December 2016 – CANCER STORY

Breast Cancer with Extensive Metastasis: Herbs and e-Therapy Helped Her. Declined Everolimus and Tamoxifen.

SG is a 69-year-old female. In June 2015, she had persistent fevers. A family member discovered that she had a wound on her right breast which she kept it to herself.

SG was brought to a hospital. A scan showed:

A 5.6 x 2.5 cm mass in her right breast.
Multiple right axillary and right subpectoral adenopathies.
Multiple scattered pulmonary metastases.
Nodules in her liver.
Extensive bony metastases.

A biopsy of the breast mass was done. Immunochemistry confirmed invasive carcinoma, ER +, Pr + and c-erb-B2 -ve. The ulcerative lesion was fixed to the chest wall.

A CT scan of the brain showed:

Patchy sclerosis of the entire skull suspicious for diffuse bony metastases, with more focal lesions inthe right frontal and left temporal bones.

There was nothing much the doctors could do. Surgery was not indicated because the cancer was stuck to the chest wall. SG was given Femara (letrazole) to take every day. In addition she received Denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva) injection for her bone. Initially the medication shrunk the tumour but with time Femara was not effective anymore. Femara was changed to Tamoxifen.

SG’s daughter wrote:

Tamoxifen caused her to lose some weight and appetite. Recently the doctor wanted her to try Everolimus (Afinitor) + Exemestane (Aromasin).
We have read that these have side effects, some serious ones and so far have not tried.
Mum has even stopped Tamoxifen and just go on your herbs. She said feels better and can eat better.
If she relied on just herbs, is there a need to review the types that she is taking?
So far, other than right breast and bones, other parts of the body are still ok.
Her cancer markers did go up somewhat at the last blood test.
She’s diligently taking the herbs and is more comfortable with them than the western medicine.

SG decided not to take any more doctor’s medication, due to the possible side effects.

Everolimus was first used for kidney cancer. Now, its usage has been extended to breast cancer. To know the side effects of Everolimus, click this link: http://www.us1.afinitor.com/side-effects/

You may develop lung or breathing problems.In some people lung or breathing problems may be severe, and can even lead to death.
You may be more likely to develop an infection,such as pneumonia, or a bacterial, fungal or viral infection. Symptoms of infection may include the following: fever, chills, skin rash, joint pain and inflammation, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, pale stools, dark urine, yellowing of the skin, pain in the upper right side of the stomach.
Possible increased risk for a type of allergic reaction called angioedema.
You may develop kidney failure.In some people this may be severe and can even lead to death.
Delayed wound healing. AFINITOR can cause incisions to heal slowly or not heal well.
Mouth sores (also called ulcers), occurring in 67% of patients taking AFINITOR. These can sometimes be severe and can appear as early as within the first 2 weeks of treatment or can occur at any time.

All these side effects come with a cost of SGD 800 per week (RM2,400/week or almost RM10K per month).

As if the Afinitor side effects are not enough, here are more side effects if you take exemestane or Aromisin.

new or unusual bone pain;
vision problems;
swelling in your hands or feet;
feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion; or

chest pain, sudden numbness or weakness, sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance.

hot flashes;
headache, tired feeling;
anxiety;
joint pain;
upset stomach;
depressed mood;
sleep problems (insomnia); or
increased sweating.

SG and her family came to our centre. She brought along a medical report which said, “Right thigh soft tissue tumour.”

She was okay but her daily life was not comfortable — it could be better! She complained of pains in her legs, backache, lack of strength and sometimes lack of appetite. She had stopped taking the doctor’s medication.

Since we have given all the herbs that we have for all her cancer(s) —- she had cancer in her breast, lymph nodes, lung, liver, bone and soft tissue of her thigh — I have no other choice but to ask SG to try the e-therapy. May be this may help her!

After day one on the detox program, SG said she felt lighter and her movements loosened up — did not feel tight any more.

The next morning, when she came for the second detox program, her daughter said she could lift up her foot. She was better.

After the second detox program SG said she had no more pain! All problems gone! In fact she could bend down. This morning she climbed up the stairs of her apartment. These are things she could not do before.

Every member of her family was happy and said SG’s facial appearance was much better!

Listen to what she said.

One question I posed to the family. Why don’t you want to continue with the medical treatments. After all you have access to the best medical treatment in your country.

The answer is simple — the drastic side effects.

And what is more, one death in the family circle is enough. SG’s sister-in-law had primary breast cancer and also a primary lung cancer. She took Iressa. Of course she suffered some side effects like rashes and painful, distorted nail growth.

Initially Iressa shrunk the tumour in the lung but it grew back again (like Femara did for SG). The doctor gave her chemotherapy with Cisplatin and Alimta. She had radiation to her brain. Her condition deteriorated and she died.

Chris: Is this why you don’t want give more drugs to your mother?

Daughter: Because of the possible side effects.

C: Did your Aunt’s treatments until she died also made you more careful?

D: Possibly.

C: My experience — some people just don’t learn!

Comment

If you have come to an end stage where taking medicine is just a matter of try-and-see-if-it-works, would you want to take that “fishing trip’? Some people would like to fight until death — don’t give up! But some people understand that flogging a dead horse is to buy more misery. Your choice!

We are indeed glad that SG came to us this morning. It was a blessed morning indeed. Her quality of life was restored. She did not look sick anymore.

I always tell patients this: If you can eat, can sleep and can move around without any ache or pain, what else do you want? Continue to live a good life and don’t think too much of your disease. The more you take those toxic drugs the more miserable you would become.

If you don’t read SG’s medical records, you would never think that (as of this morning) she has cancer at all. Praise God for this wonderful blessing.

Part 4: More treatments, more medical bills. But will these cure you?

SF was diagnosed with cancer. She came to Penang to undergo the necessary treatment. Initially after chemotherpy, the tumours shrunk and the oncologist told her she was cured! But it was not true. The tumours grew back again after one month. SF was asked to go for radiation followed by more chemo. Then she has to go for surgery. That means more medical bills, but the big question remained unanswered: Can the treatments cure her cancer? She wanted a cure. Is cure possible?

C: They asked you for go for 5 sessions of radiation and then chemotherapy. If the tumour shrinks they want to remove the tumour. In addition they want to remove your right kidney and the urinary tube. Okay, let me know – do you have any problem urinating now? If you cannot urinate, I see the need to operate immediately. But you look well and healthy. I also agree that if you get those tumours removed, the cancer will all be gone. But can surgery cure your cancer?

