Home from Chemo 1

 I was admitted to PGH at 6:30 p.m. of Thursday, September 16. Because the main chemo agent is not available at the PGH pharmacy, the doctor arranged for me to buy directly from the med rep and we had to wait for it to be delivered the next morning (this resulted in cheaper overall cost). I got a 30% discount by buying direct and an additional 1.5% discount by paying cash. Instead of paying P50,304.05 for 100 mg, I just paid P34,685.00.

Intravenous chemo administration began at 12 noon of September 17, beginning with pre-medications (anti-allergy, antibiotic, anti-nausea) and then the EC in TEC (Taxotere, 100 mg.; Epirubicin, 70 mg.; Cyclophosphamide, 700 mg). That took about an hour or until 1 pm. At 2 pm, the T was administered and this took about two hours or until 4 pm.

We were given home instructions and my husband, Norman, had to buy all these take-home medicines. I was on dextrose overnight and was officially discharged at 10:15 a.m. of Saturday, September 18 (although we did not get out of PGH until past 12 noon). 

At home, the kids were happily surprised my hair had not fallen off completely. They thought I had not had my chemotherapy yet. I said it would happen gradually in the next few days and weeks. I had asked them before I went to the hospital if they would still love me even if I went bald. And the sweet answer of my lovely Dana is, “Of course, Mama, we will still love you even if you go bald. You’re our only Mama.”

The whole weekend was a ‘zombie’ or ‘veggie’ weekend for me. I can’t sit up for five minutes without feeling super-tired. I’m aching all over, from head to foot. And the anti-nausea drug is causing constipation and a huge tummy ache. I’m taking so many medicines I don’t want to take any more for fear of adverse drug interactions. I can’t even answer phone calls. Sleeping the ill feelings away, all day.

My white blood cell (WBC) count is expected to drop to very low levels this week, and I am scheduled for a three consecutive vial injections on Wednesday through Friday (September 22-24) to boost my WBC count. I will be on preventive antibiotic therapy since a low WBC count makes me very prone to common infections (viral, bacterial). 

But prayer is a strong ally in these times of weakness or physical uncertainty. And the text messages and well wishes of friends have kept my spirits up. I am happy to be on the way to recovery and I am eternally grateful for the generous support of my donors, my friends. My family is blessed by all of you. =)

Chemotherapy slated

The week ends with a choice of treatment route. I will begin my chemotherapy on Thursday, September 16 at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The estimated cost of treatment can be seen on ourownlittleway.org. I saw four oncologists in the course of the week and I am confident I have chosen the one who can help me most. By choosing PGH, I hope to be able to receive some financial assistance from the office of a kind senator.

Linear accelerator radiotherapy (the recommended treatment after chemotherapy) is not available in PGH. I will have to go to another hospital for that.

My bone scan turned out negative, “no evidence of metastatic bone disease”, which is good news, although I was advised that it cannot detect cancer in the earliest stages. My ERA/PRA also turned out negative, which means hormonal therapy only has a 10% chance of helping me suppress cancer cells. 

I wrote my children’s class advisers and school principal to inform them of the conditions at home. I asked them to please inform me of any behavioral changes Gino and Dana may exhibit. I was assured the children will have access to the school’s guidance and counseling professionals who may be of help.

I thank all the donors who have pitched in for my treatment. Truly, the hand of God is working through all of you to save me. You have given hope to my children, who are counting on me to get well. You are angels ministering God’s love to me and my family. It is so much easier to keep a positive attitude when the financial ‘worry’ is shared among so many. Thank you for helping us at this time of great need. We are forever in your debt.

In God is my hope, my strength, my victory. Let His will be done in my life.