6 Oct 2008, Monday - Went to NCC for another dose of herceptin. I have got the usual again, two panadols and the pre-med, benadryl, that always left me drowsy. This drowsiness always lasts a long time for me that after the iv, I would rush home by cab and go to sleep. Not too sure if this is going to be my last dose as my onco has not pre-booked any dates for me until my appointment with her on 3 November 2008.
What a pleasant surprise! I met some members of the TRC at NCC. If it had not been for M, I would not have been able to recognise H, whom I met more than a year ago. H has a relapse and is undergoing treatment. I thought I might have seen H there recently but I wasn't very sure, for NCC is not a place where one goes looking for friends, unless we are aware that someone we know is receiving treatment there. I enjoyed the chit-chat and catching-up.
We must have seemed so lively that we attracted another breast cancer patient, also a relapse case, who was there for treatment. I hadn't known all the members of TRC and thought she was one until the rest left and she asked what group we were with. She has left me her contact card.
The chance meeting must have left me excited because my blood pressure went up to 150.
On the other hand, my weight has gone down a little. I am not too sure if it is weight loss or loss of fluid in my right arm and lungs.
It is not everytime that I meet someone I know at NCC, but today after the TRC members left, I saw someone else whom I was introduced to just some months back. She had another relapse and this is her third round of chemo. First, it was her breast, then her bones and now it's her liver. I wasn't sure how many doses it is going to be for this round as I didn't have much time to catch up with her because the nurse was waiting for me.
I happened to be sharing a room with a male patient, a retired civil servant, with colon cancer that has spread to his bones and liver. He asked about my treatment and response and commented that I looked very positive, which prompted his wife to tell him to be positive too. Probably, because he heard me telling the nurse that I had met some friends outside. Yes, no point wasting energy worrying about it.
He mentioned that his doctor said that his condition is terminal and wanted to know if I was taking anything else. I told him I was also on ayurvedic medicine, but maybe he found it too expensive after I told him how much it cost as he didn't ask for more details.
If I am asked about my alternative treatments I will tell but I am not for pushing others to go for it too, as I feel that one must be prepared to take it at their own risk and that if it works for me, there is no guarantee that it will work for others too. However, if anyone is keen, I wouldn't mind sharing.
I ought to mention that I am on more than one alternative treatment. The other is Carnivora.
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