“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true. “ -Thomas Merton
Every second Sunday of the month I make it a point to watch Fr. Fernando Suarez on TV, an early morning mass on ABS-CBN. He is a healing priest and it has become a sort of ritual for me to wait for his healing prayers and be blessed. Back when I was sick and recuperating from an illness, when it was impossible to go out and mingle with people, hearing mass on TV kept me anchored. I’m well able to attend regular masses at our village chapel or in our Parish for quite some time now but out of habit, I still look forward to watching the celebration on TV, be it Fr. Gerry Orbos, Fr. Joey Faller, I love them all. This morning, I was touched by the stories shared by Fr. Suarez, about little children who were healed and one thing that I remembered him saying was this, “sometimes it is better that you are poor, because the only way that you’ll get cured is your faith and trust in God” . Not exactly his words but what he was driving at was this, if you have the money to consult a doctor, you rely on the doctor’s expertise for you to get well but if the only thing left is your belief that you’ll be cured, you will be. He emphasized further that every time we attend mass, we are healed. Every mass is a healing mass, and healing comes not just physically but we are healed of our hurts, insecurities and unbelief. Listen to God’s words and how He speaks to us in silence. And at the most quiet place in our heart, we hear His voice.
What a wonderful feeling to experience God’s miracles. I’ve blogged about this time and again. Last Friday, I met another wonderful doctor. Dr. Jonard Tan Co, is a gastroenterologist. He specializes in Diagnostic and Interventional Endoscopy and Endoscopic Ultrasound (I hope I got this right). Earlier on, Dr. Samuel Ang, my surgical oncologist asked me if I’m done with my colonoscopy so I honestly told him that the procedure is so expensive compared to the one I underwent two years ago before my sigmoid surgery. He immediately called up Dr. Co, (they spoke in Chinese) and told me to drop by the latter’s clinic before I go home. More than the joy of meeting another doctor, I was thrilled when Dr. Co quoted a sum lower than what Dr. Ang estimated for the procedure. He wrote it at the back of his calling card and told me to show it to him when I am ready to undergo another colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is an endoscopic examination of the colon. It can detect polyps as small as one millimeter or less. The wonder of meeting these people, I do think he is another angel sent by God to watch over me.
I am truly grateful for everything, God is always there for me, for us, and for my family.
Hi po, my name is Ian. I just wanna ask if you underwent radiochemotherapy prior to your surgical operation? My 71 years old mom was diagnosed with rectal cancer stage II last June, with CEA of 25. She than had radiochemo (xeloda and linac at UST BCI) for 1 1/2 months, where CEA went down to 7 (from 25). Dr. Ang performed resection of rectum as well as removal of both ovaries last Oct. 29. Presently, she is midway on her 1st chemo cycle (xeloda and oxaliplatin). What bothers me is that 4 weeks after her operation (and just before starting her 1st chemo cycle) her CEA is 5.94 (expected level should have been around 3 to 4). Makes me wonder if Dr. Ang was able to get all the cancer cells (tumor and escaped cells)..
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Hello Ian! Thanks for dropping by. I understand your concern regarding your mom’s CEA marker. Before I had my surgery, my CEA marker was 12.5 then before my first chemotherapy a month after, it has gone down to 1.6.
25 is too high but the change is significant considering that it went down to 7. I underwent six cycles of chemo with 2 bottles of Oxaliplatin for every cycle followed by two weeks of Xeloda tablets then rest for a week before the next session. Gradual naman talaga yung pagbaba ng CEA. Dr. Ang is the best there is I know. Who is your medical oncologist at BCI? Si Dr. Caguioa ang med-onco ko and she was also very good. Choose the best medical oncologist, kasi siya na yung magtutuloy ng treatment after surgery. But be sure to go back to Dr. Ang for check-up ulit. For every chemo session, she would need to undergo several lab tests. Good luck on the treatment. Will be glad if you could write me again about your mom’s progress.
I’ve been a survivor for more than two years now and God is so good. The last time I had my CEA a year ago, it was 1.8 which is within the normal range of 5.
Have faith, EVERYTHING will be okay.
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Thanks po. Our medical oncologist is Dr. Clevelinda Calma. When my mom was first diagnosed of having rectal CA by our gastroenterologist Dr. Ramon Carpio we were referred to Dr. Teresa Sy-Ortin, BCI’s chief of radiation oncology; she was the one who set-up the meeting for the “multi-discipline” approach (radio onco, medical onco, surgeon, attending physician) where we first met Dr. Calma. A different surgeon then was also part of the team, but midway through 6 weeks of radiochemo we opted to have the surgery itself done by Dr. Ang (referred by my classmates whose parents were operated on by Dr. Ang, two of them are deemed ‘cured’ after more than 5 years of remission). Also, your blog finally convinced us of Dr. Ang’s competency.