Husband: Right.

C: What if I say that surgery will not cure your cancer?

Consultation without charge

C: At CA Care we have the responsibility to advise patients who come to us. We are committed to give honest evaluation of your situation. We give advice without having an ulterior motive of wanting to sell our therapy. I have made a promise that I shall do my best to read and learn — to be knowledgeable. And I shall share that knowledge with those who need it without charging any fee, no matter how long I talk to them. Most important, I don’t want to mislead patients. But as much as we want to help, please also know that I am not god. I can only do my best.

Go for medical treatments, you die. Follow our CA Care Therapy, you also die. What is your choice?

C: Let me ask you one question, frankly and bluntly. If you go ahead and undergo the medical treatments as suggested by your doctors — i.e. radiation, chemo, surgery, etc. — for sure, you will have more medical bills to settle! And at the end of it all, there is no cure and you die. Are you satisfied with this route?

P: No, I am not happy with that.

C: I understand because even if you do all these treatments, no one can guarantee that you will be cured. There was one lady from Medan. She had breast cancer and underwent surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc.. The treatment lasted 3 years but the cancer did not go away. She had to go into the ICU twice after her chemotherapy. She had to sell a piece of land to pay for her medical bills. During one visit to her oncologist she asked, Why is it, after 3 years already, you still cannot cure me? The oncologist replied, Ibu your cancer cannot be cured. This lady decided to give up chemotherapy and came to seek our help. It was too late, even her liver was “gone”! The daughter said, We felt cheated by all these. Yes, I understand. To me, I believe patients should be told well ahead of time the probable outcome of the treatment — even before embarking on any treatment. In this case, she was told the truth only at the very end of the game.

Now, do you understand what I am trying to tell you?

This brings me to another point. You come and see me. Can I cure you? My frank and blunt answer is, No, I cannot cure you. So if you take my herbs and follow my advice — after a month or two you feel healthy and well — can eat, can sleep, can move around but may have some pains here and there. Are you satisfied? Then one day you die. Are you ready to die without undergoing the medical treatments? Tell me, which path do you want to follow.

P: Yes, I am prepared to take this path.

C: Are you sure?

P: Yes.

Husband: Now that you have explained to us clearly, we understand.

C: There is this man who came to see me. His father had lung cancer that had spread to his brain and was semi-conscious in the hospital. The doctors did a biopsy and then gave him 5 sessions of radiation (which cost RM6,000). The man told me, I want my father to live.

I shook my head in despair. I told him, It is better to bring your father home quickly when he is still breathing. It would cost you a lot of money (RM 8,000 instead of RM200) if you have to bring him home in a coffin.

I also told him, There is no need to fight. You cannot win. No chance. Commonsense tells me that 5 sessions of radiation is not going to cure anything! Let us be realistic and honest about this.

Let us understand that all of us will have to die one day. But many say they don’t want to give up easily. They want to fight and fight until death. That is okay with me. Be a fierce fighter. Ibu do you also want to fight until you die? Or are you prepared to say, Okay, I want to live as long as I can without sufferings. When the time comes for me to go, I shall go I don’t want to put up a fight.

Fighting may mean sufferings. Ibu, what is your choice?

P: I want to take your herbs and shall leave everything else to God. If God says I have to go, I shall go.

C: Are you prepared for that? You will not get angry at me if you cannot find a cure?

P: No, our life is in God’s hand. When I came here for medical treatment, I did not understand all these. I really did not understand why the initial treatment did not cure me and the cancer came back. Now, I understand what is going on. Nobody talked to me like this before.

Husband: We came to consult you. Probably God had opened a way for us.

C: People often tell me that God led them to us. May be God did that, but I also need to remind everyone that to get well is also our responsibility. So again, I want you to think carefully before you make this important decision.

P: I have made up my mind. I don’t want any more chemo.

Understanding the CA Care Therapy

Take care of your diet. Those who follow our dietary advice do not die because they cannot eat this or that.
After talking to a patient for 5 minutes, I would know his/her attitude. Cancer is about human being. If you want to get well you have to change — change your lifestyle, your diet, your attitude. I don’t have herbs to make you change. You have to want to change yourself.
Don’t worry so much. Make time for yourself and go for exercise, meditate, etc.
Take the herbs. But remember, these are not magic potion. They don’t cure your cancer.

So, with all of the above — clean mind, clean diet, clean body and with God’s help, I hope you body heals itself.

Tell the tumour inside you, Let’s live together and let’s not give each other any problem. You don’t disturb me and I don’t disturb you. One day, when I die, you –the tumour– will also die along with me. But if you grow too much, I will die earlier and you also die with me. So let us live in peace. If you have this kind of attitude, you will have peace of mind. But if you fight with the tumour, you will suffer. Undergo all those treatments, you suffer. But at the end, you also die.

So, it better that you learn how to live with your cancer. There is no further need to do any more CT scan or PET scan if you don’t want to go for medical treatment. Do all these for what? Nobody can do anything anyway.

One day, if you can’t live a normal life, that means the cancer has come back. I can’t help you anymore. Go to the hospital and ask the doctor to chemo you. Accept reality — if you die, so be it. What else can we do?

So, Ibu you need to understand what can happen if you take this alternative option.

Be grateful

There is this man who had his kidney removed due to cancer. He was asked to undergo follow up chemo. He refused. He did not want to suffer. So he decided to follow our therapy. Now, he is doing fine. He is able to travel the world. He and his wife went to China. Just recently, they went to Portugal. His wife said, He followed your advice. He is happy. No problem at all. He is normal. If he went for chemo, he would surely suffer. So life is good for us. One day, when he has to die, so be it.

So Ibu, I want you to decide carefully.

P: I want to follow your therapy.

C: Are you sure of that? And you would not blame me if things don’t turn out well?

P: No, no, we will not blame you. Please help me right from today.

Comments

This indeed a hard case to handle. If I have a choice, I would not want to take on this case. But I cannot betray our principle that we are here to help the “helpless and the hopeless.” I felt real sorry that SF was let down by her first oncologist. However, I need to remind everyone that not all patients who come to us benefit from our therapy. Only 30 percent would probably benefit, the rest cannot. It is all about you — your belief, your commitment and your willingness to change.
In part 3 of this story, I raised the issue of money. Many people would disagree with me on this. To many of us who benefit from treating those who are dying, the argument is life is valueless. Many would say, if you are going to die why let money stop you from doing what is best! One oncologist told one patient, If you don’t have any more money to pay me, ask your husband to go and rob the bank. Indeed crude.

