Yesterday was my last Taxol infusion. The last infusion I hope to EVER HAVE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE- this will be on my prayer list every night now! My sister and I dropped Gianna off at school that morning, then headed over to Moffitt for my last chemo treatment. She asked me if I was happy and excited. I really wasn’t as excited as I thought I would be-I kinda wasn’t excited at all! Before you ask what the heck is wrong with me…hear me out.
Having these toxic drugs in my system means that something is actively fighting the little C sucker! I’ve heard of other patients compare it to a safety net and that’s exactly how I feel about it. So aside from the medical treatments that I’m being given to fight this thing. I’ve been slowly making small changes in my nutrition and vitamin intake. More on that later, but I really just want this post to be about how my last treatment went.
I can no longer feel the tumor (but I stopped feeling it 2 weeks into treatment). According to my oncologist this is wonderful news and speaks volumes in terms of me being fully “cured”. I don’t know what it means as far as a recurrence, I would like to think it means my chances are lowered but who knows. I’ll focus on the present for now. After my labs and seeing the doctor, my sister, Mom and I went into the art room that they have for patients and their families. First of all I LOVE art and this is like my 4th time going in there. It’s very therapeutic which is why they call it, Medicine in Art. My Mom was pretty emotional that day so my sister and I decided she needed some intervention therapy! We made some awesome prayer/wish bracelets. We made one for each person who has been with me the most throughout this whole journey. Those who emotionally and physically where there for me when I needed them even when I said “I’m Ok, I don’t need anything”. If I had time to make more bracelets I would, but I had to keep it to 4. We made a bracelet for my sister, Mom, Dad, and best friend. The bracelet is made up of one bead. The “bead” is a rolled up colored piece of paper and you write a wish on the back of it. The colored pieces of paper are actually paintings by other patients. My Mom and sister each wrote a wish for me on their bracelets. And I wrote a wish to my best friend, Manda and my Dad. I’ll have to post a pic later. My Mom made me my bracelet and in it she wrote me her prayer/wish for me. I think we all got some great therapy out of this art session!
On to the infusion. Luckily I had a room this time, which was awesome because my best friend and hubby were joining the party. My best friend showed up with flowers, balloon and card. I am so blessed to have such an amazing best friend. She deserves her own post-seriously!! Then Justin came, but unfortunately he had to leave early to pick up Gianna from school. As soon as the nurse unhooked me from the infusion machine for the last time-I was FINALLY EXCITED! Relief and happiness finally came over me. I rang the bell and walked out of there praying that I will never have to go into infusion again.
My Mom and best friend at my last chemo session
Once home I was greeted by my other amazing friends, Gianna, Justin and Manda’s daughter Kendal. Kendal and Gianna “decorated” for my party. Aren’t they the cutest lil darlings? Look at the details in the pictures…the ribbons, bracelet, etc. Raisins were on the menu too..haha!
The girls decorated part of the house for my celebration. Look on the table-the ribbons and bracelet!
Do you notice the cancer ribbons in the picture above. Our girls are so creative :-)!
Of course the occasion called for a toast. My toast was to never go through this again, and I had the same wish for everyone there that night.
God is so good and through him and my family, I’ve made it past the first round virtually unscathed. Yes, I lost my hair but I managed to keep my eyebrows and eyelashes through it all. My shower time is seriously cut in half! I wish I can say that losing my hair has helped with being on-time, but honestly it hasn’t. I managed to work full-time and still have energy for my family every evening. My work has been AMAZING and really helped keep the “normal” in my life. Not to mention it keeps my mind busy. So now what? Well, the month of September will be filled with our yearly beach trip to Treasure Island (we leave Saturday!), work, family, friends, lots of rest, a party for me on 9/14, a trip to South Carolina for work and who knows what else. My surgery is scheduled for October 2. I will post all about that in the next week or so. Until then, I’m appreciating all the beauty around me, my family, my friends, beautiful sunsets, fresh air, pumpkin everything, strength….I can go on and on……
