C is for Cancer

The following Teusday, I was back in HUKM. E-Ya drove me. This time around I was placed in the "chemotheraphy quarantine room". The room is a single bedded room with an attached bathroom. As the name suggests, I was separated from the other patients. This is actually a room for patients undergoing chemo. The isolation is needed as normally after chemo, patients will face side effects such as nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, etc. Not only that, chemo will not only kill cancer cells, but it will also destroy healthy cells, causing immunity system of the patient to be low. Thus, to prevent cancer patient from being inflicted with diseases they have to be quarantined a few days after treatment. Tapi itupun depends, because not all patient will experience the same side effects. Some don't have any at all. But as this will be my first experience doing it, they put me in quarantine as precautionary measures.

Talking about cancer, you will see that it usually comes without warning. Unoticed. You think anyone else can get it but not you. That's where I was wrong. These days anybody can get cancer. Young or old, you name it. It is something that happens to you while you are busy doing other things. Very few cancers cause any pain at all. And if they do, it's probably too late, like in my case. If I've learned one lesson, it is that it's important for everyone to have regular checkups and to request specific tests if you are at risk for any type of cancer, even at an early age. The second thing I have learned is that hearing you have cancer is bad, but hearing it has metastasized is worse.

The result of my FNAC confirmed the cancer has spread to my neck area, probabaly the thyroid gland. Although the doctor treating me did not mention it, I know I'm now officially a stage IV patient. So immediate action was to give me chemo and that's why they put me in the isolation room. By this time I have made up my mind not to be bothered by the stage nor the survival rate. What concerns me is the treatment that I am going to go through. I am more determined to fight this cancer the best way I can.