In a Match But Not Stupid

Request a pick-up

"Raka-raka." I was surprised by Raka's sudden arrival.

"This is my jacket, let him wear my jacket" Raka took off her jacket.

"Come to the fast car." Raka took me to the car quickly.

"Raka, please bring Vina's groceries," I handed her 1 large bag of crackles, and Raka grabbed her.

"You're so hard, you know not!" said it.

I glanced at Dimas who was looking at me.

"Dimas thanks for the tissue, I went home first" I said goodbye to Dimas.

"Yes Vin, I hope we can see you again" she replied smiling at me.

"You want to go home, don't you? if not, I stay, yes" Raka stared intently at me.

I swallowed my saliva, with great difficulty. Then approached Raka who was carrying an umbrella.

We walked to the car, where the car was parked not far away.

In the car

"Raka," I said to Raka.

"Hm.." stingy said

"Thank you, you picked up Vina" I smiled at her.

"What a PD! I just went through around here. So look at you sitting there, kasian there is also an ugly girl there, afraid of being bullied by om-om. Especially afraid of aunt Dira waiting for you."

"Can not Raka, if you say do not hurt people's hearts," I said teary-eyed, Alhamdulillah's nose is better.

"You're the only one I HURT" he said clearly without burden.

I just stared at Raka for a glance, then stared blankly ahead.

On the way, no one spoke of either of us. It was silent, quiet, and just the sound of rain and the roar of the car at this moment.

Raka's words are the same as they were a few years ago, which I heard from the mouths of my schoolmates.

Not felt, Raka's car was parked in front of the house.

My mom was waiting for me there.

I came down with my groceries.

"Vina you're not pa-pa, are you?" ask mama to worry about me.

"Vina is not pa-pa ma" I replied.

I saw Raka coming down to my mom, kissing the back of my hand.

"Son Raka, thank you for taking Vina home" said Mama to Raka.

"Yes aunty, together, Raka went home first it was night," said Raka.

"Don't go in first, son?" mama brought raka in.

"Other times aunty, assalamu'alaikum"

"Wa'alaikum greetings," answered me and mama saw his departure.

After Raka's car moved away from the view, my mother and I entered the house.

"You okay, Vin? still a nosebleed?" ask mama.

"Udah is no longer afraid, ma" I replied to my mother.

"Fear, what the doctor said first."

the flashback

"D, does my child have a serious illness?" ask mama.

"I have not confirmed it is true or not buk, because my initial examination shows that the mother's child has leukemia" said the doctor.

"Cancer of blood-forming tissue that inhibits the body's ability to fight infection.

Leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming tissue, including bone marrow. There are many types, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia."

Fever and chills.

The body feels tired and fatigue does not disappear even though it has rested.

Weight loss drastically.

Anemia symptoms.

Red spots on the skin.

Nosebleeds.

Body bruises easily.

Excessive dryness (especially at night).

Easily exposed to infection.

A lump in the neck due to swollen lymph nodes.

The stomach feels uncomfortable due to liver organs and swollen spleen.

More severe symptoms can be experienced by patients if cancer cells clog the blood vessels of certain organs. Symptoms that can appear include:

A really bad headache

Nausea and vomiting

Muscles lose control

Bone pain

Absentminded

Convulsions

When to go to the doctor

Immediately consult a doctor if symptoms appear, such as recurrent and prolonged fever or nosebleeds. Leukemia symptoms often resemble symptoms of other infectious diseases, such as the flu. Examination needs to be done to detect the possibility of early cancer and prevent the development of the disease.

"Treatment of leukemia takes a long time. Routinely consult a doctor during treatment, even until completion of treatment. This is done so that the development of the disease is always monitored by a doctor" said the doctor again

Leukemia is caused by abnormalities of white blood cells in the body and grows uncontrollably. There is no known cause of the changes, but some of the following factors are thought to increase the risk of developing leukemia. The risk factors in question include:

Have a family member who has had leukemia.

Genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome.

Suffering from blood disorders, such as myelodisplasia syndrome.

Have a smoking habit.

Have had cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Work in environments exposed to chemicals, such as benzene.