But look at this problem of money from the viewpoint of the one who has to pay the expensive medical bills. For these common people, raising money to pay the medical bills means selling the house the family is staying in.

I recalled Pak Jam who came to us, looking disoriented and broken. He had to spent RM2,000 per day on his wife who was undergoing chemotherapy for her leukemia in a private hospital. After 2 weeks he said all his savings were gone. He resorted to borrowing from friends and relatives. He came to seek our help because he could not afford treatment anymore. I told him to bring his wife home quickly. Don’t die in Penang. He followed my advice. His wife took the herbs and continued to life for another 3 years! She died because she went for a blood transfusion and they put in the wrong blood type into her!

In this story, I appeared to be against chemo and surgery. No, I am not anti-medical treatments. But at the same time I also know through experience that these treatments can kill or do not cure cancer. This is an undeniable reality. Let me lists some of my experiences.

One lady had a hysterectomy in Jakarta. The surgeon told the patient, You need to go for chemo after this. The patient asked, Can chemo cure me? The surgeon replied, I was practising in Germany for more than 30 years before I came back to Jakarta. I sent ten patients for chemo, ten patients died!
As I was writing this story, one lady form Kuala Lumpur came. She had a big ovarian tumour. She consulted a surgeon in a private hospital who told her. Surgery is not going to cure you. But after surgery, you need to go for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is not going to cure you either!
A lady from Surabaya was asked to go for chemotherapy for her gallbladder cancer. She refused. Why? She said, My 39-year-old son had lung cancer. He died after undergoing 5 or 6 cycles of chemo. That’s the reason why I don’t want to do chemo.

Ella from Melbourne had a big tumour removed. Her doctor said she must do for chemotherapy. No chemo, you have three months. With chemo, it would be two-and-a-half years. This means even with chemotherapy, Ella would not be cured. Ella refused chemotherapy and opted for our therapy. Ella remains well up to this day (since November 2008). https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/01/28/cancer-of-the-endometrium-no-chemo-you-live-only-three-months-with-chemo-two-and-a-half-years-with-herbs-she-is-still-having-fun-after-more-than-three-years/

Part 3: You should not continue with your medical treatments if you have run out of funds.

SF had already spent around RM 150,000 for her treatment. She said her financial reserve was running low. My advice: You should not continue with your medical treatments if you have run out of funds. It does not make sense to give up half way through the treatment due to lack of funds. Think carefully.

C: We are here not just to sell our herbs. We want to help people. We want to open their minds to new possibilities. We want them to think for themselves and not led by the nose — jumping into a bottomless pit and at the same time leaving a big hole in your bank account.

So let me ask you this — what do you hope to get from rounds and rounds of treatment. I guess you want a cure, right? Unfortunately, from what I read and know, there is no cure for cancer. So first, understand that there is no cure for your cancer. Second, these treatments are going to bring you more sufferings. Third, you will have to spend a lot more money.

So Ibu (mama) even if you undergo another round of treatments, I don’t see how you are going to be able to solve your problem. After the radiation and chemo, you needed an operation if the tumour shrinks. If the tumour does not shrink, you will go for more and more chemo. So your journey does not end yet. It may just be the beginning of another long journey. Please think carefully.

Many Indonesians who came to see me underwent medical treatments without asking any question or much thinking. After undergoing the treatment half-way, they said: I have no more money. So I don’t want to continue with the treatment. My response was: Why are you so dumb. If you don’t have enough money to go through the entire course of treatment, why did you ever start with the treatment in the first place?

There was this 35-year-old lady from Palembang. She had breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. After the operation, she was asked to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and be on oral medication. The total cost of these treatments came to about RM200,000. I asked her: Do you have money to pay for this treatment? Her reply, No.

Yes, I understand a 35-year-old cannot be expected to have RM200,000 in her bank account. So even if she wanted to undergo the recommended treatment, she could not. So, I said to her, It’s okay. No need to do the treatments. There is no point undergoing the treatment half-way and then stop!

Did you understand what I am trying to tell you?

P: I understand.

C:. This is one important point I want you to consider now. In the next 2 days you need to go for chemo. You were told you needed 3 cycles initially. Okay, how much will that cost? Then calculate the cost of your stay in Malaysia. After that you need to go for an operation. What is the cost of that surgery?

Husband: RM 25,000 for the surgery alone.

C: Okay, RM 25,000 plus 3 x RM4,000 for the chemo and previously RM6,700 for the radiation. After the surgery you may need more chemo, and more chemo. Consider all these costs. I don’t know about your financial status. So you need to make a decision after careful consideration.

Is the chemo and surgery going to cure you or bring your more sufferings?

P: I don’t want any more chemo or surgery. I only want you to help me. The doctor said he would remove my right kidney together with the ureter (tube that carries the urine from the kidney to the bladder).

C: What is going to happen to you after that? They will fix a tube. And one kidney gone. Do you really want to undergo such treatment?

P: At first I didn’t want.

C: What is the purpose of removing these? Think first! One important question to ask. Will the doctor be able to remove all the cancer inside you? And after the operation it is all clean and the cancer would not come back again? Can surgery do that? What happen if after the surgery the cancer becomes more aggressive and spreads more widely.

Learn from nature — for example the ant’s nest. What happen if you take a parang and cut the nest into two? What if you leave the nest undisturbed?

P: All the ants will spread out.

C: I am not an expert in cancer but I use my head to think. And I also want you to think properly. Now, after you have just received 3 sessions of radiation, you had diarrhea. That bothered you a lot. You have not even started with your third rounds of chemo yet. You have already had 12 cycles of chemo and I don’t know what can happen to you if you have more chemo. You may end up dead? Again, if the tumour does not shrink this time around, you will need more and more chemo. When will that end?

Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?

P: Before this, I don’t understand. I just accept what I was told to do. I don’t know that there is another way out.

C: No, there is NO way out of this.

P: I know. Everything is in God’s hand.

By all means, sell your house or land to pay for the medical bills if the treatment is going to cure you!

