My Stage 3B Lung Cancer Journey

Day 20 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 1 June 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 116/87 Pulse = 74 Weight = 66.8 kg Temp : 36.2 C   HB1AC : 5.2

Day 19 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 31 May 2025 SPO2 = 96 BP = 121/82 Pulse = 74 Weight = 66.2 kg Temp : 36.2 C   HB1AC : 5.3

Day 18 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 30 May 2025 SPO2 = 96 BP = 125/88 Pulse = 81 Weight = 66.1 kg Temp : 36.3 C   HB1AC : 5.9 Another uneventful day.  Went for my routine 20-minute walk after breakfast. Still feeling a bit lethargic, but being out and about in the cloudy weather was a good fix. Lunch was a store-bought ramen for a change.  Felt a bit of vertigo kicking in after my afternoon nap.  I wonder if it's still some unresolved BPPV issue and I wonder if doing some Epley maneuver would help?  Seems to be more when I turn left when I sleep, then the nauseous feeling seems to happen then.  The dry skin, particularly at the heels are beginning to resolve with the help of moisturiser and the sharp pain seems to have subsided.

Day 17 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 29 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 116/85 Pulse = 80 Weight = 66.8 kg Temp : 36.4 C   HB1AC : 5.3 Morning walkie again after breakfast. Nothing much to report today.   Still trying to get the split skin wound on my right heel to close up with the help of moisturiser and plasters.   Still feeling abit fatigued and having an afternoon nap does help abit.  Drove over to MY's place to return her flasks and collect some tomato seedlings for our vegetable garden. Evening was spaghetti with tomato sauce.  I seemed to have eaten more than my usual dinner amount.  Must continue to remember to hydrate! 

Day 16 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 28 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 127/84 Pulse = 71 Weight = 66.4 kg Temp : 36.2 C   HB1AC : 5.4 Does Tagrisso dry up the body so much that it affects my heels?  The skin is cracking and painful wounds appear out of nowhere.  There is also an injury on my left hand finger that showed split skin and is also painful.  I put antibiotic cream on the wounds and hope that can resolve it.  Went for my gym session today and Joel put me through the paces on balance, muscle building and also exercises to relieve the pain in my knees.   I put the Mepilex plaster on my heel before I slept in the hope of closing the wound.  

Day 15 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 27 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 127/92 Pulse = 72 Weight = 66.3 kg Temp : 36.3 C   HB1AC : 5.7 Overslept this morning after waking up at around 4:30am.  Tossed and turned then went back to sleep until 8:25am.  Feeling a bit lethargic this morning but forced myself to go for my walk.  Did a short 20-minute walk then came home for some light weight exercises.   No other side effects except a bit of discomfort on my tongue.  So far, everything else is stable. Had a long 2-hr nap in the afternoon but skipped teatime today.  Nothing else in particular to report.

Day 14 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 26 May 2025 SPO2 = 99 BP = 120/87 Pulse = 63 Weight = 66.7 kg Temp : 36.2 C   HB1AC : 4.9 Went for a 20-minute walk after breakfast and did some muscle toning exercises with the 2kg weights.  Felt less lethargic today and wasn't as tired after the walk.  Still have loose stools though not exactly diarrhea.  Attended a 2.5 hr online design critique for UWC.   Had quite little for lunch and pizza baguette for tea and took a short nap till about 6pm.   So far stable and no significant side effects.  I am 2 weeks after 2nd cycle and should feel quite normal.  Looking ahead with a bit of trepidation for my forthcoming PET scan on 4 June.

Day 13 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 25 May 2025 SPO2 = 99 BP = 128/92 Pulse = 67 Weight = 66.8 kg Temp : 36.4 C   HB1AC : 4.8 Had our Sunday prata again, as usual.  So far, condition and side effects are stable without any changes. Just another lazy Sunday with minced meat porridge for lunch and mostly napping the day away.  Did some very light weight exercises before dinner of wraps with chicken. 

Day 12 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 24 May 2025 SPO2 = 98 BP = 116/83 Pulse = 75 Weight = 66.2 kg Temp : 36.5 C   HB1AC : 4.8 I bought the Libre sensor to monitor my glucose level for the next 2 weeks.  Thus far, it was surprising to see my levels quite low.  In fact, during some hours of the day, the HB1AC dropped below 4! But that's good, as sugar feeds the cancer and having low sugar level is good I suppose.  Napped after a lunch of yong tau foo.  Can feel a bit of sores in the mouth and cheek, but nothing as bad as my 1st cycle of chemo. I've also doubled the dose of Folic Acid and perhaps that helped contain the toxicity of the Alimta drug. Went out for dinner at the kopi tiam downstairs and an uneventful evening.  

