Home Sweet Home...!!!

Hello readers,

Today was definitely a long day. I received a call early in the morning from my mother informing me that my father was going to be discharged from the hospital today.  The good news is that he seemed to be recovering from surgery and making good progress. As such, the doctors decided that he was ready to take his journey home.

We are from California, so if you have ever been out hear, you know how bad the traffic can get. It is luck of the draw on which day there will be traffic. So I left a bit early and started out on my journey into Los Angeles...

Okay, fine... so the trek wasn't as bad as taking a Dromedary camel through the desert, but it was still a long trip none-the-less.

If you are curious about what traffic in Los Angeles is like, this is what it pretty much looked like this morning as I was heading out. Please keep in mind that this was a relatively "light" day of traffic.

Now that my father is officially out of the hospital, he can continue his recovery in the comfort of his own home.  It's always much nicer to lay on your own pillow-top mattress, then on the hospital bed/gurney.

So in summary, he went into surgery on Monday, and was out by Thursday. Not bad huh? Only 3 days of downtime! Thanks again Dr. M / Dr. K, for taking great care of my father.

**sigh** - It's been a long day...

-H.Vuong
Owner of "Fucoidan-HealthWatch"
hvuong@fucoidan-healthwatch.com


Website - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com
Twitter - @FucoidanHW

Flying Colors

After a long day at the hospital, surgery has gone by without a hitch. Post-op recovery is said to be around 3 days, so for now, we all can rest a bit easier.

Thanks "Dr. M"! --- You have definitely performed a highly skilled surgery, and based on the end results, have passed with flying colors.

Thank you all for your warm wishes and prayers.  They have all been very well received and much appreciated. Our family is grateful for all your support and love.

-H.Vuong
Owner of "Fucoidan-HealthWatch"
hvuong@fucoidan-healthwatch.com


Website - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com
Twitter - @FucoidanHW

"T" minus 3 Days...

In roughly three (3) days from now, my father will be going under the blade for his surgery.  Currently, he has two lesions on his upper left lung and the pathology report indicates the source to be the same cancer as what was discovered in his liver, well over a year ago. For his prescribed surgery, he will have the top 30% of his left lung removed during his Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS), which is sometimes also referred to as, VATS Lobectomy.

Surgeons at Cedars-Sinai hospital developed this type of procedure in 1992, in hopes of providing patients with a minimally invasive procedure that would ultimately offer a shorter hospital stay, less risk, and quicker recovery, without compromising the completeness of the cancer operation.



The Study
The surgeon who will be operating on my father, released a study showing that between 1992 and 2004, 1100 patients underwent either VATS lobectomy or pneumonectomy (removal of all pulmonary lobes from a lung in one operation) for bronchogenic carcinoma.

The study included - 595 women & 505 men, all with mean age of 71.2 years (range 39-85 years).

Method
The procedure is performed through an incision which is <2 inches, and without the need to spreading the ribs, along with 2 or 3 other small incisions. This is why, VATS is considered a minimally invasive procedure.

Findings
Of this study, some results are as follows:

• 84.7% of the patients had no postoperative complications
• 4.1% of patients required a blood transfusion
• Length of hospital stay was median of 3 days, mean of 4.78 days
• 16.4% of patiensts were discharged on post-operative day (POD) 1 or 2 (20%)
• Conversion to a regular thoracotomy occurred in only 2.5% of the patients
• <1% mortality rate

The data looks pretty good, and we are pretty hopeful that surgery will run smoothly.  My father will be cared for by one of the best surgeons in the field, who just happens to also be one of the pioneers of this procedure.

In preparation for surgery, my father's oncologist has taken him off chemotherapy for the week leading up to his surgery.  However, he is still taking Fucoidan and I'm glad to report that he is still feeling "normal".  We are all very blessed that he has remained in good spirits through this all.  See you in a few days...

-H.Vuong
Owner of "Fucoidan-HealthWatch"
hvuong@fucoidan-healthwatch.com


Website - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com
Twitter - @FucoidanHW

Getting Ready for Surgery...!!!

It has been nine (9) weeks since my father has started taking Fucoidan and five (5) weeks of taking Nexavar which is pill-form chemotherapy (Sorafenib).

This product pictured is the exact supplement that he is currently taking daily.  300mg x 150 capsules

Order some here -  www.fucoidan-healthwatch.com

My father is definitely in good spirits.  When asking how he feels, he continues to respond with - "I feel normal. No change at all." For someone who is going through chemotherapy, to feel normal is definitely a blessing and he definitely does not show signs of fatigue.  However, this does not mean that he has escaped the side effects of chemotherapy.  According to the drug manufacturer's website, the common side effects which include:

– decreased blood flow to the heart and heart attack. Get emergency help if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, feel lightheaded or faint, have nausea or vomiting, or you are sweating a lot.

– bleeding problems. Tell your doctor if you have any bleeding or easy bruising while taking NEXAVAR.

– high blood pressure. Your blood pressure should be checked every week during the first 6 weeks of starting therapy and then regularly, thereafter. If your blood pressure is high, it may need to be treated.

– a skin problem called hand-foot skin reaction. This causes redness, pain, swelling or blisters on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Your doctor may change your dose or stop treatment for a while.

– perforation of the bowel. Tell your doctor right away if you get high fever, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.

– wound healing problems. If you have a surgical or dental procedure, tell your doctor you are taking NEXAVAR. Your treatment may be stopped until after your surgery or until your wound heals.

– changes in the electrical activity of your heart called QT prolongation.

Of what is listed above, the only side effect that he has experienced is the hand-foot skin reation.  There is some drying of the hands, and feet resembling a skin rash. However, the severity of such reaction has been realively mild. In short, adding Fucoidan as a supplement to his daily diet has greatly helped him throughout his chemotherapy session.

Next step... Surgery. My father will be undergoing surgery to remove the lesions currently located in his upper left lung. The surgeon who will be operating on him is highly esteemed in the field and the procedure will be minimally invasive, Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS).


-H.Vuong
Owner of "Fucoidan-HealthWatch"
hvuong@fucoidan-healthwatch.com


Website - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com
Twitter - @FucoidanHW