大好消息 Great News

            兩個半月前，剛回台灣的時候，我的主治醫生看到我電腦斷層的報告，看到我的肝上面也有瘤的時候，就先診斷我是直腸癌轉移肝，癌症四期。

            When I came back to Taiwan two and half months ago, my doctor saw the report of my CAT Scan.  There were tumors (3) on my liver, so his diagnosis of my condition was colorectal cancer with metastasis to the liver–stage 4.

            之後又做了正子分析檢查（放射科醫生和我聊比較多，說我是特別待遇，因為很少聽説為癌症病患做這個檢查，表示主治醫生對我很小心），發現肝上面的瘤對葡萄糖完全沒有反應，但是主治醫生直等到檢查完一個月後，和分析師會診，才確定地告訴我，肝上的腫瘤是良性的，不是癌細胞。但是看到我的淋巴結腫脹，所以他診斷是直腸癌擴散淋巴結，癌症三期。

            Afterwards, my doctor ordered PET Scan for me (My radiation doctor and I talked a lot and he told me that I was getting special treatment because he rarely saw cancer patients getting PET Scan, which shows my doctor was very careful on my case).  The test result was that the tumors on my liver were completely unresponsive to the glucose, but my doc waited a month, after he talked to the analyst, then he confirmed with me that the tumors on my liver were not cancerous.  However, my lymph nodes seemed to be swollen so he modified his diagnosis to colorectal cancer with metastasis to the lymph nodes–stage 3.  

            上個星期開刀，取出病灶做化驗，第一份報告發現我的淋巴結上完全沒有癌細胞，我的主治醫生還是很小心地告訴我，有可能是電化療成功地除去淋巴結上的癌細胞。無論之前淋巴結本來有沒有癌細胞，都是好消息，因為擴散的幾率變小。昨天第二份報告出來，發現我的癌細胞只有擴散到肌肉層（腸壁有四層，肌肉層是第三層），所以沒有到淋巴結，現在把我的病症降到癌症二期。

            I had surgery last week to take out the part of the colon that was infected.  A few days later, the first lymph node biopsy report showed that my lymph node had no sign of cancer whatsoever.  My doc being very careful told me that possibly there were cancers before but they were destroyed by the radiation and chemotherapy.  No matter there were or were not cancers on my lymph nodes at first, it was a great sign because the possibility of metastasis was greatly reduced.  Yesterday the second report came out, which showed my cancer cells only grew to the muscle layer (there are 4 layers in the colon, and the muscle layer is the third layer), so it did not get to the lymph nodes (layer), so I am stage 2.  

            開刀拿癌的腫瘤出來時，要多拿6公分左右，怕附近有儀器尚未察覺出的癌細胞，並也作研究。腫瘤越短當然越好拿，這是開刀前電化療的主要目的，要縮小腫瘤（放射科醫生又說我是特別待遇，因為大部分都是直接開刀，再跟進治療，但開刀前就做治療是按照書上的方法做，再次表示出我的主治醫生對我特別用心）。我可能要歸納在成功療程裏了，因為兩個半月前，我的直腸瘤大約是5公分左右，開刀前再檢查，只剩2.5cm左右。

            The doctors take out extra 6cm of colon during the surgery to make sure surrounding colon is not infected and for research purposes as well.  Of course tumor is better and easier to take out if shorter.  This is the primary purpose of radiation and chemotherapy before the surgery–to downsize the tumor.  (Now my radiation doctor said that I am privileged again because he rarely seemed this done, but the procedure here is often surgery first then treatment later.  The way my doctor is doing is according to the book, which again demonstrates that he pays extra attention on me).  I guess that I am one of the successful case, because two and half months ago, my tumor was about 5cm and before surgery, it was reduced to about 2.5cm.

            看到這樣的結果，真是要再一次謝謝大家的禱告和愛護，我接受了醫學的治療，但我更相信禱告大有功效！不知道下個月會不會就說，只是癌症一期…

            When I see this result, I want to once again thank everyone for your prayers and love!  I received medical treatments, but I believe the power of prayers even more.  Maybe next month, the medical report will come out and say, it was actually stage 1?!?