Day 11 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 23 May 2025 SPO2 = 98 BP = 123/84 Pulse = 72 Weight = 65.5 kg Temp : 36.4 C  Made a trip to office for a meeting. It was good to be out and about, although it may have been risky, with the covid wave around.  I had lunch with colleagues and opted to sit out in the alfresco area at Wine Connection.   I feel stable so far, with the exception of a slight giddiness at times when I turn to my left side when on the bed.  Not sure if this is a remnant of my BPP or something else.   Nothing else much to report.  

Day 10 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 22 May 2025 SPO2 = 98 BP = 115/85 Pulse = 75 Weight = 66.1 kg Temp : 36.5 C Heavy downpour in the morning, so I didn't manage to do my morning walk today.  I'll have to postpone it to a night walk later.  Feeling slightly less fatigued but muscles still ache from the gym session two days ago.  I think that's a good think cos the muscles are building up, which is my intention for the exercises.  Took a morning nap and woke up for lunch. Was awake most of the afternoon.  Drove over to MY's to return her stuff and got more food back from her.  Took an afternoon walk to chalk up my steps.  Feel abit more fit today. Must remind myself to drink more water.  Condition appears to be stable.  No changes to my side effects so far. I plan to go in to office tomorrow morning for a meeting.   

Day 9 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 21 May 2025 SPO2 = 96 BP = 126/85 Pulse = 75 Weight = 65.9 kg Temp : 36.3 C  Woke up feeling quite fatigued.  Not sure if it was yesterday's gym session or the chemo drugs.  Anyway, I still forced myself to go for a walk just to ensure that I keep building up my body to take on the effects of the drugs.  So far, the mouth ulcers are not developing as aggressively as in my 1st cycle.  Hope it will stay that way. Attended EXCO online today.  I'll leave SY and the rest to take CPG forward.  They should be competent enough to do it despite the volatile business environment.  Not my call anymore.  After all, I'm just an employee.   The tingkat lunch was more vegetables today so that's good.  Met Eric and the lawyer in planning for my Will and LPA.  Now to discuss with the family on what's good for everyone.   Other than the fatigue, overall side effects are quite ok today. Started a new bo...

Day 8 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 20 May 2025 SPO2 = 98 BP = 134/91 Pulse = 72 Weight = 67.3 kg Temp : 36.3 C  Nothing much to report on the side effects.  Can feel a few potential sores coming up in the mouth, but otherwise stable so far.  The acne-rash is still present with the little bumps coming off if I rub them out.   Morning walk and some weight exercises.   Went for my gym session with Joel in the afternoon and he put me thru my paces.  I noticed that I got breathless after some of the exercises.  Not sure if it's due to the fatigue or lung capacity or anything else? Simple dinner and I took less carbo. Had pineapple for my fruit dessert.  Not sure if the acidity will have any effect on the mouth inflammation. I finally finished my first box of Tagrisso.

Day 7 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 19 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 135/91 Pulse = 72 Weight = 67.1 kg Temp : 36.2 C Back to Monday and I hit the road for my morning walkie.  But it looks like I need to walk more steps than the 3-4k that I am clocking.  Ideally is 7k steps, research shows.  I've been almost a month on Tagrisso, and I really hope it's doing its job and will continue to last for many more years.  The Progression Free Survival is about 36 months according to research and I pray that it will last longer for me.   The hiccups have largely disappeared, but I'll have to remind myself to drink more water.  When the hiccups were around, I drank a lot more water to mitigate the effects.  Throat feels a bit more raspy and I wonder if the ulcers will be back soon.  I have a nick on my foot that cannot seem to heal and I asked Dr Chan for his advice.  He said to cover it with Mepilex AG dressing to help with the healing.  It's been a week s...

Day 6 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 18 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 135/88 Pulse = 66 Weight = 67.9 kg Temp : 36.3 C Sunday morning cheat day of egg prata at our usual haunt.  The hiccups have largely disappeared so that's good news!  But I'm bracing myself for the mouth ulcers and any sinister side effects that I may not have experienced so far, with the Alimta and Carboplatin kicking in when the steriods stop.   Lunch was Shepherd's Pie and thank god I still have an appetite.  Still feeling abit woozy probably cos of lack of sleep and I slept most of the rainy afternoon.  

