This month, Samuel needs to go for peripheral blood stem cell harvesting
after the 4th chemo.
Stem cells are important cells because they can divide and change into many different types of cells that your body needs. Blood stem cells can be used
to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases. Peripheral blood stem
cell harvesting is a procedure that removes stem cells from your blood which
are then frozen and stored for possible use at a later stage. A person may
need blood stem cells to replace cells destroyed by treatments for cancer.
For further information, you may refer to
http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/gosh_families/information_sheets/peripheral_stem_cell_harvest/peripheral_stem_cell_harvest_families.html
Here is a list of activities that will take place :
06/9/11 Urine test
07/9/11 Admission for 4th chemo which starts with Pre-harvest
investigations and tentatively ends on 10/9/11
11/9/11 Daily G-CSF injections starts (to help his body make white blood cells)
Blood tests on TUE, THU, SAT to monitor his blood counts
19/9/11 Admission to hospital once it is confirmed that his
stem cells have been mobilised
Operation for Insertion of Vascatheter
20/9/11 Harvesting stem cells starts and hopefully can end on 22/9/11
Please pray specifically for these activities listed chronologically:
06/09/11 Urine test
Pray that Samuel will be disciplined to collect his urine for the whole day.
Once missed , we have to redo from start !
We may have to wait for a more suitable date for this collection to facilitate
this test.
07/09/11 Admission for 4th chemo
Pray for 4th chemo to totally remove the nodes from his lungs and shrink the tumour from his right calf such that earlier surgery is possible to remove the primary tumour.
Pray that there is NO need for a 5th and 6th chemo as planned in the treatment protocol.
Pray for functionalities of his right leg will not be compromised at all.
Pray that God will heal the fracture in his bone miraculously.
Have been warned by doctors against strenuous exercise lest this fracture is aggravated further.
Pray for protection of his vital organs and against all side effects
specifically vomitting. During 3rd chemo he had developed a slight diarrhoea too.
Pray that God will grant us one of the A class rooms in cancer ward (only 2 left)
to mimimise delays in treatments and near the experts for the pre-harvest investigations .
Pray that Samuel will overcome his probia of eating due to side effects of vomitting. As long as this issue persists, we may be forced to take class
A all the time because he will not allow food in the room.
Pray for hospital to consider providing a whole ward of class A rooms
for children with cancers/other ailments(that need isolation) in due of
the acute shortage of class A due to the on-going renovation.
[Having submitted my appeal to hospital, I am also exercising my faith in
GOD as I think this is not a selfish but feasible request that will benefit both patients and the cancer team that has to run over the place now]
[afternote for 3rd chemo.
Give thanks to GOD for HIS guidance(loud and clear) through a christian doctor
when we had to make the difficult choice between non-cancer ward (class A) and cancer ward (class B). Thank God that HE saw us through everything and there was only a minor hiccup towards the end. ]
Pre-harvest investigations
Pray that the various tests and investigations that he has to undergo can be expedited as he has to fast totally from 6 am. Pray for God’s comfort to be with him.
11/09/11 Daily G-CSF Injections
Thank God that a kind neighbour who is a nurse is willing to come to our place
to do this jab for Samuel. This saves us the daily trip to hospital.
Pray that God will keep her (and her backups) in perfect health and we will store and keep the medicine well.
Pray against all possible side effects - coughing, fever, easily become out of breath, swelling of the mouth, fever, diarrhoea, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, hair loss and infection. This is first time that Samuel takes the daily G-CSF injections.
Blood tests
Pray that Samuel’s white blood cells to increase well according to plan and the day of the rapid increase can happen according to the date predicted.
19/9/11 Admission to Hospital once it is confirmed that stem cells have been mobilised
Pray that God will grant us wisdom to determine where to admit Samuel. Apparently, all the experts and devices are all housed in a ward which only has class B2
room (5 bedded). This is going to pose a big challenge for us.
Pray that God’s comfort for Samuel as he has to fast totally from 6 am for blood test and the operation to insert the vascatheter near his groin area.
Pray for smooth operation.
20/09/11 Harvesting stem cells.
Pray that god will send kind and experienced staff to take care of Samuel
during the harvesting of stem cells.
Pray for God’s comfort to be with Samuel as he has to remain in bed
during this harvesting of stem cells. Pray that he will be able to do
most of the things that he normally does - specifically reading and eating.
Pray against possible side effects of a drug given to stop the blood clotting.
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