Tuesday 19 January 2010 - Treatment Day 22

Today was another big chemo day. But I'm not having a bone marrow test done, just the IT injection into my spine, the vincristine drug given intravenously through a canula into my hand, and the aspa injection into my leg.

Some of you have asked how the chemo is done. Basically, all of the above are part of the chemo, as well as the Dexa tablets I have to take. They all help to kill the cancer cells in my body. The IT injection helps to kill the cancer cells in my brain and spine. My lumbar puncture test results last month didn't show any, but the IT is usually given anyway just in case they are hiding.

The nurses had called mum yesterday, saying Dr Lin would come in at 9am instead of at 12pm like he usually does. So I had to stop eating from 4am for the mini-op, and we had to leave the house early.

I drank a lot of milk at 3am, but I was still really hungry by the time we got to SDMC. I was really upset that I couldn't eat anything. I was starving. I still hate needles too and I cried when the nurses put the canula into my hand again. The first nurse tried to put it in my left hand but after she put in the canula, she couldn't get any blood. She moved the needle around inside my hand a lot. It hurt.

After 5 minutes, they had to take it out and try my right hand. I wasn't very happy.

Dr Lin only came in around 10.30am, so mum and I watched Toy Story while we waited. Then he came in and so I had my chemo done. I heard him ask the nurses for a long yellow and a short white or something, and I told him angrily I only wanted the procedure to take a "short while." He laughed.

He asked mum if I was really grouchy now after taking the Dexa, and mum said yes. He told her not to worry and that it would only be temporary and that I'd be my usual self after I stop taking it.

He was really cheerful today and told mum that I was doing very well. He said my blood counts were "almost normal" today. He also talked a little bit more about my cytogenetics results from Singapore. He said they showed "hyperdiploid" leukaemia and he told mum that those with "hyperdiploid" tended to do very well. Mum was relieved.

She also asked him to check my tummy. It was really really big yesterday. Mum and dad thought it looked as if it could explode. She asked if it was normal. He had a look, and said it was big because of the steroids.

My chemo was done by 11.30am but I slept until about 1.00pm. I can sleep better now even with the ketamine, and the "imaginations" don't bother me anymore. The nurses kept me in hospital until about 2.30pm to make sure I was ok though. I ate half a packet of rice, and I didn't get sick, because they had given me the anti-sick medicine.

Aunty Vanessa was also there, with Sarah. She'd bought some Chlorophyll and Propolis supplements for me to try, because she said they really helped Sarah. Sarah's hair is all gone now. She wears a hat to chemo. I told mum I wanted to wear a snow-cap to chemo when my hair falls out.

Grandma made friends with an old lady who was also having chemo done. She told grandma that she had been diagnosed with cancer in September last year and went to another hospital called a government hospital. She said that they kept delaying treatment and now she is having stage 4 cancer. Now she has moved to SDMC, which is a private hospital.

Mum stopped by Jusco on the way back. Grandma and I waited in the car while mum bought me some more rice and lots of yoghurt for the house. I've been eating a lot of yoghurt because mum puts my Dexa in it. I also had some fish crackers and chrysanthemum tea in the car.

When we got back, I felt really happy and I was my usual talkative self. I asked mum a lot of questions. I asked her if we could go on the cable car ride in Genting again when I feel better. She said we could also go to the new Universal Studios theme park in Singapore. It's opening soon. I also asked if Dr Lin was the best doctor ever, and who else had had to do chemo like me. I asked mum if she had ever had to do it. She said no.

I was really tired after the big chemo, so I went to bed early, around 6pm. Dad had to wake me up at 10pm to give me my last dose of Dexa for the day.


Weight: 18.4kg (+1.6kg)


Blood count:
Platelets 98 (150-400)
Neutrophils 52 (40-74)


Today's bill: RM2,409.34


QOTD: "I don't like hospital day."