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!

Jab, Jab, Jab!

Ashley saying "what.....you lost your phone.....again!?"

Day 10 post first chemo (April 20)


I was pricked twice today. The first was for the Lab to take a small tube of blood, sample to be analysed. About an hour later, another jab( this time on my tummy of all places) to administer subcutaneously an agent that is supposed to boost my white blood cell count which apparently was very low (2.4 whatever it is vs 4-11.) The low count was apparently expected due to the hammering by the WMDs and at the moment no one can tell me if there is anything I can include in my diet that might help the count to stay at a comfortable level. My other counts (Hemaeglobin / Platelet) are not too bad perhaps due to the tons of dark green vegetables that I have been including in my diet.



The granocyte which was administered will help to boost up my WBC over the next 10 days or so in preparation for the 2nd chemo cycle. Another blood test will be required just prior to each subsequent chemo cycle. Which means for the 5 cycles to come, I would need to be pricked 20 times! In the meantime, I need to avoid sick people and crowded places which may hide sick people. Just when I was planning to hit the town again!!. I was given 2 very strong painkillers as the booster shots might give me aches and pains especially in my back. This procedure will be repeated tomorrow when I have to go to the medical center again to receive a second jab of Granocyte. How I wish they would invent a tablet that I can fizz in water and drink up just like we do Redoxon. (The onco-nurse did ask me if I was willing to do it myself at home, ie inject the thing into my stomach. I think she is mad.)



I was advised by a learned friend who lost a lot of blood during childbirth that her Mum used to feed her with Hati Lembu Masak Kicap which she had eaten with gusto to help build up her blood. We went to the BV Village Grocer to look for some but I had to make do with Chicken Liver. As I always seem to encounter mishaps when frying anything and can't afford to have blisters or cuts while on treatment, I decided to turn that into a masala, using Ms Khoo's Masala Mix. Not too bad, I must say.



While shopping for the liver at BV, I passed a crowd thronging a corner of the concourse where a Health Food promotion was held. All kinds of organic products were on display and for sale at attractive discounted prices. All kinds of grains, nuts, dried fruits, sea weed, sauces, pastas, multigrain rice, cooking ingredients as well as all kinds of soya products. To think that just 2 weeks ago I was all over Bangsar and Sri Hartamas to find some of the stuff which are now nicely assembled in one place and at much more affordable prices too! I bumped into an old school friend who hailed me over to join her for "lunch" as the promoters were also dishing out nice servings of vegetarian sushi with mushroom and vegetable udon. She said she never refuse a free lunch, and by the size of the servings one can have a proper meal there. They also serve some pudding to top it off! I bought some dried figs, sea weed (nori sheets), multigrain pack and a bag of Baking Soda ( which I read somewhere is good to gargle with should I break in blisters in my mouth).



I know I shouldn't be in a crowd but everyone looked fine and healthy to me and the product on offers were too attractive to resist. In any case, I am keen to experiment with new ingredients to supplement my new eating regime. As I kept being gravely reminded, for those diagnosed with Cancer, chemotherapy is just the beginning. What follows is a necessary "Lifestyle" change if one is to be successful in combating and keeping the disease at bay and for it not to recur. And at the same time equally inportant to avoid other chronic illnesses from taking hold. No point being cured of cancer but contracting all the other life threatening diseases in return.



"Lifestyle" is such a general word and can encompass a spectrum of considerations. I will now need to really stop, pause and analyse which of my lifestyle habits and practices are the main suspects leading to my unbidden lump. Unless I know what these guilty suspects are, how would I know what changes need to be made? Seriously, since I will be spending quite a bit of time on the couch now(under my own roof that is), I have all the time to analyse my existing lifestyle and figure out what needs to change, if any.



As the next 10 days or so should be problem-free other than ensuring no blisters in my mouth and eating well while my body repairs itself, I should be able to sit quietly and reflect each of the following possible "contributors" to development and growth of Cancer(according to "Prescription for Natural Healing" book I just found buried in my bookshelf. I bought it ages ago):

Three Major Categories:

1. External (environment - unhealthy living or workplace environment and

exposure to air and water pollution, chemicals, pesticides and herbicides)

2. Internal factors - include both genetics aninfection

3. Lifestyle factors ( that we can most readily and personally control)

-Diet

-Physical Fitness

-Stress Level

-Emotional Wellbeing

-Mental Wellbeing

-Spiritual Wellbeing

-Social Wellbeing ( I did not think this is important but the book listed socioeconomic status as a lifestyle factor accounting for 3 % of cancers. Well in the USA anyway)

Scientists believe that lifestyle factors account for the largest proportion of cancers and that our lifestyle can affect our susceptibility to the disease.

Any compromise in any of the above could affect how I manage the cancer, and any other chronic disease for that matter. A real hard look inside myself to see where I need to reform, if only to ensure a healthy body and a balanced mind that should be positive and responsive towards combatting any disease, whether known or unknown. I think this is long overdue as I have never consciously looked at my life so critically with the objective of identifying what needs to change. If I had, it was more of a where do I go from here kind of approach, never examining the past but more of looking at things now and where to go from now. In other words, it has always been a go,go,go kind of approach, which in retrospect, can be unhealthy, or dangerous even, because I would be unaware of carrying along with me some things which are best left behind, if only I had known what they are.

I have all week next week to dwell and do an introspection into each of the factors and see what I can come up with. I have to do and I must do it. Insya Allah. I am not expecting any major crisis except continue to ensure no mouth sores, and alas, the inevitable hair-start-to-drop moment. I am not as fearful of that as no pain is involved and I have met enough cancer survivors to know that hair will grow back after all the cycles are completed. Insya Allah..


So much for the quick shopping at BV. I dropped my handphone somewhere between Cafe 1920 enroute to Village Grocer enroute to the Health Food stand and enroute to the parking lot. I discovered it was missing upon reaching home. I have a choice of getting really upset because all my contact numbers are in there (no backup anywhere!), favourite snapshots and appointment dates and internet links or I can jump up and celebrate the fact that I have every excuse now to get a more canggih handphone/pda. In future I don't have to hide my phone if it rings when I am in the company of tech-geeks or even phone slinging school kids for that matter. One look at my phone and I can almost see the thought crossing their minds.."aiyo auntie, get a new phone lah...". But the phone has served me well, and allowed me to do everything that I need in a mobile - call/receive call, shoot sms test, e-mails, browse the web/blogs,schedule appointments, set alarms and reminders, record songs, capture and transfer images, videotape my cats or any catch-someone-red-handed moments,plus more..So tell me again why I need to spend more than a grand on a handphone?


I decide that I will not allow this to upset me. At least it was not my Laptop that I lost. Now that would have been a very different story altogether. I really should pat myself on the back for having created the opportunity to buy a new phone. The only thing is now nobody would believe me that the Fungshui plant in my porch had actually flowered! I no longer have the proof!