2nd Chemo

I survived the 1st chemo!
Now I just passed the 1st week of the 2nd chemo.
Not bad at all..

As soon as the Oxaliplatin infusion was done, my hands was a bit numb. I thought my hands were paralyzed. So, I put my hands under the warm water, and it turns out that it's just the little side effect of the chemo. I was ready to go home - well, at that time to the hotel, that is.

The nausea feeling was there and it was pretty bad. I couldn't even swallow anything except water. Just like the first chemo, all fluids tasted cold on my tounge. I remembered back to the first chemo, the nausea lasted for 3 days. The whole nausea thing was over by Monday night!
Phew!!
Finally, I could swalllow that meatball soup.

Ah well.. Back to work..

-stephanie-

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New Haircut!

Just before I'm getting my second chemo next week (Friday, 1st June 2007), I'm getting a new haircut - thanks to my sister (again) for treating (again) this fancy haircut.

Before I went to the hair salon, I was thinking of getting my hair really really short! Like Demi Moore in Ghost, not like Dudley Moore in Foul Play :D
But then, the stylist, which happen to be the owner of the hair salon, did not recommend that such short hair since he didn't want me to get a shock of my life. I thought,'what the f*$k?? It's my hair..!'I'm the one who should be in shock later if I go bald. Imagine if one day I brush my hair and all of a sudden my hair fall out. Then the stylist told me one thing that I didn't think of: ENJOY YOUR HAIR!

Why should you cut your hair really short like you're sure that you're going to go bald tomorrow?
Why not enjoy what you have now: Full Hair - Hey, you're just on your 1st chemo. So, take it easy..!

And all that.. I didn't think of. So, I said "Go ahead. Do whatever you want to my hair, but make that quick" As if he's listening to me at that time. What I thought it would take around 30 minutes to get a haircut, it ended up 3.5 hours! He used something to straighten my bang (I usually have a "crown" along with my bang.). He didn't cut my hair too short, but he make it a bit lighter. But all that waiting for 3.5 hours was worth it!


-Stephanie-

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Me & My friends

Just this Friday, May 25th, my friends came to my house to hang out.
That was fun.. lots of gossiping.. eating pizza..
They're my friends from my previous school - not that I'm still going to school, helooow..

Nothing much we talked about, tho.. But when we're together we feel like sisters, if not we could punch one another.. hahahahaha. But we can't just get enough of talking about our bosses.

So, there's food, cable TV that people hardly pay attention to, and gossip here and there with every personality complete in our friendship.. We've got the one who has a particular leisure activity of sending dirty emails, one who like to comment on everything (basically, we comment on everything), one who's always hungry all the time, one who cannot leave home without her hair rollers, one who's trying so hard to be funny.. Well, basically, everything!

What's the most important thing here is that they (or better say "we") always be there for one another - especially when it comes to FOOD!

There's not much I can say about them, except that I'm very greatful that I know them and they've always been very supportive to me at this moment of my life. In sickness and health, good times bad times, thick and thin.. No matter what happen, we always have things to laugh on even when we're at our lowest part in our life..

Here are the pictures we just took on Friday .. Some of them are not there.. next time I'll get the full picture with the whole gang!


- stephanie-

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A Bit About XELOX

Here’s a bit about my chemo using XELOX.. Always something new for you and me, of course..

XELOX is a kind of new chemotherapy thing (Well, not so new I guess. I heard it’s been around for the past 2 years.). It is actually a combination of Xeloda + Oxaliplatin. Hint hint! That’s where they get the name.

