Important Announcement

Change of Place

Dearest followers I have moved onto my Brand New Website (http://javed43.com). It is entirely dedicated to my wife Shama and her brave fight with Cancer for the last 5 years, as is this free Blogging Site of mine here. I shall keep on posting on this Blog site too along with my website, but from hereon onwards my emphasis shall be more on my website rather than here. Kindly switchover to my website for more of the stuff………….

My brand new website is Powered by WordPress.org. A truly great experience.

Contd……. TUBERCULOSIS VS. LUNG CANCER

Tragic Case of Wrong Diagnosis

A 70 years male patient visited Dr. Praveen Kumar Bansal, Director Medical Oncology at AIMS, Faridabad, with severe back pain. He had been diagnosed as a case of lt lung tuberculosis. He took anti tuberculosis treatment for about 6 months. Initially he had some relief, but later on he developed progression of cough and developed back pain. Actually he was wrongly diagnosed as a case of tuberculosis, actually it was a case of lung cancer. If he would had been diagnosed correctly, he could have been saved. Any person on anti tubercular treatment should ask the doctor about disease status after one month of starting of treatment. It will help to decide, whether the treatment is going in right direction or not. Timely action would certainly save a precious human life. 

Contd…. Down Memory Lane – My wife Shama’s Cancer Journey

Shama is feeling very special these days as plenty of enquiries are coming in from various quarters specially from my College Mates who are not only wishing her good luck but have also shown intent to help her in whatever way they can…. specially providing for financial assistance which she needs very badly at the moment.

May her optimism defeats her deadly disease. Pray for her…………..

TUBERCULOSIS VS. LUNG CANCER

It is a disease caused by bacteria called  mycobacterium tuberculam. It is a communicable disease which spreads through air .

Infected person releases these bacteria in the form of air droplets and these air-droplets remain in air for a long time. Any body can inhale these air-droplets and can become infected with this bacteria. Time of manifestation of disease may vary from person to person. This bacteria may activate with in a short span of inhalation of bacteria or remain dormant for a long time. It may spread to all parts of the body and remain silent (does not manifest).

ACTIVATION OF DISEASE DEPENDS UPON THE IMMUNITY OF A PERSON .

Whenever the immunity of a person goes down, the disease becomes activated and person will have symptoms. But sometimes these symptoms may mislead you or the consulting doctor in believing that it is Tuberculosis but the reality may be far more deadlier than you might imagine.

IT COULD BE LUNG CANCER. Hence, it is advisable to undergo tests for both the diseases to determine the consequence and get treated accordingly. Have vision save life.

Cancer due to Hydrocarbons

Aromatic Hydrocarbons

It is the main chemical which causes cancer. This chemical is being  produced by burning of Bio Products like Coal, Oil, Gas, LPG, CNG and all other plant sources used as fuel for making food.

In food itself this chemical is produced during preparation of food. If food is prepared in direct contact of heat  like grilling, frying and roasting, it causes production of hydrocarbons.

In smoking hydrocarbon is the main chemical produced during burning of tobacco which causes lung cancer.

Very large quantity of hydrocarbon is produced by automobile exhaust and thermal power plants.

We are living in an environment, which is full of cancer producing chemicals and no body can escape from it.

Take preventive actions before it is too late………

Courtesy: Dr. Praveen Kumar Bansal, Director, Medical Oncology, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, Faridabad.

Contd…. Down Memory Lane – My wife Shama’s Cancer Journey

Things have started looking up for my wife as enquiries for her well being are being trickling in raising hopes of financial support for her cancer treatment. She herself has brightened up to the fact that people are there to help her out. Pall of gloom seems to be lifting up now…… cheering her no end. The flame of life has rekindled..

It is appropriate here that Pharmaceutical Giants like Cipla, Torrent, Biocon shall be asked to provide an insight as to what reasoning goes behind the exorbitant costs of life saving drugs like Everolimus Tabs for Cancer Patients. This medication can bring succour to thousands of people ailing with this deadly disease. I think these companies shall provide relief to cancer patients by lowering the costs for drugs like Everolimus and provide a ray of hope for suffering patients, who want to live but do not have resources to do so.

 

Little Known Facts About Cancer, the Dreaded Word / Disease . . .