C: There is this young man who came to see me. His mother had lung cancer and had gone to China with a few of her friends for treatment. After the first trip to China, the mother ran out of money. She wanted to sell her house in which 5 of her children were living in. The son came to seek my advice. My answer: If you sell the house and your mother is cured, that’s okay. Worth the gamble. But what happen after all the treatments — money gone, and she is not cured? House gone, mother dead? And the children left out in the street without a home to go to.

My advice was not to go to China for the treatment anymore. She survived 3 years after following our therapy. She had a normal life and was able to help her son in his motor-bike repair shop. Her friends who had money and continued with their treatments in China were ALL dead.

I have no magic potion for your cancer

C: I want you to think carefully. If I just want to sell you my herbs, I would have asked you to buy all that you need and go away. Why talk so much and so long? But the mission of CA Care is to help others. That is why I want you to go home and think carefully first. There is no need to take the herbs now. Why? Because in two days time you want to start with your chemo. Go and do your chemo first.

Our herbs are no magic potion. Healing cancer takes more than just drinking herbs. Cancer is about human being — the need to change your attitude, life style and diet. I am not asking you not to go for chemo. I just want you to give a careful thought to what I have said.

Husband: You have opened our minds. I begin to understand what is happening now.

P: I did not understand all these before.

Part 2: What did you get out a failed, RM150,000 treatment?

We felt sorry for SF, her hope crushed. After 12 cycles of chemo and spending RM 150,000, she was told the tumors had shrunk and she was cured! (Or did she misunderstood her doctor’s message?). But after one month at home, she had bleeding and came back to her doctor again. Her tumour had grown back to its original size. It was a failure. Her doctor did not have time for her and hurriedly told her to for surgery.

With wounded feelings she and her husband left the hospital and sought the help of another oncologist in another hospital. She was started on radiotherapy to be followed by chemotherapy. We felt SF should just continue with her medical treatment and not take our herbs yet. We sent set her away without any herbs.

SF and her husband came back to see us again after a few days. We spent almost 2 hours talking. It was a “heart-breaking” morning for me. I laid out my advice as clearly, honestly and bluntly as possible. But I was mindful not to cause panic or to instill fear in her. Many times during our conversation, I asked her and her husband to think clearly and deeply the implications of what she wanted to do. She should then make her own decision based on what her heart wanted, after considering various points I raised.

What did you get out of your failed RM150,000 treatment?

Diarrhea after radiotherapy

Patient: I had diarrhea after the radiation.

C: Did you have any diarrhea before you went for radiation?

P: No, the diarrhoea started 2 days after the radiation (note: it continued as of this writing — already 3 weeks).

C: I really cannot tell you what else can happen after this. Did you ever ask the doctor if these treatments — radiation and chemotherapy — are going to cure you?

P: No, we never ask.

C: You should ask before you undergo all these!

Tumor shrunk after the first round of chemotherapy!

P: After 6 cycles of chemo, I was told the tumour had shrunk. And I needed another 6 more cycles. The doctor said I was cured. I requested the doctor to do a CT scan for me to confirm the result. The doctor said, No need, you are already cured. Go home.

C: What? He said chemo cured you?

P: He asked me to come back after 2 months for review. But one month at home, I had bleeding and we brought forward our travel and came back to see the doctor again.

Husband: The tumour had grown bigger (back to its original size, see table below).

C: Did you ask the doctor why? Only last month he said you were already cured. Now, what happened.

P The doctor was angry.

C: Har?

H: We were confused. We returned to see the doctor one day before he was to go on leave. It seemed he was “uncomfortable” and told us crudely — You just go for the operation! We then went to see another oncoloogist in another hospital.

Elevated liver function parameters

C: Let’s look at your liver function results (table below).

On 8 June 2016, after finishing 6 cycles of chemo, your liver function was still okay. But you see what happened after you did 12 cycles of chemo. All the liver enzymes values were elevated. Your liver was going downhill. Okay, some people may want to rationalize that it is normal after chemotherapy. The liver function enzymes will go back to normal again after you stop chemo. Well, I don’t know if you want to believe that or not.

You are going to be given more chemo. I cannot tell you what is going to happen to your liver after this. I don’t know how many more cycles of chemo they are going to give you, and what drugs they want to use. If they give you the more toxic or aggressive drugs, what is going to happen to your liver?

They want to give you more chemo because they hope to shrink the tumour before they proceed with surgery. You have already done 12 cycles of chemo in Hospital A before. The tumour shrunk and grew back after a month. Think carefully, what do you hope to achieve this time with chemotherapy? Shrink the tumour again?

Lung nodules disappeared

P: The doctor told me that the nodules in my lungs were all gone after the chemotherapy. At least, my lungs are free of cancer.

C: Wrong Ibu (mama)! Yes, the lung nodules were completely gone after the chemo but in the October 2016 scan, there was again a 0.6cm nodule in your lung. So the impression you had was wrong.

P: I did not know this. I did not understand all this. Only now that you have told me this.

Chemotherapy means sufferings

C: Two days ago, a lady came to see me on behalf of her elderly father who had lung cancer. She consulted the same oncologist (the second oncologist, not the first oncologist in Hospital A) that you went to. This oncologist told the lady that her father needs chemo but chemo is going to cause many side effects and he would suffer. The oncologist also said that the father could go for oral drug. But oral chemo-drug can also cause sufferings.

On hearing this, the daughter “ran away” and would not want any more medical treatment for her father! At least we should be glad that this oncologist was honest to tell us this.

Patients are an ignorant lot!

C: This episode really make me sad. For years I have been trying to “educate” patients. I wonder if I have failed miserably? I understand all that you have said and gone through. You put your full trust in your doctors — they are your gods — and the gods failed you!

Also, unfortunately some of these gods are not honest. They don’t tell you the whole truth that you need to know.

P: Indeed I don’t understand all these.

C: You came to see me twice. I have explained to you what I know and I ask you to think carefully what you want to do.

H: Before this I believed that after the surgery — the tumour gone — all problems would be solved! That was what I thought. I did not know all these before your explanation. Now, I understand and realise the implications.

P: I was hoping that after the chemo, I would be cured. I did not want to go for surgery!

A RM150,000-Treatment That Brought Her Nowhere. Part 1

SF is a 56-year-old Indonesian lady. She and her husband came to talk to us, wanting to explore a way out of her dilemma.

SF’s problem started in February 2016, after she started to have bloated stomach with pain. She went to a hospital in Surabaya and was asked to undergo an operation. She decided to come to Penang to seek a second opinion.

