Upekha

Phew! It's My 30th Month

2012-02-12T19:48:00.000+08:00

Today marks the start of the 30th month since the discovery of my kidney cancer. I would like to do a short review of my journey. The first 20 months was a breeze for me. I had very little problems and pain. The Gerson Therapy (GT) was holding, at least the spread of the cancer was controlled. However, things began to change in May 2011 last year. My pair of legs began to give me problems. I could not bend my left knee and later this was confirmed that the tumor has spread to my left knee joint. My right leg is also in constant pain and a MRI scan shows that the problem was caused by the bulging disc of the Lumbar spine in the L4/L5 area. December 2011 was the most painful period for me. Firstly, I went to Chongqing, China for HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment. The cold weather was very bad for my legs and also my lungs. I could hardly walk and constantly coughing which also triggered the nerve pain on my right leg. After I underwent my HIFU treatment, my body condition worsen. Part of the reason was due to food, I was not eating well. Although the HIFU treatment was non invasive, the burning of a 12cm right kidney tumor inside my abdomen was more than I could take. It somehow zapped the energy out of me. Though the healing pain was quite low, nonetheless it can be discomforting. I noticed that the healing pain becomes more pronounce towards the evening just about dinner or after dinner. So I normally take a pain killer and it gives me relief for the rest of the night.

I am now at the crossed roads. The GT is not sufficient for me and I need to add more therapies to improve my health. The HIFU treatment was the first step, to take care of the large tumor. My recovery has been a little slow. The next step is how to treat the tumors on my lungs and now the left knee joint. From my research, I had identified Hyperthermia Therapy (HT) and subsequent I may use the enhanced Oncothermia treatment (OT) instead. I am continuing reading to search what treatment is best for me. Tentatively, if I do HT, it will most likely to be in Frankfurt or Cologne in Germany while if it is OT, it could be in Guangdong, China or I may opt for Germany instead. I will be writing to the clinics and hospitals to get further information and costs estimates about the tretment before deciding. I will be targeting May 2012 as the likely time I will do the treatment. It all depends on how fast I recover from my HIFU treatment.

Well, it certainly not smooth going for the past 29 months. But I am hopeful that with the correct attitude, mindset, sensible diet and promising set of therapies, my health condition would continue to improve.

Fighting Cancer With Fever - Part 2

2012-02-11T11:42:00.001+08:00

For the last two days, I was not feeling very well. I was having feverish feeling for the whole day. My body seems very warm but not warm enough to get a full fever. I also did not take any form of medication. As a result, I was feeling very uncomfortable and also chills at times. So I spent most of my time sleeping. By nightfall, I has some healing pain around my abdominal area and took a pain killer. Subsequently, I think the fever broke and I began to sweat. Of course, after that, I felt much better.

Today, I want to share with you an enhanced therapy over Hyperthermia Therapy.

Oncothermia Therapy
Sometime back, I wrote about Hyperthermia Therapy and today, I want to build on that to introduce another therapy that is also based on heat therapy but an advancement over Hyperthermai Therapy. The latest and by far the best new weapon in the war on cancer is Oncothermia, more specifically called Oncotherm Loco-Regional Hyperthermia (OLRH). Not only does it successfully treat newly diagnosed cancers, it can deal successfully with stage IV cancers, and has been used successfully even when treating advanced cancers of the colon, lung, liver, pancreas and our all time favorite, glioblastoma (brain cancer).

In Oncothermia a modulated electric field(based on Rife modulation) with a carrier frequency of 13.56 MHz is generated by two active electrodes with a diameter of 17 cm. Since malignant tissue has higher conductivity than healthy human tissue, the electric field tends to flow predominantly through the malignant tumor tissue. The combination of deep layer heating and the electric field leads to stimulation of malignant tumor cells. This, in turn, triggers increased apoptotic activity in the tumor region and as a result, promotes cell death. Compared with classic Hyperthermia, which can result in burns, Oncothermia works at a significantly lower temperature. While classic Hyperthermia works at a temperature of 42°C, Oncothermia achieves a greater effect at just 38°C. Thanks to the selection at cellular level, the radiation only has an effect in the region of the tumor; the healthy regions remain as good as untouched.

Oncothermia selectively heats the tumor tissue in the region to be treated. For this reason, Oncothermia is particularly indicated for the treatment of localized solid tumors. It does not matter whether the tumor is located on the surface or deep down. The principle of self-focusing also allows moving regions of the body to be treated, such as the lungs, or thermo-sensitive regions such as the brain. Oncothermia is effective both in areas with high blood flow, such as the liver, and in regions with high air circulation, such as the lungs.

Microbiological tests have proven that higher ionic concentrations exist in the more active malignant cellular environment. Consequently, the extracellular matrix of malignant tissue inherently has greater conductivity and permittivity than healthy tissue. This difference facilitates selective focus on malignant cells even in highly mixed tissue containing large numbers of healthy and malignant cells. The derived advantage is the electric field tends to flow predominantly through the tumor tissue where the concentration of focused electric energy selectively heats the malignant cells to temperatures > 42°C. This process of natural selection is further enhanced by the electric-field modulation, which addresses the autonomous, non-collective behavior of individual malignant cells by reengaging the body's inherent immune response. Malignant tumor cells then die via a process known as "apoptosis".

During treatment with the patient lies on the waterbed. The electric field is set up between two electrodes: the bolus electrode positioned at the site where the patient is to be treated and the counter electrode positioned under the mattress of the waterbed. During the treatment, thanks to the interaction between the electric field and the heat, selection at cellular level takes place, the system self focuses on the tumor and apoptosis (programmed cell death) is increased.

Usually, the patient is treated with 13,56 MHz radio frequency waves for 1-1½ hour every second day. 10 such treatments are recommended.

Oncothermia can be used to treat a broad spectrum of solid tumors and has proven synergies with current standards of care. Oncothermia is safe, non-invasive, uses no x-rays, and demonstrates no side effects. It can be successfully integrated with other naturopathic protocols including IV Vitamin-C, IV Alpha Lipoic Acid, IV Mistletoe and Ukrain.

The proven benefits of this include:

Chemo-sensitization. OLRH sensitizes the tumor to complementarily applied chemotherapy because constrained thermodynamic flow effects destabilize the cell membrane, increasing its permeability and structural dysfunction, thereby increasing the absorption rate of the administered chemotherapy agent. OLRH compromises the tumor cell membrane allowing higher intracellular drug concentrations. The positive results of phase II/III trails have established that OLRH with chemotherapy is a novel clinical modality that allows the chemotherapy to be better targeted within the heated tumor.
Radio-sensitization. OLRH sensitizes the tumor to complementarily applied radiotherapy by oxygenation (increased oxygen delivery to the cells via blood perfusion). The addition of OLRH during a series of radiotherapy treatments improves relevant clinical endpoints such as response rate, local control and overall survival. OLRH increases oxygenation, thus reducing hypoxia and amplifying the radiation cytotoxic effect. OLRH also inhibits the repair of radiation damaged tumor cells.
Immune System Response. OLRH triggers antigen expression through the compromised malignant cellular membrane. Of particular significance is the release of heat shock proteins (HSP) that promotes a natural immune response destructive to the tumor. Danger signals such as mobility group B1 protein, ATP and HSP, which are released from treated necrotic tumor cells, stimulate the natural immune system and therefore assist the anti-tumor response.
Adherent Connections
OLRH also stimulates the re-establishment of adherent connections (β-catenins, E-cadherins) that play a key role in triggering apoptosis and suppressing malignant cell dissemination.
Gene Activation. OLRH activates the p53 tumor suppressor gene.
Surgical Procedures. OLRH has application in the post-surgical setting to treat potential rogue cells liberated via biopsy or surgery.
OLRH is clinically proven with over 100,000 treatments administered yearly at 180 facilities worldwide.

For a list of clinics that are offering Oncothermia therapy worldwide, please click here.

Resuming My Therapies

2012-02-08T12:58:00.001+08:00

I resumed my coffee enema this morning. After a 3 months break, it's certainly not easy to do the enema. The spasm was so strong and coupled with the pain on my right abdomen, it was really challenging to. After I completing the enema, I always get a sense of relief. I am not sure if this is psychological but I do feel better. It has been well documented that coffee enema not only helps the body to detox, it helps to reduce pain in the body as well. I am slowly resuming the Gerson therapy. I have been juicing about 6 to 8 times a day and taking on a stricter organic vegetarian diet with the exception of steamed fish which I will stop taking by end February 2012. I will be doing coffee enema once a day and will monitor my body situation before I decide to increase the frequency.

I have also started to take CACare's TCM herbs for my knee bone metastasis at the recommendation of my friend Yeong. In addition, I also resumed Homeopathy treatment which is being supervised by a friend since last week. He has suggested I go to Sri Lanka with him for a few days to see his master for a follow-up treatment. He has a house and transportation there and all I need to do is just buy the plane ticket. Furthermore, he said I need a holiday and he could arrange for me to visit many of the Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka sometime in mid March 2012. I have tentatively agreed to the arrangement subject to the progress of my healing.

At the moment, the healing pain on my right abdominal area is still giving a lot of discomfort. There is nothing much I can do now but give it time to heal. Taking of pain killer, which I do take once in the night is to help me keep the pain down and help me get some sleep.

Fighting Cancer With Fever

2012-02-07T21:26:00.001+08:00

I will now share with you some information about Hyperthermia Therapy. I think this treatment is suitable for most type of cancers (with the exception of leukemia and brain cancer which require special attention when using Hyperthermia). By the way, the HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment which I undertook in China is a special form of Hyperthermia therapy.

Hyperthermia Therapy
Hyperthermia means a body temperature that is higher than normal. High body temperatures are often caused by illnesses, such as fever or heat stroke. But hyperthermia can also refer to heat treatment – the carefully controlled use of heat for medical purposes.

