Angels Watching Over Her

Through the turmoil of the last 24 hours, we are convinced that God has sent angels to watch over Fiona. Some of these are in the guise of people who amaze us with their compassion and dedication to blessing others.

One such person is Dr Loh Ee Chin, who is one of the very few palliative care doctors in Malaysia. Dr Loh was a true blessing today.

Last night, at about 1.30am, Fiona's breathing worsened. She was put on nebulizer to clear her lungs but she eventually required the oxygen supply to be turned up to the maximum level of 15 litres per minute due to increasing severe breathlessness. This lasted well into the morning, and even at 15lpm, she was experiencing panic attacks. The deterioration was shocking.

When contacted, Dr Loh immediately came to the hospital despite it being a Sunday and having her own plans for the day. After an examination, Dr Loh proceeded to check and clear the catheters coming from Fiona's lungs, and drain whatever fluid she could. This was a long procedure but made comfortable by Dr Loh's gentle and caring touch. Within a couple of hours of the procedure, Fiona was able to reduce her oxygen intake to about 4lpm.

At the time of this entry, she is sleeping well, after having had a simple but tasty late dinner of porridge and papaya (which she enjoyed immensely). She is on 3-4lpm and is comfortable. All praise and thanks to God for the angels He sends in different guises to remind us of His love and faithfulness.

No Words

The doctors believe the cancer has infiltrated the lungs, as evidenced by the way Fiona is breathing.

She is resting now, under some sedation by drugs meant to clear congestion in her chest. She will remain partially sedated for the next 3 days in an attempt to help her regain her strength. Her breathing remains very laboured. We hope this will improve with medication.

At this time, she remains under close watch by Jeff and his sister Marianne. We would ask for no visitors for the next few days so that Fiona has 100% chance at rest and recovering her strength. Thanks for understanding.

Rough Seas

The past two days have been very tough for Fiona. She started Chemotherapy as planned, a long series of IV drips. It has caused a fair bit of discomfort, but she seemed to ride through it fine.

Last night, however, Fiona went into a series of panic attacks where she had great difficulty breathing. As this entry is posted, that dificulty continues, even with greatly increased oxygen supply. Observing her effort to take each breath, it looks as if she is fighting for her life. The doctors are speculating as to the cause of this but we do not yet have a clear answer.

Please continue to pray for relief from this difficulty.

Busy Rest

Even as Fiona seeks to regain her strength at the hospital, many things are happening.

On Monday afternoon, the procedure to insert catheters into both lungs took place as planned. We give thanks that it went well. Much fluid was extracted and the catheters are staying in for up to a week to allow the lungs to fully drain.

The planned CTPA scan took place on Tuesday. We are very thankful that Fiona's lungs and heart looked fine. However we are much concerned that the radiologist believes that there may be small lesions in the liver. The oncologist believes that this is consistent with recent liver test results which have not been good.

As a result of the continued breathlessness and liver findings, it has been recommended that Fiona starts a new round of Chemo sooner rather than later. We expect the first cycle to begin Thursday.

Day to day, Fiona is getting good rest at the hospital. She is sleeping much better now. We continue to hope that the breathlessness will cease. Right now, she continues to be dependent on the oxygen supply. While she is awake, we continue to be very thankful that she is being well looked after. Thank you again to all those who are spending time with her or cooking for her. You are a great blessing to us.

Please continue to pray hard. Pray for the breathlessness to clear, and for the chemotherapy to work well without causing side effects. God bless.

Still Running

With the weekend over, Fiona is pretty much where she was on Saturday afternoon i.e. breathing on less oxygen, but still dependent on it. She is able to come off for short periods (a minute or two), but any exertion, such as taking a few steps, or even coughing, and she will need relief from the oxygen supply.

Later today, she will undergo another procedure to insert a "pig-tail catheter", ultrasound guided, into her right lung to drain more fluid. We're hoping that this helps the breathlessness sufficiently to allow her to go off the oxygen. A CTPA scan (CT Pulmonary Artery) is also planned tomorrow to rule out the possibility of a pulmonary embolism (blood clot).

When she strengthens, we will restart chemotherapy, probably on Gemcitabine+Cisplatin. The disease is progressing, and the doctors suggest that we need to address that as soon as Fiona is strong enough.

Either way, Fiona will have to remain in the hospital until at least the end of the week.

For those who have called to find out her progress and/or have visited, thanks for your concern and prayers, they are much appreciated. Many thanks too to those who have already provided help in so many ways, from taking care of the kids to sitting with Fiona while Jeff dashes home for a bit.

We also great appreciate Jeff's colleagues and clients who are so understanding when he needs to take time off to be with Fiona. The flexibility they have exhibited is unprecedented and a real blessing.

If you plan to visit, Fiona is at UH, Menara Timur, Ward 7TE, bed 6. Do call Jeff first to check on Fiona's condition. There may be days when she requires recovery time from one procedure or another, or just tired. Visits should not exceed 9pm, as she does need her rest badly. (And if you are not well, it would be better if you didn't come as she can't really handle any further problems at this time!)

In terms of help, we are so blessed to be getting lots of it. Our family members and church friends have covered Fiona's needs completely for food and company. They have our unending thanks.

If you do call or SMS and do not get a response, please forgive us. As you can imagine, we have been fairly inundated with these and may miss out responding to some. Check this blog and please tell others about it. We will keep it updated every couple of days or so. It would be a lot stressful than having to individually respond to every message and missed call.

Above all, thanks for your prayers, and don't stop praying.