Day +68

My Blood Count Today:
Red Blood Count (RBC) = 105(Normal 130-180)
Platelet = 92(Normal 150-450)
White Blood Count (WBC) = 2.9(Normal 4 - 11)
Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) = 1.595 (Normal 1.5 - 8.0)
Potassium = 4.2(Normal 3.5 - 5.2)
Magnesium = 0.64(Normal 0.65 - 1.05)

I am fine today. The platelet count drops 17% compared to last week result, quite a big drop. But there is a good increase in magnesium, almost reaching the normal level. The rest of the blood results do not change much. I was given another magnesium infusion.

When I first met the BMT nurse this morning, she reminded me that she would remove my PICC line today. I could not object this because I had already promised them last week to have this PICC line removed today. If a PICC line is used for more than 6 months, the risk of infection through the line is high. She said if I don't allow her to remove it, she would "takut-takutkan"(scare) me. I don't know how she would scare me, because I was already very scared before she scared me, therefore she don't have to scare me to make me scared of continue having this PICC line in my body. This is my second PICC line which was inserted on 2nd, March this year. The previous PICC line that I had was removed after 3 months in service due to fungus infection. So I had been living with PICC line, days and nights, for over 9 months. Now my hand is free of this line. I don't have to wrap my hand with plastic bag anymore before taking bath, and worry about blockage. Next week, the nurse has to draw my blood sample by poking needle into my vein :-( I just hope that no magnesium infusion is needed; else fixing an intravenous line for magnesium infusion could be painful :-(

A few hospital staff said to me today, "U tumbuh jambang." (You grow beard). This is the first time I came across the Bahasa Melayu word “jambang”. But I was able to guess quickly that they were referring to the hair on my face, which grows longer each day. The doctor asked me why I don't shave the "jambang". The reason is simple. I am just curious to see how I will look like with this "jambang." And who know I will be able to sing better with this "jambang", because one of the world top tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, is also “jambang-ful” :-)

See you next post :-)