Fever has been too long a misunderstood and mistreated symptom. Most orthodox doctors try to combat and suppress fever. Actually fever is a constructive, health-promoting symptom, initiated and created by the body in its own effort to fight infections and other conditions of disease and to restore health. High temperature speeds up metabolism, inhibits the growth of invading virus or bacteria and accelerates the healing processes.

How can hyperthermia be used to treat cancer?
There are 2 main ways in which hyperthermia can be used:

Very high temperatures can be used to destroy a small area of cells, such as a tumor. This is often called local hyperthermia or thermal ablation.

The temperature of a part of the body (or even the whole body) can be raised to a higher than normal level. It isn’t hot enough to kill the cells directly, but this can allow other types of cancer treatments such as radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy to work better. This is known as regional hyperthermia or whole-body hyperthermia.

Contrary to healthy tissue, cancer cells cannot easily divert heat because of their primitive blood supply. This has to do with the fact that tumor cells have a different metabolism and their vascular supply lines are different compared to those of healthy cells.

Cancer cells experience a build-up in heat, which leads to an inadequate supply of oxygen and a depletion of nutrients in the tumor. These deficiencies lead in turn to disturbances in the metabolic processes of dividing and maintaining cells, including the failure of the repair systems of the cells. Thus thermal cell components (i.e. those parts of the cells damaged by hyperthermia) cannot be replaced, and this can lead to the death of the cancer cells.

Furthermore, results from studies show that cancer cells form a special type of protein structure on the surface of the cells when heated to a temperature of approx. 42° C, which does not happen with healthy cells. These protein structures – also known as heat shock proteins – are recognized by the body’s immune system as foreign substances, thus enabling the immune system to destroy them.

So hyperthermia works in two ways: on the one hand by creating thermal damage and on the other hand by stimulating the body’s own immune system.

Moderate Temperature
A sauna, or Finnish steam bath, is another excellent way to benefit from overheating therapy. In addition to an artificially induced fever, which a prolonged steam bath always accomplishes, the sauna bath is specifically conducive to profuse therapeutic sweating.

The normal core temperature of a normal person is 98.6°F or 37.5°C. In cancer patients, the core body temperature is about 0.5°C lower, normally hovering below 37°C. During my month's stay in the hospital in Chongqing, China, the nurses take my body temperature twice a day and most of the time the temperature readings are around 36.3°C and 36.7°C. As a result, a cancer patient cannot induce fever automatically and the hand and feet feels cold.

A study in Hamburg, Germany found that an increase in body temperature alone does not automatically induce response. In this research, the temperature of cancer patients were raised with hyperthermia therapy while another group of healthy volunteers took part in very streneous exercise to raise body temperature.Although both group have elevated body temperature, immune function increased in cancer patients but not in healthy volunteers. Elevated immune factors in the cancer patients included human growth hormone and the induction of NK cells and T cells.

So raising the body temperature by other means may not be as effective as Hyperthermia. Furthermore, it is important to maintain stable temperature for a period of time and overheating could damage other organs in the body. Doctors in using Hyperthermia therapy have equipment that constantly monitor the temperature of the patient and also ensure the patient is not dehydrated during the 4 hour treatment process.

Down But Not Out

2012-02-05T09:06:00.000+08:00

I think one of the things I did wrong was that I focused to much on my cancer therapy. According to Dr. Demuth (in the book, German Cancer Breakthrough by Andrew Scholberg), be careful what you focus on, because what you focus on tends to grow. If you focus all of your attention on cancer, you’re likely to get more stress and more cancer. If you focus instead on health and healing, you’re likely to get more health and healing.

I thought after the bad news on Friday, I would react badly. Yes, I did feel very sad but surprisingly by Friday night, I was back on my usual self again. No more shed of tears for the bad news, maybe I have becoming more accepting of my condition. Instead I spent the night thinking what I can do to improve my health. By the way, I slept very well on Friday and Saturday night. Anyway, I spent the whole of Saturday reading on the Hyperthermia therapy (also know as Fever therapy). Incidentally, my friend Yeong, just happened to complete reading the book Fighting Cancer - A Nontoxic Approach to Treatment by Robert Gorter, MD, PhD and Erik Peper, PhD called me after reading my Friday post. The book he was reading also uses Hyperthermia as the anchor therapy supported by other additional immune therapies. Dr. Gorter and Dr. Peper are both cancer survivors and Dr. Gorter used Hyperthermia and mistletoe (Viscum album) to cure himself of Stage IV germ-cell carcinoma at the age of 26. He went on to develop the Gorter Model of fighting cancer which is based on strengthening the immune system and then using the immune system to fight the cancer. Dr. Gorter also founded the Medical Center in Cologne, Germany to treat cancer patients using the Gorter Model. I like to thank Yeong for loaning me the book to read. He also offered to be my chauffeur in case I can't drive. What a friend to have in time of need!

After my treatment in Chongqing, China, my Chinese doctors told me that I need to get additional treatment using conventional drugs because they don't think there are other options opened to me. Of course, I kept quiet as I think that is not the path I am taking. I have been thinking since what else can I do to improve my own health and then a cancer friend emailed me about Hyperthermia therapy. The timing seems perfect because after reading the documentation, I am convinced that these therapies which are immune building are in line with my present approach. Not just the testimonials but also backed by strong research evidence all over the world.

As you know, I am against doing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There is an exception when chemotherapy or radiotherapy are used as targeted therapy, meaning the treatment is applied directly to the tumors in controlled quantities, for which I would consider the treatment. Dr. Demuth warned, “After conventional radiation treatment, the body can never recover. You always have side effects, but not visible side effects. The patient can’t feel the radiation, so conventional doctors cavalierly say, ‘Radiation treatment was tolerated very well by the patient.’ But what about later? The white blood cell count goes down for life! Not much can be done to undo that damage.” So you know why I am not jumping to see my oncologist to get the dose of radiation to treat my left knee joint.

So besides the six clinics that I mentioned earlier, there is now an additional clinic in Cologne to consider. Incidentally, my cancer friend also told me that nearer back home, there is a hospital in Bangkok that also offers Hyperthermia therapy as well. At this moment, I am monitoring the progress my HIFU treatment recovery. There are still healing pain every now and then. I can only start the Hyperthermia therapy when I have recovered and hopefully, that can be achieved by end March 2012. My December 2011 experience in China reminds me that my body may not be able to adapt to the cold weather which is why I planned to get treatment in Germany during the summer months. But then the summers months are still four months away and I may not have that much time left if my body condition deteriorates in the meantime. So depending on my body condition, I may seek treatment in Bangkok earlier instead. This cancer friend of mine is seeking Hyperthermia treatment in Bangkok and I am following her progress closely.

End of The Road?

2012-02-03T17:17:00.000+08:00

I now know why my left knee joint is starting to give me some pain. I went to a specialist clinic for a checkup on my left knee today. The doctor did a x-ray and also an ultrasound scan on the joint. The doctor told me that my cancer has now spread to my left knee and recommended that I see my oncologist for radiotherapy treatment to shrink the tumor and so that the pain can be reduced.

From current developments, it looks like the cancer has started to spread to other parts in my body namely on the top of my right lung and the left knee joint. I need to review my present therapy to see what other options are available to me.

There is one more treatment that I may go that is Hyperthermia Therapy plus other supporting therapies in Germany or Austria. The cost is reasonable to me and still cheaper than conventional treatment. If it happens, it will happen most likely be during this Summer months or by Autumn, the latest. I plan to stay three weeks at the clinic. The reason for the wait is to allow my HIFU treatment on my right kidney to heal for at least three months. Six clinics were recommended by a book called German Cancer Breakthrough by Andrew Scholberg. I will select one of them. I will also be writing to Veramedica Institute (Tel: 011-49-89-64 74 92, Fax: 011-49-89-64 22 859, Mobile: 011-49-171-2700 797, e-mail: veramedica@aol.com) for a recommendation of which one of the six clinics is suitable for my type of cancer.

It looks like 2012 year will be a very difficult year for me. I feel very sad but I will not give up. I hope I have the strength to carry on. I would quote a passage by a patient from the book because that's how I feel as well:

... Helmut accepted the possibility that his cancer could cause his death. Helmut examined his life and said, “Well, maybe I’ll make it to the age of 52 in a couple of months. My family is O.K. My house is paid for. If I die from this cancer, things will be O.K. If my life is over, it’s over.”

Your common sense might tell you that’s the wrong attitude. You might think cancer patients should deny the possibility of death and struggle and fight against it. Not so! In other words, it would be a mistake for a patient to say, “I’ll never accept this cancer! I’ll fight the cancer in every way no matter what, etc.” That’s the wrong attitude.

Dr. Demuth is convinced that Helmut’s serene acceptance of the possibility that the cancer could kill him was exactly the right attitude. That’s because this attitude of acceptance enabled Helmut to relax enough to assess his inner resources and focus on health and healing...

Long Nights

2012-02-02T15:20:00.001+08:00

Most nights, I have been sleeping late, almost at about 3am. However, I could not sleep last night. Of late, I have this cold feeling on my hands and feet. It as if you have rubbed some mint on the skin. This sensation came about from the exposure of my hands and foot from the wind of the fan. For my legs, even though I have been wearing long pants, I still feel the cold sensation, as if the wind has penetrated the pants to contact the skin. The I don't know why have this feeling of late. Yesterday night was really frustrating when I can't sleep and trying to wait for morning to break. I spent most of my time massing my hand and legs with ointment. Finally I think I managed to catch some sleep at about 5.30am. If things don't improve by tonight, I will see a doctors for some medications.

Last Sunday, I tried to drive around the neighborhood. It's feel good to be able to drive again. I tried again yesterday afternoon and today for much longer distances. I think I can drive short distances because after sitting for a while, I will experience some pain from my right abdomen. I am still not able to carry any heavy things. For my trip back from China, I took pain killers to enable me to take the journey. So for now, I will not try to travel anywhere far.

