Thursday, July 1, 2010

Taxotere, Jul 2010

July 1st is a public holiday in Hong Kong. We were blessed with a visit from overseas church member Wilson. He said it's been a long six years we have not met. Otherwise the day was a light one. We went for coffee, bought lunch home, caught a nap, exercised after rest, and relaxed after dinner. The next day I looked on the web for Wife's next drug in chemo: the fearsome taxotere.

Wife had a scare today (6th) after her 4th injection, TAC for the first time. She thought the 150 ml dosage was too strong and she panicked, so she emailed her physician brother in UK who said the dosage was OK. Nothing can calm her at times like this, but she was happy as a lark later. Checking too many website was counterproductive this time. The steroids kept her energized, but HGH is next, from Friday till Monday, four days after TAC. Read her version.

The HGH effect set in with a vengeance. For the last three days, Wife has sleep, bowel and pain issues. There is no relief in sight as tomorrow (12th) is the fourth and final day of HGH injection. At times, she has to rest on the bed with two arms extended to relieve and release the stress. Thankfully today I bought her tiramisu, which she enjoyed the taste even though everything else has been bland and flat to her. The caffeine helped, too.

The last few days, with the 4th cycle, have been wild, reaching a crescendo two days ago at night (12th). Wife had a high fever and almost admitted herself at night into hospital. She waited to see if the next day was any better, preferring to hold it off since she was going to have a checkup in two days time. The next day the fever still refused to leave her. Only today did it subside. Come to think of it, she has not been sick since March, still it was rather abrupt.

Three days ago (13th) I dreamed of talking to a prominent pastor in Hong Kong about the possibility of coaching the newer or younger pastors in his sizable church. After nearly two years in Hong Kong, I realized my heart is in training the younger pastors who are already in the field. This is an untested ground for me and for the local church here. The pastoral side in me wants to help out the younger generation, a way for me to give back.

Hong Kong can be quite a heartless city. Yesterday (19th) four men ranging from their early 20s to early 40s sit defiantly on their MTR seats without budging, refusing to give up their seats to a nearby woman in the 50s with a little baby hanging around her neck. I stared at them to make them feel uncomfortable but they were too thick-skinned to bother to look at me. At night I returned to my apartment to witness a young man by the lobby mail boxes picking up a notice that was already lying on the floor. I complimented him but he said it was minor, all he did was lift a finger(舉手之勞). Well, all is not lost for Hong Kong then. San Diego in-law Henry forwarded a link of a Hong Kong architect who transformed his tiny apartment to 24 rooms.

I was shocked to learn a pastor took my sermon as his literally, changing my name to his name. Check out the original I posted. In fact six of his sermons under his Breakthrough series were from my "Miracle of Faith" series. The plagiarism is so blatant and obvious. Wife was madder than me. He could be in trouble if his church finds out.