In order to get any fruits sometimes you have to shake the tree. Something may fall.
I had to see the neuro on Monday and I ask HKL if I could pick up my scans. They say sure. I go on friday. While here I tried to get an update on my case after all it has been almost 2 MONTHS since the 'we will call you'. Man I could die before treatment.
The counter says, ask in room 1, the planning room. So I go there, ask about the scans and my case. The guy calls the doctor and then says she wants to see me, please wait. So I wait. The doc comes in and gives me the low down. Here's what we got. You have something here behind your right cheek, something suspicious on the right nostril near your eye and leftovers in your brain. The bulk near your eye...if low dose you'll get cataracts cos it's sensitive and at high dose, well no more stereo vision. We'll need your permission. I do the usual smile and lightheartedness. Man this is what you can give me after 2 MONTHS+. This scan is almost 2 months ago. It's probably grown more by then. Fuck what are you waiting for! I will need some input from Mr Cheang or Dr Harvinder. OK. Thanks.
So I leave.
Monday, June 22, 2009
ENT the dragon
OK he's not a dragon but I kinda like Dr Harvinder. Don't know why, maybe because of his simplicity.
"Did you bring your scan?" asked the nurse. What? You called a few weeks ago looking for it, I say where it was (downstairs at neuro) and you didn't get it? Man.
I go in, I get a squirt, a get poked in the nostril, see what could be seen. Hmm a little booger, suck it out. "No sign of leakage". That's it, I see you in a month. I love this doctor.
I promise to bring my scans when I see the neuro next week. Bye.
That's it. How simple is that?
"Did you bring your scan?" asked the nurse. What? You called a few weeks ago looking for it, I say where it was (downstairs at neuro) and you didn't get it? Man.
I go in, I get a squirt, a get poked in the nostril, see what could be seen. Hmm a little booger, suck it out. "No sign of leakage". That's it, I see you in a month. I love this doctor.
I promise to bring my scans when I see the neuro next week. Bye.
That's it. How simple is that?
this time lucky ... or unlucky
So this time I have completed all the prerequisites, the 8hr and 2hr steroids, no food. She says OK. Yay. Wonder why I wasn't worried at all about the contrast solution, it didn't enter my head (I'm gonna pay for this). So I go in. I lay on the 'bed'. They were about to roll me into the machine but the orderly mentioned the IV line. OK. They say please wait for the doctor. So I wait. I drop my arms to let the blood flow down to enlarge my veins. It should help a little (it didn't though). I look at my hands. It's been poked too much and there didn't seem to be any 'live' veins left. Wonder where they will poke me.
The doctor comes and she looks at my hands. She asks if I wanted it in the hands or the elbow. I said hands will do. I feel the alcohol swab at the pinky end of my left hand. I've had a failed attempt there so I was not keen on it but what can I do? I just had to lump it. I feel the sting of the needle and the ache of the discovery ( ie trying to get it in the vein - more like capillary if you ask me). She then tries the test, injecting a saline solution to test if it goes in ... or not. She asks if it hurts, yeah ... YEAH. Man it DID. Oh god that hurts. She looks at my left hand looking for another candidate. Then drops it for my right hand. I feel the swab, it was the biggest 'capillary' there. So I was sort of glad, this should go in. She pokes it and I felt it. Then she injects. I say Oh, whats that? She asks, that hurts? YEAH.
Man I felt like crying. Let me out please, I wanna go home. Timeout. There goes my macho image. Sob...sob.
Then she went for the jugular, the elbow. The vein there was large. What did I do to deserve this. God help me ... oh I forgot to say a little prayer then I recited the salawat 3 times. This time I felt the sting and the ache, but felt the squirt of the saline solution going in. Thank god.
Man I will never let anyone try the pinky end of my left hand again. Will opt for the jugular next time.
(It just occurred to me that they didn't constrict my arm to enlarge the veins when they tried the IV line, they always did that when I was at Ipoh. Man I would rather be at Ipoh RPB hospital if this was a sample of their treatment.)
The scan was the usual scan. Then the contrast solution. The nurse say injecting. I felt something entering my veins, then my throat felt warm and tingly, not nice more like glowing from radiation tingle. Then around my groin then around my stomach. Now I know why they were so strict on the steroids. It was a struggle to ignore the feeling around my throat to stop from vomiting. It felt like someone was poking me in the back of the throat. Then I had the mask which I did before placed on my head, and it was over.
I can go. You will get another Xray before your radiotherapy begins. We will call you (yeah right).
