Post-chemotherapy Round 4 / What goes on in the Ward

Can't believe I'm done with my 4th cycle, just 2 more and I'll be done! Pretty busy this week with 4 appointments — 2 blood tests, a CT scan, and a Heart Echo Scan. Went for my first blood test yesterday and I had a bit of fever (37.7). I was feeling really tired but all's good now!

Mind Your Body (The Straits Times) always has freebies to give out every week. Two weeks ago it was rosehip oil products and I asked my mom to join too to up my chances... AND WE WON!!!!! I have been using rosehip oil for my scars (esp from ablation), stretch marks etc and it works wonders. Plus it's organic, what's not to love!

I realized I hardly document what's it like during chemotherapy itself... So here's a sneak peek to what goes on during the 5 days I check into Ward 78 in SGH. Very specifically Ward 78 because it's the only ward which can administer chemotherapy drugs (there are only 4 in the whole hospital), and have the equipment to monitor my heart (i.e. the telemetry) together. 

The nicest view that I have got so far

These are my chemotherapy drugs — I will usually be hooked to two of these machines which control the flow of the drugs into my body. The flow is extremely slow, there will be one at 11ml/hour and the other one at 21ml/hour. Both will flow via my PICC line, a central line that is semi-permanent. I have had it since October and will only be able to take it out in January after chemotherapy. It can't touch water so when I shower it becomes a bit of a hassle because I'll have to wrap it up nicely. Dressing and flushing are changed and done once a week — if I'm home, my (super)mom does it. Otherwise the nurses at the hospital will take care of it. 

Anyway back to the drugs, the sequence for the 5 days usually goes like this:

- 1x of 4-6h drug

- 4x of a pair of 24h drugs

- 1x of a 15 min drug

Whoops I don't even know the names (I get very confused when I try to remember, all I know they make up these letters R-EPOCH hehe)... but the main gist of it is the 24h pair of drugs. For my safety, I'm not really allowed to move from my bed because if I do, I'll have to lug these machines around. 

Here's the telemetry that I was talking about! It is at least 1kg and there are 5 wires connected to my chest. Apparently from a giant monitor screen in some heart lab, there will be people monitoring. They'll know of any extreme dip or soaring of my heart rate because there will be an alarm, and they'll call the nurses immediately. There was once my heart rate was 34 (the 3rd chemotherapy) and they woke me up in the middle of the night to check on me... I didn't feel a thing but at least the machine is working and the people are very alert? Haha

#fromwhereIstand #hospital #ootd #telemetry #wires #havaianas #rolex (actually barcode scanner for medicine)