Types of Leukemia

Leukemia can be chronic and acute. In chronic leukemia, cancer cells develop slowly and the initial symptoms that appear are usually very mild. While in acute leukemia, the development of cancer cells occurs very quickly and symptoms that appear can worsen in a short time. Acute leukemia is more dangerous than chronic leukemia.

Based on the type of white blood cells involved, leukemia is divided into four main types, namely:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) occurs when the bone marrow produces too many immature white blood cells or lymphoblasts.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) occurs when the bone marrow produces too many abnormal lymphocytes and slowly causes cancer.

Acute myeloblastic leukemia

Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) or acute myeloblastic leukemia occurs when the bone marrow produces too many immature myeloid cells or myeloblasts.

Chronic myelocytic leukemia

Chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) or chronic myelocytic leukemia occurs when the bone marrow is unable to produce mature myeloid cells.

In addition to the four types of leukemia, there are several other types of leukemia that rarely occur, including:

Hair cell leukemia (hairy cell leukemia).

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (chronic myelomonocytic leukemia).

Acute promielocytic leukemia (promyelocytic acute leukemia).

Large granular lymphocytic leukemia (large granular lymphocytic leukemia).

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, a type of myelomonocytic leukemia that affects children under the age of 6 years.

Leukemia Diagnosis

The doctor will ask the symptoms experienced by the patient and do a physical examination. Through a physical examination, the doctor can detect signs of leukemia that appear, such as bruises on the skin, pale skin due to anemia, as well as swollen lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.

However, the diagnosis of leukemia cannot be confirmed only by a physical examination. Therefore, the doctor will do a follow-up examination to confirm the diagnosis and the type of leukemia experienced by the patient. Types of examinations performed, including:

Blood test

A complete blood count test is done to determine the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Doctors can suspect patients have leukemia if the number of red blood cells or platelets is low and the shape of blood cells is not normal.

Bone marrow aspiration

The bone marrow aspiration procedure is done through sampling spinal cord tissue from the hip bone using long and thin needles. These samples are then examined in the laboratory to detect cancer cells.

In addition to the above diagnostic tests, the doctor will also perform another follow-up examination to check for organ abnormalities due to leukemia. The types of tests that can be done are:

Scanning tests, such as ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI.

Lumbar puncture.

Liver function test.

Spleen biopsy.

Leukemia Treatment

Oncology hematology specialists (blood and cancer specialists) will determine the type of treatment carried out based on the type of leukemia and the patient's overall condition. Here are some treatment methods to treat leukemia:

Chemotherapy, a method of treatment using drugs to kill cancer cells. The drug can take the form of tablets or intravenous injections.

Immune therapy or immunotherapy, which is the provision of drugs to improve the immune system and help the body fight cancer cells. Types of drugs used, such as interferon.

Targeted therapy, which is the use of drugs to inhibit the production of proteins that cancer cells use to develop. Examples of types of drugs that can be used are protein kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib.

Radiotherapy is a treatment method to destroy and stop the growth of cancer cells by using high-power radiation beams.

Bone marrow transplant, which is a procedure to replace damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow.

Sometimes, surgical procedures are also performed to remove the enlarged spleen (splenectomy) organ. Enlarged spleen organs can worsen the symptoms of leukemia experienced by sufferers.

Complications of Leukemia

Leukemia can cause complications if treatment is not done immediately. Some complications that can occur are:

Bleeding in organs, such as the brain or lungs.

The body is prone to infection.

Risk of other types of blood cancer, such as lymphoma.

Complications can also occur due to treatment measures taken. Here are some complications from leukemia treatment:

Graft versus host disease, a complication of a bone marrow transplant.

Hemolytic anemia.

Tumor lysis syndrome (tumor lysis syndrome).

Disorders of kidney function.

Infertility.

Cancer cells reappear after treatment.

Children with leukemia are also at risk of complications due to treatment. Types of complications that can occur include central nervous system disorders, growth and development disorders, and cataracts.

The doctor's explanation was clear and solid, me and my mom just heard the mangosteen.

Because it's just a physical exam, not necessarily what the doctor calls it, and what I'm experiencing are the hallmarks of leukemia.

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