23 Jun 08, Monday - I had expected to have my 6th and last dose of chemo today, although I must admit I was very reluctant to go through with it.
My body said enough and I wanted a professional who could give me fair advice based on my progress and physical condition. Unfortunately I couldn't find one. So I psyched and braced myself for the last dose.
At least Dr Wong was concerned about my breathing and water retention problems. I had had an ECG done before I saw her and the results were okay. So, she arranged for a heart function test (MUGA) and chest x-ray before I saw her again on 26 June.
The chemo was put on hold.
26 Jun 08, Thursday - The heart function test showed that my heart was okay. But the x-ray revealed that my lungs were flooded again. Dr Wong said no problem with my heart, so she was arranging for a chest tap and then, it was up to me to decide if I wanted to take the last dose. I couldn't believe it! Dr Wong who had always said no to me was giving me the option. Of course, I said I didn't want it. But I had to continue with the herceptin until the subsidy from the Cancer Society expired in September.
I went up to the chemo unit to have my chest tapped. The doctor managed to tap 690 ml of fluid from my left lung before I started coughing. He told me that Dr Wong had actually wanted them to try and tap 1 ltr.
After the chest tap, I had 300 mg of herceptin administered through the central line. As usual, before the herceptin, I was given benedryl that left me drowsy.
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