1. The youngest known survivor of breast cancer is Aleisha Hunter from Ontario, Canada. At only three years old, Aleisha underwent a complete mastectomy in 2010 to treat her juvenile strain of breast cancer.
2. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among American women after skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer.
3. The first operation to use anesthesia was a breast cancer surgery.
4. The incidence of breast cancer is highest in more developed countries and lowest in less developed countries.
5. The left breast is statistically more prone to developing cancer than the right breast. Scientists are unsure why.
6. In the U.S., an average of 112 women die of breast cancer every day, or one every 15 minutes.
7. The United States has the most cases of breast cancer in the world.
8. The first recorded mastectomy for breast occurred in A.D. 548 on Theodora, Empress of Byzantine.
9. Only 5-10% of breast cancers occur in women who have a genetic predisposition for it. However, women with the gene mutation run a lifetime risk as high as 4 in 5 of developing the disease. The risk of developing ovarian cancer also rises to 2 in 5.
10. When breast cancer spreads beyond the breast, it is said to be “metastatic.” The most common places breast cancer spreads to are the bones, liver, and lungs.
11. Currently, about 1 in 3,000 pregnant or lactating women will develop breast cancer. Research has shown that once a woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, her chances of survival are less than a non-pregnant woman.
12. It has been estimated that if every woman over the age of 50 had her yearly mammogram, breast cancer deaths in this age group would drop by 25% or more.
13. Breast cancer in men is rare, accounting for approximately 1% of breast cancer rates in the U.S. Nearly 400 men die of breast cancer each year. African American men are more likely to die from breast cancer than white men.
14. Risk factors for male breast cancer include age, BRCA gene mutations, Klinefelter’s syndrome, testicular disorders, a family history of female breast cancer, severe liver disease, radiation exposure, being treated with estrogen-related drugs, and obesity.
15. The risk for breast cancer increases when a woman has been using HRT for more than five years. The largest risk is when both estrogen and progesterone are given together. Women who have had a hysterectomy and are taking pills containing estrogen alone are at less of a risk.
16. One myth about breast cancer is that a person’s risk is increased only when there are affected relatives on the mother’s side of the family. However, the father’s side of the family is equally important in assessing breast cancer risk.
17. Tumors are more likely to be malignant when they are firm and have irregular shapes, while benign tumors are more likely to feel round or soft. However, it is important to see a doctor when any lump is found in the breast.
18. Breast cancer was often called the “nun’s disease” because of the high incidence of nuns affected by the cancer.
19. Mammography was initially used in 1969 when the first specialized X-ray units for breast imagining were developed.
20. In 1882, the father of American surgery, William Steward Halstead (1852-1922), introduced the first radical mastectomy (the breast tissue underlying chest muscle and the lymph nodes are removed). Until the mid 1970s, 90% of women with breast cancer were treated with this procedure.
21. Breastfeeding has consistently been shown to reduce breast cancer—the greater the duration, the greater the benefit.
22. Although not fully understood, research suggests that preeclampsia is associated with a decrease in breast cancer risk in the offspring and the mother.
23. There are a number of misconceptions about what can cause breast cancer. These include, but are not limited to, using deodorants or antiperspirants, wearing underwire bras, having a miscarriage or induced abortion, or bumping/bruising the breast tissue.
24. Women with high breast density were found to have a four- to six-fold increased risk of breast cancer compared with women with lower breast density.
25. No association has been found between breast implants and an increased risk of breast cancer. However, the FDA recently announced that breast implants might be associated with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). ALCL is not breast cancer, but may show up in the scar capsule surrounding the implant.
26. One study found that increased exposure to ethylene oxide, a fumigant used to sterilize medical experiments, is associated with higher breast cancer risk among women who work in commercial sterilization facilities.
27. Nurses who work night shifts and flight attendants who have circadian rhythm disruption have a higher risk of breast cancer with long-term employment. The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that shift work, especially at night, is carcinogenic to humans.
28. The most common type of breast cancer (70%) originates in the breast ducts and is known as ductal carcinoma. A less common type of breast cancer (15%) is known as lobular carcinoma, or cancer that originates in the lobules. More rare types of cancers include medullary carcinoma, Paget’s disease, tubular carcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, and phyllodes tumors.
29. Nearly 10.4 % of all cancers in women is breast cancer.
30. Approximately 1.2 million cases of breast cancer are diagnosed around the world each year. About 75% are found in women over age 50.
31. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports a higher risk of breast cancer in women who take multivitamins.
32. Research has found that pomegranates may help prevent breast cancer. Chemicals called ellagitannins block the production of estrogen, which can fuel some types of breast cancer.
33. Studies report that breast cancer patients with diabetes were nearly 50% more likely to die than those who didn’t have diabetes.
34. Long-term breast survivors who were treated with radiation before 1984 have much higher rates of death due to heart disease.
35. There is a strong correlation between increased weight and breast cancer, especially those who gained weight in adolescence or after menopause. Body fat composition in the upper body also increases the risk.
36. On average, it takes 100 days or more for a cancer cell to double in size. It takes about 10 years for cells to divide to a size that can be actually felt.
37. Breast cancer was one of the first cancers to be described by ancient physicians. For example, physicians in ancient Egypt described breast cancer more than 3,500 years ago. One surgeon describes “bulging” tumors in the breast of which “there is no cure.
38. In 400 B.C., Hippocrates describe breast cancer as a humoral disease caused by black bile or He labeled cancer karkinos, meaning “crab,” because the tumors seemed to have tentacles which looked like the legs of crab.
39. To disprove the theory that breast cancer was caused by an imbalance of the four body humors, namely an excess of bile, French physicians Jean Astruc (1684-1766) cooked a slice of breast cancer tissue and a slice of beef and then chewed both. He said that because they tasted exactly the same, breast cancer tumor does not contain bile or acid.
40. Some physicians throughout history have proposed that breast cancer was caused by several factors, including lack of sex—which caused reproductive organs, such as the breast, to atrophy and rot. Other physicians suggested that “vigorous sex” blocked the lymphatic system, that depression restricted blood vessels and trapped coagulated blood, and that a sedentary lifestyle slowed bodily fluids.
41. Researchers speculate that left-handed women are more prone to developing breast cancer because they are exposed to higher levels of certain steroid hormones in the womb.

