2nd Portion of 1st Chemo Dose & Discharge

25 Feb 08, Mon - I was to have the second portion of the 1st dose of chemo.

Earlier, before my first portion of the chemo, I had voiced my concern about vomiting to Dr Wong and she told me there won't be vomiting. I looked at her in disbelief and mentioned something like everybody complained about the vomiting and she responded with, 'who's the one writing the prescription?' Of course, I shut up.

As a precautionary measure, I would only be discharged on 26 Feb, Tue, if everything went well.

The blood test was okay and I was given the okay for the second portion.

The first plug that had been there for nearly a week was removed and nurse set a new one for me.

I had prepared myself to be knocked out again by the pre-meds and had also gone to empty my bladder. For some reason, I didn't feel drowsy and was also able to take my dinner while on the drip. I didn't know what happened as Dr Wong told me that I would be getting the same pre-meds for every chemo.

I was apprehensive, but fortunately, nothing happened during the night.

26 Feb 08, Tue - After the morning check-up, I was told I could go home, finally after 11 days.

I was given a whole bag of medications, including a big bottle of morphine.

On my discharge summary, the principal diagnosis was metastatic cancer breast.
The secondary diagnosis - bilateral pleural effusions - that is, fluid in both lungs
and myocarditis - that is, inflammation of the heart muscle

Myocarditis :

When you have an infection, your body's immune system produces special cells that release certain chemicals to fight off disease. If the infection affects your heart, the disease-fighting cells enter the heart. However, the chemicals they produce can damage heart muscle, causing it to become thick, swollen, and weak. This leads to symptoms of heart failure.

Other causes of myocarditis may include:

• Allergic reactions to certain medications
• Being around certain chemicals
• Certain diseases that cause inflammation throughout the body

My sister and niece came to fetch me. I found the trip down the elevator and to the taxi stand very tiring. My mum has a maid and I would be staying with her initially.

When the cab reached my mum's place, I couldn't lift up one leg to step onto the curb. My mum stays on the 7th level and the lift only stops at the 6th. I had to grab the handrail and pull myself up step by step. My legs were like rubber, or jelly.