So, I was scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on April 18. However, I was acknowledge that there is neither insurance-covered ward (Taiwan has National Health Insurance that provide free 4/6 person ward) nor self-paid ward (single or double room) available. Not until April 19 I was informed that there was a self-paid ward available (two-person room), I have no option but chose to pay for the ward.

This made me wondered what happened to the world where so many people were diagnosed with cancer? Is it because of the over-polluted environment, or is it because of the the modern lifestyle that we lived with. Of course I don't blame for having this Hodgkin's Lymphoma, because it is important to understand that there isn't a single cause for a cancer to develop. It is multifactorals: environment factors, genetic factors, age factors, physical activities, diet, infections, bla bla and bla. If you believe in Buddhism, karma is one of the factors too! Well, it is worth thinking anyway.

Anyway, the standard-first-line treatment for my cancer was ABVD chemotherapy regimen. ABVD is the abbreviation of 4 different kinds of drugs, namely Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Visblastine and Dacarbazine. It will be administrated intravenously to my body, through my Port-A (I mentioned on the previous email), twice a month (Day 1 and Day 15).

Straight to the point when I start my chemotherapy. The four drugs were given to me separately (I used to think that it is kinda cocktail treatment which was given simultaneously). All four drugs were pumped into my vein with a machine that could control the speed of infusion. I was given anti-nausea medication prior to the infusion. Everything goes well except I was forced to goto the washroom every half an hour because the amount of liquid was huge. I felt as usual until Adriamycin started dripping to my body. I feel ACUTE nausea and vomiting feeling. Anyway, thanks to the anti-nausea drug, I didn't puke.

The next few days, the only side effect from the chemotherapy I encountered with is uncomfortable in my stomach and tiredness. It feels just like you ate something wrong and you have light cramping in your stomach. I can still eat the same amount of food that I usually take, but I will have to separate it into two meals instead of one. Now I have literally 5 meals per day (breakfast, 2X lunch and 2X dinner). I feel a lil exhausting too, so I sleep like 8-10 hours per day.

However, don't worry too much because there are so many people around me who cares a lot. They accompany me to and back from the hospitals, they visited me when I was in the hospital/at home, they bring me food and fruits, they gave me physical and mental support... I don't know what to do except saying thank you and promise to pay back to the society in the future.

I tried to maintain an active lifestyle, so I still go to school with masks for a few hours per day. I will take a walk in the school whenever I could. Others time I just sit in front of the computer writing my diary or watching tv. Such a leisure lifestyle huh. Not productive to be accurate, ha.

The next chemotherapy session will be on 5/5, if nothing goes wrong. I will have to work hard to bring up my ferritin in my blood these few days. Finger crossed.

Goodbye for now!