Winning the Battle Against Cancer
By
Mrs. Rita Khanna
My Survival Journey Through Cancer
Introduction
I was born in Ferozepur (Punjab) in a middle-class family in 1957. My father was a businessman and my mother a housewife. I have 3 brothers & 2 sisters; one brother is elder to me and rest all siblings are younger. I did my education in Ferozepur. In 1977, I got married to an army officer Brig (then Capt) Shashi Khanna who is from the elite 9 Para Commando, now known as 9 Para SF. We are blessed with two lovely sons, Rahul & Abhishek. Rahul, our elder son, is settled in London & Abhishek is in Hyderabad. We are settled in Secunderabad as my husband’s last posting as a Deputy GOC was from this place. When both my children had settled down in their professional lives, I got totally free. I felt it to be the best time for me to start my own career. I was already qualified in Yoga. While my husband was in service, I used to go to Formation/Unit Welfare Centers to provide Adult Education to Jawan’s families and teach them Stitching etc. There I used to teach them Yoga too. This was like social service for me and by teaching them I was also honing my skills as an instructor for Yoga. I also started teaching my friends in my spare time. I continued like this for many years. I had been introduced to Yoga in 1983 by Swami Adhaytamanandaji. That time Yoga was not very popular. People were not aware of it unlike today. It had been my hidden desire since then to take up Yoga as a career. I felt that this was one profession which would keep you & your students healthy. I visualized that I have to be fully qualified before I start teaching Yoga professionally. So, in the year 2005 I went to Swami Adhaytamanandaji and stayed there in his Ashram and did my Teacher’s Training under his dynamic guidance and came back as a confident Yoga teacher. In 2004 after the retirement of my husband, I had done some planning and had established a place for my Yoga Centre in Secunderabad which became fully functional on my return from Swamiji’s Ashram. For the next 15 years or so I have taught Yoga to thousands of people & I can say with conviction that both me and my students were immensely satisfied in our interactions. Life was going on very smoothly and comfortably till I got the shock of my life in the form Lymphoma,a cancer of the lymphatic system.
The Challenge
Upheaval in my life started in the month of July 2019 with ordinary cough. I thought it to be normal and expected that it would be controlled in a few days. I didn’t take it seriously. I tried some Kada etc at home, but it continued. It was not troubling me much as there was no disruption in my daily routine. But the intensity started getting severer and it started troubling me more. That is when my husband & self-decided to consult a Doctor. We visited military hospital for checkup. Doctor opined it to be a normal seasonal cough and felt that there was nothing to worry about. He gave me medicine for 5 days. After 5 days also, I could not get any relief. We went to him again. He said that it takes time to go & same medicine was prescribed again for 5 more days. He didn’t suggest any X-ray or any other tests. When there was no relief at all after 10 days, we decided to go to a civil Doctor. He did my checkup & said everything was fine and gave medicine for 10 days. We asked him if there was any need for X-ray, he felt no need for the same. We were quite satisfied after meeting him. During the course of his medicine, I found some changes in the size of my stomach. It became quite big & out of shape. It didn’t strike us then that it was time that we should go to the Doctor & tell him about it. Instead, we went to a Homeopath. We tried his medicine for about two weeks but did not get any relief. During my telephone conversations with my sisters & brothers, I could not talk properly because of my cough. They also started getting worried. I started getting a feeling that something was abnormal about this cough. Time was passing and so also my cough was increasing. I started feeling fatigue & night sweat. There was time I could not sleep during many nights due to this cough. But I could still continue teaching Yoga. But slowly my condition started getting worsened and now for me it was becoming difficult to walk also. While walking a few steps I used to have bad cough.
In this process two more months had elapsed & my condition had gone from bad to worse. My heart beat and pulse rate had gone very high and virtually throughout day and night. As I said earlier that my cough started in the month of July and now it was the month of September. I discussed with my husband that we must have a thorough check up from some good hospital or we should go to my sister’s place in Faridkot. Faridkot came to my mind because both her sons are experienced doctors. Another factor was that I would have received personal touch and care. I talked to my sister about my worsened condition. She discussed with her son Sumit who promptly called me and insisted that I should reach him soon. He was very confident that he would cure me very quickly. Since I was suffering badly, this message from Sumit seemed like God sent. It is very difficult to reconcile that one is not well and for such a long time. More so when one has been leading a healthy life & also which had been an inspiration to others. So, within 2 days we were in Faridkot. I was also relaxed mentally by thinking that now I will recover fast. We reached Faridkot late in the evening of 19 Sep 2019. That evening Sumit did my normal checkup & suggested for an X-ray. He said after the X-ray report we start the treatment. He was very surprised to know that so far, no Doctor in Hyderabad had suggested an X-ray for me.