Sleeping Blues

2012-01-31T23:24:00.000+08:00

I have been able to keep off pain killers for during daytime for almost a week now but somehow when evening approaches, I do feel a little more painful around the back area. As a result, I have been taking Ultracet (which contains 37.5mg of tramadol HCI and 325mg of paracetamol tablets) to manage my pains in the evenings. Of late, I also noticed that I have been having some breathing difficulties in the evening. The breathing slows down as if I just did a short run. Because of this shortness of breath, I also had trouble sleeping. Somehow by about 3am-4am, my breathing would revert back to normal and it's also around this time I managed to fall asleep. I was wondering if this was due to the tumors in my lungs?

I have been reading about my lumbar spine/right leg problem and I think I have sciatica, which refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own. Because the healing pain of the HIFU treatment and sciatica are both on the right side, sometimes, I can't tell which of the two problems are giving me more pain or maybe both of them are jointly giving me the pain. Anyway, while I was reading about the drug Ultracet which I am now taking one tablet at night, I found out that one of the side effects is breathing difficulties besides physical/psychological dependence and a severe withdrawal syndrome. I now understand why I am suffering shortness of breath only at night and why my breathing becomes normal back at around 3am. This is because the effects of the drug wears off by that time. So tonight will be the last time I will take Ultracet. To manage the pain, I would probably take paracetamol or some others instead and see if my breathing improves at night.

I have been thinking of getting another opinion on my lumbar spine problem in respect of treatment options. My existing orthopedic surgeon said if physiotherapy does not help, then the only option left is surgery.

Hoping The Best

2012-01-30T17:28:00.001+08:00

The last few days, I was having sleeping problems. During the day time, I spent much of my time resting by lying down in the bed and in the process, I dosed off. By the time night comes, I had sufficient sleep during daytime and therefore could not sleep at night. I am now adjusting my routine by trying not to sleep after 3pm. I would still lie down but for shorter period of time like 15 to 30 minutes max. I need to lie down to help my ease the strain on my back after sitting for too long. This morning, I spent my whole morning sleeping to catch up.

At present, there are three problematic areas for me. The first is my L4/L5 lumbar spine problem that has affected my right leg and giving me a lot of pain. The second is the healing pain from the HIFU treatment. This pain is bearable and not as bad when compared to my first problem. The third problem area is my on/off fever feeling. I don't think I will register a fever temperature when I use the thermometer but I do feel feverish/cold at times. I continued to sweat a lot, so much so I have to change a few t-shirts a day. One problem area that I have excluded is my coughing because it is not causing me that much pain anymore.

The last few days, my healing pain has improved. Touch wood! Every time, I reported some improvement, then the next day the problem came back. Anyway, I hope for the best and also be less dependent on pain killers.

Learning To Cope With Pain

2012-01-28T23:57:00.000+08:00

I have been updating my blog a little late these days. This is because during daytime when I am not taking any pain killer, I feel like a zombie, half dead. I am experiencing a different level of pain since I underwent the HIFU treatment. I have not done any surgery, large or small in my life, so I am learning to deal with the healing pain. Most of the nights, I take a pain killer (normally after 10pm) because without the pain, I would sleep much better. It is also during this time, I feel much alive without much pain and also take the opportunity to update my blog.

Sometime back, I have reported about being seized by constant fever. Well, that fever has not left me and still comes back every now and then. Of late though, I have been having better days. Nowdays I feeling discomfort from the constant wind that blows from my home fan against the skin of my pair of hands and legs. Without the fan, it will be too hot and I will be sweating. So I tend to wear long sleeve t-shirts and track bottom during the day. It seems strange how weak I have become of late.

This evening, I attend my first Chinese New Year gathering at my friend's house which is just two blocks away from my house. I thought I would stay longer and chat with some friends that I have not met for a while but I was not feeling very good and was also feeling some pain at my abdominal area. Some of my friends that I have not met for a while commented that I have grown thinner. Anyway, I managed to stay for about a hour before I had to cut short my stay.

Gaining In Strength

2012-01-26T23:17:00.003+08:00

As I said earlier, I have been experiencing healing pains. By healing pain, it does not mean I experience pain all the time. The pain comes and goes. Sometimes for hours, I don't feel any pain but at other times, the pain comes for about 10-20 seconds and then goes away only to come back again immediately, a few minutes later or a few hours later. Each time, the pain only last for a few seconds but it can be painful and uncomfortable. My doctors in China has warned me that they can't predict how long the healing pain will be there. They said because of my large kidney tumor, it is expected that recovery will take a longer time. Most of the time, I do not take any pain killers but if the pain comes in regular frequency, I would take a tablet and the pain would go away. So, I am not taking it on need basis, mostly at night so that the pain if it comes, does not disturb my sleep.

This Chinese New Year, I have been inactive, spending most of my time at home resting. This is because I still can't walk that well though the pain on my right leg is improving. I still have not regain the strength of my right leg to drive. I believe the pain is somehow connected to my kidney tumor. Now that my right kidney tumor is mostly gone, I can feel less pain on my right leg.

Since I came back from China, I have embarked on a modified vegetarian diet plus steamed fish to help in my healing and also to gain back some weight. This plan is going on fine as I noticed I have started to gain back some weight and and my energy levels have improved slightly. I hope to stay on this diet till end of February 2012 after which I will revert back to the Gerson Therapy.

Organic Germanium Supplement
At the recommendation of my nautropathic physician, I have started to take 400mgs of organic Germanium-132 (Ge-132) daily since yesterday.

In its inorganic form, the trace mineral germanium is used in the electronics industry as a semiconductor, and has no nutritional or therapeutic benefits. However, in its organic form, germanium is being hailed as one of the greatest new developments in the nutritional treatment of cancer.

Organic germanium is a biological-response modifier. Biological-response modifiers are substances that can enable the body to change its response to tumors, resulting in therapeutic benefits. Germanium does not directly attack cancer cells. Instead, it seems to stimulate the body's immune system, making it potentially effective in the treatment of cancer as well as other degenerative diseases.

In its organic form, each atom of germanium is bonded to three atoms of oxygen, making it an efficient carrier of oxygen. According to Dr. Stephen A. Levine, organic germanium seems to be able to partially substitute for or supplement oxygenation in living tissues. Thus, Ge-132's ability to improve the efficiency of oxygen utilization at the cellular level could be of significant benefit.

Ge-132 normalizes and enhances many functions of the immune system. Several studies have reported orally administereredid Ge-132's ability to increase NK cell activity. Ge-132's ability to increase the activity of other white blood cells is also well documented.

A study published in the Journal of Interferon Research concluded that "Organic germanium restores the normal function of T-cells, B-lymphocytes, natural killer cell activity, and the numbers of antibody-forming cells.... Organic germanium has unique physiological activities without any significant side effects."

In his book on germanium, Dr. Asai (who succeeded in synthesizing Ge-123 in 1967) reports that his clinic has successfully treated an impressive range of ailments with Ge-132, including some types of depression, arthritis, vision problems, elevated blood pressure, heavy metal poisoning, and cancer.

It's quite difficult to get organic Ge-132 in Malaysia and even if you managed to get it, the price is ridiculously high. For the price of one bottle (60 capsules of 100mg each) in Malaysia, you can but 4 bottles online from USA and still have a couple of bucks to spare even after paying shipping and 5% import tax. My shipment arrived from USA on the 4th day after I ordered.

New Year Blues

2012-01-24T20:33:00.002+08:00

I have not been updating my blog for the past few days, just prior to Chinese New Year. Not that I am busy but rather, I was 'stuck' with some healing pains because I did not take any pain killers. I have been feeling the healing pain daily though I tried to ignore the pain as much as I can. I spent most of my time resting, lying down in bed or sitting on the chair. Where possible, I do try and do some walking around the little garden for some light exercises. But for the Chinese New Year, I decided to take the pain killer tablets, two a day, one on the day time and one at night so that I can have a more comfortable New Year.

Today, I woke up feeling not too well. My head was spinning a little bit and this went on for the whole day. Despite taking naps during the day, my condition did not improve. I also noticed that my left leg has been feeling a little bit cold and also sweating at the same time. My right leg was not affected. Rubbing it with some medicated oil helps for a while but soon the condition came back. I got no idea what's going on. What I did was just keep on massaging my left leg as much as I can.

This feeling of feverish in me still lingers on. Sometimes, I feel good and at other times, the feverish feeling would take over. When I feel cold, I would wear more clothing. Then I would sweat. This also made feel uncomfortable.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T20:24:00.002+08:00

I would like to wish all my friends, readers and also people who celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Like A Yo-Yo

2012-01-20T10:26:00.000+08:00

I have been back from China for two weeks now. Three days after coming back from China, I started to feel feverish and ever since, I have been feeling feverish on some days and then normal for a day before feeling feverish again. I am feeling much better now even though I am still afraid of the cold (from the wind blowing from the home fan) even at 32°C! Without the fan, I will sweat profusely. How ironic? This morning at about 4.30am, it started to rain. Suddenly I felt very cold on both my feet and hands as if cold air are constantly blowing on the skin of my feet and hands. I have been using some hot medicated oil to rub on my feet.

I have also been phasing out pain killers preferring to take a little healing pain from the abdominal area. Since yesterday, I have stopped taking any pain killer tablet, which I normally take one tablet at night so that the pain would not disturb my sleep. It's improving a little by the day and I guess it would take at least two months before I would be able to feel normal like just before the HIFU treatment. The pain on my right leg is also improving slowly but I have not recovered to the level just before I went to China. Tomorrow, I hope to try driving around the neighborhood to gauge if I am able to drive short distances.

