Chemotherapy: Session 1/4

– October 2023 –

I arrived early at the hospital that morning, overpacked with things that I thought would bring comfort to me. I brought along my husband, iPad, neck pillow and even my little hug pillow.

My dress code was comfy – thick clothing and socks to fend off the cold air inside the hospital.

The nurses said I could have breakfast beforehand. So we did.

After checking in, the nurses immediately took my blood for lab tests. This is to determine if I was fit for chemo that day. It took almost 3 hours for the results to come back and we started near noon.

The nurses explained the drugs that would be given to me and what side effects to expect. And most importantly, I shouldn’t feel shy to ring them up if I’m feeling sick during the process. I was also given a ondansetron pill right before. It’s basically an anti-nausea pill.

My sofa was parked right in front of the nurses station. I later found out that first timers are given the sofa in the main chemo area instead of the little rooms, so that nurses can monitor the patients better.

I felt an instant drowsiness once the steroid hit me, and slept through the next 2 hours.

What really alarmed me was my heart beat. I felt palpitations for the first time in my life. The nurses came to check my vitals – my heart beat was above 130 beat per second. They then shot me up with another dose of steroid to bring it down. I was so afraid that I was having a heart attack, and that haunted me for the next 3 months.

I guess my biggest companion that day was my fear.

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