Submitted by Beth
My Story
My mother is 74 years old and had her colon cancer removed last May 2006. It was during her vacation to the Middle East that the doctors decided she should undergo an emergency operation. After a battery of tests, they were able to remove the growth in her colon, without the need for colostomy
One month after the operation, she was put on chemotherapy. She gets it once a week for 4 weeks, then rests for 1 week, until she completes the 24-session cycle (almost 7 months).
Each time we go to the hospital, she gets nervous and scared. I tried to understand, knowing the pain she undergoes before the session because she has to have her CBC. I watch her wince in pain as the needles penetrate her small arm. We wait for the result, which usually takes an hour, then we proceed to the specialist, and then to the chemo room. She is given FU5 and calcium. Each session usually lasts an hour. I stay with her until it's finished.
I have observed that each patient responds differently to the treatment. Some patients lose their hair as early as the first treatment. Luckily for my mother, today, on her 22nd session, her hair is still thick. Some complain of nausea and dizziness. My mother experienced dizziness only last month. Constipation is also a common problem. She takes Duphalac for relief and eats lots of fruits to help with bowel movements. One discomfort my mother complains about most is trembling. She is even afraid to hold drinking glasses for fear it will slip through her fingers.
While waiting for my mother, I met a lot of people and they relayed their stories to me about how they survived cancer. It helps a lot to keep a positive outlook in life and always believe that this too shall pass.
I've had to sacrifice my kids because they are staying in the Philippines while my mother and I are here in the Middle East. (We are aware of the high cost of hospitalization in our country, so we opted to stay here because her treatment here is free.) Once in a while, my ex-husband looks in on them, but for most of the time, they are on their own. It will just be a couple of weeks and my mother will finish her chemo treatment, and finally I will be home.
