Family was desperate, my cousin booked appointment with a urologist in Mount Elizabeth Hospital, that popular with the high medical cost. But we're desperate. My father told me to go to see Dr. Marto again, ask for reference letter to Singapore. When we met Dr. Marto, a really nice person, he was not offended by family decision, he support it with one condition, bring my father to Singapore General Hospital, he strongly suggests it, better than to other hospitals. Then he said, he recommend Prof. Cheng, who is his senior. We were shocked when he mentioned the same doctor that we were really hard to get appointment before. Dr. Marto said, that we won't be able get appointment without his recommendation. And in that exact moment, he called Singapore directly to Prof Cheng via his own private mobile phone. He explained the situation to Prof Cheng's assistant, and she reply "Ow I know, his daughter is S, right?" Then later, after Dr. Marto explained how our family want it to brought my father to see him, rather than do the procedure. He gave the call to me. Prof Cheng said it was too dangerous to bring my father to Singapore with his condition, it would made his condition worse, so he suggested let Dr. Marto did nephrostomy first, then see him next week. Just like that, we got doctor appointment in Singapore. Not just appointment, since we were going to Singapore, he said it was better to sent the biopsy sample to Singapore, because they would process it much faster than Indonesia. Dr. Marto really arrange everything, all I did was signed the bill, took the sample from Siloam and sent the sample. Nephrostomy procedure was done in Siloam Kebun Jeruk, January 13th 2016. I remember the date, because it was the anniversary of my brother passed away from GBS (that's another story). After the procedure, my father have a urine bag strapped into his leg, he didn't need to go back and forth to toilet anymore. Before the procedure, he would go back and forth once per 30 minutes, because his bladder couldn't hold the urine much longer. Dr. Marto gave the job for me to write how much my father drank for one day, and how much the urine from the nephrostomy bag and natural way. He even teach me how to clean and change the bandage and urine bag once a week. Before January 2016, never in my mind, I would going to Singapore for medical tourism. I knew many people did, but not my family. Accompanied with my aunt (my father's younger sister), we went to Singapore. We stayed in her children's apartment. Before went to Singapore, I asked my friend who already got through similar experience like mine when her Dad got diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. Good thing, my father has medical insurance. When he was diagnosed with cancer, me and his insurance agent claim critical disease funds, it was enough for his medical treatment until now. Before went to Singapore, I also scan every medical documents that my father had, like blood reports, CT Scan reports to his passport. Put everything in one folder, so it's organized. We met Prof Cheng, he communicated with my father and my aunt with chinese, then he translated to me with english, since my chinese is not that good with medical term. I already don't remember what he talked about with my father and aunt, or what he asked, but I still remember his sentence when he spoke to me with english, the language my father and aunt not really good enough, "The survival rate of his cancer is very low."
I was crying on the inside, my mind was blank, but I won't show it to my father and aunt. In the end of the appointment, Prof Cheng said to us to seek oncologist, since he couldn't help further more. He said that my father need chemotherapy now, not surgery, since he is urologist, if it's time to took out the cancer through surgery, he would help. Prof Cheng's assistant help us seeking medical oncologist, she was finally could book one oncologist that willing to took my father case. He is Dr. Toh Chee Keong. We were directed to his clinic room, in National Cancer Centre (different building with the Urology Centre). He asked my father to get PET CT, to get a greater view of his cancer. Since we met him on friday and PET CT in SGH are closed in Sunday, he directed us to Paragon Medical in Orchard Road, Singapore. The staff really help us booked the PET CT on Saturday, then I took the result on Monday. We saw Dr. Toh again on Tuesday, when all the results from PET CT, Blood Test and also Biopsy Result were done and ready for him to look at. He instructed to get 2 cycles of chemotherapy, then get PET CT again after. How kind of him, he doesn't mind if my father took the chemo back in Indonesia, don't need to do it in Singapore. So, he wrote the reference / instruction letter for medical doctor in Indonesia, whom we didn't know who then.
