This last treatment has turned up to be eventful.
Months ago I had signed up for the Redi-Wheels service where transportation service is provided by the San Mateo County for the sick and disabled people. They pick up to and from any specified location(s) on any date needed and reservation can be made up to one day before. Reservation cannot be made on the same day of your appointment. It can also be used for other purpose such as getting your groceries and/or getting you to and from any essential appointments. My blood test and visit with the NP is at 8:00 a.m. and since my appointments were in Palo Alto, I had to be picked up very early in the morning. I came outside the day of and was a little confused that there was a taxi cab waiting outside. Since I’m familiar with Redi-Wheels service vehicles, I didn’t think the cab was for me, so after waiting for a few minutes and no Redi-Wheels service vehicle came at the appointed time,
I approached the taxi cab. It turned out the ride was for me.
Something to note about; apparently, the county has a contract service with the taxi cab company to pick up designated passengers if they were not able to service them with their own service vehicles.
The last chemo didn’t turn up to be as a smooth infusion as the previous ones did. It started with the medicine for allergy and it was infused rather quickly, so I was sleepy right off the bat. In between infusion of the various medicines, I’d wake up or be woken up to confirm that my identity matches the information on the labels of the medicine. Towards the end, several hours later with the last medicine over halfway infused, I’ve experience a severe allergic reaction. I alerted the nurse and during this time both my arms have gotten red and have swollen up, and my body got uncomfortably hot, worse than a hot flash. The nurse assigned to me at the time was perplexed and while analyzing what she needed to do, she called for another nurse to came in and help while two other nurses noticed that I was getting anxious, hyperventilating and offered to get me ice to cool me off. The Nurse Practitioner (NP) on duty was also called in to assist on the situation. My infusion was halted and I was given Milk of Magnesia and more Benadryl to counter the allergic reaction. I was informed that I had gotten the last chemo medicine at about 75 to 80%, so there was no need to finish infusing it. Due to the confusion, I wasn’t given the new prescribed medication that is supposed to combat infection since my Neutrophil count is low. Even though it was low, I was given a go signal to go ahead with the last treatment; when under the normal circumstance, it would have been rescheduled to give my immune system some time to recover. After recovering from the allergic reactions, I was discharged. The Redi-Wheels service came and took me home.
The weeks following the last treatment had less severe side effects. There were still pains and aches but not as severe as the last ones. Could it be due to the incomplete treatment, per my regular NP, it is not. Even though the field of research in cancer has gone a long way, better now than years ago, my NP once said, chemotherapy is not an exact science. There are no exact combination of medications and definite amount of dosages that will give someone 100% favorable results. What may work for me may not work for someone else. But the NP reassured me that as long as the CA-125 is below the range of 10 and above, and that looking at the pattern or trend of the overall CA-125 test results (continual rising or falling) rather than the number, I am still doing well within my treatment.
My CA-125 chart would have shown:
The tingling and numbness on the hands and feet were more intense now than before. I was also experiencing losing my balance but able to catch myself to avoid falling. I’ve been recommended to see a physical therapist (PT). There was a cancellation on the PT schedule so I was able to see one a week later. The PT only sees patient who have or had cancer, so the examination and analysis were geared towards the types of patients with such condition. According to the PT, the numbness and tingling on my feet maybe contributing to the loss of my balance because I may not be feeling the ground as I walk. The PT showed me exercises to regain back my balance and correct some of the physical problems I’m having and sent me home with a home work. I’m supposed to do the exercises with the goal of being able to hold the positions for 30 seconds or more. The goal sounds too easy but when I was being shown how to do the exercises, my legs and body couldn’t hold the positions longer than 10-15 seconds. If you look at me physically, you can’t tell that my body has been through a lot. If you put the chemotherapy into the equation, then you’ll begin to understand why it is actually harder than it looks.
Chemotherapy is a friend, or a foe or both. On one hand, it plays a big part in my healing; but it’s not the ultimate healer. Together with strong faith, positive attitude, and acceptance of the process, there’s a possible chance of surviving this deadly disease with the help of the chemotherapy treatments.
On the other hand, it can be ones worst enemy. Your life is threatened with a debilitating disease. Prior to the treatments, you don’t know if the treatments are going to work with you or against you. The side effects of the chemotherapy robbed me of my energy, my stamina and they compromised my immune system. I look at myself and I think I can do all the things I used to do but it’s no longer the truth. Maybe someday (looking beyond the “C”), when I have fully recovered, I will be able to do the things I used to do. But for now, the 6th hurdle is over. I am patiently waiting on the next steps whatever they may be.
Who knows what life brings. Six months ago, I never thought this could happen to me; but here I am at a crossroad. The way to the left may mean more storms ahead; and the way to the right maybe greeted with sunshine, hope and smiles. Which way am I destined to go? My CT scan and the video call with my Oncologist are set for the third week of October. This is when I’ll find out a glimpse of what’s ahead for me. This is when I find out which way to go, to the left or to the right.
God is good, always. I know and I believe. Jesus Christ will not forsake me. Whether it is the way to the left or the way to the right, Jesus is the right way.