healthy dish for mom - a shrimp curry

for today's dinner i cooked a healthy meal not only for mom but for the rest of my family it was a shrimp curry with turmeric and curry powder!

if you remember turmeric is one of the great anti-cancer herb root. no wonder people who have been eating curries all their lives are healthy ( Indian culture is one of them). the dish was made with mostly organic veggies to make it more nutritious.

thanks to this site http://mgalutonidennis.blogspot.sg/2011/06/shrimp-curry.html, which served as my cooking reference ;) but i added a twist, such as i added a tbsp of turmeric powder, and used organic carrots, bell pepper, freshly squeezed coconut milk, and added a tbsp fish sauce (patis). yummy!

healthy o juice

this is the usual o juice mom will make for 3 (mom, me, edward). i call it 'o' juice because color is orange.

recipe:
2 organic apples
2 medium organic carrots
1 orange

mom does the juicing using the hurom juicer. i love hurom!

Her2 negative! - the best christmas gift

yesterday was the FISH test result day for mom. after waiting for almost 2 hours... the result was very comforting...! it is HER2 - (negative)!

it has been earlier suspected that mom is HER2+ (positive) due to quick recurrence of her bc from right to left. but later suspicious became negative, but it was really vague until it has been confirmed!!!, mom HER2 is negative. yehey!! her HER2 count is 1.7, anything lower than 4.0 (<4.0) is negative. above 4.0 is positive.
 
What does HER2 means?
The HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is one such gene that can play a role in the development of breast cancer. According to mom's onco, if HER2 + Positive it means that the cancer cells that was taken out from mom last August was the aggressive type and she may recommend mom to undergo a series of chemo...so as to prevent quick recurrence.. But if HER2 - Negative, it means the cancer cells was not the aggressive type that it is easy to control by just taking a tamoxifen pill a day will prevent recurrence.. which is her case!

To summarize, mom cancer cells profile is:  
ER + (estrogen)
PR + (progesterone)
HER2 -
it simply means that what triggered mom's cancer cells is her hormones (the estrogen and progesterone), and therefore a hormone therapy pills would be a good treatment to mom. mom only needs to continue to take her hormone therapy pills (Tamoxifen) for five years everyday. NO chemo!! it is just like taking vitamins everyday.. not bad right? in fact it is the most convenient form of treatment :)

we were cheering to the Lord, praising God (even in front of onco!) i didn't care. HER2 - is like winning a jackpot, or the best christmas gift!!!!

" Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

Final Bills:
$80 - consultation
$42.50 - 3 months supply of Tamoxifen pills
----
$122.50

the risk of drinking water from a commercial hot and cold water dispenser

right now i am investigating the health risk of drinking a purified/distilled water that is flowing from a hot and cold water dispenser.

this blog http://www.ljdiaz.com/water-dispenser-equals-mesothelioma/ made me think twice in contracting a local water supplier to install a hot and cold water dispenser in our home.

Asbestos is everywhere!
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/publications/multimedia/uses-applications-asbestos/index.htm

1st diagnostic - blood profiles and tumour markers

the results were in.. endocrinologist (dr. lee) explain to us the results of mom health screening through blood samples... i have to admit that i was nervous, more nervous than mom, ... i was anxious to hear the tumour markers results above all other diagnostic...

but God reigns! mom tumour markers are all clear! praise the Lord Jesus... below are the summary of her results:

Diabetic Screen
Insulin - Good
Glucose - High  - sugar level. Mom needs to avoid sugars, fructose (from fruits), carbs.

Renal Function Screen (Kidney)
Sodium - Good
Potassium - Good
Chloride - Good
Urea - Good
Creatinine -Good
Urine Microalbumin - Good
Microalb/Creatinine - Good

Bone & Joint Screen
Calcium - Good
Inorganic Phosphate - Good
Uric Acid - High - Mom needs to avoid foods with high Uric acid.
Rheumatoid Factor - Good
Reactive Protein - Good

Lipid Screen (Cholesterol)
Triglycerides - High - this is the bad cholesterol. these are the fats found in the blood.
HDL Cholesterol - Low - this is the good cholesterol. Mom needs to increase her good cholesterol to fight diseases.
LDL Cholesterol - Good
Total Cholesterol/HDL - High. not good!

Myocardiac Screen
Homocysteine - High -  according to our endocrinologist high Homocysteine (H) level is link to numerous diseases including heart attack and cancer. Mom needs to take supplements (Vit B, Folic acid, etc.) and avoid carbohydrates on her diet.

