A date with the oncologist

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So I was referred to Gleneagles Oncology - Dr Rachael Khong. To be honest I'm hoping to hear from Institut Kanser Negara as I heard good things about their drugs and facilities. Prof Yip even called them to refer me but after a week, I still don't hear from them. I don't want to delay things, so Gleneagles it is.

Made an appointment to see her to hear her treatment plan for me. I also made another appointment with UMSC oncology to compare the treatment.

The day I met up with Dr Rachael, Azwat was busy with meetings. He wanted to ask for emergency leave but i told him absolutely no. He has missed a lot of work last week because of me, so better not jeopardise his work. I have the lovely Jaime to come along with me to see Dr Rachael.

It was quite a long wait as we were told she has 10 patients that morning itself.  But the moment we saw her, we liked her.  She was open and easy to talk to.  And reminds me of Jaime and I - loud!  I had a series of questions for her, and she said fire away!

1. How soon do I need to start the treatment? - ASAP, as this is an aggressive cancer (HER2 Positive)
2. How long is each treatment? - about 5 hours (damn that's long)
3. What are the side effects, risks? - all kinds, depends on individual, nausea, body ache, raches, etc
4. Will if affect my daily routine? Can I still work? - Yes, it depends on individual as well (I hope I could, for my sanity!)
5. Will I be hospitalized? - It's a day care, come in the morning and back in the afternoon
6. Can I use several insurance claims - my work insurance, my hubby's work insurance and my own personal insurance? - Absolutely, the clinic will help with the paperwork.
7. How & what will be the best exercise regime after chemotherapy? - Exercise is best but listen to your body before pushing yourself. (Ok, I will slowly push myself, and hopefully can train for Powerman with Azwat!)

The next day I went to see Prof Ho at UMSC.  He was not as open as Dr Rachael but very informative as well.  Seems that the prices of the drugs are about the same at both hospital, the only variation is just the facilities.  Some additional info from Pof Ho - I should get MRI scan for my brain and HER2 Positive cancer tends to attack the brain (!!!).

In the end, I chose Dr Rachael Khong, furthermore Gleneagles is just around the corner from home and if there's any emergency it would be easier to manage. 


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