The Battle has Begun

“Holy Sh*t… Sugod na ni my… “

Followed by a series of vomiting, Lito’s words were true. It is starting. The effects of the chemo are slowly kicking in.  The vomiting started earlier this morning after he ate his breakfast. He was very hungry because he had to go fasting (no food or water intake more than a glass for 6-8hrs) for his ultrasound.

We went wheelchair riding, although Lito’s a bit weak because of his migraine and constipation, clearly effects of fasting and the therapy. I am glad because he is eating his meals despite the gradual loss of his appetite. I remind him that it’s like his diet days wherein he eats those tasteless chicken breasts and egg whites every day.

Yesterday, Day 3 of his chemo therapy, was the last dose of his Idarubicin®. 3 days more for his Cytosine Arabinoside or Cytarabine® Click on the links to see what it does.These are kick-as* drugs, the Big C doesn’t want to mess with them. However, it sure gives our Ninja the effects that we all don’t want, but he has to go through it.

The “Ida”, as we prefer to call is a drug that is inserted to his IV. It is orange in color and I say it looks like an orange Ice Pop. It is administered everyday for 3days at 30mins per administration with our Hema-Onco guys, Jeff and Barney (whoever is present). These guys are really kind and they know good friends of ours who also went into cycles to kick the Big C’s a*s.

Ara-C (medical term used for Cytarabine) is administered on a 24-hour basis, for 7 days. The main objective of this whole cycle is for the remission of cancer cells. That is what we will be praying for. And we urge you, Ninja Soldiers a.k.a. Solid Prayer Warriors to please pray the same thing.

As of yesterday, his White Blood Cell count has decreased from the original 150,000 to 95,000. We will be expecting that this will still go down, down, down until near zero so that we can wipe out everything, including the cancer cells. However, as the platelet and white blood cell count decreases, so would his energy levels and immune system.  Meaning, this will be the time that he SHOULD NOT have infections or else it will be really dangerous on his part. One thing he should not have is any kind of bleeding at this stage. A single prick can produce big bruises. Our biggest enemy at this time is any onset of fever as this would indicate infection. So, pray pray pray for no infection, no bleeding and no fever. 

Our generous blood donors are ready. They are advised to have ample rest and no alcohol intake prior to transfusion, which would happen anytime within the therapy session or after that, it really depends on his body reaction.

Most of the effects will kick in full force during the 2^nd to 3^rd week after chemo administration. Lito and I are bracing ourselves for this time. I asked him last night if he was scared. I smiled when he calmly and bravely said, “No, I’m not…” I see him fight, I see him positively moving on and accepting things. He thanked me also for taking care of him and for being strong in all these. I want him to know that he is my source of strength, too. I get hyped up every time he gives me a smile or makes me laugh or if we have our talks. Funny that this is the most that we could be together for days as we have been so busy with work and other priorities before. 

Lito would also like to thank our hematologist, Dr. Leilani Cabahug, for being our constant guide and for honestly telling us what to expect. We trust her with our hearts, she is very gentle and kind and she takes good care of our Ninja Master.  This also goes to the rest of the Onco-Hema staff.

Special thanks to Meg, Ella, Sha-Sha, Peterson, Miss Ada, Miss Ann Dinoy, for the words of wisdom. They, in one way or another, empathize with what we are going through because they have been there as well. They are survivors, live stories of hope and encouragement, and very powerful energy boosters for our Ninja.

So, that’s all for now, everyone. Thank you for keeping yourselves updated here and may you always pray for the fast but absolute (BELIEVE BELIEVE BELIEVE) healing of our Ninja Master.

Fight fight fight, Ninja Master! We are just right behind you...

Idarubicin or "Ida". the orange ice pop. 

Yes guys, I can do this! Hasta pag inject, siya gihapon daw! Ninja Master, bow na ko nimo!

Waiting for our turn in the Ultrasound Area... 

It's wheelchair day.. on the way back to the room, after ultrasound

I love you very much, pareee... With that, I would like to solely dedicate this song to you as it clearly took out words from my mouth and heart. See link below and check out the lyrics.
All is well. All is well. All is well.