Liver and Biliary Screen 
Totak Protein - Good
Albumin - Good
Globulin - Good
A/G Ratio - Good
Total Bilirubin 0 Good
Alkaline Phosphatase - Good
SGPT/ ALT - Good
SGOT/ AST - Good
Gamma (GGT) - Good

Hormonal Screen
FSH - Good - mom results is align as postmenopause
LH - Good - mom results is align as postmenopause
E2 -  Good - mom results is align as postmenopause
Proclactin - Good
Testosterone - Good
DHEA-SO4 - Good
Cortisol - Good
Progesterone - Good - mom results is align as postmenopause
HBG - Good

Thyroid Screen
Free T4 - Good
Free T3 - Good
TSH - Good
Thyroglobulin Antibody - Good
TPO Antibody - Good 

Hepatitis Virus Screen
Hepa A Antibodies - Good - Reactive
Hepa B Antigen - Non Reactive - mom do not have hepa B vaccine
Hepa B Antibodies - Non Reactive - mom do not have hepa B vaccine

Tumour Markers
Alpha Feto-protein (AFP) - Good. Liver is clear!
Carcino-embryonic Antigen (CEA) - Good. Colon and Rectal is clear!
CA 15.3 - Good .  Breast is clear!
CA 125 - Good. Ovary is clear!

Heamatology
Haemoglobin - Good
Total white cell count - Good

Vitamin Test
Vitamin D - Low. mom shows diffeciency in Vitamin D. this is important vitamin to fight cancer.

Urinalysis - Good . normal
Stool - Good. normal 

This is mom good news from God. Though she has some downsides like sugar, cholesterol, uric acid, homocysteine and vitamin D, these are easily treatable with proper diet and supplements. While all tumour markers are low and clear! Thank you Lord almighty.

no carbs for mom

due to mom's high bad cholesterol level reading (after her health screen test), endocrinologist doctor advised her to avoid carbohydrates on her diet. one of those is her rice consumption... whether it is white or brown or red or organic rice, it doesn't change its carb content. and she needs to normalize her cholesterol to strengthen her immune system.

so we are switching from rice to quinoa. yes quinoa! for those who don't know quinoa it is a kind of grains that is gluten free, no carbs, but protein. real health concious individual eats quinoa. as far as i knew previously, i only heard and see quinoa by watching the food network channel, were celebrity chefs uses quinoa in some of its dishes...

so there, i headed to one of my fave organic store, which is this one is located in harbourfront centre and bought 2 bags of quinoa (500g each)

and cook mom her quinoa to replace her rice. i even added drops of organic mushroom sauce and mixed veggies to make it more appetizing.

look how she enjoys it! bon appetit! thank you Lord!

1st Oncologist visit

At 4pm today, my mom and I made our way to NCC in Singapore General Hospital to have our 1st medical oncologist visit.

just to step back, days before the said first consultation schedule, i was praying wholeheartedy and crying out-loud to the Lord that we may found an onco doctor that Jesus will use to provide mom the best recommendation and treatment for her. together with my husband, we also prayed that it will be a passionate onco that will show true care to my mom, and consequently my mom would feel comfortable.

and indeed, His words never fails. the blood of Jesus and the holy spirit protected us and accompanied us all through out as we face the onco. God is so good! our first consultation was a breeze. my anxiety suddenly drift away the moment we start conversing about mom's medical background and why we are there.

below is the summary of our discussion with the onco.

• size = 2.8cm , it means the size is considered as stage 2a
• lymph nodes = Negative , it means it has not spread. good!
• lymphatic vessels = Negative, it means it has not spread. good!
• grade = 2, it means the cancer cells is not slow nor fast, its moderate. as long as it is not fast it is good!
• estrogen receptor = Positive, means that hormone therapy for mom is good!
• progesterone receptor = Positive, means that hormone therapy for mom is good!
• Her 2 = ? , this was not determined during the initial biopsy reading. this will determine how aggressive the cancer cells was. the onco said we should pray for a negative result. a positive means that the cancer cells is too aggressive that mom may undergo a chemo.

to do list:

• FISH test - this is a re-reading of mom's previous biopsy slides to determine the Her 2.
• bone density - to check mom's current bone condition
• continue tamoxifen (20mg x 1 per day)
• follow-up consultation with onco on Oct 23.

what is FISH test?
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/fish

blessings today:

1. the lady onco is what we have prayed for. she never judged mom condition. she is knowledgeable and best of all never pushed for chemo. she is ok with tamoxifen.
2. my medisave has been recognized to pay for mom diagnostic test. so i never paid cash for the FISH test.
3. my boss was on-leave today so i was able to leave office early to attend the 4pm consultation with mom.
4. my mom was never stressed. she was happy.

Bills paid:
1st consultation fee - $115
Tamoxifen (1 month supply) - $14.05
FISH test - ($515.50) paid by my Medisave

thank you Lord!