A CT scan on 28 April 2016 indicated the following:

Multiple metastatic nodules in both lung fields measuring 0.4 to 2.5 cm.
There is an irregular complex solid and cystic mass in the retroperitoneum right lumbar region and hemipelvis. It measures 7.2 x 10.6 cm. The mass encases the right lower ureter causing severe right hydroureteronephrosis.
The left kidney is normal.
There are several enlarged para-aortic nodes noted measuring 0.6 to 1.0 cm.

Impression:

Findings suggestive of right CA ovary or retroperitoneal tumour with encasement of right lower ureter.
Subacute distal small bowel obstruction.
Multiple metastatic lesions in both lungs fields and para-aortic lymphadenopathy.

According to the doctor in Penang the tumour was too big and surgery was not indicated. SF was asked to undergo chemotherapy instead. She had 6 cycles of chemo using Gemzar and Kemocarb. The treatment cost RM 3,000 per cycle.

A CT scan done on 29 June 2016 indicated the following:

The urothelial carcinoma in the retroperitoneum right lumbar region is significantly smaller in size measuring 3.5 x 4.0 cm (previously it was 7.2 x 10.6 cm).

2.The metastatic lung nodules are completely resolved.

The oncologist considered the result a “great success”. SF was told she need NOT have to undergo any surgery. SF underwent another 6 cycles of chemo. This round the cost of each cycle was RM3,000 to RM4,000. The drugs used were the same as before.

SF was asked to go home and come back for a check-up after two months. But it was not to be, after a month at home SF had bleeding and she came back to Penang again on 4 October 2016.

A CT scan on 5 October 2016 indicated the following:

The previously noted urothelial carcinoma in the retroperitoneum at right lumbar region is significantly increased in size measuring 7.7 cm x 9.2 cm compared to the previous measurement of 3.5 x 4.0 cm.
There are multiple small subcentimeter para-oartic nodes noted, the largest measuring 12 mm in size.
In the lung bases, the previously noted small nodules seen at the left lower lobe had slightly reduced in size measuring 0.6 cm compared to the previous measurement of 0.9 cm.
A calcified uterine fibroid noted measuring 4.2 cm x 4.2 cm.

Impression:

The previously noted urothelial carcinoma in the retroperitoneum at right lumbar region is significantly increased in size with obstructive uropathy.

Unfortunately, the doctor who attended to SF was going on leave. Without much explanation, SF was just told to go and have an operation. SF consulted an urologist in the same hospital and was told the tumour was too big and surgery was not indicated. SF was asked to go for chemotherapy and radiation again.

Disappointed and not satisfied, SF went to see another oncologist in another hospital. She was told the following:

Operation would be too risk.
Not all tumour could be removed.
The surgery would possible make the cancer spread faster.

The only option left was chemo and radiation. SF agreed to this third round of treatment. She received 5 sessions of radiation. This cost RM 6,700. The chemo was scheduled for 21 October 2016.

So while waiting to start her chemo, SF and her husband came to seek our advice.

Chris: In total, so far how much have you spent on your medical treatment?

Husband: It came to about 400 to 500 million rupiah. Something like RM 150,000.

Patient: Our financial resources is drying up. We don’t have much left after this.

C: That is not the end yet, right? You still need to spend more for the radiation, chemo and surgery. And probably more chemo after the surgery.

This is indeed a sad case. After reading all the medical reports, I shook my head in despair. What can I say? What can I do to help? Probably nothing! From my experience over the past 20 years dealing with cancer, I know right in my heart that there is NO cure for cancer. I must be honest with my patients. To help may be possible, but not cure.

My advice to them that morning:

Coming to see us and taking our herbs hoping to cure your cancer is just not right.
Since you have already done 5 times of radiation and are now waiting to go for chemo, why don’t you stick to your planned path — i.e. Go and do the chemo and see what happen.
In the mean time, while you still have a few days, why not read some of my books and understand the “truth” of what you are doing.
After reading, make your own decision as to what you want do. It is okay for me, whether you want to continue with the chemo or not.
For the moment, we shall not prescribe you any herbs. Go home and think first what you want to do.

Comment: This is the first time I have heard of a chemo drug called Kemocarb. From the internet, I learned that this is a platinum-based chemo-drug made by Dabur Pharmaceutical in India. The 450 mg /45 ml drug cost Indian Rupee 2400 or RM 149. Wow, I hope I am right in my calculation! Do you ever wonder why a shot of that chemo cost RM 3,000?

SF story does not end here. Some days later, she and her husband came back to see us again. They decided to forgo further chemo. Why?

Blood test: Different lab different result

BS is a 47-year-old male who was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2014. He underwent a surgery in hospital A in Penang. It was a Stage 2A cancer. No chemo, radiation or medication was recommended.

About a year later, 21 January 2016, BS underwent another procedure to remove 2 polyps in his colon. A CT scan was also done and the results were not good:

There were multiple nodules in both lungs. The largest one measures 1.2 cm. This is not see in the previous scan.
There was a small cyst in segment 3 of his liver, measuring 1.1 x 1.1 cm.

The above findings are consistent with metastases. BS was asked to undergo chemotherapy and also take the oral drug, Xeloda. He refused and decided to take our herbs and take care of his diet. Later, BS also told us that he went to Bali to learn how to meditate (baliusada.com), which I believe did him a lot of good.

To monitor his progress, BS did a full blood test on 14 July 2016 in a private laboratory. The results was good.

Alpha-fetoprotein = 2.1, CEA = 2.7, CA 19.9 = 29.6 and CA 125 = 6.2.

Three months later, 18 October 2016, BS did another full blood test in a private hospital. The results was not good.

Alpha-fetoprotein = 1.38, CEA = 9.1, CA 19.9 = 17.96

His CEA has increased from 2.7 three months ago to 9.1. BS felt upset and disappointed. We discussed what had happened. For the past month, BS had been under extreme stress. His young nephew was robbed and murdered. Apart from that, he slacked on his diet. My advice to BS. Don’t worry so much for now. Try and relax and let’s see what happen in the next three months. We shall repeat the blood test.

But to be sure, I suggested that BS repeat this CEA test with a private lab which we always send our patients to and which he went to earlier. So BS repeated the same CEA test the next day, 19 October 2016.

Lo and behold, CEA from the private lab returned a normal value of 2.5, which is more than 3 times lower than the results obtained by the private hospital. I then suggested that BS repeat this same test in his hometown. The result was CEA = 8.4. So here it goes, three different labs came up with three different numbers!

