UST Hospital, Medical Arts Bldg.
We’ve been here in UST since 9am, stayed at the hospital chapel for a while before going to the clinic of my medical oncologist, Dr. Priscilla Caguioa. The hard part of course is always the long wait. But I am not complaining and I have no right to complain since I know she is with some patients having their chemotherapy at the Benavidez Cancer Institute (BCI) here in UST. Pretty soon, I’ll also be there just like them. Time and again, I said that I am not always persevering when it comes to spending time doing nothing but wait for the doctor to arrive, might as well spend the time updating my journal.
There is always something fulfilling in sharing one’s travails in life. There is always a lesson learned. I know I am not alone in this predicament. There are so many people out there who are suffering the same illness as I am. And I know we are in the same pursuit of getting well and desiring to live life as normal as possible again. Earlier we dropped by the Diagnostic Center to get the results of my laboratory tests. Except for a higher than normal value of my SGPT/SGOT, everything is okay. I am hoping that it would normalize soon. It’s always quite scary to know that too much medication is not good for one’s liver. It’s liable to get destroyed. A friend who has just undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer told me that there is really a need for cleansing after the treatment. Based on the suggested chemotherapy treatment that I have to undergo, it would take me at least six months or about half a year to finish it. Was I glad that my CEA (colon cancer marker) has significantly gone down? The normal value is in the range of 0.00 – 5.00ng/ml. before my surgery it reached as high as 12.5 but now my CEA has gone down to a significant 1.6 which is within the normal range. Thank God, this is a miracle for me. I am so thankful to the Lord almighty I could cry. My medical oncologist told me later that everything is okay, I need the chemo for preventive measures. She even said that Dr. Samuel Ang, my surgical oncologist did a very, very good job. If only he was around, I would have hugged him tight in gratitude.
Earlier on, I’ve been observing some patients and their companions waiting for each of their doctors to call their names. Funny how, you can share your plight with complete strangers without any hesitation. One thing I know is that, most of them have the willing ears to listen and to understand without being too judgmental. And it’s true, sometimes it’s hard to share your pain with your family,relatives and close friends because you don’t want them to worry about you, you don’t want them to be so much affected by what is happening around you, but they are the same people who are always there to cheer you up, care for you, pray for you, say kind words and comfort you at the lowest ebb of your life.
As I have always said, I get a big lump in my throat every time I hear from friends and relatives. I feel the tears flowing through not because of the pain of my ailment but because of their generosity in sharing their precious time to comfort me. Oh, to feel the joy of knowing that so many care about me, God is truly wonderful.
I was finally scheduled to have my 1st chemotherapy on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. Wish me luck and please say a little prayer for me too. Thank you!
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Dreams And Escapes 