Day 5 Cycle 2 Chemotherapy - 17 May 2025 SPO2 = 97 BP = 138/82 Pulse = 69 Weight = 67.2 kg Temp : 36.2 C Breakfast was tar pow at 18 Tai Seng.  The irritating hiccups are still there.  Being the last day of the steroids hopefully the hiccups will go away.  No exercise today. Lunch was watercress, pork and chicken rice.  I drove over to MY's place for some of her almond bagels and blueberry jam.   Dinner was out at 18 Tai Seng again, with a generous helping of my favourite ee-mien.  The hiccups are still back with a vengeance, though like wifey said, it could be a blessing in disguise as it forces me to drink lots of water which could have held back the mouth ulcers.  Ah well, one for the other.   The hiccups seemed a bit more persistent this evening, and keeps coming back even in shorter intervals.  Hope it will go away soon!

Day 4 - Chemotherapy Cycle 2  SPO2 = 96 BP = 137/96 Pulse = 67 Weight = 67.5 kg Temp : 36.2 C Nothing much to report regarding the side effects of the chemotherapy so far, except the persistent hiccups which I now know that's caused by the corticosteroid dexamethasone .  I've finished the last dose of the dexamethasone  so hopefully the side effects should disappear like the last cycle. Did my usual morning walk, but a little bit longer today. Had duck with the tingkat for lunch today.  Tastes nice. Had a short online meeting with CCTC on some bureaucratic ranking system.  The hiccups are still irritatingly there.  Had my final Zarzio ( filgrastim ) 30ml self-injected shot and even though there was no pain, the psychological effect of sticking a sharp needle into my tummy is something that I'd prefer not to experience!  Slept most of the afternoon after the chloropromazine  knocked me out. Dinner was normal and most of the evening was spent discus...

Day 3 - Chemotherapy Cycle 2  SPO2 = 98 BP = 138/92 Pulse = 72 Weight = 67.3 kg Temp : 36.2 C  Today's breakfast was rolled oats with kiwifruit.  Went for a short morning walk and then my muscle toning routine.  Quite an uneventful morning but the hiccups are back with a vengeance.  I had to take the chlorpromazine again with the hope of mitigating the hiccups.  But it makes me drowsy!   Lunch was from the tingkat supplier but today's fish was salmon. Didn't eat much.  Had to nap as the chlropromazine made me rather drowsy.  Dr Chan sent my latest blood report and the CEA marker dropped from 80.1 to 20.7!  Looks like despite the side effects, the chemo was doing its work!  But too early to celebrate.  Let's see how it continues after this 2nd cycle. Also did my 2nd self-injection of Zarzio ( filgrastim ) 30ml into my tummy subcutaneous fat. This time it was on the left side of my belly button as the nurse advised to rotate...

Day 2 - Chemotherapy Cycle 2  SPO2 = 96 BP = 106/75 Pulse = 72 Weight = 67.9 kg Temp : 36.2 C  The irritating hiccups are back.  But just into the first few hours of the morning, I managed to hold my breath and invoke a choking sensation, and it managed to temporarily stop the hiccups.  Feeling a bit of a sore throat and very dry mouth this time around. Fatigue has also set in and I'm feeling quite tired.  My BP seems a bit low and requires a bit more monitoring after breakfast. Did the self-injection of the Zarzio ( filgrastim ) 30ml into my tummy subcutaneous fat.  Other than the scary feeling of poking a sharp needle into myself it was a simple process.  There will be 2 more to go at around lunch time for the next couple of days.   Felt quite lethargic after lunch and I wonder if it's the chlopromazine  that I took yesterday or just the effects of the chemo kicking in.  Had a long afternoon nap, interrupted occasionally by the hi...

Day 1 - Chemotherapy Cycle 2 at Icon Cancer Centre @ Mt Elzabeth Hospital, Orchard SPO2 = 96 BP = 114/85 Pulse = 69 Weight = 66.5 kg Temp : 36.3 C  Back to Icon Cancer Centre for my 9:15am appointment and start of the 2nd cycle of chemotherapy.  The morning started with a blood test to ascertain some key indicators to confirm if I am fit to do the chemo.  The results came back quite ok, with the platelets, white blood cell and hemoglobin counts meeting the minimum requirements.  However, the platelets dropped from the blood test that I did before my first cycle of chemo, and Dr Chan prescribed and injection that will raise the platelets.  This is a self-injected drug to the stomach and will be done over the next 72 hours in 3 instalments.   The chemo IV infusion was done in about 2 hours and I came home with wifey.  I was given a 3-day MC. Now to brace myself for the side effects to kick in, like the first cycle.  Not sure what to expect or w...

