Dad's The Way

Finally, Dad complained about his medication.

The third cycle seemed too much for him, event though it had the same dosage as the last two cycles of 800mg of Capecitabine twice a day for two weeks.

He was complaining of being nausea and the tingling feeling, at times quite intense like pins and needles around his left shoulder region whenever he took the medication.

The lightheadedness would disappear some hours later after he slept it off, but the numbness and tingling feeling never fade away.

"My Dad says he wants to change the medication." I told Dr. Lo this afternoon after describing to her what Dad had been feeling since his third Chemo cycle started.

"His CA marker has risen to 50" she told me in English not wanting for Dad to understand, "it was 47 the last time."

I realized my eyebrows rose, the usual try-to-keep-cool face "Little fluctuations is not a cause for worry." She assured me. I was still digesting that information, then she continued, "That means we have stabilized the C." Replacing the dreaded word "cancer."

"No medicine for you this time, OK Pakcik." She told Dad in Malay. A gallant effort to keep that uncle of a patient at ease, "we go for CT scan next week, OK?" Looking at Dad.

Dad just nodded and turned to me expectantly. Dad gave a faint smile when I told him that he does not have to take he medication tomorrow, but going for the "X-Ray like before, remember?"

We were out from the Consultation Room 7 less than 10 minutes, but had to wait this time almost an hour from our 3:20PM appointed time.

After payment at Clinic C, I rushed to the Pharmacy for Dad's cough medicine and asked him to wait for his name to be called while I rushed again to B2 to Imaging Reception to get him his appointment for the scan.

Dad is set to go for the scan this coming Tuesday, 24th February 2009 at 1:20PM and see Dr. Lo again on Friday, 27th February.

"We'll see if the growth has gotten smaller..." she explained to me, "if it is, then we should continue with his chemo." I just nodded.

"We'll investigate the nausea and tingling feeling on his shoulder with the CT scan first."

This time around, my elder Sis came along, together with her husband and their teenage daughter, my second eldest Brother was there too fetching Dad and Mom for this appointment. The whole "Kampong" or village was at Clinic C it seemed.

Dad was obviously beaming with joy and was talkative... making jokes and teasing Mom at times. I have to admit that it was not a tense time this time waiting for the blood test result to be revealed by the doctor.

The fact that many family members were there made the entire predicament less of an issue. Showing love by just being there is most powerful feeling of strength... maybe even to a man in his death bed to face whatever is to come.

Everyone left National Cancer Centre in my Brother's car... off to a family dinner-out, while I rushed on the opposite direction to Sonny's school. But first, headed home to get Wifey and all the poles and props we made to set up the four Games Booths for tomorrow's Care and Share Day 2009.

An event we look forward to, to have lots of fun for a worthy cause. The school is raising funds to help the needy students and their families... but that's another happy story with lots of happy photos, definitely.