Day 9 - A pleasant "surprise"?

June 22 (Day 9 of Cycle 4)

I was at the Medical Center by 8.30 am to get my interim blood count done and to get my new helper to have her medical check up run all over again, at the same medical center. For RM 180 I get them to run a 50 point check on her blood profile, chest xray, ECG,Urine and Physical Examination with a review with a doctor when the results are out in 5 day's time. I just wanted to rule out the contagious and infectious diseases which are not obvious, like TB and Hepatitis. I hope it will be a confirmatory all clear of earlier tests taken. I have heard of a number of horror stories where the maids were supposedly healthy and later found suffering from TB ( which doesn't happen overnight or in a a few months either) and worse, being pregnant!


As for my own tests and reviews that day, things seem to go wrong or right, depending on how I wish to look at it. First of all, we had a problem trying to get my blood sample as my veins were buried within the puffiness of my forearm. When we found one, the nurse was struggling to position the needle in order to suck blood out of me, and when she did , it was slow and painful. It seems the flow was slow. I refuse to let my mind indulge in that thought as already I was fast-forwarding to what it might be like for cycle chemo#5.


Then, I had to wait a l-o-n-g time to see the Onco even though the blood results were out an hour later. That was fine with me as Vik my helper was being tested for all her tests and will take a couple of hours before she is done. It was very kind of the folks at the Pathlab counter to help with the logistics as I was't able to take her around. There was a crowd and my regular Onco was in China and they had to wait for the relieving doctor to come over from another private medical center.


He came in about 11 am and there were a few chemo patients to see him before they proceed with their day's chemo. When it was my turn, it was a pleasant surprise to find that it is one of the doctors that I had earlier consulted for my nth opinion on to chemo-or-not to chemo at a private center. It was nice that he remembered me. I consulted him on my list of issues and concerns and he reviewed my file and case, and did a quick physical of my thrombo arm and looked for any signs of water retention and other puffiness.


It was interesting that in the same quest to ensure patients' wellbeing and optimise medical care, doctors have different approaches and belief systems.
This doctor reviewed my blood test results which read 2.3 for my wbc, and told me that I do not need to have boosters done. I was both pleased and concerned. Pleased because neupogen gave me backaches and I had to lie flat on the floor to ease the pains because movements caused jolting and shooting pains which come and go sporadically and when I least expected them. Concerned because, what happens if the wbc count do not go back to baseline level of 6.4 or at least to more than 3, will my 5th chemo be deferred? The doctor assured me that 2.3 is not critical, and I don't need booster now but I can come again on July 3 which is 2 days before chemo to check if the reading is 3 or less. He wants to test my body's natural response and recovery capabilities without any articifial growth factor's aid. If really necessary, we can get the boosters done on July 3 in time for the body to receive the next wave of chemo.


Hmm, I thought. It made sense and why not? I told the doctor that I wouldn't mind being experimented on if in his medical opinion that it is pefectly safe to do so. He reassured me it is. I am not sure what my regular Onco will say about all this but it will be interesting to hear when I see him on July 3 ( if he is not travelling that is).


I spent the rest of the day at home knowing that without any boosters for days 9 and 10, my wbc will be at their lowest and that is when I would be most vulnerable to infections. My sneezing slowed down somewhat perhaps due to the Scotts Cod Liver Oil. The doctor did not prescribe anything for it and told me to manage my problem with the post-constipation woes with the existing medication from the Pharmacy. If the symptoms persists by the next visit, he suggests I ask for atomic enemas, whatever they are.


All evening I was exchanging sms-es with chemo buddies and comparing notes on current cycles. And ended up as confused before I started!