Day 22 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 98 BP = 138/86 Pulse = 68 Weight = 66.0 kg Temp : 36.0 C  Went to 18 Tai Seng for egg prata for breakfast on my "cheat day".  Iyn joined us this morning.  Lunch was porridge from our usual favourite stall.  I kinda felt a bit fatigued today and when I woke up this morning, I did feel a slight nausea and giddiness, but it went away quickly.   Other than the acne rashes on my face and upper chest, all the other side effects seemed to have resolved.  I also have some loose stools that bordered on diarrhea, but it wasn't persistent so far.   Dinner was tabao stuff from SRC.

Day 21 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 98 BP = 123/86 Pulse = 71 Weight = 66.1 kg Temp : 36.0 C  Breakfast was a Polar puff today.  Went for a short walk and then rested. Didn't get enough sleep as I was woken up by a thunderstorm around 4am and could not get back to sleep. Nothing much to report on the side effects.

Day 20 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 98 BP = 122/76 Pulse = 64 Weight = 66.1 kg Temp : 36.2 C Went downstairs to the kopitiam for a fishball beehoon mee breakfast.  Is everything tasting a bit more bland than usual?   Went to office to do some packing up.  Gonna be a long process as my room was filled with stuff collected over 12 years.  But will have to clear as much as I can before the renovations start in August.  I went during a weekend so that there are no people around.  Just to play safe, I wore a mask when I was in WestGate.  Afternoon lunch was yong tau foo.  Peng Hong and Ai Poo came to visit.  It was nice of them to wear a mask the whole time to avoid any risk of infecting me.  Thus far, I have not taken any blood tests so I'm not sure about the condition of my immunity.  Dinner was back at the kopitiam and I had sliced fish hor fun.  I think I made the mistake of eating the green chilli in vinegar sauce....

Day 19 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 97 BP = 126/83 Pulse = 67 Weight = 66.4 kg Temp : 36.2 C Five days morning walk in a row!  I think I'll go on with this regime and also my weight training exercises moving forward.  Need to build up my physical resistance to subsequent chemos.   Went to see Dr Cheng today to update him on my condition and also collect my usual medications for another 2 months' supply.  Back home for lunch and then an afternoon nap.  Kai Yen sent some fruits over Grab Delivery.  Reading more articles on the internet and learnt a few new terms like neoadjuvant treatment. It does seem that our decision to carry out the chemo/targeted chemo treatments first and then consider radiotherapy or surgery is a better option than to do the radiotherapy first before chemo.  It's encouraging to see so many advanced treatments available for NSCLC patients these days and hopefully, one day, this cancer's survival rate will increase signifi...

Day 18 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 95 BP = 120/82 Pulse = 71 Weight = 66.6 kg Temp : 36.2 C   Went for my morning walk for about 20 minutes and then came back, showered and had an online meeting with a vendor specialising in site safety monitoring systems.  Lunch was the tingkat food, which a friend described as "overpriced cai png". Another boring day, except for a call from Haze of HR regarding a new procedure that CCTC wants use to rate Directors.  Probably another bureaucratic exercise in "governance". Dinner was quite usual and nothing particular to report for the evening.  I take my Tagrisso at around 10:30pm on a regular basis now.  Most of the side effects have faded except for the dry skin and acne rashes and the occasional loose stool.  

Day 17 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 96 BP = 119/83 Pulse = 65 Weight = 66.1 kg Temp : 36.3 C  Off for my short morning walk after the usual breakfast but with mangoes today.  Walked only about 20 mins as I didn't want to overstrain myself.  Muscles are still sore from the gym session and yesterday's follow up so I don't need to do any weight training today. Had an online meeting with the landscape team this morning on the tender preparation for Changi T3 facelift.  Lunch was the tingkat stuff, which actually looked more like an overpriced cai png.  But let's give it a few more days to see if it's really worth it and whether there are other options available to me.   Had a smoothie and a bun for tea.

