Fighting Cancer - Part THREE (3)

Fighting Cancer - Part THREE (3)

One day, I don't remember which day it was, but I remember it wasn't the day of chemotherapy. I was resting at home when I felt a slight discomfort in my lower abdomen. At first, I didn't take it too seriously, but after waiting for half a day, I realized that the discomfort had increased and the pain had intensified, prompting me to call the hospital. During chemotherapy, there was an emergency phone available for cancer patients 24 hours a day.

In summary, without causing any trouble, I contacted the hospital and explained my condition to the nurse over the phone. She quickly connected me to the doctor who told me to either call an ambulance or ask someone nearby to take me to the hospital. At that moment, I didn't take the matter too seriously, but I mentioned it to my aunt. She immediately turned on the car and transported me to the hospital. As soon as I arrived at the hospital, they quickly transferred me to the emergency department since I was expected.

The doctor was waiting for me in the emergency department and as soon as he examined me from behind, he told me the bad news. I, who had become accustomed to bad news these days, asked him if there was anything worse than having cancer. He smiled slightly and said, "Of course not, but unfortunately, you have an infection in your back, and I need to perform a minor procedure without anesthesia right here in the emergency department. Since I can't wait for the operating room, I have to do the procedure here." At that moment, I didn't fully grasp the situation, but I agreed with him. The doctor immediately made the call and asked a few nurses for assistance. One of them was a tall, muscular figure about 2 meters tall. At first, I didn't understand why someone like that had to be present for a procedure on my back, but as soon as the operation began, I realized that he was there to hold me down because they knew in advance that I would experience pain.

I hope you don't have a bad day. It was planned that this gentle doctor would open me up from the back without any anesthesia or unconsciousness and clean up my wounds. He gave me a cushion to hold in case I felt pain and told me not to scream too much. Still not taking the matter seriously, I didn't understand what to expect until the doctor started working on me. Then I understood the purpose of the cushion and the doctor's instructions. Eyewitnessing the pain, I practically bit the cushion, and after 40 minutes when I was completely exhausted, I told the doctor that if he touched me again, I would kill him. He didn't flinch, and he asked the sexy and attractive 2-meter-tall black nurse to hold my hands and told me I had to endure for another 5 minutes, to which I had no choice. In short, this procedure ended after 50 minutes, and I had passed out from the pain.

Unfortunately, after the surgery, I realized that my surgical wound had to remain open, and the doctor said he couldn't suture it. I had to sit in a special Seasalt bath three times a day, and that also had its own story, which I prefer not to continue.

Anyway, after the surgery, the doctor prescribed antibiotics, and for two weeks, I had to use the saltwater bath three times a day. However, during chemotherapy, the most important issue is cleanliness of the environment and oral hygiene, which plays a crucial role in the patient's health. I was comfortable in terms of environmental cleanliness and oral hygiene, but unfortunately, as Iranians, we have a bit of hairiness, and a hair on my body was giving me a hard time, trying to kill me.

To be continued.

Fighting Cancer - Part TWO (2)

 

Fighting Cancer - Part TWO (2)

I was saying that during the period of chemotherapy and afterwards, all your body's preferences change. Your cravings increase for certain things, like pregnant women, and you start to dislike things you used to enjoy. I remember the first day well, the lie. Why? Because I was a little scared, and I had heard that doctors insisted on drinking a large amount of water. Out of concern for myself, I asked someone to bring me some watermelon to the hospital. They didn't do anything wrong; they had taken a whole watermelon and extracted the water for me. Due to my fear of the chemicals being injected into my body, as I wanted them to leave my body, I consumed everything. May your eyes never witness a bad day like that. As soon as I returned home from the hospital and entered the house, I felt so terrible that I couldn't lie. That was the first time I felt the proximity of death. I had never felt such a condition in my life. Unfortunately, the excess watermelon juice had lowered my blood pressure, and the effects of chemotherapy were clearly evident. I didn't know what to do. On one hand, I didn't want to worry or upset my loved ones, so the best thing I could do was seek refuge in the bathroom. As soon as I entered the bathroom, I collapsed on the floor. It took about 15 minutes to regain my normal state, but from that day until now, as I'm writing this for you, whenever I hear the word watermelon, my body trembles, let alone consuming it.

Finally, that night passed. It wasn't an interesting night for me; it was like the first night of basic training in the military, full of uncertainty about what would happen. On one hand, you keep thinking about what tomorrow will bring. Even if it's the first day, I thought, "Woe to the days to come." But it wasn't as I had imagined. Of course, the days to come were harder, but the fear and anxiety of the first day were no longer there.

That night, I realized that my life had entered a new phase, and I understood that in order to stay and live, I had to fight. A battle that perhaps seemed impossible alone, but the help of others and my loved ones gave me strength.

I remember talking a lot about losing hair on the head and face, and they even had a class on the side effects of chemotherapy for me, mostly about hair. Fortunately, I shave my head, so I didn't have any problems with that. But well, I have a small beard that I haven't shaved in 15 years, and I had gotten used to it. I used to tell myself that I don't think I'll ever shave my beard so soon, but I was wrong. Exactly on the second day, when I returned from the hospital and went to wash my face, I saw a scene as if someone had put a razor to half of my beard. That's when I realized that these medications were serious, and I had to listen to my doctor's advice to drink water so that these drugs would be eliminated from my body.

Drinking water during chemotherapy is an important task, although it's easy to say. You might think, "Come on, drinking water isn't that difficult." But unfortunately, after chemotherapy, the taste in your mouth changes. To understand what I mean, just hit your tongue with a rusty piece of iron. Then you'll understand what I'm saying. Unfortunately, due to the wounds in my mouth and the bad taste, everything I consumed turned into venom. Drinking that plain water became like drinking iron water.

I don't know which day it was, but suddenly...

To be continued.