| Health Mail Vol.2 Issue 5 | Title : A Diary - Part 1 | 1/1 |
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Our daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in April this year (2001). She started to suffer from intermittent bouts of tiredness, low fever (never higher then 38.1C (101F) and vomiting. Our GP (family doctor) suspected a stomach bug then a kidney infection and prescribed antibiotics (Septrin) accordingly. We ourselves did not suspect anything more serious and were looking at various homeopathic and herbal remedies to give. It was a visiting relative, a surgeon, who upon examining Devika at home noticed that not only were the kidneys enlarged, but that the spleen was enlarged as well. He recommended that we get our GP to request an ultrasound. From there on things moved fast. We ended up at the Royal Marsden Hospital via the haematology unit at St Mary's Hospital in London. Once the appropriate diagnosis was done treatment started as quickly as possible. To state that we went on an emotional roller coaster is an understatement. Coping with your precious little one going from being “under the weather” to having leukaemia over a 3 week period was tough. All the uncertainty, the severity of the treatment, having to update worried relatives and friends didn't make it any easier. But it has also been a very educational experience. The research into leukaemia is well founded and coordinated on an international level with e.g. groups in Scandinavia, Germany, UK and the USA comparing progress. The research also covers long-term monitoring of relapse and side effects (10 years or more). This focused research also includes productive drug trials and treatment centres have been able to fine-tune their protocols to avoid as many side effects as possible. What was most reassuring for us was (and is) the quality of support at the 2 hospitals caring for our daughter (The Royal Marsden has overall responsibility for the treatment, with St Mary's Hospital in London providing local care). The teams work with a very positive attitude and give the confidence that they know what they are doing and that they care. Social workers, physiotherapists, teachers and community nurses also form part of the teams. What the family encountered was a model case of how a health system should work. In the next part of our diary, we'll be writing about why we chose conventional therapy.
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