Since I went China for the HIFU treatment, I have suspended Gerson Therapy (GT) and when I came back, I still have not resumed GT. In the meantime, I have been on a modified diet of vegetables and taking a little fish. I have lost a lot of weight (60kgs) while in China and now I hope to gain back some weight to about 63kgs. When that happens, I will resume back GT. Meanwhile, I am also adding back a therapy that I suspended for over 1 year ago. I will be resuming homeopathy treatment but under the supervision of a local homeopathy practitioner who also happens to be my friend. Another treatment that I am considering doing will be DCA which I have written before and you can read it here. I consulted a nautropathic physician and he has suggested the recommended dosage of 8mg per day, taken twice a day, 8 hours apart with Purer tea. I am now timing when to start this therapy but it will depend on the progress of my HIFU treatment recovery. A patient will either respond to DCA or not. It's one of the cheapest cancer therapy. Another supplement that I will taking is Germanium.

Getting Better

2012-01-18T22:40:00.000+08:00

Last night, I finally managed to have some sleep. The feverish feeling is still there and I was also sweating profusely. Instead of staying all night to wipe of my sweat which is discomforting, I just slept. I am still afraid of the cold.

Today I did not take any pain medication in anticipation of the test at the clinic. I think I had mistaken that the visit to the clinic was to check on my lumbar spine problem. The clinic was recommended by a friend who said it might helped me. Anyway, it's a naturopathy clinic and since I was there, I thought why not just complete the test. Basically, the test just confirms my present problem and also recommended some alternative treatment options for me. It's not cheap and I am thinking if I should do the treatments.

Without the pain killers, the pain on my abdominal area is a little more painful but still bearable. Because I did not lie down that much today, the pain seems more pronounced. When I came back from the clinic and took a rest by just lying down flat, the pain subsided.

I think I am putting a back a little more weight as I am now eating much more each day when compared to when I was in China. Now, I am feeling a little bit warm, much like in the beginning when I started Gerson Therapy. This warmness is fine with me although it will mean I will be a little afraid of cold water. I think this is a good development.

Recovering Slowly

2012-01-17T18:17:00.002+08:00

I have been having low fever for about 5 days in a row now. What is discomforting is the feeling of hot and cold effects at the same time. Anyway, I still feel feverish but not as bad as the last few days. Last night, I thought I will have a good night's sleep but it was not to be. For dinner, I ate a little fish, my first taste of meat for over 28 months and later the night, I began to have stomach discomfort and I was feeling a little hungry. Had an oatmeal but the stomach discomfort grew and churning all night. Finally early today, I vomited everything that I took since last night, much of it still undigested. I believe it could be due to the meat that I took last night. My stomach may not be used to processing meat and I learned of this effect from my vegetarian friends.

I am feeling much better now and taking some light meals. Tomorrow, I will be going to a clinic to check on my lumbar spine problem which has been affecting my right leg. I am now walking with a limp. Since I came back from China, my right leg problem has been improving by the day. Now when I cough, it's not affecting my nerves that much, hence it's not as painful as before. The knee joint area on my left leg is still painful and I hope to get a diagnosis as well. The pain from the former kidney tumor area is still painful but bearable. I think it's improving as well.

I could not boot up my PC since this morning and decided to give it a rest and try later the day. Only now I managed to get it to boot. I am not sure what's the problem. Most of the time it seems to hang after boot-up, so I have to restart at least twice each time. Maybe time to reformat and reinstall.

The Fever Continues

2012-01-16T21:11:00.002+08:00

I thought that things would return to normalcy on Saturday but by nightfall, the fever returned. Yesterday, I was again down with fever. I went to the doctor and he said I caught a flu and gave me some medications, something for my cough, fever and flu. I could not sleep again last night as I was feeling hot and cold at the same time. My breathing was also heavy. It was really uncomfortable the whole night.

I feel a little better today but as the day progressed, I am feeling a bit cold again. Sigh... I have contacted my doctors in Chongqing, China telling them of my fever problem and see if they have some recommendation for me. There are still some pain around my tumor area. I have to be more patient as I think it would take a lot more time than I anticipated for the healing to take place.

A cancer friend sent me an email about a therapy called Fever therapy which is being practiced at 6 clinics in Germany. Apparently, former President Regan also undertook the therapy while he was the sitting President of USA. Yes, fevers kills cancer cells while normal cells can tolerate the additional heat. I am still reading more about the therapy and will write about it some other time. In Gerson Therapy, fever is actually a good sign, a sign of healing taking place.

Friday Night Fever

2012-01-14T14:59:00.000+08:00

I think my fever has been broken. I feel much better today and I am not taking any chances of a relapse. So I am still wearing adequate protecting clothing to keep myself warm and so far so good. I have been feeling miserable since I came back from China because of the fever. It's so discomforting, not to mention the healing pain and also the pain from the leg. So this morning, to cheer myself up, I have been hearing some inspirational and soothing music (such as from Enya). The healing pain at the abdominal area and also pain from my right leg are also improving and I feel really relieved. I still feel weak and have been trying to eat more.

Yesterday night, I was feeling really frustrated as I could not sleep, partly due to the many naps that I took during the daytime and also because I could not breath normally because of the fever. I hope the difficult times are over and things would improve from now on.

Slow Recovery

2012-01-13T21:55:00.001+08:00

I am still having fever. I have been feeling really uncomfortable because of the on and off fever that I have been getting and today, I feel even worse, hot and cold! So, I am taking some Acetaminophen (or paracetamol) round the clock today in an effort to shake off the fever by tomorrow. If not, I will see a doctor.

The HIFU treatment, even though is non invasive, is quite as bad as the actual surgery. For my case, due to the large kidney tumor, so my recovery period will be much longer. My doctors in China said of my recovery I am progressing well, although I my condition may change when I am back home. One of the important thing is to watch out of blood in urine or stools. I have been given Chinese medication to prevent bleeding and so far, there are no signs of it. Anyway, for the moment, the important things is to get myself to eat a little bit more nutritious foods and this may include steam fish for a short period of time. I have lost a lot of weight during my stay in China and it is important that I put back some weight first. I have anticipated this development and the risks involved before when I went for the treatment.

Next week, at the recommendation of a friend, I will be going for a test on my right leg to use some other non invasive methods of helping me to reduce the pain on my right leg. I will tell you more about it after the tests.

Less Mean More Pain

2012-01-12T17:00:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I was down with fever for the whole day. My head was a little heavy and I spent most of my time lying down resting. I was feeling a little cold and sweating the whole day. I thought things would improve today but that was not the case. The fever continued and like yesterday, I am resting. I am feeling a little better now, so I thought I would just make a short post today. Fever is good because it means that the immune system is working full swing.

Over the last two days, I noticed that there is a shift in pain on my right leg. Previously, when I cough, I would feel the full extent of the pain from the butt right to the toe. Now, as I cough, I don't feel so painful. Somehow, the cough is affecting the nerve on my right leg lesser now. Somehow, I feel the pain on my right leg is not exclusively caused by the nerve pinching due to the bulging disc but a combination of the kidney tumor and the nerve pinching. Since now much of the kidney tumor is gone, it's contribution to the pain has reduced. The healing pain of the kidney tumor, however is still affecting me. Since I have reduce dependence on pain killers, I am experiencing more pain.

Healing Pains

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000+08:00

Since I came back home, I have been sweating a lot. I also feel cold at times and not sure if I still have flu. So I used blankets at times to give myself the extra warmth. It's so weird. The temperature back home is so hot and yet I still feel cold. I wonder if my body has adjusted to the equatorial climate.

I have been resting a lot. The healing pain from the tumor area is quite consistent. It's not that painful but can be disturbng most times. I am trying to reduce dependence on pain killers. The pain from my right leg is more pronoumnced when compared to the healing pain. The only consolation is that the pain that I am experiencing now is not as painful when compared to in Chongqing. If I can reduce the pain from my leg pain, that would be wonderful and give me back my mobility. I am now looking at treatment options (other than back surgery) available to me. I have tried chiropractor and that did not help very much.

I have not responded to any of your comments, expecially when I was in Chongqing. This is because I have no access to blogger. So I like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your comments, support and encouragement.

Where Am I?

2012-01-09T16:07:00.001+08:00

Twenty nine (29) days just passed and now I am back home. That' how much time I have been away in Chongqing for my HIFU treatment. I will write about the HIFU treatment some other time as I feel there are somethings one should know about HIFU treatment (which you may not find people discussing it in the forums and also in the HIFU documentation).

One of the things that come to mind is how am I doing? Frankly, I am now very weak. I have lost weight and looked very thin and frail. This is expected because the HIFU treatment is a major procedure with the bulk of tumor tissues destroyed still inside the body. So the body is recovering and healing pains are expected. At this juncture, I have suspended the Gerson Therapy since I left for China on 10 December and the therapy will remain suspended (for about another half month or so) until the tumor pain heals. I have to be on a modified vegetarian diet to allow the body to heal from the treatment and also to gain back some weight. I have not been eating well or sleeping well while in Chongqing. However, I have been sleeping rather well since I came home.

The pain on my left leg has improved slightly, possibly assisted by the warm weather here. It's still very painful but when compared to when I was at Chongqing. I am not able to drive for the moment and will monitor the situation for another week before I decide the next course of action. Obviously, I will not have any treatment on my legs (or the bulging disc) until after the tumor pain heals. Meanwhile, I will proceed with the physiotherapy treatment as recommended by my orthopedic surgeon just before I left for China. At the moment, I am using pain killers to control the healing pain and as well as the legs pain. I have been coughing quite a bit since I came home and every cough causes severe nerve pain on my right leg (from the butt right to the toe).

Back Home Again

2012-01-08T21:32:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I spent most of the day traveling home. I left my hotel about 6.30am in Chongqing to catch the 8am train to Chengdu. I reached the train station about 6.50am and it was really cold outside. There were already crowds waiting to enter the train station to take their respective trains. The train ride was smooth and on time to Chengdu East Railway Station. From there, we took a cab straight to the Chengdu Airport.

