Thursday, August 11, 2011

Where have I been?

Warning: This is a diary-type post.
Hello everyone! I'm pretty sure you're all a little surprised to see a post from me after being MIA for 2 months (again!).. I know, I know. I'm so bad at keeping my promises to you all of continuously posting here in my blog.. I really wanted to (I even day-dream of creating blog posts sometimes) but I can't. I don't have the chance/opportunity to do a blog post. I even rarely open my Facebook and email.

Remember my last post when I told you guys that I was on leave from my work at the derma clinic because I need to accompany my mom and grandpa to doctors? Well, that leave of absence became a permanent situation for me. I was unable to come back to work because the results of the examinations done to my grandpa is not good. He was diagnosed with colon cancer and according to the biopsy, it is malignant. We spent a lot of time having different tests like endo/colonoscopy, CT scan, proctoscopy and blood chems. We also went on a search for the best doctor we can find to take care of him. We have been so blessed because there was a lot of people helping us and also praying for him to get well.

My grandpa needed to have the tumor removed ASAP but there's a high chance that he will have a colostomy bag for life. He will be alive and can live a normal life again without worries but I know his self-esteem and social life will suffer from it. Who would want to poop through your abdomen, right? There's also the problem about the operation itself. He is wondering if his body can stand the 5-hour operation because he is already old. And he is also worried about the chemotherapy after, which might make his body's immune system go down and he will become so weak that he won't be able to work anymore.

It's already been two months now since the diagnosis and he is still contemplating if he will push through with the operation or not. He is seeing a Chinese doctor and he is hoping these natural remedies can help contain the tumor so that it won't metastasize and spread in his body. He has a friend who have liver cancer (did not undergo chemo after having bad reactions from the meds) and she's still alive and strong until now (I think it's been more than a year already) because of the natural remedies this Chinese doctor is giving her. It did help him in stopping his rectal bleeding but I'm still not totally convinced it can totally remove the tumor.

I don't know, I do believe that natural remedies won't harm you but I'm a nurse, so I believe in the Western way of healing. If there's a tumor, you need to remove it ASAP so that it won't spread and you won't have a chance of healing anymore. Remember our late president Cory Aquino? She have colon cancer, but she didn't died because of it per se, she died because her cancer spread to her liver already. And we are very lucky to be able to detect it at an early stage (it's either stage 2 or 3) so I'm really hoping my grandpa can decide soon.

And there's also the prayers from a lot of people and also the healing masses he attends to. I believe in the power of prayer and I'm very thankful to all the people who are praying for us. These prayers made my grandpa stronger and he's been able to handle this situation with ease.

He just had another CT scan yesterday and it as under the watchful eye of my aunt who is a radiologist. She had everything done a couple of times to make sure every result is correct when we bring it to our onco-surgeon. We will be bringing the result tomorrow and I'm really praying that it would be a good news. I'm worried that he will give us a bad reading. Guys, please pray for us..

So, yeah, that's the main reason why I don't have time to blog. Majority of my time was spent with my grandpa. I do accompany him a lot whenever he's here in Manila and he's been here quite frequently these past months. I was also unable to fix my PC so I just borrow every now and then. Anyways, I really didn't have enough time to concentrate and create a good product review or a makeup look and I don't want to put half-baked ideas hehe. I'm kinda picky that way.

I know you guys would understand 'coz you are the best! My readers are the sweetest and I'm very grateful for all your support. And also my online buddies, sisses, thank you so much for the comforting words :)

Sorry for a very long post. I just want to put my thoughts out there because it's my way of sharing my life with you all. Let's all keep in touch! Till my next post, bye!

God bless everyone!!!

7 comments:

AskMeWhats said...

oh my no worries about not being to update regularly, FAMILY comes first! and thanks for the update, I will definitely include your grandpa in prayers! Keep us posted once you get the chance, the Lord is good :)

Ida said...

Hi Gale, my prayers go out to you and your grandpa! I hope he decides to have the operation and that he'll be fine.

Crystal said...

i'm sorry about what happened to your grandpa. just so you know, my grand aunt was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus 10 years ago. she chose not to have chemo (because she's old already) and she's still alive until now. so there's hope! we'll pray for your grandpa.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to share b/c I love your blog, i have crazy acne prone skin and it can get really depressing. I hate going outside with my skin in this state and reading your blog has helped me know that I'm not alone.

My grandmother underwent a similar experience but she had the surgery 2 years ago. It has made a difference on her social life, she doesn't go out and if she does, it's very rarely. However, because of her strong personality, she's still as active as she can be, does the cleaning herself, and caters to visitors. It's been 2 years since the surgery and thank God, she's doing fine =) My grandmother is 87 by the way.

God bless your grandfather, you and your family. It's a difficult situation and I hope for the best.

Crystal Gale said...

Nikki - Thank you for your prayers :)

Ida - I hope so too. Our surgeon's patience is going down already bec. he is getting more worried of the situation.

Crystal - Thanks for sharing! We are hoping that he won't need chemo too after the operation. I just hope he will have it removed soon so less worries na for us.

d11ae48e-c45e-11e0-98f9-000bcdcb8a73 - Hi! May I know your name? :)

thank you so much for sharing that story. I hope my grandpa can stay with us healthy and strong a lot longer. I hope your grandma will stay healthy too :)

Abby said...

hi gale! you and your family will get through this. positivity works wonders. I'll include your grand pa in my prayers. =))

Crystal Gale said...

^ thank you so much Abby! Hope to see you again :)