Now, what has gone wrong? And which result is the correct measure of the situation? What could have been the consequences of such mistake? No doubt about it, BS could have been told to undergo chemotherapy since the cancer has recurred. Or BS would have to do a PET scan to find out what had gone wrong. But, is it true that something had gone wrong?

I have learned not to trust blood test results since years ago. This is because my patients make me see the reality of what happened in the real medical world. One prostate cancer patient went to three labs one morning and made them evaluate his PSA level. The results from the three tests were all different! Here goes the reliability of scientific medicine.

Then, Jennifer regularly monitored her CA 125. The value was around 400 plus which was high. One day, she went to a well known private hospital in Kuala Lumpur and did her blood test. The result was shocking, her CA 125 shot up to 800 plus. Panic, she called me. This was what I told her. I think the result from that private hospital was wrong! Someone must have made a mistake!. To know the truth, repeat the test. Jennifer went to a university hospital. Her CA 125 was back to 400 plus — similar to the previous level.

What can we learn from these episodes? Patients pay for the mistakes that other people in the hospital make! So patients, BEWARE. Just imagine, in panic Jennifer could has been sent for chemotherapy immediately because of the mistake made by someone in the lab.

How serious and how often things like this happen is for anyone to guess! Indeed sad. Ponder the quotations below and always be on guard!

Cancer: Is doing nothing an option?

If you or someone in your family is diagnosed with cancer, you may wish to take time and reflect on the following.

In 2012, there were 37,400 new cancers and in the same year 21,700 died of cancer. That’s a lot of death due to cancer, in spite of them being treated?
The most common cancers in Malaysia are: colon, lung, NPC (nose), lymphoma and prostate for men. For women — breast, colon, cervical, ovarian and lung.
We do not know WHO will get WHAT cancer in our lifetime. But do we have to wait until we get cancer to know what went wrong? That would be too late!

We know that bad diet (e.g. smoking, excessive sugar intake, alcohol, etc.) and unhealthy lifestyle can lead to cancer. Instead of spending so much money to treat cancer why don’t we spend money to learn how to “prevent” or minimize the chances of getting cancer in the first place? Bah, who is interested in that!

The cost of cancer treatments is expensive. You may need to spend all your lifetime savings, pawn your jewelleries or sell your property — land, house, etc., to pay for these treatments.

What if we do nothing?

What ???? … you may die sooner if you undergo all those treatments dished out to you. Doc., you can’t be right on this?

What ??? again ???? … chemotherapy is a waste of money?

Hi doc., you must be joking, right?

More advice ….read what Dr. Gilbert Welch wrote:

Gallbladder Stone to Stage 4 Liver Cancer: How is that possible? Would you like this to happen to your mother?

This is a sad story, narrated by John (not real name) about his mother’s problem before her death.

CL was a 63-year-old lady. About six/seven months ago, she had abdominal pain and felt bloated. She went to a private hospital and the doctor did an MRI. She was told that it was due to stone in her gallbladder and had to be removed. CL underwent surgery immediately. This procedure cost RM 7,000.

Unfortunately, her problems did not go away. John started to consult some doctor friends who was told him that it was normal. After the surgery, the pains and bloating would not go away immediately. John also asked the doctor who did the surgery why the problems were not resolved. He answered, “There are so many other patients who had the same problems and they did not complain!” The doctor then prescribed medication of gastritis.

In October 2016, CL became very weak and started to vomit and went back to the same hospital again. A CT scan was done and the son was told that shadows in her liver. CL was referred to an oncologist in the same hospital and was told that it could be Stage 4 liver cancer.

Chris: When they removed the gallbladder, did they not check the liver as well?

John: I asked the doctor this question. The answers were: “We only focused on the gallbladder and not any other area during the first time. Also, MRI could not detect liver cancer as easily as the CT scan.”

The oncologist told John that this was a stage 4 cancer and CL had a maximum of 6 months. To confirm, a biopsy was done.

While in the hospital, CL continued to vomit and was put on drip. When she got better, she was discharged; went home and started to vomit again. CL became dizzy and John brought his mother back to the hospital again. The doctor did another MRI. This time he targeted the brain. There was nothing in her brain!

John was told that the cancer was very serious and CL had only 1 or 2 months to live. The oncologist proposed that CL try the oral drug, TS-One.

Chris: Did you take the TS-One?

John: No.

C: Did you ask if TS-One is going to cure your mother?

J: I asked him that question and he did not answer my question. He only said, “Take the drugs for 2 weeks and come back and see me again. And we will see what happen.”

C: Did you ask how much this is going to cost you?

J: No, I did not ask but from the internet I understand that it is expensive.

C: People would tell you that at this point when the patient is at the last stage and is dying, we should not think about money. Money is not important. Do what is necessary. But I think money is important. You do not want to do things just for the sake of doing things — futile efforts with no chance of any positive results.

J: Money is important! But I understand that by giving her the drug, it is going to cause her more problems — the side effects would be severe. There is no quality of life.

(The above is just a gist of our conversation. For more detail, listen to the video carefully. CL died one week after this conversation).

Comments

It is really hard to swallow the idea that when they zoom in on the gallbladder, they could not see or know what is going on in the rest of the surrounding organs! Let’s try to understand a bit of basic anatomy.

The diagram below shows the gallbladder in relation to the liver and pancreas.

The MRI and CT images below show the gallbladder in relation to the liver and pancreas!

According to the images of subsequent careful examinations, we know that from the ultrasound of the abdomen LC had:

an ill defined 3.8 x3.3 x 2.5 cm mass in the left lobe of her liver.
an ill defined 5.9 x 5.8 x 4.9 cm mass in between the left lobe of liver and pancreas.

CT showed more tumours:

ill defined enhancing areas in segments 2,4,5 and 8 of her liver.
ill defined 2.3 x 2.1 cm enhancing areas in the anterior part of the body of the pancreas.

It is not for me to suggest that LC’s problem and subsequent death could be a result of incompetence, carelessness, wrong diagnosis or wrong treatment. It is up to you, those who know how to read, to figure that out. But for one, none of us would want such thing to happen to our own mother. Money gone, suffered and died!

How can we avoid such tragedy? My answer is: Be an empowered patient. Before you undergo any operation, seek a second or third opinion first! Don’t just immediately jump into any hole that you are asked to.

There are three more disturbing events which I think we can learn from this case.

