476480/





This post has been edited by Tham: Jul 15 2015, 05:14 PM

.

This post has been edited by Tham: Jul 16 2015, 06:46 AM

Updated, thanks for the recommendations and information.

the CT Scan report:

If you meekly ''surrender'' to the doctors and nurses, you will restrict
your dad to, as the other poster said, just ''cut, burn and poison''.

That's all the medical centers here know what to do, no matter how
classy, expensive and ''up to date'' they are, such as Princecourt.

The oncologist - your dad has colon cancer ? All he knows is the
standard chemotherapy protocol.

Which would likely be oxaliplatin and 5-FU for colon cancer.

Unless he uses the more advanced tyrosine kinase or EFGR inhibitors,
that is, which is going to cost you a bomb.

5-FU has been around since the 1950s. It's still in use.

Your dad should get ready for the side effects.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorouracil#History


They may also give him Tegafur, a prodrug of 5-FU.


The Japanese have been using a more advanced prodrug of 5-FU
called S-1, which have far lesser side effects and more effective,
but I don't think the backward hospitals here have it.

You could ask Sunway or Mahkota.


I would prefer S-1 plus irinotecan.


Phase I/II study of a 3-week cycle of irinotecan and S-1
in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111...010.01728.x/pdf



Why Not Use Oral S-1 in Colon Cancer ?

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/834019


Efficacy of S-1 in colorectal cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25032886



S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer:
a randomized phase III study (ACTS-CC trial).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4143094/




Oral Chemotherapeutic Agents for Colorectal Cancer.

http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/5/2/99.full



Systemic chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer:
Completed clinical trials.

http://www.uptodate.com/contents/systemic-...clinical-trials

Need you to decipher the CT scan report as well if you don't mind.

Will go through all the links once I have time.

Hi Cann,

I think most of the sum up is done by the posters. I guess that is about something similar to what i would convey.
Again, I stress on the diet plan you need to start for your father ... aside from helping to make the decision.

I wish your father speedy recovery.

From the look of things, a surgeon would say I can operate it. Then refer to oncology for further treatment

Wish your father speedy recovery. Thank god the operation went okay. How is he now? How is the blood culture going on?

He is still in HDU right now, the latest chest X ray shows sign of lung infection.
Blood culture of 48 hours shows no sign of in-growth.

We are waiting for the biopsy of the lymph nodes to see whether chemo is necessary.

Thanks =)

Fever post operation is actually quite common and normal. But abnormal if come together with low blood pressure and cough.

Could there be some upper respiratory tract infection goon on not picked up previously or is this some hospital acquired infection that I don't know.

Hospital acquired stuff can be very nasty.
If not already on please ask him to do deep breathing exercise and buy the device for incentive spirometer.

After surgery due to pain and reduced mobility infection can further reduce the function of lungs and things can go very bad from there on.

Use often the incentive spirometry , learn how to do chest physiotherapy and encourage him to move in bed, sit up or even walk if allowed by the surgeon

Be mentally prepared for te worst if there is a need to use medication to rise the blood pressure or there is reduced consciousness.

This post has been edited by slimey: Jul 20 2015, 06:21 PM

The doctor said that he did not follow through the physio's instruction on the lung exercise thus his lung did not expand fully, so came the infection. He is now on oxygen ventilator which he has been consistently pulling it off from his face (The nurses complaint to me that my dad is very uncooperative), been trying to convince him that it is for his best and it will be good after few days.

He has been on medication to increase BP, just that it is on low dosage (3 ml/h) together with NSAIDs (My dad has really really low tolerance of pain). He has low blood pressure all the while.

He has phlegm but not cough.

His temperature is fluctuating between 37-38.6 in the past 96 hours.

Doctors who are attending to him:
Dr. See Tuck Yan (Anaesthesiology)
Dr. Yoon Lai Lan (Cardiology)
Dr. Samuel Tay Kwan Sinn (Oncology)

Doctors who are assigned to patients residing in HDU/ICU are required to do checking on them once in a day.

I will have more time to observe him tomorrow, will update again.

Dr Samuel Tay is actually a surgeon.

Thank you for sharing all this. Stay Strong.

If he get hospital pneumonia, recommend doing a garlic aromatherapy. Hospital pneumonia is nasty stuff.

Take some garlic, crush it, put into boiling water. Inhale for like 10 minutes. Do every hour.

Garlic is one of nature's strongest antibiotic. Used during ww1 to treat soldiers wounds.

If you want more potent, use a nebuliser (the one used by asthma people) get some pure 100% essential oil put it inside.

I recommend the thieves blend (do it yourself)

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jul 21 2015, 12:11 PM

Tham,

You seems like a doctor



This post has been edited by seng1233: Nov 29 2017, 12:25 PM

Most doctors don't know that metformin is a cancer fighter.

This post has been edited by seng1233: Dec 9 2017, 12:57 PM

Hi, it seems like many are against chemo treatment. And is chemo really has little affect to curing the cancer? My relative is third month onto his chemo after his surgery to remove part of the colon. He's in chemo because the cancer cell had spread into the lymph.
However in our recent chemo session, we had asked the doctor (unfortunately she's a junior doctor, not the senior oncologist. It's very hard to see the senior oncologist in govt hospital) and she said that the cancer cells were already removed and the chemo is just precaution to make sure no relapse of the cancer.

Of course, we are happy to think like that, but I am not so sure whether to believe that. How do the cancer that spread to lymph disappear when all the surgery did was to remove part of colon?

Is keto diet works better? Right now, he has no appetite cause everything taste the same to him. He survives on plain & grain breads, which I am opposed of. But it's hard to make him believe that eating more other food is better than carbs and grains.

I've lost confidence in the hype of grains cause I always have health issues when I eat grains for a few days - swollen throat (to the point that doctor thought I have goiter), gassy stomach, bloated stomach.

All his life, he eats what he called healthy grains - brown rice, grain bread, grain drinks and steam fish, hardly touch any red meat and fried food, yet he still gets colon cancer.

Is keto diet suitable for colon cancer patient? How about Paleo? But it's hard to convince him and family, cause his sister is a nurse and like any health workers in our country, believes everything the text books generally told them - grains are good, meats are bad.

This post has been edited by lowlowc: Jan 21 2018, 07:50 PM

adjuvant therapy
listen (A-joo-vunt THAYR-uh-pee)
Additional cancer treatment given after the primary treatment to lower the risk that the cancer will come back. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, or biological therapy.

also........only the surgeon and surgeon assistant knows the full story of what was done during the operation, not the oncologist or junior doctor. so it is highly possible you don't know the full story.

When the surgeon do the tumor removal operation, it's a usual practice to remove the lymph nodes surrounding the tumor.
You would want to enquire the surgeon or the oncologist on the staging of cancer they did for your relative, since this determines what treatments come after. But yea, having adjuvant therapy will lower the chances of cancer coming back.

Cancer has wide causes, which is sometimes hereditary, diet is only one of the many causes.
Well, I think staying alive happy is quite important too, I hardly force my father to follow a strict diet, since he is unlikely to change his way of life.
So, doing your best is good enough

Hi. Thank you for your kind words. Hereditary plays a role in his case. I think he had plan to prevent it from happening but going through strict food regime, but among his siblings, we were really surprised he's the one who got the cancer. Maybe hereditary overruns other factor. Hopefully he will get better and better as the chemo goes.

This post has been edited by lowlowc: Jan 26 2018, 04:00 PM