Round 2 Treatment 22 July 2022

My feeling this morning was a bit impatient... hoping to get this round done with and go home. But it took longer than expected. I managed to get a room this time and the whole thing ended at almost 2pm. To my delight the next treatment is 5th August! Lots of time to recuperate... Frankie accomodated me and took me for a nice RakuZen lunch in Empire Subang and we walked a bit. I don't want to keep counting the days... i really want to let go as much as possible, mentally and physically and be good to myself. I am just so blessed that I dont' have any major side effects. I can sleep, eat and poo! hahahaha I have also started practicing to tell myself in the morning that I love myself and I am thankful for my being. Let lots of love and light surround me. I have a beautiful life and will see my girls graduate, marry and become parents. 889 8 Lots of love and lights

The Second Diagnosis May 2022

I started this blog when I had Sueanne and it was just left like that for a long long time... i got caught up with life... the so call busy full time working mom life... focusing on DOING and PROVIDING the best for my girls... not realising years later that I have lost myself... On May 7th 2021 I had to face the fact that I am diagnosed with stage 3 right breast cancer when the breast surgeon sent me a Whatsapp text with the report. To make it worse the bone scan showed bone carcinoma and they had to reclassify my case to Stage 4. My world came crumbling down... fast forward I went through 6 rounds of chemo, lost my hair, removed my right breast, survived 25 rounds of radiotheraphy and was put on hormone theraphy and I thought I've survived cancer. Come May 27th 2022 when I am due for my PET CT scan, a lump on the left breast was detected and Oncologist sent me in for a biopsy. BOOM!!! Another cancer... and the scary term of Her2+ was uttered from the Onco's mouth. Anger fills me... what have I done wrong... why another one... all I can say to my Onco was "I don't want to go through chemo again"... tears came rolling down... fears consumed me... my world seems uncertain... and this round I procrastinated. Hoping for miracle... hoping for the cancer to somehow dissapear... I went to see another Onco for second opinion hoping that he can recommend alternative treatment. But he said the same thing as my Onco... I was so frustrated. Finally I took up the guts to start the journey and Friday, 15 July was the first treatment. 4 drugs : 2 targetted theraphy and 2 chemo, I was at the hospital from 7.15 am until 6:30pm ... I was drained. I thought I am fine... when the nurse approached me to administer the drug, tears rolled down and the nurse had to console me... I told myself - this round I am not as strong as I thought. So much fear within me... the thought of having to fight the battle again and to go thorugh the side effects was just so painful to face. God please have mercy on me and be kind to me... bless me strength and positivity in mind, body and soul.

Orange Chiffon Cake (with AMC)

Ingredients :-

• 100 gm sugar
  
• 120 gm self raising floor


• 5 eggs (seperate yolks & white)


• 1 tsp cream of tartar


• 5 tbsp cooking oil


• 1 orange (extract juice & grate skin)

Preparation

• Mix thoroughly the egg yolks, cooking oil, orange juice, grated orange skin, flour and half the amount of sugar. Leave mixture aside.




• Beat the egg white together with remaining sugar and cream of tartar until the whole mixture becomes highly viscous.




• Put the flour mixture into the beaten egg white ane mix them in a folding manner.




• Heat up an AMC 24cm Unit Super Deep with a 21cm tube pan (non grease) inside for about 5 minutes with AMC hot plate.




• Pour batter into the tube pan and bake for 30 - 45 minutes. When cake is ready, invert the tube pan on to a plate to cool. Lift off the tube pan before serving.

Note : alternatively you can also use cup cake cups :)

My Recipe

Ingredients:-

• 1 big onion (chop finely)


• 2 fresh tomatoes (cut into small cubes)


• Fresh mushrooms


• Celery (cut into small cubes)


• Rock sugar (to taste)


• Prego Spagetti Sauce (Traditional)


• Olive oil


• Maccheroni (to be boiled)
  

How to Prepare

1. Heat up saucepan and pour olive oil


2. Add finely chopped big onion and cook till the colour turns light
   
3. Add fresh mushrooms, celery & fresh tomatoes
   
4. Cook about 10 minutes with medium heat


5. Add Prego traditional spagetti sauce and a bit of water till sauce thickens


6. Add in rock sugar and cook for 5 minutes


7. Ready to serve with boiled Maccheroni :)

Shopping List for D'Day!!!

A) Things to Prepare for Newborn

• Baby's Nappy - 4 dozens
• Nappy clips - 3 pcs
• 4 oz milk bottle - 4 Nos. (highly recommend Avent)
• 9 oz milk bottle - 2 Nos. (highly recommend Avent)
• Hot water dispenser (highly recommned the top pressed one)
• Baby Hat - 2 Nos
• Handkerchief - 2 dozens
• Towels - 6 pcs
• Wet tissues - 6 packs (highly recommend Pigeon)
• Nappy rash cream (highly recommend Bepanthen - can also be used for cracked nipples for breastfeeding mums)
• Nail cutter
• Scissors
• Mittens - 2 dozens (there will come a time where newborn tends to suck their fingers and thus wet the mittens - encouraged to change frequently)
• Small blanket
• Cotton wool - 1 pack (for cleaning newborn's eyes before bath)
• Bandage wool - 3 rolls (for cleaning newborn's tongue)
• Pillow - 2 Nos (highly recommend the latex one)
• Long sleeves PJs - 1 dozen (buy those with round neck)
• Socks for newborn - 1 dozen (booties does not work for my newborn as it kept falling off)
• Shower gel (highly recommend seba med - and i started using only after 1 month)
• Bath tub - 1 No
• Diapers (highly recommend Drypers for day use & MamiPoko night use - new born can poo up to 8 times a day!)

B) For mummy during confinement period

• Socks - 1 dozen
• Sanitary pads - for heavy flow and keep stock for 6 weeks
• PJs - long sleeves and long pants
• Nursing Pad (highly recommend Pigeon - quantity depending on how long one breasfeed)
• Nursing bra - normal one will do :)
• Small towel
• Hot pad (to ease breast engorgement)
• Hot water flask - 1 Nos (highly recommend Zebra brand)
• Breast pump - 1 (highly recommend Madela Harmony Manual Pump)

C) Labour Bag

i) For mummy

• Socks - 2 pairs
• Slippers - 1 pair
• Night gown - 1
• Hair band (for those with long hair)
• Sanitary pad
• Skarf
• Going home outfit
• Nursing bra
• Nursing bra
• Camera
• Admission letter from the hospital you are going to have your newborn

ii) For Newborn

• Baby blanket
• Sleepsuits/ PJs - 2-3 pcs
• Hat - 1 No
• Socks - 2 pairs
• Mitten - 2 pairs
• Nappy - 2 to 3 pcs
• Diapers - 10 pcs

Dos & Donts During Pregnancy

For the first time in my life I actually said "NO" to coke... dunno why I will vomit whenever I consume coke during my pregnancy - not a bad thing after all cos the sugar content is really high :)

One myth about what not to take during pregnancy is cold drinks... and I really want to share this : I have no choice but to take cold and iced drinks throughout my pregnancy because warm water and drinks makes me vomit. The older folks believed that cold drinks will affect the baby later on and will cause baby to be easily affected with cough and cold later on... but (touch wood) my baby is growing just fine :)

I think the most important thing is for you to know your own body well and just be moderate in your daily diet :)

Baby's Somersaulting

Wow... my little angel is really active and can even somersault!!!