So. I’ve finally completed the 6-month chemotherapy journey. As I’m writing now, it has been 3 weeks since my final treatment that started on 14 Sept and ended on 16 Sept (Malaysia Day).
I felt like a veteran chemo patient by the final cycle. The chemo needle felt so normal. Going to the washroom every 20 min during chemo (because I was prescribed with med to make me pee more) felt normal. Leaving the chemo ward with needle on my chest felt normal.
I can’t believe that just a cycle before, I said that I was starting to feel numbness on my fingers and feet because by the end of my 11th cycle, the numbness has escalated pretty quickly.
I’ve started to feel less grip on my fingers and feet (not sure if it’s due to lack of sensation or I did indeed lose grip). I started wearing sandals to work because work ballerinas were causing blisters to my numb feet. I couldn’t feel my feet 100% and felt like they were getting weak too. Continue reading #sharestrength – Chemotherapy #11
I’ve been itching to write about my Chemotherapy #10 immediately after meeting the oncologist because I almost got my pass to stop at #10! That’s huge news that came unexpectedly…
So what happened?
It has been 3 weeks since my 9th chemotherapy cycle. As usual, the side effects were never the same. After administering so much drug into my body for 9 times since March, I was finally confused which cycle I was at. Every time I got confused, I visited my blog to check the latest update on my chemotherapy treatment. Hehe.
Another remarkable (and depressing) experience during this chemotherapy cycle was numbness or tingling in my fingers and toes. At times, I felt it in my entire arm and foot too. According to Cancer Research UK, nearly everyone undergoing FOLFOX chemotherapy gets this side effect due to oxaliplatin drug. In worst case scenario, I’d have trouble buttoning my shirt, etc. Sadly, unlike other side effects that usually go away by the time I have my next treatment, this numbness and tingling feeling seems to persist. I still have it as I’m typing 3 weeks after my recent treatment. It’d take months to heal apparently. I hope it doesn’t get worse in my remaining 3 treatments. Continue reading #sharestrength – Chemotherapy #9
I spent a long time (maybe an hour or more) with my oncologist during my first consultation before deciding on doing chemotherapy. But that’s only once. Ever since then, I may have held the record for the shortest consultation among the other patients, pretty much every round of chemotherapy.
Here’s kinda what I told my doctor about my 8th cycle…
I’ve been anticipating for this date: 26 July 2016. I can’t believe I pretty much forgot about it today because I was so distracted by my chemotherapy side effects! Anyway, I hit my 6-month mark post-colectomy surgery today! *pops confetti and champagne*
Going through chemotherapy made it felt like eons have passed since this Big-C adventure started. But looking back at the surgery, I’m feeling like “half a year already?” Clearly, the experience with the surgery and chemotherapy is very different. Continue reading #sharestrength – 6 Months After Surgery
The polite title is “Things Not to Say to Cancer Patients.” The honest title is “Things I HATE Hearing as a Cancer Patient.” In all honesty and as a disclaimer, this is a challenging article to write simply because I’m trying hard to be polite while sharing what frustrates me a lot during my experience as a patient of Stage 3 Colon Cancer. So if I sound harsh, please allow me to use my “chemo moodiness” card to pardon myself.
After a week of delay, I started my 7th cycle of FOLFOX chemotherapy on a Tuesday, completed the cycle on Thursday, received a white blood cell booster injection on Thursday at the hospital and received another white blood cell booster injection on Friday at a clinic.
While I was browsing Facebook, I stumbled upon Me Before You full movie uploaded on Facebook in HD. Wow. Piracy going wildfire on the largest social media platform? I told my friends about the piracy and brewed a short discussion about the movie.
Both friends thought the movie was just alright while I totally loved the movie. A friend said she doesn’t understand why Will ended his life while another didn’t get the message that it was an assisted death. I, on the other hand, processed this movie from another perspective — the movie hit me as a patient of Stage 3 Colon Cancer, a critical illness that may take my life away.
I had a lot going through my mind after watching the movie in the cinema. I wanted to find an opportunity to pen down my thoughts but never found the right time, until now. Continue reading Thoughts on Me Before You The Movie 2016
Definitely mixing up my memories of my past few chemotherapy cycles. If not for the dates of the photos stored in my phone, it’d be impossible to recall.
Anyway, my 6th chemo cycle was one milestone cycle. Because before I started the entire chemotherapy treatment, my oncologist mentioned that depending on how my body copes, he may order to stop chemotherapy after 6 cycles because that’s when it’s deemed that it has been somewhat effective.
I was really looking forward to hit this milestone for I wished I can stop the treatment even though everything was going smoothly. Continue reading #sharestrength – Chemotherapy #6