John was told that his mother had Stage 4 cancer, very serious and at most could live no more than 6 months (later reduced to 1 or 2 months). These were masses in her liver and pancreas. She needed a biopsy to confirm this. But, did she really need to do a biopsy? What benefit can a biopsy bring to LC?

Anyway, the USG and CT scan suggested cancer of the pancreas with liver metastasis. Then there is the results of her blood test below:

Total bilirubin	108 H
Direct bilirubin	82.3 H
Alanine transaminase	80 H
Alkalline phosphatase	318 H
Gamma glutamyltransferase	433 H
AST	98 H
CEA	9.9 H
CA 19.9	48,577.12 H

With the above blood test results, ask again: do we really need a biopsy to be performed on a dying person?

LC went home after the biopsy. She started to vomit and later felt dizzy. MRI was ordered. Again, you would want to ask, is this necessary? What benefit can MRI of the brain bring to LC? Yes, there may be brain tumour. But so what if there was a brain tumour? What can we do about it?
After the biopsy result confirmed metastasis to the liver and pancreas, the oncologist suggested LC try TS-One!

Smart of John to ask what TS-One can do for his mother. This is the classical example of the mantra,”Cannot cure but we have treatment.”

Wait a minute doctor, but what is TS-one actually used for? Is this for treating liver cancer and/or pancreatic cancer?

From the internet, we learn that TS-One Capsule is used for the treatment, control and prevention of stomach cancer! Was LC having stomach cancer?

Beside the money — having to pay for the expensive drug, you also need to know that you may be led to buy misery in the form of the following side effects.

Source: http://www.mims.com/singapore/drug/info/ts-one?type=full

When I first read what Dr. Anton Chekhov wrote, I thought it was meant to be just a joke since he was also a dramatist besides being a doctor! Now, with the above story do you see what he wrote may not be a joke? Do you want this to happen to your mother?

The point we want to ask further is, can medical error happen? Yes, it can … more often than we care to admit. Read what Dr. Atul Gawanda and Dr. Paul Ruggieri wrote in their books.

One patient sent me this note ….

You taking herb? It would not work! Now, the herb works!

LF is 51-year-old lady. In September 2015, she had bleeding every day. She went to a GP. USG was done but the doctor found nothing wrong. She was given hormone pill to take. She also took supplements. They seemed to help. But, her problem did not go away.

LF suffered heavy bleeding and this made her go and consult a gynaecologist. She was given some medications but they were not effective. Then, her stomach became bloated. She consulted another GP who told her it was cancer.

Eventually LF was referred to a private hospital and did a CT scan. And there it was a mass of soft tissue, measuring 5 x 3.8 x 4.3 cm on the right side of the lower abdomen/pelvis. There was also fluid in the lungs and abdomen (pleural effusion and ascites).

The ascitic fluid contained malignant cells with features suggestive of metastatic adenocarcinoma.

LF underwent surgery immediately. It was a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The appendix and omentum were also removed.

According to the histopathology report, it was a well-differentiated endometriod adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus. Stage 1A. In addition, LF also had a left ovarian tumour with metastasis to the omentum. It was at least stage 3A cancer.

LF was told to commence with follow-up chemotherapy 3 to 4 weeks after the surgery. LF decided not to undergo chemotherapy. She took Sabah Snake grass (SSG) instead — 70 leaves, twice a day.

CT scan done in August 2016, showed enlargement of the para aortic lymph nodes. There was no free fluid in the pelvis.

Her CA 19.9 was at 322.6 before the surgery and this dropped to 30.3 after the surgery. A few months later it went up to 35.0.

Her CA 19.9 also increased from 29.7 to 69.9 and progressed to 105.6 (see Table below). It was at this point in time that LF decided to come and seek our help. She presented with abdominal discomfort and severe numbness of the legs.

Less than 3 months on the herbs, her health improved! Her abdominal discomfort disappeared and the numbness of her legs was almost resolved. Of course, she had stopped taking the SSG.

On 9 August 2016, her CA 19.9 was at 105.6 and after taking the herbs, on 2 November 2016, her CA 19.9 was 30.0 (within normal range).

One lesson we can learn from this case. LF’s husband told me this.

I went to have the blood test done in my friend’s lab. I told him, My wife is taking herbs and does not want to go for chemotherapy. The doctor said, Herbs will not work! Three months later, this same doctor said, Yes, now the herbs work! Because the CA 19.9 came tumbling down from 105.6 to 30.0 (normal range).

Good news also comes with “bad” news! LF expressed her concern that she might have to go back to teach now! Why? Because her blood test showed she was normal!

Besides that, disaster may also follow good news! LF may believe that she is really “cured” and will become complacent! She may go back to the previous life style and eat what she likes! I warned LF — The cancer will come back again if you do that! There is no cure for cancer. There is no question, that LF’s cancer is serious. It has spread. Feeling better and the CA 19.9 came down to 30 does not mean that she is cured.

After 12 cycles of chemo, his liver function worsened. So, what’s next doc?

This is a normal scenario I often encounter. A patient is diagnosed with cancer. He undergoes surgery immediately, followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. After completing these treatments, the patient is told to come back for routine check-up. What has to be done, has been done. Probably he thinks, he is cured! But if he knows enough about cancer, deep within, is this scary concern — Can the cancer come back again? Yes, the chances are very high that it would come back.

So, what can you do about it? Nothing much! Wait and see — that probably is the advice given.

The patient goes back for routine check-up once every few months. During this consultation, the doctor may ask a few questions, press here and press there, do a blood test, X-ray, scan, etc. In reality, all these procedures would not help stop the cancer from coming back. On the contrary, it is during one of these procedures that patients could be told that the day of reckoning has arrived! There — another lump! Then more treatments are suggested.

Ask your oncologist what can you do, as a patient, to help yourself so that the chances of recurrence would be minimized? He would probably say, Okay, swallow this pill for prevention or may not be able to give any answer.

Let me share with you this classic example that I often encounter.

HT is a 61-year-old male. His problem started with having blood in his stools. He went to Dr. A in G hospital, and did a colonoscopy. The doctor found many polyps and signs of gastritis. There is a tumour in his transverse colon.

CT scan confirmed colonic neoplasm in the transverse colon with enlarged lymph nodes.

A CT scan done two days later showed two small pulmonary nodules – one in the middle lobe and the other in the left lower lobe, raising the possibility of pulmonary metastasis. There are hypodense lesions in the left adrenal gland which could be metastases.