The plane took off late and I think we were traveling almost for 25 minutes before we reached the runaway for take off. The Captain reported the delay was due to heavy plane traffic. The ride back to Kuala Lumpur seemed so slow. I think over 80% of the passengers on the plane were Chinese nationals either traveling to Malaysia for holidays or for work. My brother, sister and father met us at the airport at about 9pm to welcome us back. I have never been so glad to appreciate the warmth of the weather over the cold in Chongqing.

Last night, I had little difficulty sleeping thought there were pains all over my body, especially my right leg and also the pain from the kidney tumor healing.

Woke-up this morning at about 8.30am and had oats for breakfast. I was not feeling very comfortable and I think I may have caught the chill on the way back from China. I spent most of the today resting. I also took 1 pill of the Ultracet pain killer and was wondering if I should take the morphine sulfate tablet tonight to manage my body pain?

I would like to express my appreciation and thank my friend for taking so much trouble and time to update this blog on my behalf during my stay in Chongqing in China.

Home Sweet Home

2012-01-06T20:57:00.001+08:00

I left the hospital after lunch yesterday and came back straight to the hotel and slept. I did not get to sleep at all the night before. My room mate woke up nearly every 1+ hour throughout the night! I was really tired and so decided to catch up on some sleep first. I would say, I had not had good sleep since I stayed in the hospital because it was rather noisy at night .

Today, I took breakfast for the first time in the hotel after staying here for 26 days. I think the restaurant is not worth a second visit. What a shame for I feel that the hotel is quite good, a studio room, clean toilet and bed sheets. For me, it was a blessing in disguise as the plain porridge and food was exactly what I needed. My only complaint is the noise from the construction next door which goes on for 24 hours a day. This place is developing like Kuala Lumpur in the early 1990s, full of construction going on here and there, only on a much larger scale.

I am really glad that today is my second last day in Chongqing. It is cold and miserable here. I did not sleep well, did not eat well and was full of pain here and there during my stay here. I am looking forward to going home, away from this cold winter back to the warmth of the sun. I need the full sunshine to recharge.

I will leave Chongqing for Chengdu tomorrow morning by train. Upon arrival, I will proceed straight to the airport to wait for my flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Back to my home sweet home!

The Results Are Out!

2012-01-04T15:18:00.001+08:00

I went for my CT scan today. The results show that the implant was good and 90% of the kidney tumour was killed. However, the tumours too close to the intestines were not touched. The existing lung tumours grew a bit. I think it is a good result.
The doctors have also given me an injection for the blood in the urine. My urine is now normal. To control the pain at my back area and my leg, I am given a new morphine patch every few days. It make me hallucinate particularly within the first 12 hours. Sometimes I feel like vomiting too. It is a strange feeling. But I would say that the healing pain as well as my leg pain is bearable.
Everything is on schedule. I will be discharged from the hospital late tomorrow.

Healing Pains

2012-01-03T20:34:00.000+08:00

It is a cold and rainy day today. The temperature is 4 to 6 deg C in Chongqing. For the past two days, my urine has been a little red, which could mean that there is some bleeding inside. The pain from the former tumour area also gave me problems whilst I was sleeping as well as during my waking hours. The doctors said it is a normal healing pain. As pain relief, they can inject some pain medication. I have spent most of my time in bed, resting

Happy New Year 2012!!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

I wish my family, friends, ex-colleagues, acquaintances and everyone of you out there a very happy New Year 2012! I am doing well under the circumstances. Just a bit too much walking the day before so my legs are tired. I look forward to seeing some of you again when I am back in Malaysia.

New Year Mood

2011-12-30T16:21:00.001+08:00

I think I was down with the flu yesterday. I vomited twice. After taking two panadols, I am feeling much better today. The latest news from the doctors is that I will be given a full CT scan on 4 January next year and discharged from the hospital on 5 January. I plan to rest for a day in Chongqing before I fly back to Kuala Lumpur on 7 January.
This evening, I went out for a walk and had a Subway salad for dinner. This hospital is nice. I can come out for a 1 to 3 hour walk after all the drips for the day are done, provided my condition is good.. I spend about 8 to 10 hours each day on drips. There is a 3 day New Year holiday here My roommate took leave from hospital and went home for 4 days to celebrate the New Year!. There are lots of people all over the place. Everyone seems to be out jamming or shopping. There is also no HIFU treatment today.

The Road to Recovery

2011-12-29T17:57:00.003+08:00

I feel a bit giddy today. I also feel like vomiting. I could not sleep last night because I spent the entire daytime sleeping yesterday. .Otherwise, there is good progress. The pain on my backside is subsiding.

Post Surgery Pains

2011-12-27T20:35:00.000+08:00

I don't feel so good now..I feel weak and spent most of today in bed, sleeping. I have also been coughing alot. Whenever I cough, I experience bad pain at my backside. There is slight pain at the tumour area. I started drinking some water in the afternoon. For dinner, I have been allowed porridge.
I hope I will feel better tomorrow.

The Big Day

2011-12-26T10:30:00.000+08:00

The last two days have been spent on cleaning up my gastrointestinal tract. I have been on soft diet, only plain teowchew porridge is allowed. I also took two allergy tests.
Last night was a really difficult night for me. I had to do five clean water enemas to clear the colon and another four enemas this morning. Winter is the wrong time to be doing this. It is cold especially when one has to do enemas. The pain on my legs are the real killer. Even though it is supposed to be a non-invasive procedure, the preparations for it is like that of a major operation. There are risks involved.

Finally, the big day has arrived and I am looking forward to it. I will be starting the HIFU treatment under general anasthesia this morning. The procedure is expected to take more than 5 hours.
Incidentally, since I have been in China, this blog has been updated on my behalf by my friend. There is also no internet access in this hospital. Every few days, I will go back to my hotel to read my emails. My friend has also been copying your comments to me via email so that I can continue to receive your moral support. Please wish me luck.

Update at 8.45 pm
I have regained consciousness. I am still groggy. Thank you for your prayers, chanting, positive energy and kind thoughts.I will provide an update tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:58:00.000+08:00

I am making preparations for my upcoming HIFU treatment. I am looking forward to it. I will post more on these preparations tomorrow. For today, here's wishing all of you a Joyful and Blessed Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

On Track

2011-12-23T21:34:00.000+08:00

I feel good and there is not much pain. My recovery has been good according to the doctors. There has been no complications so far. The implant I received yesterday is called internal radiotherapy (translated from Mandarin), a specific target of delivering particles directly to the tumour cells. In my case, three small punctures were made for the delivery. If everything goes well, my HIFU treatment will proceed next Monday.

Getting the Chills

2011-12-22T19:49:00.001+08:00

Last night, my sleep was disturbed by a bout of coughing. I woke up feeling chilly. My roommate must have switched off the heater in the room while I was asleep. The clothes I had on as well as my comforter were not enough to keep me warm especially with the heater off. My back also hurts..

My roommate had been here in March this year to treat his liver cancer using HIFU. He is back again for treatment of some stomach bleeding problems this time round. He said that this hospital is very good in HIFU including the treatment of fibroids. He went on to tell me of many success stories.

Later in the morning, the doctor came for his rounds. He informed me that they would be proceeding with the radiotherapy implant on the lung tumour in the afternoon. It was originally planned for Friday.

There was some delay towards afternoon but I finally managed to complete the implant by evening. The doctors said that it went well but I suppose we will have to see the final results from the scan. I experienced a little pain during and after the procedure. Otherwise, I am doing okay.

Tight Schedule

2011-12-21T21:12:00.000+08:00

I spent most of my time sleeping yesterday. The doctors have been using a morphine patch for my nerve pain but it does not seem to be working. Since the MRI scan I did back in Malaysia is not clear, I will have to do another one here if I want to investigate further. Then again, even with another MRI, the doctors may still not know the exact cause of the pain. Therefore, their main focus and priority is to treat the tumours before my 30 days visa expires. Treatment for my leg pain is secondary.
As it is now, my schedule is quite tight. I have been requesting the doctors to accelerate my treatments and to shorten the observation time after each treatment. I am also put on drips daily to boost my immune system. This morning I went for another CT scan and on Friday, I will get the radiotherapy implant on the new lung tumour and possibly HIFU treatment early next week. I hope everything proceeds smoothly.

Good Progress

2011-12-19T22:25:00.001+08:00

I am feeling much better today. The doctor came this morning and said that everything is good. In fact, he said that I am recovering quite fast from TAE, I think the pain I experienced yesterday must have been the side effects of the TAE. I will have to go for a CT scan this coming Wednesday to see if the TAE procedure is working. Seeing my progress, he is encouraged to do radiotherapy implant on the new 4cm+ tumour on my right lung. I am scheduled for a small dose of radiotherapy drug to be injected into the tumour this Friday.. If everything goes smoothly, I shall proceed with the HIFU treatment to be done together on both the kidney and new lung tumour before the end of the year. The doctor is confident in treating this new lung tumour but not the old ones.
I have no issue with targeted chemo/radiotherapy but such procedures are expensive because the drugs are delivered directly to the tumour. The drug for the radiotherapy implant costs RMB40k alone but is safe and effective for use.

Pain for Company

2011-12-18T23:03:00.000+08:00

I am still in the hospital because I developed a fever yesterday. The doctors are keeping me for another night. The kidney tumour has been giving me alot of pain. Because of the pain, I find each day difficult to pass. I just sit quietly and do some walking now and then. There is little time to feel depressed because pain is occupying all my time. When I talk, it brings the phlegm up, which leads to coughing. For me, its just too painful to cough right now. The doctors gave me some painkillers earlier but they were not very effective.The names of the drugs are in Chinese so I do not what those drugs are. However, they have just given me an injection and it seems to be working. The pain has subsided. Besides the pain medication, the doctors also gave me something for my cough. It has also helped control the cough.