Using this chemo combination means less going to hospital because with XELOX patients are getting infusion of Oxaliplatin for 2 hours and the patients can go home and take the oral Xeloda pill for 14 days (in my case). Isn’t that convenient? What more is that they say that this treatment is pretty good to handle metastatic colorectal cancer – like what I have now! WOW.. Yippiiiiieeeee…

Before I started using this treatment, the doctor told me not to take or drink anything cold as I may experience tingling and numbness in the palms of my hands or my feet. He said something about hand and foot syndrome, so I guess that’s what they are. He also told me that I might have difficulties in playing piano while on this treatment since my fingers would all be numb. Was I going to cry? Yes! I was devastated. Playing piano is my way of having fun and my source of living. What do I do about it? FIGHT! Practice practice practice! I don’t wait until the numbness comes to start practicing and exercising my fingers on the piano even though I feel easily tired when sitting in front of my piano. Just play as usual. I haven’t felt the numbness, yet, and this is my 6th day on Xelox already. So, I hope it’s a good sign.
As for tingling, well, I already had that on my first 2-day of treatment but then it disappeared. So, I guess these were just temporary – or probably I should not experience this at all. The first time I had this when I just had my Oxaliplatin infused. I took a first drink of mineral water just outside the hospital. The water was at room temperature, but when I took a sip my mouth ... brrrrr… that’s what tingling feels like. No wonder the doctor told me not to drink anything cold. I could already feel it in my mouth, imagine that in your body! But that’s not only in my mouth, apparently, but also in other part of my body such as the vagina. Well, kind of embarrassing to tell. But it’s the truth. After I pee in the airport’s toilet, as usual I had to clean up. With just toilet paper was not enough. Pretty disgusting, I have to say. So, I took my drink, which I just bought from the sushi bar at the airport, and started to clean up when all of a sudden my vagina start to feel tingling as I begun to clean up. It’s like I was just pouring cold water from Antarctica down to my vagina!! Ugh… So bad experience.

I started to take Xeloda at home. The side effect couldn’t be seen until the next day, but the nurses at the hospital warned me that I’d have diarrhoea, dizzy. I’d also experience nausea and vomiting. Before I left the hospital, they also gave me 2 kinds of medicines just in case I have nausea and vomiting, and diarrhoea. I did experience this at home couple hours after I took my first Xeloda. I even lost appetite. Whenever I see food I just want to vomit. Luckily, I have not vomited yet. With me, they’re gone as I reached my 6th day taking Xeloda. What’s still there is the lost appetite, but whenever I feel hungry I try to eat as much as I can even though it’s just a bit or two.

Well, this is just my experience taking Xeloda.
If you’re interested – and ONLY if you’re interested - to know more about this Xeloda pill I’m taking, go to www.edrugsearh.com drug information: Xeloda


-stephanie-

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Conquering Colon Cancer

A segment from CBS NEWS about Colon Cancer.

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My Sister's First (of 8 total) Chemo Experience

So, here I am with 7 more chemo to go.. or 8?

We (me, my sis, and my brother in law) went to 2 oncologists on the first day.
Some of you might be wondering 'what the hell is oncologist??'
Well, get the dictionary and find it! :D

First doctor was from The Gleneagles Hospital (same hospital when my dad got his chemo 3 years sgo, just different doctor) suggested the Folfox. And if I'm not mistaken, he also suggested Xelox but I can't quiet remember since my mind was on this thing the doctor said that it's going to be put/planted in to my chest and that I'd have to go under mini surgery.
Damn!
I couldn't even think straight anymore. So, whether the doctor said something about Xelox or not my mind was somewhere nowhere and all I could hear from the him was bla.. bla.. bla.. bla.. bla..
All I could think at that time was, how mini the surgery could be if he'sgoing to plant that shit into my chest?? Well, it's not like I haven't seen one. I remember my Dad had it 3 years ago when he was under chemo. But let that be his problem and incovenience hehehehehehe.. I reallly don't want to go through that so-called mini operation and have that incovenient thing inside my chest, especially with the fact that I just had a pretty big surgery a month ago and another fact that in that mini surgery they were only gave me local anaesthesia.
Hell with it!
I need drug, man!

Now, you're probably wondering what are Folfox and Xelox?
Well, they're type of chemo. See my blog forfurther info - that's if I'm (or my bro or sis..whoever) done writing.