HT was scheduled to undergo an operation by Dr. A but made a last-minute change to let Dr. B do the surgery instead. The surgeon removed most of the polyps beside performing a hemicolectomy, removing 58.5 cm long segment of this transverse colon.

Histopathology report indicated an invasive moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Four out of 28 mesenteric lymph nodes contain metastatic tumour. This is a Stage C2 cancer.

HT then underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy. The treatment was completed by end of August 2016.

What’s next after chemo? Nothing. But is he cured? Your guess is as good as mine. HT went home to wait — to carry on with his own life! Do what you are doing, eat whatever food you want to eat! But come back for routine check up once every 2 or 3 months.

Dr. Barry Boyd, an oncologist, wrote this:

HT is a typical example of what Dr. Barry Boyd meant — and mind you, what he wrote is what most cancer patients experience most of the time, not only in America but also here. To me, this is one of the main drawback of medical treatment for cancer! Doctor only treats you! But treating does not mean cure. After the completion of the treatment patients are left “in a free fall. This is what I call falling off the cliff.”

HT tolerated the chemo rather well. He only suffered blackening and numbness of the fingers and toes. For that the doctor prescribed Neurobion. He also lost his appetite. His body itched and was given Claritin.

As the chemo treatment progressed, his liver function test values deteriorated. See the 2 tables below. At two months after completion of the chemo, these values deteriorated further which made HT rather worried. The oncologist prescribed milk thistle but HT was not satisfied and wanted more help. He came to see us.

During his first visit to us, I told HT to go home and think seriously what he wanted to do. Since he has been under the care of an oncologist, there is no reason why he needs our help. Let the doctor repair the so called “damage” because if anything goes wrong later, then someone is going to make us the scapegoat! Remember, this is a Stage 3B cancer. It has spread to the lymph nodes and possible metastasis to the lungs and adrenal gland. The chances of recurrence is very high. And most of the time, if this unfortunate event occurs, people will point their fingers at us — It is because of your herbs! So this is what I told HT. Go home and think about what I have said. I cannot cure your cancer. You can come back again, if you think I can help you.

The next day, HT came back and wanted us to help him — after all, is he not about to fall off the cliff? He has seen his oncologist and was told his liver functions are not good! And he was prescribed milk thistle!

Below is HT’s blood test results over the months.

Table 1: Blood test results up to the 6th chemo.

In January to February, HT had his operation and did not receive any chemo yet. His blood results were good. His blood test results were still okay after 2 shots of chemo. The third shot of chemo lowered his red blood count (RBC) and platelets. This is to be expected — the norm! If the RBC and platelets become too low, the doctor will give you the “red juice” or the “white juice” injection to boost this up again.

Now, let us try to understand what liver function test results tell us.

Alanine transaminase (ALT). Large amounts of ALT occur in liver cells. When your liver is injured or inflamed (as in hepatitis), the blood level of ALT usually rises.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST). When a blood test detects high levels of this enzyme in your blood it usually means your liver is injured in some way. AST can also be released if heart or skeletal muscle is damaged.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The blood level is raised in some types of liver and bone disease.
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). This may be elevated with even minor, subclinical levels of liver dysfunction. It is also raised in chronic alcohol toxicity.

After the third chemo, AST level started to become abnormal and this continued to be elevated throughout and even after the treatment period.

Table 2: Blood test results from the 7th to 12th chemo and 2 months after completion of chemo.

As chemotherapy progressed, HT’s RBC, platelets, alkaline phosphatase, ALT, AST (and later GGT) were adversely affected. We know that the use of chemo-drugs often results in elevated liver function enzymes, which may represent liver toxicity or damage.

In fact, even two months after completion of chemotherapy, HT’s liver function enzymes were elevated. HT started with a good liver, and now has it been damaged by the chemotherapy? Only time can tell what is going to happen next.

Since, HT is worried about this problem, we try to help him by prescribing some liver herbs. Of course, certain people would say, taking herbs would cause more damage to the liver! But, let me tell you, our experience shows otherwise — herbs can repair that damage! Again, only time can tell who is right.

Besides learning the chemo can cause liver toxicity or damage, there are two more lessons we can learn from HT’s experience.

Lesson 1: HT said, initially he was supposed to be operated on by Dr. A but at the last minute he requested to have Dr. B do the operation instead. Why? He did a bit of “homework” and felt that Dr. B is more competent. Bravo! Patients, you must learn to be empowered! Don’t just be led by the nose “to be slaughtered.”

I understand, most cancer patients don’t like to read books or to put it mildly, don’t have time to read books. Let me share with you what I read. Dr. Paul Ruggieri wrote Confessions of a Surgeon, which can give you an insight of what can happen in the operating theatre. He said:

The “white coat code of silence” is a term I used to describe the dark side of a profession that, despite its noble intentions, enables incompetent surgeons to continue to work.
The operating rooms are even more insular; there, secrets are often not openly discussed; rarely going beyond the double doors.
The sad thing was … patients had no idea who they were getting as a surgeon. How does anyone who is about to have surgery truly know how competent the surgeon is? How can the public know?
Yes, doctors (especially surgeons, because of what they do) are human, and capable of making mistakes. When mistakes are made, people get hurt or die.
There is no website, no ability to research important, relevant data on your surgeon’s track record before your operation … all we know … he or she has a “good” reputation. Is this enough?
Hospitals have relevant information … Operating room nurses quickly figure out which surgeons know what they’re doing and which ones should be looking for another profession.
I believe every person who is about to undergo surgery should have the opportunity to access unbiased performance information about his or her surgeon.

Unfortunately, this ideal is yet to be recongised, let alone practised in hospitals. So, patients, the only way out is for you to use your intuition! If you “feel inside you” that a doctor is not good for you, go find another one!

Lesson 2: I asked HT, How much did he spend for all these treatments — surgery and chemotherapy? He did not know! Because the health insurance paid for everything.

Then HT added, Actually I learned from the Accounts Department that the costs of my treatment were inflated because I have insurance!

Yes, it is common knowledge (not a secret anymore) that if you are insured and landed in the hospital, the treatment charges will automatically sky rocket! While it sounds okay for now, but at the end of it, it is the patients who would suffer from such practice. Your health insurance premium will go up! This unfortunately is one sickness of the health industry which we all know exists but cannot do anything about it!