Next morning, we had the X-ray done. He was not satisfied to see the X-ray report. To rule out the doubts, he suggested we should go for MRI. Same day we went for MRI & then still he was not satisfied to see the MRI report because he noticed some fluid near the lungs & that was not a good sign. Now he was getting worried but he didn’t indicate this to us. Then same evening we went for an ultra sound. That report was also not clear. There they took some fluid samples from my body & sent the test report to Ludhiana, Mumbai etc to get further clarity. The reports from these places ruled out malignancy. We felt relaxed. In the meanwhile, Sumit had started my treatment but his mind was still doubtful because of the fluid in the stomach. There is another test called Contrast MRI. Sumit felt that we’ll get further clarity with this test. This test was also done but as soon as it got completed, I got a very bad reaction to the liquid that was injected in my body. It could have been fatal but I survived due to timely procedures. That test report also could not confirm about malignancy. All this while my condition was deteriorating gradually. After few days one more problem cropped up. My back started painting badly. Pain was unbearable. To relive pain, we started going to physiotherapist. We went for 5-7 sittings but found no improvement. There was no improvement in my condition. Actually, it was getting more unstable. It was then decided that we should get back to Hyderabad & get the biopsy done. We were staying in Faridkot for about a month. For reliable biopsy, Ludhiana and Chandigarh were nearest places but Hyderabad was considered more convenient.
It was on 15 Oct that we flew back to Hyderabad. For me Faridkot to Hyderabad journey was very tough because of my bad condition. I could not walk properly because my body had become very weak. I had to use wheelchair at the airports. Somehow, we reached Hyderabad. My younger son, Abhishek, had come to pick us up. We had already decided that till the time I recover, we should stay with him. We discussed with Abhishek and decided to visit a doctor in a day or so. But that night itself my condition became unbearable. I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. Somehow, I managed to pull through in the night which seemed like eternity. In the morning I told my husband that I need to see the Doctor earliest. My son had taken an appointment with the Doctor and my husband, my son & my daughter in law all came along with me. We met the Doctor who immediately checked up my BP & pulse rate etc. Because of my bad condition my BP & pulse rate were not normal. He gave some medicine & asked me to sleep over there only. But I couldn’t sleep. May be because of tiredness or restlessness. Then he sent us to Yashoda hospital for further treatment.
In, Yashoda Hospital an ECG & ECHO test was done immediately. Luckily that test reports were normal. Some more tests were done to check body parameters. They must have got some inkling and handed over my case to Dr Nikhil, the Oncologist at Yashoda Cancer Institute. All the previous test reports that were done in Faridkot were shown to Dr. Nikhil. He opined that I required immediate admission. Immediately they started my treatment. A surgical biopsy of a lymph node was done the next day. Same day whole body Petscan was also done. The pathology report came in after 2 days with the diagnosis of Lymphoma. It is a cancer of the lymphatic system, that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. This report and the Petscan confirmed that I was in real bad shape. The cancer had spread to other parts of my body also like lungs, bone marrow, possibly due to delayed diagnosis and proper treatment. I was in the 4th stage.
Looking at the gravity of the disease, my treatment started with the highest dose of chemotherapy. They started with baby chemo dose. They wanted to check as to how my body responds to the treatment. Dr Nikhil suggested 6 cycles of chemotherapy with a gap of 3 weeks within each lasting for approx five months. After two weeks of baby chemo, we went for the first major chemotherapy session in 1st week Nov. My chemo treatments were on a three-week schedule and I felt that I was able to manage them very well by following good dietary guidelines and exercising as much as possible. All my chemo sessions were of very long duration. We used to go to hospital at 9 in the morning & used to come back around 9 PM. It was a ‘day care only’ procedure. I would barely recover from the previous chemotherapy side-effects that the next cycle would start. Those were really painful months. My husband had dedicated himself totally to my care. After my second session of chemotherapy, my hair started falling. I shaved my head completely after 3 cycles of chemotherapy. The side effects of chemotherapy set in gradually. I could not digest properly. My weight fell from 62 kg to 56 kg. It was a real struggle to do mundane activities like getting in and out of bed, shower, put on clothing etc. I couldn’t even eat on my own. Hajira, my daughter in law, used to feed me. Major side effects were fatigue, diarrhea, nausea and constipation. I have always been a very positive person, and this attitude of mine did not change during the illness. Even during the chemotherapy phase, I was carrying out all my yoga routine. It helped me to keep things as normal as possible. And my biggest motivators have been my husband & our children.