On the same day in the afternoon, we went to National University Hospital. Went to see the doctor (again),told the same story about me (again), and the next plan (again). But with this one, they took my bloodtest.
AAAARRRRRGGGHH...!!! Mati lah gue.. matiiiii..
My inner vein is very hard to find and this means PAIN!
They poked the needle for 2 times! They found it at first, but once the needle went in .. my veins were running and the nurse lost them. Second try with 2 nurses holding and tapping my arms. Aduuuuuuuh... that needle was in already and they lost them again! That's starting to get a bit pain in the ass. Last try with 3 nurses holding me, but before they poked the needle they gave me warm Milo so that my veins can be seen asily (aaaaah.. maca' ciiiih..???).
So there you go.. me screaming like I don't know what.
Inhale exhaleinhale exhale like I was going to give birth plus answering the phone call that's been ringing for the whole 30 minutes in the lab. Short torture of taking blood test was done. We should come back to the NUH to see the oncologist and to have a CT Scan the next day.

The next day before we went back to the NUH, we went to National Cancer Center (NCC). For some reason, we already have this appointment made before we left JKT. The NCC itself .. well, okey.. lots of cancer patience. Masya Allah! Iyalaaaah.. gimana coba..?? namanya jgua National Cancer Center! Lo liat orang sakit gigi semua apa ceritanya coba..???
Kurang begitu "kena" di hati gue.
Kiri kanan kulihat saja.. banyak pasien kanker'aaaaaan (nyanyinya harus pake gaya Naik2 Ke Puncak Gunung). Yang lebih gak mengesankan lagi, waktu gue intip dokternya (associate doctor tepatnya..gak penting banget gak seeeeeeh!) CULUN, bo! Ampun culun banget!!
Gue intip dia lagi baca riwayat pasien aja tangannya sambil garuk2. Garuk2 kegatelan sama garuk2 bingung kan beda yah..? Nah, yang ini garuk2 bingung. Mampus dah gue kalo sampe dapet doi. Untung kawan juga agak lama diagnose pasien di dlm, kita punya wkt pun juga gak ada banyak alias kita harus CT Scan ke NUH. Ya sudahlah, pamitlah kita..
(blagak) reschedule buat besok aja dah..
So, kembali lah kitake NUH tapi langsung ke imaging center buat CT Scan.
Sama aja gilanya!
Tangan gue mau disuntikin cairan yang katanya biar bisa liat/highlight semua isi badan gue. DUUUUUH.. poking here and there.. Ini tangan kalo bisa tereak udah tereak dari kapan2 kali. Sama aja susahnya. Tangan kiri udah diocba, gagal! Tuker lagi pake tangan kanan. At the end of the day, tangan gue sebenernya udah biru sana sini dan memar sana sini. Tapi gak apalah, daripada dipasangin yang di dlm badan gue??

Selesai semua, ketemu sama oncologist yg di NUH (he's the chief there, btw).
Sebenernya sih pilihannya juga sama aja.
Folfox atau Xelox.
Kalo pake Folfox, ada tube yg ditanam di chest gue (ogah kan..?). I may have to have the treatment up to 12 times, each treatment lasts 2 weeks. In other words, every 2 weeks I have to go back to S'pore for a 2-day treatment.
While with Xelox is different. Xelox is a Xeloda (chemo pills) and oxaliplatin (chemo drug as well, but given by infusion for 2 hours only).
Actually, Folfox also uses oxaliplatin. But, anyway, Xelox is pretty much very convinience and more advance. I only have to stay in the hospital for 2 hours, and the rest of the chemo is in pill form that I must take for 14 days. Length of treatment is different. I have to go back to S'pore to get another infusion in 3 weeks time - next one will be June 1st. Cool, huh??

*sigh*

Well.. welcome home me! Right after the first chemo, I was in the plane back to JKT at 9 PM. Technology these days..
Suprise.. suprise..

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New Picture!

Here's the latest picture of my sis after the cancer verdict. Out of the hospital, looking good, and grabing a REAL FOOD! Note also on the left her new cool cellphone. ENVY!

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