chemo 8 of 8. That's 100% right?

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.