Currently, my mom is on her 1st cycle of post-op chemo (5 Xeloda tablets per day for 14 days and two 100mg bottles of Oxaliplatin). Thank you po for the kind and encouraging words… I guess, with this kind of illness, its a vigilant “wait-and-see” game?
By the way, have you had an “abdominal CT-scan with contrast” after your operation, either as pre-chemo exam or as routine follow-up?
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I didn’t undergo any of those Ian, I only had two doctors, Dr. Samuel Ang, my surgical oncologist and Dr. Priscilla Caguioa, my medical oncologist plus my cardio before my surgery. What I recall, I took Xeloda tablets everyday for two weeks a day after each chemotherapy and yes two bottles of Oxaliplatin. We bought the latter direct from the supplier kasi mas mura, allowed naman ng BCI yun dahil they know how costly chemo drugs are. Lower dosage yung Xeloda ko.
Mine was colon cancer, not colo-rectal so Dr. Ang cut a portion of my colon, Mas madali yung recovery during the surgery than the effects of chemo drugs. Ang chemo kasi sa colon, you feel strange sensations sa arms and fingertips, parang numb ang arms two days after each chemo. Bawal humawak ng malamig and metal objects, kasi masakit siya. One good thing though, with Oxaliplatin and Xeloda you are assured that your mom won’t lose her hair unlike those drugs for breast cancer na 2nd session pa lang, nagpo-fall off na yung hair nila. Are you a student of UST? I studied there since high school so most of my doctors are also UST graduates.
Rest assured, Dr. Ang is the best, he is a very caring doctor. My brother was also treated by Dr. Ang with the same ailment that I had and he has been in remission for nine years now. He looks good and has gone back to normal life.
If He wills it, everything would be okay!
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Thank you po. Yes, I’m an alumnus of UST (kindergarten to college).. May I ask where you procured your Oxaliplatin? Sa BCI po kasi, a 100mg bottle costs 24K pesos (our 1st cycle session for two 100mg bottles costs us a total of 51,400 pesos).
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Grabe ang mahal na nga. You ask her medical onco kung pwede kayong sa labas na lang bumili , I think they would understand naman what pain cancer patients are going through not just physically but also the cost of the treatment. Can you call Sarah Escobar, she is a med rep and they will deliver the medicine right at your doorstep. At the time I was undergoing treatment, two bottles cost P30,100.00, that’s good for one session.They issue receipts which you could use if you will file Philhealth claims with the hospital. Ginagawa ng doctor ko, naka ready na yung Philhealth claims then pinipirmahan na niya and you will file it at the nearest Philhealth office near your area, in this case siguro sa Manila. Her number is 09175115633, I forgot the name of the drug company. They deliver it complete with ice pack. Naka box siya. Have you inquired about partial disability pension with SSS? I was given 23 months when I was operated on two years ago.
Let me know how her treatment progresses! Know what, the reason why I put up this blog (although I’ve been blogging at Multiply since 2007) is to share my journey as a cancer patient and survivor. There is life after cancer. If you have time, you can browse my blogs starting July 2009 until Dec. 2009, those were the times I have undergone treatment and writing helped me a lot to cope. I’ve even met an author online who gave me a free e-book on alternative cures. Love and support from family and friends really help. I told myself that if I could touch even just one soul while sharing what I’ve been through, then I am happy.
I am doing an online apostolate at Facebook, together with two other admins, one is a Dominican priest friend who created the site. If you have an FB account, you can visit our page, Apostles Filipino Catholic Community.
God bless you and your family Ian!
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Hi Ms Arlene,
Thank you for sharing such an inspiring blog.
I came across your blog while trying to google Dr Samuel Ang and Dr Jonard Co. My father has been diagnosed with liver cancer a month ago and we Dr Jonard Co as his gastroenterologist. He referred us to Dr Samuel Ang, who in turn referred us to Dr Angelito Tingcungco who did the TACE treatment for my dad. I have to agree with you that they are a team of compassionate doctors and I am thankful that they are the ones taking care of my father.
I just want to check with you if you are taking any alternative medicines on top of your current treatment. We have been doing some research ever since my father’s diagnosis and have found out that guyabano is a good cancer fighting fruit. My dad is regularly eating fresh guyabano fruit and supplementing it with guyabano drinks. I am just wondering if there’s something more that we can do apart from this to help fight cancer (of course, prayer is on top of our list :)).
God bless and please continue to inspire us with your blogs.
Mokee
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So how is he doing now Mokee, is he responding to the treatment? They say that malunggay is good, taken as tea or mixed with other food. I have a friend who had stage 1 throat cancer and she didn’t undergo any drastic treatment, purely natural alternative cures lang.
I drink lots of green tea and malunggay tea. I tried the fresh malunggay a year ago, put it in a blender mixed with other fruits pero di ko kinaya. Just tell him to avoid food rich in preservatives and hard to digest like red meat.
