Out of the Tunnel

I did it. I have exited the long, dark tunnel called chemotherapy, a place I NEVER wanted to enter in the first place. In October, I could not believe there was an end to this tunnel, but yesterday I came out the other side. It was cold and snowy out there. Ha Ha!!

Some picture explanations:
1. Me walking into the building.
2. Me very happily waiting in my chair to get started.
3. Accessing my port for the final time.
4. Mark having his 3 o'clock nap!
5. Standing by the bell when it's over.

Seriously, the final chemo session went well yesterday. Despite adding an extra bag of Benadryl and the other drug added in session 7 before the Taxol, I still had a reaction. It was a little milder, but they still had to stop it and give me yet another little bit of Benadryl. I started at 9:30 a.m. and the Taxol bagged drained out at 4:05 p.m. It was a long session, but it was the last one!!

On your last day, the St. Agnes staff have a tradition called the Bell Ringing Ceremony. Years ago one of their patients presented them with a big bronze plaque that had a poem engraved on it and a huge brass bell. When the final bag is done and your port is de-accessed, your nurse makes an announcement loud and clear to all in the room, "I have a Bell Ringer here!" Everyone stops what they are doing and gathers around the bell. I read the poem aloud and then rang the bell three times. Everyone burst into applause! I had Mark take lots of pictures and even make a video of me reading the poem and ringing the bell. Every nurse in the room hugged me.

I was actually the second Bell Ringer that day. The first lady rang the bell at 1:20 p.m. when there were still many patients to see it and applaud for her. By the time I went up, it was more like 4:20 p.m. and there was only one other patient still there, but it didn't matter to me. I was so excited and happy. I actually teared up a bit. I also recited the poem I had written for them on their Edible Arrangement card. The fruit was delivered at 12:40 p.m., and Dr. Griffiths, my oncologist, actually came over to the chemo room to thank me personally. Everyone was so happy to get it. They put it in their break room, and everyone kept stopping by to thank me and tell me what they ate! It was half gone by the end of the day. I'm sure they'll polish off the rest today.

The only thing I was dreading yesterday was sitting up all night. It is so lonely and boring, plus I tend to overeat. I just didn't want to do that last night, so I tried to stick to my routine. I watched the news and went up at 11:30; I read my book until midnight like always. Then I did something I've never done; I medicated myself with 2 oxycodone pills hoping they would knock me out. They did! I slept until 4:30 a.m. when the alarm went off to take the Flagyl. I slept a little off and on until Mark's alarm went off at 6:30 A.M. Still I got up at 7 and felt refreshed. This was a good thing because I have a busy day planned.

Mark and I are shopping at Seven Mile Market this morning for dinner supplies. Mark has gotten into a show on the Travel Channel called Man v. Food. The guy does some crazy things. Every now and then Mark sees something he just must make. Tonight it's a donut burger. Yup. We're buying kosher, pareve glazed donuts, hamburger meat, beef fry (substitute for bacon), and soy cheese for dinner. Slice the donuts in half lengthwise like a hamburger bun. Fry the inside parts of the donut in the grease left over from frying the beef fry. Make the burgers. Then build the burger with cheese and beef fry inside the donut. The sugary glazed side goes next to the meat and you hold onto the fried part of the donut. Oy, I'm not sure about this, but along with spinach and salad, this is tonight's dinner. Not so good for my diet either, I might add.

At 2 p.m. I have an appointment with the surgeon. He will be doing a pre-op physical and going over things in preparation for the port removal surgery scheduled for next week. It will be done under IV anaesthesia in the hospital. I don't think it will take as long to get it out as to put it in, but there is still general anaesthesia involved, so I'll be out of it the rest of the day. That will be next Thursday.

At 4:05 I will get my last, exorbitantly expensive neulasta shot. This time Mark has to drop me off at the cancer center around 3:40 or so because he has to drive down to Laurel to have an appointment with his endocrinologist. It was hard for him to get this appointment, so he had to take what was available. I can sit in the lobby and read until my shot. Then Lowell is going to come to the hospital around 5:15 or so to pick me up, so we can come back to watch the DVDs and have our donut burgers. I should have lots of time for reading at the hospital today while I'm waiting in the lobby. I don't mind. I'm glad Lowell was willing to come get me!!

The best news of all? In just one month, my hair will start growing back!