MCL: Storing some 'samples'.....

Continuation from here.

I have to apologise in advance if this post is a bit too graphic and too obscene!

When I was sent to Singapore for treatment, one of the things that I had to do was storing some semen, in case the chemotherapy that I was going to have have a detrimental effect on my ability to bear children.

The National University Hospital (NUH) had this place called the Andrology Laboratory, where there was a special room for men to 'do what they have to do'. On my first day, I had to report to this nurse who looked barely 20 years old and I had to say that I felt a bit embarrassed that she knew what I was about to do. But then again, she was probably used to this. I was given a piece of paper with instructions (as if I really needed instructions.....!). I was given the option of doing 'it' either in the 'special' room or at home (in my case, it would be the hotel room). I thought it would be weird doing it in the hotel room or its toilet, knowing that my family was with me, so I opted for the room. Anyway, if I had done it in the hotel room, I had to bring it back to the Andrology Lab within one hour. I thought going from Scott Road to the Hospital on MRT or taxi and carrying a container of my precious cargo would be a bit too surreal!

(click to view larger image and read the instructions!)

Before going to the room, I would be given a sterile container and the key to the room. It won't be a nice thing to have people walking in while you're busy doing it, will it? When I first got into the room, I went exploring the room, trying to see what are available to help me. The room consisted of a small area with a television and a sofa, and an attached toilet. The television was connected to this box with two buttons; one to play a movie and one to stop. And it doesn't take a genius to figure what was shown on the television! That was probably the only place in Singapore where that kind of movie was knowingly available! Because I could only play or stop the movie, by the time I made my third visit, I was bored with the first scene and I actually waited for the next scene before I started doing 'it'! When I was done, I was supposed to return the container to the same nurse and I swear I don't think she handled the container without her gloves on! In all, I made a total of five visits to the Andrology Lab. The doctor thought that I should store more but because he wanted to start the chemo as soon as we could, he thought five would be enough. He even asked me how many children I was planning to have but I didn't remember what my reply was.

During all these lab visits, I was not sure if my family knew what I was up to; I never discussed this with them. I think my sister knew, because whenever I needed to go, I just told her that I had to go to the hospital. Normally, I would disappear while they go out shopping.

The semen samples would be stored for a year and I had to go back if I needed them to store longer. I was told that it would have cost BND150 per sample per year for storage. Because of what happened after the whole cancer episode, I never actually went back to renew the storage. I would guess that they would be destroyed after one year. My friends joked that if they saw kids in Singapore who were hyperactive and looked like me, they would probably be mine!