Apr 04, 2017 at 09:06 pm
Update 5: Never Give Up!
Update posted by Lynn TokDear friends,
Thank you so much for your generosity, kindness, care, support and encouragement. I thank God for every one of you who donated and/or prayed for me and my family.
My heart condition seems to be more stable which is great. I'm waiting for my next consultation with my Cardiologist and will update you thereafter. I'm still on 3 heart medications but I'm slowly recovering. It is frustrating and depressing to see how my life has changed so dramatically since I fell ill. However, I have to stay positive and believe I will fully recover from my Heart Failure.
I'm having another episode of worrying infection with low grade fever that has lasted for 2 weeks now. I tried over-the-counter cold/flu & fever medication and even tried Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM"). Eventually, my TCM doctor advised me to get some blood tests done to see if there's anything sinister going on. She's worried about any infection affecting my heart condition. I did and the blood tests results show there's a spike in both my white blood count and platelet count (as well as 2 other infection indicators), indicating an infection in my body. I was prescribed strong antibiotics and am anxious to get rid of the infection. Unfortunately after completing my 5-day course of antibiotics 2 days ago, my fever is back. Sigh. I'll have to consult my GP again and will probably need to take another course of antibiotics.
My TCM doctor has also been treating me for my severe neck pain and headaches with acupuncture and TCM. I've been having very severe headaches and neck pain the last 1 week. The TCM doctor commented she has never seen a patient with neck injury having such severe pain and headaches. My latest MRI scan done 2 weeks ago shows worsening of my neck condition. Apart from facet joint injury, at 3 levels of my cervical spine (C3-C4, C4-C5, C5-C6), there is nerve impingement. That explains the severe pain I have been experiencing as well as some numbness. It is worst at 1 level (C5-C6), where my slipped disc is very mildly invading my spinal cord but thankfully it is not severe enough to require surgery or cause any major issues apart from pain. About 1.5 years ago, I sought advice on surgery as I was having numbness down my arm and received mixed advice from various doctors. An Orthopaedic Surgeon advised me to undergo cervical spine fusion surgery but both my Pain Specialist and a Neurosurgeon advised against it. My pain doctor explained the numbness could be caused by my facet joint injury and he was proven right. He performed nerve block injections and the numbness eventually went away. If it had been caused by nerve impingement from the slipped discs, the numbness would remain. However, now that the MRI scan shows deterioration of my neck condition, I may soon need to re-consider surgery.
Meanwhile, my pain doctor has given me a new opioid pain-relieving patch for me to try. The objective is to slowly reduce the amount of strong oral painkillers I have been taking. It's been 2 weeks since I started using the patch but it is still too early to tell if it works for me. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks. This 7-day patch is not cheap (S$40 per patch) but if it works, I'll be able to cut down on my pain medication. The TCM I'm taking helps with inflammation of my facet joints. I cannot take any of the anti-inflammatory medications my pain doctor used to give me because of its effects on my heart. The TCM anti-inflammatory medication, however, does not affect my heart. So it's kind of a East-West combination of treatment to help manage my neck pain. Thanks to many of you, I have started saving money for my neck procedure (radio-frequency denervation) that will help resolve my severe neck pain and headaches.
As for my mom, about 2 weeks ago, we were informed that a potential donor has been found and the doctors ordered a cross-matching test to see if it's a suitable match for my mom. Unfortunately, last week the results came back and it shows high rejection rate so it is not a match. It really has been a very trying time for my mom and my family. My mom was obviously disappointed with the cross-matching test result. We are all trying to keep her spirits up. We are fortunate to have very loving and supportive relatives who have been helping to cheer my mom up. My mom's kidney failure is causing her to be severely-anaemic and she has to go for weekly injections to help boost the production of red blood cells. She also has to take a lot of pills everyday and that can be very depressing. I can understand how she feels as I take almost as many pills a day. To help raise her red blood count, my mom has also started taking TCM. We hope and pray that we will soon find a matching kidney-donor for my mom. Sigh. I can't describe the amount of stress we are all experiencing. It is taking a toll on my own health.
We are also putting up my mom's house for sale to help raise funds for her medical expenses. It's emotionally tough for us as it is a house that our beloved late father bought for the family and he personally refurbished it. So it has strong sentimental value to us all. I am very sad but we need to let it go.
Please pray for my mom and my family - that we will stay positive as we soldier on and overcome every obstacle that comes our way with love and unity.
Thank you again for all your kind support, encouragement, and prayers!
With love & thanks,
Lynn