Yesterday I had my 8th and final chemo treatment - YAY! To make sure that I was really done with that place they were running extra slow and the whole visit took close to 8 hours to complete - including a 2 hour lay-over in the chemo infusion waiting room. My mom was with me and we made the best of it! I didn't really know what to expect after my last chemo - a trumpet fanfare, confetti canon? Instead we just said goodbye and headed out of "exam level 3" - hopefully for the last time.
Last week I met with my radiation oncologist. John pointed out that in my last post I presumptuously used male pronouns when referring to this new doctor. "What would the WWW (women's group and the hospital) have to say about this!" My apologies to women doctors everywhere - and my radiation oncologist is certainly not a "he". She is lovely, and smart as hell. I feel like I am in good hands for the next stage of my treatment. 2 weeks of radiation therapy to my chest scheduled for the end of July. She wanted to wait 4-6 weeks (apparently this is "protocol" that my oncologist wasn't familiar with - sigh - why don't doctors ever talk to each other....) for my chemo to wash out and then start the treatments. I will go to KU med every day for 2 weeks to get the treatments.
Radiation is scheduled to be done August 2nd - and then I think I will finally feel done. But, I'm starting to wonder if that is even true? Will there ever be a day I don't think "please don't relapse?". Hopefully as I put some time and distance between me and Hodgkins, I can reclaim my life where I didn't worry about my health, but I know I will never take my health for granted another day in my life.
So cheers to the journey and the end of chemotherapy - it is hard to believe I have come so far. This experience gets lumped in those parts of your life (like having a newborn come to live at your house forever) where you think how did time go so fast when it felt like it was going so slowly... I couldn't have asked for a better support system - so thank you to each and every person that helped out, held me close in your heart, and made me feel loved. I am so very blessed.