The weather is cold outside. I wish to go back to my dear old home as soon as possible.

Smoothly It Went

2011-12-17T15:52:00.001+08:00

The TAE procedure went smoothly. The procedure started at 9.30 am and I was out of the operating theatre at about 11 am. I was given instructions not to move my right leg for 12 hours and not to get up for 24 hours. Due to the period of immobility in bed, I am experiencing pain from the nerve around my butt area. I cannot walk well. The doctor recommended that I stay on for one more day in the hospital. Otherwise, I am recovering well.

Till Tomorrow

2011-12-15T17:37:00.001+08:00

This morning, I went to the hospital for four allergy tests. I don't know what the tests are because the test names are in Chinese and I am not able to make a translation of them into English. These tests are important because it would determine if I am able to take the TAE and HIFU treatments.

So far, this is what has been planned for me. I will check-in to the hospital at 3pm today and I will be briefed on the TAE procedure and risks involved and also sign some forms. After that I will stay the night at the hospital. The procedure is scheduled for tomorrow, the time at this moment is not known yet. This is because the doctors are still waiting for confirmation from the operating theatre what time slot is available for me. I will stay in the hospital for a couple of days and the doctors will observe my recovery, especially if I have any severe side effects (known side effects are fever and pain).

So, I will be out for a day or two and hopefully by the 17 December, the doctors will discharge me from the hospital. The doctor said a week is required to determine if I can proceed to the next stage which is the HIFU treatment.

So, I hope to provide you an update as soon as I get out of the hospital.

The Tumor Strikes Back

2011-12-14T19:46:00.000+08:00

Since I arrived in China, I can only use one word to described my experience. Painful. I have underestimated how my body would react to the cold weather. I have been coughing non-stop. Somehow, the coughing triggers the same nerves that connects to my butt and groin area. As a result I have been experiencing excruciating pain that paralyses my body, almost freezing me when I am walking. I don't know why it deteriorated so badly. Next is the food. People here don't believe in being vegetarian. Not a single food shop sells vegetarian food. So I had to make do what is available. There are are quite a number of food shops but most of them sell noodles and everyone shop have more or less the same menu! I did not go to the bigger restaurants nor did I find food courts at some of the shopping complexes that I visited. The pain on my leg and butt is so bad that most of the time I stayed in the hotel leaving it to my sister and my wife to pack food for me. Walking is just too painful.

Yesterday, I met the hospital representative called Cathy at the hotel lobby. She took us to the hospital which is about 10 minutes walk away but I can only do it in about 30 minutes. She did the administration procedure for me, introduced me to my doctor in charge, Dr Yang and the team head, Professor Zhu. After that I went for my blood test. They took about 10 little tubes of blood from me. Wonder what test they are going to do? They could not schedule me for the CT scan immediately after the blood test, so I had to go back to the hospital the next day at 8.30am the scan. So this morning, I had to fast again for the CT scan as they have to inject the contrast into me. The CT examination room was full of people. Somehow, I got to jump queue and did the scan after about 20 minutes waiting time. I was told to come back to the hospital at 4pm today to review the results of the CT scan and the doctor would give me a treatment plan. As for the kidney tumor, the tumor has grown slightly from 11.3cm to 11.9cm. But the bad news is that they discovered a new tumor the size of over 4cm on top of the right lung. This is by far the biggest tumor which means the rest of the old nodes are more or less the same size. Dr Yang told me I would be experiencing pain about my right chest area because of this.

Due to the discovery of this new tumor, their original plan of treatment has also changed. Besides costs implications which would grow from RMB60K to between RMB100K - RMB150K if treatment of the new tumor is to be included. Also instead of just using HIFU treatment for my kidney tumor, the doctors are recommending I do transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TAE) because of the size of my tumor. What this means is that prior to the HIFU procedure, the doctors will inject TAE into the arteries that supply blood to my kidney tumor to block the blood supply. This would enhance the success of the HIFU treatment. I would then be monitored on the progress of my recovery and the side effects are fever and pain. If within the week, there are no further reaction, then the treatment for HIFU would start sometime next week.

I told my doctors of my pain problem and he suggested I do an other MRI to pin point the actual problem. He said my MRI scans that I brought along is not clear. The doctor told me that this is just to find out what causes the pain on my groin and butt and he has ruled out cancer as the cause. He reminded me that the main focus is on the kidney tumor. He then prescribed me some drugs for my coughing and pain management. He said he would like to know if the pain killer he prescribed to me did help to stop the pain or not.

Dr Yang and Professor Zhu suggested that they can also use HIFU treatment for my new tumor. However, in addition to the HIFU treatment, they would also want to do a pretreament procedure by injection some targeted radiotherapy directly to the tumor. This is just a suggestion and they will discuss it with me further after the outcome of the HIFU therapy on my kidney tumor. Dr yang also said it is not possible to treat the other tumors as there are too numerous and small all over my lungs. So they prefer to treat the biggest tumor. Anyway, its too early for me to decide now. I will wait for the outcome of the HIFU treatment on kidney tumor first.

Greetings From Chongqing, China

2011-12-12T19:31:00.000+08:00

I planned that I will spend about 1 1/2 days in Chengdu for a rest before proceeding to Chongqing.I was really tired on Sunday. After waking up, I went for a quick breakfast and then to the railway ticketing agent to purchase 3 tickets to Chongqing on Monday morning. After getting the train tickets, I went back to the hotel to continue my sleep while my sister and my wife took a trip to the Chengu Gian Panda Breeding and Research Center. Both my legs are getting from bad to worst. It seems to be more painful now. Just after a short walking, I would have to stop and take a rest. My sinus came back and I have been getting nose blocked everyday since I arrived. I have also been coughing and everytime I cough, the pain on my nerves around the groin and right butt area is also becoming very painful. This is especially so if I am not on the pain killer. So, most of the time, I spent at the hotel lying in bed.

The TV programs stinks. Getting vegetarian food is so difficult that I had no choice but to make special request like chowmien and told them just to add just vegetables (no eggs and meat), low salt and low oil. In Chengdu, every food must be laced with chilli powder, so I have to tell them low chilli powder as well. Yesterday evening, I ordered fried rice, again no eggs and meat, low salt, low sugar and low chilli powder. What I got was plain fried rice (with some oil and salt) but nothing else in it. So, have to teach the cook to add vegetables when frying the rice. The proprietress was very accomodating and apologising as she did not know how to do a vegetarian fried rice.

I have been sleeping better. Despite taking a nap on Sunday, I was able to sleep last night. This morning, I took breakfast at the hotel, with some simple food like bread and pumpkin porridge. At 9am, I check-out of the hotel and took a taxi to the Chengdu Railway Station East. The railway station is huge, as big as the KLIA main terminal building and security is much like airport where passenger has to show identity proof as well as scanning of all luggages. The morning jam was bad but since the railway station was away from the city, it took about 20 minutes to arrive. The train is very modern and departed Chengdu on time at 10.25am and arrived at Chongqing at just about 12.25pm with one stop in between. The first part of the journey, the train was travelling at speeds of 195kph while after the stop in between, the train slowed down to a speed of about 160kph.

Chongqing railway station is also very big but not as big as the Chengdu station. It is connected to a underground MRT and also taxi station. Although the queue was long, getting a taxi was easy. This time I was more prepared and showed the taxi driver the name and address of the hotel in Mandarin and he was able to take us there in about 20 minutes and the fare cost RMB25. Chongqing is much warmer than Chengdu but I found the air quality a bit of a problem. I could sometimes smell foul smell and the air seems polluted. The hotel where I stayed is not too bad, got everything including a microwave oven. The only problem was the noise. The hotel is surrounded by construction going on and you can hear the construction sounds such as knocking and sawing, etc. In front of the hotel is a MRT station and the city center is just about less than 5 minutes walk away. There streets seems to be full of people and you can see shopping complexes all round. The hospital is about 5 minutes walk away. That's the reason why I chose this hotel.

Anyway, I did take some photographs and will upload them later. I am still very tired and spend most of my time in my room resting.

Greetings From Chengdu, China!!

2011-12-10T22:22:00.001+08:00

I arrived at Chengdu, China at about 1.15pm local time. The plane arrived early, 25 minutes ahead of schedule. After reading in the forums, I decided to take the official taxi to my hotel. The taxi queue was very long but with so many taxis waiting, I managed to get a taxi very quickly. I told the taxi driver the name of the hotel and he quickly said he knows where it was. I spoke to him using the pinyin because I did not have the Chinese characters of the hotel name. The traffic leading out of the airport was good but as soon as the taxi entered the city center, we were caught in a traffic jam that seemed endless. Every turn that the taxi made, we became part of the jam. By the time I arrived at the hotel, it was already about 3.00pm. After dropping us, we proceeded to the hotel reception only to discover that the hotel that the taxi driver had taken us was not the correct one. Apparently, the hotel that I was going to had the same English pinyin name but differ in Chinese characters .I was feeling hungry and it was way pass lunch time and I am now in a wrong hotel. The hotel staffs were very helpful to ensure this time I would go to the right hotel. The funny thing about my hotel booking is that they have the booking information in both English and Chinese with the exception of the name and address of the hotel. Even the phone number on my hotel confirmation slip was wrong! Luckily, I had a map to the hotel printed and the map contains some roads names in English and some in Chinese. After about 20 minutes of waiting, a taxi came and this time I made sure that the driver knew which hotel I was talking about. After looking at the map, he said no problem. Again, the trip took another hour or so with 40 minutes lost in the traffic jam while trying to get out of the city center.