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These weekend, on Feb 4th, we will celebrate World Cancer Day. I've been planning to tell our family cancer battle and I think these week is the right time. My Dad is the healthiest person I know. He eats right and on scheduled; lot of veggies, he never eat out, no fast foods, no red meats, no coffee. He stopped drinking alcohol and have late night snack when he found out he has gastric problem. He had smoking history when he was young, he quit smoking after his brother died of brain cancer (Yes! Family history there.) He is not diabetic, doesn't like sweet stuffs. No hypertension. He exercises regularly, morning walk everyday. But 2015 Christmas, our life has changed. On the Christmas morning, there was blood in his pee. He had prostate problem like men his age usually have. He went regularly to his urologist taking care of it. But that day, his urologist was in holiday. So, he decided to go to another urologist. The other urologist recommended him to get CT Scan, because from his examination, my Dad's problem was not in his prostate. CT Scan made it sound very serious. After CT Scan, I accompanied my father to see the urologist, usually he went alone. From CT Scan, urologist said there were something wrong in his bladder, he was positive, it's a tumor, and he recommended surgery. Because of the tumor, his kidney soon would started to fail since the tumor blocking his urine of getting out from the kidney, made the kidney drowned. I didn't believe his words. So, we're decided to had second opinion from my brother's in-law's nephrologist. The Nephrologist said the same thing, even though the problem was related to the kidney but it's not the main problem. The main problem was still in his bladder system, so he still recommended us to seek urologist. He recommend Prof Rainy Umbas, who is the best urologist in Indonesia. But you know what, to get appointment with him, it was not easy. After asking around colleagues and friends, my friend recommend an urologist in Siloam Hospital Kebun Jeruk, but when I called to book appointment with that urologist, he was also in holiday. I didn't know why, I just started to google the other urologist in Siloam Hospital, like I knew deep down bring him to Siloam was the right choice. My brother's in-law also did the same thing, and we both found out about dr. Marto Sugiono, who is the permanent urologist in Siloam. When we called Siloam to get appointment, he was available the earliest date, rather than Prof Umbas. So, we're decided to see him. When you met the right doctor, you just knew. It felt right when we met Dr.Marto. He diagnosed my father from the symptoms, family history and CT Scan, before he said his diagnosis. Of course he said, it was bladder cancer. After 3 doctors said the same thing, it started to become reality. But not like other doctor, Dr. Marto explained what really happened in his urinal area. Because of the cancer was located near the kidney, it somehow blocking the urine that flowed out of the kidney. Both kidney were drowned already. The right kidney was in already in pretty bad shape, but he still positive the left kidney could be saved. He recommended as soon as possible to get sistoscopy or biopsy.
When the surgery was over and my father was in post-op, Dr.Marto updated me that the cancer was already in massive stage. He wasn't positive my father would survive long. He tried to drained the urine from both kidney but he couldn't get through because the cancer already blocked it. How do you feel when your doctor said about that kind of stuff with you? I updated my brother, and we both agree it's best to not talk to my Mom and Dad about it. The biopsy took time to get the result, because Siloam couldn't determine it, the sample was sent into other hospital and need more time. But my father's kidney were getting drowned every days, dr.Marto suggest to get nephrostomy procedure, basically he wanted to put artificial tube from the left kidney, so the urine could get out directly without having to get through the cancer. When one road was blocked, you create another road. When I explained it to our big family, everyone was freaked out and afraid of such big procedure. And like typical Indonesian Family, they wanted to took my Dad into Singapore for more accurate diagnosis. Then, everyone was busy tried to get appointment with the best urology in Singapore. One of my father's friends recommends Prof Christopher Cheng, the prime minister of Singapore's urologist. Since he was a busy person, it was pretty hard to get appointment with him, there were waiting list of 2-3 weeks, and second he wanted to review the case first, then he would consider to take it or not. My cousin who lived in Singapore told that it was not possible to get appointment with Prof Cheng. I decided to email directly to Prof Cheng, explained about my father's conditions and sent him the sistoscopy's pictures and he just replied with two sentences, "The pictures are not typical of cancer.. Needs more information." But he still declined to gave us appointment. To be continued. |
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