After 3 cycles of chemotherapy in 1st week Jan 2020, another Petscan was conducted to know the improvement as also to decide on further treatment. The report showed quantum improvement and a very positive response to treatment. We all were thrilled to the core. It was the remission stage. It was not less than a miracle to us. We got emotional & cried. Next day was my birthday & I already had got the best gift of my life— second life. Dr. Nikhil himself was very happy with the improvement but he suggested that we must finish the treatment with another 3chemo sessions. He felt that since the tumor had been more than 10 cms, at the end of chemo treatment, I must undergo minimum sessions of radiotherapy also. Although the next 3 sessions of chemotherapy led to increased weakness, loss of appetite and numbness in hands and feet, I kept my morale high with sustained will power. Post the 6 cycles of chemotherapy, I underwent radiotherapy for 15 days. I realised the importance of continuity of treatment and I totally followed the Dr’s advice. We trusted the medical team without an iota of doubt. Dr Nikhil is an excellent oncologist in Yashoda hospital. Trusting your doctors and having faith in them is a must for a better outcome. During my last week of radiation, things became unbearably painful and I was in a lot of discomfort. I had lots of side effects like stomach upset, sleepless nights etc. I found radiation tougher than chemo. With God’s grace and my mental resilience, I completed these sessions also. I continued to stay positive throughout and this I think was the major reason for my miraculous recovery. I, now, firmly believe that one’s mental state plays a huge part in fighting a life-threatening disease like cancer. Finally, the treatment got over on 20 March 2020. In Jul i.e 3 months post the treatment we again went for a follow up visit along with the latest Petscan. The scan, post the chemotherapy, revealed that the cancer had gone away and only the left-over traces were visible. Another quantum leap in recovery since Jan.
Family Support
Family support and good medical treatment are the two most important factors for any cancer patient. My husband was my biggest strength during those tough times. Besides lifting my morale, he took care of all my needs in greatest of detail and wanted me to just focus on becoming healthy. Both my sons Rahul & Abhishek & their families were and have been my pillars of strength. It was a very emotional and trying time for the family. Haj’s family, my friends, my brothers & sisters were also my big strengths during those tough times. Once your caretakers are your own loved ones, then this journey to recovery becomes smooth and comfortable.
Follow up
Now follow up routine is still going on. After every 6 months we visit Dr. Nikhil. The doctor actually plays the role of God. With his skill, he can save your life. I have the highest regard for Dr. Nikhil. Every year we are going for Petscan. By God’s grace everything is normal now. I am still on the path of recovery. I still get shivers down my spine when I think of those times but I am happy that it is all behind me and I am healthy now. Its been more almost 2 years since my treatment got over. I have grown much more mentally and spiritually. I am living a healthier life. I do yoga, pranayama, meditation for more than 2 hours in the morning regularly. I do walk for one hour every day, do cycling, during summers I do swimming, do read spiritual books. I eat healthy & follow an alkaline diet. Life after cancer is bright, beautiful and healthy.
Message- Just look at me and know that there is hope
Have faith in God and your own self.
Thought- I wanted to live. That was the only thought in my mind and I focused on that.
My Advice
Be positive. There is life beyond cancer. Focus on that
Early detection will help you get quick diagnosis. Immediately consult a specialist if you notice that something is wrong with your body. Ground rule: Early & timely treatment = better outcome
Make health a priority. Go for regular checkups, trust your doctor and confide in him. Most importantly, don’t go for alternative treatments while your chemotherapy is on. Religiously follow your doctor’s advice.
Derive the power of positivity from any source – whether it’s the Almighty, others, stories, books, music or your family. But find a purpose.
Have faith in your doctors and your treatment plan. Religiously follow your doctor’s advice.
Be active. Be strong.