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Contd…. Down Memory Lane – My wife Shama’s Cancer Journey

Today the Pious Festival of Holi is being celebrated all over India. It is a festival of Colors. My wife Shama reminisces about her indulgences in the past on this day every year.

She wants to go out and have a blast but her condition is holding her back. She wants to enjoy but the fear of dying is weighing too heavily on her mind…….. No financial help at the moment is tormenting her and pushing her into depression…. A life should not go waste because of non-availability of funds for treatment.

Contd…. Down Memory Lane – My wife Shama’s Cancer Journey

Everything was going along nicely till recently, she had responded very well to her follow up treatment and was still doing so. But in the month of December’ 2014 she started experiencing some pain in her Hip Joints. We consulted her doctor, he advised for a full body MRI Scan as well as a Bone Marrow Test to go to the root of this problem. The result of the MRI Scan showed that she has completely gotten rid of her Breast Cancer but the Bone Marrow Test along with concentrations found on her Hip Joints in MRI Scan concluded something which was unimaginative for us as well as our doctor and with this finding our small world of a small happy family has come crashing down……….

The finding is …… that she has been diagnosed with Metastasis of Hip Joints. This finding has startled us along with her doctor and has scared us to death, 10% because of the repeat of this deadly disease and 90% due to the extremely costly treatment (US$1600 – US$1800 PER MONTH) which has been prescribed by the doctor, who is also helpless to combat this new menace but he is pretty confident that this costly prescription shall definitely save her life if this treatment is given to her continuously for the next 24 months. This extreme cost of treatment (by my standards of earning) has pushed the entire family into extreme pain / turmoil, as I do not possess this kind of resource to take care of my wife.

To tell you the truth, when my wife was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer, it took a very heavy toll on me financially as I had nothing in the kitty to start the long treatment process of Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, hormone treatment as well as long time oral medication. All this was made possible by useful contributions from my family, friends and bank loans. My financial condition took another nosedive when my son Aquib met with a horrendous car accident in November’ 2012, in which he almost died. I had to seek more help from my near and dear ones as well as more bank loans. Till date I am repaying these debts which will run for another 3 years atleast. My present emolument is about US$1000 per month which is barely enough to run my household as well as pay my debts for a month. My family is surviving on a mere hand to mouth basis. It is just not possible to garner more financial support from any quarters, going by my present financial rut.

