Round 1 out of 8 (or 6?)

My first chemo was carried out on the 4th day of Lunar New Year. Except for another patient and myself, the clinic was pretty quiet, probably because not many people would like to undergo chemo during the Lunar New Year period. It could also be the fact that Dr Karmen was not in the clinic that day.

Sometime during my treatment, a female patient came in for a blood count. She sounded very negative upon learning that her blood count was too low for the next round of chemo. This affected my mood a bit, but I decided to shut myself out from such pessimism, as it was only my first chemo and I still have a long way to go.

All in all, my first chemo lasted about 4.5 hrs. I had thought that it would finish by noon, but this was my first time doing chemo and the nurses apparently would have to administer the drugs slowly. Chemo is like being put on drip (which I am quite used to by now, as I already have had drips thrice while I was in China). The nurse gave me some anti-vomitting drugs, followed by a bag of Carboplatin, Taxotere, and Avastin. I only felt discomfort when I had to visit the washroom several times('cos I drank lots of water during chemo). Going to the washroom is quite a chore, as I had to get the nurse to help me push the "drip machine" (an apparatus which monitors my drip) all the way to the entrance of the toilet before I enter the toilet. Even then, the toilet door could not be closed completely and I had to endure some pain or discomfort in my hand (which was injected for the IV) when I tried to pull down or pull up my pants. Lesson learnt-wear a skirt the next time.

There were basically very few things that I could do during chemo. This was because my right hand was rendered "useless" by the drip and I could not even hold a book properly. I ended up flipping through the pages of magazine, instead of reading. Then I watched some TV programs, dozed off a little before chatting with the nurses and my relatives who came to visit.

My hubby and brother accompanied me on my first chemo. They also picked up lunch for me and I was terribly grateful they managed to get me my favorite fish porridge from Amoy Street. It was quite an experience doing chemo therapy and having lunch at the same time. Halfway through the chemo, my other bro and sis-in-law visited and brought along some snacks as well. With so many well-wishers, it definitely made my first chemo experience a pleasant one.