Day 12 - back on the move...

June 25 (Day 12 of Cycle 4)

I am back on my feet again. This morning I did double rounds of the established walking circuit around my area and was puffing away like a dragon (?) by the time I reached my front gate. But I felt good. Soon, I should be able to build up my stamina again and join that joyful group on their Bukit Kiara rounds. I used to be able to do a few rounds of that just not too long ago but coping with chemo somewhat affected my physical and on certain days even my mental strength.


As I am not being supported by boosters to recharge my system and blood for the next chemo on July 5, I have to make doubly sure that I get enough physical exercise, follow a proper diet that will support that mission and enjoy a proper rest and try to avoid negative stress or any triggers to negative stress. Living in KL, a city with bloodcurdling traffic jams and cafes and restaurants with every possible eats under the sun, it requires a lot of restraint. So I make it a point that even if I am out on the move, I will try to eat least one proper meal at home and while on the move, to eat only cooked dishes with adequate vegetables and proteins. And continue with plenty of fresh fruits and nutty nibbles. I am quite excited and hopeful to see a good outcome sans booster. Insya Allah.


A typical good and proper diet for me this time would be something like this:
Upon waking up, a glass of pure water (Zam Zam if in supply ), and a spoonful of Manuka honey - before washing my mouth. After solat, a brisk morning walk around the entire housing area, and back to a freshly prepared breakfast of 2 soft boiled eggs with 1 or 2 pieces of wholemeal toasts. Fresh fruit of choice would follow with a mug of Horlicks. Centrum multivite and fish oil tablet would follow.


Lunch would be usually a scoop of rice with a meat (beef, liver, fish or chicken) dish and a vegetable dish(bayam, kacang botol, pucuk paku(midin), brocolli, carrot, sawi, choy sum, water cress, pumpkin, cauliflower, peria). Followed by fresh fruit of choice and I would drink home-made beef stock from beef bones stewed with chinese red dates.


Tea - time of weakness actually. I could pick up some kuehs from wherever I was coming from and this could range from bubur kacang to currypuffs. My guilt would be washed over with green tea and more fresh fruits and nuts.

Dinner would be similar to lunch in terms of the food types but we will make an effort to freshly prepare dinner dishes instead of cooking extra helpings at lunch time. I might as well test out my new helper's culinary skills and have freshly prepared food and not reheated lunch left overs.


Do I crave for sambals, curries and laksa? YEEESSS! But common sense prevails and it is just for another month or so that I need to restraint my taste buds. They have really gone haywire and melons which are sweet to others are sour or bitter to me.



I am also taking advantage of these good moments pre-next chemo to catch up on the things that I would be doing otherwise. I had enrolled and signed up on a couple of personal projects to enhance my skills and knowlege in activities that are near and dear to my heart. All shelved but I must try to catch up slowly so that by the time chemo is history, Insya Allah, I can slip back into a productive routine. Human nature is such that we get used to things so easily that sometimes getting out of a set pattern is rather difficult.


The bloaty feeling has somewhat lessened but the thrombo arm is still bugging me. I am now wondering if the lab will be able to draw blood painlessly on July 3, ( to determine if booster is required for July 5 chemo) and again on July 5 (which is the routine blood test done on the same morning as the chemo). It is a lovely coincidence that 5th chemo is on July 5. And again very coincidental that if I were somehow to get admitted on July 5 in case the 5th cycle is difficult, then I will be spending my birthday the next morning, waking up to breakfast in hospital...!?!


I spent most of the day going around town to keep up on promises made and to check out on a couple of things at my own leisure. I am so thankful yet again that those down moments last week had bit vanished and I am feeling so much better. My sister and niece will be spending their summer vacation in KL while nephew and Dad will be doing some man stuff in Europe. I am thinking that by the time I am done with my last chemo on July 27, I might want to go somewhere nice with them and Ijan my brother just to chill out and recharge before facing 25 daily doses of radiation. We are looking at places in Asia that we could explore and discover.


This coming weekend, Insya Allah , if the plan works out, I will be in Melaka to see my dad and babies. I am giving away my antique Acer desktop (1995 model which used to cost RM7999, okay 8 thousand) to my friend's young son and the condition is his mother will drive me to Melaka to collect it personally!! It is still in good working order though very bulky and imposing, and all they need to do is upgrade the memory in the hardisk. I look forward to show my dad that I have coped so far and he need not worry about me. It will be nice to go to that Ikan Bakar place at Cheng Heights and fish around for freshly hauled fish at Pantai Kundur to bring to KL to stock up my freezer.


My nephew and nieces from Shah Alam will be coming for dinner one of these evenings with their family. When they see me next I would be back to my normal self and not the limp lettuce that was on the phone with them last week telling them that she was to tired and weak to receive visitors.