Day 16 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 97 BP = 129/90 Pulse = 61 Weight = 65.8 kg Temp : 36.2 C Breakfast as usual then went for a morning walk.  Did some muscle toning exercises with our 2kg weights.  Can feel the arm and thigh muscles aching after that.  Even with the lighter weights, the number of reps and sets actually makes a difference. Spent the morning 'spring cleaning' my digital space, but as usual, it takes a lot more work to actually sort things out.  Must get out of this procrastinating habit and get things done.  And also not to be complacent about the success rate of all these chemotherapy treatments and assume that the average Progression Free Survical is still at around 36-39 months, even with the best available chemo medicine around.   Dinner was abit of leftovers from lunch and some fish and vegetables.   Shifting Tagrisso to a night regime seems to be ok.  The mouth ulcers appear to have subsided and there is less p...

Day 15 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 97 BP = 126/80 Pulse = 63 Weight = 66.3 kg Temp : 36.5 C Went for a short walk after my usual breakfast of rolled oats and oranges.  Good to be out in the open, but it does appear that I get a bit breathless abit faster after walking a short distance to the pocket park.   Lunch was a simple bee tai bak soup with fishballs.  Took a short nap then went to the physiotherapy gym to do some muscle workout.  Today's session was a bit more intense with heavier weights. Managed to put in some office work today and sent it off to the team.   Tea was tuna buns with smoothie.  I was hungry after the gym workout.  And dinner was brown rice with dishes.  It's past two weeks after the 1st IV cycle and 14 Tagrisso tablets.  At least the appetite is still ok.

Day 13 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 96 BP = 130/85 Pulse = 69 Weight = 65.3 kg Temp : 36.4 C  Today is Singapore's Polling Day.  But as our constituency had a walkover, we didn't need to go vote.  Ah well, maybe 5 years' time.  Breakfast was baguette-pizza and green tea.  Didn't go out for breakfast as it was pouring cats and dogs. Lunch was yong tau foo with beehoon.  Food choices are limited during chemotherapy.   Sun and Ruth came over and we had fish soup that he ordered via delivery.  

Day 14 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 98 BP = 116/87 Pulse = 67 Weight = 65.8 kg Temp : 36.3 C  Sunday's my cheat day!  Went out for egg prata at the Jln Kayu branch at Tai Seng.  The PAP won a landslide victory, so all that noise and rah-rah on social media doesn't seem to match up with the silent majority's preference for stability and the incumbent.   Lunch was a simple minced chicken meat porridge that wifey bought back.  Had a smoothie for tea break with some peanut butter biscuits.   The girls came over for dinner and I had fish and chips for a local restaurant.  The mouth ulcers and acne rashes remained stable and I am getting used to the inconvenience. The painful burn-like sores are a drag when eating and chewing, but something that I can manage.   Appetite is still ok. Switch the Tagrisso regime to night so that I take the tablet just before going to bed.  Apparently from what I've read, this also minimises nausea....

Day 12 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 97 BP = 136/90 Pulse = 71 Weight = 65.6 kg Temp : 36.4 C Overslept till almost 8:45am!  I recall waking up at least 5 times to pee over the night.  Probably tired out from all that.  Usual breakfast with avocado this morning.  Then napped again.  Feeling really tired.  The mouth sores and acne rashes hurt alot more and are beginning to be a real pain to deal with.  But it appears that there's no other solution except to hopefully let them resolve by themselves. Lunch was diced chicken stew with vegetables.  Another day of mainly resting. Wifey made avocado toast for tea with barley.   Dinner was usual dishes with rice.  Dessert was mango.  The pimples and mouth sores continue to erupt in more places like the scalp, behind the ears and face.  I applied some antibiotic cream on them.   Reading online, I began switching the Tagrisso to night time dose.  After today, I'll...

  Day 11 after Cycle 1 Chemotherapy SPO2 = 96 BP = 123/74 After Cozaar Pulse = 75 Weight = 66.8 kg Temp : 36.4 C  Breakfast was the usual rolled oats, but wifey cut me a nice mango for my fruit treat.  The mouth burns are increasing to the lower lips and it hurts just to eat and chew my food.  I skipped the morning walk as I felt a bit tired and had another nap after breakfast. Today, being a public holiday (Labour Day) I accepted cousin Gim's invitation to her house for lunch.  The food prepared by her helper was pretty nice - bok choy, streamed fish, diced chicken and toufu made a good lunch feast.  I just took a couple of handfuls of white rice to go with the dishes.   Tea break was baguette pizza and coconut water.   Dinner was another treat with spaghetti bolognaise sauce with minced chicken and mushrooms.  A side dish of green vegetables gave me the fibre I needed.  I must remember to drink more water (if it means going t...