The doctor comes and she looks at my hands. She asks if I wanted it in the hands or the elbow. I said hands will do. I feel the alcohol swab at the pinky end of my left hand. I've had a failed attempt there so I was not keen on it but what can I do? I just had to lump it. I feel the sting of the needle and the ache of the discovery ( ie trying to get it in the vein - more like capillary if you ask me). She then tries the test, injecting a saline solution to test if it goes in ... or not. She asks if it hurts, yeah ... YEAH. Man it DID. Oh god that hurts. She looks at my left hand looking for another candidate. Then drops it for my right hand. I feel the swab, it was the biggest 'capillary' there. So I was sort of glad, this should go in. She pokes it and I felt it. Then she injects. I say Oh, whats that? She asks, that hurts? YEAH.
Man I felt like crying. Let me out please, I wanna go home. Timeout. There goes my macho image. Sob...sob.
Then she went for the jugular, the elbow. The vein there was large. What did I do to deserve this. God help me ... oh I forgot to say a little prayer then I recited the salawat 3 times. This time I felt the sting and the ache, but felt the squirt of the saline solution going in. Thank god.
Man I will never let anyone try the pinky end of my left hand again. Will opt for the jugular next time.
(It just occurred to me that they didn't constrict my arm to enlarge the veins when they tried the IV line, they always did that when I was at Ipoh. Man I would rather be at Ipoh RPB hospital if this was a sample of their treatment.)
The scan was the usual scan. Then the contrast solution. The nurse say injecting. I felt something entering my veins, then my throat felt warm and tingly, not nice more like glowing from radiation tingle. Then around my groin then around my stomach. Now I know why they were so strict on the steroids. It was a struggle to ignore the feeling around my throat to stop from vomiting. It felt like someone was poking me in the back of the throat. Then I had the mask which I did before placed on my head, and it was over.
I can go. You will get another Xray before your radiotherapy begins. We will call you (yeah right).
third time lucky
Ok so third time to try get this CT simulation thing happening.
I had just moved from Perak and arrived late plus the removalist made an opportunistic detour to get some other things along the way. I called some friends, thanks guys L - M & Mr O (phew, lucky MrO is O if C I would get Larry Curly and Mo :D ), to help lift the big stuff, fridges, sofa etc. Man if they had not helped I would've blown my nasal hole cap ie leaked again. Thanks for waiting till 12 man. Man it'll be my treat for tea tarik when, if EVER I get money from my current project.
Thus, I forgot to take my 8hr before, steroids. Next day I had just remembered about it and took the 2hr before. Blah blah blah, I see the girl and she asked about the steroids. I said I forgot the 8hr but took the 2hr. She said one minute I will ask the doctor. She comes back and said nope. Huh. That wasn't what I had imagined would happened. Man I've taken contrast solutions before, how bad can it be!
She said come back tomorrow, get more pills and don't forget to eat them.
Man that was disappointing.
I had just moved from Perak and arrived late plus the removalist made an opportunistic detour to get some other things along the way. I called some friends, thanks guys L - M & Mr O (phew, lucky MrO is O if C I would get Larry Curly and Mo :D ), to help lift the big stuff, fridges, sofa etc. Man if they had not helped I would've blown my nasal hole cap ie leaked again. Thanks for waiting till 12 man. Man it'll be my treat for tea tarik when, if EVER I get money from my current project.
Thus, I forgot to take my 8hr before, steroids. Next day I had just remembered about it and took the 2hr before. Blah blah blah, I see the girl and she asked about the steroids. I said I forgot the 8hr but took the 2hr. She said one minute I will ask the doctor. She comes back and said nope. Huh. That wasn't what I had imagined would happened. Man I've taken contrast solutions before, how bad can it be!
She said come back tomorrow, get more pills and don't forget to eat them.
Man that was disappointing.
Friday, May 1, 2009
back to the source
During the day I get a call from the hospital that my MRI was on a wednesday, i said my next appointment at the radio clinic was wednesday. She then said I call you back. Later she calls and say keep the MRI at ipoh at 8 and reschedule the radio. The MRI appointment was as usual a precious item, ie highly overbooked, don't miss it. She says the the radio will call you back.
I decide to stay at a hotel as it will cost almost as much to go home and come back but wake up at 5am or something. Next day I go straight to the hospital. I go to neuro to hand the letters. I wait, I wait, it's 8. Where is everyone. I sneak a peak to find a doc and find one. It just happens to be the doc I was supposed to see. I hand the letters and my appointment card and get the MRI letter and go to the imaging dept.
