Cancer Hospital in Gurgaon

Headaches are common, especially in today’s stressful work life. But how to know you need the help of a neurologist? Well, the following are headaches signs that indicate a neurological problem:

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Spinal Cord – back bone in layman’s language – is the most important part of the human body. It is a long thin structure, which is made up of nervous tissues. The nerves present in the spinal cord carries incoming and outgoing messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

Any injury to the spinal cord results in loss of function. The damage to the spinal cord may occur due to trauma, accident, fall or even a gunshot. One must seek immediate medical help if he/she experiences:

• Extreme pressure or pain in the neck, head or back
• Loss of sensation or tingling in hands, feet, toes or fingers
• Partial or complete loss of control over any part of the body
• Urinary urgency or retention
• Abnormal pressure in the thorax
• Impaired breathing after trauma

If you experience any of these symptoms, you must visit and consult your regular or primary care doctor to diagnose or evaluate the problem for further treatment.

Evaluation:

Radiological diagnoses, which may include various types of X-Rays, CT scans or MRI, help locate the injury in the spinal cord.     

Referrals:

Family doctors or general surgeon usually refer the patient to the neurosurgeon after the evaluation based on the patient’s condition. The patient may even talk to a family member or friends, who have experienced such an issue in the past, to find an experienced neurosurgeon. Search on the web about the doctor and hospital where he works. His credentials and experience need to be verified. After finalizing the neurosurgeon for the treatment, the patient needs to fix an appointment with the doctor.

Experience of the neurosurgeon:

This is the most important aspect to consider when finalizing a spine surgeon in Gurgaon to treat a neurological problem. The success of the treatment and speedy recovery of the patient depend on the experience of the neurosurgeon.

Hospital:

You must look for a good hospital with all the modern medical equipment. Besides, the hospital staff should be friendly and experienced to ensure quick recovery after surgery. Thus, search online for the top hospital with a renowned neurosurgeon for your treatment.

You should make a list based on the online survey and thus, select the best one. The rating of the hospital is an important factor, as patients are likely to get effective treatment there. Good nursing care is also crucial, as a patient has to go through an extended treatment and recovery period.

Neurosurgeon’s Accessibility:

Apart from the experience, the doctor who operates on the patient should be calm and composed. He needs to be readily available in case of urgency and must pay complete attention in the patient and treatment plan. Neurosurgery is a very complex surgery, so it requires proper study and patient analysis. One wrong step may lead to a big failure. The surgeon’s decision about which procedure should be done for the benefit of the patient is of prime importance.

Patient Review surveys:

Patient’s reviews on the web about the doctor provide an insight into the experience and practise of the doctor. The patient-doctor relationship is depicted in these reviews and they are a big help for the patient and his/her family.

Treatment cost: Though there is no uniform treatment cost for neurosurgery in India, it may range from INR 2 to 10 lakhs depending on the complexity of the treatment and condition of the patient.

When bone marrow cells are diseased, damaged or wiped out, Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) comes to the picture. It’s a medical procedure involving an infusion of healthy blood stem cells into the bone marrow via an IV line. The newly introduced cells multiply rapidly to generate fresh bone marrow capable of developing RBCs, WBCs and blood platelets. RBCs transport oxygen throughout the body, WBCs provide defence against diseases while platelets ensure clot formation. Infection and chemotherapy are the prime causes of bone marrow damage.

Why BMT works?

Besides other types of cells, the bone marrow is home to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These are immature, fast replicating and unspecialized cells that can transform into RBCs, WBCs and platelets upon maturation. The fresh stem cellsintroduced into the bone marrow via bone marrow transplant surgery can generate enough blood cells to ensure oxygen transportation across the body and counter infections and bleeding disorders for the patient’s entire lifespan.

Collection of donor cells:  

The to-be-transplanted stem cells are either derived from the patient’s own body or a donor, preferably parents or siblings. Two procedures are employed to obtain donor cells.  

1. Bone Marrow Harvest (BMH): The stem cells are extracted from the donor’s hip bones via minor surgery. The amount extracted is subject to the recipient’s weight.

1. Leukapheresis: A certain amount of blood is taken out of the donor’s body, and WBCs comprising stem cells are separated while the RBCs are re-injected into the donor’s body. The WBCs are gathered and stored in a machine for transplantation.   

For patients with malignancies, the stem cells are harvested or cultured before chemotherapy.  

What to expect?

Bone marrow transplant surgery is a lifesaver but may expose the patient to various implications, some serious while some less so. The complications arise due to several factors, including the patient’s age, health status, type of BMT and condition for which BMT is provided.  

1. General Symptoms:

• Dipping blood pressure
• Chills and fever
• Headache and queasiness
• Mild to severe pain
• Breathing issues 

1. Serious Complications:

• Damage to liver, kidney, heart and other key organs
• GVHD, a serious condition characterized by the attack mounted by donor cells on the graft failure. It’s caused by the non-production of fresh cells by the newly infused stem cells.  
• Mucositis, a condition where mouth and throat experience inflammation
• Untimely menopause in females
• Anaemia, cataract and bleeding in key organs, including brain and kidneys. 

The risks can be mitigated to an extent if the patient:

• is young
• receives stem cells from blood relatives
• carries no other critical condition other than what he/she is being treated for

Recovery: The medical facility will be monitoring the patient for about a month for a safe and speedy recovery. The patient’s WBC count is checked regularly. Any rise in WBC count means the transplanted stem cells are working right. Complete recovery may take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on the condition, donor match and other key factors.

Bone marrow is a permanent fixture in some of your bones, especially those in the hip and thigh. It’s essentially a fatty tissue responsible for developing and storing RBCs, WBCs and blood platelets. When bone marrow malfunctions due to disease or chemotherapy, the oxygen supply is restricted, immunity compromised and blood clotting impaired. The situation calls for Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), a therapeutic strategy for restoring the bone marrow function.

Continue reading “All there is to know about Bone Marrow Transplant” →

Head and neck cancer refers to a group of malignancies present in the nose, mouth, pharynx, larynx or sinuses. The condition has a higher occurrence rate in Asia with the region accounting for 57.5% of all cases globally. In India, about 80% of head and neck cancer presentations are in advanced stage opposed to 40% in the developed nations. Here, lack of awareness and low accessibility to healthcare is the prime culprit. The numbers are gradually declining, though.

Continue reading “Head and Neck Cancers: Things You Need to Know” →

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