24 January

I draw my strength from the Lord. In Him I seek refuge. Just like Hezekiah,(2Kings 20) I weep to God and I know that He listens. 

In whatever circumstance or trial we face, let us look unto the Lord. He created us and the whole universe, what can God not do? 

If we are in sorrow, let us be reminded, God gave His only son to redeem us. Everything on earth is temporary so our hope should be in our life with God in eternity.

God bless us all!

Career!

I was able to go to back to work this week after 4 months. During the first day, by lunch time, my legs, hips and neck were already sore, like I went hiking. 

Home is just a 15 minute walk but to conserve my already low energy, I take the bus. I just save 1/3 of my original walking journey because I still need to walk to the bus stop to get to the bus and then from alighting at the bus stop to the office building. Anyway, better save energy than be so sore the whole day.

I have lunch at home, to avoid infections that may come from unhygienic food preparation from the foodcourt in the office. I am able to squeeze a 10 minute stretch and rest for my back by lying down. 

3 days of work passed by so fast. I'm just so glad that I can still remember how to do my work. The issues I left are still fresh from my memory. Mind is too excited to work on this work on that but I frequently remind myself to take it easy and to leave on time at the end of the day.

Happy that colleagues seem to be glad that I'm back.  They are aware that I'm battling breast cancer, I'm open to let them know. There's nothing to be scared of. A colleague approached me for the first time. He also battled colon cancer last year. 

After dinner, I prepare for bed. My body is screaming for rest rest rest. Legs become very very sore when evening comes. Good thing I bought an electric heating pad. It helps a lot!

I had trouble with my head scarf today, it was always falling off! I have frequent hot flushes, my head gets very sweaty. 

Can I just go out without any scarf? I know I can but eesh, I don't want to look so sick. My eyebrows are starting to fall off... I need to learn how to draw my brow. 

16 weeks survivor-sary

Today is Monday. It's been 16 weeks since the alien was removed from my body. My onco told me that from my mastectomy, I may have been cancer free.

So it's my 16 weeks survivor-sary. Yay! Praise God!

This week also marks my 9th year in Singapore.

God has been so good to me, He is faithful, never forsaken me.

My life verse:

Chemo ...38, 39, Party!!!!

I have completed my 4 cycles of AC. That is adriamycin and cyclophosphamide. I survived Phase 1 of my treatment yay!!!!

PHOTO HEAVY POST COMING.....

AC#1

A week before my first chemo, I had my hair shaved to prepare myself and my kids. I'm eating frozen carrot juice here - Ice Candy prepared by my dear hubby. Eating ice was supposed to prevent mouth sores, a side effect of chemo. Seems effective, I've had only one or two mouth sores per cycle.

"Getting to know you" party with chemo. I partied with nausea, gastric pain, fatigue and drowsiness. Good thing they were not so mean to me. The party went smoothly. Chemo took almost all my hair on the third week though. Started shedding hair down south. Oh, chemo let me sweat it out with hot flushes. I thought I was having fever, my cheeks would suddenly feel hot and my head and back sweats. Wierd feeling! Hello early menopause.

My chemo buddy: my sweet hubby, I love you!

AC#2

Chemo introduced me to his friend vomitting. We only shaked hands and I haven't seen him again (yet). Again nausea, gastric pain, fatigue, hot flushes and drowsiness were glad to party with me.

I'm truly a Baguio girl, I have zigzag veins like Marcos highway that my nurses need to continuously tap my arms like how we do the "pinikpikan" so that my veins would bulge. It takes them 30 minutes to get a vein to cooperate. 

Zoom in on Nurse Flora's forehead and you'll see her sweat haha.  They asked me to get my onco to have a PICC installed.

My chemo buddy: my loving hubby 

AC#3

With my PICC line on my arm installed, no more needle poking. That line is a hollow tube inserted to a vein in my arm and extends near to my heart.

Goodbye instant baths for me. PICC line cannot get wet. Need to wrap.

I've gotten so used to my party pals. Party usually lasts for 3 days. I am feeling normal on the 2 remaining weeks of each cycle but not able to stand longer than 15 minutes. So even with so much free time, I am bed/home bound.

My chemo buddies this round: my sister flew from Philippines just to be with me and my bestie also took time. Thank you!

AC#4

My chemo buddies: hubby and son

After infusion, while waiting for our ride home. We enjoyed this beautiful koi pond in the hospital.

This round was the hardest, when I thought I would just breeze it off like the other cycles.  I had hard time breathing. My chest was so tight. AC is known to affect the heart. I got worried. I was also weaker than usual. I was sleeping like dead for 5 days. I was scheduled for routine heart scan the coming week. I kept praying and speaking to my heart to recover so that I can continue Phase 2.  On the second week, I was feeling better and heart scan result was good. 

Yay! Praise the LORD! I survived Phase 1 chemo!