Jack (not real name) is a 69-year-old Indonesian. Some 20 years ago, he was told he had hepatitis B. For all these years he did nothing about it. And he did not have any symptom.
In May 2013, he went to a private hospital in Melaka for a checkup.
Blood test — tumour markers and liver function enzymes — were all within normal range, except for a slightly low platelet count.
Ultrasound of upper abdomen showed a heterogenous solid lesion in segment 7 measuring 5.7 x 6.8 cm. There are multiple cysts in both lobes of liver measuring 7 to 12 mm in size. Multiple cysts in left kidney, largest 2.9 x 4.9 cm and a large right renal cyst, 8.4 x 10.1 cm.
CT scan of abdomen confirmed a 7 x 6 x 6 cm tumour in segment 7 of liver. This is suspicious of HCC (liver cancer).
Not satisfied, Jack went to Singapore for second opinion.
MRI on 4 June 2013 confirmed the presence of a large enhancing mass lesion in segment 7 and 6, measuring 6.2 x 6.2 x 5.3 cm. The right kidney cyst was 10.3 x 6.8 cm in size.
There was no MRI evidence of extrahepatic metastatic disease.
Jack came back to Penang again. Blood test done in a private hospital on 12 June 2013, showed everything was normal. Two days later, he and his family came to seek our help. Listen to our conversation that day.
Chris: You have consulted three doctors. What did they ask you to do?
Son: All the three doctors suggested surgery, remove 45 percent of the liver.
C: Did you ask if doing this can cure?
S: There is a high chance that the cancer would recur after 2 years.
C: How much is it going to cost you?
S: If done in Singapore it is SGD 45,000. If in Malaysia it is RM 45,000.
C: So, what do you want to do? Go for surgery?
Patient: If possible, I want to avoid that.
Jack was prescribed liver herbs. On 30 April 2014, almost a year later, Jack’s son wrote:
Dear Dr. Chris: My father shows no sign of pain and has good appetite. He lost a lot weight but has since maintained at around 59 kg. Apparently last month he went for USG on his own without us knowing. The result showed slight increase in the size of the tumor.
One month later, May 2014, Jack and his son came to our centre.
Chris: How are you doing?
P: Fine, except that the food is not delicious. Because I cannot eat meat.
C: Okay, you can go home and die!
Listen to this story: http://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/12/24/liver-cancer-better-to-become-a-full-stomach-ghost-than-a-hungry-ghost/ This patient who was medically given up told us that he would like to eat what he liked because he did not want to die with an empty stomach and turned into a hungry ghost! One year 8 months later, he died.
P: I am growing thinner.
C: Why do you want to grow fat? You are not a pig or a cow — to be sold by the kilos. Being alive and healthy, with no pain, can eat, can walk, can sleep — what else do you want?
Comments
Unfortunately, most patients are like Jack. When they feel well — the first problem they encounter is their diet. Cannot eat this, cannot eat that. This is the most common complaint!
Read this story and listen carefully to the video: http://cancercaremalaysia.com/2015/08/07/lymphoma-part-3-digging-my-own-grave-with-my-folk-and-spoon/
Not long ago, I received an email from the daughter of a patient with medically-given-up pancreatic-liver cancer. She wrote: Doctor, my father getting fed up eating food without oil. Is it ok if we use small amount of oil or ghee to cook his food?
To that, I replied: Let him die if that is what he wants. Go eat what he likes and see what happens. I am not god to give patients permission to eat this or eat that. I am telling you, if you eat bad food you die. As simple as that.
Apart from the diet, another problem facing patients like Jack is the sheer ignorance or the lack of wanting to know the reality of their illness. Three doctors have told Jack that 45 percent of his liver had to be cut off. Does that not sound serious to you? Spend SGD 45,000 or RM 45,000 (take your choice) but within two years, the cancer is expected to come back! Giving you two years is rather generous indeed! You could be dead after the surgery!
Read these stories:
Liver Cancer: 3 cm Tumour OUT, 8 cm Tumour IN After 9 Months and S$28,000-Surgery
Cancer Recurred Three Months After Surgery
And this story — the mother of all disasters, A Great Failure and Let Down. Sam was operated on in October 2008 and by April 2009 he was dead. That was just six months after his liver surgery.
Apart from the sad experiences above, here are what the experts said about liver cancer, like the one that Jack has.
The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in almost all geographical areas and this neoplasm currently represents the third cause of cancer related death. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.17.s2.11.x/pdf
Hepatocellular carcinoma is an aggressive cancer that frequently occurs in the setting of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. It is typically diagnosed late in the disease course, often precluding curative surgical therapies. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3421475/
Untreated patients with advanced disease usually survive less than 6 months. http://www.cancer.gov/types/liver/hp/adult-liver-treatment-pdq
A total of 850 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were seen during the last 8 years.
The median survival of 229 patients who received no specific treatment was 1.6 months — 0.7 month for Stage 3 patients, 2.0 months for Stage 2, and 8.3 months for Stage I.
Median survival of Stage I medically treated patients was 9.4 months, 3.5 months for Stage 2, and 1.6 months for Stage 3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2990661?dopt=Abstract
From January 1999 to December 2010; 320 out of 825 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of HCC and not appropriate for curative or palliative treatments were followed and managed with supportive therapy. The median overall survival was 6.8 months, corresponding to 33% of the patients being alive at one year. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3468702/
The most important causes of death were: tumor progression; upper gastrointestinal bleeding; hepatic failure without HCC progression; severe infections; and pulmonary embolism. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hep.510290145/pdf
For the above data, it is clear that patients with HCC or liver cancer would not be able to survive long — average 6.