Since, I just cannot raise this kind of sum on a per month basis, my wife just cannot get this treatment I am talking about which can surely save my wife’s life. Going by my financial condition, the doctor has suggested some basic prescription which costs about US$100, which is a stop gap arrangement till the time, I get some sort of support / charity from somewhere. I am able to bear this expense of US$100, at the moment and continuing with basic treatment in the hope that some day somewhere, the help would arrive to save a human life. The doctor also says that if the required treatment is not given in the near future then in that case, my wife Shama, will have about 24 – 36 months to live, in all.

You guys out there can visualize my state of mind at the moment and the dreaded feeling of losing a loved one in the next 2-3 years time. Pray for my wife and for the elusive financial help for her treatment, to arrive from somewhere.

I would continue with my Blogs / Posts on Cancer Awareness for you folks out there interspersed with my wife’s deteriorating condition till the time she is gone………

Down Memory Lane – My wife Shama’s Cancer Journey

 

First of all let me introduce my wife, Shama Hussain, to you folks out there. She is about 50 years old, a chirpy housewife, but the fact that she is a cancer patient sometimes weighs heavily on her mind and slows her down. But she is fighter to the core and have fought bravely with this deadly disease. I got married to her in February’ 1990 and this year we celebrated our 25th Silver Jubilee marriage anniversary much to the delight of our 2 beautiful kids. Our son Aquib is about 22 years old and our daughter Arisha is about 19 years old. Both our kids are college going. My wife Shama takes care of them by staying at home. I have a job in Construction / Real Estate business.

Her cancer journey started by chance in October’ 2010. I had taken her to a lady doctor for a routine gynaecology investigation. During her check-up she matter of factly mentioned to the doctor that she has one or two small size lumps in her left breast. Immediately the doctor checked her left breast and asked us to go for a Mammography test at a reputed lab in New Delhi. She asked us to forget about the gynae test and proceed with the test. This was the beginning of all hell breaking loose for us.

We went for the Mammography but it was inconclusive. The doctor there advised us to go for an Ultrasound. Here again not much success in identification. We were further advised to undergo FNAC (Fine-needle aspiration cytology). No success here too. Ultimately, we went for the biopsy of the lump, which proved to be conclusive and her breast cancer was established. All these tests took about 6 days and on the 7th day we rushed to a Super Speciality Hospital called “Asian Institute of Medical Sciences” at Faridabad, India, adjacent to Delhi border. At the hospital we consulted Dr. Praveen Kumar Bansal, Director Oncology, Physical Oncologist.

Two imaging tests were performed immediately. One was Chest X-ray and the other one was Full Body MRI Scan. Luckily for my wife Shama, the cancer had not spread to any other parts of her body, it was confined to her left breast only. After a gap of one day, on the ninth day, Shama’s surgery was performed. Her left breast was completely removed. The further course of medical treatment was 12 sessions of Chemotherapy followed with 5 sessions of Radiotherapy. It took about 8 months to complete this course as Chemo Sessions were performed at an interval of 21 days followed with 5 straight days of Radiotherapy sessions.

These were really painful days for her as Chemotherapy medicines which are administered intravenously take a toll on human body with the patient being reduced to a cabbage for the next 4-5 days after its injection into body.

But my wife is a fighter and she fought all the way. Her only source of inspiration to continue with this life being her two young kids and me. She wanted to live for them. She never wanted to leave them. From 2010 till date she has fought with this deadly disease to be alive for her kids and for me. She has endured plenty of pain to be alive and kicking.

Everything was going along nicely till recently, she had responded very well to her follow up treatment and was still doing so. But in the month of December’ 2014 she started experiencing some pain in her Hip Joints. We consulted her doctor, he advised for a full body MRI Scan as well as a Bone Marrow Test to go to the root of this problem. The result of the MRI Scan showed that she has completely gotten rid of her Breast Cancer but the Bone Marrow Test along with concentrations found on her Hip Joints in MRI Scan concluded something which was unimaginative for us as well as our doctor and with this finding our small world of a small happy family has come crashing down……….

I shall reveal this finding in my next Blog, so be on the lookout and in the meantime pray for her to be alive……….