What does it do after chemotherapy is done?

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I never imagined before that one day our life story would be close to the deadly disease breast cancer experienced by the mother. Especially at the same time, Zauji is still in the early months of retinal ablation surgery. In the past, it felt like the journey we were going to travel was very far, full of twists, and seemed endless. Alhamdulillah, it does not feel like it has been almost 3 years since Mother has been undergoing all the series of treatments. What is done after chemotherapy is over? Yuks, check it out!

3 years ago

Exactly 3 years ago, in November 2019, my mother felt a lump in the left. At first, it doesn’t feel disturbing or hurt, so you don’t complain and ignore it. But two months later, in January 2020, the lump is getting bigger so that it can be touched by hand. My mother told me too. At that time I immediately initiated checking my mother with the general surgeon at Hermina Arcamanik Hospital Bandung.

And I deliberately chose Dr. Richard SHL. Tobing because he was the doctor who performed the ganglion surgery on my hands a few years earlier.
In women who have gone through menopause, lumps in the breast are very unusual because theoretically the hormone has changed, so there are serious indications that need immediate treatment. Doctor Richard immediately instructed for surgical removal of lumps or biopsies.

Biopsy surgery is done 10 days later, which shows the results of the presence of carcinoma, or cancer cells, grade 3. Grades in cancer show how quickly the cancer will spread. Grade 1 cancer grows and spreads more slowly compared to grade 3 cancers.

Grades in cancer are different from the stage of cancer. The stage in cancer shows how far it has spread. Doctor Richard did not mention at what stage the mother suffered. In the near future, as long as this information I got from the on-log surgeon during the chemotherapy consultation. You have stage 2 breast cancer to 3 based on the size of the lump (kurleb 5 cm).

Subtly, Doctor Richard explained the need for further action as soon as possible, namely the mastectomy. I also asked why it wasn’t chemotherapy. He replied, Cancer is very related to time; you are better at doing a mastectomy when the body is still strong and healthy because, based on the experience of the patient's condition, you will experience a lot of decline post-chemotherapy.

By saying basmallah, my sister and I agreed to a mastekomi 3 weeks later at Ujungberung Hospital Bandung, still with Doctor Richard. In fact, he himself is not an oncologist, but he is used to doing a mastectomy. In addition, at that time it was still the beginning of the pandemic, and the hospital that served the facility of the mastectomy was only RS Hasan Sadikin, who was in fact the COVID-19 referral hospital that we certainly avoided.

Alhamdulillah, the mastectomy went smoothly; the mother came home with post-surgery wounds in good condition; ultrasound and X-ray results showed no spread to the spleen and lungs. The next step is chemotherapy carried out at Santosa Kopo Hospital Bandung.
Post Chemotherapy
At Santosa Kopo Hospital we were referred to in consultation with an oncologist surgeon,Dr. Yusuf Heryadi, SpB(K). He calmed us down so as not to worry about facing a chemotherapy session that was run by a package of 6 cycles. After a heart and blood examination, the mother began undergoing a chemotherapy session with all the drama she faced.

Alhamdulillah, 'ala kulli thing, the mother of a strong woman, during a chemotherapy session conducted every three weeks, all complaints such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, no taste on the tongue, hair loss, frequent uncontrolled urination, diarrhea, and other pain can be lived and passed.

August 4, 2020
August became the sixth cycle of chemotherapy as well as a cover. Although in this last cycle, the mother's condition is relatively worse, the past 2 weeks have improved. September seems to be a new chapter for all of us. Because you can still move normally, Doctor Yusuf does not recommend further actions, such as radiation. The doctor only instructs what is done after the chemotherapy is completed; one of them is that the mother must check regularly every month.

Monthly Control

Post-chemotherapy control is carried out every month on Monday or Thursday. Alhamdulillah, administrative services at Santosa Kopo Hospital are very good and regular to facilitate patients. To exercise control, the patient simply provides administrative conditions such as the referral form of Joseph's doctor, the results of the pathology of the anatomical biopsy, and the mastectomy. Registration can also be done well in advance and online.

Patients in oncological surgery clinics are numerous, so it takes extra patience to wait. Because she applied for the kurleb one month earlier, the mother usually gets a small number. The practice clock usually starts at 16.00 WIB but will begin according to the arrival of the doctor. Sometimes we just checked the magrib.

In the first control of post-chemotherapy, the consultation session is only filled with chatter about what to do next, including keeping the heart and mood well, eating nutritious foods, and sticking to a healthy lifestyle, including what is done after chemotherapy is over.

The drugs given to only one are Sancoidan, Laminaria japonica (seaweed extract), and herbs to increase the endurance of cancer patients. Unfortunately, in one month, only 4 capsules are covered by BPJS, so we buy the rest at a price of kurleb 21 rb per capsule at a certain pharmaceutical pharmacy. Not many pharmacies sell it, so we have to order in advance.

The mother is still consuming herbs that have long been consumed, such as single garlic, moringa leaves, and honey.

Immunohistochemistry

At the second meeting, doctors suggested that we do immunostochemistry. Immunohistochemical examination, or CPIS, is an examination to detect various proteins contained in the cells of various diseases, including malignant tumors or cancer. CPIS testing is used to help the prognosis (prediction of the development of a disease), drugs, and advanced therapy. The tissue sample used is a sample of mastectomy pieces.

Actually, this immunostochemical examination is covered by BPJS but can only be done at Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung. Because I thought the queue of immunostochemical examinations at Hasan Sadikin Hospital would be very long and take time, finally, on the advice of Doctor Yusuf, I decided to use the self-help cost of kurleb 2 million.

With a cover letter from Joseph's doctor, I asked directly to the anatomical pathology laboratory. Because to take a sample of the network or mastekomi sediment at Ujungberung Hospital Bandung, I must use a cover letter from Santosa Kopo Hospital, and laboratory personnel told me to wait.

After the cover letter was completed, we returned to Ujungberung Hospital to ask permission to bring the mastectomy sediment. This piece of mastectomy sediment is packaged in the form of small boxes measuring less than 4 cm. Officers advised me to take good care of him.

Arriving at Santosa Kopo Hospital, we immediately handed it over to the lab officer. The results of the CP have to be known within one month so that it is expected that the results can be submitted at the next control time. And of course, what is done after chemotherapy is finished must be consulted with an oncologic surgeon. 

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