I don’t have any alternative medicine except for my blood pressure and I take Renalin for my kidney stones. God is good, He would always be there for us.
By the way, thank you for visiting my site and getting in touch!
Arlene
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Hi, I would like to get an appointment with Dr. Samuel Ang but I don’t know where to find him. Can you please help me by giving me his clinic number and where he holding his clinic? That would be of great help. Also, do you happen to know if he is Caritas Health covered? Thank you very much, I hope to hear from you soon, 🙂
Georgia
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Hello Georgia! You can contact Dr. Sammy Ang at his clinic at the Chinese General Hospital. Look for Au – 7114141 loc 289 or 7432241. He also holds clinic at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center and at St. Luke’s Hospital.
I am not aware of Caritas Health card, I am sorry. Let me know if you’ll be able to contact him. Thanks for visiting my blog.
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Hi Ma’m Arlene! Long time no talk eh? Hehe. How are you na po? My mom finished her 6th chemo-cycle last March 5. Eversince, I noticed some drastic improvements on her. She was able to return to her normal routine and gained additional 2-3pounds body weight. We went to Dr. Ang last March for check-up. Aside from telling my mom to undergo colonoscopy on september (1 year after her surgery), he also told us to “stay away from doctors”, hehehe, and congratulated us. It was then when I saw for the first time I saw a very wide smile on my mother’s face.
Before my mom underwent the 6-cycle chemo her CEA level was 5.94; after 4 and a half months it went down to 3.92. Have to admit, I am somewhat disappointed that the CEA decreased by only 2 points (I was hoping sana na 3 or even 2.5 ang CEA). Thankfully, other bood tests, especially the SGPT, SGOT, and CreaTinine levels were normal (eversince she was first diagnosed with the Big C). This week, we are scheduled for another round of work-ups as part of my mom’s check-up with our medical oncologist, Dr. Clevelinda Calma. I’m hoping against hope and really praying for another miracle from Our Lord that all exams will yield lower and even negative results.
Thank you po Ma’m Arlene. Your blog remains to this day one of our sources of inspiration. By the way, if you can, please email me the ebook about the alternative management for cancer patients that you’ve blogged about. Thank you again and God Bless you and your family.
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That’s good news indeed Ian. I am so happy for your mom! At least now her CEA marker is within the normal range. I haven’t been back to any doctor for about a year now. I am feeling good. I am taking Green Barley juice as supplement. As for the e-book, if you have a FB account, search for Ty Bollinger, he is the author of that book. He has made lots of research and regularly post some on his wall.
God bless you too Ian and warm regards to your mom!
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Hi Ms. Arlene! Thank you for your blog. My mom also has colon cancer. She underwent surgery last year at UST. Her surgeon is Dra. Cucueco and oncologist is Dra. Calma. When she was diagnosed, her CEA is 8 and after the surgery it was 5. Now her CEA is 10.75. She is already 64 years old. Her previous operations included total hysterectomy and same year of her colon surgery, her gall bladder was removed due to gall stones. She acquired hernia due to the surgeries she underwent. There was also a benign cyst found in her liver after the surgery. She also has high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. If you will see her you would not even know that such are her health concerns. After the surgery, no medication was given so she’s just taking usana supplements. She’s looks healthy until the CEA results showed otherwise. Apparently, the liver is the problem. Her surgeon though is recommending addressing the hernia first prior to the chemo. On our end we do not know which to prioritize and we are also concerned whether the chemo at her current condition will also still be advisable. Would really appreciate if you could give us your thoughts on these. Thank you!
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Thank you for getting in touch Charisse. How long ago was her surgery? They usually allow a month for rest before starting with chemo. Talk to your medical oncologist. Chemo is not a walk in the park, it will zap you of every strength you have. Boost her immune system. Malunggay, okra, saluyot, guyabano are great anti oxidants. As you have probably read here, Dr. Samuel Ang, the best surgical oncologist I know operated on me. O to 5 is the normal CEA marker. I’ve been in remission for almost seven years now. Haven’t seen my doctors the past five year. Na claim ko na kày Lord that I am well. I still wear facial mask when I go out, just curious, how did you find my blog?
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Hi Arlene. My husband has just gone through surgery Monday, July 18th, to remove a mass in his sigmoid colon. Our surgeon was Dr. Monroy and we have yet to find an oncologist. We have been referred to Dr. Ang twice so we’re going to set an appointment with him. Are the lines really that long? Also, have you heard of Philhealth Package Z? Can you share your experience about it? We’re going to apply for this benefit as we cannot afford the cost of chemotherapy.
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Hindi naman kasi marami na siyang clinic, I think he holds clinic now at BCG St. Lukes and at E. Rodriguez. he is the best doctor there is, a surgical oncologist. I am so sorry, I don’t know about the Philhealth package. How is your hubby now? Pinutol din ba colon niya? What meds are he taking?
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