I go to the MRI area and change to the usual patient garb but get to keep my underwear. Funny, I happen to be wearing underwear today, its not the usual case. I mention the metal screws so they spend the next 15 minutes trying to get the metal detector working ie find the misplaced batteries. Eventually they just take the neuro's word that it's MRi safe and send me in.
It's nosy in the machine. After a while I get out but the doc says waiting a minute, injection time. Damn I thought I wasn't going to get the contrast. Lucky I didn't know otherwise I would have been anxious all day. But I sucked it in. I was a little uncomfortable as usual. Then back in.
Another 15 mins then it was done and get out.
I go back to the neuro and was told to deliver the other letter at the pathology dept. After handing that over I was done.
I decide to stay at a hotel as it will cost almost as much to go home and come back but wake up at 5am or something. Next day I go straight to the hospital. I go to neuro to hand the letters. I wait, I wait, it's 8. Where is everyone. I sneak a peak to find a doc and find one. It just happens to be the doc I was supposed to see. I hand the letters and my appointment card and get the MRI letter and go to the imaging dept.
I go to the MRI area and change to the usual patient garb but get to keep my underwear. Funny, I happen to be wearing underwear today, its not the usual case. I mention the metal screws so they spend the next 15 minutes trying to get the metal detector working ie find the misplaced batteries. Eventually they just take the neuro's word that it's MRi safe and send me in.
It's nosy in the machine. After a while I get out but the doc says waiting a minute, injection time. Damn I thought I wasn't going to get the contrast. Lucky I didn't know otherwise I would have been anxious all day. But I sucked it in. I was a little uncomfortable as usual. Then back in.
Another 15 mins then it was done and get out.
I go back to the neuro and was told to deliver the other letter at the pathology dept. After handing that over I was done.
second time round
The next week, same thing, drive 3 times around the hospital looking for parking. At 10 the staff parking opens to the public. After 30 minutes plus looking for parking the staff parking opens and we take one. I go to the clinic.
I see the nurse who says wait here. I take a trip on a massaging chair while I wait. Wonder why this chair thing costs so much to buy. By the time it was my turn, the machine broke down. Damn, what a wasted trip. I need to retry next week, what's more I have to deliver 2 letters to Ipoh to get an MRI and try to get a sample of a sample they took from my tumour.
Then I go to work, waste of a morning.
I see the nurse who says wait here. I take a trip on a massaging chair while I wait. Wonder why this chair thing costs so much to buy. By the time it was my turn, the machine broke down. Damn, what a wasted trip. I need to retry next week, what's more I have to deliver 2 letters to Ipoh to get an MRI and try to get a sample of a sample they took from my tumour.
Then I go to work, waste of a morning.
radio therapy
the week I go to see the radiotherapy and oncology specialist. I was late again. The lack of parking didn't help either. It's just that there was no parking. I wonder why they made the LRT station at kg baru. There's nothing there! Why didn't they put it where it would be of great use, the hospital. It's the main hospital in the country! Such small brains.
I get there at 10 for an appointment at 9. It was packed. I sat next to a guy who has a ticket 2009. He says he's been here since 9. The current serviced number is 2001, my number was 2011. My god at this rate I won't see the doc till dinner time.
I did finally see the doc. She just asks some simple questions about my journey and that was it. The doc decided on radiotherapy. Go see the radio dept.
I go there and they give me wednesday next week. I will need to undergo a ct simulation for them to plan where to shoot the radio active stuff. And I will also need a mask to put on my head, to keep my head still and also to mark where to shoot. Better than marking my head.
Then that was it. I go. Nothing much I will also get a contrast solution when scanned. I hate contrast solution, it means a needle. I will also need to take some steroids the night before the scan and fast.
I get there at 10 for an appointment at 9. It was packed. I sat next to a guy who has a ticket 2009. He says he's been here since 9. The current serviced number is 2001, my number was 2011. My god at this rate I won't see the doc till dinner time.
I did finally see the doc. She just asks some simple questions about my journey and that was it. The doc decided on radiotherapy. Go see the radio dept.
I go there and they give me wednesday next week. I will need to undergo a ct simulation for them to plan where to shoot the radio active stuff. And I will also need a mask to put on my head, to keep my head still and also to mark where to shoot. Better than marking my head.
Then that was it. I go. Nothing much I will also get a contrast solution when scanned. I hate contrast solution, it means a needle. I will also need to take some steroids the night before the scan and fast.
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