Finally, at about 3.30pm I arrived at the right hotel and was glad. The taxi driver told me that the jam at the city center is 7 days a week. For the last few days, it has been cloudy in Chengdu and today it is rather sunny. People took advantage of the sunny weather and came out shopping for Christmas and New Year. As such the streets in city center were crowded. The temperature is good at 9°C, not too bad for me. The taxi driver told me that there will be no shopping crowds during the days leading to Chinese New Year. Why? Everyone is at home gambling mahjong!

After checking into the room, I was quite pleased with the hotel, quiet and most importantly the room is clean though a little small. This hotel is located about 1km from the city center but that made a vast difference. Traffic was sparse and hence not noisy. I then went out for lunch after asking for a recommendation from the hotel reception staff. I was surprised at the place where I went. I still don't know the English or Chinese name of that place but it resembles an ancient movie studio like what you see in the costume movies/TV dramas.Full of ancient looking buildings. I will try to upload some pictures for you to see. I will tell you more of what I discovered while exploring the nearby areas.

I am a little tired and have called it a day, now resting on my bed.

Chongqing, Here I Come!!

2011-12-09T19:22:00.001+08:00

I have been busy, still doing last minute stuff. Got all the errands done in the morning and during lunch time, a friend called and wanted to drop by. We had a quick chat. He said I have not been very active on my blog lately and I said "yes, while in India I was on the move. After I came back, I was recovering from fatigue and therefore did not post that much." Earlier another friend called and wanted to come over in the afternoon but I told her that I would most likely not be at home because I still got some things to do. I have been cramming too many things in the last minute.

Last night I met my group of friends who went India with me and we had supper together. Everyone seems to be happy about the outcome of the India trip. There was also talk of planning a few days driving trip from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi, Thailand. That would be nice.

Well tomorrow, I will be going to Chongqing, China for my HIFU treatment. It has been busy, busy during the last two weeks. I am looking forward to the treatment. Just checked, the temperature at Chongqing is sunny/cloudy, between 6°C and 10°C. I am just wondering if I will have any problems adjusting to that kind of temperature. Anyway, I have adequate clothing and hope things would work out fine for me.

I will try to update my blog and and when possible may include some photos of some of the areas that I visited in Chongqing.

Cancer And Lifestyle

2011-12-08T14:06:00.001+08:00

Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle
Nearly half of cancers diagnosed in the UK each year - over 130,000 in total - are caused by avoidable life choices including smoking, drinking and eating the wrong things, a review reveals.Tobacco is the biggest culprit, causing 23% of cases in men and 15.6% in women, says the Cancer Research UK report.

Next comes a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in men's diets, while for women it is being overweight. The report is published in the British Journal of Cancer. Its authors claim it is the most comprehensive analysis to date on the subject.

In total, 14 lifestyle and environmental factors, such as where you live and the job you do, combine to cause 134,000 cancers in the UK each year. About 100,000 (34%) of the cancers are linked to smoking, diet, alcohol and excess weight. One in 25 of cancers is linked to a person's job, such as being exposed to chemicals or asbestos. Some risk factors are well established, such as smoking's link with lung cancer.

But others, like gall bladder cancer, are largely unrelated to lifestyle. The researchers base their calculations on predicted numbers of cases for 18 different types of cancer in 2010, using UK incidence figures for the 15-year period from 1993 to 2007.

In men, 6.1% (9,600) of cancer cases were linked to a lack of fruit and vegetables, 4.9% (7,800) to occupation, 4.6% (7,300) to alcohol, 4.1% (6,500) to overweight and obesity and 3.5% (5,500) to excessive sun exposure and sunbeds.

In women, 6.9% (10,800) were linked to overweight and obesity, 3.7% (5,800) to infections such as HPV (which causes most cases of cervical cancer), 3.6% (5,600) to excessive sun exposure and sunbeds, 3.4% (5,300) to lack of fruit and vegetables and 3.3% (5,100) to alcohol.

You can read the full report here.

Bowel cancer screening ‘does cut deaths’

A bowel cancer screening programme in England is on course to cut deaths by a sixth, say researchers studying results from the first million people tested. When results from the first 1.08 million taking part were collated, it was found that 2.5% of men and 1.5% of women had received an abnormal result, and were sent for further tests, usually colonoscopy, in which a tube with a camera on the end is passed into the colon. Among the men with abnormal results, 43% turned out to have either cancer or pre-cancerous growths in their colon. The figure for women was 11.6%. However, the test appeared to be less effective at spotting cancers in the upper section, or "right side" of the colon.

You can read the full article here.

Cancer 'drives families into debt'

Two-thirds of parents of children with cancer surveyed by a UK cancer charity say they have been forced to borrow money to make ends meet. Of the 245 families interviewed, 76% said that their child's illness had had a major impact on finances with two in three parents experiencing a loss of earnings. The survey was carried out by children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

Found And Lost

2011-12-07T14:04:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, a cancer friend emailed me the URL of a cancer blog written by and on behalf of his mother's new generation (NG) PDT treatment. I was looking into the viability of NGPGT as an alternative treatment for my lung metastasis. In fact, when the first page load, the first thought that arose my mind was "What? The patient is now embarking on the 3rd cycle of NGPDT" Why so many cycles? As I read the details from the blog, several questions arose in my mind and I began to have doubts. I am not a doctor and I don't have the finer technical details of this treatment and even if I had the details, I am not sure I could digest those technical details. But on a much higher level as disclosed in the blog, based on those information given, I am presenting my views and I stand corrected of course.

NGPDT Process: This NGPDT process uses a 2 stage process: 1) an agent is inhaled + drank into the body which contains extracted chlorophyll from plants. The chlorophyll molecules will attach to tumor cells as "food". Cancer cells are hungry for any food or nutrition. Normal cells does not have affinity to the chlorophyll molecules which gets flushed out of the body. 2) Three type of laser (different frequencies) is shined externally onto the body to cause the chlorophyll to generate singlet Oxygen (like in photosynthesis process in plants). These Oz will burst the tumor cells or break the cell membrane of the tumor cells. Since normal cells does not have the chlorophyll attached, they are not damaged by this light process.

The above information was obtained from the blog and I just extracted them out verbatim. Sounds very logical. An agent which is a chlorophyll extracted from plant is inhaled and ingested. This statement "Cancer cells are hungry for any food or nutrition." Is this true? Many cancer patients like me uses diet to starve cancer cells. I have been quite successful keeping the cancer at bay. When chlorophyll is ingested or inhaled, it will go to the stomach and then be digested and absorbed into the blood stream. I don't know whether the original chlorophyll molecule is still intact after digestion. I know cancer feeds on glucose but gets attracted to chlorophyll? Even if this is the case, my next question is: Can the singlet oxygen do it? i.e. "These Oz will burst the tumor cells or break the cell membrane of the tumor cells." According to CancerTutor.org in The Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy, "The issue in curing cancer with hydrogen peroxide boils down to getting enough hydrogen peroxide inside the cancer cells. Every cancer cell has a thick protein (i.e. enzyme) coating on its surface. The protein coating blocks many substances, and perhaps much of the hydrogen peroxide, from getting to the surface of the cell and thus from getting inside the cell. So what can be done to get a higher percentage of the hydrogen peroxide past the protein coating and inside the cancer cells." The answer lies in "Proteolytic enzymes (also called: pancreatic enzymes) literally cut apart the thick protein coating which covers cancer cells. Proteolytic enzymes are normally used to cut apart the protein coating so that the immune system can recognize the cells as cancerous." So does the mere presence of a singlet oxygen will burst the cancer cell membrane? The PET scan after the end of the 2nd cycle of NGPDT showed very little evidence of necrotic cells. There were attempts to say to the effect of cell necrosis can only be detected through biopsy. I am not sure how a biopsy would be able to quantify and true enough, even though a biopsy was done, nothing conclusive could be drawn. For me some people seems to divert attention away from the main advantage of PET scan (over that of CT/MRI) and possibly suggesting the cell necrosis did occurred but was cleaned away by the system. If that were true, then the size of the tumor should be smaller but it grew instead. It should be noted that some treatments like HITV and HIFU uses PET scan to detect necrotic cells and why would this treatment be different? From other readings, I gather that the mere presence of oxygen near or around cancer cells has the effect of preventing metastasis.

As I said, this is layman's account of the NGPDT process. It seems to raise more questions and doubt in me. I have more questions but I will not discuss them. I know, I am questioning the very foundation of this treatment. Based on what the doctors said about the reactions and symptoms experienced by the patient, the NGPDT treatment should be working but results after the 2nd NGPDT shows otherwise. I acknowledged there could be other reasons (one of them is that cancer cells do not exists as single cell but are often in colonies and the singlet oxygen would probably only be able to penetrate the top layer and not the layers below). Based on the progress reports in the blog, I have came to this conclusion. I could be wrong. Suddenly, I don't find this treatment so attractive now.

NGPGT is not a very cheap treatment. It costs RMB110K per cycle (US$18K). The patient has two tumors in the breast (stage 3) and did not opt for conventional treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient is on a normal diet.

Some Expectations

2011-12-06T13:08:00.001+08:00

The other day, a friend was asking me how was I feeling as I near my upcoming medical procedure? I told her, I don't know if this is a co-incidence or not, as I near the departure date, the pain from my right abdominal area near the kidney tumor is also becoming more painful. I think the timing of the medical procedure could not come at the right time. I am upbeat about this trip. Even thought this medical procedure is palliative in nature, I do have some expectation, the expectation that this procedure would have the desired effect. This would mean successful removal of the tumors and hence no more pain from the right abdominal area. I also hope they can at the same time do something about my bulging disc in the lumbar spine L4/L5 area.While at the hospital, I hope to learn more about other treatment is available for lung tumor metastasis.

The hospital has contacted me and requested for my complete medical records as it would help them understand my case better. I have scanned the reports and emailed it to them. However, I have to bring over the images of the scans as the saved digital images of the scan are not suitable for diagnostic use.

