I called Mum’s haematologist just now. After several unanswered calls to her handphone, Dr. Goh called back. It is reassuring to know that Mum has fully recovered from pneumonia. Her CBC (Complete Blood Count) looks good. According to Dr. Goh, Mum?s blood count has never been a problem. Like all CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) patients, Mum have enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) and liver (hepatomegaly). At the moment, Mum still complains of giddiness. So Dr. Goh is keeping her in the hospital a while longer.
The good doctor had also referred Mum to the Hospice At Home Programme that is being run voluntarily by the National Cancer Society Of Malaysia. Karen Gan, the Palliative Care Nurse, went to see Mum yesterday. When I spoke to her on the phone just now, she was very reassuring and told me to call her as soon as Mum is discharged so that she can come visit.
Palliative care provides treatment to relieve pain and suffering in terminally patients. While there is no cure for CLL, I believe Mum has not reach that critical stage yet. However, she needs to be medically monitored, get sound advice regarding her condition and proper nursing support which is what the Hospice Programme is all about.
