Skip to main content

Final Chemo!!

XLVIII - I will survive!

Taxotere #12


I cannot believe it, the final chemo! My last time to get up super early, lidocaine my port area, and cover it in saran wrap in the wee hours of the morning! The last time that I will have to readjust that saran wrap multiple times because it got moved during the morning chaos in my house. The last time to wear one of my designated 3 tank tops for the sole purpose of keeping my IV line from hooking on my shirt! A happy Monday for me!!!


About to leave for the final chemo...


Since it was my FINAL (if you haven't figured that out) treatment, I had to meet with the nurse practitioner. I guess to make sure any final lingering issues would be addressed. Of course, I mentioned my crazy high heart rate. For the past month it had continued to be on the 100+ side of things, which was of course higher than I would like. I was not suppose to worry about it unless I started to get irregular heart beats, then I was to worry. So if it continued, they would address it after I had been off chemo for a month - which would hopefully allow it to drop back to "normal".

I addressed my red feet and bloody fingernails which is all chemo related and nothing that could help them. I mentioned all my normal reactions to chemo and all were basically told "too bad, nothing to help" - as I expected. Unfortunately, there was no time frame for when all these lovely chemo side effects would stop after treatment - days, months, years... it would just depend!

Besides the normal fun banter, I did get a MRI scheduled for the following week prior to meeting with the Breast Surgeon. It will be interesting to see if the chemo was working and to see how much the mass has shrunk. I know it has shrunk some - I can feel that - but I have no idea how much exactly!


Last time in the chair... for this!


What can I say, but it was my last treatment! I was as obnoxious as normal, expect for some high-fives given to the nurses and volunteers. I have such a great group of people taking care of me and I have really appreciated all of their personalities and ability to laugh at my crazy attitude. My nurses rule!


A great friend makes the day even sweeter!


Most importantly, I have had created an amazing friendship with a wonderful person. She did not like finding out that I was going alone to my treatments and set her sights on being with me with no question of day or time. From the early morning hours until early afternoon almost every week for almost 4 months, I have been sharing my most challenging life experience with her. Spending time with someone (no technology or distractions) has been so rewarding and something we rarely do these days! While she was my friend before treatment, through this experience I have gotten to know her so much better and have found her to be one of the kindest, funniest, and generous people I know! One huge positive that came from cancer was it has provided me an opportunity to develop an amazing friendship... Mary you are the best!!!


6 Months of Chemo Completed!


In my head...


I did it! I completed the last round of my chemotherapy. What a long 6 months!!!

I have gained and learned so much during this time. I have learned that I am stronger than I even knew. I have learned that I am more optimistic than I ever imagined. I have learned so many things.

I have also had to learn to accept help and support from others, which was something I did not easily do. I have also found out that I have a wonderful group of women around me who I am lucky to call friends. I have bragged about Mary, but I have more to say... and I am probably leaving someone out (sorry if I am), but... to my Girl's Out Lunch group - you give me the ability to laugh and smile, to my Food Providers (from Huntsville & Chattanooga) - you have relieved me of a task that sometimes was too daunting to do, to Valarie - your persistence to call and check on me was a wonderful reminder of your friendship and support, to Kristina - your ability to watch and help with my daughter at any given moment has made my life easier, to Joanne - your continued gifts and letters were bit of joy in my journey, and to my Mom - your love and support has been a wonderful gift during some of my darkest days!

While I still have a lot to do before I am done with this cancer thing, right now I am just so darn glad to be done with chemo...


“The first and final thing you have to do in this world
is to last it and not be smashed by it.” 
- Ernest Hemingway


Episode Reference: I Will Survive, Cake song

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

giving your 16 year old scissors

New Traditions Losing my hair - it's going to happen. When I did this in 2013, I waited to cut my hair once I was further in treatment. I didn't want to do that again. I didn't want to do it while I felt sore and bad. This time, I wanted to get rid of my hair before treatment.  Since I will have now done this more than once, it can be considered a tradition: cancer haircuts by my kids . Last time I did this, the kids were 6 and 13. So, this time around my son (23) opted not to cut, but watched some.   However, my 16 year old daughter leapt at the opportunity to cut my hair. Even though 10 years have gone by, she had to adhere to a few basic rules. Basic Rules: 1. Do not cut my ears. 2. Do not cut your own hair. 3. Do not cut anyone else's hair. These rules still hold up and are the general agreement we make before I put scissors in my kid's hands to chop on my hair!  And the tradition isn't the same without going outside (weather permitting) and listening to our
Post a Comment
Read more

happy birthday to me... almost

  Let's rewind a bit and start a few days before my birthday... I had my first cancer treatment day on October 3rd - check it out if you haven't read that blog post yet. Let's just think of it as an early birthday gift since my birthday is October 7th. Great gift, right?!? If I have to hear "Happy Early" or "Late Birthday" from another medical person, I might have to smack someone. Especially, since I have spent most of the weeks leading up to and after my birthday at a medical appointment regarding cancer. Not really loving my birthday this year. Let's just say, on my birthday, I woke up with a special chemo-side-effect-surprise at 2am. That fun surprise I will share later... Rewind a Few Days... Update But first, let's go to October 4th, the day after my grueling 8 hours of immunotherapy and two chemotherapies on the 3rd. I woke up swollen, red faced, and fevering, as well as feeling pretty crummy. I didn't have time to dwell on it since I
Post a Comment
Read more

More biopsies... where? down there?

Cancer survivors are always wondering and waiting to see if something is going to happen, so it is only natural to worry when something is "off". Then when something turns out to be abnormal more testing and follow-ups are needed. It seems like a continual wave of worries. Sometimes our worries turn out to be issues. Sometimes our worries turn out to be nothing. Either way, we are going to worry... it's just an issue of determining how much and when we should really worry. Finding out my endometrium lining was so thick meant I needed to get a biopsy. What's an Endometrial Biopsy? An endometrial biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small piece of tissue from the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) is removed for examination under a microscope. The removed tissue is examined for cancer or any other cell abnormalities.  Lucky me. Right?  Now I get to go back the GYN only a few days after my initial exa
1 comment
Read more