I will not talk about my sleeping problems because I have become too aware of it. I think I have overstretched myself the other day by squatting down for too long and now I feel the muscles on my thighs are not only tender but painful as well. It's the same kind of muscle pain that you experience a day or two later when you start exercising after a period of inactivity. Massaging the muscles are painful but does wonders in pain relief. It's getting better.

Kepler 22-b: Earth-Like Planet Confirmed

I read with interest about this discovery by astronomers and would like to share with you. Astronomers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a star not unlike our own.

The planet, Kepler 22-b, lies about 600 light-years away and is about 2.4 times the size of Earth, and has a temperature of about 22C.

It is the closest confirmed planet yet to one like ours - an "Earth 2.0". However, the team does not yet know if Kepler 22-b is made mostly of rock, gas or liquid. You can read more about the BBC article here.

Money Money Money

2011-12-05T10:37:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I did not sleep well. I was not sure if I slept as I was in a dreamy state. Despite waking up late, I did not feel refreshed. I was coughing quite a bit this morning and noted my phlegm was stained with blood. The more I cough, I more blood I saw with the phlegm. After I had my morning enema and breakfast, the cough subsided a bit. This happens once in a while. What ever it is, life continues.

I was reading BBC's website today where it was reported about a child afflicted with a rare cancer, neuroblastoma, which affects around 80 children in Britain each year. Chemotherapy did not help. Then in 2007 they heard about a private clinic in Mexico offering a treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT uses laser or other light sources, combined with a light-sensitive drug (sometimes called a photosensitising agent), to destroy cancer cells. After embarking on an alternative form of treatment costing his family over £200,000 (US$312,000), only one primary tumor (out of 11) remains. You can read the BBC article here.

I wrote to a cancer friend about this PDT therapy and she told me that PDT is suitable for small lung tumors and she did the New Generation (NG) PDT therapy in August 2011 in Gunagzhou with not much improvement. She said for bigger tumors, interstitial PDT treatment, direct to the tumor, may have better result for her case but she said she has run of out of $$$ to try. Her friend's husband who is in Guangzhou undergoing the NGPDT treatment the 2nd time for pancreatic cancer and I am keen to know the results of his treatment. Apparently, her friend met an Indonesian cancer patient who did the Ukrain and NGPDT treatment said NGPDT seems to offer better results. I just hope the interstitial/NGPDT treatment cost in China is reasonable.

Last Minute Shopping

2011-12-04T21:35:00.001+08:00

I will make today's post short because I was busy for the whole day.

Yesterday I came home late and did me coffee enema at about midnight. After that, I retired to bed and could not sleep. It must been the coffee. The imported coffee that I use in not only organic but very good grade, and in my opinion better than that you get in Starbucks. So I spent the whole night staring at the ceiling. I just toss and rolled in bed and got up at 10am this morning to begin my morning routine. Even during the day time, I did not sleep. After lunch, a group of my friends visited me. We were all finance guys, once upon a time working together at two listed companies as COO, Group FCs, Company Secretary and Senior FM. So when we got together, it's always about the good old days. It's really nice of them to visit me before I fly off to China. We will most likely meet again just before Chinese New Year in January 2012 for our annual reunion.

Then after dinner, my sister came over and we went shopping for long johns. My old johns are size L and now I can only wear M size. This john is made of 100% extrafine coolwarm fibre. What this means is that when I am at a place that is cold, the john will keep me warm and yet when I am at a place that is warm, the john will not make me feel hot but comfortable.

Flat Out

2011-12-03T11:55:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I was flat out in the afternoon. I woke up at about 10am after a good night's sleep. Went about my morning routine. After lunch I was starting to feel tired. I laid down on a makeshift mattress that I put on the carpet to rest my back. I am not sure if my back or my kidney tumor is giving me the pain but most likely it is my tumor because when I softly massage the tumor area, I get some relief. After I laid down to rest my back, I went to slumber land. I did not plan to sleep but only to rest the back. I woke up about 6pm and then continue my daily routine. When I sleep, I am not drinking my juices. If I am awake to prepare and drink the juices, then I cannot sleep. I don't know which option is better but I do know whichever I do, there will be a compromise.

Last night was the first time I sleep without the sleeping pills after taking them six days in a row. Was I able to sleep better? I only managed to fall asleep at past 3am. Maybe it was the afternoon nap that I took but I am still happy that I was able to sleep. Today, I have a busy day. I have signed up for a Buddhist workshop that will last 5 hours at a Sri Lankan Temple in Sentul starting at 3pm. The first part of the workshop is about how to live during difficult times or when life seems to be full of obstacles. This is a practical Q&A session. The second part of the workshop is about how to use spirituality to develop inner peace. I felt the theme of today's workshop was quite suitable for me and decided to attend to take instruction from the master. I have stayed away from attending talks for the last two years but decided to be more active from now onwards.

A friend of mine called me yesterday and told me that he will be going to a hospital in Guangzhou to undergo a medical procedure called Atrial Fibrillation. When he heard that I will be doing medical procedure in Chongqing, after checking out the hospital that I was going, he was rather keen to go to the same hospital. I gave him my contact and hope that he could arrange something out with the hospital. My sister and my wife will be accompanying with me to Chingqing for about 10 days and while the rest of the days, I will be alone. I figure out that if anything should happen to me, it should happen within the first week of the medical procedure and with two persons around, it would be easier to handle the situation. If my friend can come too, it would be nice as I would have company in Chonging when I stayed on do the follow-up treatment later.

Looking Forward To Treatment In China

2011-12-01T16:05:00.001+08:00

I just came from the hospital after seeing my orthopedic surgeon. He suggested I go for another round (8 sessions) of ultrasound physiotherapy and then decide. He also asked me to bring my MRI scans the next time I see him. If the physiotherapy does not work, then he said the only two options left are a) take pain killers or b) undergo surgery. I told him I will be in China for my kidney tumor treatment and he suggested that I take my Lumbar spine MRI scans along and maybe the doctors there can help.

Last night, I met my friends who just came back from India and I am happy to hear that they are quite pleased with the trip. It was an eye opener for them and they found the trip fun. I came home just before midnight and took a pain killer and a sleeping pill and went to bed. I slept well and woke up about 11am this morning. I will take my last sleeping pill today. As I said, the taking of the sleeping pill is not for long term sleep management but to change the biorhythm of my body clock. I am now sleeping in the day and awake at night. So after discussing with my doctor, I hope the continuous sleeping at night for a week with the help of sleeping pills would turn my body clock back to normal. Well, it's not guarantee that it will work but it's better seeing the ceiling or watching TV at the dead of the night or not trying at all. Before I left for India, I was awake seven days in a row at night!

Since I rested well last night, my pain score is also low. So the key is to have a good night's rest. I will decide what to do after consulting my doctor after I come back from China from the HIFU treatment in January 2012.

Well Rested

2011-11-30T15:54:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was a bad day for me. After dinner, I was not feeling very well and after I rested a while, I thought why not just go to bed early? So at about 9pm, I took a pain killer and another sleeping pill and went to bed. I slept really well and woke up at about 6am. I was feeling much better this morning and suddenly the pain that hounded me badly yesterday was gone. I stayed in bed until about 8am and power on my phone. I then received an SMS, sent out the night before from my friends in India that they are now at the airport on the way back home. It went quite well for them after the initial setback.

I have two more sleeping pills left and hopefully by Friday, my sleeping pattern would return to normal. I spent most of my time resting today. I think the more I rest the less pain I feel. So I just slept. Anyway, I will see what my orthopedic surgeon will have to say tomorrow about my problem.

An old colleague called me and said if I heard about HITV. I said I have consulted the doctor about the treatment and after telling him the cost of treatment, he was shocked. His father has been recently diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I told him I will be doing the HIFU treatment and will be flying to China for my treatment next Saturday. He then asked if his father can join me for the trip? Well I told him if it is company that he wants why not? I am flying to Chengdu and then a two hour train ride to Chongqing. This is even faster then taking the direct flight that will have one transit stop in Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing.

Lost In Pain

2011-11-29T14:42:00.001+08:00

I knew entering into my third year of therapy was not going to be easy, but what I did not anticipate was the pain that I am getting now. I don't remember when was the last time I sat in front of the house. The sky looked gloomy and as I was lowering myself slowly to sit on a wooden stool over looking the garden, I could feel the aches and pains on my legs. There is always a clam before the storm. I could not even sit for 5 minutes as it was too painful on my butt. So, instead I just walked around the little garden. I have been cooked up in the house since I came back from India. Three nights on the slipping pill and still I fell tired. Last night I did not sleep well and maybe it was because I did not take the pain killer. My average pain score has increased to 5. I postponed my plan to visit the hospital to Wednesday for the scan as I forgot Monday was a public holiday and then see my orthopedic surgeon on Thursday.

As I started to write this post, the rain started to fall. It has been raining everyday, like most days it usually starts to rain in the late afternoons. Like the weather, I also feel gloomy. I am still feeling tired and have been coughing quite a bit due to itchy throat. Everytime I cough, I would shudder in pain because somehow the coughing are linked to the nerve pain on my butt and legs. It gives me an mild electric shock and I am paralised in situ for seconds. There is only one thing on my mind. What am I gonna to do?

Pain attracts negative thoughts. It makes me less logical and makes me feel depressed. I am trying hard to resit or give in. So when an old friend wrote me an email about "Who are the Chinese?", I thought I would read something interesting to get my mind of the pain thingy. There were two recommended books and one of them is called 1434: Year Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance by Gavin Menzies. It's supposed to be non fiction book but mostly ignored by professional historians. According to the critics, Menzies use fragments of evidence here and there to support his theory. Still he spent quite a lot of time and money researching this book and the other book 1421: The Year China Discovered America is equally controversial.