When Jack came back to see us ONE year later, he was well — only on herbs and change of diet, without any medical drugs. What was not well with him was his dissatisfaction of not being able to eat what he likes — our suggested diet was not delicious enough!
We have many liver cancer patients who are like Jack. They were on our therapy and lived much longer than 6 months. That is if they take care of their diet.
Read these stories:
8 cm Liver Tumour Shrunk After 8 Months On Herbs. Still Alive and Well After 2 Years
Liver Cancer: Two months to live yet still fine after one and a half years!
Only On Herbs And She Lives More Than Five Years!
So, to patients like Jack we ask: Being alive and healthy, with no pain, can eat, can walk, can sleep — what else do you want?
Unfortunately, we know that some patients, even if they are getting better, they do not have a sense of gratitude — to appreciate and be grateful for what they are blessed with. They demanded more — they wanted a total cure! They wanted to eat what they like. They want to go back to their old way of life.
Jack’s story did not end yet. After two years of being alive and healthy, he courted disaster!
Disastrous Ending?
In October 2015, we received an e-mail from Jack’s son.
Dear Dr. Chris,
In April 2015, my father had decided to take up treatment in X Hospital, China. Some of the treatments are interventional embolism therapy, cryoablation therapy — in the last six months. His weight before treatment was 59 kg, now 51 kg.
Even though I was against this idea of going to China for treatment, I respected his decision. Currently, he developed ascites in his body. The doctor helped to drain the fluid, around 3.5 litres. From your website, I understand that you have herbs for ascites. Could you prescribe for my father?
Jack and his family made 3 trips to China and spent about SGD 60,000 for treatment there. According to his medical report these were what the doctors did for him:
Interventional embolization with LOHP + 5FU + Lip.
Immunotherapy.
Cryoablation.
He was given Genoderma lucidum (Linzhi) capsules to take on discharge.
Jack’s son came to Penang and sought our help again. Listen to what Jack’s son had got to say that day.
Chris: Your father. Already two years. How is he now?
Son: As I mentioned in my e-mail. Six months ago he decided to go to China.
C: What did they do to him there?
S: Interventional embolization, immunotherapy and cryo-therapy!
C: Wah, how many times did you go there and how much did it cost you?
S: Three times, costing about SDG 60,000.
C: Why did he want to go to China?
S: Before going there, we had a family discussion. I told my family. Dr. Chris is not a saint but what he said is very logical. It is about quality of life. I told my father, perhaps after you got to China may end up worse off. It turned out to be true. There are four of us, and three of my brothers were against him going to China.
C: There is this man from Medan. He too went to China (same hospital). He spent almost IDR 3 billion! And he did not find any cure — became worse. I asked him: Why do you come and see me? He replied: I have no more money! This man also told me that he know about CA Care even before he went to China but he did not want to come here because he did not want to follow our recommended diet. So I asked: Now you are here, do you want to follow our diet? He said yes. I told him if you want to eat what you like, you better leave. I cannot help you.
S: My father said Dr. Chris’ herbs cannot block the growth of the tumour. But I told him you only follow 90 percent of his recommended diet. Cannot.
C: Yesterday, one patient with liver cancer was here. He was told he had only 9 months. Now with the herbs and proper diet, he is still alive and healthy after one year! He can play golf and walk long distance. Then he told me a friend sent him a video which said he must not eat rice but eat a lot of meat and eggs instead. I told him, Okay, go home and eat these. Be prepared to die after one month!
S: When we were in China, the doctor there also said it is not right NOT to eat meat and eggs. I didn’t want to argue with the doctor because I was not able to speak Chinese. Two weeks ago, my father’s stomach was bloated with fluid inside. We had to go to the doctor (in our hometown) to tap it out. But the doctor said the fluid can come back again.
C: Before going to China, did you ask if the treatments they are going to give, is going to cure your father’s liver cancer?
S: They cannot! I already told my father. In the website they never ever mentioned cure. They only say they may be able to extend his life. I said told my father, Dr. Chris already extended your life for 2 years, what else do you want!
C; That is what I mean by people not being thankful. They do not acknowledge and thank God for what is good. They only want what they want. This is the problem with many cancer patients. Okay, you went to China many times. Did your father get better and better — after spending all that money?
S: Weaker …. one time my father asked the doctor why after coming here (China) he became weaker. The doctor did not answer!
C: Does he know that he is not getting better?
S: Now he knows he is not good!
In summary, for patients who come to seek our help, we would like to tell you these once again — frankly and bluntly.
Read and Learn. Know what your cancer is all about. Know what you are up against. Don’t depend entirely on others to tell you what t do. Learn and heal yourself. Know that there is no cure for cancer but you can find healing. If you don’t want to read or know, you may end up being a “dead duck”!
Be grateful for what you are each day. To be able to live — free of pain, being able to eat, sleep and move around, etc. Thank God for each day that you have. But if you are always asking for the impossible, you will never be able to be happy and satisfied. You will never find healing with such an “ungrateful” attitude.
To heal, you need to accept the hard reality that you MUST change — change your attitude about life, change your lifestyle and change your diet.
Know that your health is your responsibility. Others around you may be able to help but they cannot cure you. You need to help yourself and heal yourself. And make no mistake, you cannot find healing on your own terms.
Filed under: Advice to Patients, Liver Cancer 