Bubur Gastric.....

May 30 (Day 7 of Cycle 3)

Scene 1, Act 1:

At home, I was grovelling in pain. I woke up at 4 am with a fresh wave of nausea and spasms in my tummy. And burping too loudly for 4 am in the morning.

Kakak: Adek, masih sakit ke? Kakak buat air halia lagi, ya?

Me: Ok, aduuh....macam ni hari ni saya mesti jumpa doctor.

Kakak: Pergi lah, ambil ubat. Mungkin kurang sakit nya nanti.

Me: Tapi saya takut doctor marah nanti kalau dia tahu saya makan laksa hari tu.

Kakak: Adek mesti beritahu, jangan bohong, nanti di beri salah ubat.

Me: Ok, Ok lah....nak marah marah lah.

Scene 2 , Act 1

At the Medical Center. I was contorted in pain in the Onco Reception waiting for my turn, and burping every few seconds. A big crowd today but everyone else looked sickly as well, except they were all politely silent.

Nurse at Reception: You still have gastric since that day , is it?

Me: Ya, lah. It comes and go. It is back this morning.

Nurse from Chemo Ward: Kak Azmi ada booster ke today?

Me: No, sakit gastric.

Nurse: Oh, don't worry , nanti doctor kasi Nexium.

Me: Nexium tu apa?

Nurse: For gastric .

Me: Can I get take some first while waiting for my turn?

Nurse: Hmm, doctor has to see you first.

Scene 3 , Act 1

In Doctor's office

90 minutes of pain disguised with strained smile to whomever passed by. Finally, my name was called.

Onco: Morning, how are you?

Me: "Morning, Dr, I am not fine....I haven't been fine since this morning...

Onco: What's wrong?

Me: Tummy cramps, very sharp and persistent. Nausea.

Onco: Nausea? Still? Cramps where exactly? Come, let me examine you.

Onco/Nurse/Me moved to he examination area. Onco examined and pressed tummy and below ribcage ( very hard, bloated and full of air). I burped. Many times and very freely and loudly.

Me: Ooops,sorry, doctor. Angin.

Onco: Hmm, I think it is gastric. Let's get back to the table.

Onco: When did this start?

Me: Since Sunday and has continued on and off since then.

Onco: Hmm, you had your Chemo when - Thursday?

Me: Yes....

Onco: Hmm, you are still nauseous since Thursday?

Me: I was quite okay until Sunday.

Onco: Have you been eating well?

Me: Errr...(pause and look around at pictures and floral baskets on the shelves in Onco's room)....yes but last night and today no appetite pulak.

Onco: What have you been eating? Anything spicy?

Me: Errr ...( now really don't know where else to look, so look at Onco's face)...

.....not too spicy...just to work up an appetite...

Onco: What did you eat? Kari?

Me: Yes, kari a bit....and (trying to mumble through this)...assam laksa...(whisper)

Onco: What, Assam Laksa? When?

Me: On Sunday.....but it wasn't too spicy, masam sikit aje.

Onco: ...Hmm, when will I be seeing you next? In 2 weeks? Okay...no assam laksa, no sambal, no chilli, no spicy food until then and we will see what happens. In the meantime, I am giving you Nexium daily for 2 weeks every morning and during the day Liquid Gaviscon. Make sure at least 1 hr interval after Nexium, before you take Gaviscon...okay, you have to jaga makan sikit.

Me: No spicy, no chilli, no sambal, no laksa....what can I eat, doctor?

Onco: Porridge.

Scene 4, Act 1

I got home with some beef to be turned into porridge. Stewed the beef slowly so that all the goodness seeped out into the broth. Kakak came in at about 6.30pm

Kakak: Sudah dapat ubat , Adek? Doktor cakap apa?

Me: Sudah, dua jenis. Mahal. Pasal Laksa 2 ringgit ubat beratus .....Gastric

Kakak: Itu lah, kalau doctor suruh pantang memang elok pantang. Hari ini nak makan apa?

Me: Bubur.

Kakak: Boleh lalu makan bubur?

Me: Boleh....saya nak baik cepat. Esok nak balik kampung. Nanti saya ajar buat bubur segera.

An hour later, my friend who dropped by when the bubur was brewing and Kakak was stirring away, exclaimed that something smells delicious in the kitchen.

Friend: Sedapnye.....Bubur apa ni, macam mana Kakak buat?

Me: My recipe....ini bubur Gastric. ......saute garlic, shallot, ginger, black pepper. Add cubed beef and cubed potatoes. Add salt. Add washed rice, add beef broth and brew until mushy. Serve with steamed vegetables (carrots, brocolli, peas). Absolutely no chillis. Yummy and easy on the tummy.

p.s-saving bubur lambuk for special occasions when more people can enjoy the labour of love and the 1001 ingredients.

This about "summed" up the day in between running errands that need to be done before June 3 in KL and solving the mystery of the burps and bumps in my tummy and digestive tract. Despite cramps was zooming about in Bangsar area and scaring the living daylights out of some people who saw me squirming in the supermarket aisles so much so, one person helped to push my trolley to the car and unloaded the stuff into my trunk. Chivalry is very much alive too.....I almost tipped the fella....

The medication hasn't taken effect yet, and at time of writing am still feeling bloated and still experiencing spasms in my tummy. Hopefully by tomorrow morning the Bubur Gastric and Nexium will show results....